A week has passed since the Griffon thing, and I had just returned from Canterlot and my personal mission. Yeah, the guard's going to have hell trying to find me. Before you ask, the only two nobles that have canon names that were a part of that group were Jet Set and Upper Crust. Yeah, I enjoyed removing that stain.

Anyway, I was in my camp, the helmet retracted, cooking some food, when Mist, his Loki frame on and helmet retracted, came rushing in. "What's going on?" I asked, certain, something bad was going on, seeing as how he was panting.

"Excalibur, I don't know how, but the royal guard was in town asking about you," he said in a panic. "They asked me something while I was in disguise. They asked if I had seen you coming from the train station in the direction of the forest. I think they know you're here!"

"What?" I asked as I stood up and brought my face plate to cover my face. "How?"

"I don't know," Loki said as he brought his face plate on as well. "But we need to leave, now!"

"What about Mag?"

"She's alright, I saw her as I ran here, and slipped a message. You sure you weren't seen?"

"Yeah," I said. "I always go the route of no ponies. And besides, the only ones who know about us being here are you, me, Mag, Harmony, and Spike." Yeah, Twilight told him about us just after the whole griffon thing. And given how he. . .is. . . . . . "Fuck. Spike told Celestia."

"You sure?"

"Who else?" I asked. "He's able to contact Celestia on a whim, Twilight knows we do what we do because no one else will, and Harmony wouldn't exactly reveal me when my location not being known would compromise my ability to do her missions. And besides, you know how Spike gets when he's trying to protect Twilight!"

He was silent, thinking that over, before he said, "That son of a-we never should have let Mag tell him. Now who knows what may happen. Celestia could go after her personally. Twi won't be able to handle that by herself, and the guards will attack us on sight. And the armor shows that they're the actual, competent guard, and not the royal guard. They want us dead, or stoned." Yeah, I told them about Discord and such. "And I am not going to kill guard."

"Then help me pack," I said. "We're going to pack up here, then get Mag, and get the hell out of here. Preferably some place that Celestia can't get us!"

He nodded. "Right," he said, and we went to pack only what was needed, which was really just the food and water, taking less than a minute, when we put the food in packs Loki had brought, and the water, already in canteens, strung behind our backs.

"Now come on, we need to get Twi and get out of here," I said.

"Lead the way," he said, and we began to make our way to Ponyville, going all Naruto and running in the trees until we got to the edge, when we jumped out of the leaves, and onto the ground, and into a circle of guards wearing a mix of solar guard colored armor that covered every inch of their bodies and lunar colored guards wearing the same in all but color. Closest to us, though, were Celestia and Luna, both in battle armor, with Twilight, without her frame on, being held in Celestia's magic. In a V pattern behind the sisters were the other five Element bearers and Spike. Fuck. My. Life right now.

"Regretfully," Celestia said, "it seems you were correct Spike. They were able to corrupt Twilight."

"And what makes you think she's corrupted?" I ask as I stand up, hands clenched and at my side, as Loki stood up and drew his bow, getting into a stance to dodge as soon as possible at an attack.

"The fact she has killed someone," Celestia said. "I was bale to remove the corruption you put on her, however, and she shows regret."

"Wow," I said as I crossed my arms and in a deadpan. "You, Celestia, are a fucking moron. Any normal person shows regret at killing when it's the first time. But you wouldn't know that, would you?" I asked as I tested my guts by walking up to he,r making the guards tense. "It's been too long since you killed. Why? Because you have a squeamish stomach? Or is it because you really aren't willing to do whatever you can to protect your subjects? Would you kill one to free thousands, or let that one live, and let them continue enslavement just so none can die, with no easy choice of knocking him out because he cast a spell to kill those he has enslaved if it were to happen? Face it," I said as i reached her and looked her in the eyes. "You. Are. A," I said, putting a finger on her chest for emphasis on each word. "Terrible. Ruler." Ah, I always wanted to say that to her face.

The rage on her face was both enjoyable for one like me who thinks she is worst princess-not worst pony, that goes to Snips and Snails- but it was also terrifying up close. She had a snarl on her face before she sent me flying back with enough force to drop my shields from one k to one hundred. "LOKI! DISARM!"

"On it," he said before brought his right hand, the left holding the bow, across his chest, charging energy into it before dispersing it, knocking the weapons of the guards out of their hands, and, seeing as how Twilight fell to the ground, disabling magic for some time. I landed feet first on a solar pegasus, and pushed off his face, pushing him to the ground as I went skyward. I did a single double jump which gave me enough height for the Heavy Impact mod to activate upon my landing, sending any near me to the ground. Those still standing were Loki, the sisters, and the bearers. Loki because of some magic bullshit I'm sure Harmony did, and the others due to a shield Celestia and Luna placed in front of their group.

"You really think that can stop me?" I asked. "I have powers you could only dream of, Celestia." Not bragging, given Harmony. "And I know of that prophecy. The one with the emerald sword." I then did what was probably the stupidest thing ever, and that was summon my Exalted Blade. "I'm that one. I'm the shadow in it, and only a god can defeat me. Which means only you two. Oh, and your adoptive niece, Cadence."

Celestia snarled again. "I assume you pried that knowledge out of Twilight?"

"No, I just have my sources," I said. "Now, let Twilight go, and we'll leave without causing bloodshed to you. If I wanted you dead, I would have already struck."

"Please," Celestia said as she summoned an etheric blade colored yellow. "I will not fall for that trick." With that, she lit her horn, and a dome appeared, separating the two of us from the guards, Loki, Luna, and the bearers.

Gah, I have half a mind to just rip her alicorn hood away right now! Harmony exclaimed. She's nearly ruined everything with her black and white view!

Don't, I replied as I got into a ready stance, the blade in front of me and held in both hands. I'll handle this. Just check to see if Twilight's okay. I have some celestial ass to kick.

"Once I take care of you," Celestia said, "Equestria will finally by safe again."

"Safe from what?" I asked. "Someone who is willing to do the hard shit?"

"From a monster who kills without reason," Celestia said. "I know you are the one responsible for the Manehattan massacre."

"You wanna know why I did that?" I asked as I tensed for a strike. "I did it because they were a bunch of rapists who enslaved others simply because said others wronged them. Now, I don't know about you, but I hate individuals, and groups, who do that. They're lucky I gave them quick deaths." In most cases. Yes, both of those ponies survived. Though for the first one, better to have killed her. She ain't flying again soon. "But, you, Celestia, are too weak to admit that your rule has not done away with crime, and would rather have Equestria seen as a utopia."

"Because I ensured to remove crime before Luna returned," Celestia said.

"Well," I said, before I launched myself at her, our blades locking before I could hit, "you did a crappy job, princess. And can I just say that is one of the most cliched reasons to do something."

"I swore I wouldn't let my subjects go through hardships," Celestia said before she spun her blade down, causing mine to go down, and tried to slice my chest, but i jumped back.

"Then what are you going to do? Prevent death? News flash: hardship is a part of life, and it's the only way for it to change. Even I know that and I'm extremely disconnected from society, even before I came here. With what you want, it's a wonder the ponies haven't been conquered yet. Oh, wait. You would have been, if it wasn't for me, Loki, and Mag."

"Impossible," Celestia said before she struck, but I deflected it. "I would know if there was a threat to Equestria."

It was then something neither of us, for different reasons, happened. "He is correct, sister," Luna said, getting looks from each of those on their feet/hooves. "If it weren't for him, we all would be bowing to a griffon king now, kissing his talons, or worse."

"You see, Celestia," I said. "Even you sister sees I'm doing what you can't or won't."

Whether because she was as stubborn as Applejack or something else, Celestia glared at me and said, "So it seems as if the Nightmare's creation was able to influence my sister." She then looked back at Luna. "Worry not, sister, I'll remove what's left from you after I'm done here." And she just gave me ammo.

"And what of the bearers?" I asked. "Are they not capable of curing Luna again? You seemed pretty confident about them earlier."

I grinned under my helmet as I saw her look, one with surprise, and a hint of fear. Before she chuckled, and it turned into a smile. "I suppose i should tell you that I can still use the Elements." And more ammo. Though I wasn't the one to use it.

"Then why not try to free Luna yourself?" Twilight asked as she shakily stood up. "Instead of making me and the others do it for you?"

I saw her friends back away a little, obviously worried she was still "corrupt", but I also saw that they wanted to try and help. Reason why they didn't? Twilight went Mag as she stood up. "Excalibur, we need to leave.

"Once I'm done here," I said. "Or better idea: Loki, switch, then Luna."

He nodded. "Right," he said, and he swapped with me, putting me out of the field, and then did so with Luna.

"Loki, do what you need to do, and come to the camp," I yelled. "Mag, let's go!"

She nodded. "Right," she said, and moved just as Rainbow and Applejack tried to grab her as Loki ran off to his and Azure's house, while Luna cast a spell to destroy the dome.

Mag and I had cleared the town edge just as I heard wing flapping beside me, between the two of us. As I ran, I looked, and saw Luna. "No choice?" I asked.

"Correct," Luna replied. "It was either this, or have Celestia try to fix me."

"Sorry you had to, Luna," Mag said. "If I had known Spike was going to tell her, I would have kept it a secret."

"You can't fix it now, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said. "And besides, it is not your fault."

"Yeah," I said. "Now double time it, people. Need to make sure nothing at the camp can tell her where we're going."

Author's Notes:

In reality, a sword fight would be like how i made it above.