Prologue

It has been a couple of years after Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends gave up the Elements of Harmony to save the Tree of Harmony. After Discord's failed attempt to destroy the tree a thousand years finally taking action, then failing again, peace seemed to return to Equestria...or so they thought.

One night, as Twilight slept after going through another of her late night study sessions, she had experienced a nightmare unlike anything she had ever had. She looked at the nightmare around her, finding the landscape dark and decaying, the scent of blood filling the air. Littering the ground, she gasped in horror as she saw the bodies of all her friends, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and even herself, all dead and killed in different, gruesome ways. She looked up as she heard maniacal laughter above Celestia's body, a unicorn stallion wielding an ethereal sword of darkness in his dark red aura.

His coat was black, as well as his mane and tail. His hair reached down to his shoulders, as wild as his insanity. His eyes were blood red as well as his horn, which was curved upward to a sharp point. This stallion almost seemed to resemble King Sombra, the evil unicorn king who attempted to take the Crystal Empire, using the same dark magic as he did, his eyes leaking a green aura from the corners. He looked younger than Sombra though, and he seemed a lot more sane despite using arcane magic at his disposal. His cutie mark was a red skull, the eyes stabbed through by two daggers.

With the dark broadsword held above the deceased princess's body, he willed it to slash down, cleaving through Celestia's neck. He began to laugh harder as the dark unicorn held the alicorn's head above him, triumphant at the carnage he had unleashed.

Twilight felt sick to her stomach, wanting to wake up from this terrible nightmare, or have Princess Luna save her from this torment. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, a light began to shine out in the distance. Both ponies looked in the direction of the unexpected light, rising up like the sun. Within that light was the silhouette of a pony, hovering forward as its wings flapped strongly. As the pony moved closer, he revealed himself as an alicorn.

His coat was pure white, his torso protected by a golden cuirass, gold gauntlets that covered his forelegs, and a helmet of the same color that covered most of his face. Through the holes in the helm, Twilight saw a pair of eyes as blue as a clear, cloudless sky, determined though troubled. From underneath his helmet, she saw his mane, a bright gold that shimmered like the rays of the sun, which the light seemed to form and brighten the landscape. His cutie mark depicting a rising sun, with five small white stars in the rays of the sun and part of a large purple star in the center of the semi-circle, almost like her own.

She heard the unicorn growl, dropping his "trophy" unceremoniously on the ground. The white alicorn sped off at breakneck speeds, faster than Rainbow Dash could if she pulled off a Sonic Rainboom, flying toward the madpony. Thousands of ethereal swords and daggers appeared from the unicorn's arcane magic, each blade shattering to pieces as the alicorn punched through them, his hooves a blur at the rapid pace he threw them. With one final punch, his hoof glowed brightly, smashing through the wall of weapons protecting the unicorn and hitting him hard in the chest. As the stallion flew, he screamed in agony as his body began to crack from the light, shattering to pieces.

The light expanded, dissolving the dark landscape and rejuvenating the land, bringing it back to its peaceful state. All around them, Twilight could hear the sound of cheering from an invisible crowd of ponies. It was like a celebration was being held for the savior, but when she turned to look at him, he wasn't as excited as the crowd. He sat in front of her dead body, slowly taking off his helmet, revealing his tear stained cheeks as he looked down at her in sorrow.

"I hope you're proud of me...mom," he said, confusing Twilight. "If only I was able to see you alive...just once..."

Before she was able to ask him who he had meant, Twilight woke up, the nightmare still fresh in her mind like a memory never forgotten. When she had requested Luna's aid, being the Princess of the Night and able to travel through dreams, she was told that she did try to see what her dream was, only for some kind of barrier to keep her out. It was a clear sign that this was some kind of vision of the possible future. Doing what she did best, she began looking up everything she could about who the two stallions were and what she and her friends can do to prevent this disaster from happening.

From the research she had done, all she was able to find any information on was the black unicorn, who was named Lucifer. Ironically, he used to be an ex-student of Celestia's, showing incredible magical prowess at such a young age. When he reached his teens, he craved more power and sought out the illegal arcane spells hidden away in the Castle of the Two Sisters, where the Everfree Forest now took over. He learned these spells behind the princess's back, and grew dangerous. Lucifer confronted Celestia, attempting to dethrone her, under the control of the dark magic he wielded. She was able to stop him, but didn't have it in her heart to kill him. So his punishment was not death, but a millennium long sleep, hoping the darkness would dissipate in time.

When Twilight spoke to Celestia about Lucifer, she had admitted that his history was kept locked away, along with his body. He was her first student, her first companion a few months after she fell into a depression from banishing her sister to the moon when she turned into Nightmare Moon. Nearly a thousand years have passed since he was forced into unconsciousness, and it was a matter of time before the Elements' spell broke, where he would wreak havoc anew. Using the knowledge she had gained, all she needed to do was find who this heroic alicorn stallion was supposed to be. But the big question that baffled her was who he was, and why did she feel like it was her he was talking to?

It had been over a year since Twilight had that vision, and the time of Lucifer's vengeance was close at hand. A lot of planning had been dealt with, but everything is set in motion, especially for Equestria's future savior. Leaving her friends back in Ponyville, for their safety, she stayed in Canterlot Castle with Luna and Celestia, the three of them waiting in trepidation at Lucifer's arrival.

"If only we still had the Elements of Harmony," Twilight said, disappointed to not have the relics that saved their home from many deities who wished to destroy the kingdom or the world. "We would be able to stop him easily."

"There is nothing that can be done, Twilight," Celestia assured her former student. Even though she was stoic and stood her ground, on the inside, she was just as worried as her sister and ex-pupil. "The Tree of Harmony still needs to recover after Discord's attempt to destroy it. It's better if we don't have to rely on them too much."

After a moment, the silence became unbearable. Then, they heard noises coming from outside the castle, magic being fired left and right and spears the royal guard carried clattering to the ground outside. More silence. The guards with the princesses stood their ground, spears aimed at the large double doors of the throne room. The doors were blasted open with a powerful spell, sending them off their hinges and flying at them. Celestia caught them in her magic before they could hit them, tossing them aside as she leered at the entryway. Standing in the hallway was the dark stallion himself, as old as he was when he was left in a comatose state, unaged by time.

"Well, well, well," he said, slowly making his way inside, blood soaking his body and the black cloak he wore over his body. "It has been a long while, princess." Lucifer's gaze fell on Luna and Twilight, chuckling to himself at Celestia's backup. "Your sister and...new princess should have fled, or at least hid away."

"We do no such thing, foul brat. Give yourself up, or you shall face our wrath," Luna said, her body unmoving, but gravely terrified on the inside.

The stallion laughed, hearing Luna's poor use of the word "our". "Even after being asleep for a thousand years, that way of speech is completely out of date. And after being banished in the moon, still conscious, I though you would have learned a thing or two."

Luna wanted nothing more than to kill Lucifer after insulting her grammar, but Celestia held her back before she lost her temper.

"Lucifer, I do not wish to fight you again. You are not yourself," Celestia pleaded, hoping to avoid a second confrontation with the colt she saw inside of the dangerous stallion. "The dark magic you wield has clouded your judgement. You will be just like Sombra, mad with power and destruction."

"Sombra?" Lucifer laughed louder, brushing a couple of his bangs out of his face. "You think I will lose my mind like that pathetic unicorn king!? Neigh, Celestia. Unlike him, I am in full control of this power." He summoned forth an ethereal sword, one of the same kinds of dark weapons Twilight saw in her vision. It was shaped like a katana, a weapon used in the countries far to the east of Equestria. "At first, I felt mad with power, but I was able to keep it from making me lose myself. I wield it like my own magic, and my reasons back then were sane.

"I wanted to take control of the throne, Celestia. You were in no shape to run it, seeing as you kept causing mistakes that nearly destroyed Equestria. Thinking that you can rule a utopia will eventually lead to its downfall, where somepony bold enough, or beings like Discord and Nightmare Moon, will rebel and do everything they can to cause chaos and havoc." Lucifer looked at the two guards, both of them ready to charge as he moved closer. "You two blindly follow a mare who claims to be a goddess, when she's really a worthless pony, given a title that means nothing but disaster with her kind heart."

"Silence!" the guard on the right of Lucifer shouted. "Don't speak ill of the princesses!"

Lucifer stared blankly at them, stepping forward once more. The guards rushed at him, not intending on letting him get any closer. As they reached him, in the blink of an eye, two slashing sounds were made, the guards running past the unicorn, only to stop a few feet away from him. Slowly, Lucifer summoned a sheath for his blade, slowly inserting the sword inside. As the hilt rested and the katana was fully sheathed, as soon as the sound echoed, blood began spurting out of the guards' necks, their heads cut clean through, rolling off their bodies as they collapsed, limbs twitching and blood pooling around their corpses.

The three princesses stared in horror at the sight, unable to believe the speed he moved at. Twilight nearly threw up, experiencing death outside of her vision, the scent of blood growing stronger as Lucifer slowly made his way toward them.

"Amazing skill, isn't it?" Lucifer mocked them, his power far greater than all three of them combined. "You three have no idea how much I've grown while I was asleep. Seems as though your fail safe failed you, Celestia. It only delayed the inevitable."

"Y-You monster," Luna stammered, growing more angry despite the fear in her heart. Not wanting to let this villain kill anymore of her subjects, she decided to act, using her magic to call forth her ethereal weapon: a black and blue scythe, the curved blade a bright silver that reflected the moon's light. "Your reign will not begin over our dead body!"

She flew at Lucifer, scythe at the ready, but the stallion didn't even budge, not even pulling out his weapon. Luna swung her weapon, only instead of making contact with his body, it hit some kind of invisible barrier, mere inches from the blade slicing through his neck. He began to laugh, practically enjoying the shocked expression on the night princess's face.

"How cute." Lucifer held out his hoof, grabbed the scythe, and shattered the weapon into nothingness, knocking Luna back in a daze. Before she could get back up, she let out a grunt of intense pain, the malicious stallion instantly teleporting on top of the alicorn, a large knife stabbed through her abdomen. "You die first. I'll enjoy watching your sister mourn over your loss while I cut you open like a science project gone wrong."

Not even giving her a chance to breath, Lucifer sliced up Luna's torso, the long blade cutting through her organs. She spluttered blood out of her mouth, already feeling the embrace of death as the crazed stallion cut through her like a dead frog. Celestia screamed in horror, sadness, and rage, her mane and tail flaring up and turning into fire. Twilight had to back away, the heat coming from her being so intense that it felt like the sun was inches away from her. The infuriated alicorn rushed at Lucifer, summoning forth a longsword made entirely out of flames, slashing at him blindly.

Lucifer laughed as he blocked the rush attack with a large ax, easily deflecting each fury induced swing Celestia made. Sparks of flame and ethereal magic danced around them, neither weapon threatening to break. The stallion eventually grew bored, parrying the next swipe, tripping Celestia up, and hacking his weapon through her forelegs. She yelled in pain, the flames around her barely effecting Lucifer, collapsing on her stomach as she writhed in pain. Before she was given a break, she felt her hind legs being chopped off as well, screaming in agony as blood spurted out from her stubbed limbs. The flames in her hair died down, tears streaming down her face in fear, sorrow, and pain, desperately trying to crawl away from the pony she once taught.

"Heheheheh. Look at you, cowering in fear at one of your best students," Lucifer taunted, relishing in her terror. He kicked Celestia hard in the side, knocking her on her back and the wind out of her lungs. To keep her from squirming, he pressed his front hooves down on her chest, holding the ax above her neck. "Now, hold still. I don't want to mess this up."

Celestia watched in horror as the ax hovered over her head, unable to utter a word in the amount of pain she was in. In one clean swing, Lucifer chopped the blade of the ax down hard on her neck, beheading her and killing her instantly. Twilight screamed in fear, watching her mentor being killed before her, too terrified to fight back or run away. She didn't want to see anymore of this. She wanted this nightmare to end.

Underneath her, dark magic swirled beneath her hooves, tendrils wrapping themselves tightly around her limbs, keeping her from moving where she stood. She struggled to break free, even trying to use her magic to teleport away, but the arcane magic sealed any use of her magic as long as she was underneath the pool of mana she stood on. Lucifer began to walk toward her after tossing Celestia's head aside, making Twilight's inevitable end torturous. She whimpered, feeling her body being lifted up slightly, turning her gaze away from the monster who would kill her.

As he stood before the quivering alicorn, he began to caress her cheek, making her wince at his touch. She dared to open her eyes, tears of fear beginning to roll down her face, gazing into his blood red eyes staring at her with lust. She could smell the blood of his victims permeating over him, sickening to her stomach as her face was soiled by what might be the princess' blood on his hoof.

"Then there was one," Lucifer said, a hungry look in his eyes. He inched closer until their muzzles touched, making Twilight gag at the stench of blood invading her nostrils. "As much as I wish to end the lives of every alicorn to show they aren't gods of any sort..." He moved his head back a little, licking his lips. "I might offer you a deal if you are willing to behave.

"If you don't want to suffer the same fate as our mentor and her sister, then you must agree with my terms. You will be my little slave. I shall do what I will with you, whenever I please, and you will not disobey. Do so, and you'll be spared. Ignore my commands, and you may be severely punished. What do you say? Live and obey my every whim, or die like the rest of the world who dares to defy me?"

"N-Never in a million years w-will I be your t-toy," Twilight stammered.

"...And I thought you wanted to live," Lucifer sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well. It's a shame to ruin one who's beauty is also expressed with her mind and prowess. Today marks my day as Equestria's king, surpassing the futile attempts made by Nightmare Moon, Discord, even Tirek."

Lucifer summoned forth his katana once again, pressing the blade against Twilight's neck. As he was about to slit her throat and watch her choke to death, she began laughing, confusing him and halting his kill. She looked down at him, still holding fear in her eyes, but she was smirking, like she was the one who had triumphed over him despite her bindings and inevitable death.

"Your reign...will end sooner than you think," Twilight said, mocking Lucifer. "The alicorns are not extinct yet. There are two left in Equestria."

"What!?" Lucifer began to lose his nerve, not knowing that there would be other alicorns aside from Celestia and Luna. "Tell me where they are!"

"...One of them is my sister-in-law, Cadence, the Princess of Love. As long as you wield dark magic, the Crystal Heart will protect her and everypony inside with its power." Twilight continued laughing, mostly out of fear, but if it meant getting the last laugh, she was going to lose her mind before Lucifer was satisfied ending her life. "And the other, you'll never find him. When the time comes, he will find you, stopping your tyranny and save us all from your power on the throne..." Twilight leered at him, relishing in his frustrated expression, wanting to kill her, but holding back to try to get anymore information out of her. "It's not over, Lucifer. He will eradicate your place in history as Equestria's greatest villain! You may have won now, but the war between good and evil still rages on, and evil will eventually fall to good with time! You will never win!"

Twilight finally lost it, laughing as maniacally as the dark stallion in her vision, mocking Lucifer in her uproarious guffawing. His eye twitched, the princess's laughter echoing in the large throne room. She would never answer him and reveal where this other alicorn was hidden. Lucifer let out a roar of frustration, his magic summoning forth thousands of blades aimed at Twilight, flicking his head down fast and sending his ethereal weapons raining down on her. Her body was skewered by the swords, knives, and daggers, silencing her laughing and killing her where she stood.

The dark magic underneath the slain alicorn's body disappeared, making her drop unceremoniously to the floor, blood pooling under her from the several stab wounds. Lucifer stared at Twilight's body, chastising himself for losing his temper too soon. Sighing, he left the bodies of the former princesses where they were, walking toward his new throne. He sat in the comfortable seat, staring at his handiwork, feeling as though Twilight's claims of another alicorn taking him down was somehow true. His magic was able to protect him from one of the princess's magical weapons, but he began to grow wary of being beaten, and by a male alicorn she mentioned the hero as a he.

"She must be lying. There is no possible way a male alicorn can exist..." Lucifer couldn't get the warning out of his head. He fidgeted in his throne, hearing Twilight's words ring in his head, his ears twitching as he heard her laughter. Growling, her words finally made him snap in a blind panic, not wanting to lose to this hero who would stop him. "Damn it! She got to me! We'll see who has the last laugh once I find the alicorn stallion! My reign shall rule for all eternity!"

Far out in the mountain range miles away from the small town of Ponyville, the sun had already set and the night sky glimmered with bright stars. Traveling on the mountain trail were Twilight Sparkle's friends and her number one dragon assistant: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike. In the young dragons arms was a small bundle wrapped in a lavender blanket. Everyone had an uneasy look, knowing that their best friend and newest princess would have to face off against the unicorn from her dream. It was hard enough for the remaining Elements of Harmony to have Twilight fight with the princesses, leaving them behind with another task. Out of all of them, the one who took it the hardest was Rainbow Dash, being the Element of Loyalty, she can't leave anyone to do something this dangerous on their own.

"I can't take this anymore!" Rainbow shouted, quickly being shushed by the others. "Twilight can't do this by herself! I gotta do something!"

Before she was able to fly off, Applejack lassoed the pegasus before she could speed off in the direction of Canterlot.

"Rainbow, stop!" Applejack quickly pulled down on the rope in her teeth, slamming Rainbow hard to the ground. "Ah know ya can't help seein' others in trouble, but there's nothin' we can do!"

"But she -" Applejack quickly shoved her hoof in Rainbow's mouth before she could protest.

"Ah know...We all know." Applejack looked back at the others, all of them knowing the outcome of the fight back at the castle. "Twilight left us with another task, sugarcube. To make sure that the pony who'll save us is safe until he's old enough to fight that Lucifer stallion."

Rainbow wanted to argue further, but she knew it was a lost cause. After getting untangled by Applejack's rope, she huffed, hating how she felt useless while one of her best friends would end up sacrificing themselves just for Equestria's future.

Suddenly, the Element bearers' heads all perked up, feeling their bond had lightened, shattering to tiny pieces. They looked out on the horizon, where Canterlot Castle stood on the mountain many miles away, their hearts sinking as they felt their friend's life faded away. Their bond, connected with the Elements of Harmony, was broken with the Element of Magic's willing sacrifice to save the others.

"...No...She's gone..." Fluttershy uttered, tears already welling up in her eyes, the others feeling just as upset as the timid yellow pegasus.

Spike saw the broken looks on their faces, tears falling and sobs the only sounds they made. True, the dragon may not be bonded by the Elements like his pony friends, but it was just as painful for him, being a surrogate sibling to the alicorn he always worked hard for. In his arms, the bundle shifted and crying was heard underneath the blanket. The little form inside squirmed as it cried, unveiling its little head. In Spike's arms was a foal, but it wasn't just any foal; it was Twilight's foal.

From its constant cries for its mother and trying to wriggle out of Spike's hold, it shifted its blanket until it revealed more of himself. An alicorn colt, tiny wings at his sides and a small horn on its forehead, his coat a pure white and a small tuft of hair on his mane a bright gold color. He was crying out for Twilight, able to sense what the other mares were able to feel. Spike tried to calm the colt down, knowing he would grow tired after a while.

After a moment to mourn for their loss, they continued up the mountain, the alicorn foal's cries growing quieter as Spike continued to rock him back and forth. They finally reached their destination: a cave hidden out of view from any wandering hikers, or mad tyrants who wish to find Twilight's child. This was the last thing Spike will do for Twilight as her number one assistant: be the best uncle for his nephew's sake, make sure he never leaves until he's old enough, and guide him to his destiny.

Pinkie and Rarity had carried some saddlebags with them on the long trek up the mountain, carrying food for the foal, diapers, some toys, just a few things to keep the colt happy or entertained. Spike could handle himself fine, knowing there might be some gems hidden along the range he could scrounge up.

"Are you sure you can look after him, Spikey?" asked Rarity.

"Yeah. Just bring the rest of the stuff tomorrow." Spike looked back at the cave, far bigger than any dragon den he had seen. "Our new home away from home. I'll get used to it, but I'm not sure he will."

Spike looked down at the colt, sleeping soundly in his arms. His eyes widened when he felt a kiss on his cheek, coming from Rarity.

"You are so brave for doing this, Spikey-wikey." The fashionista pulled the little dragon into a hug, still shocked at the kiss he was given by his crush. "Please be careful."

"...I-I will..." Spike stammered, finding a new resolve not to mess this important job up. After saying their farewells, the mares headed back to Ponyville, leaving the baby dragon behind with his nephew. Looking back in the dark cave, Spike pulled out a small crystal from one of the bags, lighting it with his fire breath and casting a dim glow around them. Picking up the saddlebags and placing them on his back, he walked through the cave, the crystal lighting their way. "Let's see if we can make some renovations tomorrow. For now, let's get some sleep, Solaris."

The colt opened his eyes slightly, hearing his name. His eyes were a bright blue, just like Twilight's savior in her vision. He closed his eyes again, drifting back to sleep as Spike wandered around to find their "rooms".

Author's Notes:

Okie-dokie-loki! First story coming to life!

I had actually made this story a couple years ago, but I wrote it out of boredom when I had nothing to do. Finally, after reading many fics on this site, I decided to bring this up, recreate the old story to make it better than what I had originally made it, and see if anyone likes the prologue. If many of you like it, great! If not...then I recommend not reading anymore of the future gore. Don't worry, because there is a good ending. You'll just have to wait and see what comes next.

So if you want more, I'll post the rest of the story when I have the time, and maybe a few others I already made if some of you are interested. If anyone is a harsh critic, don't chastise me harshly. Writing isn't my forte. Just something to do if I don't have anything to do.

Chapter 1: 15 Years Later

Equestria was not as peaceful as it was ever since Lucifer had awoken. With the princesses of the day and night gone, along with Princess Twilight Sparkle, everything changed. Thankfully, before Celestia and Luna were slain, they had used most of their magic to lower and raise their celestial beings on their own, so no one would worry if it was supposed to be day or night. But the sequence for day and night to begin wasn't a godsend.

Now that Lucifer had named himself king, everything about the royal guard had changed drastically. They were now known as the Shadow Knights, the armor changing from gold to red and black. Those who had followed Celestia and Luna's guard had no choice but to don their new suits of armor, obeying the command of their tyrant in fear of losing their lives or their loved ones. Recruits who joined up, however, seemed to take their job in a darker light: abusing the authority they have to do whatever they pleased, mercilessly beating up others over the smallest of mistakes toward them, even taking anything without paying because they were above their standards. What was worse was that many of these new guards were spread all throughout Equestria, causing trouble when they were off duty and on the lookout for the alicorn stallion who would kill their king.

Fifteen long, grueling years have passed since the fall of the princesses. Throughout that time, everything seemed fine, but all throughout the world, every sentient being knew that they should fear the unicorn stallion who took down three alicorn princesses without even trying. Down in Ponyville, those who had known Twilight mourned for the loss of the once genius unicorn, ascending to princess-hood. Everypony went about their daily lives while being wary of the young, brutish recruits patrolling the town. Many rebels in the past had tried to assassinate Lucifer, but his arcane magic was impenetrable. No weapon or spell could kill him, not even poison in his food or drink.

Today was a special occasion, and only those who knew of princess Twilight's son knew that it was his birthday today, turning fifteen years old. Unfortunately, only the remaining Elements of Harmony could only go, not wanting to risk suspicion on them if they traveled in big groups. During the decade and a half, they had started families of their own, marrying the pony they loved and having a foal or two. It was difficult to tell their children to keep Solaris's location a secret, but luckily, the guards ignore what "lies" the foals say.

Each of the mares left their homes, bidding their loved ones goodbye, and began to head up the mountain range, saddlebags with a gift, party supplies, punch and soda, and a variety of delectable treats to munch on. They met up at the start of the trail, unable to see their teenage nephew.

"This is gonna be the bestest party EVER!" Pinkie yelled, bouncing along with the unlimited energy she always carried. Her saddlebags were stuffed to the brim with so many different pastries that they could burst if she continued bouncing like that. "I just hope Solly can show me a smile again. He hasn't been happy with the last few parties I threw for him."

"He's probably going through some teenage angst thing," Rainbow assured. "I mean, I've gone through a phase when I was his age."

"When you began dating other mares and dyeing your hair black?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow blushed, nearly falling to the ground when her wings stopped flapping. "H-Hey! I did not do any of that!"

"But I have pictures of you with all that-" Rainbow tried to silence her fillyhood friend, but it was too late. The others laughed as the rainbow-haired pegasus groaned in embarrassment.

"Fluttershy, darling, you have got to show me those pictures," Rarity tittered, embarrassing Rainbow all the more.

"No! No pictures! It was a phase, nothing more!" As much as Rainbow Dash tried to make it sound like it was just something she went through, it only made the others more curious. "Can we change the subject!? Like when we're going to tell Sol about what he needs to do?"

"We'll tell him after the party winds down, Rainbow," Applejack said, leading the way. "We're gonna have to break it down gently to him. It's gonna be hard on him when he realizes Twilight's been gone since he was little."

"I just hope he doesn't try to hit us. Remember that heavy punching bag Rainbow got for him last year?" Pinkie shuddered, remembering just how much power the young alicorn had when he tested it out, nearly knocking the sand out of the thing. "He's a lot tougher than earth ponies, that's for sure. But don't worry! I'll make sure he smiles this time! Nothing can go wrong!"

Up in the cave where Spike and Solaris reside, the interior of the caverns seemed more like a large, earthy hut, filled with furnishings and torches lighting the place up. Spike had indeed renovated the place: digging out different rooms to Solaris's liking, adding a bathroom for them to shower or do other business, even a large room for the alicorn to train when reading or sitting around gets him bored. Along with the furniture the others provided to make them more comfortable, it was like a home, only with lots of gravel and dirt, and the occasional bat making their home inside the furbished den.

Down in the training room, where several weights of differing sizes laid strewn about and a bench lifting set rest in a corner, Solaris was hard at work punching and kicking his heavily worn out heavy punching bag he got last year. His hits were quick and accurate, though he had to limit his strength, or else risk slamming it off the chain it hung from and create another dent in the cave walls. The stallion had grown quite a bit since then: lean but muscular, a large wingspan that seemed to be a little longer than a griffon's, and his mane always preferred cut short so it doesn't get in the way when he trains.

After an hour of his nonstop routine, he finally relaxed, working up a sweat from the exertion he unleashed. Though his workout went through without any interruptions, Solaris still felt unsatisfied.

"Time for another dull day of sitting in a cave, bored out of my mind and unable to go outside...again," Solaris sighed, frustrated that his dragon uncle keeps him cooped up in this cave. "Might as well be a dragon hoarding all this furniture and old books, living in seclusion until I grow even more bored."

Mumbling to himself, he made his way to the bathroom, always wondering how Spike managed to get indoor plumbing inside of a cave supposedly far from civilization. Ignoring how it was possibly done, Solaris leapt into the shower, turned on the cold water, and rinsed himself down. It was just him and his uncle living here, so he didn't bother shutting the entrance with the large boulders used as makeshift doors. After he was cleaned off, he shut off the water, shaking himself dry and wandered about the cave for a while.

Passing through the cavernous hallway, his ears perked up when he heard Spike snoring, sleeping in his room. It was close to noon, and the dragon always slept a few hours past Solaris's wake up time. He poked his head in his uncle's room, finding him sprawled out on his large mattress. The dragon had grown in size, now an adolescent teenage dragon, though far more mature than the dragons he had met during the Great Dragon Migration years ago. His spines were a little sharper and stood a couple feet taller than the alicorn.

Spike snorted, flicking his wrist up and down like he was writing with an invisible pen. "Check, check, check, check..." He dropped his arm and rolled onto his side, the springs creaking underneath his weight. "Hey, Rarity. How's about you handle a real dragon?"

Solaris rolled his eyes, hearing his uncle have yet another dream about Rarity. Using his magic, his aura a golden hue, he shoved Spike out of the bed, the fall slowly waking him from his slumber.

"Uncle Spike," Solaris said, annoyed at his incoherent sleeping schedule. "You realize it's the middle of the afternoon, right?"

"Is it?" Spike stretched, yawning loudly. He looked at the clock near the bed, the time a quarter til one. "...Wow, time sure flies."

"Yeah. It does when you can't tell where the sun is inside of a cave," Solaris complained.

Spike groaned, rubbed his eyes, hearing his nephew complaining yet again. For the past few years, Solaris had been giving him an attitude, always wanting to go outside no matter how many times he said no. And just like the last few thousand times, he was going to hear his plea yet again.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Solaris? You can't go outside," said the irritated dragon.

"There's nothing for me to do!" Solaris leered at his uncle as he shouted. "I'm starting to get sick and tired of doing my daily workouts, I've read all the books given to me, at least ten times, and you're always sleeping day in and day out! Speaking of day, I don't even know what the sun and moon look like! Just what it sort of looks like in my science books!"

Spike sighed, secretly hiding a claw behind his back, mimicking it along with his words, knowing exactly what Solaris was going to complain about. He was also mere inches away from yelling at his nephew, but he managed to hold himself back, otherwise they would be caught in a never ending shouting contest.

"You're not ready for what it's like out there. You'll be able to go outside soon," said Spike.

Solaris pouted, crossing his forehooves, acting like a toddler ready to throw a temper tantrum. "Which'll be in a thousand years."

"A thousand years is a long time to wait for the best day of the year EVER!" Pinkie shouted, popping up out of nowhere between the two.

"Ahh!" Solaris screamed, backing away from Pinkie's sudden appearance. Even after all these years knowing her wildest of aunts, Pinkie was by far the most confusing pony in the world. Spike wasn't all that phased, knowing her the longest and never questioning anything, as one should. "Aunt Pinkie!? How did you even-"

"I read ahead of the script and popped in!" Pinkie explained, never making much sense. Solaris just stared at his crazy aunt, once finding her antics hilarious as a colt, now finding them annoying and hurting his brain. "You know, that mountain hike takes almost an hour on hoof? I couldn't wait that long because today is somepony's birthday today!" She rummaged through her bags, pulling out her patented party cannon, pressing the button and shooting out confetti, also instantly setting up her Pinkie Pie style parties. "Now this place is all set up for the greatest birthday bash ever!"

"Pinkie," Spike interrupted before the party mare decided to get started too soon. "Are the others here yet?"

"Oh!" Pinkie slapped herself on the forehead. "I completely forgot about the others! I'll let them in!" Pinkie ran off to the entrance of the cave, blocked off by a heavy boulder. It was too heavy for her to move, but try as she might, she pushed with all her strength, unable to budge it an inch. Spike followed her, watching her trying to move the boulder with her hind legs. He got up behind her, easily shifting the heavy rock aside, making her fall on her belly. "I got it!"

"Sure did," said Spike, rolling his eyes.

Out in the distance, the others got closer to the cave, spotting Pinkie leaping in the air, waving them over. As soon as the dragon set his sights on the mare of his dreams, he wasn't as love-struck as he used to be years ago. He did find out that she had married a stallion and had a child, a filly who was like her mother. He did meet her once when the mares brought their kids to meet Solaris a couple years ago. It broke his heart, but he didn't show it, still in love with the unicorn even though she was with someone else.

As everyone entered the cave, Rarity was the last to enter, staying behind with Spike as he closed the entrance. It was a pretty awkward moment between the two. Ever since Rarity brought her daughter with her to meet Solaris, the dragon put the pieces together, and she felt awful when he didn't gaze at her like he used to. He always did whatever she asked out of the kindness in his heart, never asking for anything in return. It made her role as the Element of Generosity dull in comparison to Spike's. She even used her charm to practically "steal" the fire ruby Spike had grown years ago for his birthday treat, abusing his smitten love for her just to have a gem he willingly gave up just for her.

"...Hello, Spike," Rarity finally said after a moment of silence.

"It's been a while, huh?" Spike said. The awkward tension rose between them again. "...So, how's Sweetie Belle?"

"She's good. Finally got a platinum album. Most popular songs in Equestria nowadays," said Rarity.

"Good. I gotta hear her latest hits..." Spike trailed off, the conversation really growing awkward. "...Rarity-"

"I'm sorry, Spike," Rarity interrupted, stopping Spike before he could even say what he was going to say. "You don't have to keep hiding it from me. I know you've been hurt ever since I brought Gemstone with me..." She couldn't look at him as she explained. "I knew you've had a crush on me, but I never told you I was in a relationship before I had her. I wasn't able to tell you because I knew it would break your heart. Only, I seemed to make things worse when you found out."

"...Yeah. It did hurt," Spike said. Even though he was upset, he knew it would never be as they were completely different species. "As long as your husband makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."

"But-" As Rarity looked at him, her protests were silenced as a claw pressed against her lips.

"No buts." Spike lowered his claw, both pony and dragon looking at each other again after so long. "It was just a crush. Once Lucifer's finally taken down, I might find me a pretty female dragon, assuming they aren't as cruel as Garble and his pack of dunces. But no matter who I meet in the future, you'll always be my...diamond in the rough."

Rarity blushed, both of them knowing that little compliment had to be the cheesiest line Spike had ever said, but he was being honest. He saw her as one of a kind, where everypony saw her as beautiful by her looks, he viewed her as beautiful on the inside, her personality and generous heart. Rarity made a bold move that she hoped her husband would never find out: She stood on her hind legs to reach Spike, grabbed his cheeks with her hooves, and pulled him closer, giving him a deep kiss.

Spike's eyes widened in surprise, staring at Rarity up close, her eyes closed and her lips pressed against his. His eyes fluttered shut as he melted into the kiss, kissing her back as she gently caressed her cheek, pulling her closer. Spike felt like he was in a dream and wished he would never wake up from this moment. After a minute, feeling almost like an eternity, they pulled away, needing oxygen. Spike stared at Rarity, still confused but with a dopey grin on his face.

"If I'm dreaming, please pinch me," Spike said, hearts popping behind his head.

"It's not." Rarity kissed Spike's snout, assuring him that what he experienced was no dream. "That was for my horrible selfishness toward you, making you do everything I asked and brushing you off when you did a wonderful job helping me."

"But I wanted to do all those things," Spike said.

"I know, but I never gave you any decent rewards for your generosity." Rarity nuzzled Spike's snout, then proceeded down the caverns to meet back up with the others to celebrate Solaris's birthday. "Now, come along, Spikey-wikey. We have a party to start."

Spike watched Rarity as she sashayed her hips from side to side. Leaning against the wall, he sighed, feeling his heart racing. Even though he could never be with her, that first kiss from her was all he really wanted. With renewed vigor, he hurried after her to get the party started.

The party went off in full swing, party games set up by Pinkie Pie herself, still as childish as ever even as she neared the age of forty. There was the classic pin the tail on the pony, using the old Celestia model that had been discontinued after the princess was killed, the classic bobbing for apples, everything that made a classic Pinkie party fun. However, as the others were having fun, Solaris was the opposite. He didn't find any of this party fun at all, not because everything seemed fit for a foal's party, but it was the lack of a certain somepony he was expecting to see. Like every previous year, that pony never showed up.

"Hey, Sol!" Rainbow Dash flew up behind the teen, patting his back with a hoof. "You wanna have a little round against me in this new game Pinkie made? She called it 'Twister', some weird game where somepony spins a spinner, landing on a color for a certain limb to step on and contorting as we try to stay up. Wanna try?"

"No," Solaris said, not wanting to partake in any fun.

"What's up, squirt?" Rainbow ruffled Solaris's mane, annoying him even more than the party. "Oh. I get it. You wanna open your gifts now." Rainbow sped off and returned within a couple seconds, grabbing her gift she got for him. It was a thin, square shape, possibly a book or magazine from its slight thickness. "This is from me. Though I gotta warn ya, kiddo, I suggest opening this up when you have some privacy."

Rainbow winked and nudged Solaris's shoulder, giving him a smirk like it was some sort of prank. He placed the possible prank gift down on the table, not amused by her childish antics.

"When's my mom going to show up?" Solaris asked, his question being overheard by the others, causing the record Pinkie brought that played upbeat music to a screeching halt. The entire cave was silent, the others looking away, trying to ignore the question. The teen grew more frustrated, having the exact same reactions like the year before, and so on. "I'm gonna guess no. Yet again, she's not going to show up! Just like every other year!"

As Solaris was fuming in anger, detesting his mother for never being around, everyone else looked at each other, all nodding in agreement. Today was the day that they thought Solaris was old enough to understand, revealing the secrets he was kept unaware of and why he wasn't allowed to leave the cave.

Applejack was the first to approach Solaris, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "Sugarcube...Ah think we need to talk."

"Oh, sure! Talk for mom when she's too busy with her duties as a princess!" Solaris yelled, growing more angry as his feeling of neglect hurt him emotionally. "She doesn't even care about me anymore! She doesn't even write me any letters, telling me if she actually loves me or acknowledges I'm her son! She left me and abandoned me!"

Solaris slammed his hoof into the wall behind him, shaking the entire mountain with the amount of force he unleashed. Thankfully, he didn't break it down, otherwise risking a cave in and trapping them all inside.

"Solaris, calm down," Applejack said, trying to keep the alicorn from losing his temper any further. "There were...a few things we kept a secret from you. Most of it is about your ma...and what's been goin' on outside this cave..."

So they began telling Solaris everything that he had missed out on, and for good reason. They told him about what happened to the princesses, the death of his mother, Lucifer's reign causing more chaos than Discord could with a snap of his fingers, and the reason why he was kept hidden in this cave. The news that hit him the worst was the fate of his mother, Twilight Sparkle. Even though he was old enough to understand, now he felt like a donkey for acting out like he had. He had an excuse to be upset, being told all of this fifteen years after all this happened and thinking that things would be fine after he was told the truth. How Applejack managed to keep the truth hidden without her easy to tell lieing facial expressions giving it all away.

And to make matters worse, they told him that in Twilight's vision of the future's outcome, it was his destiny to take on Lucifer and take back the throne. They expected a teenager, who's been locked away in a cave with a dragon for an uncle, to go out there and stand triumphant over a tyrant that wanted him dead, and rule a kingdom where he has no experience in politics or any social interaction outside of his family.

After they finished explaining everything, Solaris was completely silent, no reaction. It was so much for him to take in, and now all of this pressure is put on him to save Equestria when he has never even seen with his own eyes. Minutes had passed until he finally did something, slowly walking down to the homemade gym.

"Solaris?" Spike asked as he and the others grew worried. "Where are you going?"

Solaris ignored his uncle, wanting to be alone, growing more angry and upset as the seconds ticked by. For so long, he wanted to see his mother, talk to her, have her be there for him, but she was killed when he was still an infant. He hated her, hoping beyond hope that she would finally see him, apologize for leaving him in a cave with his uncle, far from civilization out of his own protection. Now that he knew the truth, he couldn't contain his anger anymore.

Screaming at the top of his lungs, he flew into his worn out punching bag and began venting out his rage on it, punching and kicking as hard as he could. He managed to knock it off its chain, yet again, but he didn't care, watching it fly off and hit another part of the wall, mere inches from the entryway where his family watched. Solaris broke down, tears streaming down his face, letting out all the pain of rejection from his mother he thought he had, turning into sorrow for his loss after fifteen years.

Hours had passed after Solaris discovered the truth. The party was over after he lashed out in sadness, thankful no one got hurt. They tried to offer him comfort, but he wanted to be alone, understanding that he was still trying to absorb all of this information he was left out on for so long. Now, Solaris was in his room, staring up at the ceiling as the green flames lit on the torches in his bedroom flickered. He felt empty inside, miserable, hating himself for despising a mother who did care about him. She sacrificed herself to try and save Equestria, but failed, and she went to all these lengths to keep him safe, away from Lucifer and his psychotic fury.

"Everypony...relies on me..." Solaris turned over on his side, still confused, and even scared. He looked up at his bookshelf, filled with some of his favorite novels and educational books for his home schooling, or cave schooling. He was smart, not a prodigal genius like his mother, but he passed the basic forms of education with flying colors. Solaris even recalled stories Spike told him of Twilight and his aunts of their triumphant victories against villains using the Elements of Harmony. "How am I supposed to do all of this on my own?"

Solaris kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. His worries kept growing, anxiety setting in, wanting to punch something again just to let it all out of his system. After rolling around for the next few minutes, he grunted in frustration, his sheets a mess and his pillow resting on top of his head.

He spotted his gifts that his aunts had given him, still unopened. He wasn't mad at his family, knowing they were just trying to protect him, and he acted so harshly out of his angst and chance of rebellion. And Solaris was curious as to what he got this year. Since he couldn't fall asleep, he got off his bed and unwrapped his gifts.

The one he got from Pinkie was a vinyl record, with smash hit songs from somepony known as DJ PON-3. Applejack got him a thermos of Sweet Apple Acres hoof-made apple cider, the greatest quality of apple cider everypony in all of Equestria would die to have a taste. He was lucky Rainbow Dash didn't sniff it out before he opened it. Fluttershy got him a book on exotic animals, one that talks about the dangerous of creatures that ponies should avoid. It has some really detailed pictures of them, like the hydra, manticores, timber wolves, cragodiles, and more. Rarity usually made him some clothes for his birthday, but this year she went with simplicity. A simply made bandanna, colored similarly to his golden mane, along with a note saying it was sweat proof, meaning he could work out with it on, look like a bad flank tough stallion, and never have to worry about it reeking.

Then there was the small book like gift Rainbow Dash got him. He slowly unwrapped the gift, immediately regretting it as he blushed heavily. What he was looking at was the front cover of a Playcolt magazine, the picture showing a sultry looking pegasus mare, wings splayed out with her hindquarters in the air, wearing a pair of pink panties that's thankfully covering her naughty bits. She had that look on her face that was begging for the camera pony to just take her.

"A-Aunt Rainbow! Seriously!?" Solaris immediately looked away from the porno magazine, tossing it away. His wings were flared out after staring at the picture longer than he should have. "I should have known she was going to do something like that. First it was the joy buzzer, then snakes in a can, pepper sauce covered lemon drops, and now this! It was awkward when Uncle Spike taught me sexual education, but I know better!"

He stayed where he stood, his eyes darting to his bed and the naughty magazine. He wasn't going to give in to his growing hormones, no matter how much a part of him begged him to look through it. Even though the only mares he knew were his aunts, they were his family, and he knew it was wrong to look at their behinds. His ear twitched, as well as his wing boner, when he kept staring at the magazine. His resolve eventually wavered and gave in, grabbing the magazine in his magic and sitting back down on his bed. He opened the first page after staring at the cover, his blush growing more intense at what laid inside.

"Oh my..."

Chapter 2: Discovered

Canterlot. A city that was once a thriving metropolis, ruled by a kindhearted demigoddess who views everypony as equal, is now taken over by the tyrant who had killed not only the two rulers of the day and night, but also the sun princess's pupil. With Lucifer as the reigning king, Canterlot was under the siege of his soldiers, mostly being the youngest and willing to do anything for the corruptive king.

Lucifer sat in his throne, the castle remodeled to fit his desires: the stain glass murals that once depicted the Elements of Harmony replaced by his own image, the atmosphere darker and gloomy like the arcane arts he controls, and a few corpses of some of his assassins who tried to kill him in the past, left rotting where they laid or already decayed, leaving behind a skeleton showing the injuries they sustained on their bones. As dark and elegant as he made he new palace, he stared at the doors far from him, scowling in disdain.

For the past fifteen years, he had been paranoid, awaiting the day that the alicorn who will stop him finally comes. He had sent soldiers throughout all of Equestria, searching every single corner, alley, hidden house in a forest or field no one knew about, several times over, and there was no sign of the stallion.

"Sparkle," Lucifer growled. "Whatever you had planned, you're succeeding in making me paranoid to the point where I can barely sleep, but I will not falter..." Growing bored, he got up from his throne and roamed around the castle. "What if this really was just a ruse, and you made this ploy to make me slip up? Clever, but not clever enough! Not even Starswirl the Bearded himself would be that asinine to think up a ridiculous scheme."

Lucifer soon found himself in front of his room, which used to be Celestia's, walking inside to his small study. The room was covered in bleak and dark colors, even the furniture fit the same color scheme. Thousands of books were piled up on his desk, many of them being historical tomes, catching up on the events he had missed out on for a thousand years. Some of them were actual diary entries from Celestia herself, reading the alicorn's thoughts throughout certain events. While lost in his reading, he heard the sound of a pony teleporting into his room.

"Your Highness," said the teleporting stallion behind Lucifer.

"Ah. Zero." Lucifer turned to the armored unicorn stallion, happy to see him. Unlike the rest of his soldiers, Zero's armor was completely black, covering every part of his body, including concealing his horn and tail. The helmet the stallion wore on his head had a visor, hiding his face, almost seeming mysterious. Even his voice was distorted through a magical enchantment, to further keep his identity a secret. The only other color on his full body armor was a red insignia of Lucifer's cutie mark on his flanks. Not a part of his army, but a hired mercenary who willingly follows the king, obeying his every command out of loyalty. "My most trusted mercenary. Please tell me you have any news on the whereabouts of my mortal enemy."

"Unfortunately, your grace, no good news," Zero said. "Word from Manehatten, Fillydelphia, and Las Pegasus captains stationed in those cities reported no sign of the male alicorn. My searches have also gone terribly so, my lord." Zero bowed to him in apology. "Forgive me."

Lucifer growled under his breath, but can't hold it against his hired soldier. "As usual. Rise, Zero. You are not at fault. It's those lousy fools who still rebel against me, despite my warnings."

"And what of the new recruits you accept?" Zero asked. "They lack the training and discipline needed to uphold your order."

"They are nothing but pawns." Lucifer looked out the window watching a few areas in Canterlot that had a few of the young soldiers terrorizing some of the citizens, doing whatever they please without any consequence. "The only reason I need them is to use as meat shields. I have unlimited power thanks to the dark arts, and since the Elements of Harmony are not in the hooves of those other mares, nothing can get in my way."

"Except for-" Zero added, only for the unicorn king to quickly spin around, rage etched on his face.

"I KNOW!" shouted Lucifer. "That alicorn Sparkle had mentioned! I still have no clue if she's playing me for a fool, and every part of Equestria has been searched until not a single speck of space has been overlooked! But these incompetent soldiers who still have their loyalty to Celestia keep irritating me with their lazy searches!"

Using his magic to grab anything he could, he picked up his desk and hurled it at one of the bookshelves in the room, books flying everywhere. Before he could release his rage again, he heard the sound of glass breaking, but not from a window. Moving around the mess he made, he spotted a picture frame that was hidden away in one of the shelves, the glass of the frame broken to pieces. Inside of the frame was a picture of Twilight Sparkle and her five friends, all of them smiling for the camera.

He sneered at the disgusting picture, only to look in confusion as there was someone else in the frame. Standing in front of Twilight was a young purple dragon with a green underbelly and spines. During his own attempts to find his nemesis, he had gone to Ponyville first and interrogated the Elements of Harmony himself. But out of all of them, he didn't see a dragon with them. His eyes widened, having a theory in his head.

Rummaging through all of the books, he quickly found Celestia's diary. He had bookmarked the incredibly long tome at a certain point, but he never got as far as the day before he killed her. Zero watched from a distant through his visor, watching Lucifer flip through the pages. He stopped until he reached the final entry, his grin growing as he read the princess's final words.

Lucifer will arrive at any moment. I fear this may be the last time I will ever write my thoughts through paper...I'm really terrified. The one pony I gave pity for, who gave me the chance to stay strong for my subjects, is coming back. The darkness he wields was too strong, and I stupidly wanted to give him a second chance when I used the Elements on him. I just hope my faithful student's plan will work and Spike keeps our hero safe and secure until the time is right.

Lucifer looked back at the picture, staring at the dragon with the six Elements.

"Oh, Sparkle," he said. "You just made my search a lot more easier now."

Closing the diary, he tossed it aside, exiting the castle with a triumphant smirk.

"My king?" Zero asked, wondering what he had discovered.

"I know where he rests. I'll be taking a few guards with me to Ponyville." Lucifer laughed.

Zero watched as the unicorn left and began to make his way to Ponyville. The mercenary looked down at the picture of the Mane Six and Spike.

"...I see..."

Spike cleaned up the remnants of the party from last night, knowing this was one birthday party he would never forget. He just needed to give Solaris some space, letting everything he learned slowly sink in.

"Things are just gonna get worse from here on out," Spike said, sighing to himself. He finished cleaning up the confetti from Pinkie's party cannon, leaving a few crumbs from the eaten pastries to be picked up by a stray bat or mole who might be burrowing through. He soon stopped as he felt a familiar tingling in his gut he hadn't felt in so long, belching loudly as flames spewed out. A scroll appeared as the fire died out. Confused, he opened it up and read what was written, his pupils shrinking after reading it. "Oh no. He's coming."

Quickly running as fast as his body was able to, he reached his small work desk in his room, panicking as he quickly wrote out a message to the others. After he was done, he didn't bother rolling it up, breathing his magical flames around it and sent it to its destination. Spike rummaged underneath his bed, pulling out a pair of saddlebags for Solaris. He checked the contents inside, finding a map of Equestria, rations, a canteen for water, and a collapsible tent. Making sure that everything was accounted for, he ran out and headed for Solaris's room.

"Solaris!" Spike barged in, finding the teen on his bed, reading one of his novels. Hearing his uncle barge in unexpectedly startled the alicorn. "We're getting out of here, now!"

"Huh?" Confused, he didn't have a chance to react, Spike placing the saddlebags on his back. "U-Uncle, what's going on!?"

"Hurry!" Spike ran ahead, heading deeper into the cave. Solaris chased after him, still clueless as to what was happening. They stopped at a dead end, but Spike grabbed the wall and pushed it forward. Another passageway was found, unknown to Solaris. "You need to leave, now."

"What's happening?" Solaris wanted answers, afraid he'll never get anything just like before when he asked about his mother.

"I don't have time to explain," Spike said, kneeling down to his eye level, gently placing his claws on his shoulders. "Go out this way, and you'll see an expansive forest. Head straight toward it and stay going forward until you reach the ruins of a castle. Your aunts will be there as soon as they can."

"Why? What about you!?" Solaris asked.

Spike quickly pulled his nephew into a tight embrace. "Just do what I'm telling you and stay safe. You're in danger right now, and we're wasting time as it is." He gently shoved his nephew out into the hidden cavern, grabbing the boulder disguising the secret passage. "You're going to see Equestria for the first time. Please, don't do anything reckless, nephew."

He quickly closed the passage, hearing Solaris's muffled cries. Using his fire breath, Spike welded the rock tightly, keeping it from being moved by his nephew's magic. He was glad he was never taught teleportation. It would have made keeping him a secret harder than usual. Hoping Solaris would heed his commands, Spike made his way to the entrance of the cave, ready to face off against Lucifer if necessary.

"Uncle Spike!" Solaris tried to pull the boulder aside, but it was stuck tight. "How will I know if I'm going the right way!?" Groaning in frustration, he had no choice but to follow the way out. "If only he taught me teleportation spells."

After trekking through the cavern, he saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Squinting his eyes, he stood at the mouth of the hidden cave, his sight adjusting to the bright rays of the sunlight for the first time. As soon as he was able to see, he gasped as he saw the landscape. He saw the forest Spike mentioned, the sky and clouds, vast fields, and silhouettes of other towns miles away. It was nothing like how he imagined from the pictures he had seen in books.

"Whoa..." After taking in the scenery, he quickly shook his head, remembering his uncle just kicked him out and didn't really give much information as to what was happening. "Heh. Well, joke's on you, Uncle Spike. I have wings. I'll just fly around and see if I can find the entrance." Solaris flew up in the air a little, but when he saw how long the range was, he didn't feel as cocky as he seemed anymore. "Or it'll be like finding a needle in a haystack."

Solaris flew around, inspecting every crevice that could possibly hold an entrance to his cave-like home. He grew irritated, unable to find a single hole big enough for a dragon to fit through. Groaning in annoyance, he continued searching until he caught sight of some ponies coming up the trail. They definitely weren't his aunts, wearing black and red armor, being led by a unicorn stallion with a curved red horn. He quickly hid behind some large boulders, peeking over them as he watched them.

They soon stopped at part of the mountain, the leading stallion's horn glowing red. He shot a powerful beam of dark magic at a wall, the magical force behind it chilling Solaris's spine as he felt the overwhelming power, the beam shattering a rock that covered the entrance to his home.

"Dragon! I know you're in there! Come on out!" the stallion shouted, the guards behind him readying their weapons.

Spike walked out of the entrance, leering at the unicorn.

"Hey, you know how hard it is to find a perfectly sized door for my cave!?" Spike complained. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with the stallion, knowing how powerful he can be.

"I didn't come here for small talk, dragon. I know you're hiding somepony here, a specific male alicorn, and I demand he show himself immediately!" said the unicorn.

As Solaris watched, figuring this stallion was the one named Lucifer he was supposed to beat, Spike feigned ignorance, tapping on his chin as if deep in thought. "Hmm...A male alicorn? Why that's just impossible. The only alicorns I knew of were actually female. One of them happened to be my big sister. Thanks for murdering her, by the way."

"Sister?" Lucifer questioned. "You are nothing more than her pet! You had a command your mistress forced you to obey, keeping the alicorn destined to destroy me in your care. Now, reveal him to me!"

"What proof do you even have?" Spike asked.

"Your disappearance from Ponyville. It was where you resided with Sparkle, am I right?" asked Lucifer.

"I moved out here so I could be alone," said Spike. "After you killed Celestia, Luna, and especially Twilight, I fell into a depression. I didn't want to hurt my friends if I lashed out at them in my sorrow. Thanks for bringing back those awful memories, you ass."

Growling in frustration, Lucifer had enough of this banter. His horn glowed, summoning a pool of dark magic underneath the dragon. Black chains shot up from the ground, wrapping tightly around his wrists and legs, forcing Spike down on his knees. Try as he might, he pulled with all his strength, but the chains wouldn't give.

"I have waited fifteen years to find this so called savior your 'sister' warned me about!" Lucifer summoned several magical weapons, aiming them at the dragon who eludes his questions. "And I am not going to wait anymore! Tell me where you're hiding him!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Spike exclaimed, struggling to break free of the magical bindings.

Lucifer thrust an ethereal sword through Spike's left shoulder, making the dragon shout in pain.

"I grow tired of this game!" Lucifer thrust another sword into his other shoulder, still not getting anything from the dragon. Solaris winced, unable to watch this monster hurting his uncle. "Talk, damn it!"

"Y-You better kill me then," Spike said, wincing as he fought through the pain. "I'd rather die then live in a world where you exist. Ruling Equestria, killing others just to prove you're powerful, you're nothing but a coward hiding behind your dark magic! You'll bring this kingdom to ruin, and everyone around the world will see you as a tyrant that needs to be taken down!"

Lucifer glared at the defiant dragon, summoning his favored dark katana out of its ethereal sheath. "I'll gladly reunite you with Sparkle and the princesses. But I know he's here." He prepared to thrust his blade through Spike, aiming directly at his heart. Solaris gasped, getting mad, not wanting this torture to last any longer. "Have fun in the afterlife, wingless reptile!"

"LEAVE MY UNCLE ALONE!" Solaris shouted, flapping his wings hard, flying directly toward Lucifer. His hoof was reared back, ready to punch the unicorn away, his hoof glowing brightly of its own accord.

"Wha-" Lucifer was too slow to react, feeling Solaris's hoof break through his magical barrier, the sound of shattering glass echoing all across the mountain range. The alicorn's hoof made contact with his face, sending the unicorn flying off down the mountain, making him tumble down the jagged cliffs.

With the unicorn knocked for a loop, his magic was dispelled, freeing Spike from his bonds as well as dispersing the floating variety of dangerous weapons. The other guards that followed their king were shocked, seeing a male alicorn for the first time in ages. Spike, on the other hoof, wanted to strangle his nephew for doing the dumbest thing he could have possibly done.

"Uncle Spike!" Solaris helped his uncle up, thankful he managed to save him, but had no idea what that strange light was. "I'm so glad you're ok!"

Instead of receiving gratitude, the alicorn was instead gifted by a hard slap to the face by Spike. "You idiot! I told you to head straight for the forest! You just revealed yourself to the most dangerous stallion in Equestria, and he wants to kill you!"

"B-But you were-" Solaris stammered, wincing as his uncle berated him for putting himself in this predicament.

"I would have been fine! Your life is on the line, not mine! Now get out of here before he gets back up here!" Spike continued to scold Solaris, unaware of Lucifer floating back up in a fog of black smoke.

He reformed himself, sporting a very nasty bruise, and he was outright enraged. He felt his cheek, a bit of blood spilling out of his mouth. When he looked at the dragon yelling at the alicorn, his sneer melted, one eye and ears twitching in confusion as he saw how young the stallion was.

"W-Wha-What?" His eyes were glued on the teen, too young to be the warrior he was expecting. And the alicorn didn't have his cutie mark yet, his flank still bare. "T-That's Equestria's savior? A-A...A child!? And he broke through my shield!?"

Green mist began flowing from his eyes, growing more enraged as the pony who he expected to battle to the death against, the pony who actually managed to injure him where the princesses couldn't, and was an alicorn, was actually a teenager who looked like he had never seen the world all his life. He yelled in fury, horn shining brightly as a row of dark spikes shot up from the ground, heading straight for the dragon and alicorn.

Spike saw Lucifer just as he let loose his magical prowess, grabbing Solaris and leaping out of the spikes' path before it could impale them. "Ok, you gotta go! Now!"

"But I don't know where to go!" Solaris was terrified, feeling Lucifer's power growing stronger in his rage.

"If you just listened to me, this wouldn't have happened!" Spike looked back toward Lucifer, the unicorn stallion running straight for them with his magical katana glowing a powerful dark aura. They were lined up for him, able to kill them both with one thrust. There was no time to escape with the guards finally snapped out of their stupor, able to follow them if they ran. He had only one choice, and it was a little risky. "I'm sorry, Solaris. I love you, nephew."

"Huh?" Solaris wondered what Spike meant.

The dragon quickly turned his back to Lucifer, taking in a deep breath and breathed his magic dragon fire all over the alicorn. It was surprising to him when it didn't burn him, feeling his body being incinerated, but feeling no pain. Before the flames fully consumed him, Solaris watched in horror as he saw Lucifer's magic blade went through Spike's chest, blood spurting out from the fatal wound to his heart.

As the fire disappeared, Solaris was thankfully gone, no trace of him to follow. Spike smirked, feeling his strength fading as he felt his body going numb. He turned around, revealing no sign of the alicorn, relishing in the expression on Lucifer's face.

"Heh...Like I said...What...alicorn...?" Spike's breathing was labored, laughing weakly as he fell. He gave out one last laugh, his last breath faded as he succumbed to his injury.

Lucifer looked around, finding no sign of Solaris anywhere. Growling, he looked down at the slain dragon, seething with rage as his one chance to end his paranoia was taken from him. He let out a demonic roar of frustration, his eyes glowing menacingly as he called forth a large ax, slamming the blade down on Spike's neck, beheading his corpse. He looked at his guards, who were shaking in fear at their enraged ruler.

"What are you idiots doing standing there!?" Lucifer shouted, snapping them out of their terrified state. "Find him! FIND THAT ALICORN BRAT! NOW!"

The guards scrambled around, fumbling into each other until they finally split up and began searching for the teen. Lucifer glared at the scorch mark where Solaris once stood, unable to trace what kind of magic was inside Spike's flame breath.

Deep in the foliage of the Everfree Forest lies the ruins of the castle Celestia and Luna once resided in over a thousand years ago. More plants and vines grew all around the debris and remains of the still standing walls, though surprisingly, no creatures dared to enter this area. From the sky, a plume of smoke floated down to the center of the ruins. As it hovered above the ground, green flames appeared out of the smoke, shooting a startled Solaris out of the teleporting flames, remnants of the ashes being absorbed into his body before it disappeared.

Gasping for air, inexperienced with that strange mode of teleportation, he felt all around himself for any burns. Thankfully, he was unharmed, but what he saw before he saw flames across his vision left him distraught.

"Uncle Spike!?" As Solaris called out for his dragon uncle, he finally realized he was taken somewhere far from the mountain range. He saw the ruins hidden deep in a forest, possibly the same ones he was supposed to go to. Guilt welled up in him, getting his uncle killed because of his stubborn need for answers to anything he didn't know was going on. "...No...H-He was stabbed...Through the chest." Tears began to well up in his eyes, losing another member of his family, and he not only witnessed it, but caused Spike's death. "Uncle...I-I'm sorry...I should have listened...It's all my fault..."

Solaris collapsed on the cold, worn out tiles of the castle ruins, his forelegs covering his face as he sobbed. He had learned just yesterday that his mother had been dead for all his life, and now he just lost his uncle, watching him die before he disappeared, far away from the unicorn that wanted to kill him. And to make things worse, he was all alone, with no knowledge of where he wound up, completely lost in a forest filled with dangerous creatures roaming about.

Chapter 3: A New Friend?

Ponyville used to be a great tourist spot for travelers all throughout the land, known as the friendliest town in all of Equestria. Now that Lucifer is in charge, his Shadow Knights always patrol the town day in and day out. Because of a lack in business from the tourist seasons due to the youngest soldier's actions, many shops had gone out of business, unable to pay their rent to keep their stores open. With the guards stealing supplies, even robbing some stores blind of their bits, many ponies were living in poverty. Thankfully, with Sweet Apple Acres still running without any problems since this farm was founded by the Apple family a century ago, they were able to ration out their apples to those who were starving.

It was a shame for the Apples to lose Granny Smith, passing away peacefully in her old age, leaving the farm up to the Apple siblings to keep it running. With their family extending to the next generation, Applejack and Big Mac got some help from their children, helping pick up some of the apples that didn't fall into the buckets once they've been bucked. Out in the fields, Applejack wiped her brow after bucking hundreds of trees, taking a small break as she watched her son, Apple Seed, struggling to push a full bucket of apples to the barn. He had the same coat as hers, but his mane was brown and as short and messy as his Uncle Big Mac.

"Careful, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Don't wanna exhaust yourself too much."

"Urgh! I can...do it, mama!" Apple Seed said, still trying to push the heavy load. He eventually exhausted himself, collapsing on his belly as he tried to catch his breath. "Ok, maybe not."

Applejack laughed, always amused by her son's attempts to prove he can do things by himself. "Maybe when ya get a little bigger, you'll be able to carry three full barrels of apples."

"Really?" Apple Seed asked.

"Of course." Applejack picked up the bucket on her back, heading back to the barn with her little colt walking next to her. "Ya just might rival your uncle in strength with enough hard work."

"Yeah! Ah wanna beat Uncle Mac in a hoof wraslin'!" the little colt exclaimed.

"Applejack!" From the direction of the farmhouse came Applejack's little sister Apple Bloom, though she wasn't quite so little anymore. She was now a fully grown mare, replacing her red bow with a red stetson, her cutie mark a shield with an apple in the center and a heart inside the apple. She had a piece of parchment in her mouth as she ran, skidding to a halt next to her sister and nephew. "Applejack, we got a problem! Spike just sent us this!"

Applejack took the note, reading the quickly written warning message from Spike. "Oh horseapples. Ah gotta get the others. Apple Bloom, Ah'm gonna need ya and Big Mac to do some more work while Ah'm gone."

"Ya mean Solaris needs to fight Lucifer now?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Afraid so." Applejack made sure to keep the note away from her son's eyes.

Before she was able to head into her home to get her things ready, she noticed her athletic friend and rival, Rainbow Dash, flying toward the farm, skidding across the ground hard after flying at the speed she was going. She nearly rammed into Applejack, getting them both injured nothing they can afford at the moment.

"AJ, we got a huge problem!" Rainbow said, both really worried and irritated. "Guess who decided to make a little appearance for his public!?"

"Is he really in Ponyville again?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah. He has an important announcement for everypony in Ponyville." Rainbow fidgeted, greatly worried about what Lucifer has in store. "I have a really bad feeling about this. You think he finally found Sol?"

"Ah hope not." Applejack turned to her sister. "Apple Bloom, you stay and watch Apple Seed while Ah see what his Highness has to say to us."

Apple Bloom nodded, taking her nephew down to the orchard to help her with some more chores. Rainbow and Applejack quickly made their way to the square, where everypony had shown up to hear the unfortunate news their tyrant had to give. As they met up with the rest of their friends, they noticed the unicorn was covered in blood, a large bag placed near him as he looked at the town from the stage set up for him. As soon as he saw a good number of the citizens around to hear him, he began his announcement.

"Attention, Ponyville!" Lucifer said, his voice echoed as he used a spell to amplify his vocal chords for everyone to hear. "After fifteen long years, one of your ex-princesses, Twilight Sparkle, had spoken of some hero who would try and stop me! Finally, as I had searched for these fifteen years, I have seen him...and he is nothing but a foal, who had somehow managed to strike me! It is a feat I should commemorate if it didn't anger me to no end!"

The mares were slightly worried, knowing that Lucifer had found Solaris. At least the teen had given him a good hit, everyone able to see his cheek was swollen.

"At least we know that he's able to hit him through that cheap barrier he always has around him," Rainbow noted, the others holding in their snickers as they enjoyed seeing the unicorn king in a bit of pain.

"He has disappeared from my sight, and if my soldiers didn't stand around like hoof sucking foals-" Lucifer leered at his troops he decided to bring, a mistake he won't make ever again. "-I would have killed him when I had the chance...However, I didn't go away empty-hooved. Somepony, or should I say some-dragon, had him hidden away from me all this time. And this is the result of his crime for harboring that child."

Lucifer opened the bag, pulling out the chopped off head of the dragon everyone in Ponyville had known ever since Twilight first came here. Everypony gasped in utter shock, muttering to each other in fear and disgust. One pony, however, screamed in absolute horror, sobbing heavily as she shouted Spike's name over and over in distress. Rarity was held back by Applejack and Rainbow, not wanting her to do anything reckless while Lucifer was up there, holding the dragon's head like his trophy.

"Sick bastard," Rainbow said under her breath, having lost yet another friend and being unable to do anything to help again.

"Let this be a warning to all of you and everypony across this kingdom!" Lucifer exclaimed, throwing Spike's head out into the crowd, hearing them scream as the body part was flung at them. He kicked the rest of the dragon's body off the stage, falling out of the body bag. "Anypony who dares to help the alicorn stand up against me will die by my hoof! If you so much as see him, you had better alert any of my soldiers to the last place you found him! I want him dead!"

Lucifer stepped down and prepared to head back to Canterlot, feeling some slight satisfaction as he instilled fear in the ponies. As soon as he was out of sight, everyone who knew the dragon mourned for their loss, Rarity especially. The Elements were glad Solaris was safe, probably in the Everfree Forest at the ruins of the old castle. But with Rarity in the state she was in, they had no idea if they should leave her behind until she was calm, which would seem impossible since she and Spike were close friends. They certainly didn't want to leave Solaris by himself in a forest as dangerous as the Everfree.

Deep in the Everfree Forest, some of the heavy shrubs low to the forest floor shuddered as something slunk through the wild foliage. Through the leaves and branches, a pair of green eyes looked around, scoping for predators and prey. The figure poked its head up to get a better look, its body black and solid, almost like the carapace of an insect. A pair of thin, see-through wings fluttered from its back, swooping into a new bush to hide in.

As the strange bug creature crept through the forest, its ears perked up when it heard the sound of crying nearby. It made its way to the noise, peeking through the leaves, finding the remains of the castle across a rickety wooden bridge. It quickly flew over the crevice, its figure revealed for only a moment in the rays of light shining through the branches of the tall trees. It had a long, flowing green mane, a black crooked horn on its forehead, and there were holes in its legs. After making it across, the strange bug pony hybrid hid behind one of the decayed walls, peeking around to find the source of the sobs.

Solaris had been crying for the past hour, beginning to calm down, knowing that nothing will be solved if he was always upset. The guilt of getting his uncle killed still weighed heavily in his heart, but he had to try and stay focused on what his destiny had in store. If only destiny didn't have a sick sense of humor, where he would have someone sacrificing themselves just to protect a chosen one, the only hero who can stop the villain.

"What am I gonna do?" Solaris questioned. He looked around, having no clue where in the forest he was, and was told to stay put until his aunts arrived. He just now realized that Spike had placed a pair of saddlebags on his back when he was being rushed to escape earlier. Taking off his bags, he noticed a map, unrolling it to see the entire map of Equestria. There were circled marks in different areas on the map, but Solaris had no clue what they meant. "Well, now I know how big the kingdom is. It doesn't help that I have no idea exactly where I am and what forest I'm in!"

Solaris sighed in frustration, hoping his knowledge on the survival novels he read would help him survive in the forest. The problem was he had no idea what plants around here are good to eat or poisonous. Finding food was going to be difficult if he had to go with trail and error.

The creature hiding behind the walls grinned, showing its sharp fangs gleaming in the little sunlight. It began crawling up to the distracted alicorn, completely unaware of its presence. Licking its lips, it crouched low to the ground, ready to pounce on its prey.

"Time to take my first vic-" - The creature stepped forward, but tripped on a rock - "-TIM!"

It fell flat on its face, the smack echoing the area, alerting Solaris to the predator. He quickly got up on his hind legs, ready to defend himself, staring at the bug pony groaning in pain. It sat up, rubbing its face, surprising the alicorn when he saw its facial features seemed feminine. He examined the strange mare, the holes in her legs, her crooked horn, thin insect-like wings, and the small fangs showing from her mouth.

"What in Equestria...?" Solaris's voice alerted the mare, getting a good look at her emerald green eyes. They both stared at each other, neither making any sudden movements. "...Uhh, hello?"

The strange bug pony quickly got to a crouching position, hissing at him as she tried to pounce him again. As she leapt, she didn't realize she had been standing on her own tail, causing her to yelp and tumble forward, rolling to a halt on her back, looking up at the stallion. Solaris raised a brow, wondering what was wrong with her. He was about to help her up, but was smacked by a strange glob of webbing the mare hacked up from her mouth, covering his face and slightly blinding him.

"Ahh! What the hay is this stuff!?" Solaris tried to scrape off the green webbing with his hooves, unable to do so. The mare got back up on her hooves to try attacking him again, only to leap back in shock as the alicorn breathed heavily in frustration, breathing out a small plume of green fire that incinerated the webbing off his face. "W-What the...!? Did I just breathe fire!?"

Taking the momentary distraction of Solaris's weird discovery, the bug pony mare leapt on the alicorn's back, hissing angrily as she tried to choke him, which was hard to do with those holes in her hooves. Having enough of this madness, Solaris managed to shake her off, grabbing her by the neck and slammed her into the wall. Completely dazed, he took the momentary break to get a better look at her, though keeping his face away from hers in case she spat up that webbing again.

The mare shook her head, snapping back to reality, being held by the stallion she tried to hunt. She was about to hack up more webbing to distract him, but Solaris quickly pressed a hoof against her mouth, keeping her from pulling off that same trick twice.

"Spit that gunk at me again, and I'll knock you unconscious," Solaris warned. Thankfully, she swallowed the webbing, already defeated by her prey. "Now, I'm going to remove my hoof, and you will tell me what the hay you were gonna do to me, and...what you are supposed to be."

He lowered his hoof, but he got a strange look from the mare. He thought she would try to escape again and attempt to attack him, and fail yet again, but she didn't.

"What, have you been living under a rock?" she said, sounding annoyed. "You seriously have no idea what I'm supposed to be?"

"...A pony?" Solaris asked.

"Close, but not that close." As she huffed, she looked down, still being held by the neck by Solaris. At least he wasn't choking her to death, sparing her life for the time being. "...Uhh, do you mind letting me go? I don't want you to try and crush my windpipe when I'm obviously giving up."

"Oh. Right." Solaris backed off, though made sure she didn't try to elude him. "Don't even think about running?"

"Who would run from a handsome stallion like you?" Her sudden compliment made Solaris blush, making her giggle at his reaction. "Wow. That was way too easy."

"C-Can you please just explain who you are?" Solaris stammered, already falling for the mare's charms, even after he tried to attack him.

"Fine, fine," she said. "If you must know, since your masculine brain can't fathom beauty like my own, I am what is called a changeling."

"A changeling?" Solaris asked. "What's a changeling?"

The changeling nearly stumbled over at Solaris's cluelessness. "Are you kidding me!? Come on! Changelings!? Creatures that feast on the love of others!?" Solaris raised a brow, still having no clue. "...We transform into other ponies, disguising ourselves to steal said love?" More silence. "A kind of succubus that doesn't bed their victims and kill them after they're done with them?" Solaris shook his head, still not aware of her kind. She facehooved, feeling a headache coming on. "Wow. It's like you lived in a cave all your life, and not one like my hive."

"...Actually, I had been raised in a cave all my life," Solaris said.

The changeling's jaw dropped, not really expecting that answer. "...Ok then..." She scratched her head, staring at Solaris in wonder. She finally noticed he had both a horn and wings, pupils shrinking as she realized she was about to attack a male alicorn. "Oh my gosh! You're an alicorn!"

"Uhh, yeah. I am," he said. "Are...changelings some kind of mutated alicorn?"

"No! I just told you we're not exactly ponies like you are." She grabbed Solaris's head, shaking it to try and jumpstart his brain. "Shake those cavepony cobwebs out of your head!"

"Hey! Cut it out!" Solaris swiped her hooves away from him, feeling his skin crawl just looking at those holes in her forelegs. "Do you have a name, or should I call you 'Bug Mare', cause this is the most awkward meeting I've ever had in my life."

"Don't you know its rude to ask for a lady's name before a gentlecolt introduces himself?" She said, almost flirtatiously.

"You attacked me first," he said, getting very annoyed with her evasions.

"...Right." She flicked her hair back, giving Solaris a better look at her. "I am known as Trill, Princess of the Changelings."

"A princess?" Solaris asked. "I thought princesses were supposed to be...regal?"

"Pth! Not changelings," Trill said. "Being 'giant pony bugs', we do have a colony, ruled by a queen, which happens to be my mother." Solaris rolled his eyes, obviously knowing how insects work in large groups from his science books. "Now, I gave you my name. Yours is...?"

"Solaris," he said.

"Solaris. Well, a pleasure to make you my prey, although I'm not exactly going to succeed, seeing as you're able to throw me down just by looking at me." Trill slowly circled Solaris, getting a better look at him from every angle, taking notice of his markless flanks. "How old are you exactly?"

"I just turned fifteen yesterday," Solaris admitted.

"Really? What a coincidence! My birthday's in a few months!" Trill exclaimed, acting more like a five year old than a teen in the alicorn's eyes.

"Great." Solaris looked back at the map, getting back on track with where he was and figure out where to go. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to figure out exactly where I am. I don't want to stay in this forest for too long if I have to wait for my aunts to find me."

"Oh, that's easy." Looking at the map, Trill pointed at the forest with one of the marks on it. "We're right in the middle of the Everfree Forest."

Solaris's eye twitched, the name of the forest echoing in his head. From his books, he knew that the Everfree Forest was dangerous, but he didn't know that there were castle ruins in these overgrown woods.

"I'm where!?" He pounced Trill, knocking her on her back, his muzzle squishing against hers. "Please tell me you're joking! Tell me we're not in the most dangerous landmark in all of Equestria!"

"...You gonna buy me dinner, big boy? I didn't think you wanted to jump me," the changeling teased.

Solaris shook the mare, getting tired of her flirting. "BE SERIOUS! My aunts told me stories about this place! Do you know what live here in these woods!?"

"Well, there's timber wolves for one. I even saw a sleeping hydra down near the bog a mile to the east of this area. Although, somepony in my hive spread a rumor saying there was a creature called a 'hoo-man' that lives here, but it's just a dumb rumor." After Trill explained a few possible creatures, she looked back at Solaris, not amused at her smart alecky comments. "...What?"

Groaning in frustration, he walked back to the map, staring at the Everfree Forest's location. From his first experience outside, the forest he saw must have been the Everfree, finding the mountain range that was his home not too far on the map. If he was able to get his bearings without the trees above him covering the sky, he could use the stars during the night to map out his directions...if only he had a map of the stars to do that.

"This is gonna be impossible," Solaris sighed, finding his survival instincts harder to hone in only a short amount of time. "How am I supposed to do all of this on my own? I can't do all this by myself."

"You have me," said Trill.

Solaris looked back at the changeling princess, giving him a cheeky grin, baring her fangs. "I only just met you, and I think I'm regretting not throwing you a mile away."

"Aww. You're just saying that cause you can't admit you enjoy my company," Trill said, hearing Solaris sigh.

While his back was turned, she decided to pull a little prank on him, her body shrouded in green flames as her form changed.

"Trill, if you're trying to say we're friends, I think we're a long step away from-" Solaris turned around, but instead of staring at a changeling, his jaw dropped at what he saw in her place. "-that?"

Trill transformed herself into a unicorn, her coat green while her mane was red. Her eyes remained the same emerald grin, fluttering her lashes as he stared dumbly at her new body. She slowly approached him, swaying her hips, his eyes trailing her curves, exactly how she wanted him to react. As she circled him, she brushed her body against his, teasing his muzzle by dragging her tail against it, tickling his nose with her scent.

"Like what you see?" she whispered in his ear, feeling his body shudder as she brushed her tail against his. Trill nuzzled Solaris, making him blush heavily and causing his wings to flare out. "Do you want me so badly that you'll do anything to make me yours?"

"I-I-I uuhh..." he stammered, swallowing the lump in his throat from his growing nerves.

Solaris tried to speak, only for Trill to shush him, gently pressing her hoof to his lips.

"Don't speak. I know what you want. Close your eyes, and you'll get a big surprise." The alicorn's heart beat heavily in his chest, closing his eyes and awaiting what surprise she had in store. Trill waved a hoof in front of his face, muffling her giggling when he really kept his eyes closed. She changed back to her original form, silently gathering up more of her webbing through her mouth. She spat at his face, making him yell in surprise as he scrambled to wipe off the green webbing off. "You are so gullible!"

Trill laughed, unable to stand as she fell on her back, rolling on her back and clutching her sides. Solaris remembered his new fire breath ability, breathing out more flames as he burned off the webbing for a second time, glaring at the guffawing mare.

"Why did you do that!?" he yelled.

"B-Because...it was hilarious!" Trill began laughing again, not realizing that her little joke was getting Solaris upset.

"Well it wasn't funny to me!" Solaris grabbed the map, shoving it back in his saddlebags as he struggled to keep his emotions in check, failing as he felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. "I'm already having a bad day as it is, discovering my mother was killed since I was a few months old, watching my uncle die by the hoof of a madpony who wants to kill me, and now I'm being manipulated by some giant cockroach who thinks it's funny to mess with somepony's emotions!"

Trill stopped laughing, looking at the upset stallion packing his belongings. "But it was just a joke. I thought it would make you laugh."

"Spitting that disgusting web in my face after seducing me isn't funny! It's disgusting and makes you a heartless monster!" He headed deeper into the castle, wanting to get as far away from Trill as possible. "If you changelings eat love, then I'm sure you don't even have a heart at all!"

Trill wanted to stop him, but after knowing he was able to breath fire, having no idea how that was even possible, she didn't want to risk getting burned. She sighed, not knowing he had a rough time in the last few days.

"Great. Now I feel like an ass..." Trill transformed, turning into a female mule. "Now I am one..." She turned back to normal, her own humor not helping her in the slightest. "Ok, even that didn't make me feel better."

Solaris roamed around the castle ruins, struggling to contain his emotions. He has spent the last hour trying to calm down, but it didn't help him with everything that had happened to him in the last couple days.

"Stupid changeling," he muttered. "Stupid life. Stupid everything!" Solaris slammed his forehooves down, cracking the tiles of the once regal castle. He panted heavily, steam huffing out of his nostrils as he felt his gut burning as he grew more frustrated. "Is this supposed to be a joke on my life!? I find out my mother is dead, I get my uncle killed, and now the world falls on my shoulders to stop some dark magic using tyrant, who also wants to kill me!? WHAT GREAT POWER OUT THERE IS TOYING WITH MY LIFE!?"

As Solaris shouted, flames spewed out of his mouth, his overwhelming emotions making him writhe in pain as they gave him the worst migraine he ever had. The guilt for getting Spike killed overwhelmed him, the stress of Equestria's future resting on him making him panic, the idea of failing making his anxiety worsen, and the one pony, or creature, he had met for the first time outside of the cave infuriated him. Trill had attacked him, then acted all casual like it never happened, kept flirting with him, confusing his mind as his hormones tried to take over, and tried to seduce him in a different form, teasing him, then humiliating him by spitting on his face with that disgusting webbing, laughing at him like it was supposed to be funny for the both of them.

He didn't want any of this. Solaris wanted a normal life, where he would be raised by his mother, living in a castle where he wouldn't have to worry about anything, having a good time and have fun. Instead, he was kept in hiding with his dragon uncle, never told about his mother being dead for fifteen years, no information on who his father was, and to make things worse, he was destined to save everyone from Lucifer, while suffering from the guilt of getting Spike killed because he didn't listen to him.

Trill wandered about the ruins, following the screaming and shouting coming from the alicorn. When she finally found him, he was flailing about, slamming his forehooves into the ground and walls, spitting fire with each yell he let out. She could practically feel the overwhelming amount of emotions struggling to take control. He was even suffering from a nosebleed with how much emotional pain he was going through.

As she approached him, Trill had to be careful of his flailing hooves and fire breath. She rolled Solaris on his back, gently pressing her horn to his forehead, the appendage glowing a lime green. As her spell was cast, he began to calm down, his eyes opening and glowing green, almost fixed in a trance. His muscles relaxed and his mind felt empty, his worries, fears, anger, and sadness being absorbed out of his consciousness, though the memories still remained. After his emotions were finally calmed to a standstill, Trill moved her horn away, her body shuddering as she stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"No wonder mom told me eating other emotions besides love was bad news." She spat at the ground, saliva this time, seeming unable to get the taste out of her mouth. "It's like a cocktail of garbage and dirty laundry."

Solaris groaned, rubbing his head, feeling his headache going away. He felt drained, like something had tried to suck out his soul, leaving his limbs slightly numb. He looked up, finding Trill brushing out her tongue with her hoof, still unable to get the horrible emotion meal taste out of her mouth.

"W-What did you do to me?" Solaris asked.

"Bleck." Trill spat, regretting ever absorbing other emotions. "I saved you from your tormenting migraine you were experiencing. Probably karma for me after that dumb prank I pulled."

Solaris got up on his hooves, shaking slightly as feeling slowly returned to him. As he rubbed his head, he felt something wet on his nose. Rubbing his snout, he wiped off the small bit of blood, which thankfully wasn't as worse as it seemed.

"...Thanks, I guess," he said. Though he was calm now, he still didn't want to be anywhere near Trill. Unfortunately, since he had to stay here until his aunts arrived to help him out, he had no choice. "Why did you help me?"

"Because I wanted to apologize," Trill said. "We changelings can feel emotions from other ponies, only when they show it or when they try to hide it. Your mind was spiraling out of control, and you were having a panic attack." She pawed at the ground, still guilty over the dumb prank she pulled. "I didn't realize you went through a roller coaster through Tarterus a while ago. It's not a good idea to keep everything bottled up, you know?"

"I only just met you an hour ago and you expect me to open up to someone don't even know?" Solaris asked.

"I'm not saying you should tell me everything now," she said. "Maybe you could have said 'I'm having a bad day,' sooner, so I could shut my mouth before I said something stupid."

Solaris stared at her, the changeling princess seeming apologetic. As much as she annoyed him, Trill didn't seem all that bad, as long as she didn't act like a jokester all the time. And she did help him with his anxiety attack, even if it left him slightly drained.

He sighed, accepting her apology, though only wanting her around so he wouldn't be alone. "Fine, then. I accept your apology."

"Good." Trill held her hoof out to him. "Want to start over?"

"...I guess." Solaris took her hoof, but as they shook, his grip on the changeling's hoof tightened, making her wince, unable to pull away. "Don't ever trick me like that again, and we're good. Got it?"

"Yes! I get it! Please let go of my hoof!" Trill pleaded. He let go, the mare clutching her hoof, amazed at how strong his grip was. "I'm lucky my skin wasn't flesh. You could have rearranged my whole leg with that much strength!" After the pain died down, Solaris sat next to the stairs that once lead up to the thrones, pulling out the map, scoping out the locations that were marked. Trill sat down next to him, staring at one area with a mark, which was out in the wastelands. She ignored it, wanting to strike up a conversation to break the silence. "So, what do you like to do?"

Author's Notes:

Ever have that problem with a laptop where you're in the middle of typing, your hand accidentally touches the touch pad, and it somehow thinks you double clicked in the written area, highlighting everything, and as soon as you hit anything on the keyboard, it erased everything and you didn't save your work?

That happened to me. Hopefully this turned out ok, since I had a somewhat better version that was deleted. Curse the technological gods and curse the use of hands!

Oh well. I'll remember to shut the thing off while I type from now on. More chapters to come!

Chapter 4: The First Trial

As the day was coming to a close, the moon taking the sun's place up in the sky, the Everfree Forest was as creepy as it could get, barely any light creeping through the tall trees of the wild forest. Solaris built a fire, using his new flame breath to light the wood, casting a green glow around the ruins. While he looked through his bags, he found the tent stashed away and began setting it up. When he was a colt, he always wondered what it would be like to camp out, so he had improvised by camping indoors with his uncle. He used some of his fake camping experience to set up the tent, which was built for two to sleep in.

"Boy, we're really lucky there's a tent in that bag of yours," Trill said. "You seem pretty prepared for being a cavepony."

"My uncle had this set up for me already." Solaris finished setting up the tent, making sure it wouldn't cave in on him while he was asleep. "I think he planned for us and my aunts to be traveling around a lot, steering clear of the towns and cities in case Lucifer's guards would come after me."

"Ugh. Don't get me started on that blowhard unicorn," Trill growled. While they were waiting for the past few hours, the two talked about themselves, getting to know each other without anymore conflicts. She was pretty surprised to hear that it was Solaris's "destiny" to defeat the dark unicorn tyrant. "With how he's got everypony in the kingdom scared to death, it's hard for us changelings to even find love to consume. We need ponies in romantic situations, or maybe some lusty one night stands, but because of the rowdy guards causing a ruckus, love is becoming scarce."

"Wait, 'one night stands'?" Solaris stared at Trill. "...You actually had sex with your 'victims'?"

"What!? No! I'm fourteen!" Trill exclaimed. "Just because I'm a changeling doesn't mean I'm some strange nympho who sleeps with others just to eat! I'm too young for that stuff just yet!"

"O-Others?" Solaris blushed, quickly getting his mind out of the gutter before his thoughts were clouded by his hormones. "S-So you actually stole love from others before you attacked me?"

"Actually, you were my first victim," said Trill, feeling embarrassed at her failed attempt earlier today. "I was finally allowed to leave the hive a week ago. A usual tradition for changelings deemed worthy of venturing outside our home and learning about survival by ourselves."

"Oh..." Solaris said. "...That means you're new out here, too?"

"Well, sort of. I have a bit more knowledge of locations outside of the hive, just not this far out," she said.

Solaris sat back near the fire, wondering where Trill's home was on the map. He was learning a lot about changelings, not really finding them evil in any way.

"How come I never read anything about your kind in the books I had?" he asked.

"Probably because we're considered dangerous." Trill moved a strand of her mane out of her face, leering into the fire. "We manipulate ponies, turning into their lovers or friends to feed off their love, all for the sake of survival. We're hated even more after my mother's attempt to take over a wedding in Canterlot nearly twenty years ago. It was a really important wedding too, a princess marrying the captain of the royal guard.

"Mom succeeded, changing into the bride and trapping her down in the crystal mines underneath Canterlot. Everything was planned out perfectly, even getting on the bearers of the Elements of Harmony on her side." Trill huffed, remembering the next bit of the story she had heard. "Unfortunately, one of them got too suspicious, the Element of Magic." Solaris's eyes widened, staring at Trill in shock, who was unaware of his expression as she continued the tale. "She actually knew the bride when she was little, and caught on. She even escaped from the mines with the princess, reuniting her with the groom, and in an ironic twist, my mother and her army were beaten by the power of their love."

"My mom was the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle," Solaris said.

"Huh!?" Trill looked at Solaris, sweating beading down her face as she learned of this new bit of history on the alicorn. "T-That was your mom!?...Oh jeez..."

"Your mom threw my mom down in an abandoned mine shaft!?" Solaris shouted.

"W-Wait, I didn't even know that pony was actually your mom!" Trill's eye twitched, making a very serious realization from Twilight being Solaris's mother. "...Oh no. Your aunts you're waiting for are the other Elements, aren't they?" The alicorn nodded his head. Trill's body was immediately surrounded in flames, turning into the same mare from her little prank, making Solaris tense up at the change. "Ok. I'm gonna stay like this when they do show up. If they see me, they just might kill me!"

"...I'm surprised I haven't jumped you at this point." Solaris suddenly didn't feel like trusting the daughter of the changeling queen after hearing the Canterlot wedding fiasco. "I wouldn't blame them if they did attack because of your species."

"It was for our hive's survival! I wasn't even born when that happened!" Trill leapt at Solaris's hooves, wrapping her hooves tightly around one of his forelegs, looking up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please don't hate me! I didn't know! Honest!"

He looked down at her, staring at her emerald eyes. She was giving him that look a sad puppy would make if they were begging for a treat, a look he easily fell for when he met his aunts' foals. He was a victim to this look by Rarity's daughter, Gemstone, wanting him to play with her while he wasn't up for it. He gave in too soon, playing dress-up with the filly and forced to wear a girly dress that fit him. At least no one took a picture of him when that happened, otherwise he would have been in more trouble before earlier this morning.

He groaned, quickly giving in to the look Trill gave him, failing to hide the glowing blush on his cheeks. "Fine. I don't hate you."

"Yay!" Trill quickly stood up, pulling Solaris into a tight hug, nearly crushing his rubs. "Thank you! We're still buddies, right!?"

"When did we become friends again?" he asked, pulling her forelegs off him.

"While we were talking for the past few hours." Trill wrapped her foreleg around Solaris's shoulder, pressing her cheek against his. "You could use one after all the drama you've gone through today."

"...Personal space. Please." Solaris snorted, flames spewing out of his nostrils as he warned Trill.

Trill laughed nervously, scooching away from the peeved alicorn a good distance from him, fearing he would burn her. "Uhh, you figured out how you got that fire power yet?"

"I'm going to bed. I'm tired." Solaris put out the fireplace, bringing the ruins back to complete darkness as he entered the tent. Trill carefully and slowly approached the tent, poking her head in. "Do anything to me while I sleep, and you're getting bucked far into the forest."

"Couldn't we do that in here?" Solaris glared at Trill, not amused at the play on words with his statement. "I'm kidding! I knew what you meant!" The alicorn grunted, turning away from her as he closed his eyes. "I swear I was...You need to grow a funny bone."

"Trill..." Solaris warned, silencing the mare as she quickly entered the tent and laid in the empty space next to him. As much as she wanted to wish him good night, she didn't want to aggravate him further.

As Solaris opened his eyes, he found himself in a dark void, no sign of light or color anywhere except for himself. He wandered around, hoping he could find a way out.

"Hello!?" he shouted, his voice echoing all around him. "Where am I?"

"Your grave." Solaris's ears twitched, recognizing who the voice belongs to.

The alicorn turned around, only to have something in the darkness strike him through the shoulder. He yelled out in pain, feeling more sharp pains strike every part of his body. He couldn't tell where they were coming from, or what they were, but he could feel blood dripping from the wounds being inflicted upon him. The barrage of invisible stabs finally stopped, leaving Solaris wincing, moving any part of him causing some kind of pain.

From the darkness, he saw a pair of red eyes leering at him, green mist flowing out from the sides. A sharp toothed grin formed underneath the eyes, the face walking closer, revealing Lucifer out from the dark void.

"N-No. Not you!" Solaris tried to back away, but he couldn't move his legs. He looked down, finding his legs bound by dark chains, the same ones Spike was held down by. "No! Please! I don't want to die!"

"Don't worry." Lucifer summoned a mace with his ethereal magic, swinging it around to test its weight, even though it was created by his aura. "I'll make this quick and painless. Say hello to your mother in Tarterus, alicorn!"

Solaris screamed, unable to look away as he watched the dangerous blunt weapon swing hard and wide toward his face.

Solaris woke up, panting heavily as sweat dripped down his forehead. He quickly inspected himself, finding him free of any wounds and chains, realizing that it was just a nightmare. A really horrible nightmare. He tried to calm down, unable to fall back asleep after having that unicorn disturb his dreams. His ears perked up when he heard snoring next to him. He forgot that Trill was in the tent with him, still disguised as the green unicorn from her prank, her legs sprawled out, one of her hind legs twitching randomly. She made some weird chirping noises as she breathed out, almost like the crickets outside.

"Is she really making those noises?" Ignoring Trill's weird snoring, he laid back down, rubbing his eyes, wondering what time it was.

"Solaris..." The stallion's ears perked up, hearing a feminine voice calling out his name. He sat up, knowing it wasn't Trill since the female's voice sounded a lot older. "Solaris..."

"Hello?" Solaris poked his head out of the tent's flap, looking around for the sound of the mysterious voice. "Is anypony there?"

There was no sign of any other pony around. Solaris shrugged, probably hearing things. Before he crawled back in the tent, he caught a glimpse of a purple light near the entrance to the castle. He could see what looked like a pony inside the light, but he couldn't tell who the pony was. It turned away, gesturing with its head to follow it, exiting the ruins. Solaris had a feeling he should follow the light, running after it before he lost sight of it.

"Hey! Wait!" he shouted out to it. He saw it head out of the entrance, losing sight of it as he reached the bridge. He looked around, catching a glimpse of the light down in the chasm below. Looking down, he watched the light walk through a cavern that seemed to run underneath the ruined castle. "Hold on a second! How do you know my name!?"

Solaris flew down, lighting the dark crevice with his horn, running into the cave as he touched the ground. He didn't see the light or the pony in it, wondering who it was that called out to him. For some strange reason, he thought the voice sounded familiar, almost like the first voice he ever heard when he was little. He finally reached a light at the end of the tunnel, but what he saw inside made his eyes widen, staring at it in awe.

"No way..." Solaris stared at what looked like a crystal tree, the trunk etched with three different symbols: a sun, a crescent moon, and a star. Its branches held six different gems connected to it, each a different color and in individual shapes: a purple diamond, an orange apple, a red lightning bolt, a blue balloon, a pink butterfly, and a lavender star, similar to the mark on the trunk. "This is...the Tree of Harmony. And the Elements of Harmony are here too!"

He slowly approached the magical tree, hearing the story of how his mother and aunts giving the Elements up to save the tree. It needed them back after its magical reserves were drained, keeping Discord's vines from reaching it and destroying it. With the Elements of Harmony, it might be possible to stop Lucifer, but how he was going to wield them would be a problem, needing six ponies that represent each Element to use them.

Deciding how to use them at a later date, Solaris reached out and tried to grab the Element of Magic. As soon as his hoof touched the star-shaped gem, a powerful electric shock zapped him, sending him flying backward, tumbling across the ground. His body twitched as he stood up, slowly recovering from the tingles of electricity coursing through his body. The Elements in the branches began glowing, each gem shooting out a small beam of light similar to their color near the base of the tree. The lights slowly began to form into equines, matching the same body structures of the bearers of the Elements.

Solaris looked up, his jaw dropping as he saw the ethereal forms of his aunts and mother standing in front of the tree, the symbol of their cutie marks etched on their chests. The lavender apparition hovered above the other five, resembling Twilight through the glowing light around her. This was the same light he saw that guided him to the Tree of Harmony.

"The Elements of Harmony must remain within us, foal," the apparition warned. "We have lost our power after a millennium of staving off the chaotic vines of Discord. Without the Elements, we, along with Equestria, would fall."

"W-Who are you?" Solaris asked. "...A-Are you-?"

"I am not who you think I am, child." The spirit slowly lowered itself to the ground, standing in front of the other five. "We are the embodiments of the Elements in spiritual form: Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, and Magic. Our bodies have transformed to resemble the bearers who used us many years ago, defending Equestria from evildoers."

"Oh," Solaris said, disappointed. He hoped that the ethereal alicorn before him was his mother, or maybe some part of her, but it wasn't. "Then, why did you lead me here?"

"A request from Twilight Sparkle, the bearer of Magic, several years ago." The five spirits slowly began to surround him, their eyes glued to him as he was unaware of their movements, too transfixed on the Spirit of Magic. "We know of the dangers across the land, a unicorn wizard with incredibly dark magic, threatens to destroy all who dare to stand in his way. Even if we were to give you our power, his magic is far too great to be contained. Celestia had made a mistake offering him mercy, putting him to sleep for a thousand years and hoping he would change. Dark magic is a barrier unicorns should never come in contact with, holding deadly spells and incredible power, even going as far as to give one immortality in exchange for their soul.

"However, there is one power that can stop him." Magic pointed at Solaris. "You have that power, young one."

"I do?" he asked, confused.

"Inside of you is a light so strong, it is able to eliminate any traces of evil." The spirit touched the star symbol on her chest. "Born from the bearer of Magic, the Spark of Harmony, the light that unites the Elements as one, rests within you. In other words, you, Solaris, are a living Element of Harmony. The Element of Light."

"What!?" Solaris shouted. "How is that possible!? I thought-"

"It is how it is. This is your known destiny: as a pony, a savior of all of Equestria, and the true heir to the throne of your kingdom." Solaris began to panic, thinking he wasn't who he thought he was. "Do not worry. You are born of flesh and blood. You only have a magical power no other pony could ever obtain through birth.

"Oh." Solaris breathed a sigh of relief. "I did not want to go through anymore surprise secrets I've been left out of the loop from. It's bad enough the past few days have been a disaster."

"Enough talk," Magic said, snapping the alicorn out of his thoughts. "I have guided you here so you may begin your journey. The bearer of Magic has given you five tests, to prove your worth in combat through skill, strategy, and strength. You must not falter if you wish to save Equestria from the wrath of the unicorn king. Be warned: with each trial you manage to succeed in, you will suffer greatly. Do you understand these terms, Solaris?"

Solaris thought really hard about what Magic explained. He didn't realize that he had to take some trials to prove he was ready to take down Lucifer. She was really vague about what he would suffer from. An ailment? Losing a part of his soul? He wasn't going to die if he managed to succeed, since she did explain that he was supposed to rule Equestria once he beat the unicorn tyrant. He had no idea what to do.

Equestria was in trouble, and his family told him that it was his destiny to save them all. He didn't want anyone else to suffer, but he had no idea if he was able to do this all on his own. All of this pressure was being thrust upon him so soon, even the Elements of Harmony want him to win. Solaris didn't want to let everyone down, or fail. Steeling himself, he gave Magic a determined look, making his decision.

"I understand. I won't let you, or anypony down," he said.

"Excellent. Now, to begin your first test." Solaris quickly lost his resolve, already beginning his first trial this early. "To test your skills, you must defeat us spirits. If you can defeat the six of us, then you will pass and receive one of five pieces of equipment to help aid your power. If you fall, then you are not truly ready to take down the tyrant." Magic's eyes glowed brightly, as well as the other spirits around the alicorn, the spirits crouching low as they prepared to fight. "Your test begins now."

Solaris was too slow to react, being struck from behind by Loyalty, moving just as fast as Rainbow Dash. Recovering from the sneak attack, he turned to face the red spirit, only to get shot at by a beam of magic coming from Generosity. Being his first actual experience in combat, it was difficult for him to win if he was getting smacked around by several opponents at once. Trying to get his bearings, he felt a pair of forelegs wrapping around his waist, hoisted up into the air by Laughter. He was thrust to the ground headfirst, suplexed hard and seeing stars.

Feeling his tail being grabbed, Honesty dragged him across the ground, spinning him around with incredible strength, screaming as his vision was a blur. The spirit let go, flying straight into Kindness, who reared back and bucked Solaris in the chin, sending him soaring high into the air. Before he was able to right himself back up, Loyalty can swooping in, speeding past him rapidly and landing several hits on him. He soon hit the ceiling of the cave, groaning in pain. He soon lost his breath as Laughter bounced up toward him at light speed, punching him hard in the stomach. The blue spirit stood on the ceiling, as random as his aunt Pinkie, pulling him out of the hole that left an imprint of his body.

It dropped him, unable to move due to the pain of trying to breathe, falling straight down to the other three Elements fighting him, Magic standing near the tree and watching the battle unfold. Solaris hit the ground hard, bouncing off the cavern floor, receiving a three way buck from Generosity, Kindness, and Honesty, the latter of the three's knocking the wind out of him even further. Loyalty came diving in, slamming down on the alicorn and began repeatedly punched the stallion in the face. He tried to block the barrage of blows with his forelegs, trying to find some way to break out of the onslaught of attacks being thrown at him.

He found an opening as Loyalty wound up its hoof for another hit, blocking it before he was hit again. Before he could get the opportunity to fight back, he was dragged across the ground by his tail again, kicked in the gut once again, feeling himself being lifted up by Kindness and Generosity. As soon as he was able to squint his eyes, he saw the barrel of an ethereal cannon, glowing the same colored light as Laughter's. He winced, hearing the cannon fire, being flung far from the powerful blast, slamming his back hard into the wall.

Groaning, he slid down, flopping on the floor, his body covered in bruises. He struggled to breathe, feeling like he ribs had been broken or cracked, especially after the magical party cannon blasting point blank at his chest. Solaris shakily got up, clutching his chest, looking up as the spirits were prepared to give him another beating.

"It seems as though you aren't really ready after all." Magic shook her head, sounding disappointed. "I'm surprised you're still conscious. It's a start, but it's not enough if you have to face several opponents. It seems like you failed."

Magic pointed her hoof, commanding the rest of the Element Spirits to charge at the injured alicorn. Solaris couldn't give up. He didn't want to fail. His family was counting on him. All of Equestria. The whole world. The fire in his gut began to form, but instead of expelling it from his mouth, he willed it to his forehooves. As they closed in on him, the stallion reared up, green flames appearing in his hooves, slamming down hard and creating a wall of fire. He punched the wall, sending the flames flying toward them, catching them on fire as they tried to put themselves out.

The lavender spirit's eyes grew in shock, not expecting Solaris to wield fire. As the flames blocking her view of him died down, he was on his hind legs, forehooves covered in green fire. He got his second wind back, finally, flaring out his wings and slamming his hooves together, sending green sparks flying around him.

"I'm not done yet." Bringing his hooves up in a boxing stance, he was ready to finally fight back, determination shining in his eyes. "I'm not giving up! Come on!"

After the five combating spirits doused out the fire on their ethereal bodies, they rushed at the alicorn yet again. Solaris was ready this time. Loyalty reached him first, flying at a fast pace and prepared to punch him. He gave the red spirit an uppercut, a deafening crunch echoing in the cave as he hit it in the chin, sending it soaring faster than he had earlier, slamming far into the ceiling. The other spirits hesitated, surprised to see how much power he was holding back.

While distracted, Solaris punched at them, sending waves of fire at them. Generosity and Kindness were unlucky enough to get hit, but Laughter and Honesty nearly avoided getting struck by the green fireballs. Laughter teleported behind the stallion, using Pinkie's usual logic breaking skills, wrapping its hooves around him again. This time, he didn't give the spirit a chance to throw him again. Solaris grabbed the spirit by the neck, his flaming hooves causing it to remove its grip around him, leaping into the air while flipping rapidly. After gaining enough momentum, he threw the blue spirit down to the ground, shooting out another barrage of fireballs raining down on them.

Loyalty dug itself out of the crater it made as it was flung into the air, rubbing its jaw as it looked down at the hovering stallion. Thinking he was distracted, it flew down, ramming into him and sending them into a nosedive to the ground. Solaris shot a burst of fire out of his hooves, flipping them around as they hit the ground, his body landing down hard on the pegasus spirit's body, shattering it to magical pieces.

He flipped up on his hooves, inches away from having Kindness try to stomp on him while he was down. Solaris leapt in the air, shooting out a burst of flames out of his hind hooves, flying at the pink spirit and repeatedly punching it as he sent it soaring across the ground. It hit the wall, shattering to pieces after another fire-filled punch straight through its head.

Generosity began shooting more beams of magic at him, the alicorn quickly dodging each shot as he charged at it next. He even punched through the beams, the flames on his hooves destroying the magic before it got through to him. He skidded to a halt, his front hooves shooting sparks across the ground, standing on his hind legs as he guided the growing flames around him. It built up in his forehooves, and with a thrust of his hoof, he shot a blaze of green fire in the shape of a dragon serpent's head. The flame roared like a real dragon, snapping its jaws down on the unfortunate spirit, the sound of it shattering echoing all around him.

Solaris turned to the remaining two spirits, Laughter and Honesty seeming a bit worried, though it was hard to tell when they didn't have a face to make expressions. They nodded to each other, rushing at the alicorn at once, flanking him on different sides. They began using hoof-to-hoof combat, but he was able to block and dodge each punch and kick they threw at him. With any openings they left, Solaris knocked them back and dealt with the other, switching back and forth until both spirits punched him at the same time.

He ducked, their hooves hitting each other's, quickly grabbing their forelegs and snapping them down to the ground. He picked up Laughter, punching the blue spirit multiple times in the abdomen, creating cracks in its ethereal body. With one swift kick, he shattered the spirit into nothingness. Solaris then turned his sights on Honesty, avoiding an attempted sneak attack, grabbing the orange spirit's hoof. He dragged it toward him, repeatedly punching it hard in the face, followed by a knee to the gut. As it doubled over, the alicorn breathed out a powerful blast of fire, incinerating the ethereal earth pony until its body shattered under the heat.

After dealing with the five spirits that had been attacking him, he turned to face Magic, having not lifted a hoof or done anything to help her fellow Elements. Magic was still in shock, staring at where the others had been before being destroyed.

"...Dragon fire..." Magic said, slowly snapping out of her stupor. "How intriguing."

"Thanks to my uncle, I believe." Solaris rubbed his flaming hooves together, slowly building up a large fireball. "I really don't know how I received his fire, but if this is a last minute gift from him before he died, then I'll make sure it doesn't go to waste!"

Keeping the massive fireball hovering in the air, Solaris thrust both his hooves forward, sending it flying toward Magic. The spirit's horn glowed, summoning a large ice wall, blocking the fireball and shattering the wall to pieces. Thrusting her own hoof forward, she sent the large shards of ice hurtling toward the alicorn. He punched through each one, shattering them into tinier pieces or melting under his flaming hooves.

He flew straight for Magic, dodging lightning strikes raining from above him and more icicles flying toward him. The ethereal alicorn began to panic as Solaris got closer, erratically shooting every single elemental offensive spell at him, only to be avoided or punched through. Before she could attempt to teleport away, he grabbed her horn, swiftly punching her in the muzzle, dispelling any spell she was about to shoot. She was unable to escape, her body struck with a barrage of hooves, punching and kicking her, making her stagger backward with each blow.

A heavy kick to the stomach caused the spirit to gasp, doubling over in pain, her body slowly cracking apart. Solaris rushed again, rearing his hoof back and prepared to finish Magic off. His body began glowing, a bright light forming in his hoof, changing the green fire into a bright white. There was even a light flashing on his flanks, brightening the dimly lit cavern even further. His hoof made contact with the spirit's face as she looked up, but as the sound of her body shattered, she didn't disappear like the others. Her body flew into the Tree of Harmony, grunting as she hit it, slowly sliding down the trunk of the crystalline tree.

Solaris stood where he was, utterly confused when he saw Magic was still whole, but the light around her disappeared. Looking down at his hoof, he noticed the change of the flame's hue was brighter and filled with light. It changed back to green, disappearing as he relaxed his fire. He looked back at Magic, hearing her groan, leaning against the tree for support.

"C-Congratulations, Solaris," she said. She got up on her hooves, slowly lifting her head up. Solaris gasped, his eyes glued to Magic's new look. She was a lavender alicorn, her mane dark purple with a pink streak running down the middle, her tail similar to her hair. He saw her cutie mark, a large purple star with five smaller white stars around it. Her eyes opened, revealing her lavender eyes, a smile on her face when she looked at him. There was also a gold halo hovering over her head, always floating level with the top of her head. Magic wasn't a spiritual entity of the Element of Magic, it was actually Solaris's mother, Twilight Sparkle. "You passed your first test."

Chapter 5: Family Reunion

Solaris just stood there, frozen in shock, jaw dropped, staring at his mother. He knew what she looked like, always keeping a picture of him with her as a newborn in his room back in the cave he grew up in. After only just receiving news a couple days ago that she was already dead was bad enough, but now there she was, standing before her, smiling at him like she was proud of an accomplishment he made on his own. He was speechless, dumbfounded, confused, happy, angry, baffled, and so on, his brain hurting from the unbelievable circumstance of seeing his dead mother was alive.

The alicorn slapped himself in the face, wincing as he made the bruises on his face worsen. She was still there, so he wasn't dreaming, or maybe he was having a dream, but it was so lucid that pain did exist and his subconscious is messing with him. Twilight knew her son was really confused, understanding his reasons. While he was still trying to "wake up", she walked up to him, hoping he could give him the answers he needs.

"Solaris, are you ok?" she asked.

"Ok? OK!? AM I OK!?" Solaris shouted, his emotions cluttering with his head, forcing him to go into another panic attack. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?"

"Solaris, calm down." Twilight gently pulled her son into a hug, gently easing him to keep him from hyperventilating. Solaris's head rested against her chest, hearing her heartbeat, really alive despite having the halo over her head. "It's ok. It's really me."

He began to calm down, his ears twitching in time with her beating heart. He read that foals were always calm when they hear the sound of their mother's heartbeat, but he remembered how it felt and sounded after fifteen years. It was like he was a foal again, being held in her hooves, sleeping soundly as his little head was resting against her soft chest, her heartbeat a calming metronome. Tears welled up in his eyes, finally believing that this was real, his mother was actually holding him, comforting him. He wrapped his hooves around her, burying his face in her chest as his tears fell, never wanting to let her go.

They stayed like this for a while, neither wanting to let this moment end. Twilight, unfortunately, had to, gently pulling him away.

"You've grown so much, sweetheart," she said, gently drying Solaris's tears away. "And you're really strong."

"I-I can't believe it's really you, mom," Solaris said. "I never thought I would ever see you." He looked up at his mother, his eyes resting on the halo floating above her. His heart sank when he realized that it was a once in a lifetime chance with the golden ring reminding him she was dead. "...And after this, I'll never see you again."

"I'm really sorry, Solaris." Twilight gently draped a wing around the teen, gently leading him back to the Tree of Harmony. "I know you have a lot of questions, but I can't answer every single one. I don't have much time left before I have to go back to Paradise."

"Oh..." Solaris said, already knowing this meeting wouldn't last for long.

"Spike had told me a few hours ago what had happened to him." Solaris tensed up, feeling guilty for the horrible event that had taken place. Knowing his uncle was up there and spoke to his mother made him feel like a terrible nephew. "Don't worry. He's not mad at you. After watching you from above for so many years, I blame myself for not being there for you. If you had found out what happened to me when you were little, you might have suffered a very dangerous magical surge from your overwhelmed emotions, possibly killing yourself with the power you have inside you.

"I really wanted to help you, but I only had one chance to come back, and it was to prove your strength in your first test. It's a rare privilege to have this opportunity for those who have died or passed on: a physical body, to become as young as they wish to be, even holding the same magical or physical strength they had when they were alive, all on a very strict time limit." They both sat in front of the tree, Twilight looking up at the halo above her. "Kind of makes it obvious for anyone who sees me and catch this to know that I'm some kind of angel sent from the heavens."

"Do you always have that?" Solaris asked.

"Yeah." Twilight moved her head around, the halo still hovering a couple inches over her and moving along with her. "You get used to it after a while. I still can't believe how strongly you fought. And using fire inherited by Spike? It's exactly how dragons raised by ponies can inherit magical properties in time, but in reverse."

"But, he didn't inherit anything to me," Solaris said. "After he transported me to the Everfree Forest, I just...somehow breathed fire."

"Being an alicorn, you could learn magic a lot more quickly than a regular unicorn," Twilight explained. "Like when you manipulated your new fire into your hooves, you learn how to use it quickly, even without much knowledge of your new skills. After being transported, the magic within Spike's fire must have been absorbed into your body, which I had to scold him on because he had never transported anything alive."

"...That explains why." Solaris rubbed his stomach, still finding it weird he could always feel it in his gut when he needed to use it. "Not sure I want to eat anything spicy for a long while."

Twilight laughed, rustling Solaris's mane. Solaris would eventually get used to his new fire abilities in time, along with this strange light power he randomly used twice in one day.

"Now, I think it's time I give you something for succeeding against my trial." Twilight pressed her hoof against the Tree of Harmony, her horn glowing as she fired a beam of magic into the Element of Harmony, causing it and the rest of the Elements to glow. They each shot out a beam of magic at Solaris, the teen shutting his eyes as the light grew too intense to see. As soon as the lights dimmed down, he felt something odd around his hooves. When he opened them, his eyes widened as he was now wearing a pair of gold gauntlets on his forehooves. "These special gauntlets will help increase your fighting strength, completely indestructible and able to block any weapon or spell that comes your way."

Solaris examined his new armor, feeling really comfortable to wear and not as heavy as he expected. Circling around the gauntlets, they each had three gems colored exactly like the Elements of Harmony: red, blue, and purple on the left, pink, orange, and lavender on the right. He could even feel his strength increasing as he wore them. Deciding to test it out, he aimed away from the tree and Twilight, thrusting his fist out to shoot a burst of fire. This one was a lot more powerful and spread out wider, nearly knocking him back a bit at the force it unleashed.

"Whoa..." Solaris stretched out his leg, almost feeling it pop off his shoulder after testing it out. "I better train with these for a while."

Twilight's ears perked up, looking up at her halo, which began to blink. She knew what it meant, knowing Solaris wouldn't like it.

"Solaris, my time is almost up," she said.

"What?" Solaris turned to face his mother, unaware of the blinking halo. "Now? But I don't want you to leave yet! There's so many things I want to ask!"

"I know, hon. I did tell you that I wouldn't have enough time." Solaris immediately rammed into Twilight, wrapping his hooves around her tightly. She wrapped hers around him, nuzzling his head, feeling his tears staining her coat again. "I know you don't want me to leave you again, but I don't have a choice."

"I don't know what to do, mom." His grip tightened, afraid to lose her. "I can't do this by myself."

"You're not alone." Twilight gently kissed Solaris's forehead, pulling him closer. Tears began to fall from her eyes, but they were of sadness, not happiness. "My friends will help you on your journey. But remember what I said earlier, Solaris; after each trial you complete, you will suffer." She held him tighter, knowing his life would be more tragic than it has today. "You will have to live through the pain you will experience, but always remember that you mustn't give up hope. You must keep fighting, no matter what the cost. Do you understand?"

Solaris nodded into his mother's chest, feeling her body slowly begin to disappear. "I understand, mom. I'll do everything I can to stop Lucifer and avenge you, the princesses, and Uncle Spike."

"Thank you." Twilight could see her hooves begin to disappear, begging for a few more seconds to say goodbye to her child. "I love you so much, Solaris."

"I love you too, mom." Solaris felt his hooves slip as Twilight grew intangible to feel her body, looking at her in sadness as she began to float up into the air.

"Remember, I'll always be watching over you, my little foal." Twilight was barely able to be seen, her body being engulfed by light. "Goodbye."

The light had finally consumed her, the orb flying up until it phased through the cavern's ceiling, the lavender alicorn returning back to the heavens above, where she belongs. Solaris stared at where the orb disappeared to, leaving him along with the Tree of Harmony. He felt he had finally gotten some closure with his mother, even if it was for a short amount of time.

"Goodbye..." He wiped away his tears, feeling confident enough to fulfill his destiny, brave enough to complete his remaining tests and save Equestria. "I'll make you proud, mom. I won't let you, my family, and all of Equestria down."

Solaris headed back to the campsite, feeling very exhausted and still very tired. The sun hadn't come up yet, still very early in the morning, and he couldn't wait to get back to sleep. As he approached the tent, he could hear Trill still snoring away inside, quietly entering and laying down in his spot. He took off his gauntlets, laying them beside his saddlebags. As soon as he laid his head down, he immediately fell to sleep, really fatigued after fighting five apparitions of his aunts and his mother.

Canterlot Castle was a lot more dreary and terrifying when one walks through the halls inside. One might think it's a sort of theme, always Nightmare Night every single day, but the castle is littered with the corpses of those who attempted to assassinate Lucifer, the disturbing stench of blood permeating the air, and a chilling air that would make anypony without a weak heart want to flee from possible poltergeists of the king's victims. Only the Shadow Knights were brave enough to walk through the corridors, already used to the horrid smell and not caring about a soul, especially the youngest of the bunch.

One such mercenary walked through these halls, looking at the bodies littered everywhere, wishing that the place could be tidied a little bit. At least his helmet was able to filter clean air if he was ever in a room filled with smoke or poisonous fumes. Zero made his way to the throne room, finding his ruler sitting upon his royal seat, swirling a goblet of red wine in his aura, staring out at nothing. The mercenary approached the king, bowing before him.

"Your Highness, more unfortunate news from Cloudsdale." The soldier stood up, getting a better look at Lucifer, more specifically, his face. It was swollen, the bruise hidden underneath his dark fur. "...Uhh, pardon my asking, but what happened to you, sire?"

"I fell down a flight of stairs," Lucifer said in a sarcastic tone. He growled, taking a swig of his beverage. "I can't believe I was right."

"Sir?" Zero asked.

"The alicorn...I found him." The tyrant touched his cheek, seething in rage as he was actually struck for the first time since his reawakening. "That dragon of Sparkle's actually was hiding him, but in an ironic twist, this so called hero of Equestria is actually a foal!" He took another large gulp of his wine, some of it spilling out from his chin, not caring of the mess he made. "A child! I was expecting a mighty warrior, but no! It was a teenage colt! And somehow, where others have failed to lay a hoof on me, he managed to punch through my barrier and INJURE ME!"

He threw the goblet at Zero, quickly moving his head aside as the golden and regal cup flew past, clattering to the floor behind him. He stared at the enraged king through his visor, waiting until he calmed down in order to speak.

"So, your enemy is...a child..." Zero said, bewildered. "...I'm sorry, but are you sure you aren't intoxicated this morning, Your Highness?"

"My dark magic keeps me from suffering any ailments, excluding sleep. But I can't knowing that I was actually hit by a child!" Lucifer rubbed his head, growing more aggravated knowing his enemy was still out there. "Whatever that dragon did to him, he transported the alicorn somewhere, with MAGIC FIRE! Since when could dragons use teleportation magic through their fire breath!? They only incinerate their prey, becoming their roasted morsels for an afternoon snack!"

"Maybe dragons can adapt to the environment around them," Zero said. "I'm no expert, but some dragons who could breath ice instead of fire survived out in the coldest regions of the land. It makes it easier for them to live in the habitat they survive in, learning from their instincts and honing it as a special and unique ability unlike other dragons."

With this bit of information given to him, Lucifer just stared dumbly at his right hoof soldier for a moment, slapping himself in the face upon realization. "And because the dragon was raised by ponies...That explains everything." He sneered, wishing he knew this information beforehand. "If ponies weren't such sniveling cowards and got some research accomplished on dragons aside from 'big, scary, and dangerous', then I would have killed them both before he saved that little whelp! And what's worse, I can't track magical dragon fire, because it's a magic I have not even known about!"

"Dragons are indeed a hard subject to study," Zero said. "Those brave enough to try don't make it out alive."

Lucifer sighed, greatly annoyed at how cowardly their kind was. "Can today get any worse?"

The doors to the throne room opened, both stallions hearing somepony panting heavily, poking his head out as he was in an all out panic.

"Y-Your Highness! W-We have a problem!" he said, freaked out about something.

"I do not wish to be disturbed!" Lucifer shouted. "If it's a rebellion in the city, deal with it yourself!"

"N-No! There's a mare invading the castle! She's gone on a rampage! We can't-" The soldier gasped, struggling to keep his hold on the door. "No! NO! No please!"

Zero and Lucifer looked at each other in confusion, hearing the guard's cries for help as the doors closed. The screaming suddenly stopped, nothing but silence outside the halls. The doors slowly opened, a pony's silhouette standing in the dark corridor. The pony's horn glowed a blue aura, throwing something into the throne room, which happened to be the head of the soldier who tried to warn them of the intruder, rolling along until it stopped at Zero's hooves.

"You..." The pony walked into the throne room, the dim lighting revealing herself. It was Rarity, and she was far from sane. Her mane and tail were a frazzled mess, blood staining her hair and body, not even fazed at how much blood was on her. Her eyes were red with rage and puffy from crying, tears still rolling down her face, her black mascara ruining her face, but she didn't care. She was really mad, carrying a butcher knife in her mouth, coated with blood from the soldiers she slayed to reach the throne room. Grabbing the sharp cutting tool with her magic, she growled, pointing the knife at Lucifer. "You killed my Spikey-wikey..."

"...I guess not." Lucifer stood up from his throne, stepping down until he stood next to Zero. The mercenary was ready to attack, only to be stopped by the dark unicorn. "Stand down, Zero. I need to vent off some steam."

The hired soldier stood down, though stayed wary in case Rarity would try anything.

"You have gone too far. You killed the princesses, you killed one of my friends, and you killed the dragon who had feelings for me, one of the most gentlest of creatures you could never be! I'LL DESTROY YOU!" Rarity threw the knife at Lucifer, only to catch the flung utensil in his magic.

"'Feelings'?" Lucifer questioned, eyeing the knife as Rarity seethed in rage. "A dragon in love with a pony? And vice versa? How pathetic." The crazed mare's ear twitched, growling louder at the insult. "Your little dragon friend was hiding a pony who was supposed to be my mortal foe. He even helped him escape, giving me no choice but to kill him."

Rarity screamed, blinded by her anger as she charged at him. As she was about to run through him and stab him with her horn, he stopped the mare with his hoof, smacking her face down to the marble floor. Completely dazed and immobile, Lucifer lifted the mare up with his magic, keeping her still in his aura.

"Y-You-" Rarity said, quickly silencing herself as she felt the edge of her knife press against her neck.

"Just how low has our society gotten after a thousand years?" Lucifer circled the immobilized mare, ignoring the spiteful glare she gave him despite her predicament. "From all the news I've brushed up on for the last decade, I'm really surprised that things have changed this much. I mean, interspecies relationships, all these wars that Celestia had been involved in because of her benevolent leadership, and learning how simpleminded the nobles in this day and age act like they have power. Everything seems to go topsy-turvy, even without Discord trying to create this kind of chaos.

"Even when some of you finally decide to grow a pair, it's only to stop me. Where was that drive when it came to Sombra? Nightmare Moon? Nowhere." He dragged the knife down her shoulder, leaving a light cut, Rarity not even flinching at the pain. "And the princesses you all so dearly worship? What exactly have they truly done to save this kingdom from disaster, WITHOUT using the Elements of Harmony? Absolutely nothing!

"Alicorns are known to be the most powerful pony of us all, but they aren't gods. They show they have incredible magic power, strength the likes of no earth pony would ever have, and the biggest of wingspans that make any pegasus jealous out of awe. Celestia and Luna only delayed the inevitable: Trapping Sombra in shadows, only to return a millenium later, turning Discord to stone with the Elements of Harmony, yet again unleashing his power after a thousand years, and Nightmare Moon, Celestia's own sister, banished to the moon for the same amount of time.

"And who was it that finally managed to stop them once and for all?" Lucifer asked, still receiving the death stare from Rarity. "Of course you know the answer. You, Sparkle, and the rest of your little group of friends did the deed for Celestia, while all she did was sit on her plot, using the six of you as her pawns to protect this kingdom, claiming she was the savior of all ponykind."

"Y-You're lieing." Lucifer looked up at Rarity, smirking as his words irritated her further. "She did not use us. We were destined to be the Elements of Harmony. And she did fight back before, against the changeling invasion during the royal wedding!"

"And she failed that too!" Lucifer stabbed the knife through one of Rarity's legs, making her yell out in pain as he dug the knife deep inside her. "She 'tried' to stop them, but was immediately beaten by the queen in charge of the invasion! I've read the articles released back then on the invasion, and Celestia's own personal entries on the matter, and she was easily thwarted by a giant insect!" He quickly pulled the knife out, watching her writhe as blood spilled out from her wound. "All powerful ruler, my tail. Beaten by a bug. How pathetic is that!?

"Like I said before, alicorns are not as powerful as you might think. They couldn't even stand up to me when they were known to be powerful enough to move the sun and moon, a giant star and a large mass of a meteor, heavier than the mountains standing on this planet! My dark magic was enough to kill them, far more powerful than their own 'enhanced' magic, not even laying a scratch on me! Sparkle just stood there and watched as I killed our mentor and her little sister, too scared of me to fight back." Lucifer pulled Rarity's face closer to his, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Alicorns. Are not. Powerful. They are just figureheads."

"...Then what about what happened to you?" The king's eyes widened as Rarity grinned. "You were struck by an alicorn, were you not? So much for just being a figurehead, especially if he is only a teenager."

"...What?" He backed away, seeing Rarity was slightly calm, mocking him with the smirk on her face. "...You knew about that brat?"

"Indeed. My friends and I had known, since he was the foal who is destined to save us all from you." The mare began to laugh, watching Lucifer grow more furious with each word she spoke. "Twilight told us about her vision. You're going to die horribly, and by the 'brat' you claim he is. Once he's truly ready, you won't stand a chance. If he was able to injure you, then he can kill you."

"Silence!" Lucifer shouted, waving the knife at the smug unicorn.

"We won't let anything happen to him. You'll have to get through us before you can get to Solaris!" Rarity said.

"...That can be arranged." Lucifer quickly slashed the butcher knife across Rarity's neck, blood spurting out as she began struggling to breathe. She let out gargled noises, her sliced open esophagus pouring blood into her lungs. She began to grow limp, suffocating from the fatal wound, slowly dying in one of the quickest ways possible. Lucifer dropped the unicorn, along with the knife, staring at her corpse. "...Solaris is his name, hmm? Well, he won't succeed. Zero."

"Yes, Your Highness?" Zero bowed, having watched the entire ordeal from a distance.

"Send this 'garbage' back to Ponyville. Tell them this is a message from me. If they so much as assist the alicorn, know that death will come to them faster than they can blink." Lucifer headed out of the throne room, back to his quarters after letting out a little of his anger out on something. "I'll be retiring to my quarters."

"Yes, Your Highness." Zero approached Rarity's body, staring at the mare's lifeless eyes. Her gently moved his hoof over her eyes, closing them in respect for her unfortunate death. He levitated her body on his back and headed off to Ponyville on hoof. "The other Elements won't be happy when they see this."

Chapter 6: The Journey Begins

"What do you mean Rarity isn't here!?" Rainbow shouted as she and the others arrived at Carousel Boutique to check on the fashionista.

It was early in the morning, the sun slowly beginning its ascent into the sky. Applejack, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie agreed to let Rarity take some time to recover after her breakdown seeing Spike's body. They gave the dragon a proper burial last night, leaving the grieving unicorn with her sister, Sweetie Belle, back at her home. The young singer was back after a tour she was on for the past couple months, hoping to have at least made it back for Solaris's birthday, but was a bit too late. Sweetie's cutie mark was a shield just like Apple Bloom's, only hers has a star in the center and a music note in the star.

"That's just it," Sweetie explained, just as confused as the others. "She was in her room crying last night, and she seemed to have calmed down. But when I got up to put Gemstone back to bed after waking up from a nightmare, she wasn't there. No note or anything."

As the others began to worry where their friend ran off to, Sweetie Belle's coltfriend, a brown earth pony stallion with an auburn mane and tail, his cutie mark a game pad, walked into the living room from the kitchen, carrying some tea for them. He was really tired, not much of a morning pony.

"Maybe your sister went off to the mountains to search for gems?" the stallion said, suppressing a yawn as he sat next to Sweetie Belle. "You know how she is with those designs of hers. Gotta have gems on everything, even on dish towels."

"She wouldn't just go out gem hunting early in the morning without leaving a note, Button," Sweetie said. "Besides, she always wakes up at nine in the morning. She never goes a day without her proper beauty sleep."

A moment later, they heard a knock on the door to the boutique. Sweetie Belle got up to check on who it was at this hour, leaving the others to their warm tea and fears for Rarity. They all soon heard her shriek, quickly getting up to see her hyperventilating, tears streaming down her cheeks as she freaked out about something. Button ran up to her to comfort her, wondering what had shocked her. At the front door, the four Elements of Harmony gasped when they saw the mercenary, Zero, standing there. They saw the mysterious hired soldier a few times when Lucifer stopped by Ponyville to instill fear into everypony in town. Just from his armor and hidden features, they figured he was just as dangerous as the unicorn tyrant he worked for.

"His Highness, King Lucifer, has a message for you all." Using his magic, his aura masked by his enchanted helmet, he levitated Rarity's body off his back. They all gasped in horror, seeing her body stained with blood, along with her slit throat. "She tried to attack the king early this morning. He says this will be your fate if any of you help the alicorn who escaped from him."

Sweetie Belle began sobbing, clutching her coltfriend tightly, who tried to calm her down. While Fluttershy and Pinkie were in tears, unable to look at Rarity's corpse, Applejack and Rainbow were absolutely furious, mostly the latter of the two.

"You son of a-" Rainbow charged at Lucifer's right hoof soldier, but as she was about to punch him, she was punched hard in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of her.

"I didn't come here to cause trouble," Zero said. Rainbow tried to attack him again, only to be flipped over on her back, his hoof slamming down on her chest, keeping her from getting up. "I'm just following orders. She came to Canterlot and tried to kill Lucifer. I had nothing to do with her death. So I suggest you calm down before you regret your decision to strike me again."

He slowly removed his hoof, making sure Rainbow Dash wouldn't try to attack him for the third time. She thankfully held back, but still kept her hateful glare on the mysterious stallion. After delivering his message, Zero teleported back to Canterlot, leaving the others behind with the body of another lost friend.

It didn't take them long to give Rarity a proper burial, laying her to rest next to Spike's in Ponyville's cemetery. This news was going to be really hard to explain to Gemstone, or even Rarity's husband, who was off on a business trip for the next few months. Now they lost three of their closest friends to Lucifer, their bond as the Elements threatening to break at a moment's notice. After leaving Sweetie Belle to her grieving, they headed off to their homes, grabbed their saddlebags and filled it with supplies for their long trip, meeting up at the entrance to the Everfree Forest.

"We need to end this now," Rainbow said, still miffed after getting beaten by Zero.

"How are we going to tell this to Solaris?" asked Fluttershy.

"Ah don't know..." Applejack looked toward the wild forest the Elements have gone through countless times, hoping that Solaris was still waiting for them after a whole day. "He's old enough to understand, but losin' three of his family...He ain't gonna be happy to know Rarity's gone."

"Let's go," Rainbow said as she began to walk into the Everfree. "I'm not going to lose anymore of my friends. Lucifer is going down."

Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy nodded, following the cyan pegasus as they walked down the path to the ruins for the umpteenth time, no longer afraid of the dangers lurking inside. The only danger they fear is Lucifer's tyranny and black magic.

Deep in the Everfree Forest, sunlight began to shine through the canopy of endlessly overgrown trees, though only a few rays of sunshine managed to peek through the small gaps. Inside of the tent in the ruins of the castle, Solaris and Trill were still sound asleep. The disguised changeling began to open her eyes, still feeling groggy after the excitement meeting Solaris and chatting up a storm last night. As she tried to stretch her limbs, she felt she could barely move them.

Looking down at herself, Trill saw a pair of white forelegs wrapped around her chest. The only other pony with her was Solaris, and she could feel the stallion's chest against her back. He was still asleep by the sound of his calm breathing, pulling her closer to him, snuggling her like he was holding a stuffed animal. She had to suppress her snickering, not wanting to let a hilarious opportunity like this to be wasted for a little joke.

Carefully, she wriggled herself around until she was facing him, making sure he didn't wake up for her prank to work. After getting herself in position, she wrapped her forelegs around Solaris, hearing him mutter something in his sleep. As she got a look at his face, Trill noticed he had some bruises on his face. Figuring she could ask him how he got those later, she went back to her fun little plan to shock him, gently pressing her muzzle against his. His eyes fluttered open at the sudden touch, squinting his eyes as he stared into the princess's emerald irises.

"Good morning," Trill said, fluttering her eyelashes in a sultry manner.

"GAH!" Solaris screamed, scrambling away from Trill as she began laughing uproariously. His face brightened in embarrassment, wanting desperately to toss the changeling out into the forest. "What were you gonna do to me!?"

"Nothing!" Trill said, trying to calm herself as she clutched her ribs. "That was so perfect!"

"I said no more pranks!" Solaris said, grabbing his stuff from inside the tent and exiting.

"Oh come on!" Trill poked her head out of the flap. "It wasn't my fault you wanted to cuddle with me."

"I did not do that!" Solaris denied.

"You had your hooves wrapped around me," said Trill, smirking at the flustered alicorn. "Did anypony ever tell you that you look cute when you sleep? I wanted to just squish your cheeks."

Solaris blushed even harder, his entire head as red as a tomato. Using his magic, he shoved Trill back inside the tent, making her yelp, nearly flipping the tent over.

"I've only known you for a day and you're already getting on my nerves." Solaris put on his new gauntlets, still feeling sore after last night's intense trial. "I'm not going to fall for anymore of your traps."

"Well, you were the one who wanted to snuggle with me." Trill managed to free herself from the tent, but as she looked at the alicorn, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she stared at his flanks.

"It was you who was snuggling with me! I was sleeping on my side of the tent, and you were about to kiss me!" Solaris said, his blush coming back as the thought of kissing a mare was nerve inducing. He even hated to admit it, but for a changeling, he found her to be quite a sight compared to any of his aunts: cute, a little funny when she wasn't messing around with him, and her eyes were entrancing to stare into. He turned around to face Trill, seeing her standing there slack-jawed. "...What?"

"...I was gonna ask how you got the bruises, and those gold gauntlets," she said, pointing her hoof at his flanks. "But when in Equestria did you get your cutie mark? You didn't have anything on there last night."

"Huh?" Confused, Solaris looked down at his flanks. His eyes widened when he saw his cutie mark, having no clue when he had gotten it. It was a rising sun with half of his mother's lavender star cutie mark in the center of the yellow circle, the six orange rays each holding a white star inside. The teen was speechless, spinning around to try and get a better look. "W-What...? How did I-?"

"Wow." Trill got closer to Solaris, getting a closer look at his cutie mark. "Wonder what it means."

Solaris quickly covered his cutie mark with his tail, leering at the disguised changeling.

"What did I tell you about personal space!?" he shouted, his hooves sparking green as he prepared to summon his flaming hooves.

"It's not like I was gonna look at anything else!" Trill said. "Then again-"

"Trill, I swear to the makers above, stop being so perverted!" Solaris yelled, his eye twitching as his nostrils expelled flames.

Trill backed away, chuckling nervously, remembering not to keep striking a nerve with Solaris. "Y-you need to learn to take a joke. You'll really act like a cavepony if you decide to just go all smash happy at the drop of a hat."

"Gee. I wonder why I act like one," Solaris said, glaring at the mare. After making sure Trill wouldn't try anything funny again, he took the tent down and stuffed it in his saddlebags. He pulled the map out, looking at the marks in the other four other regions, mentally crossing the one in the Everfree Forest off. "Ok, I think I get what these marks mean."

"On the map or your flanks?" Trill asked.

"Ignoring that last part." Solaris turned the map around for Trill to see. "The one in the Everfree Forest, where we're in right now, is where one of the five locations where I have to take these trials my mother had set up for me. Which answers your question as to how I got so banged up."

"Ah. I thought it was because you fell down a flight of stairs." Solaris raised an eyebrow as Trill's assumption didn't match the hoof shaped bruises on his body. "Well, this castle does have stairs."

Solaris sighed, questioning what level of education the changeling actually has with her childish logic. "Well, no. After I won, I was given these gauntlets by my mother, which gives me a little boost of strength to help me in the future." He lowered the map, but was still confused by what Twilight had said when he was supposed to suffer after completing his tests. "I still have no clue what she meant by her warning...'After passing each test, you will have to suffer and fight through the pain.' It was so vague, though..."

"...So, you saw your dead mom?" Trill asked, Solaris's confusing predicament flying past her head.

Before he could scold her for missing out the important problem with his trials, they heard a voice outside, coming from the entrance to the castle.

"Solaris! You here, buddy!?" Solaris recognized the voice coming from Rainbow Dash, catching sight of his aunts entering the castle.

"Aunt Rainbow?" Trill immediately flinched, hiding behind Solaris as the older mares spotted him.

"There he is!" Pinkie was the first to run toward him, grabbing the alicorn into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so happy you're ok! Are you hurt!? Are you hungry!? I got plenty of food stored away for the long, long, long, loooooooooong trip!"

"Gagh! A-Aunt Pinkie! Can't...breathe...!" Pinkie realized she was crushing her nephew, dropping Solaris as he tried to catch his breath, earning more bruises from her powerful hooves. Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Applejack pulled him into a group hug, glad to see he was unharmed by any of the creatures in the Everfree. Solaris noticed there was somepony missing, no sign of Rarity with them. "Hey, where's Aunt Rarity? Is she back in town?"

The mares hesitated, not knowing if they should tell him the unfortunate news. Before one of them brought up the courage to tell Solaris, they all noticed the green unicorn mare trying to sneak away.

"Wait, who's that?" Rainbow asked, making Trill flinch as she was spotted.

"Uhh..." Solaris thought about what to say to keep Trill's identity a secret, but Applejack and her inner lie detector can easily tell if he was making up stories. He learned that the hard way when he ate all the apple fritters she had baked and brought to the cave on his sixth birthday, regretting it greatly as he got a bad tummy ache the next day. "...W-Well, umm...T-This is-"

"My name is Evergreen Forrest!" Trill said, putting on her act as she bounded up to Solaris. "I met this hunky alicorn stallion here in the Everfree Forest the other day! He saved me from a vicious group of timber wolves, smashing them to pieces with his own hooves, a feat that made me swoon and pass out from how brave and valiant he was!" She leaned her body over Solaris's back, his cheeks burning as she kept complimenting him, even though he knew that wasn't really how they met. "We hit it off so quickly, I gave him a kiss as a reward for being such a heroic stud."

"She's just a friend!" Solaris quickly bumped the dramatic changeling off his back, his heart racing as his aunts stared at them, not sure if they believed her or not. He was really hoping for the latter. "Nothing serious happened! She always makes up weird stories after she blabbed my ear off last night."

"Hey! I did not!" Solaris quickly shoved a hoof in Trill's mouth, keeping her from spewing anymore lies that could get her into more trouble.

He gave his aunts a nervous grin, hoping that his little lie wouldn't get him into trouble. It seemed to be working, though Applejack was still pretty skeptical.

"So, you two stayed out here the whole night?" Rainbow asked.

"Y-Yeah. I-I let her sleep in the tent with me last night." Solaris couldn't get rid of the blush growing on his face, making his explanation sound more awkward. "I didn't want her to sleep out on the cracked flooring...so I uhh..."

Trill moved Solaris's hoof out of her mouth, wrapping her hoof around his neck. "He liked me too much to not be a gentlecolt to a stranger like myself. You should have seen the awkward moment we had when we-"

"CAN WE PLEASE GET OUT OF THIS FOREST!?" Solaris yelled, giving Trill a deathly glare, already embarrassed enough as it is and not wanting his aunts to know of them being that close in the tent this morning.

The trek back out of the forest went by smoothly, thankfully no encounters with any of the dangerous creatures that lived inside. Solaris grew aggravated when Trill talked with his aunts, her idea of staying low and not getting caught because of her fear of being found out with four of the Elements of Harmony thrown out the window. It was worse when she kept talking about how handsome he was, and his bravery "rescuing" her from peril. She even talked about what they had discussed last night, leaving out anything involving her as a changeling, thankfully.

They finally found themselves at the entrance of the forest, making their way to Fluttershy's cottage, being the closest home nearby and far enough away from Ponyville so none of the Shadow Knights would discover Solaris's whereabouts. As they entered the cottage, Fluttershy's animals immediately flocked to her, greeting her with their chittering, chirps, squawks, etc. But as Trill entered, many of them fled to their little homes inside the abode, leering at the disguised princess, able to tell who she really was.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy said, worried about her little critter friends' reactions to "Evergreen". "I don't know why my friends are acting this way. They're usually quite friendly with new ponies."

Fluttershy's pet, a white bunny that looked like Angel, the spoiled rabbit having passed away a few years ago, and behaves almost exactly like him, approached Trill. He gave a pout, giving her the death glare, then proceeded to thump his paw against her leg.

"Heheh..." Trill laughed nervously, trying to think up something to explain their disliking her. "Animals really don't like me. I tried to help a puppy with a hurt paw, and it bit me."

"Oh." Fluttershy grabbed New Angel, keeping him away from the teenage filly. "I'm going to let him roam about outside. Angel needs some exercise anyways."

Fluttershy took the leering rabbit outside, leaving the others inside. Solaris didn't see Rarity in the cottage, and he didn't get an answer from his aunts about where she was.

"So, before...'Evergreen' was introduced, irritating me to no end..." Solaris looked at Trill, who only gave him a grin, then back to Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow. "Where's Aunt Rarity?"

Again, they hesitated. It was hard enough to have the unicorn run off to Canterlot and try to kill Lucifer, which would have ended in failure the instant she set hoof in the city, then having her corpse delivered to them by one of his soldiers. Just knowing if Solaris would have to hear more bad news about somepony he cares about is gone, he would either break down or lash out. He had to know the truth now, no more secrets, no more hidden information, no more lies.

"...Sugarcube..." Applejack said, being the first of them to speak up. "...Ah hate to say this, but...Early this mornin'...Rarity was killed."

Solaris felt his heart sink, staring at the depressed mares as they relived seeing Rarity's body, the sickening slit across her throat that was the cause of her death.

"W-What?" he asked, hoping that they were just pulling his leg. "What are you talking about?"

"She went up to Canterlot last night and tried to kill Lucifer," Rainbow said, glowering in anger as she mentioned the tyrant's name. "We think she lost her mind when he dropped Spike's body at all of us in town, wanting to get revenge, I guess...It was practically suicide."

Solaris was speechless, tears building up in his eyes as he was told the unfortunate news. Another member of his family was gone, and he blamed himself for both Rarity's and Spike's death. He ended up getting his uncle killed, and Rarity lost her sanity, attempting to kill a unicorn who was invulnerable to everything except for him, and getting herself killed out of losing the dragon she had secret feelings for.

Pinkie gently pulled the grieving teen into a hug, though he tried to stay strong, not wanting to fall into a major depression. After calming down slightly, Solaris looked down at his gauntlets, his reward for the completion of one of his five trials. If he wanted to keep his family safe, he needed to stop Lucifer, and he needed to get stronger.

"I won't let him hurt anypony else ever again." He gently pushed himself away from Pinkie, holding up his gauntlets. "I passed one of the five tests mom gave me back in the forest. I'll beat each one, and take Lucifer down." He set his hooves on fire, shocking Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow, slamming his hooves together. "It's time for me to fulfill my destiny and save Equestria."

"...Well, that's a new trick," Rainbow said, glad to know that Solaris was more mature than the other day.

"Ooh!" Pinkie pulled out a stick with several marshmallows stuck through it from out of nowhere, roasting them over the alicorn's hooves. Solaris wanted to question how she does the things she does, but knew never to question it out loud, watching her party loving aunt munch on the roasted marshmallows. "Instant fires for instant s'mores!"

After putting out his fire before he scared the critters inside Fluttershy's home, Solaris looked at Trill, her jaw agape at seeing Pinkie pulling out that stick from thin air.

"...How did she do that?" she asked, overwhelmed by the impossibility that was Pinkie Pie's randomness.

"You want to know, Evergreen?" Solaris asked, getting a nod from the mare. He closed her mouth for her, smirking at her shocked expression. "It's just my Aunt Pinkie."

Trill stared at him, not receiving the answer she wanted. "That doesn't help at all!"

As soon as everypony was ready to head out across Equestria for Solaris to gain more power to defeat Lucifer, the group headed off to the train station. They had to take a long trek around Ponyville, but it was worth it if it meant keeping Solaris's location a secret. It was sad to know what had happened to Rarity, but he had an important job to do.

They arrived at the station platform, Solaris staring in awe at the locomotive, awaiting passengers to board and continue on its way across the tracks laid out for it. He had to be pushed inside before the train set off, entering a private car for the six of them so no one else may bother them. As long as Solaris kept his saddlebags over his wings, others would just see him as a regular teenage unicorn, but wearing them for a long period of time would end up making his wings sore. He pulled out the map, explaining to Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy how he got the gauntlets and his mother's return from the dead for only a short while.

"Ok, so these marks on the map are where we have to go for your tests, and they're all split up in different locations," Rainbow said, pointing out to each region. "There's one out in the deserts of Saddle Arabia far to the east, which this train is luckily headed. Then the Crystal Empire to the north, Cloudsdale, which could wind up anywhere throughout Equestria, and...one out here in the wastelands?"

"Is there any town or city around there?" Solaris asked, finding no sign of a major city anywhere in the wastelands.

"I don't think so." Rainbow sighed as she looked over the map. "Your mom didn't really tell us exactly where your tests were or who would be giving them to you. She was either too cryptic or not explaining enough for us to know."

"I think the shorter term is 'vague', Aunt Rainbow," Solaris lectured.

"Hey, I'm pushing up to forty, kiddo!" the pegasus said, grabbing the stallion in a headlock and giving him a rough noogie. "I don't need you telling me what means what!"

Solaris managed to escape from the headlock, rubbing his sore head. As the train chugged along its route, the teen felt a little uncomfortable with the car lightly jumping as the wheels rolled along the tracks. He did read about trains, easily fascinated with them as a colt, but to ride on one was a different experience. At least he didn't have motion sickness, otherwise he would have been losing his lunch every ten minutes.

He sat in one of the bunks of their car, looking out the window and watching the scenery pass by, amazed at what else Equestria had in store after his fifteen years in seclusion. Part of him was excited to actually ride on a train, even though it felt like he was always in a minor earthquake, any harsh bump making him stumble and threaten to make him fall on his face or plot. Solaris watched the trees, buildings, mountains, and forests pass by, slowly beginning to relax after the past three days.

While distracted by the swiftly moving landscape, Trill sat next to him, noticing how excited he was just watching everything pass by the window. "Having fun?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Solaris turned to Trill, not even hearing her sit next to him. "Oh. I guess I am." He looked back out the window, very eager to see what each region of Equestria looked like up close compared to pictures in his books. "Have you ever been on one of these, Trill?"

"No. But I'm not the one who's acting like a foal excited about riding on a train." Trill lightly punched Solaris in his foreleg. "I still find it pretty amusing how much of a colt you actually are. You're starting to break out of your cavepony shell."

"Don't you live in a cave?" Solaris asked, still hating the status the disguised changeling gave him.

"It's a hive," Trill huffed. "There's a big difference. Just because we make our home in caverns doesn't technically make us act like caveponies."

As the two talked, they didn't notice a certain somepony eyeing them from the other side of the car. Applejack watched the two closely, mostly Trill, feeling slightly uneasy with her sudden presence in Solaris's life. Her name, Evergreen Forrest, sounded like something she made up on the fly, and the fact that Fluttershy's animal friends back in Ponyville were giving her a wary look. Even with how close they seemed, it didn't look like they were instantly best friends, and Trill's occasional flirting was bothering her.

"Applejack, what are you doing?" Applejack turned to Fluttershy, wondering what she was doing.

"Do ya think Evergreen seems a bit...odd, Fluttershy?" the farm mare asked, turning her head back to the two teens.

"Well, she does seem to be affectionate with Solaris," Fluttershy said. "She was lucky Solaris came to her rescue. Those timber wolves can really be a terrible creature to run into in the Everfree Forest."

"Then how do ya explain how she wasn't terrified of bein' in the forest?" Applejack questioned, leering at the filly, feeling her body tense when she began to flirt with Solaris again. "Ah have a bad feelin' about her. One is that she could easily manipulate Solaris, havin' no clue how to interact with anypony outside of us, and the other is that she's liein' to us."

Fluttershy gasped, unable to believe her friend would be this judgmental to somepony who didn't seem all that bad. "Applejack, she's Solaris's friend."

"Maybe so, but Ah just have a really bad feelin'..." Applejack continued watching them, feeling conflicted about her thoughts on "Evergreen". "We're gonna need to keep a close eye on her. She might be a spy from Lucifer's guards."

The older mares left the teens to themselves, Applejack being very cautious as she glanced back, watching Solaris growing annoyed with Trill's teasing. She could only hope that this journey would go smoothly and have no repercussions along the way.

Chapter 7: Dessert of Lies

The sun had begun to set across the landscape, the train chugging along it's route, blowing its whistle occasionally. There were a couple stops that were made, but it was still scheduled to make it all the way to Saddle Arabia, which would still take a couple of days to arrive at the desert region.

In the dining car, where some of the other passengers entered to get themselves dinner, many of the ponies stared in bewilderment as Solaris, wearing a white sweatshirt Pinkie pulled out of her bags to hide his wings, scarfing down several plates of the different courses served this evening. Even Applejack, Fluttershy, Trill, and Rainbow were amazed at his appetite.

"Mmmm!" Solaris belched after finishing up his third hayburger, not excusing himself for his poor table manners. At least he knew not to make too much of a mess. "I didn't realize how starved I was! Going almost two days without eating was not a good idea, and this food is sooooo good!"

The hungry alicorn grabbed a bowl of pasta next, diving his head into the bowl and munched on his next course. There were at least six separate plates that once held food, all Solaris's, and they were licked clean. Pinkie was the only one who wasn't fazed, almost encouraging him to keep on scarfing down.

"Solaris, for Celestia's sake, calm down before you choke," Applejack chided, her words falling on deaf ears. He finished up his last dish, licking his face clean of the marinara sauce that stained his muzzle. He let out a loud burp, surprising the other dinner guests around their table. "You're also gaining a lot of attention from the other passengers. We're supposed to make sure you DON'T get caught, remember?"

"...Heh...Sorry, Aunt Applejack," Solaris said, a little embarrassed that he went a little too far with his hunger.

"Hope you saved some room for dessert!" Pinkie said, diving under the table they were sitting at and popping back up, a tray of cupcakes, somehow freshly baked, and ready to be eaten. "I can't believe this train service didn't even have anything sweet for after dinner. They need to fire the caterer who thought it was a good idea to have no dessert for a long train ride!"

Solaris began salivating, always loving Pinkie's baked goods, no matter what she makes, or even how she made the ones sitting on the table right now. He swiped one with his magic, ready to scarf the delicious pastry whole, only to freeze as he saw the look Applejack gave him. He decided to tone down his binge eating, taking small bites of his dessert.

After the scene the alicorn caused died down and the others resumed eating their meals, Trill didn't even touch the small portion of pasta she grabbed. Even though changelings could eat food, they preferred to eat the love energy from the lovers of the pony they impersonate. She didn't really get that kind of meal, but she still ate something, despite the emotions she ate from Solaris were all depressing when he had his panic attack. Fluttershy noticed the disguised changeling was just poking her food, seeming a bit worried about the young mare.

"Evergreen, aren't you hungry?" she asked.

"Hmm?" Trill looked down at her food, not really feeling like eating anything. "Uhh, I'm not really hungry. Kinda lost my appetite with your little cavepony's food frenzy over here."

Solaris glared at Trill at his pet name given to him by the changeling princess. "I can't help it if I was hungry! I had no idea what was considered edible in the Everfree Forest! I did have some food Uncle Spike left for me, but somepony had to eat it all!"

"I had that disgusting taste in my mouth! I needed to wash it out with something!" Trill exclaimed. "It was still terrible, anyway. It was like some kind of weird apple chip or something."

"Ah made them rations, and they can last for at least twenty years before they expire," Applejack said, feeling insulted that her family's prized apples tasted bad to Trill. "Ah'm guessin' ya'll aren't very fond of apples, or apple products..."

"I hate apples." Applejack's eye twitched, though she kept control of her anger, not wanting to cause another kind of scene in front of the other passengers. "Even my mom doesn't like apples all that much. I remember one time she tried some apple fritter at a wedding, and they were just disgusting. She threw them away when the chef wasn't looking, not wanting to insult her."

"...Ya don't say..." Applejack somehow found this all too familiar. Back at the royal wedding she and her friends attended, while also attacked by the changeling invasion, the queen of the changelings, Chrysallis, was disguised as the bride. While fooled by her illusion and the ploy of a stressed out bride wanting her wedding to be perfect, she recalled Twilight telling her that she had tossed a bag of fritters she gave the faker in the trash. Applejack had her suspicions, but she didn't have any proof yet. "...Very interestin'..."

"Yeah. But I do like chocolate, though," Trill said, licking her lips. "Doesn't matter what kind. I'll eat it even if it's rolled around on the ground!" She looked at the tray of cupcakes laid out in the center, spotting a dark chocolate one layered with chocolate frosting, drooling at the sight and smell of the delectable pastry. "MY CUPCAKE!"

Trill nearly pounced on the table, snatching the only chocolate cupcake and took Solaris's table manners, chomping it whole as her lips were covered in frosting and crumbs. Applejack found it odd that the mare wasn't hungry, yet she just ate the cupcake like she was starving. She even thought she saw a fang in that maw of hers before she bit down on it.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry," Rainbow said, a little confused.

Trill's pupils shrunk when she realized her mistake. Thinking quickly, she wiped her mouth of the cupcake she devoured, grabbing her bowl of pasta and began eating it. It was a horrible combination, her stomach wanting to instantly vomit her delicious treat and the horrible noodles and garlicky sauce, but she held it back. "Mmm! Now I'm hungry! Guess I needed a few minutes!"

Trill burped, feeling her stomach churning. The others watched her until she was finally done, her face turning more green than her coat.

"Evergreen? You alright?" Solaris asked, feeling a bit worried.

"I-I'm fine." Her stomach growled loudly, though it wasn't from hunger. "Ooh goodness. Uhh, I need to use the bathroom. Now!"

Trill sped off to the nearest restroom on the train to expel her dinner, leaving the others to wonder if she'll be ok. Applejack was really convinced that the young mare wasn't at all who she claims to be.

"Huh. That was weird." Pinkie grabbed one of the cupcakes, munching down on it while deep in thought. "Did anypony put any poison in this food!? Who would be dumb enough to ruin a perfectly good meal by upchucking it all over the place!"

Pinkie's random logic caused the other passengers who heard her to panic, fearing they'll end up having the same reaction as Trill. Solaris facehooved, questioning why she would even think somepony wanted to poison them. He ate seven different plates of food, and he was fine.

"Aunt Pinkie?" he asked.

"Yes, Solly?" Pinkie asked, licking off all the frosting on her cupcake.

"Should we find some kind of enchanted muzzle that keeps you from spouting random stuff like that?" Solaris asked, pondering if he really should figure out how Pinkie thinks.

"They make those? I thought they only used those for doggies who bite other ponies for no reason." Solaris slammed his head on the table, blowing the insult he gave her over her head.

"Ugh. Never mind." The alicorn gave up, forever leaving Pinkie Pie's antics as her own normal way of being normal.

The moon had begun its rise into the sky, casting a blanket of darkness across the land. The stars were there, though not as bright as how Luna would have wanted them to be. It was like the celestial beings know of their losses, dim and barely noticeable, but still able to be seen if one looks closely.

As wonderful as the evening was, one of them was not having the time of her life. Trill was keeled over a toilet in one of the bathrooms on the train, her head hovering over the bowl as she released the contents of her "dinner". She groaned in agony, finally getting rid of the spaghetti noodles and marinara sauce she had to eat to keep up her disguise, along with the most delicious chocolate cupcake she had ever eaten.

"Ugh...Why did I do that?" Trill burped, feeling another wave of nausea threaten to make her vomit again, but she kept it down. "Stupid delicious, chocolaty goodness. Why must that be the only enjoyable treat we are able to eat? And why did it have to give me food poisoning after eating those stupid noodles!? Who puts that much garlic in sauce!?"

After her stomach finally settled down, she washed her mouth out in the sink, wishing these bathrooms had some mouthwash. Trill was upset, losing her yummy cupcake faster than her failure to attack Solaris, but it was a price to pay for her negligence and weakness for chocolate. As she exited the bathroom, she bumped into Applejack, falling on her rump.

"Feelin' ok, Evergreen?" Applejack asked, though with no hint of concern.

"Oh! Applejack! Yeah, I'm good!" Trill said, trying to stay in character. "I kinda got a bit of a stomach virus, I guess. By the way, I wouldn't go in there for a while...Kinda messy."

"Uh huh..." Applejack was able to see through her Trill's deceit now, leering at the teenage changeling in disguise. "Kinda odd how ya want for one of Pinkie's cupcakes when ya said ya weren't feelin' hungry, and the fact it's rude to have dessert until after eatin' your meal."

"Uhh, bad table manners?" Trill lied, feeling sweat slowly trickle down her forehead. "Solly and I are kinda alike if you think about it."

"And another thing, about you," Applejack pressed, moving closer while Trill tried to back away. The changeling bumped into the wall of the train car's corridor, no chance of escape even if she tried. "First, your name. 'Evergreen Forrest'? That sounded like somethin' ya named up on the spot. Second, you bein' really close to Solaris."

"W-We're friends." Trill stammered, trying to figure out how to get out of this, her bluffs being seen through like a glass window. "I-I want to get to know him a bit more! Yeah!"

"Not even close!" Applejack pressed Trill hard against the wall. "Ya'll are takin' advantage of him! He has no social interaction outside of where he was raised aside from us and Spike! Because he's an alicorn, ya either want to flirt with him to try and become royalty, or..." The farm mare smacked Trill's horn hard, causing her disguise to drop, harmless green flames enveloping her and turning her back to her original form. "You're tryin' to kill him."

Trill gulped, feeling the strong earth pony's grip against her neck. She struggled to break free, but Applejack was far too strong. As she felt her sight fading, she was thankfully saved before she blacked out.

"Aunt Applejack, stop!" Solaris rammed into his aunt, knowing he'll regret doing this. Trill breathed in a huge gulp of air, clutching her neck as she got oxygen back in her lungs. "You alright, Trill?"

"Y-Yeah," Trill said. "I messed up."

Applejack got back up, confused as she saw Solaris was protecting the changeling. Trill was lucky there was no one else in the same car, otherwise she would have gotten in some real trouble.

"Solaris!? What are ya doin'!?" Applejack stomped her hooves, ready to barge through her nephew just to get to the impersonating creature. "Get outta the way!"

"Aunt Applejack, Trill isn't-" Applejack reared up to shove the alicorn aside, but he stopped her, far more powerful than the farm pony, even without his newly acquired gauntlets. Solaris shoved his aunt down, pinning her to the floor, keeping her from getting back up. "She's not evil!"

"'Not evil'!?" Applejack tried to buck Solaris off her, but he kept her hind legs pinned under his, barely able to budge him off. "Solaris, do ya have any idea what that thing is!?"

"A changeling, I know. But she's not bad!" Solaris said, causing Applejack to stop struggling and look up at the teen in confusion.

"You know!?" She asked. "Since when!?"

"When I met her in the Everfree Forest." Solaris looked away from his aunt, feeling a bit hurt. "Apparently, I had no idea what a changeling was until she described what she was. Trill even told me about how you, my mother, and the others were in an invasion during a big wedding many years ago in Canterlot. You all told me about this wedding, but not what a changeling was. Another little secret you wanted to hide from me, like my mom?"

Applejack's anger melted away, mentally berating herself for hurting the alicorn by hiding stuff from him again. She and the others hoped he would never have to see them when he takes back the throne from Lucifer, but it seemed like it couldn't be helped. At least he didn't know who the bride and groom were that were targeted by Chrysalis and her army, that she wanted to keep as a surprise.

Solaris felt Applejack's tension die down, slowly getting off of her, though still wary as he protected Trill from his aunt's wrath. She got up, feeling guilty as she looked at her alicorn nephew.

"...We all hoped the changelin's wouldn't show up again. We didn't want you to know." Applejack lowered her stetson, holding it against her chest as she apologized. "Ah know we promised not to leave you out of anymore secrets, sugarcube, but changelin's ain't exactly the friendliest of ponies you'll meet in Equestria. They wanted to take over the entire kingdom."

"Actually, my mom only wanted to take over Canterlot because of the wedding. Weddings have that source of love we all need." Solaris facehooved, Trill's chances of getting out of this without getting beaten to a pulp thrown out of the window as she tried to be honest for once.

"Your ma? You mean to tell me your ma is the queen!?" Applejack was about to jump at the changeling princess, who cowered behind Solaris when she realized her mistake. The farm pony thankfully didn't, knowing Solaris could easily trounce her again without trying.

"We were starving! It was my mom's only chance to gather food for the hive, and she took drastic measures!" Trill exclaimed, still hiding behind Solaris. "If you ponies didn't find us as horrible monsters, then maybe we wouldn't have been forced into exile, struggling to survive while using our magic to take the love from others while in disguise! The only way we could feed is through espionage, but we're so afraid of being caught now after the wedding that it's hard for us to even venture into Equestria to find food."

"Then explain what ya'll were gonna do to mah nephew!?" Applejack said.

"I was gonna absorb the love he had...but..." Trill froze, feeling embarrassed of her first hunt ending in failure.

"...But what...?" Applejack asked.

"She tried to pounce me, but she tripped on a rock and fell on her face," Solaris explained, making the changeling's face flush with embarrassment. "She tried again, and failed again...then again...and again-"

"Ok, she gets the point!" Trill shouted. "My first hunt ended up with me losing to Solly! Can we please move on before I have to tell her we cuddled in the tent when we woke up in the Everfree Forest!?"

Solaris flinched, quickly shoving his hoof in Trill's mouth. "Do you never learn to stop talking!? This is how you got in this predicament in the first place!"

Applejack just stared at the two teens, piecing together what Trill had meant until it finally dawned on her. The whole day they were in the forest when they met, spending the entire night there, and shared a tent together.

"...Ya'll did what now?" Applejack said, growing more cautious as to what they really did.

"We were sleeping and I subconsciously curled up next to her, nothing more!" Solaris explained, his face growing red as he recalled how close they were that morning.

"...Alright..." Applejack's protective side was going to kick in, especially when the mare Solaris had slept in the same tent with was a love-sucking bug pony.

"Aunt Applejack, please don't tell the others about Trill. I know Aunt Rainbow would try to kill her," Solaris pleaded.

"Solaris, she's a changelin'! Ah'm gonna have to tell them!" Applejack said, truly intending on getting rid of Trill before she complicated her nephew's journey even further. "Why should Ah trust her!?"

"Because she helped me back in the forest." This caused Applejack to raise her brow, unable to believe something as heartless as a changeling to even be helpful. "When I was alone after Uncle Spike teleported me away with his fire breath, I was falling into a deep depression. I felt like it was my fault he was killed, and I still feel guilty for not listening to him.

"I was so lost and alone, I didn't know what to do. Everything you all told me about what I'm supposed to do began to weigh me down heavily, and I got stressed and panicked. Then, Trill tried to attack me, but she stopped after the third attempt." The changeling gave Solaris the stink-eye, reminding her of her embarrassing moment in her life. "I wanted to be alone, tried to calm down, but everything began to get dizzy and my head hurt. I had an anxiety attack, Aunt Applejack."

Applejack was shocked to hear what Solaris had gone through. If only they were more concerned with him more than Rarity when she broke down, they could have helped him the day he was discovered by Lucifer. Now she was the one who felt guilty, letting Twilight down and leaving her son alone, in the middle of the Everfree Forest, alone and suffering from a panic attack that could have caused him to run out of the safety of the castle ruins and in the splintery jaws of timber wolves.

"But Trill helped me, even after I yelled at her out of my depression." Solaris looked back at Trill, knowing how badly he was suffering that day. "She absorbed my negative and stressful emotions with her own changeling magic, calming me down, but the memories still remain in my consciousness. She told me she and the rest of her hive could feed on other emotions, but love is more edible to them while others taste bad." He wrapped his hoof around the changeling, pulling her closer to him. "She's my friend."

Applejack's jaw dropped, as well as Trill's. The former was shocked at how the daughter of the bug pony who tried to invade Equestria actually helped Solaris, and the alicorn was being genuinely honest, while the latter was just stunned silent. Applejack was speechless, unable to utter a word to argue with his decision.

"Aunt Applejack, please don't tell the others about her. I would have been lost without her, and I don't want her to just leave because of what she is. Isn't giving those a chance important when making friends?" Solaris begged.

Applejack stood there for a moment, a mental war in her mind trying to decide whether Trill should stay and her identity a secret or make Solaris more upset by kicking the changeling off the train and avoid any possible traps she had in store. Sighing in defeat, she finally made her decision. "...Alright, sugarcube...She can stay."

She was instantly wrapped in the hooves of the excited alicorn, his wings twitching under his sweater, which he was still wearing. "Oh thank you, Aunt Applejack!"

"Now hold on there, sugar," Applejack said, managing to pry his hooves off of him, keeping a stern gaze. "Ah'll promise to keep her a secret, but if she's found out by the others, then she has to go. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. None of us can trust changelin's after what they did to Canterlot, so don't expect your words can help save her all the time. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Solaris said.

"Good." Applejack pulled Solaris into a comforting embrace, still feeling bad about leaving him alone in the Everfree when he had his panic attack. "We won't let anythin' else happen to ya, sugarcube. Ah promise we won't leave ya alone ever again." She pulled away, going through the motions of Pinkie's patented promise: crossing her heart with her hoof, flapping both forehooves like they were wings, and pressed her hoof against her eye. "Pinkie Promise."

Solaris knew no one should ever break a Pinkie Promise. He didn't dare intend to break a promise he couldn't keep, hearing how crazy Pinkie was when Applejack had made a promise, but sort of didn't break it through a loophole she made. Even though Applejack was a farm pony, she was pretty smart. After giving Trill a warning look not to harm her nephew, she headed off to their private car. As Solaris turned to face the changeling, she was giving him a teasing smirk.

"...What's with that look?" he asked.

"You and I are friends, eh?" Trill gave him a toothy grin, showing off her fangs. "I knew it. You actually do like me! Finally, you're free of that cavepony way of life and are a caring, though still naive, gentlecolt!"

Trill pulled Solaris into a tight embrace, nuzzling his cheek, though the affection irritated him, regretting his choice of words. He pushed the mare away, giving her a stern glare despite the slight blush on his cheeks. "You're lucky I didn't tell Aunt Applejack what you did to me that got me more upset back there. She would have killed you on the spot if I told her you tried to manipulate me with your seduction."

"It was just a joke," Trill defended.

"You spat green webbing in my face and made me feel like an idiot!" Solaris shouted.

"Just take it as a sign of affection." Trill changed back into Evergreen Forrest. "Don't deny that you felt all fuzzy when you called me your friend." Solaris growled, now regretting ever meeting Trill in the first place. "Oh come on. Friends are supposed to make fun of each other. It's all in good fun."

"But I have no time for fun, Trill," Solaris said. "Your luck is gonna run out at some point. I told Applejack the truth about everything, so you're in the clear with her. If I made anything up, she would instantly know, and you would have been crushed to pieces."

"Aha! You just admitted it! She could find out your fibs, and you were honest when you called me your friend!" Solaris's pupils shrunk, realizing he did tell Applejack the whole truth. She would have spotted the lie if he said Trill was his friend, but she knew he was being honest with her. He turned away, not wanting to give Trill the satisfaction of proving him wrong. "But, even though you hate my personality and my little jokes, I'm glad you came to my rescue. Thank you."

Trill gave Solaris a small peck on the cheek, his face turning red while trying to avert his gaze from the changeling. While she had kissed him, her horn seemed to spark a little, which had surprised Trill as she felt something strange. Solaris didn't even see the shocked expression on her face.

"U-Uhh, I'm gonna go to bed! Night!" Solaris ran off to the private car, unable to find an excuse or retort on his first kiss that didn't come from his family.

Trill stood where she was, still surprised at the strange reaction she had. A moment later, she licked her lips, tasting that familiar emotion changelings are meant to consume. "Huh...That was...strange."

Ignoring the strange reaction she had experienced, she made her way to their car, the others already settled in their bunks and fast asleep. Trill noticed Solaris shifting around under his sheets, not exactly asleep but trying to pretend to, still pretty bashful at her little gift of heroism. Her bunk was on top of his, ironically, climbing up and getting comfortable on the mattress. She needed to make sure she was careful this time, otherwise she would face the wrath of all four of the Elements of Harmony still around.

Chapter 8: Desert Distrust

The next few days aboard the train were pretty uneventful for the traveling group. Trill at least managed to keep herself from being revealed, even though she kept getting looks from Applejack. To stave off their boredom, Pinkie had brought along board games, none of them having any clue how she managed to stuff them all in her bags. At least they were entertaining, even if Pinkie had kept winning them all out of sheer luck.

The locomotive had finally arrived in the desert region of Saddle Arabia, a large expanse of sand as far as the eye could see, along with the intense heat of the sun beating down on the inhabitants and animals that thrived in the hot sands. The train began to slow down to the station, right in front of the massive city bustling with many creatures from across the kingdom. Even though the Saddle Arabians were as tall as Celestia, there were some who were born Equestrian, though kept to the customs of the city's culture.

They got off the train, staring in awe at the highly populated and wondrous desert city. Though Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack had seen a couple ambassadors from Saddle Arabia come to Ponyville to welcome them to Equestria, it was the first time they had ever been to the city.

"Wowee! Saddle Arabia is huge!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place as her first sight were the different restaurants and bakeries there were on the current street.

"And so is the desert." They stopped by a nearby restaurant, ordering their specialty dish as Solaris pulled out the map. He looked over the region of Saddle Arabia, finding the grand city they were in now, but the mark where his test was seemed to be out in the middle of the desert. "And according to the map, my test is somewhere out there, northwest of the city."

"Then let's find it and get a move on!" Rainbow said, feeling anxious just sitting around. "We just keep going northwest, right?"

"Aunt Rainbow, the desert is a dangerous habitat to travel in," Solaris lectured, Rainbow groaning in annoyance as he droned on. "There's no clouds that can give any rainwater, the constant heat of the sun always beating down on the hot sands. There may be some oases scattered around if we travel in certain directions, but not during the day. And traveling at night might be torturous, since it gets really cold during evening. Easier way to travel, changing up our sleeping habits so we would end up being nocturnal for a while."

"Solaris, I stopped listening as soon as you said my name," Rainbow said, already bored and stuffing her face full of the spicy cuisine of Saddle Arabia's culinary delights. "I'd rather get this over with soon before Lucifer decides to do anything worse."

"Rainbow Dash, we are not gonna wander around in a desert and die of thirst!" Applejack scolded the brash pegasus. "If we're gonna have to travel at night, then Ah can handle that."

"Urgh...Fine then." While the others ate their lunches, one of them was missing from the table. "Uhh, where did Evergreen go?"

"Here I am!" Trill pranced up to them, a pair of saddlebags filled to the brim with some souvenirs from the hidden shopping spree she went on. She pulled out a tour guide map of the region, placing it down next to Solaris's map. "I figured maybe you could get some more info on where that next test of yours is."

"Thanks. This is just what I needed." Solaris looked closely at the two maps, making detailed notes with his magic as he compared both of the maps' difference in size for the actual distance to where his test lies. It took him a while, but he finally managed to figure out exactly where his second trial was located and how far it was from Saddle Arabia. "I got it! My next test is only fifteen miles to the northeast, and judging by this tour guide map, it's in the ruins of an ancient civilization from thousands of years ago! If we leave this evening, then we just might make it there by morning."

"Wow. Guess you're not much of a cavepony if you have a huge brain," Trill complimented, or tried to compliment, Solaris's eye twitching as she called him a cavepony.

"Hang on a second," Applejack said. "How exactly did ya pay for them saddlebags?"

"Oh, I had a way," Trill said.

Applejack thought Trill might have stolen the bags and whatever else she "bought", only when the waiter brought out their check. She reached into her bags to find her bit pouch, but she only pulled out five bits, not enough for the twenty bit bill for the food.

"What in tarnation!? Ah know Ah had more than this many bits when we got off the train!" Rainbow, Pinkie, and Fluttershy checked their bags, finding their saved bits were also withered down to less than substantial for supplies. Applejack's eye twitched, leering at the disguised changeling princess. "Hey! Ya'll took our bits!"

"Well, how else was I supposed to buy this neat stuff?" Solaris facehooved as Trill just shrugged off her thievery like it was a normal thing.

"Are you serious!?" Rainbow shouted, nearly flapping out of her seat to beat the living tar out of the teen. "All of that money we had saved was meant only for supplies on our long journey, and you decided to just spend it all on stupid stuff!? What's wrong with you!?"

"What!? I left enough for the bill, right!?" Trill said, somewhat offended, but Solaris had to remind her, shoving his hoof in her mouth.

"Evergreen? Remember what I told you the other day about opening your mouth and saying something stupid?" he said rhetorically, knowing exactly what the answer was supposed to be. "Well, now I have to tell you not to do ANYTHING stupid, like spending all my aunts' bits that are only used for supplies, WHICH WE NEED TO TRAVEL IN THE DESERT!"

The ponies glared at Trill, even Fluttershy was angry with her. There was nothing she could have done to make it up to them, no time for them to find any odd jobs to earn back what bits they had lost because of the changeling's negligence and theft. The older mares pitched in with their bits, which was just enough to pay the bill and leave.

They soon exited the city from the northern entrance, setting up their tents near an oasis a quarter mile away from Saddle Arabia. At least there wasn't a law for travelers to set up camps near any of the oases, as long as they don't claim the watering hole as theirs. Trill sat far away from the group, none of them wanting her anywhere near them for fear of them wanting to steal their tents and pawn them for something more ridiculous than whatever she bought with their money.

After everything was set up, they all crawled into their tents to escape the heat of the sun, leaving Trill outside. She didn't really mind the heat, it was the cold she hated, but her trust in the others had begun to dwindle greatly after swiping their money. Even Solaris was more upset with him than her prank. Trill approached his tent, intending to apologize for her mistake.

"Hey, Solly?" she asked.

"Go away, 'Evergreen'!" Solaris said, definitely in no mood to speak with Trill.

"Look, I'm really sorry! I couldn't help myself..." Trill began rummaging through her new bags, hoping there would be something to make up for getting everypony mad at her. "I thought maybe you all would-"

Trill was suddenly pulled into the tent by Solaris's magic, but as she recovered from the grab, she looked up at the hateful gaze of the alicorn. "Don't you ever have any self control, Trill!? Seriously!? Stealing from my aunts!?"

"I'm not a thief, though..." Trill said, her ears drooping as she was scolded.

"Then what do you call stealing their money out from under their noses and using it without permission!?" Solaris said, almost screaming, but not loud enough to catch the others' attention. "You're making things more complicated for me than ever! I'd rather have Lucifer find me, kill the rest of my family, then torture me until I can't take it anymore and commit suicide than to have you around!"

"B-But I-" Trill tried to apologize, only for Solaris to keep her mouth shut, using both of his hooves to roughly clamp her muzzle shut.

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" He was close to strangling the changeling right here in his tent, finishing the deed that Applejack should have, but he held himself back. "This is a very serious task I have to do, and you keep thinking everything's a joke. You didn't take my feelings into consideration when I was upset, but I forgave you because you helped me before I could suffer from a heart attack far before I turn sixty. I saved your life from Aunt Applejack because I wanted to give you a chance. Now, after this...Maybe she was right.

"Maybe, what you've been telling me that made me feel pity for you and your hive, I think you were just spouting lies." Trill began to feel a slight pain in her chest, feeling more hurt with every word Solaris spoke. "I think it was a mistake for me to run into you back in the Everfree Forest. And calling you my friend was the biggest one I've ever made aside from getting my uncle killed." She felt tears well up in her eyes, the pain growing worse and worse as she whimpered. "...I don't want to see you again. Go back to your hive, and stay away from me and my family..."

Solaris turned away, letting Trill exit on her own. She wanted to help, she wanted to fix what mistakes she made, but it was too late to change his mind. Her tears finally began to spill down her cheeks, her voice silenced as she tried to apologize and beg for forgiveness. She left the tent, not even turning back and hoping he would apologize to her for yelling.

Trill headed back into Saddle Arabia with a heavy heart, leaving her bags back at the oasis, no longer interested with what she had bought. She couldn't explain why she was feeling so miserable. All she blamed was herself and her ignorance to the pony who had actually trusted her and his feelings. She felt bad for him when he got upset back in the forest and wanted to help him. He was starting to like her, and they were becoming good friends back on the train. Now she just made their situation worse, her deceit and lies causing more spiteful tension against her, already unable to be trusted just for being a changeling.

While wandering around the city, she bumped into somepony, not paying attention to where she was going. She looked up and saw a noble, native to Saddle Arabia, and by the air he had around him, he was the kind of rich equine who flaunts his money, treat those lesser than him like dirt, and doesn't care about anyone but himself.

"Watch where you are walking, you foal!" he said, brushing off the "dust" he got on his fancy clothing. "Do you know how much this costs! More than your own life!"

"Sorry..." Trill got up and continued her sad walk.

As she walked away from the Saddle Arabian, he got a closer look at the disguised changeling, more specifically, her behind. His smug grin grew wider, a sick idea growing in his head.

"Miss, stop!" Trill did as he said, turning her head to look at him. "You'll have to pay dearly for getting my outfit all filthy."

"I don't have any bits," she said.

"A shame...although, if you're looking for a way to get some money, I might have an idea." The equine chuckled, teasing the teen as he held up a large bag of bits, probably enough inside to pay back the money she took from Solaris's aunts.

"R-Really? What do I have to do?" Trill asked, growing hopeful as she found an easy job to do, which would pay a lot, and maybe win back the others' trust.

"Hmhmhmhm. Follow me to my manor, and if you do as you're told, you'll earn your keep." He lead the way and Trill followed. Little did she realize what he actually had in store for her as soon as they got to his home.

The temperature in the air began to grow colder as the sun had began to set and the moon took its place. Many of the denizens of Saddle Arabia were in their homes and the stores were closing up for the day. Outside of the city, Solaris and his aunts were just waking up from their long afternoon nap, prepared to make their way across the desert under the full moon. They didn't see any sign of Trill as they put their tents down, but they didn't seem to care much since she pretty much wasted their bits and don't have anything to pay for supplies they might need in the future.

"Where did Evergreen go to?" Fluttershy asked, noticing her saddlebags laying near the water's edge.

"Who cares?" Applejack said. "Ah knew she was trouble from the beginnin'. Ah should have just tossed her out of the train."

"Applejack, I know she took our bits without asking, but that doesn't mean she had to be thrown out!" Fluttershy said, appalled at her friend's words.

"Fluttershy, trust me. If Ah didn't keep mah promise, then Ah would have told ya'll why I don't trust her." Applejack stuffed her collapsed tent in her bags roughly, still fuming at what the changeling princess had done.

"What promise?" Rainbow asked, wondering what her best friend and rival meant.

After they finished packing up, Solaris spotted Trill, still in her Evergreen persona, walking along the sands toward them.

"Oh great," he muttered.

Solaris turned away, his warning unheeded, but his ears perked up when the sound of bits in a large pouch rang in the silence. He turned to find said bag land in front of her, Trill looking at them apologetically.

"Uhh, hey." There was an awkward pause, none of them greeting the changeling. She expected them to ignore her, and it was going to be harder to win their trust back if she told them how she got the bag of bits they were looking at. "So...I want to apologize for...stealing from you. I hope that this will be enough."

Using her magic, she levitated the bag toward them, gently setting it down in front of the adults.

"Did ya steal this too?" Applejack questioned.

"No. It's a funny story, actually," Trill said, wondering how she could explain what happened without leaving any hints of a lie in front of Applejack.

Trill followed the Saddle Arabian stallion through the streets filled with equines going about, observing the many items on sale while shoving others out of the way for the better deals. After finally getting out of the huge bazaar, they entered the district where the nobles of the city lived, far from the lower quarters and the shopping district.

She soon found herself in the lobby of an expansive mansion, sparkling and expensive vases held on podiums, paintings of the stallion in different poses were scattered throughout the walls. It was obvious this Saddle Arabian was definitely full of himself, Trill noticing some of the ponies working as his servants hiding their disdain toward him. She began to have an idea why he decided to bring her here, and paying her handsomely when he didn't explain what she was supposed to do for him.

"You sure do have a big manor," Trill said, trying to spark up some conversation out of the awkward silence they had as they walked. "What exactly do you do to afford a place like this?"

"I am the sultan's royal vizier. I am actually on a little vacation, as the sultan is away for a meeting with the minotaurs." The stallion felt annoyed as he was questioned, not wanting to speak with Trill, who he deemed as far below his social standing to even say a word to her. "Something about your ruler threatening Saddle Arabia. His soldiers keep growing in number, and they are more insufferable than that unicorn."

"Well, none of us like him either." They made their way upstairs and into one of the many rooms, this one obviously the vizier's master bedroom. "So, what exactly do I do? Cleaning? Foal-sitting?"

"Nothing like that. Just climb up on the bed and lie down," he said, licking his lips.

Trill knew it was what she thought it was. The sultan's royal vizier, a right-hoof stallion who helps the ruler he serves with decisions for their kingdom, had actually tried to lure an underage filly to his home, and pay her to sleep with him. She felt disgusted, even for a changeling, hearing somepony would actually stoop that low to be a pedophile.

"...Are you serious?" Trill asked, not falling for his sly and sickening ideas. "I knew I found it a bit odd that I would be given a large sum of bits without being told what I was supposed to do."

"You are desperate for money, no?" the vizier asked, slowly approaching the defiant young mare, not going to take no for an answer. "If you want this and to make up for scuffing my robe, then you will do what I say."

"Either you wanted to pay me to have sex with you, or you intend to keep me as a slave," Trill said. "If you can't make up your mind, then you don't deserve to be a vizier for your sick and twisted mind! I shouldn't have agreed to come with you after feeling guilty for stealing my friends' money!"

Trill attempted to leave, only to be slammed hard onto the bed by the angered vizier, pouncing on top of her to keep her from escaping.

"You are not going anywhere, you little harlot!" he said. "I will take what is mine, and there is nothing you can do about it!"

"...Oh, you just ticked off the wrong pony, buddy." Trill hacked up some of her webbing, spitting it in the vizier's face. He panicked, trying to wipe it off his covered eyes, giving the changeling enough room to get out from under him. She dropped her disguise, shooting out beams of magic at his hooves, creating a green ooze that began to stick his hooves together. In his blind panic, he fell on the bed, unable to move from his tight bindings. As he struggled, Trill ripped off the loogie of green webbing with ease, his eyes widening as he stared at the changeling. "Surprise, mother bucker."

"A-A changeling!?" he shouted.

Before he could call out for help, Trill shot more of her magic at his mouth, sealing his muzzle with the same goop that bound his legs together. "Don't even try it, sicko. And don't worry about me trying to drain you of your love. You don't have any that I can actually eat." She shoved him off the bed, hearing him grunt, unable to defend himself or flee. She wanted to laugh at how terrified he was, but she wanted to get out of this manor as soon as possible. "Now, I have a little proposition for you, mister.

"I can get you into a lot of trouble if you're ever caught with a minor in your bed. But what if, instead of a teenager, I was actually a little filly." Trill's body was enveloped in flames, her body shrinking to the size of a small filly, the same color scheme for Evergreen Forest. "'The bad pony touched my no no area and was gonna do stuff to me.' Doesn't sound good, does it?" She watched as he began sweating bullets, shaking his head rapidly, definitely not wanting to get in that much trouble. "What's worse is that anypony would believe a little filly who was so pure and innocent, only to be soiled by those who are like you.

"Lucky for you, I'm not going to do much to you." Trill's body grew in size, returning to her original height as a teen, looking at the bag of bits the vizier teased her with. She opened it up, counting out the amount of bits inside, definitely a lot more than she imagined him to pay a random teenage filly for a sickening romp with him. "I think I'll be taking this as compensation for trying to rape me." He gave Trill a leer, his muffled voice blocked by the ooze. "And don't give me that look. Yes, we changelings may have to sleep with others to get some kind of love, but we have standards! Rape is not considered fuel for love energy. It's disturbing lust, which brings pain to the victim and a disgusting satisfaction for the rapist." Before she decided to leave the Saddle Arabian to wallow in his predicament for the next few hours, she blasted his forehead with a beam of magic, causing his eyes to turn green and pass out a moment later. "Just to make sure you don't remember me when you wake up."

Taking her compensation with her, she skipped out of the room, feeling a little relaxed after releasing a bit of steam. Despite being a changeling, she always hated how her mother's soldiers would always mention some of their love-stealing victims were dealt with the same predicament she almost got in. Even her mother is disgusted with the notion of rape, the most distasteful of acts anypony could do, whether they were male or female.

"Miss?" Trill walked down the stairs, noticing one of the vizier's servants approaching her. "Where is the vizier?"

"Oh, he's taking a little nap," Trill said. "Oh, also, if you have any daughters, don't bring them here. He kinda tried to rape me, but I knocked him out before he could do anything to me."

"What!?" The mare was appalled, looking back up at the second floor where her master was "resting".

"Have a nice day!" Trill said, ignoring the shocked expression on the mare's face and exited the manor."

Trill laughed nervously as she finished her description of how she got the bits, everypony staring at the disguised changeling with pure shock, their jaws dropped, with Pinkie's literally hitting the sand. She left out the part about her as a changeling and tying the vizier with her magical ooze and replaced that little bit with her evading him and bucking him hard in the family jewels. Solaris had flinched when he heard that part, his tail instinctively pressed against his privates, not really knowing how painful getting hit there would be and NEVER wanting to know how it felt.

"...Evergreen, didn't your ma ever warn you about talkin' to ponies ya don't know about?" Applejack asked after breaking out of her stupor. "Especially shady stallions who only see ya as eye candy?"

"Heh...I guess not," Trill said. "I wasn't really taught well by my mom, which was why I was by myself in the Everfree Forest before I met Solaris. She didn't really...care much about what I do outside my home, as long as I can defend myself."

As Trill told them what had happened, Applejack knew she twisted some parts around, but she didn't care about what she did. Even though she was a changeling, she was still considered a child, no telling what might happen if Chrysalis ever found out what happened to her daughter...if she truly does care. She was glad the young princess of the love-sucking bug ponies was ok, wondering what had caused her to get in a dangerous situation just to pay back the bits she stole.

Rainbow took a look at the contents of the bag, her eyes widening at the amount. "Whoa! There's gotta be at least 500 bits in this bag! More than what all of us had combined!"

"Lemme see that bag!" Pinkie snatched the large pouch, going through each bit as her ears twitched, sounding like a counter clicking with every bit her eyes saw. After a while, she had gone through all of them, her ears perking straight up. "There is exactly 572 bits inside of this large pouch meant to carry 999 bits at a time...Wowie! That IS a lot more than we started out with, if you want to include that expensive private car to Saddle Arabia."

"I guess there was a lot more interest inside than I thought..." Trill looked at Solaris, feeling nervous over what he was thinking. She could only hope he could forgive him and swear she can change. "I know I keep getting on your nerves, Solaris, but I didn't really mean to go that far. I don't know any better...You know me a lot more than your aunts." She felt that same pain in her chest, prepared to take another verbal scolding. She couldn't even look at the alicorn anymore. "I hope you can forgive me, and give me another chance..."

Solaris was silent as he heard Trill's apology and begging him to forgive her. Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy were confused, not knowing the two had talked when they all ignored her. After a full minute of silence, Trill felt her hope dwindling as he refrained from answering. She nearly jumped when she felt something land on her back, which happened to be her saddlebags she bought filled with her stuff. The changeling looked up at him, confused yet hopeful.

"...Maybe I was a bit harsh when I said those things earlier today," Solaris said, now the alicorn feeling guilty for lashing out his frustration on her. "All of Equestria depends on me to rescue them from Lucifer's tyranny, and all of this pressure, along with everything that's happened to me, has gotten me more stressed than ever. I want this journey to go along perfectly, without any problems, and avoid being caught and getting killed. What you did this morning was by far the dumbest thing you ever did." Trill winced as her hopes were immediately dashed. She was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by the alicorn, feeling her face burn as he held her close. "But you tried to redeem yourself, and you at least got our money back, even though you were almost raped...I accept your apology, and I hope you can forgive me and all the mean things I said to you."

Trill felt tears welling up in her eyes, returning the hug as her guilty conscious was finally cleared. "Y-You don't have to apologize to me. I deserve every hurtful word you said."

"I don't want to lose the first friend I ever made." Solaris pulled away as Trill dried away her tears, glad to know everything between the two had been rekindled. "Alright, let's get going. We're burning moonlight."

Solaris lead the way and the mares followed, trusting his navigation toward his next test at the ruins of an ancient Saddle Arabian civilization. The air was pretty nippy, but they were able to tough the slightly chilled air, all except for Trill. She could handle the hot and dry climate of the desert when the sun was out, but when it gets cold, it was torture for her. She tried her best to hide her weakness from the others, even though her shivering would eventually show. Applejack walked next to her, both of them falling back as they continued following the alicorn's lead over the dunes.

"Ya know ya could have gotten yourself hurt wanderin' around a city by yourself, right?" Applejack asked.

"I-I needed to think...S-Solaris really hated me, a-and I felt hurt," Trill said, her teeth chattering, going through her saddlebags until she pulled out a green scarf, quickly wrapping it around her neck for some warmth.

"Are ya feelin' ok?" Applejack asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah. Changelings don't really like to be in cold environments. We're kinda like scorpions in the desert: dangerous, always hiding, and only able to thrive in warmer climates," Trill said.

"Alright..." Applejack had noticed Trill's odd behavior when she was with Solaris, especially with how relieved she was after whatever argument they had. "Mind tellin' me what ya'll fought about? Went over our heads when ya both began apologizin'."

"Oh..." Trill watched Solaris as he began pointing out the different constellations, describing them to Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow, mostly boring the latter of the three mares. "After my...theft, he really didn't like me. I always kept bugging him, getting on his nerves and called him a cavepony, only because he was raised in a cave, not insulting his intelligence."

"Well, he hasn't had any contact with other ponies aside from us." Applejack said. "He's always pretty serious, but he does have some humor when Pinkie's involved. Since a few years ago, he's been growin' distant from the little colt who was always eager to show his aunts and uncle what he learned. He asked about his ma when we came to visit him, gettin' more and more upset with each day. Solaris bottled up his emotions, letting his anger out through his hooves and beatin' somethin' up. He's still just a colt, and he shouldn't have to go through all of this."

"Yeah...I could tell just how bad he was feeling when we met." Trill still remembered the horrible taste in her mouth, hoping she wouldn't have to do that again if he had another panic attack. "I really want to help him, but my sense of humor kinda made things worse for him. After he yelled at me, I felt like I died on the inside, my chest hurting badly and it didn't go away until after he forgave me."

Applejack's eyes widened, now able to see why Trill is acting so strangely when she's around Solaris. "...No way..."

"What?" Trill asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no...But, how does that make sense?" Applejack muttered. "...Do ya...love Solaris?"

"Huh? Love him?" Trill asked, greatly confused.

"That pain in your chest didn't go away until he forgave ya, right?" Trill nodded her head. "Does your heart race when ya think about him, or if he touches ya?"

"...Actually, yeah..." After a moment, the changeling's pupils shrunk, glancing back and forth between Solaris and Applejack. "Wait, am I really...!?"

"It sure seems that way, sugarcube," Applejack said, finding it strange that a changeling could ever fall in love aside from eat it. "This is just as strange to me as it is to ya'll."

"T-There's no way I'm in love with Solaris!" Trill said, blushing as she tried to get the stallion out of her head. But no matter how hard she tried, every time she looked forward, she would see him too busy looking at the night sky while keeping themselves on track to the ruins. She kept gazing at his golden hair, his blue eyes, his coat, his muscles. Her blush kept intensifying as her thoughts kept running rampant, her heart pounding in her chest. Even that strange magical burst back on the train when she kissed his cheek didn't make sense, until what it could have possibly meant. "...Oh gosh...What if I am? My mom would kill me if she found out about this. At least she doesn't know everything since I'm not connected to the hive mind at the moment."

"The what?" Applejack questioned, raising her brow at the strange term.

"It's how changelings work together as a unit. We all know what every changeling thinks, and only the royals can freely turn it on or off like a switch," Trill explained. "Why do you think my mother was able to stop you guys from getting to the Elements of Harmony by sending her army to where they were hidden back then?"

Applejack couldn't find a reason to argue with that fact. Though how hundreds of them were able to communicate together through mind reading cluttered by the same hundreds of voices would have given her a headache.

"Ah see..." Applejack gave Trill a stern glare, making the changeling princess fear a possible beating from her realization of being romantically in love with Solaris. "Now, Ah want ya to listen closely, Evergreen."

"Uhh, my name's actually Trill," the changeling corrected.

"Not while you're in disguise." Applejack moved closer to the teenager, making sure the others didn't notice them a bit far behind. "If ya really care about Solaris, then Ah suggest ya be there for him if anythin' happens. He'll need all of our support to help him through the rough patches."

"And...if he likes me back?" Trill asked.

"That's up to him." Applejack sighed, watching Solaris trying to lecture Rainbow on the constellations and their stories. "Ah don't really approve of you two bein' together like that. And Ah'm sure the others would agree with me. But, if he really does have feelin's for you, then Ah won't argue about it and learn to accept it. He needs somepony he can really trust to make him happy and pick him up when he's down, and he trusts you more than us after hidin' everythin' he was kept away from for his own protection.

"Just don't ever hurt him if ya'll do get together," Applejack warned. "If ya ever so much as break his heart, ya'll are gonna be dealin' with Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee."

Trill looked back at Applejack's hind legs, which she found odd that she named them, taking the threat to heart. She was already scared enough being around four of the Elements of Harmony, her fear heightened by the overprotective farm pony ready to hurt her if she hurt Solaris.

They continued trekking through the endless expanse of sand, the moon setting and the sun beginning to rise along the horizon, warming the land up. Solaris checked the map, knowing they must be getting close by now.

"We're almost there," he said as they climbed up a tall sand dune. "If my calculations were correct, then we should be seeing the ruins at the top of the-" They reached the top, but the instant they saw the ruins, they all looked in shock. "-dune..."

Down below, the ruins were being guarded by at dozens of Shadow Knights, a couple airships and dozens of tents settled around the massive temple that once housed the ancient civilization of Saddle Arabia. They were only a half mile away from the ruins, and they could see Lucifer's army was protecting every single square inch of the area. Wherever Solaris's second trial was, it would be impossible to sneak in without getting caught, and they couldn't afford to get the alicorn spotted by the enemy.

"Whoa nelly..." Applejack said. "This is not gonna be easy..."

Chapter 9: The Second Trial

Solaris, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Trill watched from above the dunes, hidden from sight as Shadow Knights patrolled every corner of the ancient ruins. There was no other way into the temple without getting caught, and knocking out each soldier in their path would cause suspicion and more security would branch out, making their entrance more hazardous.

"Oh great..." Solaris sunk into the sand, growing worried as he tried to figure out a plan to get inside undetected. "My next trial is inside those ruins, and I can't think of any way to bust in without risking myself!"

"Then let's just charge in and beat some skulls in!" Rainbow said, fired up and rearing for a fight.

As the pegasus was about to fly down, Applejack grabbed her tail and pulled down hard to the sand. "Rainbow, there's gotta be a hundred of them down there! What if Lucifer's with them!? Or are ya mad at that one stallion who came to Ponyville after droppin' Rarity's body at her doorstep and flipped ya on your back?"

"...W-Well, that's part of the reason..." Rainbow admitted. "But we need to get in there for Solaris! He needs to pass these tests to finally stop that bastard and save Equestria!"

"We all know that, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack argued. "But we don't want Solaris to be found again and risk him gettin' killed before he faces Lucifer too soon!"

"He managed to punch him in the face and leave a nasty bruise! I think Solaris can handle him fine so far!" Rainbow said.

"He ain't experienced enough yet!" Applejack said, trying to bring some sense to Rainbow's idea of logic.

While the two friends bickered, Trill was busy rummaging through her saddlebags, her grin growing wider with the items she had found.

"I have an idea!" Applejack and Rainbow stopped their arguing, everyone paying attention to Trill. "It's a foolproof plan, and I think you might like what I got when I took your money without permission!"

"Too soon, sugarcube." Applejack glared at the disguised changeling, Trill's grin shrinking in nervousness.

"Heh. Uhh, w-well, what I got looked really neat, and perfect for a distraction." Trill pulled out her ideal plan, levitating a few outfits native to Saddle Arabia. "Ta-da!"

The mares stared in shock at the silky garments Trill held out before them. They each matched a color similar to their coats, along with see through veils for their faces. They were considered costumes for dancers of the city's customs, although they were for a completely different style of entertainment than traditional dances. Rainbow was the first to snap out of her shock, holding back her laughter and snickering at the alluring outfits.

"...Uhh, Evergreen?" Solaris said, having a feeling what the clothes are actually supposed to be. "Do you even know what those are meant for in Saddle Arabian culture?"

"...No. I thought they looked really cute, and the pants are pretty loose too! Perfect for hot weather in the desert!" Trill said, completely oblivious.

"...Those are dancer's outfits..." Solaris's face began to glow red, looking away from the enticing clothing, unable to get the image of Trill wearing it in his mind. "...for courtesans..."

"What's a 'courtesan'?" Trill asked, completely clueless of what the term meant.

Solaris rubbed the back of his neck as his blush deepened, almost as if his face was burnt by the hot sun starting to rise into the sky. "...A-A...prostitute..."

Rainbow Dash began to laugh uproariously and fell on her back, clutching her sides, with Pinkie joining her in the hilarity for no reason. Fluttershy hid behind her mane, her cheeks heavily flushed, while Applejack groaned, hiding her face under her hat. Trill now realized why it was embarrassing, or hilarious for the former two mares' guffawing, though wasn't entirely shocked.

"Ohhhhh. That explains everything..." Trill said. "Oh well. This will still work out. Because us girls are gonna dress up in these, and distract those stallions down there."

Pinkie and Rainbow ceased their laughter, everyone staring at Trill with wide eyes.

"What!?" Rainbow shouted. "You can't be serious, right!?"

"Yes. I am being serious," Trill said.

"Uhh, are we in the right age group to even dress like this?" Pinkie asked, grabbing her garments, staring at them quizically. "And we're also married and have kids. Wouldn't that make it difficult to get their attention? I mean, having that baby bump and slimming down is a hassle, and don't get me started on my weird food cravings when I was pregnant with Cherry Pie! I'll never look at whipped cream the same again..."

Ignoring Pinkie's tangent, Solaris looked away from the clothes as he approached Trill, grabbing her head and shaking her to try and get her brain to work straight. "This has to be the worst idea you have ever thought of! There is no way this is going to work!"

"I can't believe it's working..." Solaris stared dumbly as Trill's plan went into action.

As he stood at the top of the dunes, he watched his aunts and friend dress in the courtesan clothing, approach the guards blocking the entrance, and walked right in without any conflict. He could hear Saddle Arabian music playing down below, courtesy of Pinkie pulling out a phonograph with the vinyl record out of nowhere, and many of the younger soldiers instantly flocked to the alluring entertainment given by the mares. There were still some guards patrolling the entrance to the temple, being the older veterans who once served Celestia and Luna's guard, obeying their ruler's orders against their will and staying true with their commands.

The alicorn facehooved, still unable to believe Trill's plan was actually working. Eventually, he had gotten the signal to head on in, seeing Trill's horn flashing brightly to tell him it was safe to sneak in. He had to give her a little bit of credit at least; being a changeling, a species who are masters of espionage and stealth, must be a really tough life. Solaris crept through the campsite, watching out for the veterans who were keeping a close watch on the ruins for any intruders.

After sneaking around the guards blocking the entrance, Solaris made sure he was far enough away before he began to examine the corridors. Along the walls were carvings of Saddle Arabians of the ancient city, telling stories of the civilization and its many triumphs, repeating as he walked further inside. While entranced by the designs and wondering what the stories told, he accidentally stepped on a pressure plate, his pupils shrinking, knowing what happens when one sets off a trap.

"Ahh!" Solaris quickly ducked, hearing puffs of air shoot out from the walls, but there were no darts or arrows that came sailing over him. He stood up, stepping on the plate again, greeted by a puff of air. "Phew...I guess they must have disarmed or set off most of the traps. I wonder if the ancient civilization was really worried about thieves or grave robbers taking their priceless treasures."

Continuing down the long and winding halls of the still stable temple and admiring the architecture, statues, and carvings, one of them seemed to stand out randomly amongst the equines. Solaris saw a strange creature that was a combination of every single animal, in a pose of triumph, laughing hysterically. What was odd about the image was that the mismatched chimera was placed in a calm environment, making no sense to its existence in the story it told. He ignored it and continued moving forward, not noticing its moving, its eyes watching him as he rounded the corner.

Solaris felt lost after wandering around for the past ten minutes. Every moment he wasted meant his aunts and Trill would have a difficult time keeping the soldiers distracted enough for him to complete his trial and get out. As he groaned in frustration, he jumped as he heard a wall slowly opening up right next to him, revealing a secret passage. He didn't feel any pressure plates or see any hidden switched along the walls, wondering if this way was really the way to go.

Looking inside, he saw a large, spacious room that must have been in the center of the entire temple. The only problem was that there was nothing but space inside, a room that should have been used for storing treasures or artifacts, keeping them hidden from thieves. The only thing that was there was a podium with a stone tablet resting on top of it. Solaris walked inside, hearing the wall close in on him, the markings all around the wall repeating in a wild pattern, unable to be discerned as something related to Saddle Arabian art.

His hoofsteps echoed in the room as he approached the podium, looking at the tablet as he read the words inscribed on it to himself. "'Your journey begins and the end is unknown, times will be hard upon you. A hint to win, think outside the box, we begin trial number two.' Wait, what?"

A laugh echoed throughout the room, startling Solaris as he stood up on his hind legs, setting his hooves aflame as he tried to find where the mysterious laughter was coming from. "Well, well, well, you finally arrived, o savior of Equestria. I have been waiting for fifteen years to finally get this started."

"Who's there!?" Solaris found no sign of where the mysterious voice was coming from, hearing it cackle again. "Wherever you are, show yourself!"

His ears perked up when he heard the tablet begin to crack, floating up in the air as the podium flew up with it. Solaris backed away, not knowing what he would encounter, the tablet exploding in a flash of light, blinding the alicorn for a moment. As soon as his vision cleared, he heard the same laughter again, but instead of it coming from a pony, it came from a living being of the strange creature he saw on the walls earlier.

"You finally decided to find this place, Solaris." The strange being said, twisting his neck and cracking it, echoing loudly in the large room. "Do you know how hard it is to stand still as a picture for a while? I've been in stone for a thousand years, and I needed a really good chiropractor to get those kinks out of my back!"

Solaris stared, dumbfounded, watching this odd thing contorting his body like a sponge, cringing as he heard cracking sounds coming from his bones. He expected the creature to have died from snapping its body like that, but he was still alive, freaking him out more.

"W-What in Equestria are you!?" Solaris asked, fearing what this thing was.

"Oh, I see nopony decided to tell you about me." The creature snapped its talons, a business card appearing in front of Solaris. On it was a picture of the mismatched being giving a thumbs up, the words reading "Discord: God of Chaos. Defying logic is may game, making no sense like my name!" "You may call me Discord. And what I am is a draconequus."

"A-A what?" Solaris asked in confusion, finding the defiance of his magical capabilities more overwhelming than Pinkie's randomness.

"Yes, I know. It's a bit too much to take in, but that's what I was born as!" The card turned into a picture, showing Solaris as a foal with his aunts, Spike, his mother holding him, and behind them was Discord, giving the peace symbol with his taloned arm while random things happened in the background. "And speaking of born, you were a cute little thing. Who knew you would grow up to look like this?"

"I-I don't know anything about this picture, or you being in it..." Solaris said, his head already starting to hurt in confusion.

"Well, you could say I was your secret uncle," Discord said. Snapping his fingers again, he wore a strange space helmet and a dark cloak, breathing heavily as his voice sounded distorted underneath the mask. "Or...I could be something more...Solaris...I am your father."

"W-What...?" Solaris said, completely speechless.

The moment was ruined when Discord began snickering, unable to hold back his laughter. "No! Bwah ha ha ha ha! Y-You should have seen the look on your face!" Discord continued laughing, his strange outfit disappearing. His laughter finally died down, wiping away a tear, getting an irritated look from the young alicorn. "Oh, come on. Lighten up! It was a little prank. I mean, honestly, you would look a lot different if you were my kid."

"I've already had enough pranks pulled on me by a certain pony! I don't need anymore from you!" Solaris said, his hooves set on fire as he was ready to beat the draconequus up.

"Just as serious as your mother. The only difference would be your color palette, and your hairstyle." Discord didn't get any other reaction from the alicorn, sighing as he decided to get down to the chase. "Alright, then. We'll talk later. Your second test will begin now, and remember that little hint. You'll need it since this is going to test how smart you are against me." He snapped his fingers, a metal cage appearing above Solaris and flew down on top of him, trapping him inside. "But first, you're going to have to think a way outside of this box! Have fun!"

"Hey!" Discord summoned a recliner, sitting comfortably as he munched on a bowl of uncooked popcorn and sipped from a glass of chocolate milk. Solaris tried to punch his way through the bars, only to be electrocuted, falling on his back as the electricity stopped flowing into his body. He heard Discord laugh, apparently enjoying the show as his limbs twitched from the aftershock. "Why am I getting shocked when these things start?"

Outside of the ruins, the many young Shadow Knights cheered and ogled the dancing mares they watched, keeping them entertained while Solaris completed his test. They've been doing this for nearly half an hour, unsure if they could keep up the charade. Thankfully, the music was loud enough to keep any conversations they had to themselves, along with the veils concealing their lip movements a little bit.

"What's taking him?" Rainbow asked, feeling impatient and getting sick of dancing for these perverted young adults.

"We have to keep stalling," Trill said. "Just keep up the act. I kinda like the music Pinkie brought too...Wait, I was wondering how she-"

"Don't ask." Rainbow groaned. "We've known Pinkie for years, and we still can't figure her out. What's worse is that her foals have her randomness inherited as well. Cherry was bouncing off the walls while she was in diapers."

As they kept their distraction going, walking along the desert toward the ruins were Lucifer and Zero.

"Your Highness, can you please remind me why you had some of your soldiers guarding the ruins out here in Saddle Arabia?" Zero asked. "I assume all of the treasures have been excavated, so it isn't valuable artifacts you're after."

"I wanted to make sure the alicorn wasn't anywhere I could have missed, even in something as ancient as a pyramid or temple from beyond the age I was born in," Lucifer explained. "Now it's impossible to know where he ended up, and I am not taking any chances. He will be found, and I will destroy him."

"I see. After his disappearing act from the aid of Twilight Sparkle's dragon, he really could have wound up anywhere." As they got closer, they could hear music being played, as well as a lack of guards at some of their posts. "Do you hear music, sire?"

"Yes...And these idiots are having a party when they should be on guard, no matter what is happening!?" Lucifer shouted.

They both headed toward the sound of the music and whooping soldiers were, spotting the majority of the unicorn king's soldiers surrounding a group of mares, watching them dance. Lucifer's eye twitched as his horn glowed, teleporting inside the circle and making the soldiers gasp in surprise and fear, instantly shutting up and standing at attention. Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow saw him standing there, growing more worried at his sudden appearance. Trill didn't pay much attention, still dancing, but she bumped into Lucifer, causing the record to scratch, ending the music.

"Hey! What happened to the music!? We're just getting started!" She heard growling come from behind her, turning around to lash out at the impatient guard, only to freeze at the sight of the furious king. "Uh oh..."

Lucifer was about to scold and possibly kill his inept guards, his attention was turned to the other four mares. It was clearly obvious that they were the Elements of Harmony in courtesan clothing, anyone without a brain could easily tell who they were just from their hair. It was humiliating for him to know that his soldiers were incompetent enough to not notice Rainbow Dash, clearly unique with her mane color and being one of those Elements.

"...He is here, isn't he?" Lucifer questioned.

"W-What are you talking about?" Trill asked, trying to keep up her act, but failing miserably.

With a flick of his magic, he shredded the clothing off of the mares, making them flinch as they were unharmed for the moment. "He has to be here. You work with that annoying child, and he is close. Where is he?"

Solaris was stuck, unable to find any way out of the cage he was trapped in. No matter how many times he tried to attack the bars, resorting to using his fire, it wouldn't give. Discord began to get bored, sitting on his seat upside down, a clock ticking above him, timing how long the alicorn had been in there.

"You know, your mother actually tried to solve a riddle I gave her when I was free faster than this!" Discord said. "You're lucky I've been reformed, or else I would have tried to drown you in chocolate milk while you were stuck in there!"

"How am I supposed to get out of here when this thing keeps shocking me!?" Solaris exclaimed. He sat down, fuming as he tried to figure out what Discord's hint meant. "'Think outside the box.' 'Think your way outside of this box.' He doesn't make any sense! What am I supposed to do? Just lift the stupid cage up!?" Solaris actually tried doing just that, thinking he was actually wrong and his prison was heavier than he could lift through physical or magical strength. Ironically, the instant he pushed the ceiling of the cage up, it flew up and hit the ceiling, making a squeaking sound instead of a metallic clang. He looked at the falling cage, slowly floating down like a feather, confused, bewildered, angry, and humiliated. "...You have got to be kidding me...That actually worked!?"

"Finally!" Discord got up from his seat, stretching out his limbs. "I thought you would never get out of there. I was starting to get bored."

"Ok, that's it!" Solaris slammed his hooves together, sending out sparks of green embers showering around him, his forehooves set aflame. "I'm starting to get sick of your sarcasm!" He flew at the draconequus, rearing his hoof back, but as attempted to punch Discord, his hoof somehow steered away from his face by some unknown force, missing him by a few inches. "W-What the-"

Discord grabbed Solaris's tail as the alicorn sailed past him, swinging him around like a flail, throwing him far across the room. Solaris slammed head first into the ground, seeing stars, while Discord yawned. "Was that it? I thought you were supposed to hit me."

Shaking his head and snapping out of his senses, the stars circling him still remained, which Solaris quickly punched away. He tried again, soaring into Discord and repeatedly began punching, but each swing ended up missing. Discord wasn't even trying to evade him; his hooves just kept moving on their own, always missing him or barely brushing any part of his zoo-like body. Just to add insult to injury, Discord used only one talon, pushing Solaris away from him while he struggled to push against it, unable to even land a single hit on his arm.

"GRRRAAAAGH!" Solaris shouted, flailing his hooves. "Why can't I hit you!?"

"I don't know why you're asking me. Maybe you aren't aiming where you're hitting," Discord taunted, replacing his finger with his tail as he made a book appear, reading at a page he bookmarked. "It's like you're not even trying!"

Discord flicked Solaris with his tail, sending him flying across the room, slamming his back hard into the wall. The alicorn pulled himself out, growing more frustrated as the chaotic deity kept mocking him. Deciding to take a ranged approach, Solaris shot out fireballs out his hooves, sending them sailing toward the distracted draconequus. Instead of getting struck by the fire, they ended up swerving out of Discord's way, hitting the walls and floor behind him in an explosion of flames. Solaris's jaw dropped, an eye twitching in disbelief.

"H-How...? I was...at him...and they..." Solaris stammered, his brain completely shattered.

"Hmm?" Discord looked up from his book. "Did somepony open a window? It's a bit drafty and humid in here. Weird weather here in Saddle Arabia." Growling, Solaris put his hooves together, creating a massive fireball large enough to consume Discord. He threw the giant ball of fire at him, but it ended up turning up at a ninety degree angle, slamming into the ceiling and raining green embers down on them. Discord fanned himself, ignorant of the fireball that nearly hit him. "Whew! What a heat wave! I prefer colder climates like the frozen north."

Solaris had completely run out of ideas, sitting on his plot as he looked at where his last fireball exploded. "That. Is. Impossible...I can't even hit him..." He tried to think of some way to strike Discord and try to knock him out, but nothing seemed to work. Even if he tried using magic, which wasn't his strong suit, it probably would have been redirected out of Discord's way. "This doesn't make any sense. I hit him dead on, but my hooves just kept swerving around him, against my will. He's worse than Aunt Pinkie Pie by at least tenfold! How can I hit someone when my aim is always being controlled to hit away from my target!"

Solaris's ears perked up, his mind working over what he said. He thought of how odd it was for his attacks to miss, his hooves at close range, and perfectly aimed fireballs from afar. Discord didn't even do anything, as if he knew something that the alicorn didn't and didn't even try to avoid him. He remembered that Discord was supposed to be a god of chaos, a magical power that was able to manipulate anything the user commands, far more powerful than unicorn magic. And if Discord could summon anything with a snap of his fingers, he was able to bend the rules of reality as well.

Wanting to test his theory, he created another fireball in his hoof, but instead of firing it at Discord, Solaris threw it away from the draconequus. He watched it sail down the room, only for it to swerve around and fly past the teen, hitting Discord's book he was reading, incinerating it to ashes.

"Hey! I was at the good part!" Discord whined. Solaris finally understood what Discord's hint was supposed to mean. He had to think differently than how he actually was supposed to expect to solve this strange puzzle. Now it began to make sense, especially in the role of combat; expect the unexpected and figure out how your opponent fights instead of blindly charging in like he had in his previous test. Discord saw the smirk growing on the alicorn's face, realizing he had just figured it out. "...Oh. This isn't going to end well for me."

Solaris began shooting a volley of fireballs in random directions, all of them swerving away from their trajectory and homing in on the draconequus. Discord tried to flee, but was unable to escape, being surrounded by several flaming balls of death hurtling toward him. After they blew up on him, he was sent flying back into the wall, greeted by Solaris as he flew toward him, slamming his hoof hard into the draconequus's abdomen, actually hitting him instead of the wall.

Discord tried to teleport away via snapping his talons, but Solaris quickly slammed his hoof down hard on his arm, hearing the disturbing crunch of his bones. "Not this time!" He unleashed a swift barrage of punches, making Discord wheeze as he felt the air being forced out of his lungs. With a flaming hoof, Solaris gave Discord a hard uppercut to the jaw, sending the draconequus up into the air. "See if you can actually avoid me now!"

Solaris leapt up, flying quickly at the stunned draconequus. His forehoof was reared back, green flames blazing his leg. He rammed into Discord, slamming his hoof into his chest, sending him crashing into the ceiling, leaving a draconequus sized crater. He slowly slipped out, falling to the ground, crashing hard and rendered unconscious. Solaris gently hovered back down to the ground, being cautious around the logic breaking deity.

"Well, that was quite entertaining!" Solaris jumped in surprise, hearing Discord's voice echo around him, but he was unconscious. "Congratulations, Solaris! You've passed your second test!"

Appearing before the alicorn was Discord, an uninjured, completely conscious one. "W-What!? B-But how did you-"

"Oh please. Do you really expect me to fight all my battles all the time?" Discord picked up his unconscious self, but it had turned into a live stuffed doll of him, an eye popping out of its socket as stuffing fell out from the beating it took. "I knew you would have some strength to take me on, but those flame-fu techniques of yours aren't what I expected." Solaris was still confused, feeling a migraine coming on. Discord tossed the life-like plush of himself away. "You finally figured out my little trick, even after you tried to go the berserk route and hit me when you kept missing."

"...Who are you!?" Solaris asked, trying to figure out what had just happened in the past hour.

"I thought I introduced myself earlier. I'm Discord," the draconequus said. "And you might consider me an uncle, but there were a lot of birthday parties I'll need to make up for.

"But we'll have time to talk later. For now, I'll give you your little reward for besting me. Well, sort of." Discord snapped his talons, summoning a gold pendant shaped like his cutie mark, only there was a picture of Discord inside of the sun. "You were able to figure out your opponent's strategy, even if mine is completely impossible for anypony else to try and replicate. What's important is to examine your enemy and always be two steps ahead of them, let them make the first move, and think first before you end up losing your temper. As long as you keep that in mind, you can triumph over anypony who gets in your way."

"Ok..." Solaris felt the pendant tie around his neck, feeling some strange magic surge through his body, nothing like his own. "Uhh, what exactly does this do for me?"

"Ooh! That's the best part!" Discord said excitedly. "That little gift from me not only gives you some more power for you, and it gives you access to some of my own chaotic magic!...Well, not all of it. Just some easy stuff only: cotton candy clouds that rain chocolate milk, make them shoot out lightning bolts that fire in erratic spots, see the fourth wall-"

"Wait, what was that last one?" Solaris questioned.

"Oh, right." Discord wrapped an arm around Solaris, pointing out to the fourth wall before them. "You see, out there are these weird creatures called 'humans', and we're in the middle of a story, where you are the main character, and the writer controls your life and the flow of the story! See, he's even typing what I'm saying right as we speak!"

Solaris was freaked out as he watched the writer typing out his actions, quickly backing away while trying to look away from the fourth wall.

"This is freaking me out!" Solaris yelled. "Get rid of it!"

"I figured that would have made you go insane." Discord snapped his talons, getting rid of the illogical fourth wall feature for Solaris's newest piece of armor. The teen was thankful he didn't see what was going on in that strange window anymore, already suffering from enough confusion just from Pinkie and Discord. "Guess it was a bad idea for you to see that. You'll forget in a moment anyway."

"Forget what?" asked Solaris.

"Exactly!" Discord made a couple cotton candy clouds appear before them, munching on the sugary clouds. Curious, Solaris took a bite, actually tasting strawberry cotton candy, along with the chocolate milk filling inside. "You're getting closer to finally fulfilling your destiny. But, as I mentioned in that little riddle, you will still have to face the tragedy you will experience."

"But I don't understand," Solaris said, licking his lips of the cottony sweet staining his muzzle. "You can do all this random stuff, and you're incredibly powerful with that chaos magic you can use. Why can't you stop Lucifer yourself?"

Discord paused, his energetic demeanor quickly melting as he pondered how to answer Solaris's question. "...It is impossible."

"WHAT!? But, what about all of-" Solaris's lips were suddenly sealed by a zipper, the spell cast by the draconequus himself.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm an all powerful deity, able to defy the laws of physics, logic, and reality with a snap..." Discord's head drooped, shoving his cotton candy cloud aside. "...Lucifer's dark magic is far more powerful than my own chaos. If he can kill Celestia, Luna, and your mother, three alicorns with more magical power than a hundred unicorns, then he can clearly kill me if I tried."

"...What...?" Solaris said in disbelief.

Discord sighed as he paced about the expansive room. "My magic was able to deter the princesses over a thousand years ago. I was so powerful, Celestia and Luna couldn't take me down with their own magic alone. They sought out the Elements of Harmony, the only artifacts that could contain and overwhelm me. They are the only magical forces that could stop evil and disharmonious beings from destroying Equestria, the princesses cannot compare to their power, only being stronger than the ponies they ruled over.

"Dark and chaotic magic had been able to win against them, even when that darkness turned Luna into Nightmare Moon." Discord finally sat in front of Solaris, looking the alicorn in the eye as he continued. "You've heard of the stories about Sombra, Nightmare Moon, and myself, yes?" Solaris nodded. "Then you'll know just how powerless they both were at the time. With me trying to take over Equestria, I got careless when they used the Elements of Harmony on me, turned to stone and set in the kingdom's garden.

"Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon was tragic enough for Celestia to bear, always hearing her muttering to herself while I was a living lawn ornament during that time. Luna was jealous as their subjects favored her older sister and the sun, praising her like the mindless cult they were. The worst part of it was that Celestia had actually gotten an over-inflated ego from their worship, ignorant of Luna's pain and neglect. She finally realized her mistake far too late as soon as Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. Having no choice, Celestia had to use the Elements to banish her own sister, unable to save her or even think of using them to free her from her torment.

"But Sombra..." Discord laughed lightly. "The first unicorn in Equestria to utilize the power of dark magic. He used this power to enslave the Crystal Empire and the crystal ponies that lived within its boundaries, and ended up losing his mind. Celestia and Luna were at war with him, many months before I came around, and they managed to stop him without the Elements' aid. The only reason they won was because that old unicorn lost himself to the arcane magic he used, his power making him cocky and easy to defeat with the teamwork they had."

Solaris took all of this in, remembering the stories he was told about the princesses and their previous battles with evil. The only time they had ever beaten anypony was against Sombra, but only while he was lost in the power he wielded. Lucifer, on the other hoof, was in full control, though his rage would blind him if he grew angry enough. Without the Elements of Harmony, Equestria would forever be doomed, and being born from his mother, Twilight Sparkle, he was considered an Element of Harmony. No one else was able to strike the tyrant except for him, being Equestria's only hope.

"...And when Lucifer killed them...his dark magic rivals yours if he could easily kill an alicorn..." Solaris said, putting the pieces together.

"Yes..." Discord sadly said. "As much as I would love to help, his magic is outright terrifying. It's even worse than chaos, and his version of it is more life threatening than my lighthearted pranking! I may have been evil, but I wasn't a masochistic lunatic like that twisted being!"

"Oh am I?" Solaris and Discord jumped in surprise, looking in the direction of the secret door's entrance to find Lucifer, his soldiers, Solaris's aunts, and Trill standing there. Their disguises were torn up and their plan had backfired, never expecting Lucifer to even arrive at the ruins. "You should have stayed where that dragon sent you, foal."

Chapter 10: Escape

Solaris and Discord stared down Lucifer, the former's stance faltering as he shook in fear. He was holding the alicorn's aunts and friend hostage, making their situation worse as they couldn't fight back, even if they tried.

"I knew you couldn't hide away forever, child. You made a mistake leaving where the dragon took you." Lucifer looked at Discord, surprised to see the draconequus was here of all places. "Discord...Are you working for the alicorn?"

"Well, I have been reformed. I think it's obvious," Discord growled. He looked over to the mares being held hostage, leering at the tyrant as he heard Fluttershy whimper in fear. "Let them go."

"What can you possibly do if I don't comply?" Lucifer asked, smirking as he could easily see the fear in both their eyes. "We all know who would win, Discord. Your chaotic magic won't be a match against my own."

"Why don't you learn to fight for yourself instead of hiding behind your soldiers?" Discord argued. "You're too much of a coward to do your own dirty work."

"And what of you? An all powerful 'god' of chaos, hiding himself away like that brat while you watch me rule Equestria? Don't make me laugh," Lucifer said. "Besides, I don't have the patience to stay here for long."

He waved his hoof forward, commanding his troops to shove the mares into the large room. Solaris quickly ran up to them, trying his hardest to be brave and protect his aunts and Trill from Lucifer and his Shadow Knights. The tyrant didn't even pay attention to his gauntlets and newly acquired pendent.

"W-What are you going to do to us?" Solaris asked, worried about what Lucifer had planned.

"I'm not going to do anything," he said. "It's quite amazing how ancient civilizations can be so paranoid when it comes to their priceless relics and buildings made to worship a higher power unknown to others. They set up so many traps to stop looters from stealing their treasures, they were even so desperate to create a trap that would bury everything with a useless trinket of no value, sitting in plain sight."

"B-But I thought all the traps were set off..." Solaris began to worry, not knowing where this one trap was in the ruins.

"These ruins will be your grave. I suggest you all spend as much time together as possible before your demise." Before Lucifer shut the wall that lead into this secret area, he shot a beam of magic directly at Discord, sending the draconequus flying across the room. Fluttershy flew toward him, greatly concerned, while Lucifer laughed in triumph. "Farewell, you fools!" The wall closed down shut, Lucifer pulling out the pressure plate allowing the mechanism to function. "Zero."

"Yes, Your Highness?" the mercenary said as he stood at attention.

"You know the location of the one 'priceless' treasure hidden within these ruins. Since you are the only unicorn soldier who actually knows teleportation out of the useless, bumbling idiots who call themselves soldiers, you can leave safely," Lucifer said, the other Shadow Knights trembling in fear. He looked at them, relishing in their fear. "You are all lucky that the mares who distracted your hormone driven minds were the rest of the living bearers of the Elements of Harmony. You'll be spared, but if you so much as leave your post for a possible lay, you will suffer far worse than any of my previous victims."

Without a word, they clearly understood their ruler's threat, quickly filing out of the ruins while scared out of their minds. Lucifer followed after them while Zero headed down further into the temple's maze of endless corridors. He found the one room where the collapsing trap was set, a reverse pressure plate sitting on a podium, and resting on it was a strangely crafted ceramic figurine of a Saddle Arabian deity, badly painted to look like it was made of gold. If any thieves were to pick this fake artifact up, then they have no sense of quality for riches if they fall for this obvious trap.

"Here it is..." Zero approached the pedestal, eyeing the "treasure" through his visor. He didn't move it yet, looking back down the only entrance to the trap room. "Hope they find the way out." Looking back at the figurine, the mercenary smashed the worthless piece of art, setting off the trap as the ruins began to rumble. "I really hope they do."

Solaris tried to lift the wall leading into the expansive room they were trapped in, unfortunately, it was far too heavy. Even if Applejack were to help him, it wouldn't budge.

"Urgh! Come on!" After pushing for at least five minutes, the alicorn gave up, banging his head against the wall. "I can't believe I froze. I should have done something!"

"He was holding us hostage," Trill said. "It's not your fault. Either way, he would have killed us."

"I know..." Solaris looked over to where Fluttershy was helping Discord back up. Thankfully, he was spared, but they all had no idea what Lucifer struck him with. "I hope we can find some way out of here. Ancient civilizations always had shortcuts within their temples, even with one way rooms. The only problem is to try and find it."

While Solaris figured out where a possible escape route could be, Discord shook his head, seemingly unharmed by the magical beam. "Ooogh. That's gonna hurt in the morning."

"Are you ok, Discord?" Fluttershy asked in concern.

"I'm fine. But whatever spell he used, it didn't seem to work. I'll get us all out of here before they bring these ruins down into the desert." Discord snapped his talons, but nothing happened. He tried again, growing frustrated with each attempted use of his chaotic powers. His eyes widened in shock, now knowing what the spell Lucifer used on him was. "Oh no..."

"'Oh no?' Please tell me 'Oh no' means something good!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Does 'Oh no' sound like a good thing!? This is bad! Really, really bad!" Discord shouted, panicking. "I can't use my magic!"

"Say what!?" Pinkie shouted. "What are you talking about!? Poof us out of here!"

"I can't!" Discord argued, unable to overreact with his chaotic powers. "Lucifer's magic that struck me must have disabled my chaotic magic! He intended to kill all of us in here, and he knew my magic could take us anywhere! If only he didn't act like a sissy and fight like a real stallion instead of holding hostages, this wouldn't have happened!"

Suddenly, the entire temple began to shake, the trap having been set and began to destroy itself. Everyone began to panic as they were about to be buried along with the Saddle Arabian civilization from thousands of years ago.

"We're gonna die!" Pinkie screamed, only to freeze in place, her tail twitching erratically. "TWITCHY TAIL! TAKE COVER!"

"Twitchy what!?" Trill questioned.

The ceiling above them began to crack, large pieces of the ruins beginning to fall down underneath it. Solaris quickly tackled Trill out of the way, saving her from being crushed by a massive block of the ceiling.

"Keep moving! Twitchy tail means watch out for something falling!" Solaris said, punching through more of the debris threatening to crush them. While defending everyone, he quickly searched around the room, desperate to find some indication of a secret passage out of this room. Along the walls, he noticed that on one area, the pattern circling around the walls had stopped, the waved lines all beginning in this one specific spot. "Wait a minute..."

Grabbing Trill, the changeling yelping in surprise, he sped past the falling rubble and made it safely. He let the mare go, who was still shocked at the sudden lift to 'possible' safety, watching him examine the wall.

"Solly, this is no time to be admiring patterns when we're going to be crushed!" Trill shouted.

Solaris felt around the wall, his hoof pressing a small plate that was able to be pushed in. He pressed it, opening a secret passage leading the opposite way of the previous entrance.

"Everypony, out this way! Hurry!" Hearing the alicorn discovering an exit, they all quickly made their way over while dodging heavy bits of the temple raining down on them.

Rainbow Dash flew down the long corridor, being the fastest of the group and scouting what lies ahead. She saw a bright light come from the end of the passage, which lead out to a hidden entrance half a mile away from the center of the ruins.

"Guys! I can see the exit! Just keep running!" Rainbow shouted.

The ruins were moments away from completely collapsing, more and more pieces of the temple falling rapidly. The crumbling ruins began flowing down the passage after them like a tsunami, threatening to bury them and crush them underneath the rubble. Solaris was behind the others, running as fast as he could, catching up with Applejack as she ran through before him. They could see the light up ahead, Fluttershy, Discord, and Trill making it out safely.

Applejack took a glance behind her, watching the wave of the collapsing ruins catching up to them. "Consarn it," she said, slowing down until she was directly behind Solaris.

She quickly slid across the ground, turned around, and bucked the alicorn hard in the flanks, sending Solaris flying out of the secret entrance as he yelled in surprise. Turning back around, Applejack sprinted to the exit as her life depended on it, the ruins finally collapsing as the secret entrance spewed out dust and sand.

While the others tried to squint their eyes, temporarily blinded by the sand that shot at them, Solaris dug his head out of the sand, landing headfirst after Applejack bucked him out of there. He shook out the sand that got in his ears, his rump surely going to have marks from the farm mare's strong hind legs.

"Augh...Aunt Applejack, you could have warned me you were gonna do that!" Solaris said, rubbing his bruised behind. He was hoping to get a scolding from his aunt after saving him from getting crushed, but there was no sound aside from the others hacking up dust and sand. "...Aunt Applejack?"

Solaris looked around, finding his aunts, Trill, and Discord, finally brushing away the sand that got in their eyes, but there was no sign of Applejack. They ended up behind a large dune that was far from the ruins, the secret entrance hidden underneath the sand from a higher view. The dust began to settle around the passage, completely blocked by the large amounts of rubble that fell from the ruin's collapse.

The alicorn's heart sank when he saw the familiar stetson hat laying in front of the entrance, and from the debris was an orange hoof belonging to the farm pony. "Aunt Applejack!" Solaris flew toward the entrance, frantically digging through the heavy stone pieces, hoping that Applejack was still alive. The others noticed his panic and tried to help, but they couldn't close as he tossed aside pieces of the ruin aside, nearly hitting them. After minutes of pulling out and tossing slabs of stone away, he finally uncovered the mare's upper body. "...Aunt Applejack...?"

She didn't respond. She didn't even move. Blood dripped out of her nose and mouth, her body covered with gashes from some sharp edges of the debris that fell on top of her. Solaris tried to move her, only to feel most of her bones were crushed, unable to feel a pulse from one of her hooves. Applejack was already gone, crushed to death and died almost instantly, her lungs possibly crushed by the weight, causing her to suffocate in mere seconds.

"N-No..." Solaris muttered, tears welling up in his eyes as he tried to pry his aunt out of the rubble. "No...Aunt Applejack. No! Please!" His tears fell, burying his face against her mane as he wept. Hearing the teen sobbing brought the unfortunate news for the others, Pinkie and Fluttershy holding each other as they cried for another friend's death, Discord looking away, blaming himself for being useless to save them without his magic, and Rainbow silently wept for her best friend, feeling helpless for letting another one of her friends die. Trill could only watch, feeling sorry for Solaris as she felt their sadness in the air. "P-Please...Please don't l-leave me....Y-You promised..."

As they mourned for the loss of the apple farmer, standing at the top of the dunes was Zero, watching them. He bowed his head in respect for the deceased mare, his wish only slightly answered as one of them had died in the collapse. From below, one of them had seen him watching them grieve, receiving an icy glare from Rainbow Dash. He teleported away before the pegasus could chase him down, not wanting a confrontation after just losing a member of their group. Rainbow seethed with rage, wanting nothing more than to kill the mercenary after encountering him again after he nonchalantly dropped Rarity's body off to them days ago.

Hours had passed, day turning to night as Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Discord, and Solaris mourned for Applejack. The draconequus had regained the use of his magic, the spell he was struck with only temporarily disabling his power for only a few hours. Unfortunately, his chaos magic couldn't revive the dead to Solaris's dismay. Necromancy was technically arcane and forbidden magic that not even Lucifer would dare to tamper with if scrolls of the dark art were ever found.

They sat around the campfire they had set up for the evening, using Solaris's dragon fire to light it when he was able to comply. The green flames lit up the darkness, everypony sitting around in silence. The alicorn was by himself, greatly upset and needing some alone time to cope with losing another member of his family. Rainbow Dash pulled Applejack's body out from the rubble of the now destroyed ruins, the mare trying her hardest not to look at the corpse hidden under a white tarp thanks to Discord's magic. Three of the Elements of Harmony were gone, and only three remained.

Trill looked at everyone, still feeling the depression among the ponies and draconequus, the worst of it coming from Solaris. Applejack was more of a mother figure to him than the other mares, with Pinkie being the fun aunt, Fluttershy the coddling aunt, Rarity the sophisticated aunt, and Rainbow the brash aunt. Growing tired of the silence, the sound of the fire cracking the wood in the campfire, she got up and walked over to where Solaris wandered off.

Trill ignored the chilled air as she climbed up the nearby dune, finding the alicorn looking down at what used to be the ruins of Saddle Arabia's ancient civilization. She sat next to him, figuring out what to say to avoid upsetting him further. When she turned to face him, she saw him clutching Applejack's stetson in his hooves, slightly damaged from the collapsing temple. His cheeks were matted with tears, his eyes expressing sorrow and anger.

"...Solaris?" Trill asked, hoping to get his attention. He still looked down at the crumbled ruins, but his ears twitched, hearing the changeling loud and clear. "...Are you gonna be ok?"

His body trembled, clutching the hat tightly to his chest. "...I'm such a bucking coward..." Solaris grit his teeth as his tears spilled down his cheeks. "I should have hit that bastard...I should have done something!"

"Solaris..." Trill said, trying to help comfort him, but the stallion stood up and paced, the stetson dropped to the sand where he sat.

"If only I didn't freeze when he was standing there! If wasn't so afraid, I could have killed him!" Solaris shouted, panting heavily as steam flared out from his nostrils. "If I found a way out of that stupid temple fast enough, Aunt Applejack would still be alive! I can't save anypony from Lucifer! I'M BUCKING PATHETIC!"

Solaris slammed his hooves down hard, his strength tossing at least twenty pounds of sand away from him in a thirty meter radius. Trill quickly covered her eyes and mouth, avoiding being blinded and tasting the millions of the tiny, shifting minerals of the desert on her tongue. He created a small dent in the dune they were on, though it still stood. Trill slowly approached the seething alicorn, gently wrapping her hooves around him, calming him down slightly.

"You're not pathetic," she said. "You weren't ready to face him yet. He even had us held hostage to keep you and Discord from doing anything." Trill felt Solaris relax a little, feeling him tremble as he silently wept. "Applejack saved you before the ruins fell on both of you. There's nothing more you could have done..."

Solaris buried his face against Trill's neck, the mare comforting him as he let out his sorrow. She felt depressed from not only his negative emotions permeating off the alicorn, but also in pity, knowing how much pain he was going through. After he had calmed down a bit more, they headed back to the campsite, Solaris carrying Applejack's hat in his mouth. As it got late, everyone headed into their tents for the evening, but it was a sleepless night for all of them.

As morning greeted the desert kingdom, Discord transported all of them back to Saddle Arabia after packing up their belongings. Thankfully, there were no signs of the Shadow Knights or Lucifer, the king and his soldiers already headed back to Canterlot after "killing" Solaris and his company. Using some of the money Trill had "acquired" from the vizier, they paid for another private car for the long trip to the frozen north, to the Crystal Empire. As they got on the next train heading for the northern tundra, Discord stayed behind, offering to bring Applejack's body back to Ponyville, and unfortunately, give her family the sad news of her fate.

The draconequus saw them off as the train set off to their next destination, sighing as he looked down at the covered body he held. On the train, Solaris immediately headed to one of the bunks, plopping down on the mattress. Out of all of them, he didn't get any sleep last night, his guilt growing more heavy as two lives were lost because of him.

Out in Sweet Apple Acres, back in Ponyville, the Apple family was busy at work with the thousands upon thousands of apple trees in their orchard. Big Macintosh could handle half of the vast amount of trees on his own, assuming he wasn't too stubborn to work himself to the ground, while Apple Bloom had to do Applejack's portion along with her own, along with repairing anything on the farm that needs fixing.

As the ex-member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders took a small break after bucking dozens of trees into the wooden buckets, Apple Bloom noticed her nephew Apple Seed trying to pull a full load of apples to the barn, slowly inching the bucket backward as he struggled.

"Apple Seed," Apple Bloom said. "How many times do we have to tell ya that you're too young to be haulin' apples back to the barn?"

"Ah can do it, Aunty Apple Bloom!" Apple Seed groaned as he continued pulling, making very little progress. "I-I think I'm almost there!"

He was far from close to the barn. Apple Seed still had a few dozen yards left before he got close to the house, let alone the barn. Sighing, Apple Bloom easily lifted the bucket up onto her back as the young colt pouted.

"How about ya wait until ya get a little bit stronger?" Apple Bloom suggested, remembering how eager she used to be as a filly when it came to helping. "Until then, why don't ya go to the clubhouse and have some fun with your friends?"

"Ah can't," Apple Seed said. "Gemstone hasn't been the same since a few days ago. Ah wonder why she got upset?"

Apple Bloom knew what had happened. When she was in town selling apples the other day, she caught sight of Sweetie Belle's coltfriend, Button Mash, getting groceries for the pop singer. He informed her of the unfortunate news that happened to Rarity, and Scootaloo found out from Apple Bloom when she visited after she was on break from her training at the Wonderbolts Academy. Gemstone must have been told, understandably upset, never able to see her mother again.

After dropping the bucket of fresh apples into the barn's storage cellar, Apple Bloom noticed a familiar sight that she hadn't seen in a long time. Discord was walking up to the farm, which was odd since he loved to appear out of nowhere in random locations back then, and he was really depressed.

"Apple Seed, go inside the house," she said.

"Why?" Not given an answer, Apple Bloom gave him a nudge. "What's goin' on?"

"Just do what Ah say." Apple Seed headed to the house, but as Apple Bloom turned around, he quickly hid behind a nearby apple tree, snooping in on what his aunt wanted to do with the strange creature approaching their farm. As Discord got closer, Apple Bloom could tell there wasn't any sign of good news. "Discord. Haven't seen ya in over fifteen years. Ya better not have been causin' any trouble."

"Believe me, you would want me to be wrecking chaos right now." Discord hesitated, looking around for anyone else around. "Are there...any other adults around? I have some good and bad news."

"Mah brother's in the east orchard right now, and mah brother-in-law is helpin' some of our relatives down in Appaloosa," Apple Bloom said, still cautious over what the draconequus might have up his sleeves. "Should Ah get him?"

"I'll do it to save time," Discord said, snapping his fingers, making Big Macintosh appear, greatly confusing him. "I really don't want to be the bearer of bad news."

"Then why don't ya give us the good news first?" Apple Bloom questioned, Big Mac nodding his head in agreement, though he had no clue what was going on.

Discord sighed, at least getting the good news out of the way. "Solaris has passed his second test, given by me, and they're now on their way to the Crystal Empire for the third."

"Seriously? This is great!" Apple Bloom said in excitement. "Solaris is sure to beat up Lucifer sooner than we expected!"

"Eeyup," agreed Big Mac.

"Yes, well...this is where the bad news comes in," Discord said. "By random chance, Lucifer discovered where Solaris was, trapping us all inside the temple as one of his minions set off the trap to turn the ruins into a pile of stone. We managed to get out...but there was a casualty..."

Discord snapped his fingers, Applejack's body hidden underneath the tarp appearing in front of them. He gently laid the mare's body to the ground in front of the two siblings. He then reached behind his back, pulling out her hat, sadly lowering it on top of Applejack's body.

Apple Bloom gasped as she realized what Discord was trying to say. "...No...Oh please no..."

"...I'm sorry..." Discord turned away, steeling himself for a possible bucking if Apple Bloom or Big Mac thought he was messing with them.

Both Apple Bloom and Big Mac were greatly distraught, unable to believe that their sister was lying underneath that tarp. The older brother decided to check, the three of them unaware of Apple Seed creeping forward to find out what the adults were talking about. As soon as Applejack's face was uncovered, the two siblings gasped in horror, rendered speechless.

"Ma?" Apple Bloom and Big Mac were snapped out of their shock, they and Discord quickly turning to face Apple Seed. "Why is ma back?"

"Apple Seed, Ah told ya to go inside!" Apple Bloom scolded, trying not to break down in tears while trying to keep her nephew away from Applejack's body.

"But why is ma here? She's supposed to be with Solaris!" Apple Seed slipped past Apple Bloom, the young mare unable to stop him due to her overwhelming emotions. He ran past Big Mac and up to his deceased mother, trying to shake her awake. "Ma, get up! Ya gotta help Solaris beat Lucifer!"

Discord quickly levitated the colt away, moving the tarp back down as he distracted him. "Hey, lookie here! Applejack has a kid!? How time flies when you're a wall carving for one and a half decades!? Why don't I play with the little toddler while his mother 'sleeps'!? She is so tired!"

"Ah'm not a baby, Ah'm eight!" Apple Seed corrected, greatly annoyed as he hovered upside down by his tail.

"Same thing! Let's cause some mischief with your friends...if you have any!" Discord didn't give the colt a chance to respond as they disappeared to another part of Ponyville, far away from Sweet Apple Acres.

With the crisis averted, it didn't help Apple Bloom and Big Mac ignore their sister had been killed. Apple Bloom sobbed, her emotional walls crumbling as she wept for her big sister. Big Mac held her close as he shed tears as well, the siblings mourning for Applejack more saddening than Granny Smith's passing. They both feared how they would tell their nephew the truth when Apple Seed had a really close bond with his mother, scared how he would react to her death.

Chapter 11: Unknown Relatives

The train had entered the frozen tundra after a day of chugging through the arid climate of Saddle Arabia, sand and heat replaced by snow and frost. In the private car at the end of the locomotive was where Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Trill, and Solaris had spent their day. They were still suffering from Applejack's unfortunate death, unmotivated to do anything or find any way to cheer each other up. Solaris was taking it hard, blaming himself for the mare's sacrifice.

He looked out the window from his bunk, watching the scenery pass by, no longer interested in the landscape he desired to see from the world outside of the caves. He heard his stomach growling, begging for something to eat, but he didn't feel hungry. He was slowly losing his family one by one, and he was scared to know what will happen to the others. What was worse, he feared what the mares' families would think of him if they all died because of him.

While Solaris internally struggled with his thoughts, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were in a separate car as they tried to figure out what to do. Having lost three friends in the span of a week, they really needed to figure out what they should do next.

"Ok, I think we might be safe as long as we lay low," Rainbow said, still upset after losing Applejack, but sane enough to think about their future planning. "Let's just hope Lucifer thinks we're still dead. I doubt that will happen, since his little minion was watching us like a sick bastard."

"You mean the full body armored stallion?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah. The same one who dropped Rarity off to us." Rainbow growled as she thought of many different ways to get back at this mysterious mercenary. "If I see him again, I am going to kill him myself."

"Can we not talk about negative feelings?" Pinkie asked. "I know this hasn't been a fun adventure, but we're going to be at the Crystal Empire soon. We don't want Solly to be sad when he sees his relatives."

"...Right," Rainbow admitted. "No matter what happens, we have to keep going. Solaris needs to do complete all of these tests, and we all need a break after what happened in the desert. It'll do him some good to meet Shining Armor and Cadence for the first time."

"I'm sure Cadence and Shining Armor would want to see how much he's grown," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah!" Pinkie said. "He's gonna meet his uncle and aunt he never knew about!...Like when he was kept hidden from the truth...about Twilight..." She trailed off, the three mares growing worried about how Solaris would react to meeting relatives he never knew of that were actually related to him by blood. "...I have a bad feeling it's gonna end up with yelling and possible furniture smashing."

"Do you really think Solaris is gonna break something and freak out?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, do you not remember what he did to his punching bag!?" Pinkie exclaimed. "He can do some serious damage to anything!"

"I doubt he's gonna overreact that way, Pinkie," Rainbow said, though she seemed a bit worried. "At least, I hope he doesn't..."

As evening came sooner than expected, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were asleep in their bunks, while Solaris and Trill were still awake. The alicorn hadn't slept in the past two days and his stomach demanded food, slowly harming himself as he still laid in the same position, while the changeling princess could feel his sadness from above him. She tried to get him to say something, but she got nothing. Even with some of her lewd jokes, nothing seemed to make him snap out of his funk.

Her ears perked up when she heard Solaris finally leave his bed, quietly heading to the caboose. Trill followed him as he was by himself in the car, wondering what he was up to. She saw something glow against his chest, his chaos pendant emitting a small light. Her jaw dropped when she saw a cloud appear out of nowhere, coated pink, and Solaris's horn didn't even glow. He bit off a piece of the cloud, the scent hitting her nose a mix of cotton candy and chocolate milk.

"What in Equestria...?" Trill pondered, her voice reaching Solaris's ears.

"I thought you were asleep..." Solaris continued munching on the chaotic cloud he created, keeping his back turned to Trill.

"Kinda hard to when I can feel your depression when your directly beneath me." Trill moved closer to Solaris until she sat in front of him, eyeing the pink cloud floating before them. "Uhh...mind telling me what that is you're eating? I mean, I'm glad you finally got up to eat something, but...why a cloud?"

"...I gave in to my stomach's protests." Solaris bit into his cloud, some chocolate milk spurting out from the bite mark, only to be absorbed back into the cotton candy. "It's a cotton candy cloud stuffed with chocolate milk."

"Chocolate milk!?" Trill immediately bit down on the fluffy cloud of candy, tasting the strawberry cotton candy and delighting in the chocolate milk filling stuffing her cheeks. She moaned in ecstasy at the chocolatey goodness invading her taste buds, not even minding the cotton candy part of the cloud. "Ooooh goodness of all things delicious. Chocolate..."

Solaris backed away a little, Trill's obvious addiction to chocolate going to be a serious issue. Swallowing her mouthful and licking her lips, she noticed the alicorn teen's awkwardness, chuckling in embarrassment.

"What is it with you and chocolate?" Solaris asked.

"...It tastes like love..." Trill waited for a response, knowing it was a stupid answer, even if it was true for her. "I know it sounds stupid, but we changelings love the stuff to death. Call it a weakness since it's a substitute for the real love energy we absorb."

"...Oh," Solaris said in understanding. "I guess that makes sense."

"Eh?" Trill stared at the stallion quizzically. "Really? I thought you would say something like, 'That doesn't make any sense,' or, 'What!? Seriously!? Is that what love really tastes like? Chocolate?'"

"Hearts and Hooves Day." Trill grew even more confused at his answer. "Couples usually give each other gifts on this holiday to show their affection, whether platonic or not. It's either chocolates, flowers, or cards as the gifts, and nopony can resist chocolate from their special somepony." Solaris nibbled some more of the cloud, taking a momentary break to fill up his stomach. He didn't even notice Trill's dumbfounded expression, still completely loss. "You know, it's a weird story how Hearts and Hooves Day came to be.

"It all started when a unicorn prince pined for a princess he had a crush on, but she had no idea he existed. He created a potion where two ponies have to consume the same brew at the same time, falling in love with each other against their will. Unfortunately, instead of a potion, it was more like a poison." Solaris continued his rambling as he continued munching on his snack. "The couple were in love, but it was the awkward kind like in those strange, cheesy romance novels. They constantly stared in each other's eyes, shirking off from their royal duties until, eventually, their kingdoms collapsed. After the tragic death between the forced lovers, Hearts and Hooves Day was created, celebrating love between friends, family, or the pony of their dreams."

After finishing his lecture, Trill blankly stared at the alicorn, having had no interest the entire time. "...Can you explain how that relates to changelings and our love for chocolate? Because I didn't want to hear about a love story turned tragic by a poison."

"Oh..." Solaris looked down, having forgotten why he was relating the holiday to Trill's love of chocolate, only to ramble on a tangent and talk about something else. "Sorry...My mind isn't exactly in the right place at the moment." He looked out one of the windows, approaching it and looked out at the darkness, the moon shining down and lighting up the snow-covered land. "I still can't stop blaming myself for what happened to Aunt Applejack..."

"Solaris..." Trill walked up to the depressed alicorn, gently laying her hoof on his shoulder, reverting to her normal form since they were alone. "It wasn't your fault."

"Then why do I feel like I caused her death?" Solaris questioned rhetorically, burying his face in his forelegs. "She worked on a farm all her life, years of bucking apples giving her more strength and stamina than any other regular earth pony. She should have outrun the collapse and all of us would have survived...It makes no sense..."

"Solaris, we saw how fast the ruins were crumbling," Trill said. "After you went flying out when Applejack saved you, it took only a few seconds for the debris to completely wreck the secret passage. She sacrificed herself so you could live, because she knew you were important to her and didn't want you to die with her."

"But I-" The sound of a slap echoed in the empty caboose, Solaris's protest silenced as he was stunned in silent shock, being slapped by the changeling princess hard in the face.

"No buts!" Trill shouted, her hoof outstretched for another slap if the alicorn tried to find another excuse. "Applejack wouldn't want you to keep blaming yourself over something you didn't do! We all know you're the only one who can stop Lucifer, and if you died, then Equestria will fall! Am I right!?"

Solaris slowly turned his head to look at Trill, rendered speechless. He slowly rubbed his cheek, feeling it sting, still stunned as he processed what she said. He didn't want his family to sacrifice themselves for his own safety, as if his Uncle Spike's loss wasn't scarring to him already. He was snapped out of his stupor when Trill wrapped his hooves around his neck, holding him closely.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself like this," she said. "I can feel your emotions, and it makes me sad knowing you're so miserable..." Trill nuzzled his neck, making Solaris blush. "No matter what happens, I'll be with you to help you back up...I promised Applejack that much back in Saddle Arabia..."

After he finally managed to wrack his brain over what had just happened, Trill's words finally reached Solaris. She was right; Applejack wouldn't want him to lose his focus. He needed to keep going, just like his mother requested back in the Everfree Forest. And hearing how Trill was feeling when he was upset made him feel bad.

Trill had helped Solaris forget about some of the bad moments that had occurred within the past week, despite her crude jokes and pranks distasteful. She began changing after he scolded her and broken their friendship, her behavior around him always odd and questionable. Now, seeing her acting so differently, being there for him, comforting him, it was like he was with a different pony.

He hugged Trill tightly, thankful to have met somepony like her, even if she was supposed to be one of Equestria's enemies. "I'm sorry...I under a lot of pressure, and losing everypony is just making me more stressed."

"I know," Trill said. "Which is why if you keep stressing out, your gold mane's gonna turn grey before you turn twenty."

"I'm just gonna ignore that and imagine you complimented my mane," Solaris said, grinning as he began to slightly grow accustomed to Trill's sarcasm. He suddenly felt the mare tremble in his hooves. "You ok?"

"Y-Yeah...I didn't realize how cold it got in here." Trill shivered, huddling close to Solaris for any warmth she could get. "I'm not doing this to flirt with you or anything. Changelings aren't really fond of the cold. Which was also why I didn't want to be anywhere away from the fire back in the desert."

"You engulf yourself in flames when you transform," Solaris replied.

"It's just a small effect. It doesn't have any heat to it, just an illusion," Trill explained.

She went rigid as she felt Solaris wrapping his wings around her body, surprisingly warm like his own body heat. Trill blushed heavily, feeling the powerful appendages pulling her closer to him as he sheltered her from the slightly cold air. She looked up at him, his face as red as hers while trying not to look into her eyes.

"Uhh...better?" Solaris asked, obviously nervous with how intimately close they were.

"Y-Yeah..." Trill felt his soft feathers brush along her body with each subtle movement he made, almost like he was gently caressing her. She sighed, leaning against Solaris, feeling her body temperature warm up as she enjoyed the soft touch of his wings. "Your feathers are really soft..."

"I know. I learned how to keep them preened from Aunt Rainbow and Aunt Fluttershy." He brushed his wings against Trill's, feeling how smooth they were for being paper-thin and fragile. He was completely unaware of what he was doing, too lost in his fascination with how different she was compared to him. Once he realized she was making those same chirping noises she made while she slept, he stopped his rubbing, hearing her whine in protest. "Sorry..."

"I liked that though," Trill whined.

"Uhh..." Solaris pulled his wings back, calming himself down as his intense blush didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. "I-I'm kinda tired. I think I'm gonna get some sleep."

Before he could leave, Trill gently pressed herself against him, making the stallion freeze up. "Solaris...Is it ok if I...sleep with you?" The alicorn felt his breath catch his throat, completely caught off guard. "N-Not like that. I mean, to keep warm...I'm not sure my sheets can help..."

"...Oh!" Solaris breathed a sigh of relief. "I-I thought that you...Oh gosh...I was gonna say that we were...Because you're a changeling and-" Trill pressed a hoof to his lips, silencing his babbling.

"A yes or no will work instead of your mouth running on auto-pilot," Trill giggled, making Solaris's heart beat against his chest at her laugh. He nodded his head, his lips still closed by her hoof. "I promise I won't do anything stupid. And before you complain, you were the one who was all over me back in the Everfree Forest, sleep cuddler."

Solaris pouted, his blush threatening to make his head explode, being reminded of her little wake-up prank. "I am not a sleep cuddler..."

The two teens headed back into their car, keeping quiet to avoid waking the others. They got into Solaris's bed, Trill crawling in first as she got comfortable under the covers. They huddled close together, their hooves wrapped around each other to share each other's body heat. As soon as the alicorn rested his head on the pillow, he instantly fell asleep, heavily exhausted from two days lacking sleep.

Trill watched Solaris sleeping calmly, feeling his chest slowly rise and fall with each breath he took. She was glad she managed to snap him back to his normal self, though she felt she went a bit far slapping him like that. If only she was brave enough to tell him how she really felt about him. Solaris did hold her closely earlier, even subconsciously rubbing her affectionately. Maybe there was a possibility that he liked her the same way, he was just too blind to realize it yet. Before she fell asleep, she transformed back in her disguise, the green flames thankfully not alerting anypony from their slumber.

The sun rose above the frozen tundra of the north as the train continued along its route to the Crystal Empire. Inside of the private car the group slept in, Rainbow was the first to wake up, routine she was forced to do when she had her daughter, who she had named Prism. While taking a moment to get motivated, she dug through her bags and pulled out a picture of her little filly hugging her pet tortoise, Tank. Prism looked exactly like her mother: rainbow hair, magenta eyes, but the only difference between the two was her coat, a lighter shade of blue than Rainbow's.

As much as the pegasus didn't want to admit feeling sappy, she was really proud that she gave birth to a filly like her. Prism acted a lot like her, always tough and energetic, but loyal to her family and friends. She might not be as fast as her mother, but given enough time and training, she could be pulling off sonic rainbooms like Rainbow could. She pulled out another picture, showing Prism as a newborn foal being held by a smiling teenage Scootloo, Prism's surrogate older sister. She had gotten her cutie mark along with her other two friends, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, which was a shield, only it had a feather in the center and a lightning bolt inside the feather.

Rainbow was glad to know that Scootaloo would be there for her daughter if anything happened to her. She even promised to watch out for her while she was gone, intending to come back home after Lucifer was dealt with. She put the pictures back safely in her bags, making sure nopony saw her hiding those pictures. She had a reputation, even after becoming a mother, not wanting to let her loving side show too much.

She got out of bed, stretching out her limbs, preferring a cloud bed more than the spring mattresses used for non-pegasi. When she looked over at Solaris's bunk, her eyes widened as she saw Trill sleeping with him, being held in his hooves. Whatever happened while she slept, she grinned as she thought of only one thing that could have possibly happened, and it was a really perverted theory. She flew up onto the top bunk, peeking her head over as she watched the alicorn teen slowly wake up.

Solaris opened his eyes, still pretty tired, but rested enough not to pass out later on today. He looked down as he heard quiet chirping, remembering Trill slept with him for warmth. He realized that, while he was asleep, he must have draped a wing over her unconsciously, either to help bring her more warmth or an involuntary reflex of his limbs.

"Guess I am a sleep cuddler after all..." Solaris sighed, proven wrong, but he didn't care. He held Trill closer, feeling her heart beating softly while his only increased in speed. His thoughts raced as he began to think that he might be falling for the changeling. She did care about him and promised she would be there for him, but with their difference in species, as well as being branded as enemies of Equestria, he had no idea what to do. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the mattress above him creak, spotting Rainbow's eyes staring at them, upside down, from the top bunk. "GAH!"

Solaris immediately sat up, smacking his head against the top bunk and regretted it, waking Trill up as she scrambled around under the covers. "What's happening!? Are we under attack!?" She flailed around, knocking Solaris off the bed as he groaned, having the worst wake-up call in his life.

Rubbing his head, he looked up to find the pegasus smirking at him with a sly grin. "So, you two have a little 'fun' last night? Thought you would have made some noise or something."

"A-Aunt Rainbow!" Solaris shouted as he blushed. "W-We didn't do anything like that!"

"Sure," Rainbow teased. "You two didn't do anything while you were cuddling like that. You even had that little look in your eyes that said, 'Oh yeah. I just got laid.'"

"N-No!" Solaris groaned, getting annoyed by his aunt's perverted joking. "Urgh...Why do you do this? It's bad enough for my birthday you gave me a...really dirty magazine...that I actually looked at."

"Any interesting images you fancied?" Rainbow asked, only to receive a smack in the face by her saddlebags.

It wasn't Solaris who threw them, it was Fluttershy, and she didn't seem to like the idea. "You gave Solaris what for his birthday!? Rainbow, what were you thinking!?"

"Hey, it was just a little joke, Flutters!" Rainbow defended, not wanting to receive 'The Stare' from her foalhood friend. "I wanted to know how he reacted. Besides, he's a growing colt. He's bound to have urges with his hormones acting up."

"He isn't old enough to even think about that, especially when it comes to what we have to do now," Fluttershy scolded. "Or did you completely forget what you said yesterday?"

"I know what I said. I was just making fun of him a little bit," Rainbow said. "Not my fault he and Evergreen slept in the same bed. They were like that when I woke up."

"What!?" Fluttershy shouted, looking at Solaris, now him fearing her aunt's gaze.

"She was cold and asked to sleep with me to keep warm! We did absolutely nothing!" Solaris said, feeling more embarrassed at his aunts' pestering.

He began yelping in pain as he felt his ear being grabbed by Fluttershy's teeth, being dragged into a separate car for a proper scolding by the pegasus. As kind as the mare can be, she does have a strict side to her if her buttons are pushed enough, and Rainbow's little birthday prank seemed to bring her to a boiling point.

"...So, what did you two really do?" Rainbow asked Trill.

"We just slept with each other for warmth. That was all," Trill said. "...What kind of magazine did you give him?"

"Latest issue of Playcolt," Rainbow admitted. "Had some really juicy pics that I'm sure would have...'stimulated' his mind on a different perspective on mares."

"Oooh. I think might have gone through every page, judging by how red his cheeks were," Trill said, bumping her hoof with Rainbow's, both of them having the same prediction as to what Solaris did with the magazine.

A while later, the train slowed down to the station outside of the Crystal Empire, the five of them getting off after gathering their belongings. As soon as Solaris and Trill noticed the castle, they gasped in awe at the crystallized kingdom. The tall castle and the many buildings, all made of crystal, was protected by a magical barrier created by the Crystal Heart, an artifact that is powered by the crystal ponies happiness, able to expel darkness from its shield. Luckily, none of Lucifer's Shadow Knights were anywhere near the kingdom since the unicorn king's dark magic would prevent him from trying to enter unless he wanted to be slain by the light of the heart.

"Whoa..." Solaris said, breaking out of his speechlessness.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire," Rainbow said, leading the way as the two teens marveled at the shimmering crystals. As they walked through the barrier, it felt a lot warmer compared to the cold air outside, which Trill was thankful for. "Out of all the places around Equestria, this kingdom is the only safe zone outside of Lucifer's reign. Some ponies, griffons, and other species began to flee from their homes to come here, away from being pushed around by his soldiers or risk getting killed by that bastard."

As they walked through the streets, also made out of a smooth type of crystal, Solaris and Trill noticed the ponies that were actually native to the kingdom shimmered like they were really made of crystal. "This place is beautiful." Up ahead, the alicorn spotted a strange crystal statue of a dragon in the center of town. "Do the crystal ponies worship dragons?"

"That's actually a statue of Spike," Fluttershy corrected. "When Sombra came back, he and your mother found the Crystal Heart, but Spike was the one who brought it down to Princess Cadence, saving the empire along with her."

"Wow." Solaris looked up at the statue, noticing some similar features despite the entire statue was blue. "So, he was a hero...But, who's this Princess Cadence? You told me about the Crystal Empire before, but not about who rules this place."

"We were keeping it a surprise, you silly billy!" Pinkie bounced in, giving Solaris a light pat on the head. "You're gonna love meeting the princess, and her husband! I think you might recognize them...assuming you can remember them when you were a itty bitty foal."

"Huh? They know about me?" Solaris asked, but didn't receive an answer.

He followed his aunts, Trill walking alongside him, approaching the massive crystal castle. The guards stationed in front of the entrance, also shining like crystal and wearing similarly made armor, let them in, knowing who the mares were. They followed the many corridors, Solaris feeling the eyes of the crystal guards staring at him. As they entered the throne room, his eyes widened as he saw the princess of the kingdom.

Sitting on her crystal throne was a pink alicorn mare, her long mane and tail a mix of yellow, pink, and purple. Her cutie mark was a crystal heart, almost identical to the actual relic used to ward off evil. She was busy looking through a few scrolls, possibly laws or scheduled hearings she would have to partake in at a later date, not noticing her guests' arrival.

"An alicorn?" Solaris questioned, bewildered and confused. "I thought I was the only one left..."

The princess heard Solaris's voice, looking up from her work to see the ponies who came to see her. Keeping a neutral expression, she rolled up the scroll she was currently reading, getting off of her throne. Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie bowed as they backed away, the ruler slowly approaching the teen. Trill followed suit, backing away as her sights were only set on the alicorn standing in her presence.

"Guards, leave me alone with our guests, if you please," she said, the stallions bowing to the princess as they left the room. Solaris gulped, really nervous, either in serious trouble or what the princess had in mind for him away from her soldiers' eyes. As soon as the guards closed the doors, all that was left was the teen, Trill, his aunts, and the princess of the Crystal Empire. Solaris shivered, having no clue what she would do to him as she stood in front of him. She suddenly smiled widely, excitement lighting up in her eyes. "Look how much you've grown!"

Before he nearly fainted from the tense moment, Solaris was immediately snatched up by the princess, being hugged tightly. "W-Wha...? What's-"

"I haven't seen you ever since you were a baby! You've grown into a big, strong stallion now!" She pulled away, only to move her hooves up to his cheeks, squishing his face. "You had such chubby cheeks when you were born!"

"I-I'm confushed!" Solaris said as the princess coddled him like he was a toddler. He pulled away from her grabby hooves, scared of her excitement more than an expected punishment. "How do you know me!?"

"I know it's a little difficult to remember, but you were just an infant when you met us. And you were so cute!" she said.

"...I don't understand..." Solaris said.

"Now if my husband was awake right now, this would be a perfect family reunion. He's always been so busy, and I told him not to overwork himself, but he can be so stubborn sometimes," the princess said.

Before he could retort, the throne room doors opened as a white unicorn stallion walked in. He wasn't a crystal pony, even though many of them seemed to be earth ponies. "Cadence, you need to remind the rest of the guard not to wake me unless it's a real emergency. I'm really exhausted and-" He froze as he looked at Solaris.

Turning to the older stallion, he noticed his blue mane and tail, and his cutie mark a blue shield with a purple star in the center. The star looked exactly like his mother's, which seemed odd. The princess, Cadence, skipped up to the shocked stallion, gently nudging him toward Solaris.

"Glad you finally decided to wake up, honey," she said. "Look how big he's gotten! Oh, if only the girls and Spike were able to send us pictures!"

"Ok, I'm really confused, and nopony's answering me!" Solaris exclaimed. "Who are you two, and how do you know who I am!?"

Cadence laughed at his confusion, even though it didn't seem insulting. "I know this is a lot to take in, but I think it's finally time for you to meet us. Spending fifteen years in a cave, kept hidden from the world, there's a lot of stuff you've been away from, including family."

"F-Family?" Solaris asked. He began piecing the last parts of the puzzle together, the same star on the stallion's cutie mark just like his mother's and half of his, why Cadence gushed over him. He couldn't really believe it. "...Y-You mean...A-Are you really...?"

"Yes. I'm Cadence, and this is my husband, Shining Armor," Cadence said as she nudged her husband out of his stupor. "Shining is your mother's older brother, making us your aunt and uncle. Isn't it exciting?"

"A-Aunt...a-and u-uncle...?" Solaris muttered.

He kept staring at his relatives, mostly his uncle, being related to him by blood. He wasn't at all mad having another part of his family kept secret, knowing Lucifer could have done worse. He didn't know what to feel at all: happy, ecstatic, sad. So many thoughts raced through his head, so many questions about his actual uncle and aunt he wanted to ask, wanting to know everything about them and what they knew about Twilight. His brain eventually broke, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he fainted, plopping to the floor. The whole room was silent, not exactly the reaction they expected.

"...Well, at least he didn't blow up like when we told him about Twilight," Pinkie finally said. "We'll take that instead!"

Rainbow facehooved, annoyed by Pinkie's decision to find Solaris fainting better than yelling at them and breaking everything around him.

Chapter 12: Catching Up on Lost Time

After Solaris's little fainting spell, waking up hours later, everypony was in the dining hall for dinner, eating some of the meals crafted with the empire's famed crystal berries, which actually aren't made of real crystal. Solaris was too excited to eat, wanting to ask Cadence and Shining Armor hundreds of questions, but he was too nervous to utter a single word. Trill was the only one aside from Solaris who didn't eat any of the different dishes, not really fond of the fruity scents wafting around the long table.

While eating their meals, Cadence noticed Solaris had kept eyeing them and wanting to say something, but always turning back to his plate. "Solaris, you don't have to be shy around us. And eat! I'm sure you must be starving!"

"...I-I don't even know what to say," he said. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Well, I'm sure you all can spare a few days to rest. You must be pretty tired from traveling half of Equestria already." Cadence took a sip of tea from her crystal china, realizing that there were a some ponies and a certain dragon missing. "So, where are the others? Did you guys get lost and they had to get on a different train?"

The whole room was silent, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Solaris immediately felt depressed. "...Lucifer got them..." Rainbow said. "He found Solaris, killed Spike, then Rarity when she tried to get revenge for Spike's death, and Applejack got crushed in the temple back in Saddle Arabia..."

Cadence gasped, completely shocked at the terrible news. "Oh gosh...I am so sorry."

Shining Armor grit his teeth, seething with anger as the name of the tyrant was mentioned. "Lucifer..." The stallion took a large swig of his glass, filled with hard cider, lowering the alcoholic beverage back down before he decided to smash it against the table in rage. "Ever since he came around and killed my sister and the princesses, he's caused nothing but trouble. His soldiers have no discipline, looting and pillaging whatever they can with no consequence. Because of that and fear of ever crossing paths with him, many families had fled here to the Crystal Empire for protection. There's barely enough room to accept anymore, and if this keeps up, we'll have to turn others around to seek shelter elsewhere!"

"The Crystal Heart's power can only protect the kingdom, and the barrier's radius doesn't reach any further than what I can ask it to," Cadence said, gently rubbing her husband's shoulder to try and calm him down. "The crystal ponies are doing whatever they can to help. As long as the barrier stays up, Lucifer can never get in."

"And he's waiting for one of us to slip up and leave the empire," Shining growled. "He'll take advantage and us one of us as a shield, a bargaining chip that he'll easily discard once he lures us out. His tyranny is stressing me out, and nopony can even so much as scratch him without getting killed..."

"Which is why I'm the only one who can do it," said Solaris. "If I can pass my tests mom had set up for me, then I can face him. I'll kill him and make sure Equestria is back to the way it used to be."

"...I know, Solaris..." Shining slowly got up from his seat, making his way out of the dining hall. "I'm going to get some sleep. I've been so exhausted with everything that's been going on." As he passed Trill, he noticed that she didn't eat anything yet. As soon as their eyes met, the prince somehow found her emerald irises to be somewhat familiar. "...I didn't realize you were actually with my nephew...Who are you?"

"My name's Evergreen Forrest," Trill responded.

"...I see..." After staring at the teen for a while, he finally left the dining hall and began heading for his bedroom. He began to grow suspicious from her lack of appetite and emerald eyes. "Those eyes...I've seen those same green eyes before..."

After spending the rest of the evening resting in their rooms in the castle, everypony went about their business around the empire. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy decided to spend some time at the spa to truly relax, while Solaris wanted to spend his time getting to know more about his new aunt and uncle. Trill tagged along, having no clue what to do and followed the alicorns.

"Where's Uncle Shining?" Solaris asked as they walked through the streets, the crystal ponies bowing before their princess as they passed.

"He's still pretty tired. Shining works really hard to keep things organized with me, though he is pushing himself more and more." They soon entered the nearby park, where there weren't many ponies who would interrupt them. "I know you want the both of us close-by so you could know us better, but I'll answer any of his questions to the best of my ability."

"Ok. I understand," Solaris said, mulling over the many questions he felt bold enough to finally ask. "So, you're an alicorn too. I actually thought it was just me now."

"Yes, but I'm not a naturally born alicorn. I used to be a pegasus before Aunt Celestia ascended me to an alicorn," Cadence said with pride, surprising both Trill and Solaris. "And before you ask if I could have stopped Lucifer, I can't. I'm more of a lover, not a fighter."

"You mean you can't fight?" he asked.

"I can, but I'm not really good at it, magically or physically," Cadence said. "My specialty is actually love. I always adored romance, no matter what kind it may be. Tragic love stories, love at first sight, schoolpony crushes. Nopony should ever break up those truly in love with one another."

"Bleh," Solaris groaned in digust. "You mean you like those dumb romance novels with horribly written dialogue that sounded like a five-year-old thought of?"

"There are some good love stories out there, Solaris. You just gotta look past the words and imagine the experience." Cadence lead Trill and Solaris to a gazebo, where they could see the park in its clean and lustrous landscape. "Shining and I were the kind of couple who ended up dating back when we were teens. He was smitten by my looks the instant he laid eyes on me." She began giggling, remembering a funny point in their life. "You should have seen how he reacted when he found out I would be foalsitting your mother when she was a filly."

"You foalsat my mom?" Solaris asked. "...How old are you?"

"Forty-five, yet I still look like I'm in my early twenties, don't I?" Cadence answered, not insulted by her nephew's question on her age.

"Yeah. I though it was weird how you and Uncle Shining seemed different age-wise..." Solaris felt a little awkward asking his aunt's age, something he had learned never to do from Rarity if he ever met another filly. "Why is that?"

"Alicorns age differently compared to normal ponies. Celestia and Luna were over a thousand years old, and they were still around after all that time..." Cadence frowned, remembering the unfortunate news when Lucifer had attacked her aunts and sister-in-law. "We may seem immortal, but only by age. We can still be killed..."

"Right..." Solaris looked at his wings, knowing true immortality is nothing but fantasy. But growing older, year after year, watching the ones you knew and loved die, it would be worse than being tortured to near death. "In stories, immortality is known as a blessing, where the villain would live forever, unable to be killed and free to do whatever they want. For the heroes, or us...It's almost like a curse."

"Exactly..." As they grew silent, Trill could feel their sadness. Losing Twilight and the princesses were really hard on the both of them. Cadence pulled her nephew close into a tight embrace and he hugged her back. "I know this is all rough on you, Solaris. Know that your mother always loved you, and she would do anything for you."

"I know..." Solaris said.

As the two alicorns hugged, Cadence suddenly felt something really odd in their presence. Her first instinct was looking at Trill, feeling something strangely familiar about her that she didn't realize until now. When the disguised changeling wasn't looking, Cadence gave Solaris a small kiss on the forehead, noticing a slight reaction to the mare's horn. It was faint, but it glowed green. She eyed the young mare, gently pulling away from her nephew.

"I know our meeting was a bit swift, but who are you again?" Cadence questioned. "Evergreen, was it?"

"Uhh, y-yes ma'am..." Trill said nervously.

"I also noticed you didn't eat anything last night..." Her suspicions began to grow as she noticed the changeling's hints of nervousness. "Were you not hungry? Or sick perhaps?"

"I-I wasn't hungry. I uhh...had a big lunch yesterday! Yeah!" Trill chuckled, growing more suspicious as her lies didn't faze Cadence.

"But we didn't have lunch. At least none on the train before we disembarked," Solaris said, making Trill sweat as the alicorn was the one who was going to ruin her lies.

"Hmmm..." Cadence approached the mare, looking around to make sure no other ponies were around. Her horn began glowing, casting a blue aura, making a heart appear in front of her. At the sight of the magical heart, Trill's eyes were automatically entranced to the spell, her mouth salivating at the energy it produced. Cadence had found her out. "I knew it."

Cadence tackled the dazed changeling to the ground, surprising Solaris. She then dispelled Trill's disguise, revealing her true self. As the young princess looked up, she knew she was in trouble.

"Uh oh," Trill gulped, scared out of her mind.

"I knew you weren't an ordinary pony," Cadence said, her horn glowing as she prepared to fight back. "What's a changeling doing here in my empire!?"

"Wait, Aunt Cadence!" Solaris quickly pulled her aunt away, shocking her as he defended Trill. "I can explain!"

"You mean you knew she was a changeling!?" Cadence asked. "Do you have any idea what they almost did to mine and Shining's wedding!?"

"Well, I wasn't told what a changeling was until-" Solaris paused, thinking over what Cadence had just said. "Wait...Your wedding?"

"Yes! And by the look of her, she must obviously be Chrysalis's heir, not like her drones," Cadence said. "I knew Shining Armor thought it was strange how her eyes looked, because they're exactly like hers, the same thing that tried to take my husband away from me and use him!"

"What?" Solaris looked back at Trill, who was just as shocked as he was, then turned back to Cadence. "Trill told me her mom tried to take over a royal wedding between a princess and a royal guard captain in Canterlot...You mean...she was talking about you and Uncle Shining?"

"Yes!" Cadence stomped her hoof, ready to end the young changeling's life. "Now move aside! I don't want any one of these things anywhere near you!"

"Wait! I had no idea mom was talking about you!" Trill said in a panic. "I wasn't even born when the invasion happened!"

"She's right," Solaris said. "Aunt Cadence, Trill actually helped me when I first left my home near Ponyville...I was by myself and lost, and I bumped into her. She's my friend."

Cadence didn't want to believe what Solaris was saying was the truth, but she froze when she felt something else about them. It was the same feeling of emotion that she can feel and aid for couples that are lacking in it: love. She stared at the cowering changeling, unable to believe that something like her could actually be in love with her nephew, and it was legitimate too. There was no deceit, no lies, nothing entirely wrong. It felt right for them, and it baffled her.

The princess lowered her guard, trying to figure out if this was supposed to be some kind of trick, but it wasn't. "...Are you sure? She isn't...manipulating you or anything, is she?"

"No," Solaris said as Trill shook her head, staying silent to avoid angering the princess. "Even if you think she is, I'm not going to let you hurt her. I don't want to lose her."

That had shocked Cadence. She could feel the same emotion from Solaris as he said he didn't want to lose Trill. He cared about her, and in return, she cared about him. As much as she wanted to deny this, she couldn't help herself with always liking any form of romance, especially one where two species who were enemies toward one another could end up being together. Sighing in defeat, she sat down, rubbing her forehead as she wracked her brain around her likes favoring over her dislikes.

"...Alright then," she said. "If you can trust her...then I won't do anything." Solaris and Trill both breathed a sigh of relief. "But, she's going to have to reveal herself to the others today."

"What!?" Solaris exclaimed as Trill's jaw dropped in fear. "B-But Aunt Cadence-"

"No buts, Solaris!" Cadence scolded, Solaris protest immediately silenced. "If she's going to be traveling with you, then she's going to need everypony's one hundred percent trust. That means no disguises around other family members." The teen's ears drooped, growing worried about Trill's safety. "I'm sorry, Solaris, but after the invasion, changelings can't really be trusted. They almost took over Canterlot and crashed our wedding. Maybe they might not be all bad as you think, but not a lot of ponies can look past events that have occurred years ago."

"But isn't Equestria supposed to be a kingdom where everypony is equal?" Solaris asked. "Changelings are technically ponies, just slightly different. Wouldn't things have worked out differently if both our kinds met and arranged some kind of compromise?"

Cadence was about to argue, but she realized that he was kind of right. Sure, they knew nothing about the changelings until they showed themselves at her wedding, but they tried to invade Equestria. Chrysalis nearly won, but maybe she did all this out of desperation for her subjects' survival. There were a lot of options that could have been done, and prejudice against the changelings would only be known because of the invasion without knowing their real reason behind it all.

"...I guess..." Cadence was rendered speechless. Just from looking at Trill, who had no knowledge of who her mother had actually impersonated as and tried to crash their wedding, all she did judge her by was her body. She was innocent in all of this, not part of the invasion and only treated badly by her holed legs, insect wings, crooked horn, and fangs. "...Maybe I was a bit...brash. I just didn't want another invasion to happen."

"We can't do much of anything since Lucifer came into power," Trill said, though still hiding behind Solaris. "We can't feed off love if it can't be given when ponies are always afraid."

"Then I guess we do have something in common after all: wanting Lucifer to step down from Equestria's throne." Cadence held out her hoof to the changeling. "Forgive me for attacking you?"

"...Yeah." Trill bumped her hoof against Cadence's, though she was still confused by her change of mind, along with Solaris. "Why don't you want to get rid of me anymore?"

"Solaris seems to make a good politician for being a teenager," Cadence lied, even if it was partially true. She didn't want to admit that the real reason why was because she wanted to see what these two would be like as a couple. "Now, let's see if we can gather the others back at the castle to show who you really are. I'm sure my nephew would fight just about anypony if they tried to hurt you, even if they're family."

Cadence saw Trill blush, purely obvious that she does indeed have a crush on Solaris.

A while later, Cadence had gathered the others into the throne room, dismissing her guards as they decided to reveal Trill's identity to Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Shining Armor. As soon as the changeling dropped her disguise, it was obvious they didn't approve of her deceiving them. But after explaining that Trill wasn't as bad as the changelings from the invasion, her helping him from his panic attack in the Everfree Forest, and being called Solaris's friend, it was difficult for them to accept her into the group.

Rainbow Dash didn't seem to trust her all that much, Fluttershy was indecisive, Pinkie was mixed between wanting to throw a party for her or throw her out with her party cannon, and Shining Armor really didn't like the idea. It was bad enough to know that Trill was the spitting image of the succubus who brainwashed him, disguised as his wife, but to know that she helped his nephew when he was hurting only confused him.

At least Trill was considered part of the group, she just needed to prove she wasn't going to deceive them and trick them in any way. After her reveal, Shining immediately excused himself, still pretty upset knowing a changeling was among them, despite being told she wasn't that bad. Cadence followed after him, where he headed for their chambers. She could tell he still didn't want to approve Trill being friends with their nephew.

"Shining, can we talk?" she asked.

"Cadence, she can't stay with him," Shining said, laying down on the bed as he rubbed the sides of his head. "After what those giant roaches tried to do on our wedding day, what that heartless thing did to us-"

"I know. I don't like it as much as you, but there's something different about Trill I didn't really expect." Shining looked up, Cadence sitting next to the bed. "...I think...they really like each other."

"What?" Shining questioned.

"I think you know what I mean," Cadence said. "I could practically feel it coming from the both of them."

The stallion's eyes widened, sitting up on the bed as he looked at his wife. "Oh no...There is no way that's possible."

"But it is." Cadence climbed up on the comfortable mattress, crawling up to Shining. "Trill is infatuated with Solaris, and I think our nephew likes her back, but he seems too afraid to show it."

Shining groaned as he laid back down. "Cadence, don't use your magic on them. I am not letting my sister's son fall for anything that isn't a normal pony! Who knows if she might be making some kind of ploy or using him to get to us for Chrysalis?"

"Yes, Shiny, I know, but I wasn't planning on using magic to give them that nudge. It would be too wrong." Cadence crawled up over Shining until she straddled his waist. "I'm gonna give them a little push with a little plan." She gave him a smirk, a devious little plan building in the romantic side of her brain. "A day where the two of them spend time together, romantic settings all laid out for them, and the love will blossom until they finally admit their feelings for each other!"

Shining stared blankly at his wife, not liking her little scheme at all. "...Cadence, whenever anything involving romance comes along, it always blows up when you try to control it."

"Oh please. When has it ever backfired?" Cadence asked.

"Well there was that one time you 'helped' an arguing couple in Canterlot on one of our dates, but realized too late that the two were actually siblings, making their next day awkward after they ended up making out with each other that night."

Cadence blushed in embarrasment. "I didn't know they were brother and sister! I didn't even mean to put too much power in that spell as well..."

Shining sighed, pulling Cadence closer to him, letting her head rest on his chest. "I love you Cadence, but you can be a little too wild with love sometimes."

"Oh, like our Sunday Fundays?" Cadence asked, giving the stallion a lustful gaze. "We never do those anymore. And tonight is Sunday. Let's do some role-playing!"

"Sorry, hon." He rolled over, making the alicorn yelp as she slid off his chest. "I can't truly relax until all of this madness is over." Cadence pouted and crossed her forelegs like a spoiled child not getting what she wanted. She felt Shining wrap his forelegs around her, pulling her into a soft and passionate kiss, making her melt under his touch. He knew just how to make her tick, her grumpiness immediately disappearing no matter what he did. "I'll make up all our missed private moments when Lucifer's finally beaten."

"You promise?" Cadence asked, fluttering her eyes.

"I promise." He gave his wife another kiss, cuddling closer to her as he closed his eyes. "If you really think they're really made for each other, which I doubt, don't go overboard with your schemes."

"Ok, I won't go too far this time." Cadence sighed, burying her face in the ex-captain's muscular chest. "Have some faith in me, Shiny. I know it'll work."

Chapter 13: Can you Feel the Love?

As the sun began to rise over the snowy mountains, its rays shone down upon the Crystal Empire, making the crystals all around the castle and town shimmer. Inside one of the guest rooms, Trill snored loudly as she laid sprawled out on the bed, letting out chirps as she exhaled. The sunlight shone through the window, hitting her face as she was forced awake. She sat up, her hair spread out unevenly from her random tossing and turning, squinting her eyes as she glared at the sun.

"You couldn't let me sleep a while longer, could you?" she questioned the bright star. A moment later, she heard knocking come from her door, groaning in annoyance as she greeted the pony who wanted to ruin more of her beauty sleep, transforming into Evergreen in case it was a servant or guard. "Hang on a second..."

She opened the door, surprised to see Cadence, with a very awkward grin on her face. "Good morning, Trill! It's a beautiful day today!"

"...I'm gonna get back to sleep," Trill said.

"Oh come on! Don't be like that!" Cadence said enthusiastically, which was starting to freak the changeling out. "Before we get out to enjoy the sunshine, we're gonna need to fix up that bed head. Time for a little makeover!"

"Huh?" Trill was suddenly whisked away by the alicorn's magic, heading directly into the guest room's bathroom. "Hey, wait a second! When did I agree to have a makeover!?"

"Well, you can't go out looking like that." Cadence shut the bathroom door, the sound of rushing water and Trill's protests muffled as the princess washed her off, using the empire's specially scented soaps and shampoos to clean the changeling. Once she was smelling like a fragrant flower, the alicorn began primping Trill's mane, straightening it out and getting rid of built up knots from lack of grooming. "Ahh. There we go. Now you look a lot better."

Trill looked at herself in the mirror, surprised at who she was looking at. Even though she was still in her disguise, her mane looked a lot better, every single strand straightened out and sparkling in the light. Cadence had even applied some makeup to make her look prettier than anything she could turn into without the product accenting her features.

"Wow..." Trill said, utterly speechless.

"I knew you'd love it. Now, how about you and Solaris got around the empire together and get a good look around. There's plenty of interesting spots around here that you two should enjoy," Cadence said.

"Wait, I thought he was going to spend some time with you and Shining Armor," Trill pondered, finding Cadence's behavior suspicious. "I swear, the other day, he was going to explode if he didn't ask anything about you."

"Well, I have some important meetings to go through. Boring life of a princess," Cadence said. "And Shining Armor is still sleeping. I don't want to bother him too much. Solaris understands, and you guys could really use the time to relax."

"...If you say so," Trill said, unsure of what to think.

The changeling left the room, thanking Cadence for the makeover, leaving the princess to herself. As soon as Trill was gone, the alicorn pulled out a notepad with a list titled "Romance Signs to Success".

"Ok. Trill's all prettied up, and Solaris will find her irresistible. He's have to be brainless to not have any reaction." Checking off "Beautifying mare" on her little list, she giggled with glee as she grew excited. "This is gonna go along great! I just need to make sure they don't see me while they spend the day together!" Cadence clapped her hooves together, her excitement disappearing as she realized just how crazy she was being. "Wow, I almost feel like Twilight when it comes to anything involving learning...I kinda hope it isn't hereditary and Solaris doesn't freak out with knowledge."

As Cadence tried to calm herself before stalking her nephew and future marefriend, Trill wandered about the halls, already feeling lost in the crystal castle. Rounding a corner, she accidentally bumped into Solaris, both of them surprising each other.

"Ahh!" Solaris shouted. "Trill, for goodness sake. Every time something has to surprise me, you always have to be the one causing it."

"Sorry. This castle's huge, and I was trying to find you anyway." Trill fixed up her mane, making sure it didn't get ruined, though why she was being self-conscious about her looks now was beyond her.

"Same here." As Solaris calmed himself from the surprise collision, he got a better look at the changeling, his heart stopping for a brief moment. He saw her mane sparkling like the walls of the palace, as well as her coat. "Wow...What uhh...You look really...nice..."

"Oh..." Trill blushed at the compliment, averting her eyes away from him. "You have to thank your aunt for this. Though, to be fair, I looked like a train wreck this morning."

"Aunt Cadence?" Solaris asked. "Huh...She woke you up early too?"

"No, the sun did, but she was about to," she said. "...Why exactly?"

"She said she had some royal duties to attend to, and suggested walking around the empire with you." Solaris unfurled one of his wings, carrying a bag of bits with him. "She even gave me some money if we wanted anything. Quite a lot of bits if it's just for snacks or lunch."

"Hmm..." Trill was finding it really odd that Cadence wanted them to hang out together, without any supervision from her or any of Solaris's other relatives. But maybe this was a good opportunity to find out if he really likes her. "Well, can't let free bits go to waste!"

"We're not going to buy a ton of useless junk," Solaris said.

"Hey! My outfits weren't a waste!" Trill said as she pouted. "Those Saddle Arabian outfits were cute."

"They were for courtesans!" Solaris scolded.

"You're just mad because you don't wanna admit I looked sexy in it," Trill teased, wiggling her hips, catching the alicorn's eyes.

Solaris blushed, looking away as he walked away to find the castle's entrance. "L-Let's just go."

"Alrighty!" Trill giggled, following after him to explore what else the empire has inside its protective barrier.

As Solaris and Trill wandered around the empire's many streets, using a guide the alicorn teen thought to grab before going anywhere, Cadence followed after them, her body hidden inside of a cloud. She watched them from above, kept far enough away to arouse any suspicion as she went through her checklist. Down below, Solaris went through the map, showing some of the popular shops, restaurants, and locations known in the empire.

"I wonder where we should go first," Solaris pondered as Trill was too busy looking around. One little place caught his eye, and it wasn't too far from where they were walking. "What about this place? 'The Crystal Theatre'?"

"Where?" Looking over the map, she found the theater he pointed at. "Huh. A movie theater. Let's see what's playing!"

"What's a movie?" Solaris asked.

"Oh, right. You probably weren't told what they are." Trill thought of a way to explain to Solaris what movies were. "Well, think of them like a story in a book, except they show the whole story on a screen. They have actors who play out the roles of the characters, shooting the movie in different locations for the setting, stuff like that."

"...That's weird, but a little interesting," Solaris said.

Cadence overheard them as the two teens walked to the movie theater. She grinned as she checked off "Date at the movies" off on her list.

"Perfect. A good start for any couple, enjoying a good movie," Cadence said. "I hope they're playing a good horror film today. Best way for a mare to cuddle close to her stallion for protection."

The princess quickly flew off, keeping her cloud disguise intact, beating her nephew and date to the theater. From the feature that was mostly popular, titled "Terror of the Deep", it seemed fitting for their first movie to watch together. She bought herself a ticket and immediately headed inside, entering the theater showing the film. Hiding in the back, she waited patiently, and a moment later, by pure luck, she caught the two walking into the same theater room, her prediction on their choice spot on.

"'Terror of the Deep' has to be creepy," Trill said, carrying a small bag of popcorn in her telekinesis. "Maybe it's about some giant underwater sea demon that gobbles everypony up!"

"Are movie endings supposed to end that tragically?" Solaris asked, holding onto their sodas in his aura.

"I don't know. This is the first one I'm ever gonna see." Trill sat down a few rows in front of Cadence, both of them unaware of her presence. "This is gonna be so much fun."

Solaris sat down next to her, placing their drinks in the cup holders conveniently placed on their armrests. Trill gave the bag of popcorn to Solaris, not exactly fond of the snack and held it for him. The trailers for other future movies went through a moment later as other moviegoers filled in some more seats. The movie finally begins, starting off deep in the murky depths of the ocean, showing the introduction credits as the camera moved up closer to the surface.

Swimming casually above the surface was a mare that was relaxing, wearing a skimpy swimsuit, obviously showing she isn't going to last the beginning of the movie. Solaris blanched when he noticed the mare's mane, coat, and cutie mark.

"Oh no...Is that Sweetie Belle?" Solaris asked, staring at the unicorn on the big screen. As odd as it was, it was indeed Sweetie Belle in the scene, recognizing her white coat, pink and purple swirled, wet mane, and her shield cutie mark. He remembered the times she, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo would sometimes visit to folasit him when Spike went off to hunt for some gems to snack on. "She's acting in this movie?"

"You know her?" Trill asked.

"Yeah. She used to foalsit for me when I was little. I know she became a singer, but I didn't know she acted too." Solaris kept watching, still finding it hard to believe.

They continued watching, Sweetie Belle's character suddenly jumping when she felt something touch her under the water. Freaking out, she tried to swim back to shore, only to be immediately dragged under the water. A few seconds later, her head popped up out of the water, screaming in terror as she flailed away from the creature that had nabbed her. To no avail, she was dragged back under the water, air bubbles slowing down with each second passing by. The spot where the unicorn once was began to turn red, mimicking blood, along with a terrifying noise no normal creature would ever make, the screen fading black as it showed the title of the movie.

"Wow..." Trill said in astonishment. "...What a start. Wonder what the monster looks like?"

"...S-She's not really REALLY dead, right?" Solaris asked in fright.

"No. It's all fake." Trill took a sip of her drink, patting the freaked out stallion's hoof. "That isn't real blood. It's probably just some food coloring used to make it look like the real thing. Nopony actually dies when making these things."

"Oh...Ok..." Solaris munched on some popcorn, relieved to know everything that happens in films are all done with makeup and cheap tricks.

As the movie wore on, more characters getting killed by the mysterious water monster lurking in the ocean, Cadence watched Solaris and Trill's reactions more than the movie itself. So far, Solaris was the one jumping out of his seat when a jump scare happens while Trill was jeering at the terrible effects. Underneath the alicorn's list for the movie portion of the date, she crossed off "Mare huddling close to stallion for safety", seeing how the disguised changeling wasn't at all fazed by the scary portions of the movie, and crossing off "Stallion nonchalantly stretching foreleg over mare's shoulder", her nephew too engrossed in the movie to focus on his date.

After over an hour, the movie was finally at its end, the main character having survived the attack from the creature, which was a pony-eating tentacle beast, and blew it up using an explosive barrel conveniently placed on a boating pier for no logical reason. The stallion who had survived walked away after losing who knows how many of his friends, but as he was out of the shot, a lone tentacle rose up from the pier, squealing angrily and still alive, the screen going black as they showed the end credits.

"Aww man," Trill whined. "There better be a sequel in the making if that thing's still alive."

"It was...really interesting," Solaris commented. "Did there have to be a scene where we had to see one of them getting torn to shreds under the water, then get eaten by a shark?"

"But that was so cool!" Trill said. She soon noticed the sickening look on Solaris's face, her excitement immediately disappearing. "Oh...right. I forgot about you and...Yeah..."

"No more of these horror movies for me. I've seen enough death in real life..." Solaris got up, picking up his empty cup and popcorn bag to throw away, Trill following after him.

They didn't notice Cadence, who quickly hid from them, but she didn't seem all that happy with the results. "Maybe it was a bad idea for them to see a horror movie...Solaris is still upset after what's happened." She crossed off the entirety of the movie date portion of her list. "There's other dates though. I will not let this up until I see them on the perfect date."

Through the rest of the day, Cadence began to give up hope getting the two to say how they feel about each other. From the many other dates she had planned to follow them, they ended up with no signs of success. After the movie, they headed off to an ice cream parlor, where there was a special for cute couples to get a free sundae they can share. Too bad it only made them more nervous as other ponies were watching them, since they were known as the cutest couple in the entire building. Then there was the clothing store selling outfits made from the ewes woolly coats, which was supposed to be a fun little shopping trip for Trill and Solaris's test of patience for her mindless shopping. There was one problem; since word of Solaris's arrival, and the stallion being known as the crystal prince and princess's nephew, the mares who spotted him began swarming him. He did not appreciate the attention, and Trill didn't like the fact that other teens were trying to get a piece of him. At least they got out before anything got worse.

The sun was close to setting, Cadence sitting in the middle of the park, having set up a little picnic for the two. There was nopony around to disturb them, and it was the perfect environment for a romantic dinner.

"This has to go perfectly. A romantic picnic is simple: nopony to bother them, sun about to set, clean park, it's foolproof!" Cadence tossed aside her list, most of her ideas crossed off after they were all ruined, either by other ponies staring at them and embarrassing them, teens crowding around the princess's nephew like he was the biggest star in Equestria, or seeing fake deaths in a film that only reminded the stallion of the real deaths of his loved ones. "Maybe the first plan with the movie was a bit of a bust, but he did enjoy his first ever movie...I think."

Her ears perked up when she heard Solaris and Trill conversating as they entered the park. Quickly laying down a note for the two on the checkered blanket, Cadence quickly ran into a nearby bush, kept hidden as she watched them approaching the picnic spot.

"I swear, those mares will just eat anything like candy if they see somepony royal and handsome anywhere in their sights," Trill complained.

"Wait, did you just call me handsome?" Solaris asked, making the changeling freeze. "...Were you jealous?"

"J-Jealous!? Who said I was jealous!?" Trill shouted, trying not to sound jealous, even though she clearly was. "You never know who you'll end up meeting that'll want to just use you, you know!?"

"Kinda like what you did when we met?" Solaris asked, almost teasingly by his tone.

"THAT WAS DIFFERENT!" Trill shouted, blushing heavily as she tried to calm herself down. "I-I was hunting...and wanted to feed on your love."

"Mhmm," he said. As they approached the checkered blanket with the picnic basket set directly in the middle, Solaris picked up the note written out to him. "'Solaris, I hope you and Trill are having fun. I set up a little picnic for you two so you don't get too overwhelmed with my castle's winding corridors and enjoy a casual dinner together. Aunt Cadence.' Well, that's a bit odd."

"Yeah," Trill pondered, finding it really suspicious. "You don't think she wanted us to go out and set up a date for us, did she?"

"A date?" Solaris blushed, hoping that today wasn't the reason why his aunt wouldn't want to spend time with him. "I-I'm not sure...I mean, today had been kind of fun...if you don't count the bad stuff."

"...Well, might as well indulge her. Let's see what she got for us to eat." Trill sat down and opened up the basket, pulling out the portions of their dinner: some leafy salads, crystal berries, sparkling cider to drink, non-alcoholic, and for dessert, some chocolate cake. The dessert made the changeling salivate, practically smelling the chocolaty aroma from the plastic wrapping protecting it from insects. "Wow! I'll start with dessert first! You can have the rest."

"H-Hey!" Solaris stopped Trill before she could sink her teeth into the soft and moist pastry, sitting down next to her while keeping the dessert far away from her. "There has to be something else you can stomach besides chocolate. It's like an addiction to you."

"Hmph," Trill pouted, her senses still being invaded by the intoxicating scent of chocolate. "Fine then. I guess I can wait until you had your fill...And I'm not gonna try any of this other stuff."

"Have you really not tried anything else?" Solaris asked, getting his answer when Trill didn't respond. "I thought so. You gotta learn not to be so picky."

Cadence watched from the foliage as the two ate and talked for a little. Overhearing them, it was odd for her to think that Trill, and possibly every other changeling, really liked chocolate. Just learning about her made her learn a little more about the changelings, where Solaris was actually right in his idea to make a compromise. Though that would be difficult on both sides: Cadence and Shining Armor would both disapprove of the idea because Chrysalis almost ruined their wedding, and Chrysalis wouldn't even think about the idea, loathing the thought of working together with Equestria.

Time slowly ticked by as the couple finally began eating their dessert, Trill being thankful that they were going to eat the delicacy taunting her. They got a perfect view of the sunset, the sun's rays still shining through, lighting up some of the crystals around the park. Solaris occasionally glanced at Trill as they watched the sunset, unable to look away as her entire body seemed to shimmer like the surrounding crystals. But he was looking at Evergreen, not Trill. His mind wondered what she actually looked like without her disguise.

"Uhh, Trill?" She looked up at him, her lips covered in chocolate crumbs. "...W-We're...kind of alone out here in the park...I think you can change back."

"Hmm..." Licking her lips, Trill looked around, finding no other pony aside from them. "I guess I can drop it. Hopefully nopony else shows up." Her body was surrounded in flames, changing back to her original form. "There. Better?"

Solaris's breath got caught in his throat as he got to see her as a changeling. She still had her hair straightened perfectly, her black chitin body and mane still shimmering even outside of her disguise. Her eyes sparkled in the light, unable to look away from the emerald green irises staring at him. He couldn't even utter a word, finding her irresistible.

"...Uhhhhhh..." That was all Solaris could even say, his brain too slow to think of any response, any compliment, any other reaction besides "dopey dimwit staring at a pretty mare like a moron".

Cadence watched the scene play out, rubbing her forehead as she groaned to herself. She knew Solaris would have acted like this at some point, but to not say anything was ruining his chances.

"Solly? You ok?" Trill asked, finding his staring to be really awkward.

"...You're beautiful..." he finally managed to say, his cheeks bright red.

Solaris expected her to blush and look away, but all she did was look away, feeling a little self-conscious. "...Really?"

"Y-Yeah...I-I mean, I'm kinda surprised that makeover Aunt Cadence gave you stays with you no matter what form you take...but...you do look beautiful," Solaris said.

"...I'm...beautiful...?" Solaris tilted his head in confusion, hearing Trill question her own looks. "...Wouldn't you rather prefer me to look like a normal mare?"

"Why?" he asked. "Being somepony you aren't? I know you have to be disguised around others, but what do you mean?"

Trill sighed in annoyance, looking down at the holes in her legs. "How exactly am I beautiful like this? Just look at me, Solaris. I'm a pony cross-bred into an arthropod!" She held up her forelegs, showing the holes she was born with. "I have holes through my legs! Just this alone makes other ponies think I was born a mutated freak!

"Not to mention I eat love, I spit up green web to blind or tie my victims, I have fangs, something that ponies shouldn't have, and I have wings like a dragonfly's!" Trill shouted as her wings fluttered in her anger. "We're not even considered ponies, Solaris! Everypony hates us because we're known as 'soul-sucking manipulators' or 'love-stealing monsters', and my mother's attempt at invading Canterlot, during your aunt and uncle's wedding, only made their hatred for us worse because we almost succeeded!"

Tears began to well up in Trill's eyes as she grew more upset, confusing Solaris with her outburst. "But I don't hate you."

"That's because you never even knew about us until you met me! You don't even know how much everypony despises us...Your family wanted me dead just because of what I am..." Tears began to roll down the mare's cheeks, turning away from Solaris. "Why did I even think I could have a chance? I should have listened to mom...I shouldn't have grown any feelings for you at all..."

"...What did you say?" Trill's eyes widened as her mouth, yet again, worked faster than her thoughts. Solaris began to piece together what she meant, surprised at what he was thinking. "...Trill?...Do you...?"

He didn't need to finish his question, the answer quite clear from Trill's silence. Solaris had no idea what to think; knowing that Trill actually had feelings for him and was upset being called beautiful when she and other ponies see her and her hive as nothing but monsters. After getting to know her, and a few awkward bumps in their friendship, Solaris needed her more than ever.

Ever since he ran into her in the Everfree Forest, he didn't feel like he was alone. Even with how stubborn he was, while also being new to the outside world, she still kept coming back to him like a magnet attracting a piece of metal. Whenever he was upset, or needed to vent his feelings, she would listen to him and try to bring him back to a calm state of mind through logical solutions to the horrible events in the past couple weeks. And what was strange about all this was that he wanted to like Trill more then a friend.

Solaris could never get the changeling out of his mind. Trill had always interested him, aside from her species, always wondering how she would be so bothersome and a nuisance to him, yet also funny and always worrying about him. She actually cared about him, when she was supposed to be his enemy, and he cared a lot about her. Now, seeing Trill miserable, hating herself for who she was, he needed to prove to her that he sees her as a pony like him. He needed to tell her how he felt, how she can brighten his mood when he himself grew upset over the worst life had thrown at him.

"...Now I understand why you were always being a pest to me," Solaris said. "I didn't know you felt that way about me."

"Well, now you do," Trill said, still facing away from him. "And I was stupid to ever think things would actually be perfect for us if you liked me as myself..."

"But why would you hate that?" he asked. "Do you really think you're not pretty, or cute?"

"Solaris, I just said-" Trill suddenly yelped as she was spun around, facing the alicorn teen.

"I know what you said...but what you look like doesn't matter to me," Solaris said. "I think it's better for you to be you, not anypony else. I actually find your features far more interesting than a normal mare's."

"B-But-" Solaris pressed his hoof against Trill's lips, silencing her protests.

"I don't care what anypony else thinks. If they want to hurt you, they'll have to get past me," he said. From the bushes, Cadence was highly surprised her nephew would actually consider going against his family in favor over Trill. "You mean a lot more to me than anypony else. I don't even know where I would be if I didn't meet you back in the Everfree Forest." Solaris lowered his hoof, wrapping both of his forelegs around the speechless changeling. "I'm completely hopeless without you."

Trill couldn't find the words she wanted to say. She wanted to disagree with him, tell him that she would only make his life difficult, but her voice was lost to her. She couldn't even push away from him, part of her wanting him to hold her like this, and maybe a little closer.

"S-Solaris..." Trill uttered.

"I didn't want to believe it, but I can no longer deny it," he said, both alicorn and changeling looking in each other's eyes. "I'm in love with you, Trill. No other mare would see me as a normal pony except for you. And I need you." Solaris gently pressed his forehead against Trill's, staring deeper in each other's eyes, both teens blushing. "Please...stay with me. I don't want you to leave because of who we are on the outside...What truly matters is what's on the inside, right?" Trill could only nod slightly, unable to speak and moving closer to him, their snouts gently rubbing against each other's. "I love you, Trill."

Solaris closed his eyes and gently pressed his lips against Trill's, her eyes widening in surprise. Her mind raced as well as her heart as he kissed her. Her eyes slowly began to shut as she melted under his protective hooves, kissing him back and pressing herself closer to him. While the two were lost in bliss, Trill's horn began to spark, glowing brightly. A moment later, the two separated for air, relishing in their first kiss, but Trill was the first to snap out of her daze.

"Oh my gosh..." she said.

"Yeah...That was amazing," Solaris said, oblivious to Trill's shock.

"No...Well, that was, but..." Trill somehow felt full after that kiss. She did feel her magic spark against her own will like it did back on the train headed to Saddle Arabia, but this time, it was different. "I-I think...I think I just consumed love?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Solaris asked.

"Ok, you remember when you had that little freak out in the Everfree Forest?" Solaris nodded, knowing how horrible he had felt during his anxiety attack. "When absorbing emotions, especially love, we steal it from our victims. But...that kiss..." Trill pulled Solaris into a quick kiss, which had surprised him as he didn't expect it, the changeling's horn sparking as their lips touched. She pulled away and looked up, that same love energy flowing into her, and she didn't even cast the spell. "It did it again."

"...I don't get it, and warn me before you do that," Solaris said.

"My magic worked on its own, absorbing love from you, and I had no control over it," Trill said. "...Do you feel woozy or nauseous? Like the energy from you is drained?"

"No," he replied. "But...when you used your magic on me in the forest...I felt like I was going to pass out..."

The two stared at each other, eyes widening as they came to a similar conclusion. "...Us being in love, no deceiving of any kind-"

"Gives you food from the energy your magic takes, with no repercussions on the victim's end. Which means that...legitimate love between a changeling and a pony, or other species, is a good thing?" Solaris finished, both of them somewhat surprised at this new discovery. He grinned, his theory of compromising with the changelings possible now. "I think we just figured out a way to help your hive, even if it was by pure coincidence."

"Really?" Trill questioned. "Even if it is a good idea, when we found out about this by accident, I don't think my mom will like it."

"Why not? You're full, right?" Solaris asked.

"But the reason why she told me I can't fall for anypony else is because it's supposed to be forbidden," she explained. "She doesn't even tell me the exact reason why it's forbidden. It'll take you forever to convince her that it will work, even if we show her proof."

"...But you aren't complaining about it." Solaris wrapped a wing around Trill, holding her closer while nuzzling her cheek. "I'm sure as 'princess', you have every right to voice your opinion on the idea."

Trill blushed as Solaris's cheek rubbed against hers, accepting the affectionate nuzzling and moved closer. "I guess I won't complain. But I'm warning you, Solly; my mom is really stubborn. Good luck telling her if I take you to my home."

"Is that why you were too stubborn to leave me alone when you bugged me?" Solaris laughed, receiving a jab in the ribs by the changeling.

The new couple cuddled as they watch the sun set on the horizon, the alicorn teen feeling more happier than he had ever been in his life. Cadence continued to watch them from her hiding place, happy to see them finally admit their feelings to one another. It was a surprise for her to be a witness with Trill's absorption of love energy from Solaris, and it didn't drain him to exhaustion. As long as her nephew was happy, his mind brought away from the death and danger he had to face the past couple weeks, she was content.

As it got late in the evening, everypony was back in the castle, ready to head to bed. Solaris guided Trill back to her guestroom, only to disappoint the changeling that they couldn't stay together every moment. In time, maybe his family will finally get used to her, but if they knew they were officially coltfriend and marefriend, they would all flip their lids. The alicorn gave her one quick kiss good night and headed back to his room, leaving Trill to herself as she walked to her bed, plopping down on the sheets as she was stuck in her lovestruck daze.

"Best evening ever..." Trill giggled, unable to keep still as she had finally gotten together with Solaris. She couldn't believe that he relied on her, even after their fallout back in Saddle Arabia. "Not only are we together now, but his kisses sure are delicious too." She licked her lips, still tasting the bit of love he gave her before departing. She sighed, rubbing her belly, having never felt so full in her life. "I hope my mom can accept this...but why was this so taboo in the first place?"

Before she was able to settle in, Trill heard a noise in her room. She sat up, completely alert, but finding no sign of anything. The window was closed, so the wind didn't knock anything small objects over. Being cautious, she crawled off the bed and searched around, wondering if there was somepony who found out about her identity and is attempting to assassinate her. Her ears perked up to the sound of movement in her bathroom, creeping quietly up to the door to catch the assassin off guard.

She slammed the door open, baring her fangs, but there was nopony inside. She scratched her head, sure that she had heard something, but from behind her, from the shadows, an armored pony crept out and moved behind the unexpected mare. Before she noticed the shadow slowly growing closer, she was held in a headlock, unable to escape as she began breathing into a cloth pressed firmly against her muzzle, breathing in ether as she tried screaming for help. She felt her muscles grow limp as she began to lose consciousness, her struggles ceased as she passed out.

Her perpetrator dragged the unconscious changeling to the bed, tying her legs together tightly and placing an inhibitor ring around her crooked horn, preventing her from escaping with her magic if she woke up. He pressed a piece of tape against her muzzle, keeping her mouth shut so she wouldn't use her fangs to bite through her bindings. After Trill was bound and gagged, the kidnapper picked her up on his back, opening the window in her room, the moonlight shining down on his black armor.

"I've got my bait," Zero said to himself, looking down at the Crystal Empire's empty streets. In a flash of magic, a note appeared on the bed, written by the mercenary himself. "Now to set up my trap."

He teleported out of the room, taking Trill with her, appearing not too far from the empire's barrier. He made his way to a cavern, far from sight of the crystal kingdom, but close enough for Solaris to seek him out to rescue his marefriend.

Chapter 14: The Third Test

Solaris was up bright and early, feeling really giddy after yesterday's crazy day in the empire's city with Trill. Today was the first day they will officially start being a couple, even if he had to hide his romantic feelings for the changeling princess in front of his family. He trotted along the halls, heading to his marefriend's room to maybe sneak her a little "breakfast" before going to the dining hall. He stood before one of many the guest rooms Trill was given, knocking on her door to wake her.

"Trill, it's morning! Time to get up!" He waited for a response, but none came. Solaris knocked again, but she didn't answer. "Trill?" He opened the door, but as he looked inside, there was no sign of the changeling inside, especially not the bed. "Is she already up?"

Solaris searched around the room, even the bathroom if she decided to surprise him, but she was nowhere to be seen. Before he decided to ask anypony if they saw her, he noticed there was a note left behind on the bed. His eyes widened in shock and anger as he read it to himself.

If you want to see your changeling friend alive, I suggest you meet me in the cave located a mile south-east of the castle. If you decide to not arrive by 10 AM, then she will die.

-Zero

Quickly looking at the clock inside of the room, it was 9:30 in the morning, only a half hour remaining until it was too late. With no time to warn his aunts and uncle, Solaris flew out of the room through the open window and began heading south-east. Flying as fast as he could, he passed the protective barrier, searching below the snowy fields to find any caves nearby. Just as Zero had described, about a mile away from the castle, there was a cavern hidden behind a hill, unable to be seen from the empire's location.

He hovered down to the entrance, rushing inside, the cavern lit up by hundreds of crystals jutted from the walls and ceiling. Solaris ran as quick as he could, galloping through the long passage as more crystals began appearing the deeper he went. He finally managed to reach the end of the cave, a massive room with crystals littering the expansive area, ranging from small shards to massive pillars, especially the precariously looking stalactites above.

Solaris looked around, spotting Trill, unconscious and bound, on the other side of the room. "Trill!" He ran for her, no sign of Zero anywhere. "Don't worry, I'll get you-"

In an instant, a spear made entirely out of crystal shot out between Solaris and Trill, nearly skewering the alicorn by mere inches. Completely caught off guard, Solaris was quickly hit by a black armored hoof, appearing out of thin air, punching the teen hard, sending him flying back to the entrance of the room. He recovered from the unexpected attack, staring down the armored mercenary.

"You didn't think you would rescue her that easily, did you?" Zero said, picking up the crystal spear with his concealed magical aura. "At least you showed up on time. That's one good thing at least."

"Who are you!?" Solaris questioned, standing on his hind legs as he set his forehooves on fire. "What do you want with me, and why did you have to take Trill as a hostage!?"

"You know exactly what it is, Solaris." Zero looked up at the many crystals inside of the cavern, though it was hard to tell what he was thinking with his visor concealing his face. "I was a little surprised you actually did make it out of the temple back in Saddle Arabia. You managed to find the secret exit before it finally collapsed."

"Y-You knew about that?" Solaris asked, baffled that the mercenary knew about the entrance to the treasure room outside of the temple. "You knew we made it out alive?"

"You're lucky I didn't tell my 'boss', otherwise he would have flipped," Zero said, only confusing the alicorn more.

"What are you talking about!?" Solaris's flaming hooves flared in his anger. "Aren't you supposed to try and kill me!? Isn't that what you're supposed to do for Lucifer!? Do his dirty work for him while he sits on a throne!?"

"I may follow orders from him, but that doesn't mean I worship him like a loyal dog to its master." Zero subconsciously traced the ground with the pointed end of his spear. "You might say I have a vendetta against that bastard, but because he pays me handsomely, I'd rather not bite the hand that feeds me. Get what I mean?"

"...I don't understand..." Solaris began to wonder who Zero was, unsure if the stallion was supposed to be an enemy or an unknown ally. "...How did you get past the barrier? Nopony evil could get in the Crystal Empire...right?"

"Only those with dark magic can't enter the empire," Zero explained. "The only reason why no soldiers are placed inside the empire is because Lucifer wants to liberate it by himself, and he's much too stubborn to send incompetent troops. The crystals in the empire have a lot of value, and with rampaging teens and young adults doing whatever they wish-"

"They'll destroy the kingdom..." Solaris answered.

"Bingo." Zero walked to one of the nearby crystal stalagmites, rubbing his hoof on the glowing blue mineral. "Besides, I'm considered a native of the empire, for nearly twenty years. I'd rather not have my home destroyed when he already ruined my actual hometown."

"Then why bring me here?" Solaris asked. "Why work for Lucifer when you're against him?"

"...I'll answer your questions, Solaris...but not right now." Putting pressure on the stalagmite, and using his magic, Zero managed to create another crystal spear similar to the first one, showing off the incredible feat of magic. "It's wonderful to know how adaptable a unicorn can be when living around crystals. Sombra must have had a field day when he completely lost his mind.

"But enough talk about tyrants," Zero said, aiming both spears at Solaris. "Are you ready for your third test?"

"Huh!?" Solaris exclaimed. "T-Test!?"

"That's right. Your third trial." Zero moved one of the spears, hovering it over Trill's head. "Your mother had informed me that you would show up in the empire one day, so she bestowed upon me a very serious task that I couldn't disobey. You will have to face me in order to earn your next piece of armor you will need."

"B-But...I-I don't get it!" Solaris couldn't find the words to even ask the mercenary, all of this thrust upon him far too quickly. "Just who are you, and how do you know my mom!?"

"All your answers will be given to you, if you can beat me in combat." Zero slammed the one spear he created down to the ground, making Solaris flinch as it was thrust mere inches away from Trill's face. "Just from the expression on your face, you seem to care about this insect."

"Leave Trill out of this!" Solaris slammed his hooves together, causing sparks of green embers to burst out around him.

"...So, you do like her that much." Zero readied his weapon, standing on his own hind legs as he held his crystal spear in his forehooves. "Let's just see how much you care about her, even if it means fighting for both your lives."

"Why don't I just show you right now!?" Solaris shouted, moving his forelegs behind him, shooting off a compressed burst of fire and sending him flying at Zero at blinding speed.

As the alicorn threw his hoof in the mercenary's face, he quickly avoided the punch. "Careless," he said, smacking the teen in the back of the head with the blunt side of his weapon. Solaris hit the ground, only to be flung up high into the air, Zero thrusting his spear into the ground and shooting out a pillar of solid crystal underneath the alicorn. He righted himself from the air, dive bombing toward his opponent. Before Solaris could hit the ground, Zero avoided his flaming hooves and jabbed the blunt end up into the teen's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and flinging him across the ground. "Letting your anger fuel your fury will keep leading you to your downfall."

Solaris coughed as he struggled to breath, growling as he was being lectured by somepony who was supposed to be his enemy. His flames were erratic as he grew frustrated, getting back on his hooves and began shooting fireballs at Zero. While avoiding each recklessly aimed shot, the mercenary covered Trill with a crystal shield, the teen too focused on attacking him while being mindful of his unconscious and bound marefriend in the battlefield with them.

"Stop running from me!" Solaris continued his barrage of green fireballs as Zero dodged them, spun his spear around rapidly to absorb the oxygen creating the flames, or teleporting to another part of the room.

Before he could fire his hundredth fireball, Zero teleported in front of him, blocking his hoof with his own. He twisted Solaris's foreleg, making the teen wince as he could feel his leg try to contort in a way it shouldn't by the mercenary's strength. He tried to punch Zero with his other foreleg, only to have it parried down to the ground as crystals trapped his hoof to the ground. The stallion twisted the teen's leg harder, dropping the alicorn to the ground as he failed to pull away from the mysterious unicorn's grip.

"I never run," Zero said. "You lack the ability to control your emotions, which is why you're fighting blindly. In the midst of combat, you have to have a clear mind, and stay calm no matter what happens. I had trained in Equestria's royal guard when the princesses were still alive, and the first lesson we were taught was to never let our emotions control us." He slammed his free hoof down hard on Solaris's head, smacking his face into the hard ground. "Those include anger and distraught. Grow too furious, you'll behave like a wild animal. Grow upset, then you'll end up dead before you could even figure out what it is that's going to kill you."

"B-Buck you," Solaris uttered.

He was soon struck by a pillar of crystal slamming into his jaw from underneath him, the crystal around his encased hoof broken off. Zero grabbed the alicorn by the throat, slamming him back down to the ground on his back. As he was about to stomp down on him, Solaris blocked it, breathing out a blast of fire at his opponent, but Zero leapt away before he was burnt.

"If you really wished to protect the changeling, then why did you not take into account that she was in your line of fire?" Solaris got back up on his hooves, looking over at where Trill used to be. He could see her through the crystal shielding, scorch marks on the minerals, keeping her safe. This only confused the teenager, not knowing why Zero was protecting her while they fought. "Your blind fury had shrouded your mind to saving her, putting her in danger from yourself."

Solaris's heart sank at the realization. If it weren't for Zero's crystal magic, he could have actually hurt Trill, or killed her. He was so focused on trying to save her, he got too angry and his blind rage could have done a lot more harm than good. He didn't want to lose her, not after everything that had happened to him.

The alicorn took a few breaths, calming himself and clearing his mind, the flames around his hooves flickering calmly as well. Now that he was focused, he waited for the right moment to strike, paying attention to Zero's body as he slowly approached him, crystal spears forming out of the ground around him. The stallion flung the spears at him, only to be smashed to pieces as Solaris punched through them, his gauntlets stronger than the crafted crystal weapons.

Deciding to try his newly acquired pendant in combat, Solaris summoned a cotton candy cloud, only instead of using it for snacking, he willed it to fly in on Zero, catching the stallion in its sticky sweetness. Catching him completely off guard, the alicorn flew straight toward him, making the cloud disappear as he got closer. Stunned from the surprise attack, Zero wasn't quick enough to block a swift jab to the chest, then a hard hook across his face, sending the mercenary to the ground.

He wasn't able to teleport away as Solaris grabbed the stallion, flipping him around and repeatedly punched him. After the sixth blow, Zero blocked him and kicked the teen off of him, getting back up on his hooves while Solaris recovered from the hard buck to the chest.

"This just got interesting," Zero said, almost sounding excited through the distorted voice. "Let me see what you got. Don't hold back on me."

"Like I'm going to back down when my marefriend's held hostage?" Solaris quelled the flames around his forehooves, deciding to continue the fight without his firepower.

Both stallions rushed toward each other, each throwing punches and kicks while avoiding or blocking their opponent's strikes. Solaris began to defend more, seeing Zero seems to have more experience with hoof to hoof combat. He managed to counter a swift punch, but his foreleg was grabbed by the older stallion's grip, twisting him around to a behind the back arm lock. The teen quickly elbowed Zero in the chest with his free foreleg, breaking out of the hold and flipping the stallion over his shoulder, only to flip back up on his legs and charge at the alicorn once again.

Their forehooves slammed into each other's, both stallions pushing against their opponent in a struggle, staring each other down. They were equal in strength, but Solaris didn't have as much endurance as Zero does. The mercenary chuckled, amused at the little fist fight they had.

"You're pretty good at CQC, kid," Zero praised. "The worst thing about fighting with your hooves only is that it leaves you vulnerable to a ranged opponent, even with that fire of yours."

"Then it's a good thing I can adapt to my surroundings," Solaris said. He managed to make Zero stagger, pulling him toward him, quickly spinning around and sweeping his leg underneath the mercenary and tripping him. With his back turned to the downed stallion, he flipped backwards, slamming a back leg down hard into Zero's stomach, making him grunt and gasp in pain as he bounced off the ground. "Good thing I'm also a quick learner!"

Quickly getting back up, Solaris combined the use of his telekinesis and hoof-to-hoof combat, sending hard blows into Zero's body, pulling him back toward him if he got too far like he was a yo-yo tied to an invisible string. Zero could barely react, struggling to breath while getting smacked around by the young stallion, even unable to teleport away as he was occasionally punched hard in the head to focus on the teleportation spell. After a never-ending beatdown, Solaris gave Zero one last hard punch in the mercenary's chest, sending the stallion flying across the room, slamming hard into the cavern wall.

Solaris watched as Zero slid to the ground and slumped over, having beaten the experienced soldier. Keeping an eye on the stallion, he hovered over to Trill, tearing away the crystal shield around her.

"Trill?" Solaris gently shook the mare, watching her stir and her eyes fluttering open. When she looked up to him, she grew confused at her surroundings, noticing her limbs were tied up and her magic rendered useless. "Hang on. I'll get you out of these."

He untied the mare's legs and pulled off the inhibitor ring from her horn as she ripped off the tape covering her mouth. "AH! Why do they have to make this stuff sticky!?"

"At least it's better than that disgusting web loogie you love shooting at me," Solaris said.

"It's a self defense mechanism of us changelings," Trill said, insulted. "Enough making fun of me. Where's the punk who-" Trill finally noticed the semi-unconscious mercenary far across the other side of the massive room of the cavern. "That's the guy who kidnapped me! I'm gonna tear him a new one!"

Trill tried to stomp her way over to the stallion, but Solaris grabbed ahold of her tail with his magic, dragging the mare back to him. "He managed to kidnap you, and knock you unconscious, and you want to fight with him?"

"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't handle myself," Trill said, receiving a look from her coltfriend. "...What?"

"Just stay behind me." They both approached Zero, Solaris growing cautious, not knowing what he would do. "Ok, I beat you, so that means I passed my test, right?"

"Test!?" Trill exclaimed. "He works for Lucifer!...Right?"

"He's some kind of double agent, and he knew my mom," Solaris explained. "So, tell me. Who are you?"

Zero chuckled, groaning in pain as he sat up. "I...didn't expect you to be that agile...You must have trained hard."

"Don't stall!" Solaris shouted, lighting his hooves on fire. "Tell me who you are and why you were the one who had to give me my test!"

"...Alright. Relax. Give me a moment to catch my breath." Solaris calmed down a little, though his hooves still glowed brightly from his green flames. "I guess I'm getting too old to keep up with you." Zero moved his forehooves to his helmet, slowly taking it off and shocking both Solaris and Trill, the alicorn's flames dying out. The stallion shook his revealed white face, his blue mane flowing freely from the confines of the concealing headpiece. The mercenary was Shining Armor, grinning at his nephew with a look of exhaustion. "Congratulations, nephew. You passed your third test."

Chapter 15: Savior or Harbinger of Death?

In the dining hall of the castle, Cadence, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were nibbling on their breakfast as they waited for Solaris, Trill, and Rainbow Dash to wake up and meet them. Rainbow finally arrived at the table, her mane a ragged mess, still greatly exhausted.

"Hi, Dashie!" Pinkie welcomed the pegasus. "You look like you rolled into a lightning cloud!"

"Huh?" Rainbow looked at her reflection in the crystal table, noticing how frizzled her mane was. "Meh. I must have been rolling around too much. I'd rather sleep on a comfortable cloud than a springy mattress." She fixed up her hair until it was its usual messy state, looking around to see a couple heads missing from the table. "Where's Sol and...bug mare?"

"I think they're both still sleeping," Fluttershy answered. "I thought I saw them in town yesterday, leaving the movie theater."

"Oh great. The two are bonding as friends." Rainbow slumped in her seat. "I still don't like the idea that those two hanging out, and he knew she was a changeling before we did!"

"Maybe if we didn't hide everything from him, then maybe he would hate changelings more," Pinkie replied. "Although, Trilly's not that bad! At least she doesn't seem that bad of a pony!...Changeling...Uhh...creature! Besides, what's the worst she did in the past?" Struck with wonder, Pinkie pulled out a few dozen pages from underneath her seat, which there was nothing underneath in the first place. She began laughing uproarously at certain points, only confusing the other mares with what she was reading from. "Oh wow! That was pretty funny! They actually did snuggle in the Everfree Forest!"

"Pinkie, what the hay are you talking about?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh nothing! Just something that happened a while ago." She read through more of the pages, but at the last one of the pile, she slammed the piece of paper down on the desk with a straight face. "...Oh boy..."

"'Oh boy,' what?" Rainbow dared to ask.

"Nothing!" Pinkie buried the pile of papers underneath the table, disappearing from existence, looking nervous. "Absolutely nothing happened between them yesterday!"

Rainbow wanted to ask further, but decided not to bother with her friend's randomness. "Ok, then. I'm gonna go and wake them up. We need Solaris battle ready for his next test, whatever it's supposed to be." She got up from her seat and headed down to the guest rooms to wake up his lazy nephew and the changeling he trusted. Since Trill's room was closer, she checked hers, but when she looked inside, there was no sign of the bug pony. "Where'd she go to? Probably trying to steal some love from him like the parasite she is."

Rainbow noticed a piece of paper on the floor next to the window, examining it and reading its contents. She read the threatening letter, looking back out the window where Solaris must have read the note, running off on his own to save Trill. She flew back to the dining room with the note in hoof.

"Guys! We got a problem!" Rainbow slammed the note down on the table. "Solaris ran off to save Trill!"

"What!?" Pinkie exclaimed, picking up the note and reading it to herself. "Who the hay is this 'Zero'!? Is he an evil number that came to life because he lost 'One'!?"

"Pinkie, this is serious!" Rainbow shouted. "And I think I know who Zero is. It's got to be that same mysterious follower of Lucifer's who was with him back in Saddle Arabia, and who dropped Rarity's body to us!"

"Oh no. This is bad," Fluttershy said in fear, worried for Solaris's safety.

"And the idiot told him where he took the changeling too," Rainbow said, the three mare's not seeing Cadence's worried expression. "I'll go on ahead and kill that bastard before he does anything to Sol!"

"Wait, hold on, Rainbow Dash!" Cadence tried to warn Rainbow Dash, but the pegasus flew out of the nearby window, heading toward the cave specified in the note. The princess ran toward the window, but Rainbow was already long gone. "Zero's not who you think he is!"

"What are you talking about, princess?" Fluttershy asked.

"Zero is Lucifer's right-hoof soldier, but he's not on his side. He's a double agent," Cadence explained. "...He's also my husband."

"...Hang on a second..." Pinkie rushed to the table to grab her drink while Fluttershy's jaw dropped in shock. The party mare took a long swig, only to quickly spit it out on the crystal floor in a delayed spit-take. "WHAT!?"

Solaris and Trill were dumbfounded, staring at Shining Armor, who just so happened to be Lucifer's best soldier. Shining still sat where he was beaten, waiting for some kind of response, until finally, Solaris moved. He punched himself hard in the face, wondering if he was dreaming or all of this was really happening. It turned out to be the latter.

"I-I...WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Solaris questioned, as if expecting an answer to come from the heavens.

"I know this is confusing, but I can explain, Solaris," Shining said, trying to calm the teen down before he decided to lash out at his uncle.

Instead of him, Trill was the one to attack the unicorn, kicking him hard in the stomach. "You kidnapped me and were going to kill me!? Now I'm starting to question between the two of our species who's actually worse!"

Shining coughed, deserving the changeling's kick as he tried to regain his breath. "I had to kidnap you so Solaris had some incentive to rescue you. His test was to prove to me if he was able to fight against somepony to protect the ones he love."

"But...I didn't until near the end..." Solaris said, looking down in shame.

He looked back up at his uncle as he felt his hoof rest on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. You've proved to me that you weren't going to back down against somepony when somepony you care about is held hostage. Just know that you have to take account of allies or hostages around when on the battlefield." Solaris still didn't feel like he had passed, even with that lesson he just learned moments ago. "Hey, you're still learning. Cadence and I both know that you'll get better with experience."

"Right..." He still felt bad, but Solaris understood that he can't be expected to be perfect at everything. Fighting against opponents of greater or equal strength in actual combat was still new to him, barely able to survive against his first test. "But...why are you working with Lucifer?"

"Like I said earlier, I'm acting as a double agent," Shining explained. "I've been undercover for nearly a decade." He paused, a look of anger and pain in his eyes as he looked down at the ground. "After what happened to my sister, I began to grow angry with each day that passed. I wanted to kill that bastard for what he did, and I took out my anger on Cadence and the recruits in the empire. I heard he was unbeatable, nopony could lay a scratch on him, and I wanted to do something, just to seek vengeance.

"That's when I decided to go in as a hired mercenary named Zero, concealing my identity and serving my 'loyalty' to Lucifer." As Shining continued his tale for the teens, he crafted a small crystal figurine of Lucifer, leering at his crafted crystal creation. "I wanted to gather some information on him, get close enough to attempt to assassinate him to end all of this...but then I saw others who had attempted to do the deed before me. They couldn't get close without his magic either tearing them to shreds or torturing them until they begged to be killed...It only made my plans hindered to failure every time, no possible way to injure him, or even catch him off guard..."

Shining slammed his hoof down hard on the figurine, sending shards of the crystal flying out from where it stood. Solaris could see that his uncle and mother had been really close when they were younger. Like his uncle, he wanted to get back at the dark magic wielding unicorn for killing his family, and so far, he was the only one who was able to injure him, if only by pure luck.

"So...you kept this persona as his best soldier to keep tabs on him...Gathering information to help Equestria," Solaris said, piecing together his uncle's reasoning staying as Zero.

"Right," Shining agreed. "And as far as Lucifer knows, you and the others are considered dead in that temple. He thinks he's won, but he's definitely dropped his guard a little. He's always been so paranoid the last fifteen years trying to find you, he didn't even try to figure out who I was. He trusts me, and it's one of the biggest mistakes he could ever make putting faith in a lone mercenary who chooses the side who pays him the most."

"I actually wouldn't trust you, even if you were a mercenary," Trill said, leering at the older unicorn stallion.

"Yeah...Sorry for the kidnapping," Shining apologized. "At least I kept you from getting burnt by your coltfriend here, even though I really don't want to approve you two being together."

"Wait, how do you know we were a couple?" Trill asked, not noticing Solaris turning away, remembering he called her his marefriend during their fight when she was still out cold.

"Cadence told me about your day out together, and yesterday evening's little picnic date she set up for you," Shining said.

"What!?" Trill exclaimed, Solaris blushing heavily. The changeling scrunched her face, glaring at Shining Armor. "She was watching us yesterday, wasn't she?"

Shining sighed, understanding their annoyance. "Yeah. Once she sees a couple who definitely deserve to be together, she has it in her head to try and give them a little nudge to finally share their feelings for each other. Just be grateful she didn't cast any spells on you two, otherwise you would end up waking up the next day, wondering what happened when you 'blacked out'." Solaris buried his face under his wings in embarrassment, now knowing his aunt and uncle know he was dating Trill, while the changeling princess's eye twitched. "As long as you make Solaris happy, Trill, then...I'm happy."

"Really?" Trill asked, greatly confused. "...I thought you wanted me out of Solaris's life."

"I still don't trust you that well," Shining explained. "But if he can trust you enough, then I'll allow it. He's going to need somepony to be there for him once this is all over." Trill looked at Solaris, his cheeks still red and very nervous to know how the rest of his family would react to the news, but she knew Shining Armor was right. The alicorn was helpless without her. She nuzzled him, breaking him out of his nervousness, though embarrassing him more in front of his uncle. "It's still so weird to see that a changeling can actually feel love rather than eat it.

"But, I think we've wasted enough time with exposition on myself. Time for me to give you your next armor piece, Solaris." Shining dug through his armor, pulling out a golden ring from his pockets. It was the right size to fit around the base of a unicorn's horn, along with enchantment symbols written on the inside and outside. "This is a specialized ring for your horn. Your mother wanted Cadence and I to create a special defensive charm using the magic from the Crystal Empire. This may explain how I've been able to manipulate crystals to form anything just by using my magic or physically touching them in our fight earlier."

"Oh. That does explain the transforming crystals," Solaris said as he pondered the properties gems and crystals have through magical latency.

Shining placed the ring on his nephew's horn, resting comfortably at the base. Solaris didn't feel any different, thinking it was only some kind of pointless accessory. He didn't notice his uncle rear his hoof back, punching the teen hard in the face, but as it made contact, his supposed injury was protected by a crystal shield. Both Solaris and Trill were surprised and astonished from Shining's surprise attack and the shimmering crystal gleaming against his cheek.

"Inside that ring's enchantment, it will give you crystal armor, covering your entire body from any sign of physical trauma," Shining explained, grinning at their reactions. He pulled his hoof away, the crystal disappearing as Solaris wasn't in any harm at the moment. "It's a defensive mechanism the soldiers in the Crystal Empire are born with; the shining crystal bodies aren't just for show. But be careful with how much damage you take. Just because your skin's a lot tougher doesn't mean it doesn't have its limits. Take too many tough blows anywhere, the armor will shatter and leave you vulnerable, taking time to recharge the enchantment."

"You could have warned me before you tried to punch me, uncle..." Solaris muttered, rubbing his cheek, not feeling any pain.

Finding the new literal body armor interesting, Trill smirked as she raised a hoof behind Solaris's sight. She smacked him on the flank, but highly regretted it as the crystal coating was far stronger than her hoof. She yelped in pain, and Solaris didn't even feel the slap on his rump. Shining saw what she tried to do, holding back his laughter and groaning at her perverted nature.

"If you'd known I was going to let you test it out, I didn't want you to block my attack." Shining grabbed his helmet and placed it back over his head. "I took this time on leave from Lucifer to meet you face to face, and give you your test. Why I couldn't do much with you the past few days was because I needed enough rest to last against you. And teleporting around is really exhaustive as well."

"Can you teach me teleportation?" Solaris asked.

"Once Lucifer's beaten," Shining replied. "I need to get to Canterlot and see that bastard, but don't worry. Once I figure out what he has planned after his victory, I'll-"

Shining was suddenly kicked hard in the head and sent flying across the room. Solaris and Trill jumped in surprise as Rainbow Dash had come flying in, hovering in front of the alicorn to defend him.

"You just keep ticking me off more and more, huh, Zero!?" Rainbow shouted. "I'm not gonna let you kill my nephew!"

"Wait, Aunt Rainbow Dash, he isn't-" Solaris tried to stop the pegasus, but Rainbow sped off after Shining, the stallion quickly defending himself from her rampage.

"Hold on a minute! This isn't what it looks like!" he said, trying to get the pegasus to listen.

"Why don't you just leave us alone, you prick!?" Rainbow continued throwing a flurry of swift kicks and punches while speeding around the slower unicorn. "I'm not gonna let you take another life, or watch one of them die like a sick masochist!"

"I'm not working with Lucifer!" Shining said. "It's me, Shining Armor! Just let me-"

Shining tried to pull off his helmet to show Rainbow it was him, but she kept hitting him, preventing the stallion from trying anything she thought was a trap.

"Shining Armor's back in the empire! He doesn't kill anypony who were actually friends of his sister's!" Rainbow continued staggering the defenseless stallion, not letting up on her fury.

Solaris flew at her, holding her back as she struggled to break out of his grip. "Aunt Rainbow, stop! He's with us! That is Uncle Shining!"

"Now you got him hypnotized under a spell like a puppet!? You're sick!" Rainbow shouted, elbowing Solaris hard in the gut, despite his new crystal skin protecting him. She slammed the alicorn into a nearby crystal pillar at a blinding pace, dazing the stallion as the force of the contact made his armor shatter, temporarily rendering it useless. "Don't worry, Solaris. When I'm done with him, you'll be ok."

Trill ran up to Solaris as he struggled to stand up, unable to do much against a pegasus that's fast enough to pull off a sonic rainboom in a snap. Above the ponies, completely unaware, one of the large crystal stalactites began to show cracks at the base of its resting place, threatening to give and fall at any moment. Rainbow Dash was directly underneath that crystal, after flinging the armored stallion across the room.

"W-Wait, you don't understand," Shining said, hoping to stop Rainbow before she does try to kill him.

"Oh, I understand what you are," she said, stomping her hooves with her wings flared out. "You're dead meat is what you are!"

The cracks in the crystal began growing more erratic, unable to keep itself held in place from the constant stress the walls took from the ponies being slammed into them. Shining heard the cracks, looking up to see the crystal was just about to break from the ceiling and impale the pegasus underneath it.

"Rainbow, get out of the way!" Shining warned, trying to use his teleportation, but the pain in his body kept losing his focus to cast it.

"You don't scare me!" Rainbow said. "I'll show you not to mess with-"

The stalactite broke off from the ceiling, the pegasus too distracted by her own shouting to hear the cracks finally give way. Before she knew it, the crystal slammed through her torso, pinning her down to the ground as the sharp point dug deep into the earth. Rainbow could barely breathe, coughing up blood as the crystal was wide enough to pierce through her body, possibly breaking her bones and tearing through her organs. Solaris finally snapped out of his daze, finding his aunt run through by the stalactite.

"AUNT RAINBOW!" he shouted.

Shining was horrified, quickly taking off his helmet, showing the shocked and dying mare his face. He saw Solaris rush at her, flying through the air with his hoof rearing back, his pupils shrinking as he saw his nephew was going to punch the crystal to pieces to try and free her. It was a horrible idea, and with how much strength Solaris had at his disposal, he's going to do far worse.

"No! Solaris, don't-!" It was too late to stop him.

Solaris punched through the crystal, shattering the entire stalactite to pieces, sending shards flying out everywhere. The bit of crystal inside of Rainbow broke into tiny, jagged shards, only to decimate her body and killed the mare in an instant. Trill and Shining covered themselves as the shards flew out at them, covering their faces from the raining bits of crystal. When it stopped, they looked at Rainbow's body, completely horrified at her shredded body, blood splattered around her body, along with shards of the crystal coated in it.

"Oh gods above..." Trill uttered as she and Shining Armor stared at the pegasus's body.

They looked up at Solaris, the alicorn's wide, pupils shrunk, his body shuddering as he slowly hovered down to the ground, unable to believe what he had done. He looked down at his hoof, tears welling and trickling down his cheeks, his leg shaking as he realized what he had done to Rainbow Dash. He killed her, though unintentionally. It hit him hard as he struggled to breath, his stomach churning at the sick act he had just committed.

Shining could see his nephew was about to break down at any moment, slowly approaching him. "Sol..." He didn't get his attention, the teen still looking at his hoof and Rainbow's body. He knew that Solaris only did what he thought would save her, killing the pegasus by accident. But being in the military, and seeing his fair share of death under Lucifer's rule, ending some lives against his own will, he could already tell his nephew's mind has been shattered. "Solaris, you didn't mean to do it...It was an accident."

Solaris suddenly hunched over and threw up, spilling his stomach's contents as he retched. He was having trouble breathing, unable to think or see, his mind racing at the worst thing he never wanted to ever commit in his life. Now he felt responsible for another life lost; killing Rainbow Dash by his own hooves. He couldn't hear Shining or Trill try to calm him down, his vision growing dark as he collapsed on his side, falling unconscious.

Shining and Trill ran up to Solaris, the stallion lifting his nephew's head, his pupils dilated and unresponsive to his movement. He cringed as he looked back at Rainbow's body, yet another victim that was her sister's friends, and he couldn't have helped save them again.

"Damn it..." he muttered, blaming himself for putting his helmet back on. Unable to do anymore, Shining lifted his nephew on his back, deciding to head back to the castle and tell the others what had happened. "Come on. Let's get back to the empire..."

"W-What about...?" Trill trailed off, looking at what remained of Rainbow's body.

"...I don't know..." Shining said, feeling disheartened. "After everything that's happened to him...Solaris isn't stable enough to keep going...He needs therapeutic help, and some time to cope and recuperate." They began to head out, leaving the cave behind, as well as Rainbow's corpse. "This is all my fault..."

After making it back to the castle, Shining Armor laid Solaris down in his guest bed, the young alicorn still unresponsive from the shock of what had happened in the cavern. He and Trill explained what had occurred, Pinkie and Fluttershy mourning another friend that had died, but by complete accident. It was hard enough for them to lose Rainbow Dash, being a really close friend to Fluttershy since they were fillies, but for Solaris, losing more and more of his family was becoming too much to bear.

As it grew late into the night, the two mourning mares had spent the rest of their day in their rooms, while Shining Armor continued to chastise himself. If he had told them that he was Zero, this could have been avoided at the cost of possibly getting himself caught by one of Lucifer's troops. He sat on his bed, looking at a picture of his sister and her friends in Ponyville, where times were far different back then from when they were now. He heard Cadence enter their bedroom, who was checking on Solaris, making sure he was ok and wasn't going to hurt himself.

"He's still unconscious," Cadence said, closing the door behind her and approached the bed. "I can't imagine how much he's gone through...He's still just a colt." She sat next to her husband, noticing the picture he was looking at. After telling them what happened, she knew Shining felt guilty, having not told Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow who he was disguised as for Solaris's test against him. They were supposed to use her as the hostage, but with Trill around and the two became a couple yesterday, it made the fight more serious for him. Now, instead of feeling successful, their nephew is falling into a major depression. "Shining? You ok?"

"...It's my fault..." he said, making Cadence tilt her head in confusion. "Why did I have to put that dumb helmet back on?"

"Honey?" Cadence asked, hearing the guilt coming from Shining's voice.

"We should have told them I was Zero..." He leapt off the bed, heading for a wardrobe in their room. He opened the doors, where his disguise sat, as well as the helmet. "First my sister, then Spike, and now Twilight's friends are dying left and right...I could have stopped Rarity before she tried to attack Lucifer. I should have held out from destroying the temple a while longer for all of them to escape!" He slammed the doors closed, feeling his blood boil as he continued to blame himself. "Now Rainbow Dash is dead because she wasn't told about who I was, and Solaris blames himself for killing her when she was already fatally impaled, making his depression worsen to the point of him close to getting a heart attack at the age of fifteen!

"I could have saved her, but she injured me too badly that I couldn't focus on a teleportation spell! All of their deaths are all my fault, and I didn't do a damn thing to stop them from happening!" Shining slammed his hooves into the floor, making the crystal flooring crack under his strength as he struggled to keep himself from letting his rage worsen any further. Cadence could see tears falling down her distraught husband's face, the ex- captain of the royal guard beginning to break down, though not as hard when they heard of Twilight's fate a decade and a half ago. "It's all my fault...I'm causing Solaris...so much pain...T-Twilight...I'm sorry..."

Shining slumped to the floor, burying his face under his forehooves as he wept. Cadence got off the bed and comforted the stallion, holding him closely as he let out his pain.

"It's not your fault," she said. "What more could you have done? You would have been killed by Lucifer if you didn't listen to him." Cadence held him close, nuzzling his neck as she rubbed his back. "I don't know what I would do without you, or Solaris. We're his only relatives, including your parents. It would only devastate him more if you died."

She gently led her husband back to bed as he calmed down, the married couple laying together, holding each other close. They could only hope that Solaris will recover from his shock soon, otherwise he would have to spend a month or two in therapy for killing Rainbow Dash by accident. At least her death ended mercifully, otherwise she would have died in agony underneath the crystal. But it still messed with the teenager's head; he murdered somepony he cared about, even if it saved her.

Solaris opened his eyes, finding himself back in the same black void of his subconscious. He felt horrible as his mind went through the dumbest mistake he had ever made hours ago. His ears perked up as he heard something out in the darkness, but there was no sign of whatever it came from. He feared it was Lucifer again, haunting him in his dream like before.

"Hello?" he asked. "Who's there?"

Suddenly, something had shot up from the ground, a decomposed white hoof popping up in front of the alicorn. He backed away, but another hoof popped up behind him, this one orange. More limbs shot up around him as they began to climb out of the ground. Solaris gasped in horror as he began to see members of his family pulling themselves out, their bodies decayed as if they had turned into zombies.

"Soooolaaaariiiiiissssssss..." they moaned, slowly walking toward him.

The alicorn could barely move, only able to look at each of them in terror. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike kept moving closer, limbs outstretched to reach out to him and kill him. The ones who had died showed the injuries they had sustained that killed them: Rarity with her throat slit, the hole in Spike's chest, Applejack's broken body that was able to function, Rainbow's whole torso exploded with crystal shards still embedded in her hanging organs. Fluttershy and Pinkie were the only ones that didn't show any fatal injury, but they were as dead as the others.

"N-No. No! Stay away!" Solaris finally came to his senses, flying over them and running for his life. He ran as hard and as fast as he could, but they seemed to catch up to him, despite their sluggish limping. "Somepony help me!"

"Why run from your fate, Solaris?" Up ahead, Lucifer slowly came into view, making Solaris stop as he was soon surrounded by his undead family and his mortal foe. "Can't you see that we're both one and the same?"

"I-I'm not like you!" Solaris said, though he felt unsure.

Lucifer only laughed as he watched the alicorn tremble. "You are so naive. Of course a foal like you would never truly understand how important you truly are." He disappeared, soon appearing behind Solaris with the zombified ponies and dragon. He backed away from them, only to hit some kind of invisible wall, keeping him from fleeing. "You're considered a sort of god, an immortal deity everypony should worship. You should have known since the day you were born that everypony would die for your precious life. Or...you would end up killing them on your own."

"W-What?" Solaris pressed himself against the wall, too scared to fly away. He got a glimpse at one of his hooves, suddenly turned red and reeking of blood. He lifted them up, and saw that they were coated in the liquid, thin streams of it magnetizing to him from his family. "No! G-Get it off!"

"Their blood is on your hooves, Solaris." Lucifer said, relishing the teenager's horror as he tried to brush the stained blood off his forelegs. "Their deaths lie on your head. Because of you, everypony around you will die."

"NO!" Solaris shouted, tears welling up in his eyes as his entire body was covered in blood.

"You can't protect everypony, Solaris! The entire world will fall, and you will fail them all!" Lucifer laughed maniacally, thrusting his hoof forward to command the undead ponies and dragon to attack. "I win! Equestria is mine, and it's all thanks to you, oh great and powerful alicorn!"

Solaris pressed into the wall as his aunts and uncle approached him, too upset to fly or fight back. He curled into a ball and waited for the inevitable, but the sound of the moaning zombies disappeared, as well as Lucifer's cackling. He opened his eyes, his body blood free, and standing before him was Twilight.

"M-Mom?" He slowly approached her, desperate for her attention and seeking her protection. "Please, help me..."

"Help you?" she questioned. Twilight shoved her son away from her with her magic, shocking the alicorn teen. "Why should I help you? After what you did to my friends? To Spike!?"

"B-But I didn't-" Twilight immediately teleported in front of the distraught teen, slapping him hard in the face.

"I don't want to hear a word out of you! You were supposed to protect Equestria, but you let it fall to ruin!" She pointed behind him, Solaris slowly turning around as his tears fell, feeling hurt as his own mother slapped him. His eyes widened as the darkness behind him turned to a burning landscape of all of Equestria from a bird's eye view. Ponyville, Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, every single city and town across the continent was burning to ashes, and the flames kept growing and growing. "Some hero you turned out to be. I was wrong about you."

"N-No...I-I'm not-" Solaris screamed as he felt his wings being torn out from his back, his appendages held tightly in Twilight's aura.

"I can't believe I gave birth to a monster. A harbinger of death and destruction, far worse than Lucifer ever was!" As Solaris tried to breath, his back bleeding heavily from his quickly torn wings, he screamed louder as his horn snapped in half by Twilight's magic. Blood ran down his forehead, staining his face along with his tears, the pain becoming unbearable as he was rendered defenseless. He could only watch as his horn and wings burned up, turning into a pile of ash that fell mere feet in front of him. "A monster like you deserves to die in the deepest, darkest pits of Tarterus."

"M-Mom, please..." Solaris begged, reaching out desperately for his mother.

"You heard your mother, Solaris," Lucifer said, appearing before the teen. He grabbed Solaris by the throat with his magic, hovering him over a deep pit, where his zombified family reached out to him, wanting to bite into his flesh. "Time for you to die. Farewell, foal."

The tyrant dropped Solaris, the teen screaming in terror as he couldn't fly anymore. He was going to die, and the world had perished because of his failure.

Solaris woke up screaming, sweat dripping down his face as he hyperventilated from experiencing the vivid nightmare. The memory of what he did to Rainbow Dash was still clear in his mind, only making the nightmare he had only made his guilt worsen. He curled up in his bed, sobbing heavily as the weight of his murder began to eat away at him.

As his thoughts raced from his sorrow, how he lost so much of his family in such a short amount of time, something about his mother's words began to repeat itself into his mind.

After each trial you complete, you will suffer.

Those words kept repeating themselves in his head as visions of his family ran through his mind. His heart only sunk further in despair, realizing what his mother meant by suffering with each trial; she meant he would lose one of his aunts after each test he passes.

"...N-No..." More tears fell from his eyes as the realization kicked in. It had all made sense, Rarity's, Applejack's, and Rainbow Dash's deaths all in the same time frame after he had succeeded with each trial. Rarity's assassination attempt in the middle of the night when he beat his test around that same time, Applejack bucking him out of the passage and getting crushed mere moments after he beat his second test, and now Rainbow Dash, getting killed by a crystal stalactite that seemed stable, but fell directly on top of her and impaled her. It wasn't just Lucifer who had killed them, Solaris was responsible as well. His tests were cursed. "...I-I...I'm...killing them..."

Trill tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. She knew Solaris was suffering really badly that she could practically taste his sorrow from a mile away. She couldn't imagine how much more pain he must go through in order to have thoughts of suicide run through his head. Even if she were to eat his depressing emotions, there would still be that lingering guilt that would make it keep coming back, making his anxiety and psychological trauma grow worse with each moment.

Trill got out of bed, deciding to head for Solaris's room to help comfort him. She didn't care if the others knew if they were in a relationship. The point was he needed her more than ever, and she did not want to lose him. After navigating through the long corridors, she finally found the alicorn's room, gently knocking on the door.

"Solaris? Are you awake?" She didn't hear an answer, either he was awake and couldn't speak, or he was still unconscious.

She opened his door, but as she looked inside, she gasped, seeing no sign of Solaris anywhere in the room. She ran in, searching for any sign of him, but there was none. The window to his room was wide open, and as she looked at his bed, there was a note left behind, the page strewn with tears.

I'm sorry, everypony. I don't want to do this anymore. Please don't find me. I don't want to kill anymore.

Trill's eyes widened, looking back out the window, Solaris having run away when he was dreadfully upset. "Oh no..."

Chapter 16: Runaway

"What do you mean he ran away!?" Shining asked, greatly worried.

Trill had quickly ran through the castle, gathering Pinkie, Fluttershy, Cadence, and Shining Armor, telling them that Solaris was gone. They were annoyed at first when the changeling woke them up in the middle of the night, but as soon as she showed them his note, they all began to worry about his safety.

"I don't know!" Trill said. "I was worried and wanted to check on him, but he wasn't in his room! The window was opened, and he left that note..."

"This is bad," Cadence said. "He shouldn't be on his own right now. What if he fled outside of the barrier!?"

"But...he's safe from the cold with his fire breath, right?" Trill asked.

"There's a lot of dangerous creatures far to the north of the kingdom," Shining said. "Not only that, but around this time, harsh blizzards come and go outside the barrier. This place is protected by the Crystal Heart, keeping it safe from the elements, but it can drop below freezing in a heartbeat if anypony's dumb enough to travel out there. Even with his fire protecting him from the cold, he's not mentally sane enough to defend himself from what lies outside of the empire."

"Oh great..." Trill uttered, knowing that something else aside from Lucifer could end up killing Solaris.

The group soon split up to try and find the alicorn before he could breach the protective barrier around the empire, Shining Armor alerting his troops and spreading them out to search for his nephew. Trill searched around Solaris's room again, having a gut feeling that her coltfriend was already long gone. The only way she would have a chance to find him was by tracking him, and her searching would possibly lead her outside of the warm, protective shield and into the freezing cold tundra outside.

Trill was lucky enough to learn how to track down any victims she encountered that could give more love energy than her previous prey could. Casting her spell, she closed her eyes, giving her a sixth sense through her mind's eye. The room around her through her shut eyes grew darker, but she can now see aura trails, each one different and floating in different pathways, signifying where that pony stood and where they had gone depending on how strong the aura was.

Solaris's golden aura flew out of the window, just like she predicted, but seeing how far out it went, he definitely went past the barrier. "Solaris, why did you have to run out there? I hate the cold..." Having no choice, she needed to go out there and follow his trail before it disappeared. Trill quickly ran to her room and grabbed her saddlebags, pulling out a scarf she bought back in Saddle Arabia. "Good thing I got one of these. I hope this can keep me warm."

With her gear in check, and the only bit of warm clothing she had on her, Trill flew out of her bedroom window and followed after the gold trail, ignoring the other colored auras down below. As soon as she reached the barrier and passed through, her wings immediately locked up as the temperature dropped drastically. She tried to will her wings to at least let her glide to the ground, but her body refused to listen, needing warmth. Screaming, all she could do was flail in a panic, slamming into a deep bank of snow, cushioning her fall and freezing her further all at once.

Popping out of the snow, Trill began shivering heavily, not one of her better plans. "S-S-So s-stupid...S-Should have t-told t-the others I-I-I could f-f-f-find him..." She shakily dug herself out and began to follow the golden aura on hoof, the scarf barely able to keep her neck warm. "G-G-Gotta f-find him b-before t-t-t-the trail d-dies..."

Far to the north of the Crystal Empire, a harsh blizzard has already rolled in the area, heading south toward the magical barrier. Through the harsh flurry of snow and chilling winds, Solaris ran through the blizzard unhindered, his body heat high in temperature thanks to Spike's dragon fire protecting him from the cold. He could barely see anything in front of him, but he didn't care, too upset to bother where he was going, as long as it was far away from everypony.

He reached the base of a mountain, finding a nearby cave. He stumbled inside, going in as far as the cave could go. He soon collapsed in the middle of the small room, his body shuddering in sorrow as his mind was plagued by the guilt his fate had wrought. Solaris didn't care if he ran from his destiny; he didn't want to be held responsible for the deaths of his family any longer. He looked down at his gauntlets with tear-filled eyes, glaring at his "rewards" for completing his tests.

"Was this what you meant by suffer, mom? Killing my family? The ponies who were supposed to be your friends!?" Solaris shoved the gauntlets off his hooves, throwing them far across the room. He then ripped off the pendant around his neck and pushed the ring off his horn, throwing them at the gauntlets. "How am I supposed to go through with all of this if all you want me to do is cause me pain!? WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU!?"

Solaris sucked in a deep breath, blowing out a powerful blast of green flames at his armor he had obtained so far, wanting to burn them as they would only remind him of what he did to Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. He watched as the flames died down, but the golden gauntlets, pendant, and ring were still intact. Seeing as his armor was indestructible, he slammed his hooves into the ground, unable to get rid of the objects that would forever haunt him.

"You really think you can get rid of them that easily?" Solaris's ears twitched, hearing Rainbow Dash's voice. He looked around, but there was no sign of her anywhere, even though she was dead. They'll never go away, just like your guilt when you killed me."

"A-Aunt Rainbow?" Solaris looked all around him, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

"Ya couldn't even run fast enough to outrun a collapsin' temple," Applejack's voice spoke, berating him in a distasteful tone. "After all that trainin' ya did, ya should have been able to outrun Rainbow Dash. What're my brother, sister, and son gonna think when ya tell them ya got me killed!?"

"I told you to run off into the forest, and you completely ignored me," Spike's voice echoed in Solaris's head. His heart kept sinking more and more as he kept hearing the voices of his family, his sanity lost beyond this point. "If you had just listened to me, I would have still been alive. But instead, you just had to try and play 'hero' when you weren't ready to face Lucifer. Now look what you've done to me!"

The voices kept yelling at him from his mind, the cavern spiraling around him as his vision began to fade to darkness. In place of the cave, he saw Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight surrounding him, all of their voices clashing as they said demeaning things toward him. He couldn't escape, he couldn't deny their words, because he knew what they were telling him were true in his mind. All he could do was collapse to the ground, curl into the fetal position, press his forehooves to his ears to try and keep the voices out as he rocked back and forth, their words still reaching to him as he fell deeper and deeper into despair.

Crystal guards searched every single alley, building, and field inside the empire's barrier, but they couldn't find Solaris anywhere. The blizzard had appeared a moment later, the harsh winds dying down as they hit the magic shield, the snow turning to freezing rain. Shining received reports from each group of soldiers patrolling the different parts of the empire, which were all bad news, no sign of his nephew anywhere in their sectors. He dismissed them, ordering them to keep searching.

"I can't believe this is happening..." Shining looked out of the nearby window from the throne room, watching the rain pouring down on the city, many of the crystal ponies and refugees inside their homes to avoid the freezing downpour as the blizzard raged outside the barrier. The doors opened, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy slightly drenched from the rain. "Please tell me you managed to find him."

"No." Pinkie shook off the rainwater, her coat and mane poofing up the second she stopped. "There's no sign of him."

"...Then...he must have ran out of the empire..." The stallion slumped against the windowsill, looking beyond the barrier toward the dangers the frozen north was capable of hiding. "I'm a terrible uncle...This is all my fault..."

"Wait, where's Trill?" Fluttershy asked. "Was she searching around the castle with you and Cadence, Shining Armor?"

"...I thought she went off with you two." After a minute, the three looked out the window, figuring the changeling princess must have gone out into the freezing blizzard. "She can't really be out there! What is wrong with her!?"

"I kinda don't see what's wrong," Pinkie said. "Maybe she found a way to find Solly and didn't think there was enough time to send a search party."

"Pinkie, changelings are part insect!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "She won't be able to last out in the cold for that long, especially when there's a blizzard!"

"...Oh." With how heavy the downpour was, there was no possibility a search party could last a minute outside the empire's barrier, all of them worried for both the teens' safety. "How long will this storm last?"

"With how severe it is, a couple days at the very least," Shining said. "I hope it only lasts a couple days..."

Trill shivered violently as she slowly hiked through the blizzard, definitely regretting going out alone without telling the others. She should have stolen a warm jacket and some fuzzy boots to go with her scarf, but there was no time and she feared Solaris could have gotten eaten by what creatures thrive in storms like this. She didn't really think things through, no matter what her plans are, and this is by far one of the dumbest ideas she ever had: tromping through the snow, fighting against the harsh winds, freezing to near death or possible hibernation, which can result in death if she collapsed in the snow.

She had been hiking for over an hour, her body heat slowly dying as she continued following Solaris's aura trail. As much as she wanted to succumb to her insect-like instincts and fall asleep from the cold, she kept moving forward, far too worried about Solaris's deteriorating health to leave him alone.

"I-Is this h-h-how l-lovers f-f-f-feel?" Trill questioned herself. "T-They d-do s-s-s-stupid t-things for t-the one they c-c-care about? N-No w-wonder I-I-I'm b-bad at m-making p-p-p-p-p-plans..."

She continued following the golden aura, the trail leading to a cave at the base of a nearby mountain, the aura at its strongest. Solaris was inside, and Trill hoped there wasn't any dangerous beasts living inside. She was too cold to defend herself, leaving her completely helpless. She stepped inside the cave, leaning against the wall as soon as she was out of the frigid wind and snow, shuddering as she tried to warm herself up as best as she could. Aside from her teeth chattering, her ears perked up as she heard sobs echoing inside the cave.

She shakily made her way through the cave, finding Solaris curled up in the middle of the room, mumbling to himself. She saw his gauntlets, ring, and pendant on the other side of the entrance, along with a scorch mark around his armor. Trill slowly approached him, feeling the emotional anguish he was suffering from, able to feel his mental state spiraling in his depression. He flinched as he felt her shivering hoof lightly touch him, quickly turning to back away from her.

"Stop!" Solaris shouted. "Leave me alone!"

Trill felt pity for her coltfriend, seeing just how terribly he was suffering. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, his pupils were shrunk as he saw illusions of something she couldn't, and his psychological state was destroyed, the changeling unsure if he'll ever recover at this point.

"S-Solaris, i-it's me," Trill tried to comfort, beginning to feel her body close to shutting down from the blizzard. "W-Why d-d-did you r-run away?"

"P-Please, I didn't want this!" Solaris cried out, backing away from her until he hit the wall. "I-I didn't mean it!"

Seeing he was too far gone to be reasoned with, Trill kept moving closer, trying to control her limbs to keep moving. She hated seeing him so broken, watching him wince with each step she took and scared out of his mind. He flinched as their faces were inches apart, Trill activating her magic as she pressed her horn against his head. She began devouring his negative emotions, Solaris's eyes widening and turning green as he fell into a trance.

Trill couldn't keep her spell up for long, not just because of how disgusting his other emotions tasted, but her energy was nearly exhausted just from pushing through a dangerous blizzard that almost killed her. She backed away, feeling sick to her stomach, managing to absorb enough of his depression to snap Solaris back to his sanity, though it wasn't enough to calm him down.

"T-Trill?" Solaris said, his mind still reeling from the torment he was suffering through. "Why did you find me!?"

"Y-you k-know how w-w-w-worried w-we were a-about you!?" Trill stuttered, desperately needing warmth.

"You shouldn't have come after me!" he argued. "Get away from me!"

"I-I t-t-trekked through a b-b-blizzard, a-and I-I nearly f-froze to d-death t-t-trying to f-f-f-find you," Trill said, trying to stay calm. "W-Why d-did you r-run away?"

"Just leave me." Solaris turned his back on her. "I'm a threat to my family..."

"...W-W-What?" Trill stared at the alicorn, having no clue what he meant.

"My tests...They're a curse." He looked over at his discarded equipment, glaring at them in spite. "My rewards required sacrifices, and the tribute was the lives of the ones I hold dear. That was what my mother meant when I had to suffer."

"W-What are y-you t-t-talking about?" Trill asked, still not understanding.

"Don't you get it, Trill!?" Solaris turned to face her, growing more upset as his mind kept playing through his mother's "warnings" and vague explanations. "My trails are killing my aunts!

"I beat the first one late in the evening, and ironically, Aunt Rarity was killed probably not too long after! My second test, we all could have gotten out, but Aunt Applejack had to kick me out before it collapsed on us! She could have made it out along with the rest of us!" A fresh wave of tears welled up in Solaris's eyes as he recalled the losses he had suffered from. "A-And Aunt Rainbow...There was no way that crystal could have broken off that easily! Not even an earthquake could shake it down from its roots on the ceiling, and she didn't even see it until it hit her! And I stupidly punched it to pieces, killing her with my own hooves!"

"I-It's j-just an u-unfortunate c-c-circumstance," Trill said.

"No it's not!" Solaris shouted. "It's not even close to being a coincidence either! They died in a specific time frame after I passed my test, practically an hour after I won!" He turned his head, breathing a large wave of green fire at his armor, trying his hardest to burn them again. They remained untouched as the flames died down, only angering the alicorn further. "What's going to happen after my final two tests!? Who's blood am I going to have to shed just to get them!? Why is my mother making my life more miserable when she left me, getting herself killed and leaving me with Uncle Spike and never being told of her fate!? I'M SICK OF BEING LIED TO AND LOSING THE ONES I LOVE!"

He slammed his hooves into the ground, making the whole mountain shake as he yelled in frustration and sorrow. While the flames Solaris spewed out warmed the cave a little, Trill still shivered, though more in fear of her coltfriend's enraged power than the cold.

"S-Solaris, is that w-why you ran a-away?" Trill asked, getting his attention as he panted. "B-Because you think y-you're responsible for their d-deaths? Lucifer k-killed Rarity and Applejack, and R-Rainbow Dash's death w-was an accident." She slowly approached him, being careful not to rile him up. "N-Not everypony can be s-saved."

"I don't want anypony else to die from my actions." Solaris turned away from his marefriend again, unwilling to listen to her. "I'm not a hero if I can't help my family...Four lives are on my head, their blood stained on my hooves." He looked down at his forehooves, his hallucinations slowly returning as he began to see them turn red and reeking of blood. "I'm just like Lucifer."

"No you're not!" Trill exclaimed in annoyance, the alicorn's ears pressed tightly against his skull to avoid listening. "Y-You're not like him!" She moved closer, trying to talk some sense into him before he lost himself to his broken psychosis while growing annoyed at his stubbornness. "I-I know you're hurting, b-but you c-can't expect to save the whole w-world! E-Everypony is suffering, and the world is m-more cruel than h-how we think it was i-inside the caves w-we grew up in!"

"Shut up..." Solaris muttered.

"S-Sometimes, sacrifices h-have to be made for the g-greater good!" Trill kept moving closer, unable to see his anger growing to a boiling point. "W-When my mom t-told me about what had happened after the invasion, w-we lost h-hundreds of changeling s-soldiers when t-they got separated when they f-failed! We t-tried, but we didn't g-give up!"

"Shut up," he said, louder.

"Y-You just have to face the f-facts, Solaris!" Trill shouted, standing directly behind the stubborn stallion.

"Shut up!" Solaris shouted.

"Y-You have to l-learn that t-the world is going to be cruel, and w-we need you to s-snap out of it!" She pressed her hoof against his shoulder. "Y-You have to grow up a-and be a stallion i-instead of crying like a baby!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Solaris quickly turned around, lost in his anger, pulling Trill's hoof down and punching her hard in the face.

The changeling princess flew across the room, knocking unconscious from the powerful blow, slamming her head hard into the wall. Solaris immediately snapped to his senses as he not only realized who he just hit, but the chilling, smacking sound Trill made when she hit the wall, her limp body collapsing in a heap.

"...O-Oh buck..." Solaris's hoof shook, eyes widened, and his breath shortened. More tears streamed down his face, not seeing his changeling lover moving. He panicked, running to her, his heart sinking even deeper as he believed he just killed somepony else he cared about. He skidded to a halt near her, Trill was still breathing, but her cheek was beginning to swell, along with her head bleeding slightly, her blood green instead of red. "T-Trill...I-I didn't..."

He was relieved she was still breathing, but the impact could have either cracked her skull or injured her brain. Solaris hyperventilated, carefully checking her injured head, which was only a small gash that wasn't life threatening. He gently took off her scarf, ripping some of the accessory to use as gauze for her wound, keeping it pressed down gently with his magic as he cradled Trill's head against his chest.

"I-I'm sorry..." Solaris sobbed, the guilt in his heart growing heavier. He almost killed the mare he loved, and he hit her. He feared his relationship with Trill was already over, immediately breaking up when she wakes, and leaving him forever. Losing his family one by one was painful enough, but just the thought of hurting or losing the one pony he truly loves and is willing to protect was ten times worse to him. "I'm so sorry...P-Please...Please don't leave me alone..."

Chapter 17: Forgiveness

Trill moaned, feeling her head throbbing in pain as she felt her consciousness coming back to her. She heard flames flickering nearby, feeling the warmth of a fire not too far away, keeping her body free from the cold air around her. Squinting her eyes, her head began to hurt as soon as she saw the light of the fire, which was green instead of how normal campfires are supposed to be. Her eyes began to adjust, looking into the flames while waiting for her migraine to stop.

She remembered what had happened earlier before she was knocked unconscious. She was trying to bring some sense to Solaris, yelling at him to get her words through to him, but then suddenly being punched by the teen after swiftly pulling her hoof down. She felt her cheek where she was hit, wincing as she felt the bruise under her dark chitin face. As she felt her head, she flinched when she felt where her headache came from, along with something soft over her injury.

Trill sat up, trying to dull out her throbbing head, looking around the cave in the green glow of the fire. She had no idea how long she was out for, but judging by how empty her stomach was, it must have been a few hours. On the other side of the campfire, she spotted Solaris, his back turned to the fire. She could feel he was far more troubled than before, probably from hitting her and knocking her unconscious. She did deserve it: yelling at him while he was struggling emotionally with the past few weeks, what he truly believed was the reason why his family getting killed one by one and the guilt he felt, and disregarding his feelings from nearly freezing to death and insulting him when he needed consoling.

Not knowing if he was awake or not, Trill decided to stay silent for the time being, give Solaris some time to himself for a little. She prodded at the soft cloth that was on her head, gently removing it from the gash that subsided its bleeding. She looked at the bit of fabric, which was stained with her blood, whining in frustration when she recognized it as part of her scarf she was wearing. She found the rest of it with her saddlebags, seeing where it was ripped.

"So much for fashionable warmth for the neck..." She tossed the temporary bandage in the fire to discard it, no longer useful. She rubbed her head, being careful not to apply too much pressure to her injury. "Good thing we have thick skulls."

Solaris stirred awake and sat up. He turned around to face the fire, but the moment his eyes laid on Trill, her looking at him, he averted his gaze away from her. She could tell he was afraid of what she was going to do to him after he hit her and knocked her unconscious. They stayed in silence for a long while, the only sound coming from the crackling fire between them.

Solaris waited anxiously for the worst case scenario to happen, but the silence was maddening. He was expecting her to just yell at him, insult him, even hit him back, but nothing happened. After what almost felt like an eternity, Trill finally decided to speak up.

"I'm sorry." Solaris's ears perked up, staring at the changeling princess in confusion. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that...I can get a bit ornery when I'm freezing cold, since I am a changeling, and being an insect, cold weather isn't something we like to live in."

"...Why are you apologizing?" Solaris asked in annoyance. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"Solaris..." Trill could see he was about to have another breakdown, seeing his eye twitch and fidgeting hooves. "I was supposed to try and calm you down, but I ended up being too harsh on you."

"No!" he shouted, startling the changeling. "You don't get it! I hit you! I could have killed you!" Tears welled up in his eyes as he began to pace around his spot. "You're supposed to hate me after I did that to you! I could have given you a concussion, or put you in a coma!"

"Solly-" Trill tried to stop him, but he continued his rambling.

"I was so scared I had killed somepony else I loved! I almost thought you actually died!" Solaris sobbed, his tears flowing down his cheeks, unable to look Trill in the eyes. "I'm not the hero everypony wants me to be if I can't save my own family! I don't want to lose anypony anymore, and I thought I was going to lose you in either scenario: you dying by my own hoof or leaving me and never wanting anything to do with me! I want you to be mad at me! I don't deserve-!"

Solaris's mouth was suddenly clamped shut as Trill spat out her green webbing from her mouth, shutting his muzzle tightly. Now that he had been silenced, he looked at the mare, showing no signs of anger or disdain toward him. She walked around the fire and sat right in front of the confused stallion, his distress making him forget he could have gotten rid of his gag via dragon fire or magic. He wanted to turn away, but her hoof grabbed his horn, forcing him to look directly at her.

"Remember when you told me I should think before saying anything stupid?" Trill asked rhetorically. "Well, you need to stop overthinking everything you just said, and listen to me." Solaris tried to say something, but his mouth was sealed shut by the green web. At least he was able to breath through his nose, but he was more worried about what his soon-to-be ex-marefriend was going to say. "I don't hate you, and I never will. I deserved to be punched after I said all those things earlier.

"I wanted to help you, but instead, I was only making your anxiety worse." Trill wrapped her forelegs around Solaris's neck, keeping their eyes focused on each other as she held him close. "Many of those things I said were true, but none of them about you were...I was freezing, and very exhausted braving a blizzard that should have killed me. I just wanted to bring you back to the others so all of us could help you, but instead, I called you a baby and told you the world was a cruel place to live in..."

She gently pulled off her webbing off of his muzzle, freeing his mouth, but he couldn't find any words to say. Trill rested her head against his shoulder, nuzzling his neck, pressing herself closer, relishing in his body heat helping to keep her warm. Solaris was completely still, having no clue what he was supposed to do as his mind muddled through what he supposed was going to happen.

"We're both clueless with what awaited us outside of the caverns we called home," Trill continued. "I was taught that the world outside my hive was full of danger, and I should always prepare for anything that could harm me. You were kept hidden from the world, unaware of the dangers outside what you called home. With Equestria being ruled the way it is, not one place is truly safe. Corruption is everywhere, even in havens we feel are safe to stay in..." She gently brushed her cheek against Solaris's, who was still confused. "We're both ignorant until we see the truth of the world with our own eyes."

She gently kissed her lover's cheek, her horn sparking from the small amount of love energy she took. Solaris wanted to look away, to push her away, fearing she was trying to lull him into a false sense of security. He couldn't even protest, his voice failing him while his ears sought her comforting voice and young ideals on what she sees in the world. Trill pressed her muzzle against his, rubbing her nose against his lovingly, making him blush.

"I know you believe that you might be the cause of what's happening to your family, but you don't have any proof that it's a possibility, right?" Solaris wanted to argue, but she was right. Even though the gaps between his successes in passing his trials and the moment where one of his aunts is killed were close to under possibly an hour, maybe it was all some horrible coincidence that they died. It still wouldn't leave his mind as he still felt some form of guilt, but it was starting to be more like a series of unfortunate events. "Don't blame yourself for what happened to them." Trill's voice brought him back from his conflicting thoughts. "You're important to them, and all of Equestria. We all want you to save the kingdom, but we also care about your safety and well-being."

"B-But-" Solaris was silenced by Trill's hoof gently pressing against his lips.

"No buts," she said. "I know it's tough to go through all this and be expected to win, but we know you can pull through...I know you can pull through." Trill gently removed her hoof, gently kissing his snout. "I promised you I would be there for you, no matter what happens. And once you finally stop Lucifer, you can do whatever you want to let out your sorrow. I'll never leave you, Solaris. Never."

She pressed herself closer, closed her eyes, and kissed him softly, surprising Solaris a little. More tears streamed down his cheeks as he was kissed, his conflicting thoughts slowly ebbing away as he began to close his eyes in bliss. He kissed her back with the same gentle passion she was giving him, wrapping his forelegs and wings around her, never wanting to let go of the changeling princess.

They pulled away from each other slightly, their eyes locked on each others' as they panted lightly. Trill licked her lips as she absorbed Solaris's willingly given love, almost enticing the alicorn to give her more. He gave her more, pressing their lips together, only more passionate and a little heated. Trill moaned into his mouth as she felt his hooves caress her back, her hair, even a surprise squeak from her as he dared to give her plot a little squeeze. She pulled away from him, giving him a seductive grin as she caught a glint of lust in his eyes.

"So, you wanna play it that way, huh?" Trill asked, quickly pinning Solaris down on his back as she took control. "What would the world think if they saw their future prince getting frisky with a changeling?"

"...B-Blame my hormones..." Solaris said, his face glowing brighter in embarrassment. "That and your constant flirting got to me."

"So they did work on you after all," she giggled as she watched him turn his head away from her. While looking away, she began to repeatedly kiss his neck, making the stallion gasp as he stifled a moan, feeling her teeth graze his skin as she also nibbled him. "I think we'll both enjoy this."

She trailed back up to his lips and they continued to make out, pressing their bodies closely to one another while moaning in bliss.

Shining Armor walked through the halls of Canterlot Castle, disguised as the mercenary, Zero, hoping that his troops in the Crystal Empire will report any sign of Solaris and Trill while he was gone. He already wasted enough of his "vacation" days, growing worried of Lucifer's suspicions on his lack of attendance. He expected them to be littered with the corpses of his previous assassins, but surprisingly, the castle was actually clean. There was a fresh clean scent in the corridors, no corpses, blood splatters, or organs littering the floors and walls. It was somewhat better looking, despite the atmosphere still feeling grim and dark.

He managed to figure out where Lucifer was, entering his chambers to find the tyrant reading through a novel with a content grin on his face, something that bothered Shining greatly. He had a wine glass filled with a very expensive red wine, the bottle on his reading desk over a century old. He was too focused on his book, though his ears moved to the sound of Shining's hoofsteps.

"Sorry for my tardiness, Your Highness," he said, bowing his head. "I had a job that came up at the last moment."

"Quite alright, Zero," Lucifer said, his eyes still glued to the pages. "You are a mercenary. You do what you must to earn a paycheck. Though your loyalty still stands by me, yes?"

"Of course, Your Highness." The stallion leered at Lucifer through his visor, wanting to vomit as he followed his orders like an abused lapdog. It still made him feel wary, seeing his "king" being this chipper and calm. "Might I ask what's gotten you in a good mood, sir?"

"I have nothing getting in my way to finally rule this kingdom." He marked the page in his book and set it aside, taking a small sip of his drink. "With no worries about that brat becoming a thorn in my side, I can finally relax and plan on liberating the other kingdoms on this continent, maybe even the rest of the world."

"W-World conquest?" Shining asked, not liking where this was headed.

"Exactly." Lucifer downed the rest of his glass, gently placing it down on the table. "You see, Zero, when Celestia came into power, she was deemed as a goddess. She and her sister Luna were immortal beings with immeasurable power, overlooking the mortals that worshiped them like a cult blindly following a lunatic priest who would lead them to salvation. In fact, everypony had claimed that they were so powerful, nothing could stop them." He refilled his glass, Shining staring at the liquid as it almost seemed to resemble blood. "Little did they realize that they're just as frail as they are."

"...What do you mean?" Shining asked.

"Think about Celestia and Luna's greatest feats when they were still alive." Using his magic, Lucifer pulled out a history book on Equestria's major events that had taken place since the founding of the kingdom. He flicked through each page for Shining Armor, having them bookmarked for when he decided to give a lecture on the princesses and their greatest moments. "Discord: His chaotic magic rivaled their own power, and by his own will, he could actually take away horns and wings. Being an unknown creature and deity of his own magic, he was able to make a mockery of Celestia and Luna." On the page was a picture of the stain-glass mural that was once on the walls of the castle: both princesses of the sun and moon turning the draconequus to stone with the Elements of Harmony. "How exactly was he beaten?"

"The Elements of Harmony," Shining answered, knowing the answer and with it highlighted in the book.

"Right." He flipped over to another page, this one featuring Sombra being cast into the shadows with the Crystal Empire in the background, Celestia and Luna wearing armor matching their coats. "Sombra: A unicorn tyrant who sought arcane magic to show his true power ruled the Crystal Empire. Like a fool, he wasn't smart enough to prepare himself for the corruption it had on his mind, wanting those crystals all to himself like a disturbing fetish his magic truly desired. Who were the ponies who banished him to the shadows, along with the empire?"

"...Celestia and Luna," Shining responded, unsure of what Lucifer was trying to get at.

"Yes." He flipped over to the last marked page, showing Celestia's greatest and worst moment in all of Equestria's history: Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon, Celestia using the Elements to banish her to the moon. "Nightmare Moon: Celestia's sister turned to the corruption of her anger and jealousy into the Mare in the Moon. A climactic battle between the two waged, and Nightmare was far more powerful than her older sibling, where the night would last for all eternity. How was she beaten?"

"...The Elements of Harmony..." Shining replied.

"The Elements of Harmony," Lucifer repeated, flipping through the pages, this time only showing some of the recent events that had taken place in the past two decades. "Nightmare Moon's return; Celestia was nowhere to be found when she came back after a thousand years of banishment. Discord breaking free from his stone prison; Celestia sends six mares, the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony, to find the stolen Elements and stop him, doesn't do a thing to even TRY and fight against him. The Changeling Invasion; Celestia DOES fight back, only to be beaten so easily by the queen, her power weaker than a love-fueled succubus, a lowly parasite of a bug! Sombra's return; Celestia send her own student to try to save the crystal empire, putting the lives of the Elements of Harmony in peril, WITHOUT the artifacts to use against him to actually destroy him!"

Lucifer slammed the book hard, sending it back to where it was on the many shelves. He lost his calm demeanor, going back to infuriated and enraged the more he lectured Shining with Celestia's mistakes.

"...I-I don't understand," Shining finally said.

"It's obvious, Zero; Celestia was a pathetic ruler, and her godhood is nothing but a falsified rumor that she claimed she had." Lucifer took a sip of his wine, letting the alcohol calm his anger a little. "Alicorns are not as great as they seem to be. Darkness and chaos can easily beat one on their own. My old teacher had to rely on the Elements of Harmony, or the aid of her sister, to stop the threats set upon this kingdom. She even used them on me to render me unconscious in a comatose state, keeping me alive and hoping I would one day change the error of my ways." Lucifer pulled out another book, though this one had no title, no author, and looked like it was kept in pristine condition from a thousand years worth of time. "Even I blindly looked up to her like everypony else."

He let Shining take the book, letting him see what lied inside its pages. He skimmed through the words, which seemed to match the writing style of a young colt or filly's hoof writing, but what caught his attention was the drawing above the writing. It was crude, but it showed a young colt with the same color scheme as Lucifer's: black coat, black mane and tail, red dots for eyes. Next to the colt was what looked like Celestia, her badly proportioned wings spread out as the colt looked up at her.

"What is this?" Shining asked.

"My old journal I left behind." He looked up at the tyrant, watching him scowl at the book of his own memories.

Shining looked back at the book as he read the entire page to himself.

I can't believe it! This is so awesome! Princess Celestia saw my magical potential, and now I'm her first ever student she would take under her wing, literally and figuratively! If only I were born earlier, then maybe I could have also been taught by Starswirl the Bearded too! And I finally have a home...I don't have to live in that orphanage anymore...being shunned by the other colts and fillies because of how I look. I still don't know why they call me a monster...Is it my eyes? Is it my magic?...Oh well, it doesn't matter. I live with Princess Celestia now, and her castle is huge! I wonder what hidden passageways are in here!

He flipped through the next few pages, where Lucifer wrote down everything he had learned in his excited youth, his drawings turning to visual images created by his magic. For a few years of this journal's time, it told of his achievements, some moments he had with Celestia, some pages where he ended up calling her "mom" or "mommy", something that any orphaned foal would want to say, feeling as if they belonged in the family that adopted them.

On one specific page, where young Lucifer was around fifteen, Shining's eyes widened behind his visor as a picture of his cutie mark was at the top of the page, a red skull with two daggers stabbing the eye sockets.

It was so strange today. While going through the archives, brushing up on some spells Starswirl had created that nopony else was allowed to see, I ran into a strange looking tome. It was black, and held some form of magic I was really afraid of, but I was dying to know what was inside. I didn't cast any spells from it though, finding out it was dark magic, the same kind of power that corrupted Sombra many years ago.

I sought out Mo-I mean, Princess Celestia, showing her the book and asking her why it was in the castle. The moment she saw it, she panicked and slapped the book away from me. She...yelled at me...scolded me for just having it in my possession. I know she had bad experiences with it, especially when she told me about her sister, Luna...or, Nightmare Moon.

When she told me that story, what had happened between the two of them a few years before I was even born, she cried...I-I never wrote this in my earlier entries because it wasn't supposed to be a happy memory, but she actually cried as she retold the tale, far different from the fairy tale I read when I was ten. I thought she was some powerful goddess, fearing nothing and never showing her emotions around everypony. But all this time, she was hiding under a mask in the public eye, staying strong for her kingdom, only to hide her sorrow behind closed doors.

She told me she blamed herself, forced to use the Elements of Harmony to banish her out of desperation to save her sister. She never knew Luna was upset as ponies only looked up to her during the day and wanting nothing to do with the princess of the night. Her envy transformed her into Nightmare Moon, they fought, and Nightmare almost won. The moment she was about to say what happened, she broke down and wept, struck with grief by the horrible mistake she made.

Now, I saw her when she got angry. I was just curious about the book. She didn't have to yell at me. All Princess Celestia could have said was that I shouldn't have read the book, not give me a lecture on how stupid I was for finding it. I was sent to my room, grounded for a month, just from looking at the dark tome. But...I found this on my flank a little while ago, my cutie mark...Did she yell at me for getting this cutie mark as well?

The next page, it only got worse for Lucifer.

She won't even look at me anymore. After what happened a couple months ago, she never spoke to me, or continued giving me anymore magical lessons. I made one little mistake, did something I wasn't supposed to without any knowledge that tome was dangerous, and she completely ignores me. It's just like back in the orphanage I was dumped at by my parents, where nopony would even look at me unless they wanted to make fun of me. My parents didn't even care about me to try and raise me, my mother practically pushing me out of her birth canal on the doorstep, and leaving me with no family for eight years!

I was happy, finally finding a home, somepony I looked up to as a mother, loved and cared for, but then it just gets stomped out like a roaring fire! Did she only take me in because of my magical potential? Because she took pity on me!? Because she was lonely and wanted me around just as a companion!? Did she not want me as a son!?

I heard her sob story, her regrets with what she did to her own sister, but I think she still hides behind a mask! She's not a powerful goddess, she's a fraud! A mortal with extra appendages! And with her heroic efforts to save Equestria from evil, she didn't do it on her own! She had the Elements of Harmony, and her sister! Her sister could beat her, only making her status as a powerful ruler laughable to my eyes! I could beat her in a duel, one on one, WITHOUT MY-!

...Oh no...I-I just shot dark magic from my horn as I got more upset...I-I didn't even use any of those spells while I was grounded...W-What's worse about this...I felt powerful using it...W-What if I really am turning into a monster?...M-Maybe she won't notice.

Shining flipped over to the final entry. There was an image above what Lucifer had written: a pair of tombstones with the stallion as a teenager mourning at the graves.

...It's official...Princess Celestia doesn't want anything to do with me. She found out I used dark magic, but only by accident. I was old enough to be on my own anyway. After I packed up my things, she came to my room, but didn't come to see me off or say goodbye. She ignored me enough in the last couple years to not bother with watching me become an adult.

Instead, she told me about my parents...and knew who they were. Apparently, there was some war that was left out of the history books and everypony else's thoughts; a civil war between those who worshiped Celestia, and those who worshiped Nightmare Moon. There was a reason why many foals back where I used to call home were orphans, and I was one of the many who lost their parents.

There was a fire, and I was only a few weeks old. My parents were neutral on the matter, while their families feuded against each other along with other ponies. One of the cultist bastards thought to purge those who can't pick a side, and started with my home. I had luckily escaped with my mother, while my father was killed by his own brother, his body burned in what was supposed to be my home. My mother was shot by an arrow, straight through her neck as she choked on her own blood, suffocating to death. I was found by the royal guard, NOT followers of Celestia's worshiping cult, who tried to stop this madness, telling me that while the civil war between day and night occurred, she was out of commission because she was still grieving from banishing her sister.

She told me where their graves were, and why she chose me to be her student; she was sorry she failed to protect her youngest subjects from a battle she could have prevented, and pitied me because I was mistreated by my peers. Now that I earned my cutie mark against my will, which means I'm apparently evil to the eyes of the kingdom, and I found out my parents were killed because of her failure to stop two warring cults, I feel completely empty inside.

I found their grave, back in my hometown, but I didn't shed a tear. I felt dead to the world, this darkness rising in my being making me numb to sorrow. I had happiness, I had a home, I had a mother, but all of that is gone. Celestia, you are flawed in every way, no matter what others may see you as.

You're no hero. You're not a benevolent ruler. You can't even take care of yourself. You relied on the Elements of Harmony to win your battles, trinkets you and Luna found in order to stop Discord. If you were a goddess, you could have killed that draconequus in the blink of an eye. But you're not. Alicorns aren't deities; they're mortals with higher power than the average pony. No wonder Sombra almost won against you and your sister.

I'm going to send this journal back to you, Celestia. I hope you read the happier moments I had with you first, because I want you to know you just made another villain from your carelessness and ignorance. It was not my intention to use dark magic at all. I happened to find the book, and I couldn't control my magic when I got upset. I have some knowledge on how dangerous dark magic can be, and now I know how I can control it instead of the other way around. I hope you're ready to actually fight a real opponent in the future. No magical artifacts. No assistance from others. When we meet again, I'll be sure to mount your head on a pike, in front of your castle for all the world to see just how weak and pathetic you really are.

Shining Armor was speechless after reading the final entry in Lucifer's journal. He felt bad for him, but there was no possible chance for him to be redeemed, not after what he had done to the princesses and his sister. He looked up from the journal, watching Lucifer swirling the wine in his glass, keeping a disdainful gaze as he waited for him to finish reading.

"...You really believed the princesses are nothing but a joke?" Shining asked.

"...They are." Lucifer downed the entire glass of wine, placing it back on the desk. "I'm surprised Celestia didn't burn my journal when I sent it to her. She still felt pity for me, it seems." He grabbed his book, laying it down on the desk next to his novel he was reading. "After that, I began scouring the world, seeking any tomes or inscriptions on arcane arts, mastering them one by one as I felt my power growing. I wasn't greedy like Sombra was, and took my time learning to control this dark magic. It didn't help much when she used the Elements of Harmony against me, using powerful artifacts like a coward to protect her subjects.

"Little did she realize that she only delayed the inevitable." Lucifer stood up from his seat, stretching his legs and neck. "While comatose, my magical power only grew as my subconscious thoughts channeled my strength. She was desperate, just like with her sister, but instead of purifying either of us, she instead chose a last ditch effort to delay her mistakes, hoping that we would come to our senses when we came back...Too bad her ignorance blinded her along with her kindness. She's paid for her mistakes, and the world now knows that alicorns are pathetic mortals with no power. She even brought the lives of her sister and newly ascended princess, Twilight Sparkle, to their deaths."

Shining suppressed his growl, despising Lucifer for bringing up his little sister's death by his hooves. As much as he wanted to run the unicorn king through with a spear, he had to keep his disguise from being immediately torn apart. Solaris is hopefully still alive, and he is the only one who can harm him.

"Going after Mi Amore Cadenza is a problem with that Crystal Heart's light protecting her. I won't bother with her, since she's just as weak, if not more so with her love magic." Lucifer chuckled while Shining continued to hold himself back, having just insulted his wife. "For now, I guess I'll retire for the evening. I'll plan out my domination of the world tomorrow...Actually, I probably won't with the power I wield."

As Lucifer headed off to his bed, Shining wanted to know one thing. "Your Highness?" He turned to face the mercenary. "...If you didn't figure out anything about dark magic back then, and you found out what had happened to your parents...would you have forgiven Celestia for hiding the truth from you?"

"...Maybe," Lucifer replied. "...But it's far too late for forgiveness. I killed her, and I regret nothing."

"...I see..." Not exactly satisfied with the answer he was given, Shining bowed his head. "I'll leave you to your rest, Your Highness."

He saw himself out of Lucifer's room, teleporting back to his and Cadence's bedroom in the Crystal Empire. His wife was sitting on the bed, still really worried about their nephew's safety. She wasn't all that surprised by his appearance, knowing he could be gone for long periods of time and suddenly pop up at random.

"Still no sign of him or Trill," Cadence said. Shining took off his armor, placing it in its wardrobe for later use. As he sat next to her, she noticed he seemed troubled. "Shiny? What's wrong?"

"...Lucifer..." Shining tried to find the words to say, but it still conflicted him greatly. "...He wasn't actually evil when he was born."

"What are you talking about?" Cadence asked.

"Where do I even begin?" he sighed, wondering how his wife would take hearing what he had learned about the demonic tyrant.

The blizzard had finally ended as the sun began its ascent above the mountains, bringing back some warmth to the frigid wastelands of the frozen north. Inside the safety of the cave, Trill and Solaris slept soundly, cuddled closely together as the campfire still burned brightly. Trill opened her eyes, looking at the flames flickering in front of her, feeling Solaris's hooves wrapped tightly around her waist, his chest pressed close against her back.

Wriggling herself around his grip, she managed to twist around to face him, feeling him tighten his hold on her while mumbling in his sleep. She nuzzled her face against his chest, stirring him awake with her horn brushing his shoulder.

"Mrf...Trill," he muttered, groaning as he was forcefully awoken. "You know your horn is sharp, right?"

"I had to wake you up in some way," she said. "You really do like to cuddle when you sleep."

"S-Shut up." Solaris blushed, but he didn't pull away. The events last night came back to him, his blush glowing brighter as they ran through his mind. "Uhh, we aren't going to get in trouble for...last night, are we?"

"I didn't hear you complaining." Trill kissed Solaris's neck, feeling him tense a little as she nipped him with her fangs. "In fact, you were practically shouting my name."

"I-I was not!" Solaris denied, though his blush only intensified.

"Liar." Trill gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "I won't tell if you won't."

"Knowing you, you're going to blurt it out to the world." Trill stuck her tongue out at Solaris, only to be rewarded for her playfulness with a light peck on the lips. After they had fully woken up, they sat by the fire, enjoying each other's company. Last night was nothing how Solaris was expecting things to go, and it only made their bond stronger. He still felt conflicted about what he's going to do for his last two trials he must face, but he had to keep going. "...Trill?"

"Mhmm?" she muttered.

"...I don't know if I can keep going." Solaris felt ashamed, remembering Trill's words from last night, not wanting to be told twice why he shouldn't stop. "I'm afraid to lose anypony else...I know you said my tests and my aunts' deaths weren't a coincidence, but I still can't help but feel that it's true...I want to save Equestria, truly, but I don't want to lose my family in the process."

"Would you want thousands of lives to be lost by that maniac?" Solaris shook his head. "Then what's important for you right now? Family, or the world?"

"...Both..." Solaris didn't look at Trill, but he knew she was rolling her eyes at his response. "I know I'm being selfish, but I don't know what to do...I...I just wished none of this ever happened. I want to see my mom, be raised by her, and live anywhere not covered in dirt and littered with pebbles." Solaris patted the ground beneath them as an example. "I want a normal life."

"...But, that would mean we wouldn't have met," Trill said.

"And that's what makes all this so conflicting to me..." Solaris sighed, leering at the green flames.

"Besides, if we were normal, we would all be the same." Solaris saw green flames next to him as Trill transformed. When he turned to her, his eyes widened as he was staring at an exact clone of himself where his marefriend was supposed to be, imitating his movements. "I would just be a dumb, boring stallion with a horn and wings, flailing my hooves like a sissy and spewing fire out of my mouth after a seven-bean burrito drenched in hot sauce."

His eye twitched as Trill mocked him, slapping her horn and dispelling her transformation. It was so strange how her voice perfectly matched his while transformed. She rubbed her horn, leering at him.

"That was so funny I forgot to laugh," Solaris mumbled.

"Well, that's how the world will work if everypony was the same." Trill rested her head against Solaris's shoulder, feeling him loosen up a little bit and get his mind off the thoughts he was having, if only for a little. "You gotta learn to relax from the stress instead of keep worrying constantly."

"I know...I can't help it," he said, gently wrapping a wing around her.

"Hey, how about I help you 'relax' like last night?" Trill asked, a seductive grin growing on her face.

"Trill," Solaris warned, lighting one of his hooves on fire.

She sighed, rubbing his chest with her hoof. "You need to also learn you can't keep threatening me with violence, Mr. Cavepony."

Solaris groaned in annoyance, dismissing his fire. He sometimes wondered why he fell for the changeling, but he didn't care. He looked over to where he threw his gear at, the guilt of his victories still weighing his heart, but it was quelled thanks to Trill and her comforting words. He got up and walked over to them, making the changeling fall, not expecting him to move. The alicorn put his armor back on, fitting securely on him while surprised to see the pendant's thin chain didn't melt from his fire.

"...I really don't want to keep going and stay being selfish." He walked back to the fire, tightening his gauntlets tightly to his forelegs. "But I need to do this. I don't want to let Equestria down...I'm ready to go back and continue."

Trill smiled and leapt at Solaris, wrapping her hooves around his neck. "Good. And I'll be with you every step of the way." She nuzzled his neck and he returned her affection. "...So, is there any way you can make some kind of shield out of fire? I don't want to be out in the snow again and freeze to death."

Chapter 18: Back on Track

Trill sighed in content, resting on Solaris's back as he carried her through the frigid, snowy fields of the north. Along with his natural body heat to help keep her warm, his inner fire could radiate from his body to heat up anything around him, which was why he wasn't affected by the cold that much. As he walked, some of the snow around his hooves melted and revealed the damp earth beneath him.

"I didn't realize how far I ran from the empire," Solaris said, finally able to see the Crystal Empire in the distance.

"You weren't in the right state of mind, Solly," Trill said, snuggling into his back. "Who knew that all it took to get you to calm down was to hit me? You really love to stick to your cavepony roots, huh?" She yelped as Solaris bumped her off his back, making her hit the cold snow. "Gah! Ok! Ok! I'm sorry! Warmth, please!" He helped his marefriend back up on her hooves, brushing the snow off of her and letting her climb back on his back. Her shivering ceased after a moment as he continued his way down the slope. "At least you have a funny side, if it's only about my pain."

"That's where the nature of comedy starts: inflicting pain or events of frustration that others deem as hilarious," the alicorn lectured. "And I would appreciate it if you quit calling me 'cavepony'. You were raised in a cave, too."

"I was raised in a HIVE. There is a big difference," Trill corrected Solaris.

He just rolled his eyes, knowing she clearly told him yesterday they were both raised in a cave before finally setting out into the world. Before they reached the barrier, Trill quickly disguised herself as Evergreen, so she wouldn't alert everypony in the city. They were soon spotted by some of the patrolling guards on the lookout for them, leading them back to the castle, where Solaris's family waited for them in worry.

Inside the throne room, Shining Armor, Cadence, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy waited, highly anxious for any sign of Solaris's whereabouts. They turned to the doors as they heard them opening, all of the relieved to find the alicorn unharmed, along with Trill in her disguise.

"Solaris!" Shining and Cadence ran up to him, pulling into a group hug. "We were so worried about you."

"I'm sorry," Solaris said. "I had a lot on my mind..."

"We know." Cadence held her nephew tighter, though not too tight as to suffocate him. "Don't you worry. We'll find you a good therapist and help you cope with all this madness."

"T-Therapist?" Solaris asked.

"Somepony at your age shouldn't have to go through all of this," Shining said. "You may be a teenager, but you're still really young. Nopony should ever go through this much pain at your age, or at all. I've been a royal guard, and I've been through harsh physical and mental training to be a hardened soldier when on the battlefield, but there are times where the stress could end up making somepony go mad and lash out or break down as memories in combat return to them. You weren't mentally or emotionally prepared for any of this...and I could have prevented Rarity's, Applejack's, and Rainbow Dash's deaths if I acted sooner."

"...Uncle..." Solaris could see his uncle felt some form of guilt, being the mercenary Zero and witnessing their deaths. He didn't blame Shining Armor, since he still believed it was all his fault they were dead. "...You didn't kill them..."

"But I could have saved them..." Shining felt tears begin to well up in his eyes, but he couldn't cry in front of his nephew. "I could have stopped your mother from joining the princesses to stop Lucifer, but she was stubborn. Her vision on what would happen involved her dying, along with Celestia and Luna. She was afraid if she didn't make it come true, then there would be no hope for Equestria. I found it absolutely ridiculous and tried to stop her, but she paralyzed me with her magic and it wore off the instant she was killed..." He shut his eyes, a few tears managing to leak out as the memory still haunted him. "That was my breaking point; my little sister, your mother, killed by that madpony, and I couldn't do anything to help her. I fell into a depression, and when I got angry, I almost hurt Cadence.

"I couldn't be anywhere near her, going through several appointments in therapy to cope. The pain was still there...and I wanted to get revenge for Twilight..." Solaris noticed Shining's hooves began to tremble as he sat down. "I wasn't myself. I was going to get myself killed for a life I couldn't have saved. I came to my senses when I saw one of Lucifer's assassins fail. I saw an impenetrable barrier around him, created by his dark magic as a fail-safe, their dagger barely able to pierce his skin. My attempt would have failed too, and I would have died for nothing..."

"I'm glad you finally did come to your senses, Shining," Cadence comforted her husband, nuzzling him and kissing his cheek. He rested his head against her shoulder as she looked at Solaris. "We both want you to be healthy in mind, Solaris. Going through a lot of tragedy and terrifying situations can destroy one's psyche, making them have a relapse and hurt themselves or others. As long as you receive help from professionals and support from your loved ones, you can recover from the pain in time."

"But, seeing a therapist now?" Solaris questioned. "What about the fate of Equestria?"

"...I think we can wait a moment longer for you to stop Lucifer." Cadence seemed unsure of herself, but she and the others knew that Solaris's health came first.

"Then I'll take a rain check on my appointment." The alicorn's responses shocked the adults, even Trill. "The sooner I complete my tests, the sooner I can stop Lucifer and save Equestria."

"Solaris-" The teen held out his hoof, stopping whatever protests his aunt, or anypony else, had to say.

"I'm not going to delay my destiny any further and let everypony suffer under his reign. After I defeat him, I'll get some help," Solaris said with confidence. "I don't want to let my mom down. I want her to see that I can do this."

"Are you sure?" Shining asked.

"Yes..." Solaris turned to Trill, smiling at her. "I have somepony who can help snap me back to my senses if I lose myself."

His horn glowed as his golden aura grabbed Trill's hoof, pulling her closer to him. Not even caring what Fluttershy or Pinkie thought, he kissed the disguised changeling, her horn sparking from the love he willingly gave her. The timid pegasus was surprised, while the party planner shook her head.

"Things are gonna be crazy with those two," Pinkie said, silently pulling up a sheet of paper. "...Good thing there wasn't a specific 'scene' written in the last chapter. That would just be awkward."

"What are you talking about, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nothing," she answered, shoving the page in her mane.

After gathering their belongings and supplies for their next destination, Shining and Cadence wished his nephew and entourage luck and said their goodbyes. They got on the train and set off for the location of Solaris's next trial, Cloudsdale. While riding along to the station beneath the floating cloud city, Solaris looked over the map, crossing off his third trial's location. He had heard a lot about Cloudsdale from Rainbow Dash, where she and Fluttershy were born, though he always heard more about the Wonderbolts and their shows. It was too bad they were disbanded when Lucifer came into power, everypony too afraid to leave their homes and watch their stunts with him and his corruptive young troops terrorizing Equestria.

"What'cha doin'!?" Solaris yelped as Trill popped up behind him, startling him as he knocked the map off the table he sat at.

"Trill!" He picked up the map, making sure he didn't accidentally rip it. "Don't do that. I could have punched you."

She let out a mock gasp, unable to hid the smirk off her face. "You were gonna punch me? Some loving coltfriend you turned out to be."

"I thought you were somepony who wanted to assassinate me," Solaris said.

"Who even knows you're still alive? The Shadow Knights and Lucifer think you're still dead." Trill wrapped her hooves around her lover's neck, nuzzling his cheek. "We're in the clear as long as we stay hidden."

"It probably won't last all that long if we get careless," he said, gently touching his hoof with hers. "Though, with your streak, it's gonna happen sooner than we think."

Trill groaned, loosening her grip and plopping her head on Solaris's shoulder. "Please stop bringing that up."

"As long as it annoys you, then never." Solaris smirked, patting the changeling princess on the head.

"...I guess it's fair, with my constant flirting and annoying you to the point of you wanting to inflict bodily pain to me." She got him to groan in annoyance this time, then yelp as she nipped his shoulder. "Speaking of, the other night, I thought my legs turned into jelly when we passed out. How about you do that to me to replace wanting to hit me in the face?"

"T-Trill..." Solaris blushed, stifling a moan as he felt her tongue sensually licking a sensitive spot.

"Yes?" Trill moved higher, nibbling one of his ears, getting his wings to flare out from the sensitive appendage. "Do you want something from me?"

Solaris's spine tingled hearing the changeling's voice sensually whisper in his nibbled ear. Her moans as she teased his ear arousing him, wanting to hear those noises come from her even more, and louder. Before he was able to sweep his mare off her hooves, drag her into an empty sleeping car, lock the entrances, and take her as his, Pinkie and Fluttershy walked into the private car with snacks. The two mares dropped the food, jaws dropped as they saw the two teens.

"What are you two doing!?" Fluttershy shouted, surprising the two as the timid mare was louder than she ever could be.

"U-Uhh...W-We were-" Solaris couldn't find an excuse as Fluttershy marched toward them, Trill quickly backing away in fear.

"Put those wings of yours down this instant!" The alicorn struggled to put his wings back to his sides, too stiff from Trill's sensual teasing. "Just what exactly were you two going to do?"

"N-Nothing! Honest!" Solaris exclaimed.

"As much as I can try to tolerate who you decide to love, but you were actually thinking about having sex when you clearly aren't old enough yet!?" Fluttershy asked.

"But I wasn't!" He still couldn't get his wings down as he tried to hide his lustful intentions. "Blame Trill! She started it! Her libido is erratic!"

Fluttershy's pupil's shrunk, Solaris covering his mouth as he realized he said the wrong words. "...What...did you just say?"

"...Uh oh..." Solaris knew he was in for it now.

Fluttershy dragged the stunned teen into another car, where Trill and Pinkie could hear the pegasus berating him. She may be the Element of Kindness, but she has her limits when it comes to holding back her anger. She loved Solaris like a nephew, but she and the rest of his aunts wanted to make sure he didn't do anything he shouldn't.

"...So, you two banged when you found him yesterday, didn't you?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah..." Trill said, only to stare at Pinkie in shock. "Wait, how did you-!?"

"I know things that you don't know I know to know what is knowingly known." She leaned her face closer to the changeling, her eyes squinting as she leered at her. "Don't ya know?"

".........NO! I don't know!...I think...?" Trill's brain felt like it was going to explode. It was baffling to her when it came to Pinkie Pie and her sudden knowledge on everything she wasn't a part of and her logical breaking talents. "I'm so confused."

"Fluttershy and I don't want you two doing anything that you might regret, like getting pregnant." Pinkie poked Trill's chest, her eyes warning the young changeling.

"...We're not compatible," Trill said. "My mom lays EGGS, giving birth to hundreds of us if necessary for the hive. Other changelings can reproduce too, but if I were to get pregnant, Solaris would have to be a changeling. And before you even say anything, just because he's an alicorn, it's not the same thing. Besides, I wanted to get his mind off of everything that's happened this month, and ease his mind after he punched me while he was upset, knocking me out, and feeling twice as guilty as he was before."

Pinkie wanted to retort, but couldn't. She pulled out the same page she stored away in her hair earlier, going through the words written on it.

"...Oh...He did..." She stashed it away again, looking back at Trill, still confused with how Pinkie functioned. "Well, just don't distract him then!...Uhh, don't distract him too much...Yeah, that'll do." The two stood in silence, still hearing Fluttershy scolding Solaris in the other car. Pinkie grabbed one of the snacks and offered it to Trill. "Chocolate bar?"

Evening rolled in as the train had left the frozen tundra and made its stop at the station close to the floating city of Cloudsdale. Solaris got off, along with his two remaining aunts and his marefriend, being the only passengers disembarking the train. The locomotive sped off to its next scheduled stop in another town or city, leaving the four ponies alone. The moon above gave enough light on the landscape, Solaris gasping in awe as he looked up and marveled the majestic cloud city with his very eyes.

"Wow...Cloudsdale. The mobile city of clouds, where the weather factory resides, and the birthplace of many pegasi since its creation over a thousand years ago." Solaris's eyes sparkled like the stars above, though they dimmed when he wondered something. "Does Cloudsdale really move?"

"It does," Fluttershy responded, having more knowledge on the city since she was born there. "Or, it used to. Cloudsdale always traveled to different cities to bring the different seasons. The weather factory there was the main source of clouds, creating rain, storm, and winter clouds. But, for the past few years, Cloudsdale hasn't been active, and nopony knows why."

"Huh?" Solaris looked back at the cloud city, then the Fluttershy. "What do you mean it hasn't moved in the last few years?"

"I don't know...And it doesn't look like there seem to be any pegasi up there." They looked up at Cloudsdale, no sign of lights on anywhere. "Usually, there are supposed to be some places open in the evening. None of us have heard anything that happened here."

"You don't think the city's been liberated by Lucifer, has it?" Solaris worriedly asked.

"No. Everypony in Equestria would have known." Pinkie pulled out a telescope and looked at the city. "And there seem to be no sign of any baddies. Maybe now we can finally see Solly fight and win!"

"Pinkie, you can't walk on clouds, remember?" Fluttershy reminded the party pony.

"...Oh yeah," Pinkie sighed. "And Solly doesn't know how to cast a cloud walking spell."

"There's a cloud walking spell?" Solaris asked. "...Well, if Aunt Pinkie can't enter Cloudsdale, are we going to leave her behind?"

"...I'll stay with her," Fluttershy said. "You and Trill can go. The fewer of us that travel together, the less chance we'll get into trouble."

"B-But I don't know Cloudsdale like you, Aunt Fluttershy! What if we do get attacked!?" The three mares stared at Solaris, the teen taking a moment to think about their possibilities. "...Oh...You're not much of a fighter...I forgot."

"Right." Fluttershy hugged Solaris tightly. "Just be careful up there, ok?"

"I promise," he said.

"We'll make a little campsite in the nearby forest over here." Pinkie bounded over to the woods and began to set up their camp. "If it gets too dangerous, get out of the city as fast as you can."

"Alright. I'll be back soon...I hope." Solaris hovered off the ground and flew up to Cloudsdale, Trill following after him out of her disguise.

They both touched down on the fluffy cloud streets of the city, Solaris's first time ever touching a cloud, let alone stand on one. It was as soft and comfortable as the softest pillow ever created, and really fluffy. The two wandered around, finding no sign of any life anywhere. It was like the city had fallen to a standstill, all the pegasi having left their homes in one of the greatest cities ever known to ponykind. Little did they realize that, stalking them through the shadows, was a cloaked figure, tailing them as they turned a random corner.

"For a city where tons of pegasi need to control this place, it's pretty barren," Trill commented.

"I don't like this. And there's no sign of any of the Shadow Knights either." The figure following them sped on ahead of them, unseen through the cover of night and the dark cloak shrouding its body. Solaris felt something was wrong, catching a glimpse of something fly past them. "What was that?"

"Maybe it was a bird," Trill said.

As they approached a nearby empty pub, they heard someone whistle, getting both of their attention. Solaris and Trill could see something in the shadows, though they couldn't see much under the hood it wore.

"Hey, you're an alicorn, right?" the mysterious figure asked, its voice sounding feminine, though rough.

Solaris stood on his hind legs, prepared to fight and defend Trill from whoever they were talking to. "What if I am?"

"I'm not here to fight with you. I didn't expect you to be a kid." The figure approached Solaris, lifting its clawed arm up to his horn. He winced as he felt the talons clasp on it, pulling on it to test if it would come off like a fake accessory. Before he could ask what she was doing, he yelped as she pulled one of his feathers out of his wings. As she examined the forcefully pulled pinion feather, Solaris could see her yellow eyes eerily glowing under the shadows of her hood. "...Guess you're the real deal. I was expecting somepony far older than you, but we can't get what we want all the time."

"You could have just asked for a feather for verification," Solaris muttered, rubbing his sore wing.

"Quit your whining and follow me." She lead the two into an empty building nearby, both still unsure if this figure was friend or foe.

There was nothing inside of the cloud home, not even furniture. Guiding them through the house, she led Solaris and Trill to what appeared to have been a living room, looking at the wall. Wondering what she was doing, she brushed away something that didn't seem to be made of cloud, revealing a keypad with runes etched onto each button. Pressing a certain sequence, the wall began to flicker with light until it illuminated a bright white.

"I-Is that a portal!?" Solaris asked, both in awe and fascination.

"Stop gawking and get in there," she commanded.

Quickly obeying, they walked through the portal, feeling themselves falling through the air as they were blinded by the transportational light. They finally passed through to the other side, Trill landing on Solaris's back, knocking the wind out of him. The figure walked through without any trouble, shaking her head as she looked at the two teens.

"You know, if I was on the bottom and you were on top of me, it would have been more hilariously awkward," Trill said.

Solaris bumped the changeling off his back, making her yelp as she fell. As he got his bearings, he noticed they seemed to be in a large tavern that seemed to be underground, the sound of rough and tough soldiers of all species sitting around tables or the extensive bar, the scent of alcohol strong in the air. There were minotaurs, zebras, and griffons along with several Equestrians of the three pony races, some of them wearing scars on parts of their body from injuries they had sustained in the past. This was the first time he had ever seen any of the other species in the flesh rather than what he had read about them in the books he read.

"Whoa..." Solaris was utterly speechless. Their conversations and numerous noises ceased to a halt as they all looked at him, many of them seeming skeptical or sneering at him. Seeing how awkward the whole scene was, Solaris chuckled nervously, darting his eyes around while trying not to look any of them in the eye. "W-Where exactly are we? T-This can't be Cloudsdale, right?"

"We're farther than that, kid. You and your little changeling friend here are in the Resistance Underground Base, a few miles west of Equestria's borders," the figure explained. "Thanks to Princess Twilight Sparkle's plans for setting up portals throughout the kingdom, we manage to keep tabs on Lucifer's Shadow Knights and their movements. We have dozens of them scattered in hidden locations those bozos are too stupid to look for, ready to fight back and keep some of the cities from being liberated."

"My mom made these?" Solaris looked back at the portal, the teleporting device shutting down to keep possible spies from discovering the portal's location. He wanted to know how they worked out of curiosity, but the figure who knew of his arrival was more important. "She sought you out to find me AND make a Resistance against Lucifer?"

"Yup," she said.

"...Who are you?" Solaris asked.

The figure pulled down her hood, revealing herself to be a griffon. Her body was brown while the feathers on her head, neck, and chest were white, a small tinge of purples on the edges of her fringe on her head.

"Name's Gilda," she answered.

Solaris and Trill stared at Gilda for a moment, until the changeling spoke up. "...Well, I was half right."

The alicorn groaned and facehooved. "I don't think that matters, Trill..."

Chapter 19: The Fourth Trial

The tavern remained utterly silent, Solaris feeling very intimidated by the many soldiers in the Resistance looking at him. He, along with Trill and Gilda, sat at an empty booth, still receiving stares from the scary patrons, especially the muscular minotaurs who could easily snap him in half.

"...Ok, this is getting more awkward by the minute," Solaris said. "Everypony keeps staring at me."

"Gilda!" One of the minotaurs, his body and hair blue, stomped up to them, making Solaris shrink at his size. "What is going on!? Iron Will and the rest of us expected a valiant warrior to meet up with us, but instead, we see a little kid who has self-esteem issues!"

"Can it, Iron Will. The kid's the real deal, and Princess Sparkle's kid." Gilda leered at the minotaur who spoke in the third person. "I'm in charge of giving this kid his test, not who was supposed to come to Cloudsdale."

"Wait, is that why Cloudsdale is empty?" Solaris asked.

"Many of us ponies here are natives of Cloudsdale," one of the ponies said. Trill and Solaris turned to face the voice, the alicorn's jaw dropping as he met the three iconic pegasi from the Wonderbolts: Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot. They weren't wearing their Wonderbolts uniforms, since they were disbanded, but they wore light leather armor with the Wonderbolt insignia on their chests. He knew them from pictures Rainbow Dash had shown him, their hairstyles easy to tell apart from the other members. "We evacuated Cloudsdale the moment Lucifer took over and use the city as a lookout. Many of us decided to take arms and fight back against Lucifer, and we helped Gilda recruit actual fighters for the Resistance, not stupid kids who want to destroy stuff."

"...Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh..." Solaris uttered. "The Wonderbolts...Spitfire. Soarin. Fleetfoot. Actually here..." The teen was about to freak out, actually meeting the aerial stunt members after only hearing about them from his aunt. "...Can I get an autograph?"

"Sorry, kid. The Wonderbolts are done," Spitfire said, making Solaris wilt in sadness. "Ever since that tyrant came into power, nopony felt safe to come to our shows. Many of our team quit, and either settled down or decided to join up with Lucifer. But now that you've finally arrived, we just might revive the team if you take back the throne."

"Really!?" Solaris squeaked, his eyes lighting up, highly anticipating a future show.

"Yeah." The alicorn bounced in his seat, acting like a little colt. "But, you're gonna have to lay off the fancolting. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of hundreds of highly trained soldiers."

Looking around the room, Solaris caught sight of the many Resistance members stifling their snickers. Highly embarrassing himself already, he shrunk down in his seat until he was under the table. Trill pulled him back up, keeping him from hiding.

"You need to control yourself, Solaris," Trill chided, making the alicorn groan.

"Let's hope he doesn't embarrass himself more when we get to the trial." Gilda got up from her seat, hovering up to the ceiling. "Alright, you mindless bastards! This is the moment we've all been waiting for! Everyone head for the arena!"

Many of the soldiers chuckled, prepared to see the main event unfold. Solaris and Trill followed Gilda and the Wonderbolts, being lead down down the intricately carved caverns, hearing the sounds of cheering coming further down the end. It grew louder until they finally arrived in a massive room fit to look like an arena, hundreds of other soldiers cheering on a pair of dueling minotaurs. The group sat at the highly reserved section, meant only for those of higher power, Gilda letting out a loud roar, catching everyone's attention, including the dueling minotaurs.

"You two, out of the ring! We got a bigger match I'm sure everyone wants to see." The bipedal bulls looked up, spotting Solaris looking around in awe at the well crafted arena, nodding their heads as they made their way out of the large ring. "Members of the Resistance, after fifteen long years of waiting, training, and entertaining ourselves, we finally have our guest of honor here among us! Our future ruler of Equestria, destined to defeat Lucifer and bring this land back to the peace it once had!"

An uproar of cheers rang out from the audience of soldiers, though it immediately died down when a unicorn near the special seats brought up a visual feed of the alicorn with a spell. They soon began mumbling questions, highly confused as they saw a young colt in place of who they expected to be a stallion who had experienced many battles.

"Yeesh...Tough crowd," Solaris uttered to himself.

"Alright, before you all start jeering the kid, he's the real deal, and we're gonna have this test go down now!" Gilda managed to shut the audience up, though many seemed a bit skeptical. "Now, this should be pretty simple for...uhh...What's your name?"

"Solaris," he replied.

"...Wow. That's a bit of a lame name." Gilda cleared her throat, shaking her head at the strangest names Equestrians are usually given. "This should be a cinch for Solaris, our future prince! If he's able to beat his little test, he will receive this next piece of armor, crafted by expert blacksmiths and enchanted with Princess Twilight Sparkle's magic!"

Gilda slammed her fist down on her arm rest, bringing podium up in front of them that held his next piece: a golden breastplate able to fit Solaris's body.

"Wow. At least I get to see what I'll win unlike the last few tests," Solaris said.

"This special body armor will grant the kid the pure might and strength of a minotaur, along with the agility of a griffon," Gilda continued. "With his alicorn prowess, he's sure to be a lot stronger with it on than with nothing on. How about we all get started and see just how good this kid is!?"

Gilda grabbed Solaris, catching him off guard as she flung the alicorn into the ring. He stopped his fall using his wings, getting a laugh out of the soldiers watching him.

"Hey! You could have just told me to jump in here!" Solaris yelled. "You didn't have to throw me!"

"Don't complain, and stay focused!" Gilda retorted. "This is your little test, kid; so far, you've faced against opponents who were ponies, but now let's see how you deal with our two strongest fighters: one a griffon, and one a minotaur. If you can beat them, then you'll get your prize. Lose, and you'll have just humiliated yourself in front of soldiers who are itching to see a good fight. So, how about we bring out our contenders!?"

A round of cheers echoed the arena as they were psyched up for the fight of the century. Solaris was worried, never having encountered any griffons or minotaurs in his life up until now. Trill could see he was anxious, but she knew he could do it, and she was going to see just how good of a fighter he really was.

"Don't panic, Solaris," she said to herself. "Just relax, and kick some plot. You got this."

"He's gonna crack, little miss bug," Gilda said, earning a glare from the changeling. "Let's first bring out our first soldier from the minotaurs side!" The minotaurs in the audience cheered as they rooted for their champion among their kind. From one of the barred gates used to introduce the fighters into the arena, or in this case, beasts to keep inside, Solaris flinched as he heard something try to barge its way through the iron bars. "For those of you who don't know this crazy psycho, he's all muscle and no brain, and seeing anything that moves will drive him to attack without any questions! The burliest of the bunch, the mindless bull we all don't wanna mess with, The Berserker!"

Solaris gulped as he watched the bars go down, hearing someone by the name "Berserker" could only scream dangerous and deadly. As the cell was opened, he could feel the earth quake as the hulking behemoth of a minotaur showed itself. His eyes widened as he saw the amount of scars on his body, the bulk of his muscles threatening to burst out of his biceps, and his horns were cracked and sharp. The Berserker snorted, letting out a loud bellow, making Solaris shiver in fright as he prepared to be charged at the feral minotaur.

"Uhh, c-can I choose my opponents instead!?" Solaris asked, hoping for someone that won't use him like a horn sharpener.

"This is your test, kid! You don't choose who you fight!" Gilda said. "Now, moving on to the griffons!" Now it was the griffons in the audience to cheer for their strongest member. "This griffon is still a cub, yet he's the youngest griffon in history to rise above the ranks and overtake any opponent! A fighter at birth, and my own pride and joy," the griffon boasted, only baffling Solaris as he would be fighting her son. "Even if he can't see, he can find you a mile away and needs no form of aid to help him see where he's going! He's a fighter as a hatchling, and still fights with no handicaps needed, my son, Gale!"

"W-Wait, what?" Solaris asked. He heard an eagle shriek come from the opposite end of the arena where The Berserker came out of, the audience cheering even louder at the griffon's battle cry. There were no bars in this entrance, the only one with bars was the one for the fidgeting minotaur behind the alicorn. He saw the silhouette of a griffon around his height, a little shorter, stepping into the arena. Gale was exactly like Gilda, but his fringed feathers on his head drooped over his left eye, leaving only his right visible. "I-I have to fight him?"

Solaris stared in shock as he looked at Gale's eyes. Even though he had no scars on him that might be visible, his eyes were a lot different than anyone else's: his pupils and cornea were a milky white. Gale was blind at birth, no scars on his face to indicate he lost his sight in any form of combat. Fighting someone who couldn't see was outright wrong, and disturbing for him to even try and do without being a jerk.

"Don't let me down, kiddo!" Gilda shouted to Gale, the young griffon nodding his head.

"Wait! I can't fight him!" Solaris protested. "He's blind!"

"So?" Gilda questioned.

"So I can't fight somepony who can't see!" Solaris didn't see Gale's eye twitched, clenching his fists in a tight ball. "It doesn't feel right to beat somepony up who's handicapped! Why would you want your own son, who is blind, fight as one of my-"

Solaris was suddenly slammed hard into the ground by Gale, who moved so fast that no one even noticed he moved. The griffon teen held the alicorn by the neck, his claws digging into his skin, growling menacingly.

"You think I'm weak?" Gale questioned, his blind eye staring deeply into Solaris's. "Don't you dare think I'm helpless, pony."

"Gale, I didn't say you two could start beating him up!" Gilda scolded. "How is it the brainless biped understands the rules better than you!?" Gale scowled as his wings twitched. Solaris couldn't believe that Gilda would actually insult her own son, and in front of hundreds of soldiers. He finally let go, walking back to his spot. Solaris got back up, rubbing his neck as he felt his skin was almost punctured by his talons. "A little note to you, Solaris; never call my son weak, or else you'll really get it!"

"I didn't even say that...He's visually impaired." Solaris looked over at Gale, who was ready to strike again as he crouched low to the ground. "He was so fast. I didn't even hear him..."

"Now that we're all ready, for real this time, let our future prince's test...BEGIN!" Gilda shouted, and the fight began.

Solaris immediately got to his stance, paying more attention to Gale, since he was even faster than Rainbow Dash, and with how stealthy he could be at that speed, it was going to be difficult. He heard The Berserker roar as he charged at him, the ground quaking with each step the behemoth of a minotaur. Gale didn't move, and The Berserker was getting closer. Solaris quickly turned around to stop the hulking beast, but the instant her turned away from the young griffon, he was hit hard in the back by Gale, flinging him toward The Berserker and slammed down hard into the ground by his bulky fists.

Trill winced while the audience groaned, practically feeling how painful it must have felt for the alicorn. The Berserker lifted his arms, snorting in confusion as he saw Solaris was gleaming brightly like a gem. The shimmering light faded, his crystal skin thankfully protecting him from getting crushed, though it still hurt and nearly broke his temporary protection.

"Urgh...T-Thank you, crystal armor," Solaris groaned.

He didn't have time to relax as he infuriated the minotaur, ready to slam his arms down on top of him again. He quickly rolled out of the way, getting far away from the blood-thirsty beast before he was squashed like a pancake. Solaris didn't see Gale flying toward him, able to accurately find and smack him down to the ground, despite his disability to see. The young griffon was able to hit his back, feeling the protective enchantment around his knuckles.

"Crystal skin?" he asked, feeling the charmed shielding disappearing, replaced with the alicorn's fur and flesh. "Heh. You seriously need armor enchantments to fight?"

"I-I just...got them..." Solaris tried to get up, only to feel a swift kick to his side, knocking the wind out of him as he rolled on his back.

"Unlike you, I don't need armor of any sort." Grabbing Solaris by the neck, he lifted the alicorn up as he struggled to break out of Gale's surprisingly strong grip. "How about we even the odds?"

Using his other arm, Gale brandished his talons, swiftly thrusting his arm into Solaris's chest, shattering the crystal enchantment, having already taken too much abuse. He let go, only to spin kick the alicorn hard in the face, sending him tumbling across the arena. The soldiers cheered on the griffon and minotaur, Gale holding a fist up as he basked in the glory.

Solaris groaned as he shakily got to his hooves, unable to believe someone who was blind was able to find him. "H-How...? How does he always know where I am?"

"I have a little gift." Solaris gasped, Gale somehow having gotten behind him. He quickly turned and threw a punch at the griffon' face, but he grabbed it mere inches before it connected to his beak. "I might not be able to see, but I can rely on my other senses to help me see." Growling, Solaris leapt up and tried to kick Gale in the side of the head, only for that to be blocked by his other claw. "Using my sense of touch, my feathers can help me feel small puffs of air that anyone can make just by movement. Like swatting a fly out of your face, or trying to kick me."

Tightening his grip on Solaris's limbs, Gale slammed him hard to the ground. Grabbing both of his hind legs, the griffon spun the alicorn around in a rapid spin, sending him flying directly toward The Berserker. The minotaur reared his arm back, punching Solaris hard and sending him flying past Gale, sidestepping out of the way as the alicorn slammed hard into the wall.

In the stand, Gilda clapped, proud of her son's feats, while Trill worried greatly. Even from a higher vantage of the battle, the moment she blinked, Gale had ended up appearing behind Solaris, almost like he teleported, and she knew griffons don't have magic.

"This is cheating!" Trill exclaimed. "How is he moving so fast!?"

"We griffons are a lot faster than ponies, even you freaky bug things," Gilda explained. "In case you don't realize, we're a mix of eagle and lion blood, both predators of their domain. We're naturally faster, and my kid's the fastest griffon of all time."

"He's even faster than Fleetfoot," Spitfire commented, Fleetfoot nodding in agreement. "In fact, he might even rival Rainbow Dash."

"How do you know her?" Trill asked.

"She tried out to become a Wonderbolt," the ex-leader said. "She proved she had the ability to be one, especially when we saw her pull off that sonic rainboom at the Young Fliers Competition many years ago."

"Speaking of Rainbow Dash, where is she?" Soarin asked.

As Gilda cringed at the pegasus's name, Trill didn't want to answer, having witnessed Rainbow's death, and a horrible memory for Solaris to ever recall. She snapped out of her silence when she heard The Berserker bellow, charging at where Solaris was slammed into the wall, his horns aimed right at him.

The alicorn squinted through the pain, spotting the minotaur coming right for him. He pulled himself out of the small crater that left an imprint of his body, flapping up into the air mere seconds before he was impaled by sharp horns. As he was about to retaliate, Gale flew up from under him, catching him off guard with an uppercut straight to his jaw. He quickly went on the defensive, trying to block the speedy griffon's strikes, but many of them were too quick to avoid or block. His skin began to get scratched up from the sharp talons, large bruises from the minotaur's heavier and powerful fists, being tossed around like a ragdoll, completely defenseless.

Gale slammed Solaris back down to the ground, the alicorn struggling to get back up as the griffon gently hovered down in front of him. Getting sick of being knocked around, the teen charged forward, swiping his hooves at the griffon, but he dodged each blow Solaris swung. He threw another punch, only for Gale to grab his hoof, pull him forward, and knee him hard in the chest. The alicorn flew across the arena, stumbling along the ground until his back hit the wall. He could barely move, struggling to breath as he tried to stay conscious.

The griffon teen approached Solaris as the crowd cheered Gale on, The Berserker standing by, though ready to charge at any moment. Solaris can barely get back on his hooves, his limbs unable to respond to his brain's commands from the beating he received, a lot worse pain than his first test's beat-down he received. Gale stood over him, looking down at him with his blind eyes in disappointment.

"You know, mom told me I was expecting to fight some great warrior," he said with disdain. "Instead, I'm fighting a kid, who can't hold up to the praise we were all hoping to give."

"Y-You...You're a kid, too," Solaris uttered weakly.

"Maybe so, but at least I'm a worthy fighter than you'll ever be." Gale kicked Solaris hard in the stomach, making him gasp in pain. "If I were in your pathetic horseshoes, I could have taken Lucifer down with my claws tied behind my back! Right now, your pathetic display of combat is humiliating to your own kind, to the Resistance, to me!" He kicked the alicorn hard in the face, slamming him on his side. "You want to earn my respect, you better learn how to fight back!"

"B-But-" Solaris winced as he was kicked in the stomach again.

"Is it because you're afraid to fight someone who's blind?" Gale asked, growling ferociously like a lion. "You really think I'm supposed to be weak for the rest of my life!? I don't need your pity, because I never did or will!" He grabbed Solaris's mane, lifting his head up and forced him to stare into his glazed eyes. "I struggled to get to where I am for all my life! I was ridiculed by others because I was helpless, and always needed my mom to guide me wherever we went! I showed the Griffon Kingdom, and the Resistance, proving to them I'm capable of fighting! You, on the other hoof, are some pompous little prince, who thinks he's greater than everyone else without even lifting a hoof!

"You want to save Equestria? Then stand up and fight me for real!" Gale slammed Solaris's head to the ground, the alicorn still conscious, but unable to move. The griffon sneered, not hearing him try to get up. "...You're pathetic. The princesses died to an unstoppable, blood-thirsty unicorn, the kingdom, and possibly the world, will end up crumbling under his power, and the savior we expected to see is nothing but an absolute failure." He leaned forward until his beak was right next to Solaris's ear. "Hope your mom's happy to know she gave birth to a quitter."

Gale turned and walked away from the downed alicorn. The whole crowd was silent as they heard Gale's rant, truly believing the young warrior's words over Solaris's supposed might. Trill could only watch, knowing she wouldn't stand a chance trying to help her coltfriend fight an incredibly fast and silent griffon and a hulking beast of a minotaur. Even if she did try to help, this was meant to be his test, and she didn't want to compromise the trial for him.

"Told you he wouldn't make it," Gilda commented, snapping the changeling's attention away from the downed alicorn. "The kid's still a greenhorn. He's been sheltered too long in his life. We're gonna have to wait for another few years for him to get better."

Gilda was about to end the fight, but stopped as she saw Solaris beginning to stand up. Some of the Resistance soldiers jeered at the stallion, telling him to just stay down and give up after the beating he had been given, but Solaris didn't listen. The Berserker snorted, catching Gale's attention as he turned his head to the alicorn, sensing him getting back up. He growled as Solaris got back up, standing on his hind legs, flaring his wings out to keep him balanced.

"I suggest you stay down, 'your highness'! You haven't even been able to land a hit on any of us! What makes you think you can still fight!?" Solaris didn't answer, his legs shaking slightly as he tried to stay up. Gale snarled, cracking his knuckles. "Alright then. I'll just knock your lights out, if that's what you want."

Gale sped off in a blur toward Solaris, rearing his fist back to knock the alicorn out. Time around Solaris began to slow to a crawl, his chaos pendant glowing by his will, looking up to see the griffon was a few feet away from him. He was able to move normally, able to manipulate time with the pendant, if only for a brief moment, a power inherited by Discord he never knew was actually one of the abilities he could use for chaotic magic. Though, knowing how random the draconequus was, anything could happen with the power of chaos.

Feeling time begin to flow normally again, Solaris blocked Gale's slowly moving fist, and at the speed he was going, he punched the griffon hard in the stomach. Gale gasped in pain, his body seizing as the wind was knocked heavily out of him. The whole arena was silent, even The Berserker was frozen in place, the only sound echoing the place was the young griffon's struggling gasps.

"I am not a failure. I'm not going to give up...never again," Solaris uttered, only able to be heard by Gale. "Besides-" Solaris lifted his head up, and even though Gale couldn't see his eyes, there was a fire that burned brightly inside. "-I'm just getting my second wind."

Solaris reared his hoof back, the same one he used to knock the air out of Gale's lungs, throwing it right in his face, along with a compressed burst of air, sending the griffon soaring across the arena at breakneck speed. He slammed into The Berserker's chest, managing to push the minotaur back a little, watching the slightly dazed griffon slip down his body and plop to the ground.

Everyone's jaws in the audience dropped, utterly speechless. Gilda leaned over the railing, unable to believe that he saw Solaris actually avoid Gale, along with that powerful burst of air that came out of his hoof. While the others were shocked, Trill grinned, turning it into a smirk when she looked at Gilda.

"Uh oh...Now Solaris is mad," Trill mocked.

"W-What the hay just happened?" Gilda asked.

"Oh. Nothing much," the changeling said. "Let's just say he's all...'fired up'."

Down below, Solaris pulled his foreleg back, slamming both his hooves together, shooting out a flurry of green embers as he set them on fire. The soldiers stared in astonishment, some backing away from the slowly burning embers as they had sat near where the alicorn stood. The Berserker snapped out of his shock, bellowing loudly as he charged toward the teen again, stepping over Gale as he slowly got back up. The minotaur leapt up into the air, coming down and dropping both of his fists down on top of the alicorn.

Solaris shot his hooves up, shooting out compressed air to slow the behemoth's hammer arm's descent, grabbing his fists as he avoided getting crushed. He thrust the minotaur's arms up, smacking both of his fists in his own face, staggering the mad bull. Leaping up into the air, Solaris shot a burst of air out from his hind legs, flying at The Berserker, managing to knock the wind out of him as he slammed his hooves into his chest. He continued knocking the raging minotaur back, shooting fireballs from his hooves, each one exploding on impact.

As Gale finally regained his senses, he was able to pick up a warm, thermal energy everywhere, the main source coming from the stallion he thought was supposed to be defeated. He could feel the intense heat exploding from The Berserker, one powerful blast sending the minotaur flying toward the griffon, quickly getting out of the way before the behemoth could crush him under his weight.

"That's impossible," Gale said. "Unicorns can't manipulate fire, not from their hooves."

"Courtesy of my dragon uncle." Gale gasped, Solaris directly in front of him, and he didn't even feel his presence. He lunged his talons at him, but Solaris grabbed his arm, throwing the blind griffon down on the ground. He shoved his knee in the griffon's side, pinning him down, shooting more fireballs at The Berserker, seeing him back up and charging again. "I might not know much about fighting outside of a training ground, but I can strategize. Consider my fire, and my chaos pendant, trump cards!"

"W-What!?" Gale shoved Solaris's leg off him, sweeping his leg to trip him up, but the alicorn flipped backward before it connected. He rammed into Solaris, his talons and the alicorn's hooves connecting, clutched tightly as they fought for dominance. "What chaos pendant!? What else do you have on you!?"

"You can't even tell?" Solaris asked, the pendant glowing again as this time, the air around the both of them froze temporarily. Gale gasped, unable to feel the air around them, completely blind to everything aside from the alicorn in front of him. "How convenient. Too bad stopping time is only temporary, but that's enough for me to see where you are with your speed. Chaos is pretty powerful, even with just a tiny fraction given to me by the deity himself."

Time sped back up, easily distracting the griffon as he heard and felt everything come back in an instant. Solaris headbutted Gale, stunning the blind griffon, making him loosen his grip on Solaris's gauntlets. He blasted Gale hard with his compressed air bursts, pulling him back with his magic, repeating the process over and over.

Trill was the only one cheering, the Wonderbolts and Gilda dumbstruck at the sudden change in the fight. "Yeah! Smack them around! FIreballs! Air blasts! Beat them until they bleed their own blood! WHOO HOO!" She tried to mimic his fighting style, slipping out of her seat as she didn't pay attention to her surroundings.

After being knocked around several times, Gale managed to right himself in the air, using Solaris's telekinetic force to send him flying back at him with incredible speed. Before he could attempt to thrust his talons at the alicorn's face, he flipped back, shooting his hind legs into the griffon's stomach, shooting off another burst of kinetic force into his body, flinging him up to the ceiling of the arena.

Solaris got back to his hooves, hearing The Berserker charge in again. He reacted too slowly, getting punched hard by the bulky fist, sending him stumbling across the arena, but he quickly recovered, recoiling back to the minotaur with his air bursts. He avoided two heavy swings from the enraged bipedal bovine, retaliating by punching him hard with powerful compression blasts in his face. His pace picked up until his hooves were a blur, dazing The Berserker. Solaris flew back to the ground, then leapt back up, rearing his fiery hoof back as it began to change from green to white. He thrust his hoof hard, sending white sparks flying around them from the impact, flinging the minotaur into the wall, rendering him unconscious.

Up above, Gale managed to free himself from the imprint he left after getting shot up into the ceiling. He felt the air beneath him, the thermal heat from Solaris's hooves having changed in his perspective, both in temperature and in power. He could sense slight movement from The Berserker, but the minotaur was down and out. Letting out an eagle-like shriek, he swooped down at the alicorn at blinding speeds, talons flexed as he thrust his arms forward.

Solaris's ears twitched, hearing Gale soaring down at him, but he didn't need to rely on his chaos power's time stop ability this time. Extending one of his forelegs, he shot a blast of compressed air, shoving his elbow back hard right as the blind griffon was directly behind him, hitting him hard in the chest. Completely stunned from the blow, the alicorn grabbed Gale's arm, spinning him around and let go, leaping up and spinning in the opposite direction. As Gale tried to get his bearings, he was too slow to react as he was kicked hard in the face, sent spiraling across the arena, tumbling hard across the ground until he smacked his head into the wall, next to the unconscious minotaur.

Solaris slowly eased into his battle stance, not even realizing his flames were burning white instead of green. The crowd was silent except for Trill's cheering, but she went quiet as she saw Gale slowly, yet shakily, getting back on his feet. He lifted his head up, looking directly at the alicorn with his glazed eyes, his fringe out of place and revealing his left eye. They both stared each other down for an agonizing minute until Gale let out a weak caw, collapsing on his side, passing out as the last of his adrenaline ran dry.

More silence. The soldiers couldn't believe their eyes. After getting pummeled to near death, they watched Solaris quickly turn the tables, not only by defeating their strongest fighters, he beat them with an ability none of them had ever seen in their lives. Trill's wings buzzed as she leapt up in the air, whooping and cheering for Solaris's victory.

"HE DID IT! SOLARIS IS THE GREATEST FIGHTER EVER!" Trill shouted at the top of her lungs. "WAY TO GO, BABY!"

Eventually, the soldiers began stomping their hooves or clapping their hands/talons, cheering for the stallion as well as accepting him as a champion. Solaris relaxed a little, his flames disappearing as he landed on his hooves. He was in a lot of pain from the beating he took, but he toughed it out as he looked around at the hundreds of Resistance soldiers cheering for him.

Gilda snapped out of her daze, still in awe at the incredible display she and several others had just witnessed. She held up her arms, silencing the cheering crowd as she looked down at the bruised, yet victorious, stallion.

"Well, I thought for sure you would have thrown in the towel, but after all that hidden away, you definitely brought your A game," she said. "You've beat our toughest fighters from outside of your equine species, and managed to make it out with a dozen scratches. Now, there's only one thing left to do." Solaris sighed in relief, ready to claim his new body armor. Instead, he nearly leapt out of his skin when a dagger flew straight at him, landing in the dirt arena a couple feet from his hooves. From the direction it came from, it was Gilda who threw it at him. "You'll have to kill the losers."

Solaris's jaw dropped and Trill's cheering quickly died as she thought she misheard the griffon. Suddenly, the soldiers began to chant "Kill them.", their voices growing louder as they expected blood to be spilled on the arena. The alicorn looked at his opponents, both of them having woken from unconsciousness and bowed down to him, almost as if waiting for him to end their lives.

"Y-You can't be serious!" Solaris argued. "I already beat them!"

"Correction: you managed to knock them down, but they're still alive," Gilda corrected the teen. "In a real life situation, especially in a war, it's either kill or be killed. You leave your opponents alive, they'll find a way to get you back and end up killing you in the end! Your test is meant to defeat your opponents, and that means killing them!"

"B-But Gale...He's your son!" Solaris exclaimed, unable to go through with this ridiculous trial's rules.

"He's lost an important match. He knew what he was getting into." Solaris felt disgusted, hearing the blind griffon's own mother disowning him. This wasn't what he would expect from someone else's parent, being so cruel to their own child, not even caring what happens to them. "If you're expected to beat Lucifer, then you can't show any mercy! Now kill them!"

The chanting grew louder, Solaris's stomach threatening to twist itself in knots until it couldn't be untied. He shakily picked up the dagger in his magic, beginning to hyperventilate as his mind raced through the ones he loved dying before him over and over, some of them replacing their deaths to ones by his own hoof. The reflection in the blade showed him acting like a madpony, slaughtering anything without any remorse. Trill could see he was about to have another panic attack, growing frustrated with the change in his test's rules.

"Gilda, you can't be serious!" she shouted at the griffon. "Solaris won! Just give him the stupid armor!"

"He hasn't won yet! He needs to learn to grow up, and take responsibility for his enemies!" Gilda snapped back at the changeling. "If he leaves them alive, then they'll stab him in the back the moment he turns around!" She turned back to the alicorn, still frozen still and freaking out. "Stop standing there and kill them! DO IT!"

Solaris shook his head, trying to calm his breathing as he looked around the audience, then back to Gale and The Berserker. He wanted to grow stronger, he wanted to pass this test, but killing them in order to pass just wasn't right. He looked back down at the dagger, glaring at the weapon with spite. Holding it in his hoof, his flames ignited the dagger, burning and melting it into burning liquid steel. This had made the crowd jeer at him for wussing out, but he didn't care what they all thought.

"I'm not doing it!" Solaris shouted, glaring at Gilda.

"...What?" Gilda swooped down from the stands, landing between the alicorn and the losing pair.

"You heard me! I'm not going to kill them for my next piece of armor!" Solaris exclaimed.

"Do you're going to let them live!?" Gilda shouted, marching toward the stallion, who kept his ground. "Tell me, kid: In this situation, if you were fighting Lucifer, you pummeled him to a pulp, and he was on his knees, are you telling me you would still want him alive!? After everything he's done to Equestria!? To all of us!? To you!?"

"...I know he deserves a death sentence," Solaris muttered. He looked up, staring defiantly at Gilda. "But that doesn't mean I'll be able to do it! I know he's destroying Equestria! I know he killed my mother and the princesses...But what will me killing him do!? Absolutely nothing!"

"Oh really!?" Gilda yelled, getting up in the stallions face.

"YES, REALLY!" he shouted, shoving his face in the griffon's. "I want him dead, but killing him won't bring my mother back! I'll end up being a monster just like him, even if it means saving Equestria from his tyranny!" Solaris shoved Gilda back, standing on his hind legs and reigniting his fire, which had turned back to green. "I'd rather keep him alive in a cell, disabling his magic and let him rot in prison until the day he dies than shed another pony's blood! If I want to be Equestria's future ruler, then I'm going to be a benevolent ruler, where the guilty will receive their punishment through fair judgement, not immediate death! I don't care what you or any of you drunken bastards think of me for my choices, so if you think I'm unworthy, then you might as well kill me! I am NOT a killer, and I'll never become one like Lucifer!"

The whole arena was silent, many of the soldiers surprised to see Solaris actually fighting back against their leader. Gilda still held her glare on the teen, slowly approaching him as he prepared to fight back if she tried anything.

"So, that's really the answer you want to give me?" Gilda asked, Solaris's glare confirming his answer. As his focus was primarily on Gilda, the soldiers all began to grin. Gilda stopped a few feet in front of the battle ready alicorn, her sneer turning into a smirk. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

Solaris's glared turned into confusion, his flames puffing out, his eye twitching as his brain processed what the griffon just told him. "...W-Wha...?"

"You passed, kid." Gilda took one of the confused alicorn's hooves, thrusting it up into the air. "Let's hear it for our champion, the REAL ruler of Equestria, Prince Solaris!"

The soldiers all cheered loudly. Spitfire tossed Solaris's breastplate down to Gilda, helping the stallion into his new gear. Trill was greatly confused, frustrated, angry, and wanted to beat the living tar out of anyone nearby out of the harshest tricks Gilda had given Solaris. The alicorn, however, felt like his brain had melted, reformed itself, exploded, reformed again, then melted and blew up at the same time.

"...Why is it that I pass these things, something has to break my mind until I question what makes sense anymore?" Solaris asked himself, knowing he would never get an answer.