In retrospect, doing nothing loses its novelty very quickly. Not that our chosen activity wasn’t relaxing, cuddling and napping never really got old, but it did get boring after a while.

“Are you bored?” I finally asked.

“Not really, no. But I can relive my memories to pass the time, remember?” Jay replied, reminding me of what he had told me about his method of entertaining himself all those months ago.

“Hmm, well I am. Let’s go an an adventure,” I suggested.

“Such as?” Jay asked skeptically.

“Literally anything outside of this room. We could pick a fight with some demons, or hike up Mount Canter to pick a fight with Tia, or-” I rambled.

“I need to check in on the army’s training compounds, make sure they’re up to standards,” Jay interrupted.

“Or that. Bureaucracy sucks,” I complained.

“Don’t worry, you’ll miss these days once the war starts,” Jay warned.

“Really? That’s your go to when I gripe about being bored? Fuck off Jay,” I replied, though the ridiculousness did make me smile. Jay pulled back as I rolled onto my stomach and stretched before climbing out of the bed and arching my back, “Oh, that feels better. Dealing with Tia sounds more fun, I’ll take Twilight and meet up with you later.”

“Alright, I’ll take Tzu and Harry,” Jay replied, making me pause.

“So you’re admitting to your position in Tartarus?” I confirmed.

“No point keeping it hidden anymore, but you should swing by the senate in about an hour,” Jay hinted.

I grinned darkly at the thought of how the stuffy nobleponies would react to whatever Jay had planned, knowing it would be something over-the-top, “I’ll be there.”

“It’ll be one for the ages,” Jay promised.

“I’ll see you there then,” I agreed before walking out of the room as Jay stood and started walking towards where his armor rested. It still intrigued me that the protective gear could stand upright without a wearer, but I dismissed it as being designed so Jay could enter and exit it faster.

Fang didn’t need coaxing as he fell into place behind me like a traditional guard, even assuming the form of one of my neglected night guards. I’d need to check on them at some point and make sure they knew they weren’t forgotten. Fang’s disguise sprouted wings and slimmed to the typical dimensions of a pegasus when we reached the deck and I spread my wings to take off.

Twilight appeared to be waiting for me when we landed in front of her home, given how quickly she ran outside to greet us.

“Luna! I was starting to think that you wouldn’t be coming by today,” Twilight greeted, reminding me that I hadn’t fulfilled my promise of another lesson yet.

“Today will be a little different, my student. We’ll be going to Canterlot so you may witness how the old magic plays a role in modern politics,” I replied, realizing that I was still wearing my wedding band and passing it to Fang as inconspicuously as possible. I could only hope that it didn’t appear in any newspapers. Perhaps the way the guard’s torso opened like a massive toothy mouth to hide the bracelet would deter them.

“Politics? But I thought manipulation magic was forbidden in the Senate,” Twilight pressed.

“Perhaps it is, but I believe you’ll see how they get around that regulation. It’s quite fascinating,” I insisted as I charged a teleport.

I’d spent enough time in my chambers when I first arrived to learn where it was safe to appear, thus it became an easy choice as to where my teleport would take us.

“It still amazes me how easy long distance teleports are for you,” Twilight commented as she looked around the room and spotted the theme of the decorations, “Are these your chambers? I’ve never seen so many things with your cutie mark on them in one place before.”

“I suspect Tia has been having more made whenever she’s felt guilty. As if I need to be reminded what my cutie mark looks like, I see it fairly regularly,” I sighed.

“I don’t think that’s the point. Everything here is a testament to how much she regrets pushing you away,” Twilight pressed.

“And yet she tried to push me into the same role the very day I returned,” I countered, “I believe you’re right, my doubt is towards Tia’s ability to change. Her feelings are clear, but her actions continue to drive me away from her.”

Twilight fell silent as she followed me into the hallway and down a number of different passages before I admitted that I was lost and made Fang lead us to the courtroom.

“Are you sure? It’s sad that the two of you aren’t friends,” Twilight confirmed.

“Twilight,” I sighed as I brought our group to a halt, “I know you’re trying to do the right thing, and I applaud you for it, but I do not believe I’ll be able to be friends with my sister until I’ve finished cleaning up her mess. Even then, it may depend on how many of our ponies die in this war she’s brought upon us. I may never be able to forgive her for the loss of life.”

“I-I see,” the unicorn replied sadly.

“That doesn’t mean I won’t try, she is still my sister,” I allowed, brightening Twilight’s spirits slightly.

“Ehem,” a voice coughed, clearly trying to get our attention. Fang whirled around and snarled before calming and nodding in greeting, though at what I couldn’t tell.

“Yes?” I asked the empty air, internally questioning how certain I was that ghosts didn’t exist. Twilight too looked disturbed by the sound’s lack of owner.

“She’s not in the courtroom,” the air stated, making a chill run up my spine.

“Then where is she?” I pressed, switching gears to question my own sanity. I was talking to nothing and expecting a reaction.

“How should I know? I’m a damn wall, all I know is who has passed me today,” the voice snapped. Things started fitting into place in my mind, all those reports I’d gone through had to come from somewhere.

“It would seem that the walls really do have ears,” I commented with a relieved smile, “Thank you India, we’ll try her chambers next.”

“Luna?” Twilight asked shakily, “I used to sleep here.”

“I doubt any of them were tasked with following you,” I lied. I had seen Twilight’s files, every step and action she’d taken during her time in the castle had been cataloged and recorded. I counted seven hundred pages on her bowel movements alone, though why those had been kept or transcribed at all was still a mystery. Perhaps for signs of illness?

Twilight went quiet again as she rethought her childhood, numbly following Fang and I towards Tia’s rooms. An errant thought burned in my mind at that, why did I only have one room in the castle? Why did Tia need twelve? I dismissed the building animosity by reminding myself that the royal chambers of the Infernal Palace were quoted to me in square miles. Tia could go fuck herself, I had more rooms. Bitch.

The door to Tia’s apartment was strangely devoid of guards, a detail that set my nerves on edge until I summoned my scythe and gestured for Fang to be watchful. I felt silly immediately after I returned my hoof to the floor, Fang was always alert. We were waved towards the wall next to the door by our enforcer escort before he jumped onto the wall and stuck there like a spider.

Fang crawled across the stone while Twilight and I got into place. I could see his plan already, we would be hidden by the door once it opened and Fang would be free to engage any threats on the other side without having to worry about me. Truth be told, I was more worried about what Fang would do to anypony on the other side of the tall wooden door.

Fang hissed his disapproval when I left Twilight in the shadow of the door and stood in the open, but he didn’t fight my decision to face whatever might have been waiting for us. With little warning other than Fang’s hoof reaching down to grab the top of the door, the massive slab of oak and walnut swung open to reveal a mostly uninhabited space.

Uninhabited with two noteworthy exceptions, Tia and Dawn sat across from each other in a small space that looked to be designed for lunch dates. It even had nice lighting and a small table built into the wall for two ponies to sit and chat over a meal. I wondered if I had a breakfast nook somewhere before recognizing that the pair had been arguing before I made my paranoia fueled entrance.

“Luna? Why are you armed?” Tia asked slowly, an edge of fear entering her voice.

“Calm yourself sister, I suspected foul play when I saw your guards were absent,” I bid before adjusting the door so Twilight could enter the conversation as well. Fang didn’t need any assistance in making himself known, he simply dropped from the wall and landed with a grace I didn’t think he had until then. Jay had always gone for hard landings, but Fang hadn’t made a sound when his hooves touched the marble floor.

Tia relaxed when I teleported Nightbane back into storage, now confident that it wouldn’t be needed, “So what brings you here today?”

“I’ve been teaching Twilight the old spells and tricks, you might call this a field trip to see how they’re used in politics to this day. A show of practicality, if you will,” I explained.

“Like that thing you used to do where you’d teleport straight up so you didn’t have to do math?” Tia teased.

“That was one thing we discussed, yes. I seem to recall you using the same trick a time or two,” I shot back.

“I can’t deny its usefulness, but it was still borne of laziness,” Tia insisted.

“Isn’t all magic though?” I countered, silencing Tia’s ribbing. She knew I had an unassailable position there, nothing she could say had a hope of surviving my multitudes of examples. Magic was an art, and did take a lot of effort, but it all still revolved around not getting your hooves dirty.

“So why are you in my room? And why did you bring some guard with you?” Tia asked with a sigh, changing the subject so she wouldn’t have to admit I won.

“Can I not catch up with my only sister while we wait for the senate hearing to begin?” I replied.

“Sure, maybe either you or your entourage can help me figure out Dawn’s first name,” Tia allowed.

“So it isn’t ‘Chained’? That was a lie?” I confirmed.

“Yes, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. We’ve been going back and forth on this since that last meeting,” Tia replied.

“It’s something of a game at this point,” Dawn added with a grin.

“Couldn’t you just look it up?” I asked.

“That’s cheating, and so is asking Twilight,” Dawn responded.

“Hi Aunt Dawn,” Twilight greeted quietly, looking supremely uncomfortable with being so close to Tia and I as we argued. This caught my attention as I looked towards my student, something about her reaction seemed excessive.

“Twilight, do you have any siblings?” I asked as I led her over to Tia’s nook and found a place where I could rest my back against something and still see Tia and Dawn when I sat.

“My big brother,” Twilight replied, “And I guess Cadence is kinda like a sister to me.”

“Shining Armor, the captain of the guard,” Tia clarified, though I already knew this.

“I see, and do you and Shining ever fight?” I continued as I sat down and pulled Twilight into my lap. Twilight settled in quickly and leaned back against me as she thought, as I often sat with her like this during our lessons so she could see my example spells take form firsthoof.

“Not really, it’s usually over simple things and Mom cracks down on them pretty quickly,” Twilight answered after she’d had a moment to think it over.

“Sometimes with a frozen waffle,” Tia chuckled, making me laugh as well as I recalled the incident from several months ago.

“Right, well, Tia and I fight a lot but I’d say it’s better than the alternative,” I explained.

“Cough cough, tried to kill everypony, cough cough,” Tia added, prompting me to toss her a quick glare for her lack of subtlety.

“Yes...that. Our relationship isn’t perfect, but it’s working better than it used to,” I concluded.

“But what about that thing you said when we arrived? About how you might never forgive her for what she’s done?” Twilight pressed, causing Tia’s breath to catch. I ignored Twilight’s question for the moment and turned my head to face my sister, figuring that I could address both issues at once. We’d have a talk about privacy later.

“Celestia, you’ll always be my sister and I love you, but I fucking hate everything you’ve done to me and the world. The bullying and trouble you got me in when we were young? I can forgive you for those. Driving me into insanity? Perhaps someday I’ll forgive that too. Your indifferent attitude towards the death of my only friend at the time? I will never forgive you for that. What you’ve done to cause this war and the blood that you’ve spilled on both of our hooves? We’ll see,” I listed, making Celestia flinch with every sin I rattled off, “But beyond all of that, beyond every beating you earned me and all the death to come, we’re still family. Broken and dysfunctional, but family.”

“Would stepping down help? Losing this leg has given me a new perspective on what truly matters. I’ll still die when this is over if I continue as I’ve been going, either by Jekyll getting his revenge or those rogue monsters deciding I’m not useful anymore. I’d at least get to do one thing right if I could save my ponies from the horrors of war,” Tia asked as she looked down at where her leg used to be.

“It might, but not yet. Jay’s working a few angles to weaken their support and hopefully get them to back out, taking control and bringing his forces to bear in our defence might end up being the final straw in changing their minds. But that’ll come later, when it no longer matters,” I mused, trying to hold back as much as possible while still giving Tia some hope for the future. When that didn’t seem to work, I tried a subject change, “Weren’t you going to get a prosthetic?”

“It’s over there somewhere,” Celestia replied, gesturing vaguely with her stump.

“Somewhere?” I quoted, “Tia, how long has it been since you left this apartment?”

“Four days,” Dawn replied sternly, her feelings on the matter clear in her tone.

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“Guilt, Tia had a bit of a breakdown after her leg was removed and confessed everything she’d ever done wrong,” I explained.

“It wasn’t a breakdown, I finally saw the truth. Our parents thought themselves gods and raised us to believe the same, but then I lost a piece of myself I could see. Not some muscles in my back that are out of sight, but a part necessary for day to day life. And I lost it to a germ, Jekyll’s equivalent of urine no less. That stupid virus in his blood, I was careless and I paid the price... I’m always careless and paying the price,” Celesia continued, seeming to shrink in on herself.

I thought it was a trick of the light or my imagination until Dawn and Twilight shared a gasp of alarm. Celestia actually was shrinking, growing smaller until she stopped at about the size I was before Jay helped me regain my confidence. Celestia’s confidence was shattered.

“Oh shit,” I swore.

“WHAT IN TARTARUS JUST HAPPENED?” Dawn demanded.

“WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON?” Twilight asked in panic at the same time.

“Moon and stars, Tia…” I commented sympathetically.

“Why are you still here? Just leave me to die already,” Tia snapped.

“Luna please, I have to know what’s going on?” Dawn insisted, reminding me that she was Celestia’s steward and unofficial caretaker.

“As I understand it, alicorns are more in tune with the natural magics of the land than even unicorns. However, this goes both ways. Our emotions shape us just as easily as our thoughts shape the earth and heavens, our ego being a major factor in our stature. Tia’s confidence is no more, and so her size has adjusted to match,” I explained, “There are other risks, such as that same natural magic changing us in different ways depending on the situation. Oh...Oh, I-um-I, uh, I need to go panic for a bit.”

“Hold on, what is going on now?” Dawn snapped, her patience clearly running thin. I was too busy hyperventilating at the thought of what a full scale war on Equestrian soil would do to the ambient magic. Would I be strong enough to keep myself from becoming something else?

“War,” I whispered, not trusting my voice.

“Oh shut up, Starswirl proved that nonsense wrong ages ago. You just never got the updated texts,” Tia spat before hunching away and smacking herself on the side of her head.

“Oh thank the stars, but then why do our emotions change our bodies?” I wondered.

“That part was mostly correct, it has to do with our massive increase in power compared to the other races. Emotions are powerful, and we subconsciously affect ourselves with them,” Celestia replied more calmly.

“At least that isn’t as terrifying,” I allowed, letting my relief enter my voice. Our little group fell silent for a few minutes as we each tried to figure out what to do. I broke the silence with a bad idea, “Tia, would you be willing to start over?”

“In what way?” Celestia asked without looking at the rest of us.

“An emotional way. Rebrand yourself, be the princess I know you could be if you tried. Make friends, have fun, that sort of thing,” I proposed.

“Luna, are you asking me to be your student?” Celestia confirmed.

“If it would help you, I wouldn’t be opposed to it,” I replied.

“Come here, look me in the eye and tell me that you could keep your feelings towards me out of your lessons,” Tia requested, prompting me to nudge Twilight out of my lap and stand. I did as my sister asked and walked right up to where she was hunched over; though instead of tears, I was met with a solid hoof to my left eye socket.

Celestia’s only remaining forehoof reared back to hit me again, but was halted by a clawed hand grabbing the limb, Fang had shed his disguise and entered the scuffle.

“Fang, this fight is past due, let it happen,” I ordered through gritted teeth. I caught Celestia’s next punch and ripped her from her seat as I threw her across the room, causing her lame wings to fall free of their harness and pool to either side of her when she stood. I hoped Tia had enough sense to keep the fight physical, as neither Fang nor I would react well to her use of offensive spells.

Tia’s wings glowed as she retucked them, though the chestpiece they were attached to cracked when I closed the distance and drove my shoulder into the regalia. Celestia slid backwards across the floor before dropping to her knees and struggling to regain her breath.

Twilight appeared between us as I pulled my hoof back to knock my sister out, “Stop! Please!”

My hoof halted mere inches from her face, but Twilight showed no fear. Her mind was on Tia and I, what we were doing to each other.

“Feel better yet, sister?” I asked.

“Buck you, bucking whore,” Celestia spat.

“Then I suggest you retrieve your other leg so you may fight me properly,” I allowed, taking a step back to show my commitment to the ceasefire,

“Why do you have to fight?” Twilight demanded, her cheeks wetting as she cried.

“This isn’t a fight, it’s penance. We’ll see if Celestia can put up more resistance with four legs,” I growled.

“It’s not right,” Twilight wept as Dawn pulled her back towards safer parts of the room. Celestia returned with a skeletal leg of iron and wood a moment later and the fight was back on.

“No magic,” I warned when Celestia’s horn started to glow. A sharp head tilt towards Fang reinforced my warning and Celestia’s spell dissipated.

“Just hooves then,” Celestia agreed as she paced sideways. I thought it odd that her false leg fit her smaller frame, but cast the question aside for the moment. She’d probably just used some spell I didn’t know to shrink it.

Celestia’s clumsy lunge met my shoulder as I pushed back, intending to topple her. Instead I found myself airborne for a moment before my back collided with the floor. Celestia’s false leg pressed into my throat an instant later, cutting off my oxygen.

“Going for the kill, sister?” I mocked breathlessly before kicking her off of me and getting back to my hooves.

Again and again we clashed, delivering a few blows before tossing each other across the room. We were both bruised and bloody by the time Fang stopped us, though Tia’s breath was ragged with exertion by then as well.

“You’re out of shape,” I noted, ignoring the hand on my chest as I threw verbal jabs.

“Buck off, we can’t all be as lucky as you,” Tia spat, we maintained our glare for another two seconds before I smiled and Tia started laughing. I pushed Fang off and helped Tia get her prosthetic off before her growth caused the straps to cut into her.

“If it works, it isn’t insane,” Dawn commented, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself.

“Twilight, are you doing better now?” I asked, noticing that my student had stopped crying.

“No,” Twilight replied quietly.

“It’s been a while since I got a workout like that,” Tia grunted as she bent her broken wing back into shape and healed the bone with a quick spell, though I was moving to sit in front of Twilight.

“And that’ll conclude our demonstration of the oldest magic to ever exist, along with its use in politics,” I declared, causing Twilight to look up sharply and narrow her eyes.

“Neither of you used magic,” Twilight pointed out.

“Before our grandparents ascended, the biggest issues were solved by having the ideological leaders beat the feathers off of each other until one side gave up. It still works that way in some smaller countries,” Tia explained, “Many call it the oldest magic.”

“You brought me here to watch you fight?” Twilight confirmed.

“Absolutely not, we’re here to watch Jay mess with the nobles. He promised that it would be a good one,” I replied.

“Ooh, that sounds like fun,” Tia agreed, “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all, though you may want to get cleaned up,” I suggested.

“You’re lucky your fur covers bruises so well,” Tia commented.

“Yeah, yours makes them stand out even more,” I teased before tapping into my wider base of healing spells and removing Tia’s blemishes. I ignored my own wounds, as I could feel Fang quietly knitting them back together.

“I still didn’t enjoy having to see that,” Twilight complained.

“Then you’ll get two lessons today, the second being that the world isn’t always as nice and kind as it appears. In that same breath, one cannot escape the truth that there will always be things we’d rather not see. Avoiding them won’t make them go away, they must be confronted and dealt with. Sometimes this will be accepting a hard truth, sometimes it will be a threat. I’ve seen how you handle threats, difficult truths can be even more of a challenge,” I lectured, though Twilight didn’t take any notes this time.

“I think I’d rather go home,” Twilight requested.

“No,” I replied simply.

“What? You can’t keep me here like this,” Twilight protested, her shock and depression turning to outrage.

“I can and I will, hiding in a bubble of comfort will only hurt you in time. I find that a firm kick in the ass is good and necessary from time to time,” I rebutted as I lifted my student and carried her along in my telekinetic aura.

“I’ve noticed the same trend, that’s part of why I sent our Twilight to Ponyville to begin with,” Tia agreed as she caught up and walked on my other side. Fang returned to looking like an unremarkable night guard and followed along behind us with Dawn by his side, only gaining any attention when the insane enforcer would hiss threateningly at any of Tia’s guards that dared attempt to join our procession.

Our conversations lightened as we walked, turning to things of lesser importance and even getting Twilight to end her grumbling and even join in after a time. Dawn seemed more subdued, as though there was something on her mind that she wasn’t comfortable sharing. Twilight had referred to her as an aunt, and the reports had Crimson calling her a childless mother. Troubling indeed, but for a later time. Now was one of amusement at the expense of a room full of senators that hadn’t had fun since… ever.

Luna was learning the politics of Tartarus remarkably well, but she’d never be capable of wielding it to its full potential. She just wasn’t mean enough. Her heart was too big for her to casually dismember her debate opponents, such as I was doing right now. It was Garsatef’s fault anyway, he knew better than to challenge my policy on invading the surface. Approaching me without consulting Harry or calling a hearing were just two more reasons to put the cocky greater back in his place.

“That was a bit faster than usual, Boss,” Harry noted idly, prompting Tzu to scoff in derision towards his subterranean counterpart.

“Lord Jekyll may do as he pleases, demon. You will not question his will,” Tzu snapped.

“Simmer down, Harry’s a friend,” I chided as Garsatef burned to nothingness. Turning to Harry, I added, “I’m on a schedule. Give me two rippers and get ready to see the sunlight, we’re going to Canterlot as a Tartaran delegation.”

“By the pits, you can’t be serious. We’ve had a strict anti-invasion po-” Harry attempted.

“And you’ll keep it, but word is starting to get out and I like to stay a step ahead. We’ll go in, scare the proverbial pants off of them, and leave them wondering which way is sideways once we’re gone,” I interrupted.

“So you’ll want us to walk out with you and stand there while you make a fool of yourself,” Harry predicted.

“Damn skippy,” I agreed.

“Sir I-” Tzu managed before I picked him up by his neck and held him a few inches off the ground. Though I knew I wasn’t hurting him, the display of dominance would add an extra weight to my words.

“You need to calm down, you’re becoming increasingly confrontational and it’s starting to piss me off. I understand that you’re under a lot of stress, that’s why you exist, but you do not get to take it out on everyone around you. You do not have the right to talk down to the one demon I trust with my country,” I growled before dropping Tzu. The enforcer landed easily on his feet and took an ashamed step back while his eyes remained low and submissive, “Take an India squad to spread out the work and bounce ideas off the Sierras if you have to, just watch yourself before you incite the kind of animosity that caused this ridiculous war in the first place. And don’t let the eggheads name anything.”

“I understand sir, I’m sorry,” Tzu apologized as he continued walking backwards until he reached the wall, where he remained in silence for several minutes. I looked up in time to see Harry walk in with two much larger rippers trailing behind him, though I hadn’t heard him leave.

“We’re ready when you are, sir,” Harry announced.

“Excellent, only forty minutes ahead of schedule,” I replied, “Go ahead and relax until the time comes, I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

“You got it boss,” Harry responded before wandering over to one of the grand couches and sitting down. Tzu bristled for an instant before he caught himself and took a deep breath, evidently seeing the demon sprawl out on the exquisite furniture had offended him. I could see why, Harry was acting as though he lived in these chambers instead of down the hall; as if we were the guests in his home. I gave Tzu a warning look, but didn’t press the matter.

“Sir? Are you sure this is a wise course of action?” Tzu asked after a couple minutes of silently studying the unfamiliar room. I knew that tick, he was scared and looking for architecture he could use to his advantage.

“Nope, only time can give me that answer. I’m not too worried, they don’t have many options on how to deal with it. They can’t condemn me without exposing the reason I own Tartarus in the first place, so they’ll have to grudgingly accept it. The news will love the spectacle and cause the laypony to question everything they knew about Tartarus and demons. In short, it’ll most likely cause more than enough chaos for Discord to have a stroke,” I predicted.

“I meant keeping me as your proxy,” Tzu clarified.

“Stand on your head,” I ordered casually, prompting the enforcer to give me a confused look as he obeyed, “Hold that position until I’m finished, then you can return to a normal stance. I’d still have Dopple if he hadn’t gotten this notion of rebellion into his head and his control genes out of his cells. I like confrontation and stubbornness, that’s why Dee recommended you in the first place. The only issue is that you’re venting your frustration towards inappropriate targets at inappropriate times. I don’t know how many ways I can say the same thing: keep fighting me on things, but don’t go looking for fights with others.”

“You don’t see me as falling into the same trap as Dopple?” Tzu confirmed.

“No, I see you exhibiting the traits that made him my proxy in the first place,” I stated firmly.

“Thank you… Father,” Tzu replied gratefully as he returned to his feet in one fluid motion.

“Don’t get sappy now,” I chided jokingly.

“Hmph,” one of the larger rippers grunted rudely.

“Something to say?” I asked as I spun to stare the demon down and drew my hammer at the same time, “Or were you looking to pick a fight with the nerd?”

Tzu clumsily took the absurdly heavy warhammer as I shoved it into his hands, though he quickly adapted to managing its weight and stepped forward with my favorite weapon.

“No my lord, I meant no offense,” the ripper placated as he kneeled submissively. Apparently this particular ripper hadn’t gotten the memo informing all of the guards not to bow to me, so I kicked him in the face.

The guard hadn’t been far from the wall, which resulted in his head bouncing off of the abyssanite with a painful crack. I took my hammer back from Tzu and set the head on the dazed ripper’s ankle to pin him in place while I asked what should have been a simple question.

“Why did I strike you?”

“I spoke out of turn. My sincerest apologies, my lord,” the ripper apologized. I looked to the other guard, though the ripper looked ready to bolt at any moment despite being twice my current size. His eyes held some sympathy though, he knew the pinned guard had guessed incorrectly.

Without lifting my hammer, I twisted the haft ninety degrees counterclockwise. I heard Tzu mutter something about pertinent information when he saw the action and the lack of movement at the head of the weapon.

“Try again,” I instructed.

“I was rude towards your favored spawn?” the ripper guessed. I lifted the haft of my hammer, leaving the head behind, and flipped it in my grip so the pointed end of the handle revealed itself to be the tip of a spear.

“Do you know the history of this weapon? How one of precision and skill became another of brutality and utility? No? It’s the same story that resulted in me hating it when others bow to me, you should go find someone who has the time to tell it to you,” I suggested before driving the point through the ripper’s heart, a demon that stupid and prone to outbursts wouldn’t be useful for this mission anyway.

“You did ask for big ones, that doesn’t always mean smart ones,” Harry called from behind me.

“One intelligent and imposing guard should be plenty to keep them out of my realm,” I allowed, though the gesture would now be asymmetrical and off-putting to the bureaucrats. Perhaps it was better that way, even more likely to freeze them in their seats while I presented my case.

Thirty minutes still remained, plenty of time to get just drunk enough to make the worst possible impression without killing anyone.

I didn’t bother hiding the smile caused by all the murmuring our arrival caused among the senate. They had been completely thrown off by the arrival of both of their diarchs, as though they were trying to figure out if they had done something illegal while simultaneously discussing the proper etiquette for dealing with two princesses. It was quite amusing.

“Are you listening, Twilight? See how they’re thrown into chaos by our mere presence? All it takes is a break from the norm to ruin their day,” I pointed out.

“I see that, but I’m not sure what I’m supposed to learn from it,” Twilight replied.

“There are many things you could take from this scene. You could note that they are too stuck in their ways to deal with the slightest change. You could then extrapolate that this is why Equestria hasn’t technologically or socially progressed to any noticeable degree in the last thousand years. You could look at them and realize that there isn’t any laughter in their lives, that the few friends they have are tentative at best and are also seated in this room. Politicians live for power, but somehow remain the weakest among us. A true leader hates the power they wield, but does so anyway for the sake of those they care about,” I explained.

“You really think Jekyll hates his political power?” Tia snarked.

“I know he does, he refuses to take an active role in his country. Everything else is either a calculated move to do as little damage as possible or a simple reaction to a threat,” I responded easily.

“And if he deposed me? What then?” Tia pressed, her temper flaring as I confronted her preconceptions.

“We briefly discussed this a few weeks ago, his plan would be to prop you right back up as regent in his stead,” I argued, inventing the outcome on the spot. It did sound like something Jay would do though.

“So why are we really here?” Twilight asked pointedly, seemingly both sickened by the sad ponies of the senate and bored at the same time.

Twilight had turned away from the other ponies in the room to address me, just missing the start of the show. I didn’t have to answer, as I could see her ears twitch in confusion when the room fell into a deathly silence. Twilight’s jaw fell open when she turned and saw the same thing that had the rest of us transfixed.

The point of a bone white blade was jutting out of the wall, though that wasn’t the chief concern. The most eye catching part of the display was the way the wall around the blade had burst into flames and begun dripping molten stone onto the marble floor, yet somehow seemed to avoid damaging anything. As we watched, the blade pushed even further out of the wall and slid down, creating a larger ring of fire and artificial lava. It retracted and disappeared just before it could hit the floor, but was quickly replaced with armored fingers that pushed the hole open and distorted reality around the fissure.

Standing in the impossible hole in reality was Jekyll, his eyes glowing red in the low light of the room on the other side of the breach. He was still wearing his armor and weapons, giving him the appearance of the warlord he once was.

“I understand that there have been a few rumors going around about me, specifically that I’m the King of Tartarus,” Jay began seriously as he walked through the hole and looked out at the assembled senators.

There was a pregnant silence as none of the ponies were willing to speak up, at least until I took the initiative and did it for them, “Have you come to answer these accusations?”

“In a way, but there are other rumors to address as well. The one that Princess Luna and I are dating, and the one about my relation to a unicorn mare named Rose Lily. There are others, but they’re stupid and not worth my time,” Jay continued as he sauntered around the room to leer at any senators that looked ready to bolt, his glare making it clear that they would be better off sitting still.

“Well then, get on with it,” I ordered, feigning disinterest. This was absolutely hilarious, I doubted any of these politicians had ever had cause to be afraid of anything in their lives and they weren’t handling it well. I spared a quick glance at Tia to see her reaction and found her biting one of the struts on her false leg to keep from laughing aloud. Twilight looked stunned, her entire body frozen as she watched draconian politics unfold before her eyes.

“To begin with the last one: yes, I did adopt Rose Lily and her family some years ago. How this gives her the right to marry a noble will come into play as we progress. Your Princess of the Night and I are courting one another, that one is true as well. Again, the legalities of this will be explained. And now for the one you’ve been waiting ever so patiently for, am I the reigning king of Tartarus?” Jay revealed, stolling around the room before circling back in front of the blazing hole in the wall.

Tzu stepped through the hole first and took his position on Jay’s right side, soon followed by Harry taking his place behind Jay’s left shoulder. On top of this, another, larger, ripper followed as well and stood as a guard on the side of the portal closer to the senate ponies as the trio moved away from the wall and stole what little remained of everypony’s attention by casually walking into the very center of the pulpit.

“Yes, I conquered the realm of demons and took it for myself. Rose Lily and her family are nobles equivalent to lesser princes and princesses,” Jay declared, raising his voice slightly before dropping it to a conversational tone, “Anyone curious about what that’s like?”

Twilight’s ears raised on reflex at the possibility of learning something new, which was enough for Jay to grin widely as his wings shot out from under the cape affixed to the back of his armor.

“Great, let me tell you all a little about my kingdom. See, a minotaur’s my butler...” Jay began as he started an over the top sweeping dance around the room, complete with aggressive leans forward and back that would toppel anyone else as his arms spread whenever the chorus would hit. I couldn’t help grinning as I watched Jay relax and inject fun into the senate hall for what was likely the first time since it had been constructed.

“That,” Tia commented quietly, “You sleep with that.”

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way. You really should lighten up, dear sister, it’s silly and fun,” I replied before returning my attention to the floor to see Jay lean into one senator’s face and make sure he knew that the unfortunate unicorn couldn’t take Tartarus away from him.

“Alllllright, how’s everypony feeling today? Did that unjam a few sticks from some of your asses?” Jay asked casually once his ridiculous song ended and he collapsed onto the first row of desks, “No? Well fine, fuck you then. At least I can say that I tried. Hey, do me a favor though and make sure the papers print my good side when they butcher their reports about what happened here. Great, thanks.”

Twilight finally cracked at that point, erupting into laughter as her legs failed her and she fell against the railing we’d been watching from.

“See why I wanted you to come? This kind of reveal could only be hilarious,” I declared.

“Their faces, did you see their faces?” Twilight gasped as her lungs fought for oxygen.

“Somewhere between too many lemons and entropic constipation, I’d say,” Tia noted with no lack of amusement herself.

“Hmm, I think they look more like a cross between a bunch of monks as they watch their cathedral burn and a firepony who just realized he accidentally committed arson. With all of that being the same situation,” I argued. Though my voice didn’t raise in the slightest, Jay seemed to take note of where I was and dove off of the desk to rebound off the wall and land on our balcony.

“There you… three-five are, enjoy the show?” Jay asked, his jovial mood still present and infectious as his blood.

“A bold strategy, walking in here with actual demons and giving them the truth,” Tia allowed, some grudging respect showing on her face.

“The rumors were getting around anyway, this way the headline gets muddy and conflicting,” Jay revealed.

“Bullshit, you saw an opportunity to have fun and took it,” I pointed out, getting a guilty smile in return.

“As entertaining as this distraction has been, I assume the three of you will be leaving now?” Tia assumed, her tone implying that our welcome had worn out.

“What in Tartarus is THAT?!” an aid cried in alarm. Both Jay and I looked over to rebuke the mare for asking such an obvious question when we saw that her eyes were directed towards a nearby window and her face was illuminated by something outside. I noticed that something was off and dove from the balcony before Jay started moving, discovering a massive pillar of light in the distance. I heard Jay land behind me and sigh as he saw the same sight.

“That’s… a lot bigger than when Arcane blew up Brismane. Tzu, get back to Abaddon and send fifty squads to investigate. Gammas only for this one, I want whatever did this taken down and in custody by noon tomorrow,” Jay barked, sending Tzu flying through a different window and speeding towards Ponyville and the leviathan stationed there.

“Three hundred of your guards to check out one pillar of light?” I confirmed before seeing the secondary effect, “Ah, you intend to swarm the area and discourage any foreign spies from taking action while at the same time making it clear that it wasn’t a weapons test.”

“You’re getting eerily good at that,” Jay praised with a grin.

I didn’t know why that simple exchange chilled me to my core. Perhaps it was how casually they discussed the destruction of an entire town that forced me to confront how far removed my sister and I were from one another. Or maybe it was how Luna came to Jekyll’s aid before anypony could doubt him. Her timing on the comment had made it seem genuine, to the point that I almost missed its true purpose.

I was so far out of my league and surrounded on all sides by enemies, yet somehow Luna had allied herself with the strongest faction without even trying. I knew the truth, of course, she was being groomed to take my place after Jekyll killed me, it would be remiss of him to neglect conditioning her to support his decisions.

Something tapping my nose broke me from my thoughts, “Yo, you alive in there?”

“Obviously,” I snapped as I pulled away and rubbed the spot where Jekyll had touched me. I’d need a bath after this, just to be sure.

“Damn,” Jekyll swore, “Oh well, a guy can dream. Anyhow, I’m heading off to make sure the Equestrian army isn’t teaching the recruits to kill the enemy with kindness and hugs.”

“Are you feeling alright, Tia? You look troubled,” Luna asked as she came up to stand by my side while I watched that monster walk through the burning hole with his demonic guards and seal it behind him. Many of the senate ponies seemed fascinated by the way the portal had gone without a trace, not even a scorch mark on the marble to show it had ever been there.

Demon magic, the tools of the greatest enemy the world had ever known, had been twisted and remade into a simple means of conveyance by that confounding shapeshifter.

“No, I’m not alright. I don’t know if I’ve ever been further from alright,” I snarled before catching myself and taking a breath. Luna, for her part, appeared unfazed by my outburst and simply gave me a blank stare, “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”

“I’m aware, but your temper is nothing new to me. What do you say we discuss it over tea?” Luna offered, her tone softening.

“Do you know where the kitchens are?” I teased with a thin smile, finding the jab too easy to pass up.

“I’ll rephrase: I’m absconding with Twilight to get something to drink and then raiding your private library, you are welcome to join us,” Luna countered, making me fight back a snicker.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Twilight asked, though she had perked up at the mention of a library.

“No,” Luna and I replied in unison before Luna finally broke her flat expression and laughed, “Of course you have a choice Twilight, t’was merely a jest.”

“Are you sure about that? You had to ask-” Twilight began before Luna interrupted her.

“I’m quite aware of my inability to navigate this castle, but my loyal guard has no such issues,” Luna replied, speaking quickly as though she was hiding something.

It wasn’t difficult to guess at what was being kept from me, she had obviously gotten help from one of the spies Jekyll had placed in the castle. I’d spotted a couple of them in the past few months, but hadn’t made a scene. I couldn’t afford to confront them, they might’ve been the only thing keeping the rogues from replacing me.

“So, did you have a particular section of my library you wanted to explore?” I asked, changing the subject. Hopefully Luna would notice the gesture and remember it when I needed something.

“Titles,” Luna replied cryptically before elaborating, “I simply want to peruse the titles for a new spell to work on with Twilight.”

“Have you covered scrying yet?” I asked idly as we collectively began to wander towards the kitchen.

“Good idea, that’s a useful one,” Luna agreed, taking my question as a suggestion.

“Magically spying on ponies? That sounds wrong,” Twilight commented.

“It’s immeasurably useful during a crisis. Imagine one of your friends got lost in the forest, you could scry them and know exactly where they were instead of searching blindly,” Luna pointed out.

“Or figure out if a colt likes you before trying to talk to him,” I added, making Luna wince. I sent a silent thanks to the heavens that Luna hadn’t caught me doing the same thing when we were young.

“Yes, that is a misuse of the spell, but a valid example nonetheless,” Luna conceded.

“Is that why it isn’t recorded in normal books?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Let’s just say that scrying can be used for worse things than watching a stallion try to psyche himself up while talking to a mirror. Corporate espionage or learning a pony’s pattern so you can steal from them would be a couple examples of how the spell could be used for evil,” Luna explained.

“What do you use it for?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t,” Luna replied, “But I did use a variant of it to attack the seals holding the Crystal Kingdom in limbo.”

“You what?” I asked, having been only half listening.

“I weakened the seals on the Crystal Kingdom so it would come back sooner, it was the right thing to do,” Luna repeated.

So that was it then. That was how I was going to die. The legions of the Order of Iron were far beyond anything Equestria could muster. Perhaps once we could’ve turned it into a war of attrition and run them out of warriors, but no longer. I’d die at the end of one of their myriad of weapons and I couldn’t do anything about it. Not even my magic could save me from them, not with the foul magics their undead monsters exuded filling the air.

No, I had to maintain an image of impassiveness. This didn’t bother me, there was no way thirteen thousand of the best fighters to ever live would want revenge for attacking them. Nope. Everything was fine.

It was a struggle, but I managed to push the thoughts from my mind by the time we reached the kitchens and found somewhere out of sight to relax. I felt ashamed, but kept it to myself while we were together. The simple act of drinking tea and talking about inconsequential things with Luna and Twilight felt good, like it was something I should’ve been doing since we were young. It only served to highlight how far astray I had lived my life.

I made sure to keep an eye on Tavi during my performance, though this was a lighter show. Tavi had suggested structuring my shows by levels as well as times, with the beats starting out as chill and mellow as I got in the afternoon and getting heavier as the sun set. We’d tried it in Canterlot and tripled our daily take, which had incentivized me to make it part of my brand.

As per my rights as owner, the local DJ had been relegated to whenever I needed a break instead of being onstage constantly. Today was especially fun though, we had a new customer and he was taking to the beat like he was born for it. I’d sped up my routine and pushed in some real pulse pounders for the dude, letting his enthusiasm whip the entire crowd into the sort of free-for-all usually reserved for the hardcore audience that drifted in at midnight.

“WOO! THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!” the stallion cheered as he was picked up by the masses and carried towards the stage. Now that he was close enough to be made out through the multicolored lights, I could see that he was a deep royal blue pegasus.

“Get that crazy bucker up here!” I ordered as I threw down an even more intense disk and pulled the volume down to be barely audible. I’d done this before, it was the easiest way to make an entire crowd of regulars. I’d time it just right, then let the newcomer slam the volume up for the drop.

The blue stallion fumbled onto the stage as the enthralled ponies dropped him into my domain, seeming lost as to what he was supposed to do now.

“Well, come on then,” I teased, “Get over here so the nice ponies can hear you and tell them what you think of your first time in a real club.”

“THIS PLACE IS AMAZING, I WANT TO PARTY TILL I PASS OUT!” the stallion shouted into my microphone, though the masses reciprocated the earthquake level volume without any loss of enthusiasm.

“Epic, my dude, that’s what I like to hear. Now, since you’ve been going nuts all afternoon, I wanna treat you to something special. You see this fabulous tech right here? Nopony touches my tech. But for you, for you I’ll let you drop the hammer. When I say go, push this lever all the way up. Got it?” I instructed, pointing to my volume control.

“Yeah, I got it,” the stallion agreed excitedly.

“Cool. Wait for it...NOW!” I shouted, prompting the stallion to fling the volume to the max.

“MEET THE MOTHA BUCKIN BASS CANNON!” the speakers screamed before the first three rows were pushed back several feet by the sheer force of low end sound. Perfectly timed, and the crowd definitely loved every second of it. Though for as much as the partygoers were enjoying the show, my newest fan was ten times as enthusiastic. I narrowed my eyes in agitation when he hugged me and nudged him off with a shake of my head, but made no other indication that he had crossed a line. At least until his eyes flashed an emerald green.

I frantically tried to find Tavi, I needed to make sure she was okay. I could deal with the changeling on stage with me after I knew she hadn’t been taken. She was gone, vanished from her seat with no indication of where she had disappeared to. Her napkin was sitting on the table, but not on her plate or stuffed in her glass. She wasn’t in the bathroom or backstage, she wasn’t anywhere.

“You all know how much I love you all, but even that can’t stop the call of nature. I’mma turn it over to Disco for a few beats while I set up the next list, he’ll treat you right until I get back,” I informed the crowd, though it also served to let the club’s full time DJ know it was his turn to spin some beats.

“Miss Scratch? I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable back there, I didn’t know you didn’t like to be hugged,” the changeling apologized as he followed me backstage. Normally I’d point out that it was VIP’s and staff only back here, but I wanted the bug alone with me.

Once Disco was on stage and commanding everypony’s attention, I turned on my hoof and punched the changeling in the throat before tackling him to the floor and twisting his hoof behind his back.

“Where did your friends take Tavi?” I demanded.

“I don’t have any friends,” the changeling replied fearfully.

“I know you aren’t alone, changelings never operate alone,” I spat, causing the bug under me to stiffen.

“It was the eyes wasn’t it? It was all I could do to keep my disguise with all that love going your way. I’m really sorry Miss Scratch, but I don’t know who you’re talking about or where they are. I’m not part of the hive anymore,” the changeling insisted. I wanted to break his leg, but something about his tone struck me as being honest. Plus he seemed too wimpy to be a real infiltrator, those bugs wouldn’t confess to anything.

“Damnit,” I swore as I let the changeling go. Though he returned to his hooves and added some distance between us, he didn’t run off or prepare to fight. He simply stood there, looking sad and submissive, “What?”

“You’re lonely,” the changeling stated plainly, “I’m lonely too. Do you think we could be friends if I help you find that pony you’re looking for?”

Memories of Chitin entered my mind, all the times we’d shared and scrapes we’d survived. It had been a friendship by necessity, with each of us trying to survive with what we could scrounge or steal, but we had looked out for one another. I couldn’t hate this changeling, he reminded me of her in a much weaker way. Chitin would’ve broken my nose for attacking her like that, not apologized and politely offered help.

“Vinyl? What’s going on?” Tavi asked from behind me. Whirling on the spot, I found my marefriend and the club’s manager standing next to the open door of the office.

“Just hanging with a fan while a catch a breather,” I lied, causing the manager to shrug and return to his paperwork while Tavi closed the door behind him and approached me.

“And the real story?” Tavi prompted.

“I just attacked this changeling because I thought he had taken you, turns out he’s alright,” I summarized.

“Hello, are you Tavi?” the changeling greeted.

“A changeling could be a valuable asset to have around, especially with all the fuss going on in town. He can spot them for us and help us avoid their traps,” Tavi mused, ignoring the changeling’s lowering ears.

“You got a name, bug?” I asked, though not as unkindly as my verbiage would imply.

“I’m, uh, I’m Thorax,” the changeling replied awkwardly, as though he was struggling to keep up with what we were discussing.

“You made up that pegasus, right? It isn’t somepony else’s face?” I continued.

“That’s right. What’s happening?” Thorax asked, admitting to his confusion.

“So you’re homeless?” I pressed.

“Well, for now. Jekyll told me to meet with one of his things when I got here, wouldn’t he help me get settled in?” Thorax guessed.

Tavi and I shared a look, “We know one of Jekyll’s enforcers. From what she’s told us, you’ve basically been banished. He’s not going to help you, you’re lucky to still be alive at all.”

“Oh,” Thorax replied, his ears drooping with his gaze.

“Vi, he’s harmless,” Tavi whispered.

“I’ve never heard of a harmless changeling. Chitin was a good friend, but I’d never consider her harmless,” I responded quietly, though I failed to suppress a shudder. I’d watched Chitin rip a stallion’s throat out with her teeth for trying to rob us, that wasn’t a sight you forgot easily.

“Just look at him and tell me you don’t sympathize,” Tavi pressured.

She did have a point, Thorax had that pathetic quality that made him endearing. Like a one legged dog.

“We never did find a use for the spare bedroom,” I allowed, “But I’ll break his neck if he tries anything.”

“Thorax, would you like to stay with us for a while?” Octavia offered. I turned away and scowled before reigning myself in and putting on a more welcoming face. The thought of sleeping in the same building as a changeling didn’t sit right with me. Chitin was different, she didn’t count.

“You’d really let a changeling like me into your home?” Thorax asked in shock before Tavi nodded, “Oh thank you thank you thank you, I promise to be the best houseguest you’ve ever had. I can clean and cook a little and… and, um, things.”

“You don’t have very many skills, do you?” I teased.

“No, I mostly just cleaned up the hive and tended to the younglings. I’m no good at lying so I was turned down as an infiltrator and I don’t like violence so the warriors didn’t want me either,” Thorax confessed.

“Hmm, how much do you weigh and how much can you carry?” I asked, thinking I knew of a job the wayward changeling would be perfect for.

“I’m still a drone, I weigh a hundred and twenty pounds and can carry five times that,” Thorax replied immediately.

“You’re hired. Your job will be to make sure my stage equipment makes it to whatever venue I’m hitting and isn’t damaged in the process,” I congratulated.

“A-A job? A real job? This really is the best day of my life, thank you so much Miss Scratch,” Thorax wept as he started crying and lunged forward to hug me. Octavia snickered at the sour look etched across my features as I barely tolerated the contact. I had expected it to only last a couple seconds, but ended up having to peel Thorax off of my shoulders when he refused to let go.

“First rule of being one of my employees, I don’t like being touched. Second rule, we count an exceptionally powerful enforcer among our friends so don’t let anypony push you around. You represent my brand now, keep that in mind. Third rule, I don’t like being touched,” I listed.

“You already said that one,” Thorax pointed out, his voice still shaky as fresh tears continued to flow down his face.

“It’s worth saying twice,” I replied simply.

Tavi chose that moment to show off by wrapping her foreleg around my shoulders, “Vi’s been known to get violent when other ponies push her on that, I’d play it safe if I were you.”

“Rule number four, treat Octavia here like she’s your boss as well. We’re an item, so I’ll take her word over yours in a heartbeat,” I continued.

“Is that why you don’t cringe when she breaks the first and third rules?” Thorax asked.

“Correct, they don’t apply to her. Rule five, and this one is just for you, no direct feeding on either of us. We’re pretty affectionate once we’re out of the public eye, so you should have plenty of ambient love to snack on, but nothing invasive,” I declared firmly.

“I wouldn’t anyway, I’ve seen what happens to ponies afterwards. How did you know about our feeding methods though? Chrysalis always kept information close,” Thorax wondered.

“I used to know another changeling, we were something like friends,” I allowed.

“Impossible, there haven’t been any changelings allowed to make friends with ponies. Except for Chitin, but she’s a horrid traitor who wants to see our kind destroyed,” Thorax rebuked before pausing, his expression slowly turning to one of realization and horror.

“By your queen’s standards, sure. I just knew her as my friend,” I replied evenly, daring the changeling to push the argument further.

Thorax took a slow breath and looked down for a moment before responding, “You’re right, I shouldn’t be so quick to judge someling I’ve never met.”

It took all of my willpower to keep my jaw from dropping open in shock. Since when did changelings concede anything that ran against what their queen had told them?

“I-I don’t-Buck it, I can’t care about that now. Stick with Tavi until the show’s over, she’ll keep you from getting thrown out,” I instructed with a sigh as I turned back towards the stage.

“Don’t worry, she warms up to you pretty quickly,” Tavi soothed behind me as I trotted back to my proper place as the conductor of this party train.

“Welcome back boss, hope you don’t mind that I just kept running your list,” Disco greeted over the music as I approached him and set up to take the controls.

“No worries, as long as you didn’t break out the juicy tracks,” I shouted back.

“Might want to address the crowd, they saw you head backstage with that stallion,” Disco advised as he removed himself from my little kingdom. He was a good DJ, but I was the queen and this was my court. I wasn’t going to say a damn thing, nopony questioned this queen once her wubs blasted the treasonous thoughts from their heads.

“What happened here? It looks like a bomb went off,” Twilight asked as she looked around the ruins of the mages’ tower.

“You should’ve seen it before we started working on cleanup and repairs,” Tia scoffed.

“This was Jay’s work,” I noted as I saw a rent in the stone floor that matched the head of his hammer.

“He attacked them after he interrogated me over some worm things I had made a few years ago,” Tia explained briefly.

“Ah, I remember that day. I had a splitting headache and found everything infuriating for reasons I couldn’t place, Jay found the worms in my head and eclipsed my anger. How many died?” I wondered.

“Miraculously, none of them did. A few are still in therapy and almost all have found new employment, but not one died,” Tia replied, that sliver of respect returning to her voice for an instant.

I wondered briefly why Jay refrained from killing ponies whenever possible, he didn’t seem to have a problem with casually executing the other races. I made a mental note to ask him about that when I saw him again.

“At least the runes are undamaged,” I commented, changing the subject to clear my head more than to keep Tia from guessing where my thoughts had drifted.

“Small favors,” Tia agreed.

“So I just stand in the middle and cast the same spell?” Twilight confirmed as she walked into the center of the room.

“Only if you want to tear your skull open and fire your brains at the wall like a canon. Long range scrying requires a completely different spell to be done safely, you lose some details but get to survive the experience. The simpler version can be cast without the power boost from the runes, but will look like an incomprehensible swirl of colors. Come, I’ll show you,” I beckoned as I sat down on the opposite side of the room and gestured for Twilight to take her place in my lap. Twilight didn’t hesitate to sit with me, nor did she react to my forehooves wrapping her in a gentle hug as I formed the spell and held it on the end of my horn for her to inspect.

“It’s a mess of simple latices, I’m amazed any image could survive that many foci at once,” Twilight noted, having grasped much of how short range scrying worked from the spell matrix alone.

“It doesn’t, the refraction ends up giving you an aerial view no matter how much effort you put into bending the leys. And even then, the only way to get a clear image is to overload the foci with power. Tia and I can force the image into clarity, but can’t see very far with it. I needed to use these same runes to view the Crystal Kingdom’s former location and the seals holding it,” I explained.

“So what should I try to see?” Twilight asked, her question indicating that she had already memorized the matrix and was ready to test herself. It amazed me how quickly my student picked up academic concepts, especially when she didn’t have a lick of common sense sometimes.

“Stick with someplace close and familiar, like Ponyville,” I suggested as Twilight returned to the center of the runic matrix and began weaving the spell. Her form was an exact copy of the one I had shown her, but she seemed to be struggling to get the image to resolve itself.

Tia and I shared a concerned look before I turned to inspect the runework for flaws, finding one of the tertiary conduits that had been cracked. The tiny rune was starting to glow as it fed power back into the main circle instead of transmitting it properly.

“Twi-” I managed before the network exploded. I felt my hooves leave the floor as the blast tossed me across the room, only stopping when I impacted the far wall.

When the pressure wave subsided, I did my best to haul myself to my hooves. Celestia was unconscious and partially buried in the remains of several desks, but Twilight was right in the open. My right hindleg and left wing were dragging along behind me, but I didn’t feel any pain. Somehow I knew that the bioform Jay had put in my head was blocking the pain and keeping me awake, though I didn’t know how I knew that.

A weak telekinetic blast snuffed the small fires burning on Twilight’s fur, though that seemed to be pretty low on her list of injuries.

“How… does your luck… suck this badly?” I asked, finding my voice hoarse and choked with ash.

I put as much magic into a healing spell as I dared and had Twilight back to her usual self in moments, though she’d remain unconscious until that passed normally. Her probable concussion would have to heal naturally as well, I didn’t have the concentration to deal with it while the room burned around me.

“Fang?” I asked the room, not seeing the enforcer among the wreckage.

“Here,” Fang replied simply as he appeared by my side. I sent a silent thanks to the stars that he was in one of his lucid periods, having him decide that the fire needed to be clawed to death wouldn’t help anypony.

“Get Twilight and Celestia out, then see if you can find Dawn. Treat their injuries once they’re out of danger, but focus on getting them out of this place before the smoke takes them,” I ordered as I switched my attention to the growing blaze of papers and wooden desks.

I continued fighting back be flames until help arrived with the proper equipment, at which point the blaze was quickly defeated. All that remained was ashen mud and soaked scrolls, the last remnants of thousands of hours of research.

With a sad sigh, I walked out to rejoin the others and allow Fang to fix my leg and wing.

“Uhg, what happened?” Twilight asked, having been roused by Fang at my approach.

“A minor rune was damaged and overloaded the entire network,” I explained, “This was a good lesson for all of us to check them before trying any spells.”

I heard a loud crack and looked back to see Fang setting my leg and closing the hole from where the bone had protruded through my skin. I paused when I saw the wound, having not realized how badly I had been hurt. Now concerned, I turned to look at my limp wing and found it in tatters. The bones are broken and jutting out of my bleeding flesh in several points, including the base of the wing itself. On closer inspection, my left wing appeared to be held to my body by the skin alone.

“I-There aren’t words for how glad I am that I can’t feel that,” I commented.

“Lucky you,” Tia griped as she bent her prosthetic leg back into shape. She was still bleeding from several minor cuts as she sat against the wall.

“I’m amazed that nopony was killed, can’t we be happy with that?” Dawn placated diplomatically, looking very similar to Celestia. We were banged up, but alive and with no major damage.

“I agree, this was a catastrophe nopony could’ve predicted. Bickering over who was hurt worse doesn’t help anypony,” I agreed.

“Whatever,” Tia groaned as she hauled herself to her hooves and limped away.

“Princess, there were better ways to handle that,” Dawn admonished as she chased after her charge.

“Ready to go home, Twilight?” I asked, deciding I’d had my fill of Canterlot and politics for the day.

“Hay yes,” Twilight agreed eagerly as she near sprinted to my side. I smiled down at her as I charged the teleport.

“Idols have a habit of disappointing you,” I commented knowingly before the universe bent and tore around us, depositing my student and I in front of the Ponyville library.

“Is that why you try to seem less royal and more like the rest of us? To keep from being seen as somepony to idolize?” Twilight asked bluntly.

“You still have much to learn young Twilight, but let it never be said that you aren’t observant,” I praised before freezing in place, “Ah fuck, I forgot Fang.”

“He seemed attached to you, he’ll be back,” Twilight reassured, “Thanks Luna, I learned a lot today.”

“Remember my warnings first and foremost, they’ll save you some time in therapy later on,” I cautioned.

“Nothing after dark or outside of emergencies, got it,” Twilight repeated.

“Seriously, don’t forget that rule. You will see things you really don’t want to. And above all, never decide to see what your parents are doing. Ever. Not even when you know they’re just going for a walk,” I pressed.

“Speaking from experience?” Twilight teased at my shudder.

“What has been seen cannot be unseen,” I warned.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to your mental trauma. Have a good rest of your day, Luna,” Twilight bid as she walked into her home and immediately started writing things down. After a few seconds, Spike wandered into my view and saw my amused smirk through the open door. He closed it with a grumble towards Twilight about privacy, at which point I released a chuckle and turned to walk back to Abaddon.

“Sir!” the commander greeted with a sharp salute as I landed next to his training field. The snobbish looking noble in charge of this training facility was a deep green unicorn with a muddy brown mane. My reports named him Camouflage, but also said that his name was the best qualification he had for this job.

“Good, you got the memo,” I replied, referencing nothing at all. I wasn’t part of the Equestrian military in any capacity, much less their chain of command.

“Of course sir, I believe you’ll find the recruits beyond your standards in every way,” Camouflage bragged.

I wasn’t impressed, each of the ‘soldiers’ arranged before me wore perfectly pressed dress uniforms. Bright white uniforms, to be specific.

“I was expecting a combat brigade, not a bunch of pretty parade props. Get them into their fatigues,” I ordered sternly.

“Fatigues, sir?” Camouflage asked in confusion.

“You, trooper, what have you learned here?” I demanded, pointing at a random recruit.

The mare in question was a dirty gray earth pony with a matching mane and shouted her answer like an overdrilled automaton, “SIR, TRAINEE DUST REPORTS AS ORDERED. WE HAVE LEARNED AND PERFECTED EVERY DRILL MOVEMENT, CADENCE, AND MANEUVER. WE HAVE ALSO MAXIMIZED OUR SCORES ON THE CURRENT PHYSICAL TRAINING REGIMENT.”

“Does that include combat maneuvers? Squad level tactics? Melee or ranged combat techniques?” I pressed.

“NO, SIR,” Trainee Dust answered instantly, clearly not understanding the implications of her response.

“Camouflage was it? Would you mind telling me why you failed to teach a combat regiment how to fight?” I asked kindly.

“Well, I, um, why would we need a combat regiment? Right, there’s a war coming. Um, the ponies need something inspiring to keep their spirits up?” Camouflage attempted before I slapped his incompetence, and head, right off his shoulders. The recruits broke their training at the visceral display and shook fearfully as they shuffled away from the suddenly hostile entity in their midst.

“Commander’s dead, who’s next in command?” I demanded. There was a single squeak as the new commander made the obvious connection and assumed she was next on the chopping block. Dust, the trainee from before, shivered worst of all.

“I-I’m the ranking trainee on the grounds, the instructors have gone for the day,” Dust revealed.

“Excellent, rally your troops and engage the threat,” I ordered. It took several minutes for Dust to get the other trainees in line and in something vaguely similar to a phalanx formation, though not one of them had a spear.

As soon as the first one took a step towards me, I dove out of my armor and hit the ground in my Best Defense disguise before rolling and coming up with a typical gryphon longsword. Just to make the sparring match fair, I blunted the sword and toned my strength and reactions down to the level of a gryphon skirmisher in peak condition.

I didn’t hold back aside from those concessions however, and dove into their lines as soon as they blundered too close. Their attacks were clumsy and easily dodged, their defenses weak and simple to counter. My blunted sword lashed out constantly, every strike connecting with one of the regiment and breaking a bone or two.

I corkscrewed and rolled through their mob, as it couldn’t be called a formation anymore. This was a bunch of rookies attempting to swarm a single enemy. It resembled a molecule more than a military action. Their pegasi didn’t think to fly, their unicorns didn’t pepper me with spells, though their earth ponies actually did try to leverage their greater strength in an effort to pin me down.

Not one strike connected with me, yet all of mine found one of them. Within minutes, I had every single one of them on the ground and groaning in pain.

“Absolutely horrendous, I feel vindicated in my execution of Camouflage. This piss poor excuse for training is treason. Where are the troops I sent you?” I snarled as I returned to my normal form, receiving two enforcers that had thinned since they’d been sent out.

“Apologies sir, the commander confined us for countering his orders,” the first enforcer apologized.

“He believed us to be advisors and ignored our council,” the other added.

“You’re in charge now, get these trainees into shape. I want them able to handle multiple gryphons and minotaurs individually within the month,” I decreed before turning my attention back to the tangle of broken legs that had once been a fancy looking parade field, “These bioforms will be your new instructors, commanders, and medics, they’ll teach you how to be real soldiers instead of whatever Camouflage thought that meant. And for the record; I fought you as a normal gryphon, not as myself. You will be expected to fight thousands of enemies that skilled and win.”

“Understood, sir. We won’t fail Equestria again,” Dust declared as she forced herself to her hooves despite her broken ribs and the blood leaking from her mouth to stain her once perfect uniform. I made a note to remember that mare, she had the makings to be a good leader one day.

“Prove it with your actions, Dust. Pretty words and uniforms mean less than nothing if you can’t back them up,” I advised. Camouflage’s body was quickly collected to be sent back to Canterlot for burial, as was the custom for unicorns. I remained on site for a couple more hours to ensure that the new training setup proceeded adequately before moving on to the next training facility, hoping that I wouldn’t have to execute the commander of this one. Only time would tell if he was smarter than the last three.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for taking so long to finally get this finished, I've been bogged down with moving and working on my new place. To say that it's been a rough month would be putting it mildly, but I should be able to get back into the swing of things now.

Anyway, had some proper movement in this one. Enjoy.

Eric's Editor's Note:

[Sarcasm] Likely story. [/Sarcasm]
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed.
And if you can't wait for the next update, go look at my fic here (If Weapons adds the link).
It's set in the same universe, and you get to see what the pillar of doom was from!

Militia's Editor's Note:

Hope you enjoy the latest, although delayed, installment.