Reunited and Revealed

The lone knight that warned Celestia watched the scene from one of the windows. The scene surprised him alongside the Six Heroes who he saw at the double doors peeking through. The mocking laughter and her words only strengthen his resolve to put her down in many ways he could only describe as excruciatingly satisfying. He was about to leave having had enough of her now but the Six Heroes’ conversation made him pause as he listened. Their words rung to him and as they finished and he saw them depart, he left as well. His first order was to meet the Sun Princess and tell her of the recent events. Even if she doesn’t believe him, he can at least let her know.

He jumped from the window and landed on a soft patch of grass. The scene before the fake Cadance making Twilight disappear made the disciple feel sorrowful for the unicorn. She was only worried for the sake of her loved ones but her friends and her own mentor scolded her for hurting the fake Cadance’s feelings. If he were known to them, he’d probably side with Twilight however not only because he witnessed her events as well but because the experience spoke to him. Only he knew why she acted out like so and it reflected on him seeing Twilight so crushed. Perhaps in time, he might have the chance to meet all of them and strike up a conversation but for now, his focus was on saving the doomed wedding.

Looking around the castle grounds, the first part was to locate where Celestia was. That was easier said than done. He knew that if he didn’t find her soon enough, this will lead to a terrible situation upon Equestria and he shuddered on how bad it might get perhaps even worse. Suddenly, he heard hoofsteps behind him. They were far but audible enough for him to react and hide inside a bush. Looking through the tiny opening, he saw the fake Cadance alongside Celestia chatting. A smile begun to form seeing that the search may not be needed, “I assure you that those six are very grateful for your wedding, you do not have to be suspicious of them just because you’ve never met them before.”

The lone knight can easily tell that she was referring to the Six Heroes quickly. The fake Cadance spoke with as much innocence as possible but her eyes betrayed her innocence, “Alright… if you insist. I’m just a bit worried is all, I mean, it is my big day.” A smile was formed though the disciple could not tell if it was genuine or forced.

Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder returning the smile, “I assure you again, you have no worries my niece. Now you should ready yourself Cadance, you have a busy day ahead of you.” The young princess bowed and left the Sun Princess alone. As she saw Cadance walking out of her line of sight and hopefully out of earshot, her smile disappeared as her eyes gazed around her. Looking from left to right, she let out one deep breath before she spoke, “You can come out now… I know you are hiding right under my nose.” Checking out her surroundings, nothing at first seemed to be appearing. Wiping a few sweat beads off her head thinking herself a bit paranoid, the sounds of rustling leaves reached her ears and soon she found herself smiling as she faces him, “I was correct to assume that you’d be here.”

“Perhaps but…” The disciple looked towards where Cadance disappeared past wondering if she was listening on them in secret. Though Celestia told him that they were fine, he could not shake the feeling away well. Letting it pass for now, he looked towards her. His mask hid his emotions but his body was not so keen on doing so as he was tempted to pull the blade on her. He let out one deep and calming breath before he spoke, “I am to assume that you know why I’m here?”

Celestia’s expression darkened a bit. She knew well enough why he was here but was hesitant on keeping watch over her niece. She was about to speak but she was cut off by the lone knight, “I will take the silence as a yes. Your niece, after you and the others left, went to see your disciple Twilight. What happened between them when they were alone shocks me still.”

The Sun Princess looked at the lone knight questionably, “How did you see the events? I did not see you inside the room when that happened. And how did you know my student’s name?” She wished the mask was removed so she can see his face and tell what emotion he was undergoing. Though his body language gave it away a bit, he was concealing it well with not only the black cloak but his lack of showing for any sign of it.

Behind the mask, a smirk developed. He knew not to be smug to a royal member but he couldn’t but let this one slide for now, “I have my own ways of knowing details but enough of that. Your student…” He let the silence drag on for awhile before he answered, “Her worries ended up becoming true with this fake Cadance. She is banished from the castle by her but where? I do not know.”

Celestia’s face went agape from the revelation. Two things she did not expect were coming at her like an unending raging inferno, “Twilight is banished by my own niece?” Just saying those two words felt like she was being struck by a stray lightning bolt. She shook her head refusing to believe this, “No… I just cannot accept this so easily. How can you be certain about so? You are a stranger to me perhaps trying to ruin my niece’s special day. I want to trust you but this is so much to take…”

A sigh escaped from the lone knight. He knew that she was not willing to accept this so easily despite the words of reassurance that came after. Still, he managed to say what he witnessed and he had to do something else now. The rest was up to her, “I know that this is hard to take, but whether you believe me or not is up to you.” He turned around and was about to depart but he turned around and looked at the Sun Princess one last time as he left a message, “This will be the last time we meet as acquaintances princess, the next time we meet, it will be as enemies. Tell your sister that for me.” His body slumped from saying those words, “I am sorry, I wished we met under different circumstances.” He jumped off and left Celestia alone.

Celestia stood still as the revelation was echoing through her mind. She caught the body language quickly though and it left her questioning his words, “What has happened to your life that you would feel like this?” She let out a sigh as she looked at the castle. The idea of her niece doping something like that was still hard to accept but there was something about the cloaked being’s word that had a ring of truth to it. Her mind was going through a storm of emotions on how to handle this now.

The disciple ran away from the castle as fast as he could. Looking at the shield above him, he noticed that the structure was losing its strength as small cracks were beginning to form. It would not be long before the wedding would be ruined and the invasion begun. The idea was most foul to him but he had no choice but to let it happen without his interference. Unbeknownst to him, he accidently fell into a hole without looking.

Tumbling down the hole in question, he recovered quickly as he landed on his feet. He was clutching his head suddenly cursing himself for getting a bit careless. He put his fingers first on the waist checking if his blades were there. Feeling the both of them, he put his fingers on his face checking to see if the mask was still there. He touched his skin causing him to panic a bit. Looking around, he found his mask at the corner of two rock formations. Letting a sigh escape, he went towards it and grabbed it. As he puts on the mask, he looked towards in front of him. The caverns had an inky blackness that stretched far but within the end was a small light that pierced the dark.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to go through it and find out what this light was. Treading though the caverns carefully with each step, the light was beginning to get brighter as he neared it. As he neared, he noticed that crystals were beginning to spawn as he was getting further from where he originally entered. The colors of the crystals were beautiful and luminescent as the sky. A smile formed seeing the numerous crystals gathered here. Looking ahead, the light was illuminating the whole cavern as he stepped in its glow. The sight of the many crystals made him awe in wonder.

Touching one of the crystals, he suddenly wondered if Ilia would enjoy this place. Despite it being dark at first, the light shining at the end made this a sight to behold, “This place… Now I begin to see why those two treasure this world. It’s the tiny things like this that are worth protecting…” A smile at first formed before a frown replaced it, “If I do not kill those six, would Lord Lucius come here and threaten them himself?” The idea was morbid yet he couldn’t help but believe it to be true, “Of course he could… if only the need to arise…”

He punched the crystals hard as the idea of this world going through the war back at Grand Gaia and history repeating itself again. Except not only will the Six Heroes fall but the other six ponies who came to be known to everyone will fall as well, “I-I cannot accept this! If history repeats itself here, then all the bloodshed here will tarnish the peace that once settled here… I just cannot allow that! But…” The silence felt like it lasted decades to the lone knight as he pondered about the situation, “What do I do? I am but one man. Strong as I am, I could not match to Lucius so easily.” He suddenly regretted his choice of words to the princess now. Having an ally like her alongside the Six Heroes would have benefitted him greatly and now, that chance would have been likely gone, “Curse my words…”

He lowered his arms and removed the mask for now. Looking at it, the sight of it made him cringe. He had no choice but to wear this for fear of his identity being revealed to the heroes of this world and his own, but at times, he wished that he could show himself without having to conceal his face. A sigh escaped as he put the mask on. Putting the clasps on, he looked around the beauty surrounding him one more time. The sight made him regret his decision but to his mind, what other choice was there?

As he was ready to depart, he noticed a small crack in the crystals. As useless as it was to notice it, he couldn’t help but sate his curiosity. He took a peek and suddenly, he was thanking his curiosity. Behind the crystal wall was the real Cadance, if her looking frail and worn-down meant anything. The sight of her looking so broken made the lone knight unsheathe his two blades suddenly. He tapped the crystals a few times trying to find a weak spot on the wall. A few taps later, he found a weakening on the wall. A smile formed as he raised his two swords and cleanly sliced through the wall.

The slice managed to reach the other side of the wall, causing the princess to open her eyes from the sound of cut crystal and elicit a gasp as she saw a cut on the crystal wall suddenly. Three more cuts appeared before the wall shattered by a strong buck. Cadance braced herself as the crystals were flying towards her. As she lowered her hoof from her face, her eyes widened and she begins to panic. For her rescuer was someone she was not familiar but rather a cloaked being that stood tall and wore a mask hiding his face, “Please don’t hurt me! If you’re one of my fake’s cronies, I beg of you to not do something horrible to my mind!” Suddenly, she felt something on her shoulder. She was reluctant to look for fear of something terrible happening to her. Another was on her other shoulder. A morbid curiosity gripped her as she looked at her right shoulder. To her shock, it looked nothing like the hooves of ponies.

A voice was heard and she didn’t wish to look at whatever was in front of her. The voice however, betrayed her fears, as it sounded resentful of her predicament, “Are you Princess Cadance?” Her fears were beginning to fade a bit but it still lingered a bit. She slowly turned her head and opened one eye to look at who she was helping her. The black cloak hid every detail she wished to know. All she can tell was some armor alongside the said mask that covered his face and whatever was on her shoulders. He spoke again as he sheathed his blades, “Let me ask again, are you Princess Cadance? The real one and not the fake I saw?”

Her eyes widened as she heard those words being said from a stranger of all things. Here was someone who, she hoped, saw the fake with his own eyes if she guessed the gender right. She tried to pick herself up but her body was still locked in fear of the being despite him rescuing someone he doesn’t know of well enough. The cloaked being was next to her and assisted her in getting up. That gesture managed to alleviate some of her fears with her rescuer but she still had her doubts. Even then, she went to hug the rescuer tightly, “Thank you! I-I’d never thought to get out of this…”

The lone knight was not so sure on how to respond to this but he returned the gesture, “You are very welcome… Your Highness.” Just saying those words caused him to let a smile form despite how long it has been since he last said that title, “In case you wish to know, I know you from Princess Celestia and Luna themselves, I… we had met before.”

Cadance let go of the embrace but still had her hooves on his shoulders as she went to inspect her rescuer. He was standing on two legs clearly if his lowered posture meant anything; he was able to grip the swords easily without magic making him part of the griffons most likely. Yet they wouldn’t be able to stand on two legs for long and that he had no wings. He was definitely no minotaur since he had no horns like them. Cadance just couldn’t help but wonder who her rescuer was even if he said that he met her aunts, “Just who or what are you? You’re not a minotaur and you’re definitely not griffon. I wish to know that and why you hide your face from me…”

The disciple almost stepped back immediately from her question. It was not surprising to expect the question but it being now when something terrible was about to happen? He grabbed her hooves and lowered them gently from his shoulder, “I would be happy to introduce myself to you, but it is not the best time to do so when your soon-to-be husband’s life is at stake. Come, we must leave the caverns at once…” Cadance was about to stop him but she couldn’t deny that he had a point. Both of them picked themselves and were about to leave until the wall to their right exploded. The disciple covered Cadance in time as crystals flew over them.

As the smoke cleared, the lone knight raised himself and removed the cloak covering the princess as he inspected what caused this. To his surprise, in front of him was the same unicorn that the fake Cadance banished clearly enraged of her doppelganger’s deceit. Being sent here was most surprising of the lone knight. He was about to let them unite until he remembered that anger can cloud one’s judgment and her eyes and voice clearly spoke that when her eyes fell upon the real Cadance, “You!”

She was about to charge in until the lone knight stepped in front of her stopping her charge. He lowered his left arm in front of the real Cadance. He hoped to get the unicorn to calm down before things got messy but it was easier said than done, “Calm yourself madam… You are mistaken here…”

Cadance was looking past the lone knight and when she saw the unicorn, she was smiling, “Twilight! Oh thank goodness, you’re safe! I was worried for you!” The disciple looked towards the princess he was protecting then towards the unicorn. He was a bit surprised that they knew each other. Perhaps this might be able to help the situation somewhat.

Her words however, did not go through, as Twilight’s horn was glowing with magic, “Yeah right! I am not falling for your tricks again!” Cadance’s eyes widened seeing that her doppelganger managed to instill enough distrust upon her to think that she was the fake one.

The lone knight saw the situation has now gotten worse with the lack of trust on Twilight’s part. He had to admit that the fake one did well to manage to break her trust completely. He was not so sure if the unicorn can trust the princess again after what he saw. Suddenly, he remembered about it. He saw the event happen with his own eyes, perhaps which might help alleviate this problem. Still, he lowered his right arm to his waist and unsheathed one of his blades but kept it hidden under the cloak just in case this might end up having to go there, “You are Twilight? You are the unicorn I saw that the fake Cadance banished away… Am I wrong?”

Both Twilight and Cadance’s eyes widened at his words. Cadance for hearing that he saw something personally done to her. That caused her fear to fade away and now changed into a slow anger towards her doppelganger. Twilight for the fact that someone witnessed her disappearance when she was in fact alone in the room, though that also made him suspicious, “How did you see what happened to me? I recall being the only one in that room when she…” She pointed an accusatory hoof at Cadance causing her to almost shrink back, “Banished me here!”

The lone knight’s grip on his blade tightened but he still kept his calm as he continued, “Yes, you are correct, but the one behind me…” He moved in front of her this time hoping that she wouldn’t rashly attack her, “Is the real Cadance. The one fake is still out there on the surface stalling for time. Soon, this whole city is going to be overrun when that shield dispels and you’ll be too late to save the wedding and the city.”

Cadance gasped from the revelation but Twilight, thought initially agreed that the idea terrified her as well, merely scoffed at the idea. Her anger messed with her thoughts as all she cared for was to put the one that was in front of her the pain she suffered, “Right… and then I’m expecting all of us to be trapped in cocoons. Forget it! I’m not falling for that! For all I know, you could be one of her lackeys trying to protect her! I’m ending this… now!” Her horn was glowing with magic as she glared at the real Cadance.

The princess’s heart was shattered seeing that Twilight did not believe her words anymore. The lone knight felt sorry for Cadance as he looked at her, her expression showing nothing but the sheer pain of her guilt. The disciple knew that expression well enough as he put a hand on her head trying to comfort the broken mare. Having no reaction to the gesture, he knew that her willpower just shattered from the last pony she cared for. The sight of Twilight’s anger towards her and the broken princess made the knight wished that there was a way to fix this but to no avail.

Seeing that the situation was now going to be confrontational, he let out a sigh and looked towards the agitated unicorn, “I was afraid that this would happen…” He raised his right arm and revealed in his hand, a sword aimed towards Twilight. The sight of that made Cadance look at her rescuer in shock, “I am sorry Your Highness but the situation has changed…  She will not listen to reason anymore as her anger has consumed her every thoughts so the only to end this…” He pushed the princess back a bit before lowering his other arm to his waist and revealing another sword gripped in his hand, “Is to put your friend down…”

If her rescuer was using magic, perhaps it would be fine but he was using two blades against Twilight of all ponies. Cadance stood up looking towards the being praying that he’ll just put her down, “Tell me that you will just make her… unconscious? Please?” As the silence from him being her only answer, she knew that it was going end up in death one way or another. She began to cry out towards the lone knight in desperation. Not only her tone towards him but what she said almost made him change his mind about doing this, “Please! Don’t do this! I don’t want this to end this way with my sister-in-law! There’s got to be another way to talk her out of this! Please!” She continually shook her rescuer in the vain hopes that he would listen to her words but seeing him not even budge his stance made her break down in tears as she continued vainly to try, “Please… don’t do this… I don’t want to lose her… I don’t want Shining to mourn over this… I beg of you… Please…”

The disciple hid his emotions very well but inside, his soul was crying out to him wanting to not shed the blood of family. The sobbing of the princess behind him weakly pounding on his back called out to him desperately as well  and he was very well tempted to just throw down his blades and concede. His grip on his swords tightened as a storm of emotions surged within him all of them wanting to stop him from ending the life of the unicorn in front of him. He closed his eyes once as the pounding stopped and all he can hear was the broken princess crying out desperately. Opening his eyes, he saw only a friend of Cadance standing, agitated beyond reasoning. He let out one sigh, dispelled his emotions, and charged towards Twilight.

Cadance looked and saw the both of them ready to initiate a fight. She couldn’t fare to see the fight and decided to run towards the safest area of the caverns in an attempt to hide herself from the fight and to not witness the fight itself. All she could imagine was the idea of Twilight lying still and unmoving while her rescuer loomed over her body. Her judgment was clouded by those thoughts preventing her from stopping the fight as all she could think of was not seeing the fight.

Twilight saw what she presumed was the fake Cadance running away. She teleported away from the being’s sword strike and in front of Cadance set on ending her. She was shocked to see her in front and froze with fear as Twilight fired a magic beam towards her. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the attack but it did not come. Opening her eyes, she saw her rescuer in front of the beam blocked by his two swords. She used the time to run again, this time out of sight of Twilight’s rage. The idea of her attacking her made her tears well up again as she continued to run and away from her line of sight.

The beam was destroyed as the two swords create an x motion. Twilight did not see Cadance anyway prompting her attention towards the lone knight, “You’re going to protect her?! She’s the fake! Move out of my way and let me get her!” She fired a suppressive beam at the disciple but saw it deflected with just a swing of one of his swords. This angered Twilight even more causing her name and tail to emit lots of smoke, “Why are you protecting her?! Can’t you see you’re being tricked by the fake Cadance?!”

The disciple noticed the tail and mane smoking as he raised his swords towards Twilight. The sight of that made him realize that if elemental powers are a thing in here, he might have to be extra cautious as that her mane and tail emitting smoke could mean she’s a fire elemental. However, that also means that he’ll have to tap into his elemental affinity as well to have an even match with her, “You are not thinking straight Twilight! How can you be sure that she is the fake? The fake has been playing mind games with you ever since you stepped into this city! She is not!” He made that up but he wouldn’t be surprised if she did indeed do that.

Twilight’s mane and tail were still smoking but her eyes also showed a fire burning in them. The disciple knew that sooner or later, she was going to ignite thanks to her anger, “How can you be sure she’s not playing mind games with you? I’m not taking any more chances after that banishment and her playing with me while inside the caves! Get… out… of… my… way…!” Her mane and tail were set on fire and her once purple coat was now nothing but pure white as she blasted him with a fiery beam.

The lone knight dodged the attack and proceeded to tap into his elemental affinity. He gained a black aura alongside red lightning around his twin swords and his eyes turned from blue to a foreboding red while having a shadow trail of red. He jumped over a fiery beam and neared his adversary. Landing one of his swords onto the ground, he creates a dark shockwave emitted from the sword towards Twilight.

She was shocked at the sight of the attack but dodged it as it neared her. She didn’t have enough time to realize that he was utilizing the dark elemental affinity as she looked to see the lone knight closing in on her. She bought her two hooves together and raised them together. The action caused a pillar of fire to erupt in front of her and below the charging knight.

The disciple barely dodged the attack as he moved to the side quickly as the flames appeared. He was correct to assume that this fight was going to be difficult but to be able to perform that kind of feat surprised the lone knight by a long shot. A sound of a pop reached his ears and instinct prompted him to dodge quickly. Behind him, a beam of fire was blasted from the horn. He recovered from the dodge and jumped up next to her. Seeing the unicorn in front of him, he delivered a wide slash with his left sword as the red lightning followed its arc.

Twilight had anticipated this attack and teleported out of its range. What surprised her was that the red lightning that followed the sword also was flung at the direction of the arc. She was lucky to teleport to his side instead of back otherwise; she would have been caught by that. Her horn was aglow with fire as she released a breath of fire. How she did that, she did not know nor did she care as she wanted to end this fight now and focus on what she presumed was the doppelganger.

Cadance managed to hide away from the fight while seeing only a tiny glimpse of what was going on between the two of them. The sight of fire and, to her surprise, darkness being utilized in many ways she could not imagine admittedly had awed her. Though she did not see the fight as she intended to, her rescuer being able to utilize darkness was what grabbed her attention. Darkness was a rare elemental affinity not even Luna could utilize so how was this being able to use it? She was so confused about it but decided to let it wait for now. She prayed that the both of them make it out of this at least alive.

The lone knight ran away from the breath of fire and charged towards the unicorn. She teleported just as he neared her prompting him to dodge quickly as she countered. He was getting annoyed of the constant teleporting that Twilight was doing yet admittedly, he knew that her utilizing it constantly tells him that she was not a fighter where as he has known to fight throughout his life. It was a smart tactic to continue to warp to one location to the next but it would be her downfall.

Twilight teleported away from the attack and used her magic to attack him. She kept this pattern up over until he was exhausted from fighting. Thanks to her anger, she was undergoing a magic flux that amped her magic abilities by a lot while supplying her with seemingly infinite magic. Yet even with all that aiding her, the knight was proving to be more than a match for her. She was beginning to wonder if this fight will ever have a victor between them. Her horn was glowing again as she creates a fire tornado covering a large area, “There’s no way you can dodge that! Give up!” Much to her surprise, instead of dodging it, the knight jumped into the tornado. She dispelled it quickly out of panic that she killed him in the worse way possible only to find the knight was not there.

She looked around her area trying to find him quickly. She felt a small breath behind her back causing her to momentarily freeze in shock. She turned around quickly only to find one of his swords rose to the air as he screamed, “Abyssal Reave!” She tried to teleport away but it was no use as she was caught in the attack. Wave after wave of blindingly fast sword strikes followed by lightning chains hit her from all directions. After the lone knight stabbed her in the legs, he jumped up high and delivered a shockwave below her causing her to be launched into the sky and get caught in an explosion made out of darkness.

The resulting explosion sent her plummeting to the ground and crashing hard onto the cavern floor. Her current form was dispelled returning her back into her original form. She was groaning from the pain as she was struggling to stand after all of that. A single foot stepped in front of her causing her to look up in fear. She saw the figure looming over her menacingly, his eyes still having a shadowy trail of red behind the mask. She looked to be on the verge of tears seeing that she was soundly defeated by something that she doesn’t even recognize and soon looked to be facing her demise.

Cadance looked once the battle was over to see what she imagined come true. Her rescuer was looming over Twilight who looked to be on the verge of tears. She climbed out of her hiding and galloped as fast as she could while screaming for him to not go with what he said, “Stop! Don’t do it! Please!”

The lone knight heard her words and her hoofsteps approaching quickly. Looking at Twilight, he saw not the look of anger she once wore but now of fear as she was looked like she was about to cry. To him, it was understandable why she was fearful of her life. Despite all of the power she unleashed, she was bested by something she doesn’t even know, someone who knew how to fight. He raised his high into the air and pointed the end of the blade towards the ground causing Cadance to gasp. In that moment, he saw the unicorn lower her head and accepting her fate as she let her tears fall.

He plunged the sword down causing dust to appear around the both of them. Looking towards Cadance, he was not surprised to see her reaction was of shock first, then a mix of anger and sad as she looked at him, “Why? Why?! Why would you do that to her, she didn’t deserve that!” To her surprise again, she heard him chuckle causing her to back a bit, “W-what’s so funny? Y-You…” He moved out of the way and let the dust cloud clear. She looked at where Twilight originally was out of fear before the fear was gone as she saw the sword embedded not on her but rather next to her head. A nick on her face was there causing a bit of blood to drop but she was alive. She felt her tears coming again as she charged towards Twilight and hugged her tightly, “Twilight! You’re alright! Oh my sweet Celestia, you’re alive!”

She felt the tears from Cadance streaking down her back. She opened her eyes to see the blade was next to her face embedded on the rocks. She felt blood on her face caused by a small nick from the blade but that didn’t bother as she felt her tears coming again, “C-Cadance, is that really you? I-is it really you this time?” She did not feel her forelegs wrapped around her as she let go. She then saw, for the first time, her performing their signature hoofshake during their youth. That made more tears well up in her eyes as she was the one charging towards the bride, “It is you! Oh my Celestia! I am s-so sorry C-Cadance! I let my anger get the better of me! I’m sorry!”

Twilight felt her babysitter’s hooves gently caressing her head as she felt their tears escaping their eyes and streaking down their backs, “Shh… It’s alright Twilight. I forgive you my little genius…”

She shook her head wildly as she was crying harder, “No, it’s not alright Cadance! I wanted you to hurt so much when that doppelganger was messing with me! Then when she did what she did by not only making my friends, my mentor and my own brother hate me for what I did but then also banishing me here so that she could put my anger on you! All of that so that I would inflict all of my suffering towards you, just to prevent you from escaping this place too!”

Twilight felt Cadance hugging her tighter prompting her to stop crying for a bit. She looked towards her and she was shedding tears. She let go and put her hooves on her shoulder while looking at her with tear-filled eyes, “Twilight, you were a victim of my doppelganger’s scheme. I was stuck down here for a long time while she was up there doing whatever she was doing with Shining Armor. We both were suffering by her and it’s not your fault for her misgivings. Don’t ever think that ever!” A smile formed as she pulled her in her embrace again.

Twilight let her tears go as she hugged Cadance tightly, “I’m sorry Cadance! I really am!” She felt her hooves comforting her as they shared in each other’s embrace. The sight of two soon-to-be family members made the lone knight ponder about something. He sheathed one of his swords and pulled the other out of the rock and sheathed that one as well. After that intense battle, this scene was worth it on the lone knight’s case.

Looking back, he realized that killing the Six Heroes has made things more troublesome than he wished to intend. If he ever saw Ilia, he realized that she would not approve of what he was doing regardless of whether the reason was right or wrong. She would still forgive for the misgivings though because she was like that. The thought made him genuinely smile for the first time in his life. He looked back and saw them looking like were settling down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two cures, “Here, you should drink this. It’ll replenish your health for you two.”

They looked at the green bottles given by the lone knight. Though Twilight was reluctant to take it after that fight, Cadance happily accepted it and drank it. Twilight soon followed as she grabbed it with her magic and gulped it down. Suddenly, she felt her body beginning to almost heal quickly. There were still a few bits of pain but the potion was enough to almost put her back at full strength, “Wow! I feel almost much better! That potion of yours is really potent on the healing properties!”

The lone knight smiled behind the mask, “Thank you Twilight…” He fell silent causing her to look at him in confusion. He turned his attention towards Cadance who noticed it, “Cadance, remember that you wanted to who and what I am?” She nodded and saw where this was going, “Perhaps it might be the best time to reveal myself for not only you but Twilight as well.” Both were confused about what he meant by that. He lowered his hood and reached for the clasps that kept his mask on. As soon as the sound of a click was made, the mask fell off and revealed his face to them.

Cadance was confused as she tilted her head but Twilight realized who she was looking at. She also connected the dots quickly with what the six told them about a masked knight that bested them in combat, “You…! You’re that mysterious knight that defeated the six of them in their world! You are like them! You’re their killer!”

Cadance looked at Twilight in shock from that revelation than in confusion about what she meant. The lone knight’s smile disappeared as a frown appeared as he picked up the mask and put it in his cloak, “So they told you who they are but never mentioned what we are? How quaint…” Though Cadance was confused as to what was going on, she saw Twilight back away a bit in fear and surprise. The lone knight sighed as he addressed himself, “Yes… I am their killer sadly. I am Ark, a human, the last of the Oracle Knights and a disciple to… my former master.” His tone was of anger as he said those three words.

Twilight was surprised about his change in tone when he addressed himself. What concerned her was when he said that he was the last of the Oracle Knights as he said. She stepped forward and looked at him, “The last of the Oracle Knights? What… happened to the rest?”

Ark closed his eyes as he remembered the faces of his allies when they faced against the Guardians of Meirith. It was a battle that both sides lost and he was only the surviving member of his team. The Guardians didn’t fare well like them but they were good people. He really wished that they never met in open combat when they came for only their master, “All of my friends… they all perished in battle. I was the only surviving member. The Oracle Maiden was caught in a trap set by my master as he sealed his enemy. She was out of my grasp and as a result was sealed with my enemy…”

Both gasped from this revelation they heard. They looked at each other before putting their hooves on his shoulders, “You poor thing… You must have felt horrible from that.” Ark looked away from Cadance but he nonetheless smiled, silently thanking for the kind gesture. She let a smile form before continuing the conversation, “Ark, do you ever regretted killing those six?”

A sigh escaped from Ark as he pulled out one of his sword, “Yes… I deeply regret doing so. I was not thinking straight during their assassination. My lord had forced me to do so because the Oracle Maiden, Ilia, the one whom I thought was trapped and forever gone when I was a part of the Knights, was a hostage…” That caused the both of them to look at each other in shock, “During that time, I was heavily injured and I wasn’t at full strength to fight against my lord for her. I had no choice but to do as he commanded or else she was gone. When I did manage to defeat them however… I placed a seal on them that sent them somewhere safe and well…”

“They came here…” Twilight said and the oracle knight only nodded, “You regretted killing them off and so you wanted to give them a place where they can live in peace… right?” Ark smiled first before looking away from having to kill them. Having no choice but to obey an order that would doom their world because the love of his life was at stake, it made Twilight sad to hear that one person had to go through that. She looked towards Cadance and sees the connection between them quickly. Yet, despite all of that, something didn’t add up, “But why are you here? Why come here when you sent them away?”

Both Twilight and Cadance notice that he gripped his sword tightly. It was a sure sign of anger but he looked to have kept it under control as he spoke, “Ah but that’s where my current situation comes into play for you see… my lord… knows that they’re alive and living here.” Their eyes widened from this revelation, “With that knowledge, he was about to send someone else to execute them but I called him off quickly as he still had his deal with releasing Ilia… I only did it because he would keep his words with her release. I realized just how wrong I am…”

Both looked at each other seeing where this was going. Cadance spoke her thoughts quickly, “Wait, so you’re not going to kill them right?” A simple nod from Ark confirmed her first thought but another made her worry instantly, “Then… is he going to send someone to kill them?”

The oracle knight fell silent upon that question being asked. That made the both of them worry about the situation until spoke, “Likely, but if I know him…” His next words made the both of them realize just how bad the situation has gotten after they deal with the current threat, “He’s going to come here personally and finish where I left off or even worse, repeat history here.”

“Repeat history h-here in Equestria of all places?” The way that was sounded made Twilight scared out of her wits. Cadance shared her fears as well as they wondered about it.

Ark felt his grip tighten on his sword. He closed his eyes imagining the death toll already on this world if what he said comes true, “What I mean when I say that...” He looked at a crystal and looked at his own reflection. A shell of his former self wondering about how to fix the mistakes he made. He shook the image out of his mind as he continued, “What that means is that it’s likely that the war that is happening back in Grand Gaia will be coming here when he comes…”

Both ponies froze from the idea that Equestria will likely be heading for war with enemies from another dimension. They looked at each other then towards Ark who was clearly seething with anger, “How bad was the war back at your world? Like…” Twilight felt silent as she gulped fearing the words she was about to say, “How much was the… death toll Ark?”

The oracle knight closed his eyes trying to remember the toll. After much thought, he silently wished he did not remember the death toll, “The God Army that charged Grand Gaia all faced their death after the struggles that happened. Humanity, in the end of the war… had only one surviving human.” He looked towards them and saw the two ponies collapsing from the sheer idea that only one human survived to the end of the war. He let out a sigh not surprised to see their reaction, “I wish I were joking but I am not, the end result was only one surviving human.”

Twilight covered her face trying to not let the tears fall for the humans that struggled so much to gain the peace they tried to fight for. They won but at the most gravest of costs, “How am I supposed to tell the six of them that at the end of their war, only one human survived?” She looked towards Ark as she was desperate for one answer, “Tell me that there were some humans that managed to escape the ravages of war…”

To her surprise, a smile formed on the oracle knight’s face, “Yes, there are. While only one human survived to the end of the war, others managed to evacuate to a safer location called Elgaia providing temporary sanctuary. Right now, humanity is slowly flourishing but it will return to its former glory after the scars of war heal.” Twilight let out a small sigh escape. She may not know enough about the humans but she was at least happy that they would flourish thanks to a few that managed to escape. She looked towards Ark whose smile was still there but his gaze was stern, “So I’ve told you all about me now… Are you two going to tell the others about this?” They fell silent as they knew that they were going to have to tell their friends about this. Ark still wore his smile as he stood, “It’s alright. I am at least happy to tell you about this soon. Whether you tell your friends and family about this or not, it won’t matter. It was time I repent for my mistakes.”

Both of them smiled as they put their hooves on his shoulder. Cadance spoke considering her role as the princess of love, “I’m not Ilia, I can’t deny that, but I know that she would be proud of you for what you are doing. That’s for certain coming from the princess of love.” The title made Ark raise an eyebrow in confusion. She only chuckled about it before she spoke, “I know it’s a silly title but its true Ark. My aunts are the princesses of the Sun and Moon, and my specialty is about love so...”

He didn’t need to get any further as he understood where she was getting. The idea however amused him as he wore a mischievous smirk, “Princess of Love… I hope that does not include love-making there Cadance…” He saw her face getting shades of red as she was stuttering her words. Despite knowing what he was talking about, Twilight found the sight of her babysitter to be hilarious than thinking about the idea spoken. Ark pointed towards the direction of where he fell as he stood up. That moment stalled more time but he couldn’t but say it out of amusement, “In any case, go towards that direction, you’ll find the exit there.”

Twilight noticed that he was heading to a different direction causing her to be concerned, “Wait, where are you going Ark? You’re not coming with us?”

He shook his head but still kept his smile, “I’ll find my own way out of the caverns. You two have to deal with the current crisis at hand. Once that’s done, we’ll meet together someday. I’m not so sure when but I hope it’s before my lord catches wind of this betrayal. I leave the rest to you… Now go!” The words were enough to prompt her to leave the caverns and head towards where the exit was. Twilight shook Cadance once breaking her out of her trance. She shook her head and followed Twilight out of the caverns.

As they were out of his line of sight, he looked ahead at the crystals. Seeing his reflection and all of his friends together managed to make a smile form, “Ilia, if you can hear my voice, please watch over the six… no, everyone here. I’m going to need their strength someday when the inevitable day nears. And when that time comes…” He unsheathed his two swords and sliced through the rock wall. Sunlight bathed him as the wall crumbles down allowing him to see a view of Equestria. The sight of the country and nature flourishing made him awe the sight, “We’ll be ready…” Jumping off the exit he made, he had to deal with the current crisis and that was dealing with the incoming invasion. Suddenly, he wished that his allies were here to fight alongside him. Though the thought pained him, it also made him somewhat glad to remember them again, “Rinon, Balgran, Yuura, Dion, Ruby, and Medina… Please lend me your strength.”

Just as he said that though, six lights appeared in front of him. He unsheathed his swords just in case wondering who was appearing in front of him. A voice spoke out to him and suddenly, he lowered his swords as the voice was all too familiar to him, “Yeesh, I remember asking you for a battle someday but now of all times when you called us for help Ark? Are you going to make up your mind or what?”

The lights slowly faded away and standing in front of him were the six allies that once were part of the Oracle Knights. He couldn’t find the words to this miracle as he fell silent. One of them charged towards him and hugged him tightly. He knew the one that hugged him was Ruby as she spoke, “Ark! It’s good to see you alive and well! I’d never thought to see you again!”

“We all never thought to see him again; you’re not the only one who misses him dearly Ruby.” Medina spoke and stepped forward as she smiled at him, “It’s good to see you again Ark.”

Finally, Ark found the words he wished to say as Ruby let him go, “But… how? I know that summoning is something I could do but… I couldn’t summon you for it would not be right of me to do so with your spirits so how is this possible?”

His answer came forth by someone he never thought to have expected, “That is because I called them forth.” Ark turned around to see Luna of all people coming forth. A smile was etched on her face as she bowed towards all of them, “So this is the Oracle Knights? I must say… I find this ability to call upon spirits from the heavens to be very… interesting.” She looked towards Ark who looked both confused and angry at her. Her smile never faded as she spoke, “You daydreamed once while you were conscious and well. Remember I have the ability to enter dreams at will. I took this small opportunity to learn your origins…” Her ears drooped causing all of them to be confused as to that small action, “It reminds of my past, both the light and dark times. Including the one time I almost killed my own sister.”

Her words spoke a ring of truth to all of them. Ark stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder, a smile replacing his confusion, “I was hoping to not let my secret out but now I know that one of you learned it. So… you are not bothered by what I did if you managed to see deep into my memories?” Her smile all but confirmed his worries. However, something confused him a bit and it involved his allies behind him, “But how did you learn to summon? I never did any summoning that I recalled in my mind since I am well capable of fighting on my own.”

“And that is true… However…” One of his allies groaned a bit from the usage of that word. Ark knew that the person who groaned was Dion and it made him happy to hear that from him regardless of how rude it was, “While diving into your dream, I happen to pick up something during that time. If what I presume to be correct based on your dreams, a curse of sorts.”

It did not take long for Ark to connect the dots quickly, “His curse… The ability to summon the spirits of deceased people, you managed to perform that. Does it not bother that you’re doing what amounts to necromancy?”

Luna shook her while still wearing her smile, “Not really, no. There is a difference between them. Why this doesn’t bother me is not only because necromancy requires darker ways to achieve this. This is rather light in its execution and that the people being summoned still have their sentience and their original bodies not decayed one.” She stepped past Ark and looked at the six that stood. Ruby couldn’t help but somehow find her adorable and wanting to hug her but there was the fact that she was their summoner. Luna caught onto that however and gestured her to do as she wished, “Come Ruby, I know you wish to do so and I’m allowing it.”

Without another word being spoken, Ruby picked up Luna and hugged her tightly while saying, “You’re so cute for our summoner and a pony!” That caused a few of Ark’s allies to chuckle from her timing of this. After one hugging later, Ruby let her go and respectfully bowed to her as she back away.

Luna wore her still smile still as she turned towards Ark, “While I will be glad to tell you how I managed to achieve this ability off, right now, we are wasting precious time.” Just as she said that, the shield that surrounded Canterlot saw signs of breaking. It would not be long before the barrier breaks and the invasion begins.

Ark looked towards his comrades and they all nodded to him. His smile met theirs as he looked towards Luna, “You are their summoner and as thus command them. Whatever you command to them is mine as well.” He never once was under the command of someone before in a long time. The only time that was so was when he was under Lucius’s command and now he would be soon rebelling against his lord someday. It felt like such a long time that he was willing to listen to someone’s command. The idea of being commanded by not only a princess of a different race but also who controls the movements of the Moon rather seemed to make him smile. His allies caught him though but they nonetheless agree.

The night princess flashed a smile towards all of them before turning her attention towards the breaking barrier, “You are correct Ark that I am their summoner, however, there is only one command I am willing to give for all of you.” Her eyes glowed white and a bubble surrounded all of them. They soon materialized in the center of Canterlot where she materialized her sword next to her, “Protect thy citizens at all cost!” The shield broke just as she gave that command. Suddenly, a swarm of changelings were surging forth covering the city like it was nothing.

Ark let his smile disappear and a knowing grin form as he looked towards his comrades once more, each one of them looking ready as ever, “You heard Princess Luna everyone! Defend this city and its people with everything you got!” As the swarm was charging for them, they all simultaneously let out a call to arms, “For the people, charge!” All of them charged at the individual swarms coming forth. The fight has only just begun.