The light clink of porcelain cut the toasty air of the living room as Celestia set her short, round cup of hot chocolate on its matching dish located a short distance away on the coffee table. Valinka had brought her the treat after the three had finished dinner, which Celestia was still full from. She was impressed with how Valinka was able to make such wonderful dishes from a few simple vegetables, various seasonings, and bread. Pavel was lucky to have such a fine mare as a wife.

"Является ли ваш горячий шоколад хорошо? Я не знаю, сколько молока вы предпочитаете добавили."
(Is your hot chocolate good? I don't know how much milk you prefer to have added.) Valinka asked as she took a seat beside Celestia on the home's small sofa, most of its volume being taken up by the slouched Alicorn.

"Идеально. Я наслаждаюсь моим трактует быть слишком сладким, и этот горячий какао именно это."
(It's perfect. I enjoy my treats to be overly sweet, and this hot cocoa is exactly that.) Responded Celestia with a smile.

"Замечательно! В следующий раз я готовлю что-то для вас я буду иметь это в виду."
(Wonderful! The next time I prepare something for you I will keep that in mind.)

"Я завидую ваши кулинарные способности, Valinka. Из тысяч и тысяч полей Я хорошо осведомлен, я ничего не знаю о кулинарном искусстве."
(I envy your cooking abilities, Valinka. Out of the thousands upon thousands of fields I am knowledgeable in, I know nothing about the Culinary arts.)

"Вы только говорят моя кулинария хорошо, потому что вы кормили черствый хлеб и рис за последний месяц."
(You're only saying my cooking is good because you have been fed stale bread and rice for the last month.) Joked Valinka.

"Все лучше, чем то, что я был сыт."
(Anything is better than what I was fed.) Celestia chuckled in response, her cup of cocoa floating from the table to her lips as she took a sip.

With nothing left to say, the speech between the two fell silent, the light crackle of the fire taking over the room. Celestia felt something she had not felt in a long time; pure joy. Through all of the horrors she had experienced since her ordeal began there had not been a single moment of happiness; except for right in this moment.

For the first time, she had completely forgotten about everything that had been plaguing her mind, her thoughts silenced themselves as she stared into the fire, occasionally sipping her drink. Even with the fire, her hot cocoa, and her blanket, nothing made Celestia warmer than the love she felt from both Valinka and Pavel, two complete strangers who had gone out of their way to give to someone they had never met. There was a feeling, one Celestia had not felt in a thousand years; the feeling of having a family.

Memories from when her mother and father were alive felt dull and detail-less, but she could still recall how she felt during those strange, cold times. Every once and awhile, there was a little moment of warmth that Celestia, Luna and their mother and father shared together when they would all build a fire in a field somewhere and try to find a comfortable place to sleep, and in those moments; when the four were in each other's embrace, a warmth no fire could create was felt; and it was the exact warmth she felt sitting on a sofa, in a small home, in a small town, tucked away somewhere in the frozen forests of another land.

A yawn from Pavel, who had been sitting quietly in his armchair across from the couch, snapped Celestia from her state of thought.

"Я думаю, что пора ложиться спать."
(I think it is time to go to bed.) He groaned, stretching his limbs.

"Это всего лишь 8:00..."
(It's only 8 o'clock...) Valinka responded after looking at the clock hung above the fireplace.

Pavel groaned again, still stretching.

"Я не знаю, смогу ли я встать..."
(I don't know if I can get up...)

"Тогда этого не делают. Селестия, вы не возражаете, если мы спим здесь с вами сегодня вечером, не так ли?"
(Then don't. Celestia, you don't mind if we sleep down here with you tonight, do you?)

"Я хотел бы, чтобы это произошло."
(I would love for that to happen.)

With that response, Valinka got herself more comfortable on the couch and Pavel slid further into his armchair. Celestia looked between the two of them with a bright smile on her face, doing the same and curling herself up, wrapping her wonderfully soft blanket in her front legs. After no more than 5 minutes, the three had fallen completely asleep.

Celestia's eyes fluttered open, an odd noise bringing her from her sleep. She took a groggy look around the room, her eyes eventually landing on the clock above the fireplace; 9:31. Upon looking down from the clock, an unknown object caught her vision from the corner of her eye, and only after taking the object in her magic did Celestia realize it was a letter; one sent by either her sister or Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia's eyes widened as she sat up, her groggy state quickly dissolving as she peered at the letter. It meant one of two things; Twilight had finally found out she was still alive, or Luna was using it as a means to track her. Regardless, Celestia unrolled the letter and attempted to read what was written; her damaged vision and the dim light of the fireplace meaning she couldn't read a single word.

"Valinka... Valinka." She spoke, pushing the sleeping mare beside her with a hoof.

With a mumble, she finally began to wake up, sitting up as she rubbed her face, looking over at Celestia; who's expression was one of deep fear.

"C-Селестия? Что не так?"
(C-Celestia? What's wrong?) She asked, still trying to wake up.

"Где мои вещи, мне нужен мой фонарик."
(Where are my things, I need my flashlight.) Quickly responded Celestia, her words bringing Valinka to a slightly more alert state.

"Это на этой стороне дивана ... что это бумага, и откуда она взялась?"
(It's on this side of the couch... what is that paper, and where did it come from?)

"Это письмо от любой моей сестры или моего друга и ученика Сумеречной Искрятся; мы три имеют специальное заклинание, которое позволяет нам посылать письма друг другу ... но я не могу читать то, что написано, так что я не знаю, стоит ли пугаться или облегчение при виде этой бумаги."
(It's a letter from either my sister or my friend and student Twilight Sparkle; we three have a special spell that allows us to send letters to each other... but I can't read what is written, so I don't know whether to be frightened or relieved at the sight of this paper.) Explained Celestia.

Valinka quickly leaned over the edge of the couch and brought up the small bag Celestia had kept around her neck, instantly the bag was taken by the brightly glowing aurora of Celestia's magic as she opened it and brought up her flashlight, clicking on the light as she began to read.

Celestia - It's Twilight. I know it is a shock to read this, but you need to take what is written to heart. We know Star Yield has told you that Luna was the cause of this whole thing, but he lied to you. Luna and I are currently leaving the Stalliongradian Capital to make it to you before Star Yield can. HE IS COMING FOR YOU RIGHT NOW. A message was received just a moment ago from a Stalliongradian base way up north saying that they got a call on the radio from a town called Tisy requesting a helicopter to come pick up someone severely injured. They then said an Equestrian Royal Guard base to the south was sending a flight of five helicopters to that town. HE KNOWS YOU ARE IN THAT TOWN. There is so much of this to explain, I cannot do it in writing. PLEASE, CELESTIA, LEAVE THAT TOWN AND RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN. I will send more letters soon, we are going to follow the trail to you. If you see a large green helicopter, that is us.

DON'T GET CAUGHT. Furthermore, Luna tells me to say that she loves you.

"От кого это? Что это говорит?"
(Who is it from? What does it say?) Valinka asked with concern.

Celestia remained silent, her eyes still browsing around on the paper as her mind tried processing what she had read.

"Это из Сумерек ... она говорит, что Star Урожайность на его пути здесь, и знает, что я нахожусь в городе, потому что сообщения радио Павел разослан. Она говорит, что мне нужно, чтобы начать работать."
(It's from Twilight... she say that Star Yield is on his way here now, and knows I'm in the town because of the radio message Pavel sent out. She says I need to start running.)

Valinka's eyes widened; her mouth agape at what Celestia had just told her.

"Что происходит?"
(What's going on?) Groaned Pavel as he woke up, the dialogue between the two having brought him from his sleep.

Valinka stood from the couch as she began to inform Pavel of what she had been told by Celestia, who currently hadn't moved; her eyes still fixed on 5 words of the letter: "but he lied to you."

Out of everything written, those 5 words were the most shocking. It made no sense. She had seen Luna in that cell, Luna had been there, she had talked to her. She had killed 3 ponies who were simply being controlled, and didn't deserve to have their lives ended, under the assumption that her sister was the one controlling them, and had knelt down to eye level with one of them and asked "Is my sister behind this?", and with his terminal breath, he had responded yes.

"but he lied to you.", Celestia kept reading the words, over and over.

She tried to single those words out, trying to suspect that maybe Twilight had been given the Aura as well... but everything else on the paper conflicted with that thought so incredibly. Maybe the letter was right, and Star Yield had simply lied to her. Maybe she had imagined Luna coming down the stairs into the cell. Maybe the White Stallion had nodded just to spite her. She didn't know what to believe.

"Селестия! Ну, что вам нужно, чтобы начать работать! Убирайся отсюда!"
(Celestia! Come on, you need to get going! Get out of here!) Valinka's panicked words finally dragging Celestia back to reality.

Her eyes went from the paper to Valinka's and Pavel's faces and back again, Celestia's total lack of words or identifiable unrest beginning to worry the two. "PLEASE, CELESTIA, LEAVE THAT TOWN AND RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN."

Celestia read over the words one more time, a feeling of determination filling her body. She had been running and hiding for too long. She was the ruler of Equestria. She possessed powers great enough to move the sun, powers great enough to bring an entire building from its foundation, powers great enough to defeat anything she had encountered for the last two thousand years of her life. She wasn't going to let a couple basic Unicorns scare her off any longer.

"Я никуда не поеду."
(I'm not going anywhere.) Finally spoke Celestia as she released the letter from her magic, looking over to Valinka and Pavel.

"Что вы имеете в виду, что вы не собираетесь где-нибудь? Если они приходят к вам, вы должны уйти!"
(What do you mean, you're not going anywhere? If they are coming for you, you need to leave!) Pavel retorted with shock, both he and Valinka looking at Celestia with wild eyes.

"Я убегал от этих идиотов на неделю сейчас! Я собираюсь остаться здесь и бороться... я положить конец этой ночью!"
(I have been running away from these idiots for a week now! I'm going to stay here and fight... I'm ending this tonight!) Celestia exclaimed as she levitated her crudely built crutch over to herself and began to attempt to stand up, Valinka quickly stepping over to help Celestia in her endeavor.

"Ты остаешься и бороться?"
(You're staying and fighting?) Valinka asked, stepping back after getting Celestia upright, the Alicorn's height meaning she had to crane her neck to keep her horn from scratching the ceiling.

"Я делаю больше, чем пребывание. Я делаю больше, чем борьба. Я это окончание. Здесь и сейчас. Больше не буду стоять на пусть это ... простой предатель поддержать меня в углы! Он может бросить столько войск на меня, как он хочет; ни одна из них будет иметь значение. Даже он не может надеяться бросить мне вызов. Я единственный самый мощный существо когда-либо иметь сердцебиение. Я встал на пути врагов, которые делают этот вид единорога, как если бы он был блоха! Каждое заклинание, он может надеяться использовать против меня бы чуть-чуть пощекотать мой мех! После того, как он смеет шаг копытом в этом маленьком городке, он будет знать свои ошибки! Он будет знать, что бешенство я могу раскрыть! Он будет знать, что происходит, когда он попадает под поверхностью солнца!!"
(I'm doing more than staying. I'm doing more than fighting. I'm ending this. Here, and now. No longer will I stand by at let this... simple traitor back me into corners! He can throw as many troops at me as he wishes; not a single one will make a difference. Not even he can hope to challenge me. I am the single most powerful being to ever have a heartbeat!)

The tone in Celestia's voice deepened, and her brow furrowed.

(I have stood in the way of foes that make this unicorn look as if he were a flea! Every spell he can hope to use against me would barely tickle my fur! Once he dares step hoof in this little town, he will know his mistakes! He will know what fury I can unleash! He will know what the sun herself is capable of!!)

Celestia's final triumphant cry echoed through the home, leaving total silence, and leaving Valinka and Pavel in pure shock. The bright grin upon Celestia's lips faded as she looked down at the two.

"К сожалению, чтобы напугать вас двоих. Valinka, у вас есть какие-либо алюминиевую посуду?"
(Sorry to frighten you two. Valinka, do you have any aluminum cookware?) she spoke after clearing her throat.

"д-да ... У меня есть пекарский лист, который является алюминий."
(Y-yes... I have a baking sheet that is aluminum.)

"Можете ли вы получить его для меня?"
(May you get it for me?) Replied Celestia in a normal tone as if nothing had happened.

Without asking why she had been so specific, Valinka shuffled past Celestia and moved into the kitchen to retrieve the item. A yellow light appeared in the room as Celestia's horn began shining, the pile that made up her backpack and winter clothing transitioning from the floor to the couch as she began rummaging through one of the duffles.

After a moment, she pulled 2 morphine injectors from the bag, one floating to her flank, an almost inaudible hiss coming from the object as the morphine began flowing into her system. Celestia let out a moan as the medicine numbed most of the ache throughout her body; she hadn't used one of the injectors in a full day, as she was trying to avoid becoming addicted to the substance; but what was to come would require her being free of the restrictions of pain.

"Вот лоток."
(Here's the tray,) Valinka spoke, Celestia's attention going to the mare.

The sheet tray held by her hoof became surrounded in a yellow aurora as it joined Celestia's other items on the couch beside her. Valinka watched as Celestia then took the second injector in her magic and swiftly stuck it into her flank, this time, she gave no indication of pleasure.

"Вы действительно нуждаетесь в двух из них?"
(Do you really need two of them?) Inquired Valinka.

"Да. Я не хочу чувствовать себя одну вещь, так что я могу оставаться в мобильном телефоне, как это возможно."
(Yes, I do. I don't want to feel a single thing so I can remain as mobile as possible.) Came the reply as Celestia began putting on the first of her two coats.

Even with the morphine's heavy effects, running full speed was still an impossibility because of just how damaged her leg was. If not for the two coats Celestia was putting on, flight would still very much be possible; the small hole in her wing that initially took her from the sky was only an inch or so across, it would have barely any effect on her aerodynamically. If it was needed, Celestia could quickly remove her coats and backpacks in order to take flight.

"Могу ли я спросить, почему вам нужен лоток для листового алюминия?"
(May I ask why you need an aluminium sheet tray?)

"Алюминий обладает прекрасными анти-магические свойства, я могу использовать его в качестве своего рода щит, чтобы блокировать любой вид энергии на основе заклинаний, которые могут прийти мой путь. И ... если я могу тянуть его, я бы очень хотел, чтобы огреть Star Выход через голову с ним."
(Aluminum has wonderful anti-magic properties, I can use it as a sort of shield to block any sort of energy-based spells that might come my way. And... if I can pull it off, I'd really like to whack Star Yield across the head with it.) Explained Celestia, the thicker, second coat and canvas pants how adorning her figure, the Alicorn's long tail tucked under the ends of the two thick coats.

"Мне нравится этот лист лоток..."
(I like that sheet tray...)

"Нет необходимости беспокоиться, я принесу вам новый один где-то. Я обещаю, что это не будет наше время видеть друг друга."
(No need to worry, I'll bring you a new one sometime. I promise this won't be our time seeing each other.) Celestia spoke firmly.

Valinka looked on with a saddened expression as Celestia's spell tied the last laces of her heavy duty boots; her figure now representing that of a Soldier instead of someone of Royalty. After tying her hair into a bundle and concealing most of it under the long, green scarf and thick fur hat she possessed, her appearance seemed bland and militaristic.

"Ты положительный вы собираетесь взять на себя те, которые были в состоянии получить это далеко с вами?"
(You're positive you are going to take on the ones who were able to get this far with you?) Pavel asked, his voice holding a tone of concern.

"Я очень уверен. Иди сюда, вы двое; Мне нужно обнять."
(I am very sure. Come here, you two; I need a hug.) Responded Celestia with a smile as she sat herself down on her haunches, her front legs held open.

Valinka and Pavel let out a grunt as Celestia yanked the two into her chest, holding them tightly.

"Я никогда не имел, кого я никогда не встречал столь добры ко мне, как вы двое были. Я люблю вас обоих, и я обещаю, что сегодня не будет последний раз, когда вы видите меня."
(I have never had anyone I had just met be as kind to me as you two have been. I love you both, and I promise that tonight will not be the last time you see me.) Celestia avowed with a sniffle, her voice breaking towards the end of her sentence.

After letting the two go, there was a moment of silence as the three shared a look, Valinka and Pavel both looking to Celestia with teary eyes.

"Разрушить их день."
(Ruin their day.) Pavel spoke with conviction.

Celestia gave a smile in response, a tear rolling from her cheek to the hardwood floor as she levitated her crutch back to her left leg and stood up, her backpack and smaller utility bag followed suit as they were added to her attire.

"Прежде чем я иду, каковы ваши фамилии?"
(Before I go, what are your last names?) She asked, turning her head to address the two.

"Мински ... ваше высочество."
(Minsky... your Highness.) Choked Valinka, the mare doing her best to suppress her tears.

"Valinka Minsky and Pavel Minsky... Я в вашей задолженности."
(Valinka Minsky and Pavel Minsky, I am in your debt.)

With those final words, Celestia marched herself to the back door of the home, exiting into the silent and dark forest beyond the home; Celestia still able to hear Valinka's cries as she stepped through the snow.

It's good to hear from you, Twilight. Thanks for the heads up. Send me another letter in 30 minutes and make your way to the town, I will be waiting for you. Luna: I hope Twilight isn't lying about you. Even if she is, which seems unlikely at this point, I don't care. I will love you always.

The pitch black forest around Celestia lit up for a moment as Celestia's letter was sent on its way. She had found a pen in her bag and used the back of Twilight's original note for her own, Valinka's cooking tray coming in handy as a table to write on. With the letter gone, Celestia floated her pen back into the bag around her neck and went back to waiting, the faint light coming from the town below being just enough for her to see the light snowfall brought on by the blanket of clouds above.

Celestia had sat under a tree right at the edge of the forest before the clearing behind Tisy's clinic, the clearing having a hill to the south which she had perched herself on, the spot giving her an almost full view over the town. What she had planned was no more than an ambush; she had quickly traced her way around the town memorizing locations she could teleport herself to that she wouldn't be able to directly look at.

The teleportation spell required the caster to have either direct sight of the place he/she wanted to go or to have a fairly vivid mental picture of it, so she memorized the spot she was currently sitting in as well as many places in the treeline surrounding the town. When the helicopters arrived, she would transport herself around, use a concussion spell to knock out whatever Soldiers had disembarked from the aircraft and then move to another location to retain the element of surprise.

Looking back on what Twilight had written in her letter, it was likely that one or two helicopters would land in the clearing behind the clinic to have their passengers begin searching through the medical facility in search of Celestia; but that wasn't going to happen, for as soon as they got out she would incapacitate the groups.

Celestia looked over to her large backpack that she had set beside her in the snow and opened the first duffle bag, taking out a box of cookies that Pavel had bought from the town's store for her. With the package opened, Celestia levitated two of the small cookies from their container and popped them into her mouth.

Last she had looked at her clock, it was 10:12, and there were still no signs of the New Order. Despite the freezing temperatures and the now constant snowfall, she wasn't shivering as much as she had anticipated, it seemed her multiple jackets, hat, and scarf succeeded at helping defeat the cold. Suddenly, Celestia's ears caught a distant rumble, she held completely still with her ears perked as the sound became louder; it was Star Yield.

In a single motion, her magic dropped the box of cookies off with her backpack and brought up her scratch-built crutch, the Alicorn quickly getting to her hooves as she began moving further into the treeline to prevent any chance of being seen. The chopping rumble of the 5 helicopters shook the earth more and more by the second, her heart beginning to pound in her chest.

Celestia's eyes were drawn upwards as the first of the flight passed right overhead, the chop of its rotors followed by the sharp whine of its gas turbine engine. Following right behind came the other four aircraft, once over the city each craft split from the formation and began maneuvering to their landing positions; two doing exactly as she wanted as they approached the clearing to the rear of the Clinic. She noticed something very odd, however; the aircraft that had shown up were not the H-34s that her Guard operated, they were of a different Bureau's design.

Had they borrowed Stalliongradian aircraft, or had Luna already been at work replacing things? Her attention was quickly moved to the other 3 aircraft; it looked as if they were going to set down throughout the town in various places to ensure no area of the town remained unoccupied. Turning back, Celestia saw that the two helicopters assigned to the Clinic begin to touch down, clouds of white snow being thrown up around their landing position.

"Alright, Celestia... calm," She spoke to herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, "No more running..."

~~

"Star; keep your eyes open. We may have been quick enough to where she wasn't able to leave." Informed the pilot of Star Yield's aircraft right after landing to let the 12 onboard Soldiers dismount.

"My eyes are open."

Both Star Yield and Lt. Col. Gate watched out the open door of the helicopter as the search team began spreading into the town, the other two aircraft that were assigned to the road lifting off as soon as everyone aboard had dismounted.

Suddenly, a rapid set of explosions echoed through the town, Star's eyes darting up to see that the two teams dropped behind the town's hospital had been stricken by a volley of concussion spells from a treeline to the south, the miniature explosions sending flameless shockwaves through the snow and air as all 24 Soldiers fell unconscious to the frosty earth.

Before being able to track exactly where the spells had come from, there was a flash of light from the treeline; the one firing on the Soldiers had teleported away.

"Whoa, whoa! We've got fire coming from the treeline south of the hospital!"
"Incoming from the southern treeline! Everyone that got off is down!"
"All teams, all teams, move to the hospital and assist!"
Yelled several of the aircraft crews over the radio.

"No, no! Have all of the teams hold their positions! Celestia's decided to fight, and she's using teleportation spells to get around! Tell the team leaders to have their Magic Specialists use their detection spells to maximum so they can try to get an idea of exactly where she is!" Star Yield barked over the slight panic caused by Celestia's attack.

More voices flooded over the communications, the pilots relaying Star's instructions via radio to the search teams below; each Team Leader in the squad wore a clunky back-mounted radio to allow communications with the other teams and the helicopters above.

"This is Team 3, she's at the east end of the town! Right side of the main road!" A male voice shouted over the radio, the 5 spotlights from each airborne helicopter switching on and moving to the mentioned spot as they tried getting a visual on Celestia.

Star was finally able to spot Celestia with all of the light being flooded onto the area from above; he could only watch as she rapidly disabled seven Troops that were still moving down the main road, an object floating in her magic being used to deflect several bolts fired her direction from an alley.

Three bolts leaped from Celestia's horn into the alley, flashes of light bursting from the alley as she neutralized whoever had attacked. Star noticed that both Team 1 and Team 2 were quickly moving to where Celestia was fighting with Team 3; who by been reduced to only the Team's leader and two others.

The three remaining Soldiers began sprinting to the east; the direction Celestia had initially attacked from, in order to flank around her and try to catch her off guard. Star noticed Celestia stop as she cautiously walked down the main road, her head snapping to the direction of the remaining members of Team 3; she had just barely caught a glimpse of the three run by an alley.

There was a blinding strobe of light as Celestia teleported from the road to a position just a little behind the three Soldiers, her horn never ceasing its glow as she hit each three with a single spell; the moment she had finished knocking them out her body flipped around, her head scanning as she walked backwards towards the three Soldiers she had taken out.

"I hope you're listening to this, Star Yield; because I'll give you and your friends this one chance to get back on those helicopters and get out of this town!"Celestia's angry voice crackled over the radio as she had stepped over to the unconscious body of the Team Leader and begun to use his radio.

"Oh, I can hear you. You may be doing well now, but don't worry, you are going to regret what you did to the three in that house!"
Star flamed, a bolt of energy firing from his horn down at the Alicorn; the object in her magic once more being used to deflect the energy.

There was another flash as Celestia teleported from the spot, the spotlight beams of each aircraft moving away from that particular place in town to begin scanning elsewhere.

"What in the world is she using to block our magic? Did she take a shield from any of the Soldiers!?" Exclaimed Star Yield to Gate.

"No one here had a shield! I don't know what she has!"

The two's attention was taken back outside as another series of thundering cracks burst into the air, Star frantically looking around outside of the helicopter as he tried to see where the sounds were coming from. Eventually, he was able to see that Celestia had caught Team 1 completely off-guard as half the team moved down the main road and the remaining members moved through the town towards their objective of helping out Team 3.

Team 2 was re-directed back to the area by the aircraft above since that specific team was quite a ways up the road to the east. The town below was lit up by the flashes of light brought on by the magical exchange between Celestia and the team. After swiftly taking out half of Team 1, Celestia teleported herself away from the area, leaving the remaining six of Team 1 slightly dazed.

"Team 2, get over here and help!" Shouted Team 1's Leader over the radio.

"We copy, we're moving up the main road to you! Stay in cover!"

Another flash of light within the town caught Star's attention, his eyes scanning to find the exact spot where the flash had come from.

"She's back! Left side of the road, just a few houses to the east of us!" Called Team 1's leader.

Upon getting a clear visual of Celestia, Star Yield's horn lit up as he fired a spell from the aircraft down at her, the bolt hitting an invisible shield around the Alicorn. The impact caused the shield to flicker into visibility for a second as sparks flew into the air. Upon being fired at, Celestia looked up at the aircraft and raised the shield held in her magic to a readied position; her horn lighting up as several bolts leaped into the sky towards the aircraft, a cracking explosion bursting in the air a mere meter from the open cabin door of the helicopter.

Several more explosions shook the aircraft as both Star Yield and Lt. Col. Gate threw themselves away from the door to the other side of the cabin as the pilot banked heavily to the left and began to fly the other direction.

"What in the name of Equestria was that spell she just used?!" Gate Stuttered as he peeked outside to the town as it got further and further away, flashes of light highlighting the houses and trees as the remainder of Team 1 had moved to surprise Celestia.

"I have no idea! Pilot; quickly, turn us back to the town and land behind the Clinic! The Colonel and I are going down to help." Shouted Star Yield as he moved back to the door.

"We are?!"

"Yes, we are! There's no way the remaining teams can deal with her on their own! You and I are well-trained in magic, and if we don't get down to help then we won't be able to capture her tonight!"

"This is Team 2! Celestia took out what was left of Team 1 and she's teleported herself away! We're going to hold position a little down the road from her last position and try to get her to come to us!" Crackled in the voice of Team 2's leader.

"Understood! Star Yield and I are going to be down there in a moment to help!"

Both Star Yield and Lt. Col. Gate had to brace themselves within the cabin as the Pilot violently banked the aircraft to the right as he began a fast approach on Tisy's Clinic.

The rotors of the helicopter beat the air around them into submission as the aircraft reared back to stop, and in a single, swift motion the nose was brought back down to level the aircraft as the wheels dug into the snowy earth, Star and Gate quickly jumping from the aircraft; the moment their exit had been made full pitch went into the rotors of the helicopter as it roared back into the sky, leaving the two in a stinging cloud of icy particles.

As the pair attempted to quickly move through the leg-deep snow their attention was drawn to the many unconscious Soldiers scattered around the area behind the Clinic.

"We need to find one of their radios and tell the helicopters to land and get all these guys aboard!" Star called over the rumble of the helicopters above.

"She's only using concussion spells and incapacitation spells, isn't there a way for you to just wake them all backup?!" Responded Gate.

"No, the only one who can force them from their unconscious state is Celestia!"

Gate gave no verbal response as he began looking over the Soldier's bodies to find one of the Team Leader's radio packs.

"Got it!" Shouted Star, Gate's head turning to see the transmitter of the radio held up in the Unicorn's magic, "Pilots, we need all of you to land and try to drag everyone that's been knocked out by Celestia back aboard and leave! Make sure you don't leave anyone behind; do checks among yourselves to confirm that a total of 48 Soldiers are aboard!"

"Copy that, Sir."
"Gotcha."
"Roger."
"Roger that, Sir."
"Understood!"

Star and Gate continued on their way back into the town as they watched the chorus of aircraft above begin to swoop down into the town on approaches to land.

"You're quite the leader, Star!" Commented Gate as he and Star Yield moved by the Clinic.

"From somepony like you, that's quite the compliment!"

~~

Celestia looked on from the concealment of the large pine trees she had teleported herself to as four of the five helicopters began to lift back into the sky from their landing positions within the town; she could only assume the aircraft had landed in order to retrieve the many Equestrian Guardsmen she had rendered unconscious. The collective roar and rumble of the helicopters faded as the flight finally departed from the town, a peaceful silence falling back over Tisy.

She had observed that the aircraft with Star Yield and the other Soldier accompanying him had taken back off without them; somewhere within the little town were the last 14 ponies she'd have to knock out to end her entire ordeal. As Celestia sat beneath the pines, she held up her two front hooves; her limbs shook not from the cold, but from a mix of fear and adrenaline. It had been many years since she had been engaged in any sort of combat; she had let Twilight do most of the work for the past while, as she knew eventually someone would have to take over.

With a deep breath, she brought her crutch back to her mangled leg and stood upright, dusts of snow falling from her figure as she moved. She had a few options on how to approach the situation before her; she could sneak into the town and try to locate Star and the remaining team, which she could only imagine wouldn't work as well as her previous attacks had; the element of surprise she had once possessed was now completely gone as she wasn't able to directly teleport to the group.

After adjusting her furled wings beneath her coats, Celestia remembered her previous idea of taking flight. By getting airborne, she might be able to quickly spot the group and hit them all at once with a single concussion spell. With that thought, Celestia moved out of the trees; her horn lighting up the short patch of snow between her and the houses as she began to remove her topmost coat, her eyes looking into the few lit windows of the homes to her left.

She could only imagine how shocked all of Tisy's occupants were at this time; Valinka and Pavel were the only two who had any clue as to what was exactly happening within the town. She felt sorry that those living in the town had to have such a rude awakening; being awoken from one's slumber by the sounds of a battle erupting within one's hometown would be both terrifying and annoying.

With both of her coats now removed, Celestia let her wings unfurl from her sides, the sound of her feathers filling the quiet air. Thus far, the small hole in her left wing could barely be felt with the incredible amount of morphine in her system, but that would most likely change once she began taking to the air.

Celestia looked back at her wings as she fluffed her feathers back into their proper positions, sighing and closing her eyes as she gave the first few hard beats to get into the air. The morphine was doing its job; she could still barely feel the wound in her wing, and she had been correct about its size not being a problem; she still had full control over her flight, and her left wing wasn't at a loss of lift.

More thrust was put into her wing strokes as she gained considerable altitude above Tisy, her eyes cautiously scanning in between the homes below; Valinka's sheet tray floating its way along beside her at the ready to deflect anything sent her way. Celestia's vision snapped to the clear area behind several homes as she caught the slightest bit of movement, there in the clearing two Guardsmen had moved from the small clearing to the concealment of a nearby structure.

With her eyes trained on the area, Celestia began flying closer to where she had seen the Soldiers; thus far she had been unseen, and if she could maneuver herself above the general area she would be able to hit every remaining pony below with a single concussion spell. From behind the house stepped four figures in almost perfect synchronization; flashes of light filling her eyes as the four figures fired at her at once.

The sheet tray was rapidly brought to her front and maneuvered perfectly where all four spells had been cast; a loud ping echoing from the tray as the bolts ricocheted in different directions. Before the four could re-aim, Celestia stopped flapping her wings and instantly went into a dive, waiting until she was mere meters from the ground before fully deploying her wings to their maximum length to cancel her downward velocity almost instantly, her hooves impacting the snow softly as she began to shuffle her way towards the nearby houses.

Upon getting herself into cover, Celestia took a look at the sheet tray held it her magical aurora; the tray now had a large dent at its center, but it was still intact. With a sigh, she peeked around the corner of the home she had hidden behind to see if any of the group had come out of their own cover; which they had not.

"That was quite the shot, Starry!!" Celestia yelled into the town.

"You're getting on my nerves with that shield of yours!!" Echoed the response from Star Yield, his position indeterminable from his voice.

"Oh, my sheet tray? I'm glad you like it, it was a gift!!" She gloated in return.

There was no response; Celestia took a second peek around the corner to see that 5 Guardsmen were inching their way through the snow towards her general area.

"There's fourteen of you left, isn't there?! A good 50 of you couldn't challenge me; what makes you think 14 of you can?!" Celestia shouted with a smile.

Once more, no response was offered. She took a second to regain her focus as she peeked back around the corner; the 5 Soldiers moving her way were a fair 30 meters away, and had now entered one of the many sets of alleys of another row of homes. With a well-aimed concussion spell, the 5 were knocked out with an overwhelmingly loud crack; Celestia looking on as their bodies were pushed back from where the blast had expanded from.

"If I'm right, there's now 9 of you!! Don't worry, Starry; I'll save you for last!! This sheet tray has your name written on it!!"

"You'll need more than a sheet tray to defend yourself once we've got you, Celestia! What you did to our three brothers will not go unpunished!!" Star Yield's angered voice responded, the sound seeming to come from an area more to her right than previously.

With a quick check of her surroundings, Celestia began carefully moving from home to home, the action being made very difficult as she lacked her crutch. Peeking around the right side of her current house revealed three more Guardsmen quickly making their way down the alley. After a mere second of her head being poked around the corner, a bolt of energy flew past her and impacted the side of a home to her rear, sparks flying into the air upon impact.

Celestia instantly darted from the right side of the house to the left and checked the parallel alley, Star Yield, and 5 others were sprinting towards her position. Before she could be overtaken, she teleported out of the area to the hilltop she had started at, the instant change in visual stimuli causing her a moment of disorientation.

She swiftly moved out of the trees and back into the open field behind the Clinic, her wings spreading as she leaped into the sky, this time keeping her altitude low as she banked to her left towards where she had once been. After being able to perfectly find the pair of alleys she had been looking down her wings flared as she dropped to the ground only ten or so meters behind the 3 Guardsmen she had taken fire from. Just as the three began to turn to address the sound of her impact, Celestia's horn flashed to life as she hit the three Soldiers (one right after the other; left to right) with an incapacitation spell.

There was something oddly satisfying about seeing the completely limp bodies of the Guardsmen drop to the earth with little up-throwings of snow.

"What's the count now!? Six?!" Called Celestia with a smile as she hobbled her way between homes to remain concealed.

"Shut your face, Celestia!!" Star Yield's voice roared.

A deep laughter erupted from the Alicorn as she moved, her head thrown back and eyes shut tight as she continued to taunt her adversaries.

"Did you really expect a group of Unicorns trained in simple spells would pose any challenge to me?! The only way you 6 are going to have any chance of doing anything to me is if you start trying to kill me!"

No response was offered from Star Yield. Celestia remained behind the two-story home she had been taunting from as she alternated from one side to the other in order to constantly check her surroundings. She could take back to the skies and attempt to strike from above, but the chances she would be able to successfully deflect any incoming spells with her relatively small shield were slim.

While airborne; she could only form an all-encompassing shield capable of deflecting one or two heavy hits, but on the ground, she would be able to keep a shield going that could withstand nearly anything. The only downside to this shield was that she couldn't cast any other spell while using the force field; she would have to be quick, almost surgical, in her spellcasting.

"I hope you've got a helmet on, Starry!!" Celestia called into the cold air as she limped her way from cover to the open alley of the current street she was on.

"Why would I need a helmet?!" Echoed back Star Yield.

He sounded extremely close, maybe only a few houses over.

"Because I'm going to hit you right in the side of the head with this sheet tray when I finally find you!!" She returned, beginning to hobble in the direction she had heard Star's voice.

"I'd love to see you try!"

After hearing Star's words, Celestia stopped, dropping the sheet tray to the ground, no less than a second later a barely visible shield of energy was formed around her; Star was close enough to where his voice wasn't muffled in any way. Mere seconds after stopping two Guardsmen came sprinting around the corner of a two-story home at the end of the road, the two skidding to a halt as they saw her. Two loud cracks broke the air around her as the pair of soldiers fired upon her with no effect.

The instant the two had fired, Celestia dropped the field spell and struck both soldiers with an incapacitation spell, their bodies falling limp. The spell was quickly recast as she began limping her way down the road towards where the Guardsmen had come from. A blinding flash of light from her right caused her to quickly spin to just barely catch a glimpse of whoever had fired at her as the Soldier, or Star Yield, darted back into cover.

"You're almost out of options here, Celestia." Star Yield's calm voice spoke from behind her.

Quickly, she flipped around to see Star standing just a little ways away, and after a darting look around the area Celestia was able to see that Star, two Guardsmen, and somepony who looked to be an Officer of some kind had managed to surround her.

"Wow; it took you this long to get me into a position of some kind of vulnerability. I'm impressed." she sneered in return, looking over to Star Yield.

"I don't ever remember you being so arrogant about victory..." Commented Star as he cocked his head at the Alicorn.

"I haven't won yet."

With those words, a flash of pure white light blinded all those surrounding Celestia as in a split second she had managed to cease the shield spell and teleport herself back to the last place she had left her sheet tray; which was a mere three to four homes down from where Star Yield and his group were.

"Quick, get back into cover!" Star's angered and frantic voice shouted to those around him; the group unknowing that Celestia hadn't teleported herself far.

"Star, keep your eyes up; she might try that top-down attack she did earlier!" Lt. Col. Gate's voice called.

Upon regaining her bearings, she looked down to see that her scorched and dented sheet tray was still sitting right where she had left it. With the tray back floating in her magic, she took a short peek down the road she had been surrounded on; Star and his remaining Soldiers were nowhere to be seen. Slowly, Celestia began limping her way down the road, her head on a swivel as she checked every possible angle she could.

"Gate, I don't think she's going to try to hit us from the air again." Star's voice said.

"Yeah... I think you're right. It's probably best if we get out of this area so she can't just come back." Lt. Col. Gate responded.

After hearing this, Celestia quickly strafed behind a structure to her left but kept her head peeked around the corner to watch as Star, the Officer she assumed was named Gate, and the two remaining Soldiers began a swift departure down the road away from the area. As she stepped out of cover her horn aimed and rapidly fired three precise bolts into the backs of the two retreating Guardsmen and the Officer, their now limp figures tumbling to the snow.

Star had only just begun to turn his head to see what had happened besides him as Celestia's horn sparked to life once more, a strobe of white light flooding the dim street as Celestia teleported directly in front of Star Yield. With a single, swift motion, the sheet tray held in her aurora flew through the air and clanged against the side of Star Yield's face, the impact knocking him from his hooves.

His entire figure was frozen and his magic cut off as Celestia took his entire body with a spell, holding him completely still. Her angered eyes remained locked with Star's as she glared at him, pure anger burning through her once kind eyes.

"You have an inhibitor ring somewhere on you, where is it?!" Boomed Celestia.

Star Yield offered no response as his fear-ridden eyes remained locked with hers.

"Starry, I will ask once more; where is the inhibitor ring?"

"L-Left chest pocket."

After receiving the information, Celestia's magic manipulated the mentioned pocket to retrieve the ring. With the little metal circle in her embrace, Celestia floated the inhibitor ring to Star's horn and firmly slid it to the base.

Star was released from her magic, his body remaining still as he was still too shocked to attempt any sort of escape or attack. Throwing up a light poof of snow, Celestia's sheet tray dropped from her magic as she sighed deeply, looking away from Star to the area around her.

"I don't like being violent, Star Yield." Spoke Celestia solemnly as she sat to her haunches besides Star.

There was still no response from Star as he simply let out a sigh of defeat, his hoof rubbing the side of his head that had been impacted.

"I want you to answer this question with one hundred percent truth, Star Yield. If you lie to me, I can just cast a spell to get the truth from you. If I have to do that, you'll have to put another Star Yield shaped dent in this tray." Celestia said sternly, her eyes locked with his.

"Well... what do want?"

"Did you lie to me about Luna being the New Order's creator?"

Star broke Celestia's eye contact as he turned his head away, looking off in the distance.

"Yes... yes, I lied to you. Princess Luna had no involvement. I tried to get her to side with us, but she declined and Admiral Cloud Drop decided to follow her." Explained Star Yield with another sigh.

Celestia's magic surrounded Star's coat collar as she yanked him from his lying position and brought his face close to hers.

"Why would you let me believe Luna tried to kill me!?! I had thoughts of killing my own sister because of what you told me!! I wanted to break out of the prison you put me in so that I could end my sister's life!!"

Celestia pulled him even closer, her aurora's intensity growing as she pressed her forehead against Star's.

"Why would you lie to me about this!?!"

Star cringed back, his ears in pain from her sheer volume. After a moment, Celestia released Star's collar from her embrace as stifled tears of rage welled in her eyes.

"I have had nightmare after nightmare involving Luna doing something horrible to me... I... I cut White Dust's throat after he, with his dying breath, said that my sister was the one behind my demise... I spent hours in that cell thinking of ways that I could... t-that I could kill Luna! I saw her come into that cell one day, and I said right to her face that I would break free to end her life!!" Screamed the distraught Alicorn, her cheeks moist with tears.

"What do you mean, you saw Princess Luna in the cell?" Star inquired.

"S-She was there! I remember talking to her... and now I get a letter from Twilight saying that she and my sister are on their way to come help me and that Luna was never part of the New Order... and I have you telling me that Luna was never part of this whole thing... yet I ended the life of an innocent pony because he-he looked me in the eye and nodded when I asked if Luna was behind everything!! Star... j-just tell me once more; it is a lie that Luna had any involvement in this entire plot, and that I somehow imagined her in that prison, and White Dust simply lied to me!!"

Star Yield looked deep into Celestia's teary, bloodshot eyes for a few long seconds while holding his silence.

"Princess Luna didn't do anything to you."

The response from Star caused a deep breath to leave Celestia. Still, she glared at him.

"Then why did I see my sister in that prison?"

"I don't know, you idiot! You probably dreamt or hallucinated her being there!" Shouted Star Yield with annoyance.

The sheet tray was brought back into the air by Celestia's magic and slammed into Star Yield's side, the impact causing him to yelp in pain.

"Don't call me an idiot! If anyone here is an idiot, it would be you! You might have still stood a chance against me if you had just let your cannon fodder Guardsmen get knocked out and had yourself evacuated." Barked Celestia, dropping the tray back to her side.

Star groaned, rubbing his side with a hoof.

"You're right. I should have just tried to kill you..."

Celestia gave a hearty chuckle, looking away from Star Yield.

"That Aura thing really did make you hate me, didn't it?"

Celestia gave a pause of thought, her expressions showing Star Yield that some gears were turning in her mind.

"When you first had me in that prison, you explained the Aura let Nightmare Moon speak to you... and Nightmare Moon was nothing more than a figment of Luna's imagination, so it only stands to reason Luna created this Aura spell..."

"You really are stubborn, aren't you? The spell was created over a thousand years ago by Princess Luna, but I altered it for the Mother of the Night's purposes. How many times do you have to be told Luna had no involvement in this entire plot?" Scoffed Star, interrupting Celestia's speech.

"I am not being stubborn!" Roared Celestia, her sheet tray raising to strike once more, but failed to come down as she witnessed Star cringe beneath her.

After a pause of silence, Star Yield gave a little chuckle as he adjusted himself on the snowy road.

"Funny how we're just sitting here talking. All we need is some food and drink and we'd almost be on a date." He joked, seeming to lighten up.

"I can arrange that. I need to go and get my coats back, anyway." Celestia returned as she carefully stood herself up, doing her best to keep her weight off her left leg.

With a flash, Celestia disappeared somewhere into the town or it's surrounding areas, leaving Star Yield to sit alone in the snow.

The Sun must still set, my child.

Upon hearing Nightmare Moon's words, Star had an idea; one that had been put into his mind rather than conceived by it. His eyes instantly darted over to one of the unconscious Guardsmen; every Soldier that had been sent into the town wore under their boots the same standard issue concealable combat knife. Leaving a small flurry of snow, Star Yield darted from his place on the road and sprinted to the nearest Guard, beginning to clumsily undo the laces of the boot on his right hoof.

With the boot off, Star was able to unclip the hoof-mounted blade from the Guard's leg and rapidly pull off his own boot to use the concealed blade for himself. Just as he had put his own heavy winter boot back onto his hoof to cover the device, a flash of pure white contrast highlighted the surrounding homes as Celestia re-appeared, her figure bulked by her two coats and large backpack; she also dawned the crutch she had crafted for her mangled left leg.

"I have plenty of- what are you doing? Making sure those Soldiers are fine?" Celestia inquired, her brow raised and head cocked to the side.

"Y-yeah... I wanted to be sure you really were using concussion spells." He lied, heart pounding in his chest.

"Indeed, I only used non-lethal force. I vowed to the three I murdered in that prison that as long as I lived I would never end the life of another pony, even if it meant mine had to end." she explained solemnly as she removed her backpack with a spell, letting the large cargo vessel fall to the snow.

"That's very noble of you." Star Yield mumbled to himself, a short grin coming to his expression.

"Would you like some of these little cookies? Pavel got them for me from Tisy's market." Inquired Celestia as she levitated a box from one of the two duffles on her pack.

"Pavel?"

"Yes, I met him and his wife 4 days ago when I first arrived in the town. They have been wonderful friends of mine for that short time. Valinka, Pavel's partner, was the one to lend me the sheet tray."

"Ah, I see."

Star Yield walked back over to where Celestia stood as he sat himself down across from the Alicorn, who had begun doing the same after dropping her crutch.

"Cookies?" she reiterated, floating the box to Star.

Star complied, allowing her to pour several of the small confections into his outstretched hoof. The two's attention was drawn to Celestia's horn as a scroll materialized out of the air with a fizzle, the paper being taken by her aurora before it could fall to the snow.

"Oh, it must have been 30 minutes." she commented, unrolling the scroll as she read, keeping her horn lit to provide ample light.

We are on our way to Tisy. The pilot says we are only around 5 minutes out. They have been flying like mad; Luna is enjoying it but I feel sick. Did you do what Luna and I think you did and stay in the town to take on Star Yield?

"Yes, I did," Celestia spoke to herself with a smile as she brought up her damaged sheet tray and pen to respond to the letter.

Indeed, Twilight; I stayed. Star Yield is sitting beside me; we're having a snack together.
Luna: words cannot express how I feel. I know now that you were not the organizer of this entire ordeal. The only time I have ever been happier was the day you returned from my mistake. I love you; more than you shall ever be able to comprehend.

Upon finishing her writings, the paper was rolled up and sent off with a fizzle of smoke.

"Well, Twilight and Luna will be here in the next 5 minutes; I suppose that gives us just enough time to enjoy each other's company."

"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" Asked Star Yield with a raised brow.

"I'm done being angry, and I'm done fighting. It's over. Let us sit here for a while and act like the past month hasn't happened." She responded with a sigh, taking several cookies from the box for herself.

Celestia looked on as Star Yield stood up, his eyes browsing over the former war zone that was the narrow street he and Celestia occupied.

"I suppose you're right... it really is over," spoke Star with a sigh of defeat, his hoof fiddling with the laces on his boot, "Do you think you could untie these laces? There's a rock or something in here and it's quite unpleasant."

The mentioned laces were surrounded by a yellow aurora as the knot quickly undid itself.

"Well... you know, I don't think things are quite over just yet..." Spoke Star as he attempted to remove his boot.

"What makes you say that?"

"That, right over there!"

Celestia's head turned to the direction in which Star had pointed, right as she did a sharp mechanical sound rang through the air, and before she could turn back around to address the sound Star Yield lunged towards her and drove the once concealed knife into the left side of her stomach, causing her to screech out in agony. Celestia was rolled to her side from the impact as she began desperately flailing her hooves to throw Star from her as he swiftly drove the blade into her stomach 2 more times. Finally, Celestia was able to free herself from Star and trap his figure in her aurora, the stunned Alicorn looking into Star's eyes with a wild expression as she whimpered in pain; hooves roaming across her lower section to find the wounds.

"You bastard!!" She screamed, firing an incapacitation spell right at Star's face, his figure falling limp to the snowy road as she released him from her magic.

With heavy breaths, Celestia frantically began to remove her two coats that were now damp with blood from the three consecutive wounds inflicted to her stomach; a bright red puddle beginning to appear in the snow underneath her.

With the coats removed, her magic rapidly opened the duffle bag containing medical supplies as she dumped all of its contents to the road; 4 rolls of bandages, a third morphine injector, and a rag were lifted from the pile as she turned to the three searing stab wounds in her side, three very generous streams of blood coming from the cuts.

Already beginning to feel dizzy, Celestia worked at filling the punctures with bits of bandage to suppress the bleeding, the moment the first wad so much as touched one of the wounds she let out a scream as a bolt of burning, stinging pain shot through her body. The Morphine injector held in her magic was brought forth and its cap removed as she stuck the needle into her flank, throwing it to the side once it had been done hissing.

A little less agonizing than before, the first of the three holes was plugged with a bit of rolled up bandage, the little patch barely doing anything to help stop the flow.

"Keep pressure on the wounds, keep pressure on the wounds, keep pressure on the wounds!" Celestia frantically spoke to herself as she finished plugging the remaining punctures and began to tightly wrap bandages around her lower body with her magic.

To make things quicker, Celestia painfully sat herself up a little, the bandage roll now being allowed to wrap around her wounds quicker. With the entire roll expended and her stomach tightly compressed by the many loops of bandage, she began to stand herself up with her crutch; short whines of pain escaping her lips as she finally came to a fully upright position.

"Valinka!! Pavel!!" She screamed, beginning to hobble down the road towards what appeared to be a large intersection.

Her eyes darted around the surrounding buildings as several doors opened, shocked Stalliongradians looking on at the wounded and frightened Princess as she moved down the road.

"Valinka!!"

"Принцесса Селестия ?? Что произошло?!"
(Princess Celestia?? What has happened?!) Shouted an unknown male voice, Celestia turning to see a light brown Stallion run from the door of his home.

"Я был зарезан жеребец, причинившим бой вы слышали за последнее время, пожалуйста; Мне нужно знать, где Valinka и Павел Мински жить!"
(I was stabbed by the Stallion who has caused the battle you heard for the past while, please; I need to know where Valinka and Pavel Minsky live!) She shouted frantically, her legs wobbly.

"Чуть дальше по улице в конце этой дороги; как вы знаете их?"
(A little down the street at the end of this road; how do you know them?) He asked, many other questions rushing through his mind.

"Они помогли мне, когда я впервые приехал сюда; пожалуйста, пойти и получить их!"
(They helped me when I first arrived here; please, go and get them!)

The Stallion darted down the road in compliance, many different voices shouting into the air of the town as more and more of Tisy's occupants came from their homes, several different ponies running to Celestia.

"Celestia!!" Shouted the familiar voice of Valinka from a little ways off.

"Valinka! Pavel! Помоги мне!"
(Help me!)

Celestia watched as her Stalliongradian comrades accompanied by the light brown Stallion ran around the corner of the intersection.

"Вы живы, принцесса Селестия ?! Что в мире случилось с вами!"
(You are alive, Princess Celestia?! What in the world happened to you!) Asked a fairly young, tan Mare as she and several others looked on.

"Я был ранен ножом три раза... борьбы вы все слышали! Я ... Мне нужно, чтобы добраться до клиники!"
(I was stabbed three times in the stomach! I... I need to get to the clinic!) Responded Celestia as her legs failed her, snow being kicked up as she painfully dropped to the ground.

"Селестия !! Нет! Все, резервное копирование!"
(Celestia!! No! Everypony, back up!) Cried Valinka as she and Pavel reached the severely wounded Alicorn.

"Он ударил меня ... он поймал меня врасплох, и ударил меня после того, как я победил его ... п-пожалуйста, Valinka ... Я должен попасть в клинику; моя сестра приходит в вертолет, чтобы спасти меня ... Мне нужно попасть в клинику!"
(He stabbed me... he caught me off guard and stabbed me after I defeated him... p-please, Valinka... I must get to the clinic; my sister is coming in a helicopter to get me out of here... I need to get to the clinic!) Explained Celestia in between her pained breaths.

"Все, помогают поднять ее! Получить ее в клинику города!"
(Everypony, help lift her up! Get her to the town's clinic!) Shouted Valinka as the rumble of a solitary helicopter began to shake the earth around them.

The group of 8 or so ponies that had gathered around Celestia, Valinka, and Pavel began to slide the Alicorn's large figure on to a wide sled one of the ponies in the group had retrieved, the aircraft Luna was aboard now thundering over the town.

"Вы собираетесь быть в порядке, мой друг!"
(You are going to be alright, my friend!) Pavel called over the sound of the aircraft as he placed a hoof on Celestia's side, looking to her with a smile as the group began to push her along on the sled, her legs and unfurled wings dragging in the snow as her figure was far too large to fit upon the vessel.

"Я сказал вам, что я буду видеть вас двоих снова!"
(I told you I'd see you two again!) returned Celestia with a smile, Valinka and Pavel returning her smile as they ran along with the group of Stalliongradians that had taken the task of moving Celestia.

"Я буду очень зол на тебя, если ты умрешь сегодня вечером, Селестией!"
(I'm going to be very angry with you if you die tonight, Celestia!) Choked Valinka.

"Я не умираю ... Я не ... не сегодня, Valinka."
(I'm not dying... I'm not... not tonight, Valinka.)

Valinka took Celestia's hoof in her own, looking to the now very pale and drowsy looking Alicorn with teary eyes. The thump of the helicopter became much louder as the group hurried Celestia towards the aircraft, it's rear gate now beginning to lower as the beast of an aircraft had finally touched down. Celestia did her best to look up at the helicopter as a tall figure with a wavy, light blue mane and tail exited from the aircraft.

"Celestia!!" Luna's voice cried over the noise of the helicopter, Celestia watching as her sister ran through the snow towards her.

The group that had been pulling and pushing Celestia to the clinic stepped back as Luna ran to her sister's side, fear riddling the young Alicorn's expression as she looked on at her sister.

"C-Celestia!! What did he do to you!?" She cried.

"He stabbed me three times... in the stomach," Celestia paused as she coughed violently, a few drips of blood coming from her lips, "I did it, Luna... I defeated him..." She finished, tears of joy coming to her eyes as she held out her hooves to Luna.

The blue Alicorn tightly embraced her sister as the two both wept into each other's shoulders. The pain in Celestia's mind and body seemed to fade, and all of the noise around her turned to a barely noticeable rumble as she embraced Luna. So long had it been since she had felt Luna in her hooves.

"You are not going to die on me again, Celestia! I promise!" Luna cried as she pulled away from Celestia's embrace and took the reigns of the sled with magic and began pulling her sister towards the aircraft.

"Wait! W-Wait!! Valinka! Pavel!" Celestia shouted with an outstretched hoof.

Her two friends ran to Celestia's side as Luna stopped pulling and turned to see what her sister had been shouting about.

"Спасибо и так много ... за все! Пожалуйста ... скажите все в Тисы, что случилось в эту ночь; вы двое знаете лучше всего. Я ... Я люблю тебя обоих, и я вернусь в один прекрасный день с новым подносом листа для вас, Valinka !!"
(Thank you both so much... for everything! Please... tell all in Tisy what happened on this night; you two know best. I... I love you both, a-and I will return one day with a new sheet tray for you, Valinka!!) She shouted over the helicopter's chop.

"Просто сделайте из этого живого, Селестией!"
(Just make it out of this alive, Celestia!) Pavel shouted, both he and Valinka giving a wave as they watched Luna resume moving towards the aircraft.

Celestia looked on to her friends and the rest of the Stalliongradians that had helped her as she was pulled aboard the helicopter, her unfurled wings colliding lightly with the walls of the aircraft. There was a quick strobe of light as Greff, the Crew Chief of the aircraft, snapped a quick photo of the entire event. Celestia looked at him with a smile; Luna also turning to the Chief as he snapped another photo.

"I apologize, your Highness; but this moment is too great to not be photographed!" The Crew Chief spoke as he walked up the loading ramp.

"You are fine... I agree with you!"

"Celestia!! What happened to you?!" Shouted Twilight as she and Cloud Drop maneuvered themselves around the large pallets of provisions inside the helicopter.

"Star Yield stabbed me in the stomach... three times..." She struggled, looking to her sister, "L-Luna... he's in the... the town with a group of Soldiers... they're all knocked out! You need to g-get rid of Star Yield's Aura!!"

"B-but sister... you need to be taken to a hospital, and quick! Star Yield can wait!!"

"No! It will take a little bit of time for you.... to bring them all back aboard the helicopter! Go, quickly!"

With a little hesitation, Princess Luna ran from the gate of the helicopter towards Tisy.

"I'm so glad you're alive!" Cried Twilight from the side as she took her friend in a hug.

"Thank you for coming to save me... Twilight... t-thank you so much!" Celestia whimpered, returning the purple Alicorn's embrace.

"Luna is the only reason we're here! I've done next to nothing!"

"I... I don't care! I am just glad to see you... glad to see all of you!" Returned Celestia as she looked up at Cloud Drop, who had a light smile upon his expression.

"I'm so sorry that I helped do this to you... your Majesty. After all the wonderful things you've done for me, this is how I repaid you!" The Admiral choked, kneeling beside Celestia as he placed his hoof upon her chest.

"You were controlled by the Aura... it's not your fault. I... I have never been so glad to see you." Celestia cried, reaching up with her hooves as the pulled Cloud Drop into a hug.

As the two embraced, Greff snapped another photograph; the flash from the camera not disturbing either Celestia or Cloud Drop. After being released from Celestia's still very firm hold, Cloud Drop sat himself down beside the wounded Alicorn as he looked to Greff.

"Soldier, you better make sure those pictures make it into the papers." Spoke the Admiral with a smile, wiping a solitary tear from his cheek.

"Yes, sir; I will!" Greff responded with a firm salute.

The group's attention went to the loading gate of the helicopter as a strained looking Luna appeared, her horn glowing brightly as she brought all 13 of the unconscious Soldiers aboard and moved them to the front of the aircraft, Star's body being left off to the side of Celestia. The blood-soaked blade he had attacked her with was still released from its sheath.

"This is all of them, correct, sister?!" Luna asked.

"That's it... now... let's go to a... a hospital." Strained Celestia, shutting her eyes as she leaned her head back.

Celestia let out a grunt as Luna took her in the tightest hug she had ever been in, tears steaming down Luna's cheeks and her chest heaving against Celestia's. She was starting to notice how woozy she had begun to feel, the interior of the helicopter seeming to spin.

"I... I thought I would never see you again!"

The helicopter began to take off, the rotors biting into the air as the machine turned back in the direction it had flown in from as the nose was dropped to gain speed. A strange, tingling feeling began to sweep over Celestia's body as everything seemed to become blurry.

"Keep pressure on the wounds... k-keep pressure on the wounds." Whined Celestia, her words causing Luna to release her grip and turn her attention to the bandaged punctures in her sister's stomach.

Luna complied as she pressed both front hooves to two of the wounds, Cloud Drop; who had been knelt down nearby, moved his hoof from the floor of the aircraft to help apply pressure to the third wound.

"If I had my way, your heart would have a hole through it, Star Yield!" Luna cried as her angered eyes were directed towards the unconscious body of the one Unicorn that had caused so many so much pain.

"N-No... Luna! No matter what... ever happens, don't ever k-kill anypony... don't ever..." Celestia spoke in slurred words as shock and blood loss began to take its toll.

"Celestia? How do you feel?!" Luna shouted, her teary eyes coming back to her sister.

"Dizzy. I feel dizzy... Luna."

"Do not start dying, Celestia! You cannot! I will not allow it!" Luna cried as she looked at her sister with tearful eyes.

"I won't... Luna. Just keep pressure on the wound..."

With a sniffle, Luna nodded as she continued to hold her hooves to the wounds; Cloud Drop doing the same.

"I cannot believe he stabbed you." Spoke Luna over the helicopter's noise, her teary eyes burning in Star's direction.

"He... he is just upset that his... plan... failed," Celestia chuckled, her laughter causing her to wince from the wounds in her stomach, "Y-you should have seen me, Luna; even with my broken leg... I tore into those Soldiers with such ferocity... I have never felt so alive." she spoke with a weak smile

"Your leg is broken?! Which one?"

Celestia's left leg went up, Luna's eyes fixed on the limb's blood-soaked bandages.

"Oh, 'Tia... what have they done to you?!" Cried Luna, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

"A lot of damage. Too many things to explain. Luna... can I stop talking? I... I really just want to rest." Celestia spoke, straining to keep her voice high enough to be heard.

"Yes... sister, you can stop talking."

A tall, slender mare dressed in a flight suit and bright white helmet appeared from around the helicopter's internal cargo, Celestia's head rolling back to look at the Pilot.

"Princess Luna, you need to roll Celestia onto her side where the stab wounds are, and we need to find something to put her on to where her heart remains below the wounds." The Pilot informed, her voice seeming a little panicked.

"Understood! Cloud Drop, get my sleeping bag and bring it here, along with a blanket!" Commanded Luna as she and the Admiral stood from Celestia's side.

"Are you the Pilot?" Celestia asked, her eyes still trained on the mare.

"Yes, I am. Major Thunder Light; my crew knows me as Pushy," She spoke with a salute, "We are all extremely happy to see you; it's been quite the journey getting to you!"

Cloud Drop stepped past the Major as he gave Luna the rolled up sleeping bag and blanket.

"'Tia... this is going to hurt a lot, but I am going to lift you off this sled and position you as Pushy suggested."

Celestia gave a nod as she braced herself, her body being surrounded by Luna's aurora as she gently floated from the sled, pained groans escaping her lips as she was moved to her side and, with a whine of agony, sat back down upon the now unrolled sleeping bag, which had been folded strategically to prop Celestia's lower portion up.

"Perfect. That'll prevent internal bleeding and keep blood in her heart and brain." Commented Pushy as she stepped across the aircraft and began searching inside one of the several opened boxes set aside from the provisions pallets.

"How did you know to do such a thing, Pushy? I assume you have taken some class on first-aid."

"You hit the nail right on the head. It was one of the most useful classes I've ever taken," She spoke, bringing a bottle of whiskey from the box along with a few generic paper cups, "I propose a toast, for Princess Celestia; may her Highness live forever!" She shouted, a cup of whiskey being floated to Luna, Cloud Drop, Greff, and Twilight.

Each recipient took their cup, the group sharing a look before raising their vessels.

"To Princess Celestia!"
"To Princess Celestia!"
"To Princess Celestia!"
"To Princess Celestia!"
"To Princess Celestia!"

The group collectively drank down their spirits; Luna, Greff, and Twilight all coughing from the rough alcohol while Pushy and Cloud Drop had simply enjoyed their drink. Pushy's attention was brought to Celestia as she signaled with a hoof for the bottle to be given to her, and with a smile, Pushy transferred the bottle from her own magic to Celestia's as the Alicorn brought the bottle to her lips, tilting her head back and taking a full 4 swallows before giving the bottle back.

"To me!"

Author's Notes:

There might be errors throughout this, if you spot any hit me up so I can fix dat shit.