Rising Corruption

by TheSinsOfOurPast

First published 3rd of February, 2017

Can you really trust the ponies close to you? Are they really worth fighting for? Those questions plague the mind of Celestia's star pupil. Can she remain on the thin edge between Order and Chaos?

One of good intentions, the other of selfish desires. Many try to deny their potential to slip to the opposite end and act disgusted when confronted with it. However, all that truly matters is which side we choose for our actions.

Some may regret the past, regret the horrible choices they made and fear the consequences that may come with them. A particularly bad choice of an immortal alicorn could set forth a chain of events that not even she could have foreseen.

Tangled into this wicked game of chess, the book-loving student Twilight Sparkle tries to remain on the paper thin path between Order and Chaos.

Without the help of these awesome guys this would have never been possible:
link4
Nero Darkard
Sorren

May be changed to [Mature] for later chapters.

There may be or not be some subtle and not so subtle references to a certain anime, which I won't spoil beforehoof ;). If you find them, good for you if not, well they are not important for the plot anyways.

Truth and Lies

Chapter 1: Truth and Lies

It was a bright and sunny morning. Celestia’s sun rising in the east, banishing the darkness of night and spreading light as well as happiness over the whole land. The ponies were getting ready for a new day. Everything seemed to be alright in the capital of Equestria. Well...almost everything.

The Princess of the Sun was so deeply sunken in thoughts that she did not pay much attention to her surroundings. That was not like her at all. Not even the biggest crisis could destroy her usual calmness and confidence. Of course, there was one thing, one little filly to be exact, that would get Celestia to lower her guard like that:

She’d told her personal protege to come to her private chambers. Twilight would likely be really worried by such an odd request. Celestia knew it perfectly well. She wouldn’t have done that if it wasn’t something personal for her. In order for her plans to work out perfectly, she even had to involve a long-time friend. The princess didn’t like being reliant on others, but in this case, she needed to make an exception. Without her friend, things would not work out the way she wanted them to.It made Celestia uncomfortable nonetheless, knowing that she put such an important task in the hooves of somepony else. It was the only way she could think of that was safe enough. Should she order the royal magicians or the archmages of Canterlot to do it, although she could not fully trust them? They betrayed her in the past, what would stop them doing it again? Maybe, just maybe, she was a bit unforgiving. After all, it happened almost a millennium ago. Still, the little filly was not only an innocent pony, but also irreplaceable for the princess. Just like last time. No...Twilight was just too important for her. Celestia had been betrayed one time too often in the last 1000 years. Never again...

To earn the praise of her mentor was the only thing in the world that mattered to her. Benevolent, kind, intelligent. So many words that could describe her and none of them came even close to showing how amazing she really was. Disappointing the princess would have never been an option. She didn’t need any ‘friends’ or a ‘social life’. It would only diminish the progress in her precious studies, that would sooner or later lead to failing Princess Celestia

After two years of being her student, Twilight had become very paranoid when it came to scenarios that could possibly lead to upsetting the princess. It didn’t make things better that the demi-goddess had told her yesterday that she should come to her personal chambers. The little filly did not even know why; the only answer Twilight got for the question was ‘You’ll see.’

It was very unusual for the princess to call Twilight into her own room. If the princess had something to talk about, she would just talk directly to her during their lessons, and they were always in the solarium for more ‘book-related’ things, or in the palace garden for more practical lessons.

“Maybe the princess wants to talk about the progress I made... or perhaps about the Summer Sun Celebration. It is next week, after all,” Twilight thought to herself. “Or, maybe she found out that I didn’t return Hoofbeard’s Theory About Elemental Magic in time.”

Lost in thought, Twilight didn’t even notice that she had opened the door to the princess’ personal room and that she was almost to Celestia’s bed. It was an alicorn-sized double bed made out of some strangely soft material. The lavender unicorn really did not know why it was so special. Maybe it was extra fluffy or it comforted her back or something. She definitely had to ask the princess if she’d be allowed to take a little bit of that material to analyse its exact structure. Twilight was ripped out of that train of thought when she bumped into a single, white-furred hoof. Looking up, the little filly saw Celestia gifting her with a warm smile.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, princess! I didn’t watch where I was going,” Twilight apologized, looking down in embarrassment.

The princess let out a small fit of laughter. After calming down she said, while lifting her students chin with her hoof, “My dear Twilight, there is nothing to apologize for.”

“Okay, I’m sorry,” was still the only thing the purple unicorn could mutter.

“What a lovely morning. Isn’t it, my faithful student?” Celestia asked in a calm and gentle tone, not wanting to embarrass her any further.

“Y-yes, it r-really is… Um… N-no clouds in the sky, the sun s-shines b-brightly and the birds a-are already u-up as well,” the little filly replied, her face still blushing.

“Hmm, I had hoped that you were not worrying too much about why I asked you to come to my chambers,” the princess stated with a little smile on her face. “Stop worrying, my little pony. It is nothing bad, really, and as I know you, you were making up the wildest theories of what would happen in here. I can put your mind at ease; we are here today because you are ready for the next level of your studies.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Twilight replied, visibly relieved. “The next level of my studies? What is it going to be?”

“Patience, Twilight. First, I want to introduce you to someone. She is going to educate you in this part of your studies,” the princess said.

“But why can’t you teach me in this ‘special part’ of my studies? I don’t want to be taught by someone else,” Twilight exclaimed with a bit of disappointment in her voice.

“Oh, don’t worry, my faithful student. She is one of my most trusted guards and also very strong. I am sure that she will do an excellent job as your part-time teacher,” Celestia explained with the same calming voice as before, then threw a glance behind her and raising her voice. “You can come in now!”

Nothing happened for the first 5 seconds. Twilight waited silently for her new ‘teacher’ to arrive. Suddenly, a very bright flash illuminated the whole room, forcing her to cover her eyes. After rubbing her eyes and recovering from the blinding light, Twilight could see her.

The mare had a magnificent yellow coat and a mane that sparkled in the colours of burning ember. It was beautiful. Only then did the little filly notice that her hair was literally ablaze. She had never seen anything like it ever before. The new pony wore the same armour as the other Solar Guards, only hers looked like molten gold that was held together by fire. It was too bright for the unicorn to investigate any further. Although, she wondered: How was it even possible for this mare to endure such high temperatures? Twilight didn’t know much about elemental magic, but she read about it in one of her books. Apparently, it was possible for skilled unicorns to store and release the heat of fire in magical artifacts. With this technique, they would be almost immune to nearly any damage fire might cause. Around her neck hung some sort of magical pendant that consisted of a strange ruby which seemingly pulsated with magical energy. It was also framed with gold. Maybe that gemstone was her artifact. It would explain why it was glowing. On second thought, it wasn’t really all that surprising that this mare was the strongest and most trusted guard of the Princess of the Sun.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Morning Blaze, Captain of the fifth division of the Solar Guard,” the mare spoke in a soft but confident voice.

“H-hello. So are you my new teacher?” the little filly asked, with a disbelieving tone. She stared at her with wide-open eyes. This mare was only a normal pony, but she looked like an alicorn without wings.

“Yes, it appears so. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sparkle,” Morning Blaze stated, still standing between Celestia and Twilight.

Celestia sighed inwardly. Blaze did a commendable job impressing Twilight. What the little filly didn’t know was that this whole performance had just been for show. Sure, Morning was strong, but nopony, not even herself, could look like this permanently, but her little student would accept a new teacher easier if she was impressed by her. She smiled a bit and said, “Welcome, Captain Blaze."

First, she had to come to Celestia’s chamber, which was strange enough. Then a flaming mare, apparently her new teacher, appeared out of nowhere. She had to know what was going on.

She hated waiting. Her mentor should just tell her what was going on. As much as she would have liked to yell at them, her manners told her otherwise. The little filly idly waited for them to start explaining.

Celestia looked down at her student. She had always been a smart filly. She could deal with it and understand her motivations. “Where should I begin?” she started with her usual composure.

Morning Blaze gave Twilight a last look before she walked to Celestia’s side. The look in her eyes had something the purple unicorn couldn’t really understand. Was it sympathy? Pity? Or even guilt? It was all so very strange today. She should have just stayed in bed.

Celestia took in a breath and started, “I don’t believe you realise how talented you are. In fact, you are one of the most powerful unicorns I have ever met in the last 1000 years. Although you are only a filly, you already have more magical potential than the most powerful archmages of Canterlot. You also learn incredibly fast. Where full-grown unicorns need months of practice, you learn it in days. Every spell I’ve given you to study so far, you mastered it on the first attempt. I’ve seen this only twice in my entire life span.”

“Do you remember that day when you hatched Spike’s egg? Do you remember the surge of pure magical energy? I have made you my student so that you might learn how to control it. I believe now is the right time to start with that.”

Twilight was visibly shocked. She had more magic potential than the archmages? No, that couldn’t be true... right? They were the most magically-talented unicorns in all of Equestria! Maybe the princess just wanted to show her appreciation for Twilight. Sure, she remembered that day. How could she forget? It was the first time in her life that she felt so powerful, all the magic within her. On that day, she even spoke with Princess Celestia in person for the first time. She had always adored the princess since the very first time she saw her at her first Summer Sun Celebration. The princess looked so majestic that day, so powerful, so beautiful and so full of wisdom. But since then, she had never been able to feel this strange power again. She gave up after months of trying it several hours a day. The little filly did not want to lose control over it, like back in this school, ever again. All of it sounded really unbelievable. She was only a filly!

“This is all so strange, princess... I-I don’t know if I am really as strong as you think,” she said with a shaky voice. “Although... I have a question that I want to ask before you continue.”

“Yes, my faithful student. What is on your mind?” the princess said in the calmest tone she could manage. After all, this conversation was very important for herself and her plans.

“You said ‘twice’. You have only seen this twice. If I am one of the two, who is the other one?” the purple unicorn asked curiously.

Celestia had feared that Twilight would catch up on this. But she could not tell her every little detail… at least not yet. “This is a story not suitable for younger ears. Trust me, you would not understand it. However, one day, I will share it with you,” Celestia replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

This answer didn’t satisfy the filly in the slightest, but she decided to leave it be. If she really wanted to know it, she could sneak into the restricted area of the royal archives. Though that was only a last resort. The princess had her reasons to not tell Twilight, she was sure of it. “Okay, if you say so, princess. Please continue,” the little filly stated.

The Ruler of the Sun cleared her throat and started again, “Very well. As I was saying, you need to learn how to channel this magic. You were never supposed to hatch Spike’s egg. The judges wanted to test the newcomers on how they reacted to unsolvable problems, as well as their behavior when confronted with stress. Nopony should’ve actually been able to do it, especially not at your age.”

This whole thing was, again, only half true and Celestia knew it. The egg was not even fertilized back then. They used it as a test in her school for gifted unicorns for years. Without any real control of magic, not knowing what she was doing, Twilight created a new life all by herself. That was, besides being highly illegal for normal unicorns, also insanely difficult to achieve! Not even one of her ancient enemies, the spirit of chaos himself, could do that without any form of preparation. It should not have been possible. She hated lying to her star pupil, but she could not tell her the whole truth. It would terrify her.

Twilight was better prepared for this answer, but still looked a bit disbelieving. “So… if I hadn’t had this strange outburst of magic, I never would have hatched Spike?” the filly asked. It made her a bit sad that Spike was not even supposed to be born, but it also made her happy knowing that she succeeded. He was like her little brother. Although it was difficult taking care of him and studying at the same time. She loved him nonetheless.

“I believe so, my faithful student. However, you managed it and that is what concerns me. For that reason, I asked Morning Blaze to show you how to control your inner magic. I know it is not what you have expected, but if you need something, anything, please do not hesitate to ask me,” Celestia said, still making eye-contact with her pupil.

Almost instantaneously the purple unicorn ran over to her mentor hugging her, “Of course, princess. Even though I don’t know why we are doing this now, I’ll try my best.”

Celestia embraced her student back. “I believe that is enough for one morning. You can do whatever you please during the rest of the day. Enjoy yourself, my faithful student. Your first lesson with Morning Blaze will be tomorrow morning after breakfast. Oh, and Twilight: please promise me that you won’t stay up all night. I know everything is a bit rushed, but we have to start as soon as possible. It is extremely difficult to learn how to control your immense magic capability. Also, do what Morning Blaze orders you to do. I know you don’t like being ordered around, but she will assure that nothing bad will happen to you.”

Blaze listened carefully the whole time, standing next to the princess. More and more things became clear about the little unicorn as the conversation went on. Maybe training her wouldn’t be as bland as she first thought it would be.

Twilight let go of her mentor and said, still with a bit of confusion in her voice, “Okay, princess. I will see you during dinner.” Then she started to trot towards the door. Before she opened them, she turned around again, looking her new teacher in the eyes. “Until tomorrow, Captain Blaze.” After that, she left, trying to enjoy the rest of the day, even though she had a lot to think about.

Celestia didn’t like this. She didn’t want Twilight learning all this dangerous magic. The Princess of the Sun knew exactly what too much power could do to ponies close to you. It should never happen again, not when the millennia old demi-goddess had anything to say about it.

After Twilight closed the door behind her, Morning Blaze walked in front of the princess and spoke up, “It appears that you were right about the effect of my little display of power. Anyways, I finally understand what you see in her. The similarities are really striking. Nothing will happen to her. Celestia, I promise you, guarding her life will be my top priority. I won’t disappoint you.”

Celestia looked at her most trusted guard and long-time friend one last time before nodding silently. She left her bedroom alongside Blaze. The day was just starting after all. Her nation needed a strong and confident ruler, not a sad and sorrowful demi-goddess.

The rest of the afternoon and the dinner with the princess were not really worth mentioning. Just another day as the prized pupil of Princess Celestia. Twilight was very quiet and sunken in thoughts the whole day. The princess noticed during dinner and asked if something was wrong. Twilight told her that she needed time to understand everything that happened. Celestia understood and decided to not ask any further.

The end of a really strange and confusing day. Twilight was going to bed really early, just how the princess told her to, thinking about the conversation the three of them had.

Sadly, Spike was not by her side tonight. He still lived with her mentor. Princess Celestia said that Twilight was too young to take care of a baby dragon the whole week while also trying to study. Twilight would have loved to tell him how precious he was to her and that she loved him. The unicorn felt that she hadn’t said it enough lately.

He only stayed at Twilight’s tower during the weekends and holidays, but his schooling wouldn’t last forever. Then they could stay together all week, studying, playing, even sleeping in the same bed together.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not sleep. Even after what felt like an eternity of thinking, the little unicorn had simply too much on her mind. The conversation was replaying inside her head over and over again. Especially the part about her abilities confused the little filly. At the same time she felt extremely honored. The very idea of the princess praising her like that still amazed her.

She decided to walk around for a bit. The palace gardens were very nice with the moon shining from above. Or maybe she could prepare for tomorrow on the training grounds. Even if Twilight was not the kind of pony that stayed awake the whole night, she at least wanted to impress her new teacher by showing her how good at using magic she already was.

Twilight made up her mind. “Who needs sleep anyways. I’m going to prepare for tomorrow. Training my focus on magic wouldn't harm at all,” she thought to herself. So the little filly started walking towards the training area of the palace.

Author's Notes:

So, yeah, that's it. The first chapter of my new story. I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you have any suggestions leave them in the comments below. Thank you!

Guidance

Chapter 2: Guidance

Canterlot was beautiful at night. The moon hung low and revealed the softer shades of the landscape. Countless stars could be seen, sparkling over the sleeping city. Not a single cloud concealed the darkened sky. The palace gardens also were gorgeous during spring and summer. Everything bloomed around her. All the flowers and trees had such wonderful colours, especially when Celestia’s sun shone from above. Now with nothing but darkness surrounding the little filly, she wondered if this was such a good idea after all.

Twilight was almost at the palace gardens. Even though the little filly did not genuinely fear the darkness, her brain decided otherwise. For the little filly’s subconsciousness, it was the best idea to get the hell out of the castle as fast as possible. Everything was so different in the night, every little movement in the shadow was so much more scary than in the light of the day.

She used to stargaze a lot with Princess Celestia on one of the Castle’s balconies. With her mentor, the purple unicorn had never been scared. She felt comfortable with the princess around to protect her from all the creepy darkness. When she was alone, however... It didn’t make any sense. Twilight knew that this panic came from her own mind, but there she was, panting in exhaustion while running through the dark corridors of the castle.

After what felt like hours of self-induced mental torture, her destination came into view.

She tried to cast a simple light spell while wandering through the moonlit fields. Twilight had done this countless times before, it was just like simple telekinesis. Similar to a levitation spell, the purple unicorn concentrated on channeling power into her horn. After Twilight could feel the familiar tingle that the use of magic created, she changed the properties of the energy. Her horn would now emit light as long as she focused magic in it. Every unicorn could learn these two spells. For unicorn with talents that didn’t include magic, they were the only ones most of them learned throughout their whole life.

Her horn sparked for a second and then started to emit a weak light. Unsatisfied with the result, Twilight tried to focus more magic into the spell and voilà, now it illuminated everything within a 5 metre radius. She calmed down a bit, as soon as her light spell banished the darkness. The little filly started trotting towards the training grounds once again. Even with all the panic induced stress, it didn’t take her long to find the right way again. Twilight could navigate through the castle blindfolded.

She could see the training grounds of Canterlot Castle, only a few minutes later. They were separated from the rest of the gardens, but as the prized pupil of Princess Celestia, Twilight was granted access nearly everywhere she wanted. It was divided into several fields for different purposes.The first were plain rectangular shaped and used for physical duels between two or more opponents.

One circular cobblestone field with a radius of about 15 metres, in the middle of it hovered a large prism shaped crystal which was covered with strange symbols. Twilight knew how it worked. It was pretty simple. Two unicorns must stand inside the circle, then they had to focus magical energy inside the crystal at the same time. When done right, it would create an anti-magic field around them. No spells could get past the sphere, so that unicorns could train inside it without possibly harming others. If the ponies inside the zone wanted to stop they just had to touch the crystal. It would instantly destroy the anti-magic field.

At the back end of the training area was the last field, a square and dusty area. It was full of training dummies made out of straw. Some could even be moved with some kind of complex machinery. The guards used them to improve their accuracy or to enhance their fighting capabilities. Most of Celestia’s troops used spears or halberds as their weapon of choice. Twilight had never seen them using something else. She heard rumours that the princess’ strongest guards yielded all sorts of powerful magical weapons, but that was everything the little filly knew. Neither could she prove or disprove anything.

“Finally. Let’s start with the training,” Twilight stated quietly.

What the little filly didn’t know was that she had been followed the whole time. Nopony other than her new teacher watched her. She’d promised Celestia that she would keep Twilight safe and Blaze wasn’t about to disappoint her princess. Blaze stared disbelievingly at the purple unicorn turning the anti-magic field on. Normally you would need the magic of two unicorns to activate it. She decided to change position to get a better view on her student.

Teleportation was a rather advanced magic trick. It required the full attention of the user. The basic concept of the spell was not difficult to understand. If a talented unicorn wanted to be somewhere else, they would think of that place and the next second they were gone. The drawback on teleportation, though, was how much of a toll it took on the magical reserves. It costs an insane amount of energy to teleport multiple times in a row. Not many unicorns in Equestria were able to use it efficiently. Blaze however, mastered it at the age of 12. As of now, Morning could teleport around 5 times in a row without getting tired.

She teleported silently into the crown of a nearby tree. Now having a better view on Twilight, it would also be much easier to intervene should anything go wrong.

Twilight had been working on a new spell for weeks. Her spell should, when done right, create explosions wherever the unicorn wanted. This was the idea. In practise, however, it didn’t quite work out. Every time the purple unicorn tried it with too much energy, she ended up with a charred horn, unable to use magic for days. On the other hoof, with too little energy, nothing happened at all. It was beginning to get frustrating. Her mentor warned her about practising this spell, it would be ‘too dangerous’ and all that. Twilight knew it was risky, but that couldn’t stop her. If she wanted to succeed in something, she would.

The little filly started to pour energy into her horn. She focused on a point of the anti-magic shield so that the purple unicorn wouldn’t destroy the ground if she actually did it this time. The first try ended up like so many others before. Twilight had not channeled enough magic into the spell. It just produced a little black smoke cloud. “Oh for pete’s sake, I hate this spell! Why can’t I get it to work?!” The little filly started to get a bit frustrated now. She tried to balance the amount of energy inside the spell. Her horn started to radiate in a intense white light.

Time immediately slowed down for Morning Blaze. The time under Princess Celestia’s guidance left her with nerves of steel and more magical capabilities than most other ponies. She observed her little student the whole time. Strong emotion would never mean anything good for the control of magic. This white glow could only mean one thing. She teleported right in front of the sphere and started to sprint into it. Simultaneously her mind readied a simple but very effective spell.

Twilight’s horn started to hurt really bad. Just as the little filly thought it would explode, she was hit by something very fast and strong. By the wave of the heat that struck her, it was no second too late. She could feel it burn her face as the little filly was thrown backwards, out of the magical sphere and into the grass. The side of her flank where Twilight landed had a minor cut in it from all the stones lying around and hurt a bit, but other than that and a few little bruises, she was fine. After her dizziness faded away, the purple unicorn saw Morning Blaze standing on her former position with a concerned look. “M-morning Blaze?”

The mare touched the crystal so that the sphere could vanish. Afterwards, she began to stride towards the little unicorn. She reached out with her hoof to help her student getting back up. “Yes, Twilight. I observed you while you were training. Even though I don’t know you very well, I have to say that you impressed me. The size of your magic pool is quite remarkable for a filly of your age. The point where you seem to struggle is the control of these immense reserves.”

The purple unicorn still looked a bit dazed. After a while, she calmed down enough to talk, “Thank you for saving me.”

“Of course, Miss Sparkle. Now let’s get back into the castle. The sun will be rising in a few hours and you need your sleep. And another thing, don’t think the next time I see you doing something so dangerous all alone won’t have any consequences,” Morning said in an ordering tone.

“Yes Morning Blaze,” Twilight said abashed, with her ears folded back. “Wait! How did you save me from that explosion? How did you survive a massive explosion? And with not even a single scratch?!”

Blaze laughed a little and said, “Oh that’s easy, it was an energized beam of wind. Normally it would have enough power to crush an entire building. But I toned it down a bit”

“You are able to control wind and manipulate its characteristics? I thought only pegasi could control the weather and wind” the little filly asked in bewilderment.

“Of course I can. And you are right, non trained unicorns can’t normally control the elements. One of the many things you’re going to learn, but for the moment, let’s bring you back to your chamber,” the magical mare stated.

“And why did the explosion not harm you?”

“Well, that’s a bit more complicated. I created an absorption sphere around my body. This field is able to, as you can likely tell due to the name, absorb kinetic and magical energy. As long as it is sustained with magic the field protects the user from most sorts of harm. It can also deflect all kinds of physical objects, but enough of that. Also, please promise me that you won’t do training units all on your own okay?”

Twilight nodded shortly.

After their little conversation, the two of them walked towards the castle. Well… that didn’t work out as I hoped. The rest of the night went on peacefully. Twilight was so exhausted that she fell asleep immediately after hitting the bed.

Waking up the next morning wasn’t pleasant. Twilight was still exhausted and her magic reserves hadn’t regenerated completely either. The only good thing was that most of the bruises had healed up over night. Last night was a dumb idea.

After a small breakfast with her personal cook, she started walking towards the training grounds once again.

Everything was so much more beautiful during the day. She did not even know what drove her to go out at night, all by herself. As the training grounds came into view, Twilight saw that her teacher was already waiting for her. The little filly noticed that Blaze’s look was a bit less impressive than yesterday at the meeting. She had not even thought about it last night. Her coat still had the same vibrant yellow colour and her armour looked like a normal gold-plated one. Now it had the same glowing runes engraved in it as her pendant. The biggest difference was Blaze’s mane. It was still a dark red like embers, only without real flames. Also, some streaks of sunlight yellow interrupted the pure crimson.

“I guess I was right. Her whole look was just a spell, a strong spell nonetheless. I’m very mature for my age. I don’t need to be impressed,” Twilight sighed slightly irritated.

“Good morning, Miss Sparkle.“

“G-good morning,“ Twilight replied quietly. She looked terrible. Bags under her eyes, frazzled mane and her coat was a bit duller than usual. Also, some of the bigger scratches still hadn’t healed up.

Blaze saw that the little filly was in no condition for real magic lessons. She decided to start with some theoretic education. It didn’t really suit her style, but better that than showing Celestia the blistering remains of her former student. Morning shuddered slightly at the thought. The princess was a benevolent ruler, as long as you don’t accidentally let her loved pupil burn herself to a small crisp.

“Our first lesson will be the essential basics. Tell me, my student, what do you know about magic?” the yellow mare questioned.

“Well...Umm...All three pony races are able to use magic up to a certain limit. Unicorns can control raw magic, pegasi use it to fly and make themselves lighter and earth ponies gather them in their muscles for extra strength and resilience. There is good magic and bad magic, also—”

“That will suffice for now. Here we have the first error most ponies make. It may be not important for them, but for you… it’s crucial. Thinking about good or bad is maybe not the right point of view. Every living thing in existence has two sides. They decide which will control their actions willingly,” Blaze stated, interrupting the little fillies rambling.

“But the princess has no bad side! She would never do anything that could possibly hurt others.”

“Hmm… yes… she might be an… exception. Aside from her, though, everything has ups and downs. You should start thinking more about Order and Chaos. These two are the grand forces. They are in perfect balance, since the beginning of time, they always were. Most ponies from Equestria refer to them as vis and flux. Ponies from around the frozen north call order, pà and chaos, ravage. The inventors of this theory, the ancient nomads of the desert, named them Maat and Isfet. When we talk about them, we will refer to them in their original names.”

Twilight memorized everything Blaze had said. It did make at least some sense when she thought about it, “Maat and Isfet… it sounds really odd… What language is this?”

“If it had a name, it has been forgotten long since. Now, we will come to the next part,” Blaze stopped in her speech to see if her student understood everything so far. “As you may know, there is not just one type of magic. In fact, there are three. The magic of nature, which is essentially the ability to control the four basic elements. Ponies able to harness it are called Elementalists. The magic of darkness, the most dangerous one. It can grant you amazing powers, but if you’re not careful it can consume and corrupt you. Those who survive the corruptive energy live under the name Void Walker. Last but not least, the magic of light. Very few ponies are able to control it perfectly. If one truly masters it, they become known as Arclight. Some Arclights also form the leadership circle of the Archmages of Equestria.”

“T-that’s a lot to take in. Why have I never heard about any of this?”

“Because it was simply not important for you. Most ponies never hear about any of this. You were way too young when you first became a magic student, but the princess would have told you sooner or later,” Morning Blaze answered. The little filly understood faster than she thought.

“Another question. Would it be possible to master all forms of magic?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. It never happened to a mortal pony. Princess Celestia mastered all of them in her childhood. But if it is possible, I’m sure you can do it.”

These words left a strong impression on the small filly. She didn’t know that Blaze had such a high opinion of her. Twilight would try extra hard to make both her old and new teacher proud. The whole time she had a small smile on her face.

Blaze spoke up again, “Good. Now, let’s talk about the different characteristics of those three. Elemental magic goes into the category of chaos magic and is known to be very impulsive and wild. Darkness spells also count as the magic of Isfet, for it is known to destroy everything in its path. Only Arclights are able to wield Maat. Light magic does not destroy, it is connected with life and creation. I will give you an example of a combined elemental spell. Stand back.”

As soon as Twilight stepped away a few metres, her teacher started to channel a spell. Her horn began to glow in a dark red colour. With the help of wind magic, she created a fast spinning gale that was about 5 metres tall. It was already trying to suck the purple unicorn in. After that, her horn glowed stronger, condensing the moisture out of the air and directing it into the tornado. The last part of the spell was a blue lightning sent from her horn into the tempest. The little filly was now standing before a massive electrified water twister that would instantly shock anypony daring to stand near it. With a final flash of Blaze’s horn the storm was gone as fast as she created it.

“That was elemental magic. A simple combination of wind, water and a thunderbolt. With enough skill you can basically mix every element to create extremely effective spells. I never mastered light magic, but the last magic I can show you for today is the pure power of darkness. The spell I’m gonna show you, is quite basic. Also, it is the only one I am able to use. I may be a decent Elementalist, but I never learned to wield the other two. For the sake of your safety, stay behind the force field I will erect in a second.”

With these words, she raised a deeply crimson protection sphere around Twilight. Her horn glowed darker this time, almost black. After Blaze drew a deep breath, her magic pool created three long, pointy and pitch black shards out of thin air. They looked like the night itself. The aura coming from them made Twilight shudder. It wasn’t something she wanted to try out anytime soon. Her last spell compressed the small rocks lying around her into what looked like a dummy made out of stone.

Blaze launched the projectiles towards the statue. As soon as they hit it, the three spears splintered and the field disappeared with a loud ‘sucking’ noise. It sounded like it was sucked into another dimension or something.

“This was a demonstration of one of the oldest known darkness spells. These shards are called ‘Vortex-spears’. Anything they touch will dissipate into nothingness. The downside of them is that they require a lot of magic and splinter after hitting one target,” Morning Blaze explained. She was panting slightly, one could easily see the effect this spell had on her.

Twilight felt a bit uneasy, but said, “T-they look scary. I don’t want to use dark magic.”

“Of course, Miss Sparkle. You don’t have to use it, but it is important that you understand all three types of magic. I am not even close to being able to show you the full potential of chaos magic. Controlling the darkness will give you power over the shadows, but becoming an Arclight is going to give you power over light itself. It is even more difficult to master than any other kind of magic. If you want absolute control, then learning all types of magic is essential.”

The purple unicorn nodded silently. She still didn’t want to learn this scary magic, but she couldn’t stop now. Twilight had to master all of them.

Before Blaze could say anything further, she heard a familiar voice inside her head. It was Princess Celestia’s. She used this thought-sending spell fairly often. The yellow mare was used to the feeling. Captain Blaze you are needed somewhere else. Suspicious activities, zone 6, sector 02. After the short message ended, the feeling subsided. Blaze knew that activities in this particular zone always meant trouble.

“I’m afraid that’s it for today. An urgent matter needs my full attention. We will continue tomorrow at the same time. Until then, enjoy the rest of the day,” the yellow mare said while touching the rune crystal that sustained the anti-magic sphere.

As soon as she finished her sentence, the air around Blaze shifted and she vanished. Twilight was not sure what to think now. She still had so many questions about everything Morning told and showed her. Then again, it had no use. Blaze was gone for now. The little filly could not teleport and had no idea if it was possible to trace the magic signature her teacher left.

The last few days left Twilight more confused every time somepony tried to explain something. Everything she believed to know about magic was wrong or at least partially incorrect. The little filly really had enough of this. She just wanted to do something normal the rest of the day. Like reading books and studying...yes, studying would distract her from this nonsense. Twilight had not picked up in her studies for days. So she left the palace gardens once again and started to walk inside the castle.

Power

Chapter 3: Power

Another morning, another awakening from a restless night of sleep. The first rays of dawn shone through Twilight’s windows. The little filly tried to kill some time by reading books. So she sat on some comfy cushions in her own little library and thought about what book to choose from her sheer infinite fountain of knowledge. Her tower in Canterlot Castle had not much to offer though. On the first floor, she had a bed, a counter with some chairs and her wardrobe. All of the little fillies more important possessions were stored on the second floor. For example, her technical equipment, like telescopes or a small seismograph. However, her most important belongings were most definitely her books. They were stored in 6 bookshelves of the same height, alphabetically ordered and meticulously cleaned every day. Oh yes, her precious books. How many hours had she spent inside reading and studying? How many days had she spent reorganizing them? What would she do without them?

In the last few days everytime she wanted to read a book or study something her mind wandered over to the lessons with Morning Blaze. Why was Twilight left in the dark about all of this for so long?

“This can’t be right…”

No it was official, Twilight went insane. Two days with Morning Blaze and she lost her mind, at least that was what she thought had happened. It started after Morning Blaze saved her from the explosion. A voice started talking inside her head and it was most definitely not hers. First she couldn’t understand the whispering but with her exhaustion from the lack of sleep, it was getting louder. That thing was really getting on the little fillies nerves.

The purple unicorn hadn’t noticed until now that she was pacing around in her tower. At least the sun had risen by now. That would mean the cooks would be up as well and this would lead to Twilight finally getting something to eat. The little filly didn’t like to bother the royal cooks so early in the morning, but on the other hoof she couldn’t do anything else anyway. After last night’s ‘accident’ training by herself was not an option anymore. Also, she wanted to avoid being tardy for her lessons with Morning Blaze if possible. Sooner she got there the better. Being occupied and busy meant that she would not have to worry much about thinking.

Twilight had hoped she would meet Princess Celestia during breakfast. Normally the princess always had time for her student. At least in the morning and after sunset, but now the little filly hadn’t talked with Celestia for a whole day! That never happened before, in the few years Twilight was the princess’ personal protege, she spoke with her at least once a day. Sure Morning Blaze was a fine teacher and honorable guard, but nopony could compare with Celestia. She decided to pay her a visit after training. Provided that the purple unicorn would return in one piece. Twilight could not be sure with all this crazy new magic she hadn’t known about before. One thing was certain however, it would never get boring.

Like last time Morning Blaze was already waiting for her. Twilight had no idea what they would be doing this time. She could never know with a teacher like Blaze.

“Good Morning, Miss Sparkle,” Morning Blaze greeted her little student. “I hope you are ready for some practical lessons today.”

“Of—,” the little filly couldn’t hold back a yawn, interrupting her answer. “Course I am.”

“Indeed. I can see that. I presume that you haven’t gotten much sleep. Am I right?”

“No,” Twilight answered while avoiding the gaze of her teacher.

“Oh really? Come on, my student. You know, misery loves company.”

“No, it does not. Can we please just start with today's lessons?”

“Very well. Today you will learn how to cast a basic elemental spell. You can decide with what element you want to start. All of them will be relatively simple, so don’t worry, they won’t contain much chaotic energy,” Morning Blaze said. Something was definitely going on with her student, but she figured it wouldn’t help much to push her. Also, she couldn’t watch her all day, Blaze had duties to fulfill after all.

“If I have a choice...hmm let’s start with…uhh, let’s start with earth.”

“A fine choice. I will give you a brief introduction to the element. Earth is the most stable element. It stands for safety, endurance and persistence. It is important to know that you can’t just rip a chunk of rocks out of a mountain or even lift a pile of dirt without replacing the void you create with taking something from the earth.”

“Replacing it? How am I supposed to replace it if I remove the stones or the dirt?” Twilight asked curiously.

“You have to fill the void you created with more earth. For example, if you want to grab rocks from a mountain, you would have to lower the whole mountain to replace the stones you have taken away. Or push the stones from the other side into the hole you created. Taking something without replacing it, would be the same as battling the whole planet for control over a small pile of dirt. It is possible, but most destroy their minds in the process.”

“Uh-huh... Well then, where should we start.”

“For earth magic, I will have to teleport us into the fields below Canterlot. We can’t do that here obviously. Just climb on my back and grip tightly, first time teleportation isn’t nice.”

Twilight climbed onto Morning Blaze’s back and wrapped her forelegs around her teacher’s neck. Before she knew it they were gone.

Teleporting was horrible, it felt like she was crushed by the air around her. Unicorns were clearly not meant to defy physics like that. She didn’t know how Morning Blaze could brush it off so easily. Just as she wanted to cry out, the feeling was gone and their destination ‘zapped’ into existence.

Her teacher was right about their new training location. It was perfect. On the simple grass fields was literally nothing that could be damaged should anything go wrong. Twilight couldn’t help but wonder, why was there was nothing? The gentle hills and the open fields would provide a perfect spot for a new home. Anyways, the little filly deemed it not important enough, her training was more significant right now.

She let go of Morning Blaze’s neck and steadied herself on stable ground once more. “So, what do I have to do?”

The yellow mare closed her eyes for a few moments to think and to regenerate her magical reserves. She had teleported herself and Twilight an immense distance after all. Morning opened her eyes again and said, “Hmm… It would be useful if you could create your own statues to train with. Let us begin with simple manipulation of earth. Now watch closely.”

Blaze lowered her head and steadied her hind legs, it looked like some sort of battle stance. Her horn glowed in a relatively normal shade of red again. She focused it on a circular patch of dirt about three metres away from her. The ground around the circle began to sink in and from the center rose what looked like a pony head made out of stone.

After her teacher finished her spell, a pony about the same size as Morning stood on a small pedestal. The earth around it formed into a deep artificially created trench. “I hope you observed carefully, my little student. It’s not really difficult. Just remember that you have to compensate everything you take from the earth. And then imagine the statue being formed in your mind, you have to see it clearly. Well then, how about you give it a try?”

Twilight nodded and lowered herself into the same battle stance-like pose. She focused her magic on a circular patch of stones a little bit farther away. Her magic wavered as the little filly tried to replicate the spell of her teacher.

“I know you can to do it, Twilight! Imagine the statue rising out of the earth and push the dirt around it into the ground with your will.”

...more power…

The voice in her head returned and urged her to use more of her magic. The little filly however, didn’t need any advice from her crazy mind. She closed her eyes to focus on it.

“Go away!” Twilight thought to herself. “I don’t want a voice inside my head, telling me what to do.”

We can help you…

No! Be quiet!

Thou have the power, use it!

“But...but what if I lose control?” even her inner voice began to tremble. She couldn’t trust it or could she?

We’ll help.

M-maybe just a little help so that I can do this spell.

As thou wishes.

Morning Blaze observed her student quietly during her first attempt on pulling this spell off. Most of her previous trainees were not able to do it on first try. She started to worry as Twilight closed her eyes and began to frown. Doing that while trying to channel magic was never a good sign. Especially not with chaos magic. The magic of chaos could easily overtake the mind of ponies without a strong will. The yellow mare gained a troubled expression as her student opened her eyes again. One of them was glowing in a strong white light and the little filly began to smile faintly. Her horn and the patch of dirt that was currently targeted by the purple unicorn also glowed much more intense than they should.

“Twilight! That’s too much chaotic energy!” Morning Blaze shouted while running towards the little filly.

Just as she reached Twilight, both were blasted backwards by a massive magical shockwave. Morning was not able to concentrate enough to teleport the two of them somewhere safe. She landed on her back in the grass several meters away from where their original position was. Twilight however was not quite so lucky, the little filly crashed head first into a medium sized stone that was poking out of the grass. It left a deep gash on top of her head, deep enough to bleed profusely and knock her student unconscious.

She spun her head around to see what caused the shock wave. Her eyes went wide open as she stared at her opponent. It was twice as tall as herself and had a vaguely pony-like stature. A living rock golem. How was that even possible? It shouldn’t be. Was it a side effect of Twilight’s strange chaos magic?

Blaze considered retreating with Twilight, risking the life of her student was not an option. As the yellow mare tried to stand up, a head-splitting pain coursed through her right foreleg. Judging by how intense the pain was her foreleg was probably broken. She could again not concentrate enough to teleport, all of her willpower tried to stop her from screaming her soul out at the moment. Her eyes narrowed in pain as she bit her lip to hold back the cries of agony.

No. She could not fail her princess right now. She was the captain of the fifth division of the Solar Guard. She was Celestia’s personal bodyguard and long time friend. The princess told her to protect Twilight Sparkle, her beloved protege and Morning Blaze would sacrifice herself without a second thought if that meant the little filly was safe.

It costed her an immense amount of effort, but she stood shakily on her three healthy legs. The wound around her injured leg also started to bleed now, she had to do something very quick otherwise Twilight and probably herself would be killed by the stone golem.

She looked around hastily. The golem… where was it?

The answer came to her in form of a stone hoof connecting with her face. Her left eye was now black and swollen along with the entire left side of her face. Even though it was made out of stone it was surprisingly agile. Morning Blaze landed on her back again wincing in pain. Her good eye looked shocked as she saw the golem again. She rolled to the left, far too close for her taste, one second later and her skull would have been smashed. The yellow mare struggled to get back up again but succeeded before the golem could attack her again. Blaze ducked under another kick from the living rock. The situation she found herself in was rather tricky. Now with her broken leg and a restricted field of view doing ordinary magic was momentarily out of question. Not even the thought-sending spell worked right now, it could take a while before somepony would be looking for the two of them. Also, attacking the golem would be quite futile as normal attacks with her hooves wouldn’t work against a creature made out of stone. Her only option was to lure the thing away from Twilight in the hope that somepony would find her.

Twilight was still unconscious. Her mind wandered over what just happened. The little filly was getting angrier and angrier by the second. It wasn’t her fault, this strange voice, her own crazy voice...whatever it was, wanted the purple unicorn to use a power she couldn’t control. She floated in a pitch black space of nothingness, all on her own.

It’s all your fault! I never should have trusted you!

Suddenly the strange voice replied. Keeping the little filly some company in her unconscious mind.

We were not the one at fault. Thy own inability is the one to blame.

You said that I should use the power!

Thou agreed that we activate thine inner strength.

The little filly stopped for a moment to think about how insane that was. She was having a conversation with herself.

“Whatever. I shouldn’t have used the magic. I do not even know what the hay it is,” the purple unicorn stated still a bit agitated. “So… Are we... am I dead?”

No, but it was quite close. Be careful the next time thou uses this magic. We will stay at thy side and aid thou.

We? Are there more of you? And what means thou?

Excuse me. Would it be more bearable for you if I use your modern language?

“Uh… Yes?” Twilight was confused. Maybe she wasn’t crazy after all. She didn’t even know what those words meant.

Very well. To answer your question ‘we’ and ‘thou’ were old terms for I and you. The Equestrian language changed quite remarkably.

Okay, then to my other questions. What are you? And what are you doing inside of my mind?

You will find the answer to your first question in due time, but for your second I have a explanation. You seemed interesting enough to not waste my time. It’s as simple as that, powerful and intelligent, just like myself at your age.

Before Twilight could complain about these very unsatisfying answers, she felt her consciousness tugging at her. The dark room faded away, she could almost see the light of the day.

Keep an open mind Twilight Sparkle. I will stay at your side if you need me.

As Twilight opened her eyes, she immediately noticed two things. The first was that her head felt like it had been crushed under a ton of stones and the second that Morning Blaze was fighting a big rock pony. Well, maybe fighting isn’t the right word for it. She was losing against it, half her face was bloody and swollen and her teacher tried to limp away with only 3 legs. The other one was twisted in a very painful looking manner and bled severely.

Twilight saw Morning Blaze retreating again narrowly avoiding another hit in the face. The yellow mare could dodge all attacks so far. Even with her injuries her teacher seemed to be very skilled in hoof-to-hoof combat. The little filly also so that Blaze could not keep this up forever. Her movements started to get slower and her whole body was littered with scrapes and bruises.

The purple unicorn wanted to help her. She couldn’t hold herself back and shouted, “Morning Blaze, watch out!”

This distraction caused her teacher to trip over her own hindlegs. The rock golem noticed the yellow mare’s error and tried to crush its opponent with a swift and aimed foreleg punch.

This was it. Morning Blaze could never dodge in time. What a pathetic way to die. She closed her remaining eye and waited for her end...but it never came. The golem’s forelegs were petrified mere inches away from her face. It was wrapped in a thin layer of dark purple magic.
She looked to the left and there she was. Her rescuer, Twilight Sparkle. The little filly was conscious again and both her eyes glowed intensely this time. Twilight’s horn shone in the same colour as the magic around the golem.

Her student slowly raised her hoof, pointing at the stone creature. The layer of magical energy around the golem went darker and darker by the second. The air around it began to waver and got distorted by the massive amounts of chaos magic. As it was totally encased in pitch black energy, Morning Blaze heard the familiar ‘sucking’ noise and the golem vanished.

Her good eye went wide. Chaos magic! Twilight Sparkle had used chaos magic to save her. Not even that, but a completely spell that was completely new to the yellow mare. She had imprisoned the golem in another dimension without the need of vortex-spears.

The injured Morning Blaze limbed over to her student as she saw that the filly had fallen to her knees, her eyes no longer glowing. It was too much for her, but she had to admit that Twilight saved her from that thing. She went into a fight unprepared and had to suffer the consequences now. Blaze sat down next to her student.

“That was...quite the performance, my student. I have to thank you for saving me,” the yellow mare said exhausted.

Twilight couldn’t reply instantly, she was simply too tired. At least the wound on her head wasn’t bleeding as bad as before. After a while she caught her breath and answered, “You saved me in the first place. You tried to occupy that...thing, whatever it was. Thank you Morning Blaze.”

“Come to think of it. How did you save me? I’ve never seen this variation of a darkness spell and as I recall you were quite reluctant of using chaos magic.”

“I have absolutely no idea. I just saw you struggling against this rock thing and I wanted to help you. It just came over me.”

“I don’t know either. Maybe we can research it later. For now, we will wait for our reinforcements to pick us up. We both need some medical attention and some well earned rest,” her teacher explained. She simultaneously used her thought-sending spell to inform the other guards of their situation and location.

Not even five minutes later about ten solar guards came to their rescue. After they provided first aid, Twilight fell asleep. The magical exertion was too much for her. Morning Blaze however, had one other thing to do before returning to her home. Explaining what had happened to Princess Celestia. She hoped her old friend would understand. They also had to talk about Twilight’s general condition. Something was going inside the little filly that was rapidly spiraling out of control.

Morning Blaze and Celestia retreated into a more private environment to discuss what exactly happened earlier this day. Nopony would dare to disturb a meeting between the Princess of the Sun and one of her highest ranking guards.

“...and then the rescue team picked us up,” Morning Blaze said summing up her report.

The princess would never show emotions on the outside, a side effect of being a leader for more than one thousand years, but the yellow mare could tell that Celestia was shocked. It was no surprise for her. The worst possible outcome for this conversation would have been a punishment because of the unprepared training and the danger her beloved student was in.

“Also, your Highness, something is definitely going on with Twilight. You told me about her strange magical surge, but that was… different. She looked very upset as she closed her eyes, like she was arguing with herself. It was downright creepy as she opened them and only one of them glowed. You should have felt it yourself, there was so much chaotic energy, it was incredible.”

Hard to take in, even for a millennia old demi-goddess. “And the outburst of chaos magic you mentioned?”

“Oh yes, that. First she animated a rock statue and then invented a new chaos spell? Not even Starswirl the Bearded had such deep insights on Isfet to create a new spell in mere seconds. It was crazy, she pointed at it with her forehoof and imprisoned it into the void. You know what insane amounts of power would be need to do that without the vortex-spears or at least something familiar.”

“Yes, I am very well aware of the fact that this should not be possible. We have to watch her even more carefully. I think it would be best if you talk to her again. You are the one who saved her, maybe she will tell you something. The way she acted in this kind of situation is indeed suspicious.”

“Of course, your Highness. I may have to take special precautions in case her magic breaks out again.”

“Do whatever you deem necessary. She has to learn how to control her magic at all costs,” Celestia finished. She was genuinely concerned about Twilight. Something like that had not happened in quite some time. “But that can wait until you two have recovered. With the healing magic of our royal doctors your broken bone and your face should be fully healed in a few days. In Twilight’s case it isn’t as bad, a simple flesh wound should be closed after some sleep.”

Twilight woke up in a white painted, very sterile looking room. All sorts of magical empowered machines were standing next to her. The little filly was not a common patient, but she still knew this room, the first aid room of Canterlot Castle.

She lifted her right forehoof and tried to carefully touch the injury on her head. To her surprise, it didn’t nearly hurt as bad as before, a little sting at best.

The little filly looked around in the room. There was not much to look at, other than the bed she was currently laying in and a comfortable looking couch. A few strange pictures for like psychological tests and a small flower pot on the window ledge, but that was it.

Since she had nothing to do and no books to read, the little filly got bored pretty quickly. Just as Twilight wanted to get out of the bed, she heard the door knob turning. The visitor was none other than her new teacher, Morning Blaze, who now sported a simple white cast around her broken foreleg.

“Hello, Miss Sparkle. I just came by to ask how you are feeling,” the yellow mare stated softly.

“Good morning. I’m fine, really, but I see you still have the cast. Sorry about that,” Twilight frowned on the thought that she caused Morning Blaze’s injury.

“Oh, no need to worry, Miss Sparkle. I will be back on track in a few days.”

“You can just call me Twilight… umm, if you want.”

“Very well. There is another thing that needs to be addressed, Twilight.”

“You mean my magic?” the little filly still cursed herself mentally, for using it. What if Morning Blaze found out about whatever it was that resided inside her head.

The yellow mare nodded shortly and said, “Yes and since it’s the first thing that came to your mind, I presume you have been thinking about that a lot lately, right?”

“Uhh...yes exactly, crazy isn’t it. Hehe,” the purple unicorn avoided her teacher’s eyes nervously.

“Twilight, I know something is going on. Come on, you can trust me,” Morning Blaze spoke while lifting her student’s chin to look her in the eyes.

“Well...you know… it’s sort of complicated. There is some str—“ she stopped for a moment, hearing the familiar voice of her sort-of-companion.

I suggest that you do not speak any further, Twilight. You know you need me to control your magic. Who will help you with that then?

B-but she said I can trust her. She won’t take you away, right?

Maybe, maybe not. Is it really worth taking the risk?

That was apparently the end of their bizarre conversation. Twilight started anew, “N-nevermind, it’s nothing really. I’m just tired.”

Morning Blaze sighed and said, “If you say so, Twilight. My offer still stands though, if you need somepony to talk, I’ll be there for you.”

“Thank you. I hope you get well soon.”

“Yes, goodbye. I should be fine in a day or two, after that we should pick up where we left as soon as possible. I will ensure that nothing will go wrong next time.”

With these words, her teacher left the purple unicorn alone in the white painted room of infinite boredom.

She silently groaned in frustration. “What am I getting myself into?”

Darkness

Chapter 4: Darkness

Twilight awoke by a soft furred hoof gently nudging her. She apparently fell asleep after her ‘heartfelt’ conversation with Morning Blaze. The little filly drowsily opened her eyes to see one of the castle’s nurses, she remembered her name being Tender Care.

“How are we feeling, Miss Sparkle?” the white furred mare asked in a soft tone.

“Alright, I guess. My head still hurts a bit though.”

“Hmm, yes most likely a side effect of the physical trauma you received. Give it time, I’m sure it will be gone tomorrow. If not, feel free to pay us a visit at any given time.”

“So… I can go now?” the purple unicorn asked, silently praying she could finally go.

“I believe so, yes. You probably are really excited to get out of here, but please take it easy the next few days. We don’t want you here with another serious injury so soon again. Okay?” Tender Care hoped that was enough to convince the princess’ protege to go slowly the next days.

“Yes, of course. I’ll be careful. Now if you excuse me, I have some books to read,” her last words before she jumped out of the bed and rushed towards the exit.

“Take care of yourself, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight thought about visiting the princess, but she probably had something very important to do. Maybe after dinner, the little filly thought to herself. She still felt kinda bad because she lied to Morning Blaze, but she couldn’t risk to lose her ghost, whatever it was that was inside her head. Without it the little filly would never learn how to control her magic.

It was the right thing to do. The familiar voice chimed in.

Twilight paused in her track for a moment. “You can read my thoughts?”

Why, yes, of course. We are bound to each other. I thought, I made that clear with activating your inner magic.

Well… not exactly crystal clear, but I guess that makes sense, somehow.

Naturally I won’t take advantage of it. We mutually benefit each other, Twilight. I give you control over your magic and you give me the ability to roam this land freely once again.

Why do you need me to walk around? Are you a ghost or something?

No, I am nothing of the sort. And I need you because I am very weak right now. I felt your magic through the Void, it was very much like mine, so I was able to link our souls. I presume Celestia taught you all about links and mind magic.

The Void?

No time to explain, also it is not important for you right now. Let’s get back to my initial question.

Not really. Actually I’ve never heard of it. Also, you know Celestia? Isn’t she the best teacher one could possibly ask for? Twilight practically gasped in excitement about the voice knowing Princess Celestia.

Hmm, I guess it makes sense that Celestia wouldn’t teach you mind magic. Maybe we could discuss this later. And yes, I’ve known her for a real long time, she is quite… special. Yes that is an adequate way to describe her.

Mind magic sounds super cool, you have to teach me someday.

Yes, in due time. But for now, be going, you wanted to read something if I remember correctly.

Twilight thought the last days couldn’t get more confusing, but she was wrong apparently. At least, she could go now, finally getting some peace with her books.

Also, tomorrow would be the Summer Sun Celebration, it was always a nice event. Like a carnival, only Celestia themed. Everything from the carousels to the cotton candy had a sun or the princess’ face on it. Nearly the whole population of Canterlot went there every year.

Although it was always kind of bittersweet for Twilight to attend the Summer Sun Celebration. All other fillies and colts in her age went there with their friends and family. Not that she envied them or anything, not at all, but admittedly it could get lonely sometimes. Her brother was busy training to become an awesome royal guard, her dad being some kind of office worker and her mom was always preoccupied with her newest book. Sure, she had Spike and all, but he was maybe even more busy than herself.

Maybe Morning Blaze would go with her. Surely she could spare a few hours for the little filly. The yellow mare was on vacation as long as she recovered after all. It was totally not weird to do something with a teacher. In a regular school, perhaps, but Blaze was different and she cared for Twilight. She wouldn’t have asked how the little filly felt, if she didn’t care for her.

So, I guess that means no peace and quiet for us?

Her mysterious companion didn’t even bother the young filly anymore. She answered casually, “You can read my thoughts, so you know my answer.”

Do you even know where she lives?

Well, I… uhh…

You can ask the coordinator of the royal guards.

By Starswirl's beard, how the hay are we supposed to find him?!

Left castle wing, second floor, room 327.

Should I even ask?

Sensor magic, young apprentice. Unfortunately in my current state my spell range is a mere fraction of my former power.

Eh, good enough. Then let’s find out where Morning Blaze lives.

After around one and a half hour later the little filly finally knew where her teacher currently resided. Twilight didn’t want to waste any more time so she went right away, towards the heart of Canterlot.

It was a beautiful afternoon in the capital of Equestria. The streets were crowded with ponies and the whole city bustled with life.

The purple unicorn was slowly trotting towards Morning Blaze’s apartment. Good thing that she could convince the guards to let her out alone. She hated being escorted, like she couldn’t watch out for herself.

She observed the everyday life of the market sellers, looked into a few shop windows and had to persuade herself several times to not spent the entire afternoon in a bookshop. All in all, it was one of the better days, despite her stay at the royal infirmary.

Finally the house of her teacher came into view. A relatively plain three stories tall house, in the middle of Canterlot’s downtown. Good thing that the entrance door wasn’t locked or anything, it would have made things a lot more difficult. After climbing the stairs, that had in fact ridiculously high steps, the little filly wished once more to be at least a bit more fit.

Twilight waited for her breath to stabilise and exhaled softly before knocking at Morning Blaze’s door. After a few moments creaking sounds could be perceived from inside, also, the young filly could swear she heard something break. Apparently Morning Blaze was asleep, at least until now.

“Coming!” more rumbling noises before the door swung open.

It took Morning Blaze a moment to realise who was standing at the door. She rubbed her eyes and looked down at the little purple filly’s form.

“Twilight, is that you?” Blaze asked curious what her student might want.

“Y-yes, I...I umm, I just wanted… you know… oh, would you look at the time, it certainly is late. I better go now,” Twilight turned around and darted towards the stairs.

“Stop right there, young lady. You came all the way from the castle to my home, all alone. And now you can’t even say what you want? If that’s true you woke me for nothing and that on my free day,” she sighed before continuing. “You can trust me, remember?”

Twilight stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around again. “W-well, I was j-just wondering what you are doing tomorrow.”

“Nothing important, really. Just some relaxing, maybe visiting the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“I-in that case, do you… you know want to go with me?” at the end Twilight’s whispering nearly became inaudible.

“Come again?”

“Doyouwanttogowithmeprettyplease?” the little filly asked, slightly blushing. Hopefully her teacher would understand her nervous rambling.

To Twilight’s relief, Morning Blaze started to smile. “That was what you were so worried about? Hehehe, of course we can go together! I know you are a bit socially… inexperienced, but please keep in mind that I am not only your teacher, I am your friend. Okay?”

The purple unicorn hugged her teacher, nearly crushing her with happiness. “Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“No problem at all, my dear student. Is around two pm okay for you?”

Twilight let go of her mentor and simply nodded.

“Wonderful! I’ll come to your tower and pick you up. And now, since the sun is already setting, I will take care of your return to the castle.”

“The return…hmm, I hadn’t thought about how I get back.”

“Oh don’t you worry. You will be back in the blink of an eye. See you tomorrow,” her teacher said, smiling.

Morning Blaze’s horn radiated a strong white light and before the little filly could realise it, she was back in the castle.

The yellow mare used her standard thought transmitting spell to inform Celestia about the newest developments. At least her student had more trust in her that she originally thought. Surely a bit of ‘bonding’ with her student couldn’t hurt. That way it was also easier to protect Twilight, well easier than following her in the shadows all day.

“We're back at the castle?” Twilight asked nopony in particular. “At least I don’t have to walk all the way back.

Hmpf, Arkus magic. Quite strong, but dangerous too.

“You mean she is an Arclight?”

No, Arkus magic and an Arclight are two completely different things. Some beings not really blessed with intelligence also call it ‘space magic’, it’s painfully simplified, but the name sort of fits. It is classified as light magic, although some talented magicians can use it without the total control over light. But most unicorns only use it for portals and teleporting.

“Teleporting you say? Like literally teleporting something or somepony from one place another?”

… Yes… that’s why it is called ‘teleportation’.

“Ehehehe… yeah, it’s been a long day. Do you think I can try it right now?”

I wouldn’t recommend it. You could get stuck in a wall or end up somewhere entirely different. The worst that can happen would be that you dissolve your very being into its core components and scatter them into the infinity of the universe. Not very likely, but still a possibility.

“W-well… doesn’t that sound like fun.”

Quite a lot of it actually.

I could get some books on the topic from the royal archives.

Very unlikely, there are very few books on the topic at all and definitely not in the normal sections of the archives. There is no way for you to read them, well unless you are willing to break into the restricted sectors.

B-but but the princess said I shouldn’t go in there. There are all kinds of evil things like dark magic and such.

Ah yes, your mentor, your precious princess. Remember what you have learned, apprentice. There are no such things as ‘evil’ or ‘bad’ kinds of magic, there is only order and chaos. Each with their positive and negative aspects.

“And what about magical wards and barriers?” Twilight asked a little bit frightened by the idea of breaking a rule of her mentor.

No problem, I am quite the expert in terms of sensory and barrier magic.

“I suppose… we can probably do it some time next mon—” the little filly got interrupted by her voice companion.

Why wait? We could do it at anytime. How about this night?

“Okay, I guess. If you think it’s a good idea.”

Of course it is a good idea, my dear Twilight. Now go along, we have some preparations to make.

“Phew, finally finished!” Twilight sighed in relief after drawing the last symbol on her fur. The little filly’s coat was littered with small dark purple symbols and runes. She placed her painting tools back in the cabinet, exactly where they should be.

Twilight rolled her eyes in annoyance. Her patience was running quite thin after two hours of tedious body painting. Worst of all was that the little filly had absolutely no idea what all those strange symbols meant. They could do anything as far as Twilight was concerned.

“So… Why was I doing that again?”

A magical disguise, apprentice. Special kind of darkness magic, rather harmless, but just right for our purposes. After I activate the runes, you will be invisible to the magical wards and you will be able to walk through the barriers. It should give you free entrance into all sections of the royal library. Be careful though, it won’t last indefinitely, grab the books you find about the topic and then retreat to your chambers. Also, while it is true that wards won’t be able to sense you, your normal body is still visible. So watch out for any guards or members of the castle’s staff.

“Oh, is that all?”

‘Is that all?’ What kind of magic were you expecting? I can’t cast stronger magic in my weakened state.

The purple unicorn sighed and apologized, “Sorry, I am just a bit snappy right now. Let’s go.”

While approaching the library, Twilight had to hide herself in broom closets several times. She couldn’t come up with a plausible explanation as to why her coat was littered with magical symbols. The castle was now nearly empty anyways, the little filly wouldn’t have to worry about being busted anymore. After closing time most members of the castle’s staff rushed right home. Only a few ponies like the chef doctor or the night shift of the Solar Guards remained in the castle.

Twilight opened the door to the library, the fact that it was unlocked suggested that somepony was still inside.

I will activate the runes now. Invisus!

The runes glowed for a few seconds. There wasn’t really any notable changes, the purple unicorn just assumed the spell worked. She snuck behind a few bookshelves to scout for any possible disturbances. The little filly heard two voices casually talking about their day shift or something, it was probably not really important. Apparently they checked the library and would leave shortly after.

Now the voices were near enough for her to hear, “... she was like really angry you know, only because I—” they were interrupted by what sounded like a filly’s sneeze.

“Horseapples!” she cursed herself for not being more careful. Twilight had always been sensitive towards dust and some of the older books had plenty of it. She pressed herself against the bookshelf as hard as she could. With her darker coat the little filly nearly became one with the shadows.

Guard number one stopped with his ‘tale’ to listen if the sound was coming back. “Did you hear that?”

Guard number two replied, “It was probably just your imagination. Come on, let’s get out of here and meet the others.”

“I… I guess you’re right. Let’s go,” he shrugged and the two finally left the library.

Twilight exhaled the breath she was holding during their whole conversation. “Finally, now where is the door to the restricted archives?” she asked rhetorically.

It took them a few minutes, but they found the entrance to the restricted section eventually. As expected, the steel framed door was locked. Twilight kicked the floor before her angrily. “Great, this is just wonderful. How are we supposed to open the doors without alerting the wards. Disguise runes or not the sensors will still activate if I cast a spell on the lock.”

I know. Channel energy into your horn. I’ll handle it.

Twilight did as she was told, the filly channeled more and more magic into her horn. After a few seconds she felt the familiar tingle of a ready spell. The purple unicorn trusted her companion at least to some degree, it really helped having someone to talk to every time she desired it. “Now what?”

Unleash your magic now. It’ll teleport us behind this door.

“Well, here goes nothing!” with that the little filly expelled the magic her companion used for the teleport. It was the same feeling as earlier this day, only now she was accustomed to teleporting.

She struggled to stand after the teleport, but besides that it worked out pretty well. “Ugh, it didn’t really get more bearable even though I’ve done it twice now. Anyways now that we’re in here, can’t you just use your sensor spell thing to locate the right books, if they even exist so to speak.”

Her traveling companion didn’t show any reaction. After a minute of stillness her patience already began to run thin and after another painfully slow sixty seconds in total darkness she had enough. “Helllooooo? Anypony in there?” she asked while tapping on her head with her right foreleg.

Stop that nonsense at once! I just needed a minute to recover and to search through the books.

The little filly didn’t even think about apologizing. She just wanted to get out of the library before she would get into trouble. “Any luck with the books?”

I fear not, not a single topic is even remotely similar to Arkus magic. However, there are some fascinating darkness spells in here. Imagine what we could accomplish with this much chaotic—

“No books about this topic, too bad, let’s go!” Twilight stated hurryingly. Before she could run towards the door, the little filly felt her whole body petrify. It was so tense that she couldn’t move at all, like her whole body getting crushed by some invisible force. The purple unicorn began to panic, she desperately wanted to run away, to no avail. The more she struggled, the more it started to hurt, her body felt heavier and heavier, at this rate she would pass out from the pain in a few seconds.

“W-what ha-ve you d-done?” Twilight asked while starting to hyperventilate. .

You do not talk over me, Twilight Sparkle. I had enough of your ignorant demeanor for one evening. It seems that you are forgetting who the superior is here. Who would help you out of the library? Who would keep your magic in check? And who would help you to grow stronger?

I-I’m s-sorry! I p-promise I w-won’t talk o-over y-you again! Please, c-can we j-just go.

See? Was that so bad? Keep in mind that we have a mutual benefit here. I won’t tolerate such behavior a second time.

Twilight could feel her legs once again. The second she could move, the little filly fell to her haunches and started to sob softly. This was the first time she actually regretted not telling Morning Blaze. She had to suppress this thought immediately so that her invader wouldn’t punish her again. It took her awhile to calm down, but she got up eventually.

Do you have anything to say?

The little filly was still scared half to death, but she knew that she had no chance and had to get along with it. “Yes, I-I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. If you allow it could we please go before the disguise will deactivate?”

That’s the spirit and yes, we can. I have to apologize myself, I shouldn’t have snapped like that. We have a mutual goal after all, but be more respectful, then we won’t have any problems.

They repeated the same procedure as last time. Only this time she had to use way more magic. There she was, the great and powerful student of Princess Celestia, completely tired after breaking into a library. Great feeling really. It was time to go to bed anyway, that was enough for one day. She was still scared of her ‘friend’ though. Knowing that it could do anything to her, with no chance of stopping ‘it’. The little filly just had to get along with it, then it wouldn’t happen again, hopefully. At least tomorrow would be a nice Summer Sun Celebration for once.

Twilight nearly slept until lunch. Even one hour after waking up she was struggling to stay awake. The purple unicorn was just so tired all the time and that resulted more often than not in mood fluctuations. Having to shower for nearly another hour to get the colour out of her coat was certainly not helping it.

“Ugh, what time is it?”, the little filly asked still not willing to start the day.

According to the position of the sun and the watch that is hanging to the right of you, it is exactly 2:02 p.m.

“WHAT?!” Twilight asked with a shocked expression. “Morning Blaze will be here any moment!”

The little unicorn stopped dead after hearing her teacher’s soft voice coming through the door, “Twilight, I’m here! Ready to go?”

“Yes! I’ll be right there.” She rushed towards the door and opened it with a little telekinetic pull.

“Hello, Twilight. You look a lot better today. I guess that means you had a nice, calm evening yesterday?”

“Hmm? Evening… Oh yes, it was… nice. You also look quite good again.” the purple filly tried to sound enthusiastic and faked a little smile.

“Mhmm, it was a quiet and relaxing day for me. Total opposite of my normal routine I tell ya. Shall we go then?” Twilight was maybe good at magic, but she sucked on faking emotions. Morning could tell that there still was something going on, but that would have to wait again. She didn’t want to spoil the day for the little filly.

“Yes, let’s go,” Twilight agreed with a smile on her face. “You know, I was really looking forward to this.”

“Yeah, me too, nothing better than spending the day in good company.”

It didn’t take them very long to reach Canterlot’s inner city. After Morning Blaze talked with a guard about the safety of the princess, the two of them could finally to whatever they wanted. Blaze was really glad that the guard reported no suspicious behaviour around the celebration. Nopony would even dare attempting to harm the Ruler of the Sun during public events, not anymore, but they could not be careful enough. There was a second chance for everything.

“So,” the yellow mare started. “Wanna watch the circus show? I heard ‘cirque du poney’ is performing this year.”

“Okay, sounds interesting.”

The show lasted almost two hours, but it was pretty amazing. Twilight had never seen such daring tricks and stunts. After that they bought some cotton candy and sat down on a bench in the more quiet area of the festival.

“Pretty awesome day so far. I mean sure, I heard that this group is good, but wow, that topped my expectations.”

The little filly nodded in agreement, “Yep, they were pretty cool. Maybe we could play some games they offer around here now.”

“Or we just wander around a bit to relax. I’m pretty beat after that amazing show to be honest. Also, the speech is starting in less than thirty minutes.”

Ah yes, the speech. Or how Twilight called it, the most boring half an hour of the year. Not to be misunderstood, she loved her mentor to death, but the speech was always the same. About how great Equestria is, that we all are fortunate to live in this flourishing country and so on. The purple unicorn knew from experience that the princess herself didn’t really care much about the speech, but she had to do it apparently. Something about appeasing the dignitaries and continuing the tradition.

Twilight sighed slightly, “Well then, let’s get this over with.”

On the other side of the festival, Princess Celestia finished the exact same sentence quietly to herself.

It was like the little filly had expected it, exactly the same speech like last year and the year before that and the year before last year, but complaining about it won’t change anything. Well, at least it was over now and Twilight could finish the day with Morning Blaze.

“Hmm, the Summer Sun Celebration is almost over,” her teacher stated. “If you want we can get something to eat and then I’ll bring you back to the castle.”

“I’m not really hungry, thanks for the offer though. I can take care of myself you know, you don’t have to escort me all the way back to the castle.”

“Nonsense, Twilight. It’s gonna be dark soon. I don’t want you walking all by yourself at night.”

“Let’s go then.”

They walked silently for quite some time now. Sure, the little filly didn’t mind some peaceful silence at all, but somehow she felt obliged to start a conversation.

“So, Morning Blaze, how did you become a Royal Guard?”

The yellow mare’s gaze returned to the present once more, “Huh? Why do you ask?”

“I… I just want to know more about you. And I guess the princess told you everything about me, so it’s only fair.”

“Fair enough. Well… When I was younger, a bit older than you in fact, I lived on the streets. My parents passed away one year after I was born and they had no relatives that were suited to take care of a child. So the authorities took me to an orphanage, it was pretty bad there. No friends, no privacy, no fun at all. Nothing could be more fun than doing pointless tasks the whole day or sitting around doing nothing. As I got hold of my magic I finally saw the opportunity to brighten my future. I was pretty sure that they had no interests for me, after I ran away the orphanage manager did not even search for me.”

Twilight was taken aback. She hadn’t expected such a sad story. Suddenly her situation wasn’t so bad anymore. “What happened then? What did you do after you escaped?”

“I could leave out all the illegal parts, but to be honest I lived the life of a petty thief. Stealing to survive. Fighting the hunger on a daily basis. You probably aren’t aware, but the streets of Canterlot are quite the rough patch for poor ponies. At least at the time I was forced to live there. Everything that happened is so blurry now, I don’t even remember how long exactly I lived like that. Weeks, months, maybe even years. But in the end it doesn’t really matter, because there was one event that changed everything,” Morning Blaze took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. The yellow mare wasn’t even sure why she felt the need to expose such a personal detail about herself to a filly she barely knew. Maybe to cheer her up, maybe to earn her trust, who knows? Twilight would certainly not tell anyone, Blaze could feel that her little student had no harmful intentions.

“Well? Don’t leave me hanging!” the purple unicorn exclaimed.

“It was just another day in the streets of Canterlot. Luckily I had enough stolen property to survive for another day. I wanted to return to my usual sleeping place as I overheard some other poor kids talking about some kind of festival. My attention span at the time wasn’t exactly very big. So I just rushed right towards this ‘festival’ or as I saw it, a treasure chest. A party or an event would mean big crowds full of ponies and that would lead to more valuables for me to steal. As I arrived unnoticed, the event was almost over. Nonetheless, there still were tons of ‘rich’ attendants. They were all crowded in front of a big stage, with a tall, white pony on top of it. Turned out that it was the annual Summer Sun Celebration and I guess you can tell who that was on the stage.”

“You saw Princess Celestia there?”

“Indeed and what a sight it was, tall, regal and glorious. I had never seen such beauty in my short, despair filled life. After a few minutes of jostling through the thick crowd, I could finally see her even clearer. That is where the story is getting interesting. You know even as a foal I had quite observant eyes. I noticed two ponies with dark blue cloaks among the front row. At first I simply thought that they just didn’t want to draw much attention to them. These two didn’t look very trustworthy, even for my standards at the time. Then everything went down the river, they drew two very sharp looking daggers out of their pockets and started running towards the stage. I knew that the Summer Sun Celebration had not much protection, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten in without being chased by a dozen guards. So I did the single most stupid thing one ordinary pony could do, ever. I teleported in front of Celestia to save her. Don’t ask me how I managed to teleport back then, I have literally no idea. Anyways, since my younger self knew something about hoof-to-hoof combat, I actually achieved disarming one of them. In those few seconds I had the best feeling in my entire life, helping something in need, instead of harming them.”

“Did you win the fight?” Twilight was really excited now. She had to know how the story ended.

“Well, I managed to stand my ground for a whole five seconds before I got kicked into the dirt. After that I woke up in the castle’s sick room, with the princess herself waiting for my awakening. She thanked me personally for my brave actions. After they knocked me unconscious the princess took care of them. Apparently they weren’t happy about how Celestia ruled the country. After a long pause she finally asked what my name was and why I decided to throw myself in harms way like that. And honestly? I didn’t know either. The silence lasted for what felt like hours, before I finally answered, “I’m not sure. I don’t have much to live for and as I saw you in trouble, I… I just had to do something.” She knew that I meant what I just said.

Celestia placed her left forehoof on my shoulder and simply smiled. “Well, if that’s the case, let’s give you something to live for, shall we?” I was amazed, I had no words for how grateful I was. On that very day I joined the Royal Guards, to protect other ponies and to ensure safety in Equestria.

“Wow. And you really saved her?” know it was official for the stunned little filly. Morning Blaze was now the second most coolest pony she knew.

“Hah. Maybe ‘saved’ isn’t the right word for it. I bought her time at best, she would have done it without me too, I’m sure.”

“Nonetheless, you are awesome!”

It seemed like the story had the exact effect on the purple unicorn that she was aiming for. Cheering her up and easing her burden. “Enough with the praise. You’ll make me blush,” the yellow mare said, although smiling the whole time. “Let’s get you home.”

Twilight nodded and they continued their way towards the castle. The day turned out pretty good for the little filly. Now she knew she could trust Morning Blaze. Well… maybe not with everything.

Challenge

Chapter 5: Challenge

It has been almost a year since she started training with Morning Blaze. In this year she made an incredible progress in terms of magical control. During the day, the now young mare trained with her teacher to learn more about the different types of magic and during the night she trained and studied more advanced stuff with her companion. They both agreed that Twilight should call it Nadir, since calling it voice or ghost all the time was a little unnerving. She had no idea why though, it only said that Twilight wasn’t quite ready, whatever that means.

Before the lavender unicorn left for training once again, she measured herself with a quick spell. Because a few months back she had quite the significant growth spurt. Finally nopony would treat her like a little filly anymore, so she measured herself everyday imagining herself as tall as Celestia in a few years.

Since Twilight knew the basics so well, Morning Blaze and the princess agreed that she wouldn’t have to train everyday anymore. Now the lavender unicorn could finally study with Princess Celestia once again. Although only two days a week, but still better than nothing. These lessons were so much more relaxing, now that she did not need to worry about impressing her mentor with magic anymore. She could just impress her with her sheer infinite trivial knowledge now.

After about six months of hard training, learning to master both her inner magic and the energy around her, she was finally able to channel powerful spells without losing control. Since then, Twilight had developed quite the talent for darkness magic. Maybe because most of the spells she learned from Nadir were based on dark magic or maybe it was just natural talent. It was so much easier for her to utilize chaos magic rather than relying on light magic. She knew that sooner or later she had to learn how to use the energy of Maat, but that would take way longer than Celestia’s star student imagined.

Anyways the young magical scholar had better to do than reminiscing about the past year. Today would be the last training day before the weekend, on these occasions they would normally do something a bit more difficult, like learning an advanced fire spell or trying to teleport (which ended with a near heart attack and a full scale search all around Equestria last time the lavender unicorn tried it). No need to rush though, she still had over half an hour time before their scheduled training unit.

Twilight trotted calmly through the decorated hallways of Canterlot’s Castle. All kinds of ponies were already rushing past the young student to get their morning routines done. Normally their lessons wouldn’t start before noon, but on fridays and mondays her teacher’s schedule didn’t allow their lessons to be after lunch. She decided to stop at the Solarium to see if the princess was around, it was on her route anyways.

Princess Celestia always enjoyed her morning tea, well and her afternoon tea… basically every spare minute she could muster (which were quite rare), in the Solarium drinking tea or just relaxing. Besides her lessons with Twilight, those calm moments were her favorite time of the day. The tall alicorn looked up from her steaming cup of tea only to lay eyes on her not so little student which was smiling happily at her.

“Ah, good morning, Twilight. On your way to the training grounds I presume?” she asked with her usual calm and collected voice.

The lavender unicorn nodded, still a small smile on her lips, “Yes, today is the last training of the week, that means we are going to do something difficult. Isn’t that great, princess?”

Celestia couldn’t help herself but giggle at her student’s eagerness to learn, “Of course, my dear. I’m happy that you are enjoying yourself. It has been almost a year now if I remember correctly. It is unbelievable how much you have grown since last year. And now look at you, a strong mare with an incredible potential to be the best sorceress in all of Equestria. You have been improving so much in the past year. I couldn’t be prouder, Twilight.”

At this point Twilight was almost gleaming with happiness. It didn’t happen every day that she got such words of praise from her mentor. “Thank you, princess! I will keep up the good work.”

The princess looked at the watch behind her student. “When was your training supposed to begin?”

“At 9:30. Why?”

“Well, it is now 9:25. Time really flies when you are in good company.”

Twilight’s impression turned completely into the direction of near panic attack. “Oh no! I totally lost track of time. Gotta go! See you tomorrow, princess!” With that she bolted out of the room.

Celestia giggled again, “Stay the way that your are, Twilight.” Her smile suddenly vanished as she remembered why her student was training in the first place. Only a few weeks were left for her to prepare.

Morning Blaze waited idly at the training fields. She got there way too early, normally Twilight was already waiting for her. Today it had been reversed though, not that her student was late, she would never allow herself to be tardy, but it was quite unusual for her to be the first to arrive.

Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect, just as her time display spell changed minutes the lavender unicorn dashed through the gates of the training grounds.

“I’m here! I'm… here!” Twilight exclaimed while she tried to catch her breath.

“Just on time. Why were you running though?”

“Had… a conversation… with... the princess.” the lavender mare said, still panting from the physical exertion.

“Alright then. As you know, today is the last day of training again. So I thought today we could do something entirely different.”

Twilight had her breathing under control again and responded calmly, “What do you have in mind?”

“A magical duel.”

“That’s not really different. We battled like a hundred times.”

Morning Blaze let out a short hearty laughter, “Oh, Twilight. Those were no real duels. We shot weak spells at each other to break one another's shield. No, what I have in mind is quite different. We will have a real duel. It is time that you learn to use your spells in a realistic situation. Duel ends when one opponent is no longer able to fight. I will also show you some basic techniques with a sword so that you have to manage multiple threads at once.”

The lavender mare was confused, why should she learn how to fight with a blade if she had magic.

Don’t be so foolish. Learning how to properly yield a sword could prove quite useful. You should master as many combat arts as you can.

Alright if Nadir thought it would be a good idea, then she had no objections.

“Okay, but wouldn’t fighting with steel blades be dangerous?”

“No, no, no, no, you misunderstand. We won’t use ordinary swords crafted from iron and steel, no we will forge your very own unique weapon, made out of your magic.”

“A weapon made out of pure magical energy?” Now Twilight was intrigued. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have something like that. Not that she would ever need to fight with it.

Interesting. Now this is something worth my attention. Don’t worry though, I will help you form the sword.

Forming? Huh? How do I even make my magic stable enough to actually work like a blade.

I’m sure she will tell you in just a second.

“So, you are probably asking yourself how that is even possible. Well to put it simply, you are condensing the chaos magic from the air into a visible, stable form. After you succeed the first time you can do it almost instantaneously every time you want to use it.”

The lavender unicorn let her teacher’s word sink in for a moment. “Wait a minute. Why weren’t you using it when we got attacked by that strange stone golem thing?”

“You have to be able to concentrate. If you can’t focus solely on the chaos magic, the blade won’t be stable enough. Some unicorns are able to cast it even in mid-battle, but most have to create it beforehoof. It is also worth noting that practically every unicorn with enough skill can create their own unique weapon, but no weapon exists twice. Because the weapons are bound to the magical signature of the creator.”

It sounded pretty neat, even if Twilight wouldn’t admit it. Most of all it was exciting, learning something so difficult. She never backed up at a challenge. “So, how do we start?”

“Eager as always. Well, I certainly enjoy your enthusiasm. I will tell you all the steps now, but please don’t start right ahead. I want to be sure nothing happens.” Morning Blaze was sure her student would succeed. She learned to control her magic pretty good in the past year.

“First, you need to close your eyes. Then relax, let your magic flow freely through your body. Envision your weapon in your mind. You have to see it clearly. The sharpness of the blade, the colour of the handle, if it is a regular sword or something more exotic. Every little detail matters,” the yellow mare tried to make the steps as easily memorable as possible. Her student should be able to pull this of.

“Your magic has no limits. So take your time and think carefully. After you have done that, concentrate all energy you have into the imaginary weapon. These masses of magical energy will attract more chaos magic out of the air. If you feel that the weapon has enough magic you can let go of your own and let Isfet do the job for you.”

“Alright,” the lavender mare tried to memorize the steps as best as she could.

I’m ready when you are, Twilight.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

The yellow mare was confident about her student’s abilities. She trusted her to do it right and with care. “Ok, take your battle stance, Twilight. You have to steady yourself as best as you can.”

Twilight lowered herself into their usual battle stance. Steady hooves, lowered head and flank raised a bit. Yes, she was ready to impress her teacher.

She closed her eyes and allowed Nadir to unleash her magic. The air around Twilight distorted from the sheer masses of energy. Although she had to control this much energy her face was not one of fear, but one of of total calmness.

Morning Blaze wondered what her student would create with this much magic. Whatever it was going to be, the results would be groundbreaking.

The lavender mare had always been fascinated with swords. Beautifully crafted blades that could even cut through stone. Although the young unicorn wasn’t much of a fighter herself, there were more imperative things, she used to watch her brother train a lot during their childhood. She watched him and the guards train so many times, that Twilight had begun to pick up on some words. Before she could realize it, the young mare knew more about weaponry that not even the elite Solar Guards could compete with her knowledge anymore.

She knew exactly what weapon would suit her. It took form in her mind, the sharpest blade in all of Equestria, maybe even beyond.

“That looks perfect. Nadir, could you please help me focus my magic into the blade?”

Oh my, quite impressive, I must say. Give… give me a moment though. It is quite taxing to manage your amounts of energy.

It was the first time Twilight ever heard Nadir even being remotely exhausted. Hopefully everything would go right. She didn’t want to think of the consequences of losing control over her current masses of magic.

Her magic got consumed at an alarming rate. The lavender unicorn couldn’t keep this up for much longer, even she had her limits. Maybe it was enough already.

“Do you… Do you think… that’s enough?”

I think so, yes. The chaos is already gravitating towards your creation. Be confident, apprentice. If you don’t have trust in your own abilities, you can’t expect somepony else to believe in them.

Twilight cut the flow of her inner magic and Nadir sealed it away again. Although her own energy remained in her body, the lavender mare could feel other kinds of magic being drawn into the blade. It was almost finished, just a few moments more.

There it was! The spark that signaled her it had enough. She shielded herself and the blade from the chaos magic, so that the excess energy would disperse into thin air. After a few moments Twilight heard a loud sound similar to an explosion. It was also getting warmer around her, so she decided it would be best to open her eyes.

The picture before her was terrifying. With shock she looked upon the training fields, they looked like some intense earthquake had devastated all of them. Even the closest walls of the castle took some minor damage. Morning Blaze could be seen several meters away from her original position, groaning in pain.

Without thinking twice Twilight ran over to help her teacher get back on her hooves. “Blaze, Is everything alright?”

“Ugh. I think so, but holy Celestia, that was some explosion. The magical shockwave even broke the anti-magic field, which was pretty much impossible beforehoof. Well, I thought so at least.”

Morning looked around the damages until her eyes spotted the presumable cause of this. Her mouth fell open as she saw what her student had created.

Still hovering above the ground was Twilight’s masterpiece. The almost two metre long blade was pitch black, seemingly absorbing the light, its razor sharp single-edged side ending in a slight curve. Not curved enough to count into the group of the machetes, but not straight enough to categorize as a saber. It had more similarities with a cutlass although their extreme length differences. However it had a golden crossguard adorned with deep black pulsating gemstones, compared to the cupped handguard of a normal saber. It was terrifying to even look at it, but fight with this monstrosity of a sword would truly be a challenge worthy for Celestia’s star student. Morning Blaze couldn’t show her concerns though, she had a reputation to uphold.

“You made this?!” the yellow mare was absolutely speechless. Never in her life had she seen such expertly crafted sword. This was true beauty.

Twilight nodded, apparently in amazement. She couldn’t believe that she created something so beautiful. The young unicorn grasped it in her magic and rotated it slowly. Taking a close look upon her work. Inspecting every detail, the cut of the blade, the gems on the guard, everything was perfect.

Suddenly her magic wavered and faded. With the grasp of her magic gone the blade sunk into the ground like through butter, despite the rather hard ground around the training areas.

The young student was caught by her teacher before she could land on the ground.

“Twilight! Are you okay?” Morning Blaze was always on guard. She couldn’t let herself get distracted during work. Especially when her work was teaching a unicorn like Twilight.

“Y-yes… yes, just a bit... tired. Give me a minute.”

“I understand. After this spell even most adults fall unconscious for a few hours, that you were able to stand was a miracle by itself.”

“I… guess so.”

“You know most unicorns name their blade. We all are bound to this weapon after all,” the yellow mare explained.

“What is your weapon called?” Twilight asked curious. She already had a name in mind for her blade, but first she wanted to hear it from Morning Blaze.

“It is called Dawnbreaker. After you had a little rest, I will show it to you. Then the real fun begins.”

“Hmm, I think I have something in mind.”

“Well?” now Blaze was curious. What name could such a blade have.

“Yoru.”

“Hmm, good choice. Very well, so it shall be, Yoru, the black sword,” her teacher couldn’t have been prouder. Twilight proved that she was more than capable of handling her magic now. Now their lessons could finally begin to pick up the pace.

Twilight’s eyes grew heavy, crafting that masterpiece of a sword was more exhausting than she had expected. Only one,tiny, little nap wouldn’t hurt at the slightest right now. She drifted off into the realm of sleep faster than her teacher could say another word.

Wake up, Twilight! Sleeping won’t get you anywhere.

The sleepy student bolted upright as she awoke from her more-than-a-little-nap.

“He he. Look who’s awake. I take it your little nap was refreshing and you are ready to start?”

“Huh, what? Start…” the lavender unicorn shook her head violently to banish the drowsiness out of her mind. “Ah, yes! The duel. Of course I’m ready.”

“Good, you’ll need the energy. I will teleport us to the field below Canterlot as per usual. Take my forehoof.” She extended her left forehoof and readied the spell.

A second later they stood in the calm, empty fields below Equestria’s capital. Good thing Morning Blaze knew so much about earth magic. Without her fixing the mess they were making frequently, the place would look like a barren wasteland by now.

“Before we duel I want to show you some basic stances. Only a few, so don’t worry.” It was true, she showed the basic rules of sword fighting, not that Twilight hadn’t seen them before, but it was good to learn it with her own sword. How to hold the blade in a neutral stance, how to block different kinds of attacks and when were the best times to counterattack. She wanted to surprise Blaze how much she already knew, but that would have to wait until the duel.

After around two hours of training, the yellow mare finally stated, “Okay, I think we are ready, Twilight. You now know the basics, so let me explain some rules first.”

Twilight focused solely on her teacher. She knew Morning Blaze wasn’t a pony in love with rules, despite being a captain of the guards, but that was no wonder taking her childhood into account. It didn’t happen often that the yellow mare made explicit rules, but when it happened Twilight could be sure that they were important.

“No toxic chaos spells. I don’t want any of us landing in the hospital because of an accident again. Also no higher tier darkness magic. I know that you are quite the expert in that matter, but trust me, it’s not safe even with additional protection.”

The lavender mare had expected something like that. They both landed in the Castle’s sick room because of that stupid floating poison cloud. “Alright.”

“Since we are fighting with real blades and spells each of us will get an Arcanum pendant. You know how to use them.”

They were quite useful for training with dangerous spells. Basically, it was a total protection barrier around the body. As long as the unicorn gave the necklace magic nothing could harm the user. It came with a catch though, the spell drained more power the stronger the deflected attack was, either physical or magical. Normal unicorn could easily run out of magic when using the pendant during a fight.

Twilight nodded in agreement.

Her teacher gave her the pendant and continued, “Well then. First who runs out of magic loses. Everything is allowed except the few spells I mentioned earlier.”

The lavender mare lowered herself in their usual battle stance and drew her new weapon of choice. “Three.”

Morning Blaze did the same and drew her weapon as well. A classic rapier imbued with fire magic. Twilight could tell because the whole thing was burning like a raging inferno. Typical for her teacher. The cupped hoofguard was heavily decorated with all kinds of sparkling gems.

“Two.”

Twilight had to be careful, her sword may have the length advantage, but her teacher would definitely outmatch her blade in terms of speed.

“One.”

Hell broke loose after the countdown ended. Morning Blaze cut straight to the chase by teleporting right in front of her pupil and sent her flying with a strong punch. Although the blades and spells weren’t able to penetrate the barrier, but a kick right into the chest did certainly hurt.

She got up just in time to block Morning’s incoming thrust with the crossguard of her blade. Her teacher withdrew her own weapon and readied another strike. Luckily Twilight saw it coming and intercepted the attack with her much larger blade. They stood in a deadlock for a few moments, just enough time to look each other in the eyes.

Morning Blaze grinned and said, “Not bad, but you have to do better than that.”

“You have seen nothing.”

The lavender unicorn ended the deadlock with a sudden kick into her teacher’s abdomen. It caught her off guard and she reeled back. Taking the opportunity, Twilight formed three void spears and sent them after Blaze. Certainly not strong enough the win the battle in her favor, but they could reward her with another opening for an attack.

As expected, Morning simply rolled to the left to dodge the pitch-black missiles. Her turn again, she teleported roughly fifty meters behind Twilight and broke a humongous chunk of dirt out of the earth, compressing it to a medium-sized diamond hard stone. She hurled it at her student with near supersonic speed propelling the boulder with wind magic.

Not a second too late the inexperienced mare turned around to see the fast approaching rock. That would certainly cost her quite the amount of magic if it hit her. She had to think fast though, but dodging in time was impossible and a spell was to slow either. Twilight cursed herself again for not being able to teleport on her own.

You own the presumably sharpest blade in all of Equestria. Use it!

She held her blade ready to strike. It had to work, otherwise the fight would be over before it even started.

Fifty meters… twenty… ten… now!

Her sword sailed towards the stone, seemingly cutting the air while doing so. The vertical strike slashed through the boulder nearly effortless. Cutting it into two pieces that hit the ground behind the shocked mare creating an impressively big crater as they impacted.

Morning looked quite stunned herself. She hadn’t expected that her student’s blade itself and her skills in using it were so advanced. That didn’t matter though, she couldn’t lose against a student. Blaze just had to try harder then.

Good, that’s it, apprentice. Have faith in your own abilities, then you can surpass your limits.

Twilight stood at the same position, nearly motionless waiting for another attack. Her teacher had the huge advantage of teleportation, so reacting to her movements was a lot harder.

She looked at the spot Blaze stood just a moment before, only to see nothing but loose dirt. Slight panic began to creep into her mind, she had to spot her and she had to do it fast. Otherwise it would mean the shame of losing.

Her teacher was right behind her again, the lavender mare’s inexperience started to become apparent. Blaze quickly realized that ordinary combinations of low level chaos magic wouldn’t work. She had to try more complex spell builds to play around Twilight’s superior weapon.

The motto this time was the more, the better. Her book-loving student couldn’t possibly dodge a dozen magical projectiles at once.

Not even ten seconds had passed since her last teleport, but the yellow mare had to win, no matter the cost. She fired half a dozen of flaming magical missiles towards Twilight while simultaneously readying her weapon for another barrage of strikes.

The lavender mare reacted a little bit too fast for her taste by rolling to the right, evading the first three projectiles. Twilight had to back up though, nopony could keep an eye on absolutely everything. It proved to be the right thing, because just as she stepped back the sharp blade of her teacher came rushing towards her, through the swarm of missiles.

Blocking strikes from an experienced fighter like Morning Blaze was by no means an easy task. Her teacher barely made any mistakes, no errors to exploit, no time for an opening. She had to retreat constantly now in order to keep up with her teacher. That was a grave mistake, with her focus being solely on Blaze she didn’t notice the other three projectiles that came rushing towards her back.

Twilight’s concentration broke as the unexpected missiles impacted, the knockback pushed her into Morning Blaze. Which greeted her with a hard punch right to the face. The injured student hit the ground several metres away from her opponent. Her jaw felt like it was dislodged or something, despite the barrier being intact.

While trying to get back up, she tried to get advice from her not-so-physical teacher.

“Horseapples! Why is she so fast?”

Years of experience, I guess.

“Any idea how to gain an upper hoof?”

She has three big advantages. Her speed with the blade, the variety of spells and the ability to use Arkus magic.

“You mean her teleport right? But how am I gonna get past all of this?”

You could either destroy her rapier to rule out the first one or you snap off her horn to eliminate the other two. But due to your aversion to harm her and the protection barrier I suggest the former.

“Is it possible to destroy a magical weapon?”

Why shouldn’t it be? Every weapon can be destroyed, just focus your strikes on the blade itself not on her, you have the sharper sword after all. If you actually manage to break it you will have a big advantage, it will cost her time and quite the amount of magic to reform it.

“Thank you, Nadir.”

Anytime.

The good news for Blaze was that her plan worked really well. Twilight probably lost a hefty amount of energy. The bad news however were that her opponent was standing once more and had an unfamiliar fire in her eyes.

Her student’s attacks started right away. Blaze parried the first few, but it got more and more difficult. Twilight’s blows were harder than before. As she deflected another strike, the lavender unicorn’s blade cut through the ground leaving a deep scar in the dirt.

Morning Blaze gulped slightly. She had to be extra careful, one hit from Yoru and she would be done for.

Twilight let out another battle cry as she swung her black blade over her head towards Blaze’s. This time over the yellow mare’s straight rapier didn’t deflect the strike. The lavender unicorn had broken Morning’s trusty old weapon into dozens of quickly dissolving pieces.

Blaze needed a moment to realize what just happened. It was one rare occasion where she got genuinely angry, “What the hay?! It was supposed to be a duel, not a fight for life and death! Do you even know how much magic it costs to reform a broken magical weapon?!”

The slightly amused mare pointed her sword at Morning Blaze and replied, “I thought you liked a challenge.”

Morning was panting slightly. She was on her last reserves and Twilight could see it perfectly well, “Very… funny.

“Let’s wrap this up, shall we?” Maybe provoking her opponent wasn’t such a good idea, but it just felt great having the upper-hoof.

"Hmm, my energy should suffice for another teleport plus spell. If I miss, it’s over, but what other choice do I have?" Morning Blaze thought to herself. It felt kinda ridiculous losing only because her student had a better weapon. She won fights that were not in her favor in the past, why shouldn’t she at least try now?

Her teacher teleported to Twilight’s right side to use a different tactic. A spell that her sword could certainly not block. She inhaled deeply, only to exhale a giant stream of fire heading straight towards the lavender unicorn. Her student was already looking towards her, she must have heard the fire then. Blaze cracked a smile, the fight would be over in a few moments. The fire didn’t come cheap though, it had to hit otherwise she would have a problem.

Suddenly Twilight’s blade gained an even deeper black hue. She had a devilish smile on her face. “By Celestia, why was she not in panic?!” Blaze asked nopony in particular.

The answer came as her student slashed horizontally through the air, unleashing a powerful dark shockwave from the tip of her blade, splitting her fire with ease and sending her flying several meters backwards.

She had to get up fast, but Blaze could hardly move. Even using her mouth become impossible, now it would get really dangerous. Hopefully Twilight won’t use her sword for the last attack. It could finish me off for good and I don’t plan on dying here.

I’ll teleport you in front of her. Give her the final blow.

Twilight had to admit that it was so much more exhilarating to fight for real than studying in her tower, but it was also infinitely more exhausting than just reading in the library. She was no real fighter, she knew her place was not on a battlefield, but in the halls of knowledge becoming the greatest sorceress there ever was.

Using the momentum from the teleport she swung her sword diagonally through the chest of her mentor. Blaze’s mouth opened to let out a cry, but no sound escaped it. Wordlessly she fell onto the ground. It was over.

“I am sorry, Princess Celestia.” Blaze sighed, her last words, she was dying from the hooves of her own student.

Twilight did it, she had actually won!

The victorious mare dispersed her sword and relaxed for a few seconds. After a while she noticed something amiss. Morning Blaze hadn’t moved nor talked for quite some time. She looked down only to jump backwards in shock. The barrier was destroyed, her teacher was laying in a pool of her own blood. Eyes closed and unmoving. A deep gash ran along her chest, exactly where her sword hit her.

No, no… it was impossible, her sword couldn’t destroy a magical barrier, right?

The injury of Morning Blaze begged to differ. The blood was rapidly staining her own and Twilight’s coat. Colour was quickly fading from her body.

“No, please. Morning, get up! Please!” Twilight shook her mentor and friend violently. Two streaks of tears wetting her face and the ground below her. That couldn’t be, she wouldn’t lose a friend like that. Not because of her.

It seems your sword is even stronger than I thought.

Twilight was shocked not by the words itself, but by the complete lack of even the tiniest emotion in them. “How can you be so calm?! Morning Blaze is dying!”

Hmm? Ah, yes, she certainly is in quite the bad state. But you forget that she is also a guard, she is always linked with Celestia and if this connection is severed, it can only mean they are in danger. I’m sure a rescue team is already on the way.

She didn’t even reacted to that statement. How could she? Not while holding the still bleeding body of her friend in her own hooves. It was all too much for her. If she really died it, would mean the she was a murderer. She would be banished, she would lose the status as the princess’ pupil, she would lose everything.

Then the world faded around her...

Eternal

Chapter 6: Eternal

Every time Twilight woke up in a sick room or anything similar, she wished her life would be like before she started learning about combat magic. The bad days trapped in a white room definitely outweighed the good days she had with Morning Blaze this year.

The lavender mare groaned as she tried to lift her chest. Everything hurt, like she just participated in an Iron Pony triathlon or something. It took a bit of effort, but Twilight finally managed to sit upright in the bed. She noticed that this wasn’t the usual boring sick room in the castle, instead it was a much larger, but equally boring hall, full of different ponies.

Her apparent pain caused a nearby nurse to notice their young patient’s awakening.

“Now, now, Miss Sparkle. Please lay down again, you aren’t ready to leave just yet.”

It took Twilight a moment to realize what the nurse said and complied, “Where am I?”

“Ah, yes, you probably only know the castle’s sick room. Well this Canterlot’s main hospital. You got here yesterday evening after you fainted near a very injured captain of the guards.”

Instantly the purple haired student became alert again, “Morning Blaze! How is she?!”

“Hmm, you know her then. We assumed that she saved you from a monster or something similar,” the nurse looked slightly worried before she continued. “To answer your question, well, not good actually. She lost a lot of blood before a patrol of the Solar Guards found you two.”

Twilight’s heart shattered as she heard in what state her teacher was in. Just because of her inexperience. She should have known that Blaze was at her limit, but on the other hoof Nadir told her to finish Morning off.

What a good way to start the day, don’t you think? Here I am, pleasantly surprised that you not only survived, but actually won a fight against one of Celestia’s strongest subordinates. And you greet me with an unjustified accusation.

Well, you told me to finish the duel. Maybe I would have decided otherwise.

Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t say you need to use the sword, you could have just punched her into the dirt to win the fight. I can’t be blamed for your unrestrained actions.

It was true and she knew it, “I’m sorry for accusing you. It’s just… I am worried that I could hurt somepony I care about again.”

Hmm, apology accepted. We know that you are worried, but look on the bright side, she survived and it’s almost Summer Sun Celebration again.

Oh yes, you’re right.

For Twilight this year’s Summer Sun Celebration was quite special. Princess Celestia had chosen her to overlook the organization to ensure nothing goes wrong.

Meanwhile the nurse treated some of her minor cuts. The lavender unicorn noticed some similarities to a certain other nurse in Canterlot, “Might I ask if we know each other?”

The mare looked up and lifted her forehoof to her chin, “No, not that I recall. Maybe you know my sister Tender Care. She works at the castle’s aid room. I’m Soft Care by the way, nice to meet you.”

“Of course, now I see the similarities. Well nice to meet you too, you already know my name, but I’m Twilight Sparkle,” after finishing the introduction, Twilight got curious. “Was anyone here when I was asleep?”

“Your parents and the princess. The three of them were pretty worried, since they heard what we found. The princess said you should come to her chamber if you feel well enough. Since you only have minor cuts and scratches I don’t see why not.”

“Any specific reason why I should come?” Twilight started to get worried again, last time was already ground breaking for her. She feared what it would be now.

“No, I don’t think she mentioned anything, but don’t worry, she probably just wants to know what happened.”

“Well if you say so. Can I visit Morning Blaze before I go?”

“I’m afraid not, she still is being treated by our doctors in the intensive care unit of the hospital. We will let you know when she is awake.”

“Okay, goodbye then. It was nice to meet you.”

“Take care of yourself, Miss Sparkle.”

An hour later Twilight finally arrived at the Castle. It had taken her over forty minutes to get out of the hospital. She had to sign tons of documents first, it was awful.

Once again the lavender mare stood at the doors of the princess’ private chambers. She hadn’t been there for quite some time, well nearly a year to be exact.

She knocked briefly before entering the room of her mentor. Everything was exactly like last time, the clean marble floor, the cozy atmosphere and the fireplace casting a warm glow into the dimly lit room.

“Princess?” Twilight asked carefully.

Celestia sat in her usual large seat bag near the crackling fire. She turned her head to look at her guest. “Good to see you, my faithful student. I wasn’t expecting you here so soon.”

“Well, it wasn’t anything severe, so the doctors said it was okay.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now, I am sure you want to know why I summoned you,” the princess paused to wait her student’s answer. After she got a short nod, she continued, “I want you to report what exactly happened in the fields below Canterlot yesterday.”

It was not entirely a surprise for Twilight, she even sort-of expected it, “O-okay. Well… since yesterday was the last training of the week, Morning had something special planned for me. She said that we would duel against each other.”

Celestia tried to piece the puzzle back together for a moment, but she had too little information right now, “What kind of duel exactly? She does not always inform me about her plans.”

“A real magic duel. For the sake of protection we both got an Arcanum pendant. Before we started Morning Blaze wanted me to forge my own blade, so that I would have to focus on two things at once in a real scenario.”

“You surely mean a steel blade, right? She wouldn’t let you work with top tier chaos magic for an energy blade.”

“Ehhehe, funny that you mention it, that was kinda the exact thing she taught me.”

The Ruler of the Sun couldn’t believe what she just heard. Even though time was running out, that would not justify the risk of a failed blade spell. The unleashed energy would have been enough to kill her faithful student ten times over. She had to have a serious talk with her longtime friend...well if she survives so to speak.

Princess Celestia quickly regained her composure, her student mustn't know what was going on behind the scenes, it was for the best. “I hope you know how lucky you were to survive a spell like this.”

“Well it worked pretty good actually. Do you want to see it before I continue?”

“What? You succeeded?” That couldn’t be... even most unicorn guards fail at such an advanced spell and her young student said, ‘It worked pretty well?’

“Is something wrong, princess?” the lavender mare was slightly confused.

“No, everything’s alright. Now, you wanted to show me your… creation?”

The technique came natural to her. She just called the sword in her mind, added a bit of energy and voila, it appeared.

Celestia’s eyes went wide at the sheer expertise the blade was crafted with. The stable chaos magic almost looked solid, well for something that is made completely out of pure magical energy, “It certainly is very well made. Do you have a name for it yet?”

Twilight nodded and said, “Yes, its name is Yoru.” She dissolved it after that and continued with her report. “Well, the fight began the same way it ended, chaotic. Morning did not show any mercy, it is really difficult to explain if you were not there.”

The princess paced around the room as she listened to what her student said, “Hmm... if you would allow, I could look into your memories directly. Of course I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t important.”

“Wouldn’t that… you know leave scars?”

“No, if I have your agreement it should be perfectly safe.”

Nadir?

Yes? What do you need?

If she sees my memories, will she see me talking with you?

I can hide those specific parts, then she shouldn’t.

“Well okay princess, I trust you.”

As she agreed the tall demi-goddess got closer to her and hovered her horn over the younger mares forehead, “Good, then just relax. It should take only a few minutes.”

After a few minutes the Princess of the Sun took a few steps back. Worry and sadness were written deeply into her face. She understood why it was so hard to explain for her book-loving student.

Her attention shifted to the now crying lavender unicorn sitting on the floor. Celestia trotted over to her student and gave her a soothing hug.

“Shhh. Everything will be alright again, my faithful student. It must have been hard for you too. You just wanted to prove yourself, we pushed you too hard and I am truly sorry for that.”

Twilight’s breaths became more and more frantic between her sobs of sadness, “B-b-but what i-if she dies, ju-u-ust because o-of me?”

“Oh, don’t you worry. She is a strong mare. She’s had worse, I can assure you. But you are right, it was close this time. We should stop your lessons with her for a while, at least until she has fully recovered.”

The lavender mare managed to steady her breathing and answered a bit less angsty, “I-I understand. I hope she knows that I didn’t want to hurt her intentionally.”

“I have known her for quite some time and she isn’t really the pony to hold a grudge. After she wakes up I will inform her personally about your apology. I’m sure she will forgive you quickly.”

Their hug ended and Twilight could reply visibly relieved this time, “Thank you princess. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I think I have a pretty good idea. So, the second thing I wanted to regard is, if you are still willing to overlook the organization of the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville.”

“Of course, Princess Celestia. It’s true that a lot has happened lately, but I won’t let you down regardless.”

“That is good to hear. I believe this concludes our conversation here, I’m sure you have a lot to do for the festival next week,” Celestia stated smiling. She knew work was the exact thing her student would need right now. After she had seen the fight between Morning Blaze and Twilight, the white alicorn was certain her student was ready to face the dangers lying ahead.

It’s almost time, apprentice.

“I hope we can talk to the princess later, I just want to get back to Canterlot, because all ponies in this town are CRAZY!” Twilight had enough of all those overly friendly ponies. She had enough of the surprise parties, enough apple-related food for months, enough of the ridiculously timid and the pegasi with the ego of a dragon and enough of this silly boutique pony. In short, she just wanted to go home.

“Oh come, Twilight. You should really try to loosen up. This could be a great way of making friends, just like the princess told you,” Spike said in an accusing manner. He knew that she would listen if the little dragon would mention Celestia.

“I don’t need friends, Spike. My only job was to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. And. nothing. more. Besides, this isn’t our most important mission.”

He rolled his eyes. Spike knew exactly what Twilight meant. Ever since she started to read this old ‘fairy tale book’ the lavender mare was absolutely obsessed over it. He still had no idea where she even got it from, he knew all the books in their little library and that one was certainly not in it. “Oh please, Twilight. Please tell me that you aren’t talking about this old mare’s tale again.”

“What else would I be talking about? This demon, spirit, whatever, the Mare in the Moon could bring eternal night over all of Equestria. We can’t let that happen.”

“If she even exists,” the little dragon said sarcastically. “Why don’t we go back to the party? This pink pony seemed to be pretty funny.”

“No, firstly the sun will rise in half an hour and I don’t want to miss that and secondly, don’t make me think about those ponies again.”

Thirty minutes later the whole town hall was crowded with local residents. The mayor with the convenient name ‘Mayor Mare’ was standing on top of the stage, apparently to welcome the ponies and introduce the princess.

As Twilight looked out of the window, she saw the predicted stars align with the moon and the twisted face of a unicorn vanished from it. The lavender mare gulped, this was exactly like the prophecy said it would happen. Time was running out.

Her focus shifted again to the mayor beginning her speech, “Thank you for coming today. It is my great honour to welcome none other than, Princess Celestia!”

As nothing happened for a few seconds she tried again, “Ahem,... to welcome none other than Princess Celestia!”

The pony named Rarity stood on top of the balcony where the princess was supposed to be. “She’s gone!”

Maniacal laughter suddenly filled the hall, everything went darker than it already was. Blue smoke was forming on the now empty stage. The crowd was visibly confused and unsettled, where was their beloved princess and what was going on. The smoke solidified into a terrifying looking alicorn. Blue armor, enormous bat-like wings and a grin between her razor-sharp teeth.

“Residents of Ponyville, your true leader is here to reign again!” she broke out in her insane laughter again.

The polychrome haired pegasus had to be held back by her country, earth pony friend. “Who the heck are you even?!”

“Rainbow Dash! Ah don’t think that’s the right approach, sugarcube.”

“Seize her!” Mayor Mare shouted to the Solar Guards. Before they could even reach her they got hit by two, dark blue lightning strikes, sending them flying into the opposite end of the room. Neither of them rose back up again, blood began to seep out of their armor. The origin of them was the tall alicorn standing in the middle of the room.

“A thousand years gone and none of my subjects remembers me? I guess I have to teach you then.”

It was true! Why couldn’t she be wrong? Of all the times, fate decided to make her crazy assumptions true now. “You… You are Nightmare Moon!”

“At least somepony remembers. Well then, say goodbye to your precious sun, because this was the last time you saw it!” After that she turned into blue smoke again and flew out of the window. Rainbow Dash, finally able to free herself from the grasp of her friend, tried to follow her, to no avail.

Simultaneously Twilight darted out of the Town hall. She had to find some answers, but at this sight the lavender mare simply stopped for a moment. The sun and moon were at the same height in the sky, seemingly trying to get control. The whole sky was only dimly lit, not exactly dark, but not quite sunny either.

“Nadir? Are you there?”

No answer came as she ran towards the Golden Oak Library with a baby dragon on her back. The lavender mare had noticed her companion's voice being even more quiet than usual and now when she truly needed it, Nadir was nowhere to be found.

As Twilight entered the tree she was tackled by this strange Rainbow Dash. The impact threw Spike off her back and pinned herself under the blue pegasus. “Talk! What do you know? Are you a spy for Nightmare Moon?”

The issue was quickly resolved by a strong telekinetic push that catapulted the rash pegasus into the nearest wall. “Ouch. You could’ve really hurt me.”

“I was not the one attacking and accusing a random pony in her own house, was I? And don’t be ridiculous, why would I work for Nightmare Moon? I like the sun, you know?”

“Ah’m sorry for our, ahem, bold friend. She’s jest confused, like all of us, but ya’ll seemed to know at least somethin’ ‘bout this dark pony thingy,” the farm pony apologized, at least she appeared to be reasonable.

The hyperactive Pinkie Pie bounced through the room and chimed in, “Yeah, it’s not like we want night for like forever. Because then we couldn’t throw sunrise parties or sunset parties and that would be super awful.”

“Well okay, her name is Nightmare Moon, a bad pony imprisoned in the moon for unknown reasons, but she was most likely a dangerous criminal. The only known way to defeat her, are the Elements of Harmony.”

Rainbow Dash had enough of this magic mumbo-jumbo, “Could you at least try to make sense? Elements of Harmony, what the hay is that supposed to be?!”

“You’re really getting on my nerves, you know that? If you’d just be quiet, I would explain it,” She didn’t know why anypony liked having annoying friends around all the time. As the rash pegasus continued to glare at her, she explained further, “The Elements of Harmony are powerful magical artifacts, with the power to cleanse even the most corrupted pony from dark magic.”

“Uhm, I… just… umm, how do we… find them?” the yellow pegasus whispered at near inaudible levels.

“We could—” Twilight started, but got interrupted by her oh-so-well-known friend.

The Castle of the two Sisters in the Everfree forest...

“We could look at the old castle in the middle of the Everfree forest.”

“Not that we do not trust you, darling. But why there exactly? The Everfree forest isn’t exactly the safest place to be,” the fashion designer named Rarity replied.

“I can go alone if you don’t want to come with me.”

“No, Twilight. I will come with you!”

“Spike, no. You will stay at the library. I can’t risk that something bad happens to you and that is my final answer.”

“B-but,” Spike was deeply worried about his friend.

“No buts, you can guard the library for me, but nothing more. You know I just want the best for you, right?”

“Yes, Twilight…”

The lavender unicorn was determined, she would make Celestia proud and save the day, literally, “Good. Now, are you five in on this or not?”

Applejack tilted her stetson slightly forwards and spoke up, “Ah don’t like this, Twilight. This forest just ain’t natural, but we consider ourselves as your friends, if you go, we’ll follow.” The farm pony gained an agreeing nod from the rest of her friends.

“Then there is no time to lose.”

These ponies were right, this forest was dangerous. They encountered a whole bunch of terrifying monsters, like this manticore or the giant water serpent. It certainly didn’t help that Nightmare Moon set up some nasty traps, but that couldn’t be it, right? Twilight had read about the mare in the moon, she was known for her brutality and insanity. Why would she be satisfied with tricking Rainbow Dash, making a manticore angry or simply scaring them?

Since the lavender student didn’t want her ‘friends’ to see her ace in the hole, she had to rely on more conventional magic. A quick chaotic push here, a simple freezing spell there, nothing too complicated, Twilight did not intend nor had the nerves to explain higher magic to this group.

As the group neared their destination, the timid pegasus voiced her concerns, “Umm; Twilight? I know you are the magic expert, but do you really have… to freeze all those woodlands creatures? I-I know they were dangerous, but I don’t think that was right?”

It was really unnerving to talk with them, but maybe the pegasus was right this time, “Well, I guess I overdid it, but I didn’t kill them if you wanted to imply that, I would never hurt an animal for no reason. They will thaw in a few hours or something, then they will be perfectly fine.”

That relieved Fluttershy a little, “Okay, let’s continue.”

Finally the old castle came into view, they all fought through the horrors of the Everfree forest together. Maybe having friends was not so bad after all, just maybe.

As the group entered the ancient ruins of this former castle, they laid their eyes upon the exact thing they were looking for, in the most inconvenient position they could have asked for. Nightmare Moon sat lazily on her makeshift throne made out of what appeared to be pure darkness and shifted the Elements of Harmony slowly in between her magical hair strings.

The wicked mare grinned as the six ponies entered, finally things got a little more interesting, “Well, well, well, look who made it through the forest and my traps. It is wonderful to see all of you! I have to say that you mildly impressed me. Now, which one of you want to be my first playmate?” She broke out into a madly laughing fit as the other time before.

That was it! The light blue pegasus could ignore simple insults, but now this criminal was offending her friends as well, “That’s it! I will shove your sick games so deep down your own throat that you will wish to be back on the Celestia forsaken moon!”

Before any of her friend could stop her, she raced toward the wicked alicorn, which only laughed in return. As she readied her hind legs for a flying kick, Rainbow Dash felt herself unable to move all of a sudden, encased in a royal blue magic she said, “What the hay is going on? I can’t move!”

Nightmare Moon spoke again much more serious, but still with her maniacal grin, “Ah, I see you are not a pony of many words. Do you have a death wish? Do you want to die, little pegasus? Hehehe… I am not the one to deny my subjects a simple request.”

Only fractions of a second later Rainbow Dash screamed like her very soul was tearing apart. The blue demi-goddess stood before her, a two metre long, deep blue, glowing, straight sword impaling the light blue pegasus besides her. Blood started to ooze on the sides of her injury, her screams died down as life slowly drained from her body, still wrapped in Nightmare Moon’s magic. As the alicorn felt this it was enough she release the limp body of Rainbow Dash, only to kick it back to her friends. The power behind her physical attacks was ridiculous as far as Twilight could tell, the demi-goddess only lightly hit her friend, but it was enough to smash her into the wall far behind them with a sickening crunch.

The first to react was the shy pegasus, “RAINBOW DASH! NO!” She flew back quickly to feel if her childhood friend still had a pulse. She feared the worst, tears already staining the pegasus’ coat. For a good five seconds nothing happened, but then there it was! It was weak… maybe too weak, but her friend was alive!

Twilight watched Fluttershy treating Rainbow Dash’s wounds as best as possible. Apparently the timid pegasus also had medical training. That would mean nopony under her command died so far, not that she would mourn for them forever, she barely knew this group, but regardless of that, she wouldn’t simply allow anypony to harm others. Celestia taught her the importance of logic and Morning Blaze let her read through all books on combat tactics the school for royal guards had to offer. Nothing would get in her way, she was Celestia’s protege, she was Twilight Sparkle, the future’s best sorceress there will ever be, and she was Twilight Sparkle, master tactician!

“Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, you will escort Rainbow Dash back to Ponyville. I can’t let you all die here,” Twilight said determined.

The white seamstress protested, “What about you, darling? You can’t seriously think that you can defeat her all own your own.”

“Rarity’s right, sugarcube. It’s true that, Dash needs us, but if we don’t stop Nightmare Moon, she won’t be the last victim,” Applejack agreed.

The lavender unicorn smiled lightly as she drew her ace, Yoru. “Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve got a few tricks myself. I’ll join you after this is over.”

Pinkie Pie nervously bounced over to Rainbow Dash, who was still unconscious, but luckily stopped bleeding, “Please be super careful okay? This big old grumpy pants over there won’t be fun to deal with at all!”

Before they all left Rarity wanted to say one last thing to her, “I know how strong you must be, Twilight. I may be a fashion designer, but I can tell that your strange blade consists of tons of magical energy. We have our trust in you. Please, come back to us safely.”

Twilight didn’t answer, she knew she would survive and win this. The lavender mare pointed the tip of her blade at her opponent.

“Now, you are playing serious, eh? Costed me quite some time and the near death of your little friend to draw you out. Who will win, the immortal alicorn with her blade born from darkness, Nightcaller or the Voidwalker student with her black sword, Yoru?”

The notorious unicorn gained an unsure expression, “How do you know the name of my blade?”

“Oh? You don’t recognize me? Would it be better if I talk to you-”

-like this?

Insane laughter filled her mind. This can’t be.

“You… you are Nadir?! B-b-but I thought… I…”

Nightmare Moon continued to laugh before explaining any further, “Oh my dear, Twilight. It surprises me that you haven’t noticed until now. Well, maybe because I’m nearly a millennia older than you, but that is just a guess.”

“All those years… all those years you’ve spent with me, just to betray me now? Why, Nadir, Nightmare Moon… argh!”

“Hmm? Oh, you seem to misunderstand, that whole show was just to convince your friends to leave. This blue pegasus would’ve been dead minutes ago if I meant it seriously. I just want to talk to my little apprentice.”

“Nearly killing Rainbow Dash was just a show?! You are insane, you know that?” Twilight couldn’t believe it all those years she shared a mind with an insane alicorn.

“Insane? Hehe, I do try. After A THOUSAND YEARS on the moon, you tend to get a bit bored. Maybe you will understand after I tell you the truth about the history of Equestria and your mentor.”

“Celestia? What could you possibly know about Celestia? And don’t try any weird tricks! I’ll listen to you and then I will decide if I believe you.”

“Very well,” after a short flash of her horn, a second chair out of darkness appeared in front of her. “Have a seat, Twilight. It is a rather complicated story and we don’t want you getting uncomfortable, right?”

“That is already the case since we entered this damn forest and I’d rather not let my guard down right now. So let’s cut to the chase and start already.”

Betrayal

Chapter 7: Betrayal

Nightmare Moon looked at her apprentice, slightly amused, her reactions were just too good, “My, my, such impatience.” As a sign of peace she dispersed her dark sword. “Is this enough to show you that I don’t have any reason to fight you? If I wanted you all dead you would have been minutes ago.”

“Yes, very reassuring,” she didn’t trust her old ‘companion’, but the lavender mare could at least sit down she figured.

“Good, then let me start at the beginning. Maybe some of it sounds unbelievable, but it’s all true. Me and Celestia are blood related, not only that, but we are actually sisters,” the blue demi-goddess waited for Twilight’s reaction, but she didn’t even flinch. “Hmm? No emotional outburst? You are not immediately accusing me of lying?”

“What? Do you think I am still a little filly? You should know me better than that. I am gonna listen to the whole story first, then I will decide.”

The alicorn continued without much interruption, “Before I was imprisoned in the moon, Celestia and myself ruled over the land, together. We both had equal rights over the kingdom of Arcania, that’s how Equestria was called a thousand years ago, but I’m sure you already knew that. But did you also know that Day and Night weren’t actually separated at those times? Both sun and moon shone throughout the entire cycle. I was called Luna back then, but my subjects called me Nightmare Moon after my imprisonment. Those were the happier times.”

Twilight listened closely all the time, some things really did make sense, but other were rather… unbelievable. Nightmare Moon, related to Celestia?

“Celestia was always the pony for the crowd. She liked the spotlight more than anything. That was not my cup of tea, I liked being by myself, the peace and privacy were soothing to me. I didn’t mind getting less attention from our subjects, but one day my dearest sister overstepped her boundaries. She convinced our old mentor, Starswirl the Bearded, to help her separate day and night, her goal was to let the sun shine nearly twenty four hours a day. Even today I have no idea what could have possibly given her such an extreme idea. I know that our mentor was against it, that it was dangerous and foolish, but Celestia was always known to be pretty persuasive. I found out way too late to stop her, I could only watch as my moon sunk below the horizon for the very first time in history and her ‘glorious’ sun shining from above.”

Her mentor, a limelight hungry maniac? That was more than unlikely, she knew Celestia nearly her entire life. Surely the princess wouldn’t betray her own family like that.

“I confronted her in our old home which is by the way this old ruin you now sit in. Fighting her would have been futile, I didn’t want to hurt her back then, so we argued, about morality, social norms, to shorten this we struggled to agree on a solution. She wanted to rule the country alone, nopony needs a diarchy, those were her words. So the first big Equestrian War started.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Wasn’t the first war of Equestria against soldiers of another invading country that tried to overthrow Celestia?”

Nightmare Moon laughed shortly, “That’s what she made everypony believe. She erased me from history. Quite pathetic, I might add. Now let’s continue. This war lasted for years, both sides had suffered major losses, but Celestia had always been the better tactician. It ended with my sixth division including me being corned around the verge of the Everfree. We fought with all our might, but ultimately my sister slaughtered the entire leftover of my army with her own hooves. Some of them even were willing to surrender, I allowed them to leave for their families, but Celestia killed them, with no mercy. I had nothing to lose anymore, we faced each other at the battlefield, our fight would have surely ended up in the history books. It lasted three days before she used her ultimate advantage, the Elements of Harmony. I had no idea how she was able to wield all six of them, but I had no chance against that power. And so began my millenia on the moon, in a state half awake, half delirious, I would have ended my life by now if we weren’t immortal.”

Twilight was intrigued, some of it really sounded plausible, but she had to ask for Celestia’s perspective first, “What do you mean by ‘immortal’? There is no way that you can die?”

“Subtlety is really not your strength, Twilight. And no, there is no way as far as I know,” this was only half true, but Twilight did not have to know all the details.

“And what are you trying to accomplish here then?”

“Well to lock her in a cell for all eternity of course. I can’t allow a pony like Celestia to rule over this land. We could strike a deal, Twilight Sparkle. Join me and together we can rule better of this land than my sister could have ever dreamed of!”

Ruling over the land? She? The book-loving Twilight Sparkle?

“I want to hear the story from Celestia first. There are some points where I am not sure if you told me the truth. But if your story is true, then, well... I don’t know. I’ve known Celestia for as long as I can remember and she could never hurt anypony...”

The blue alicorn looked Twilight in the eyes, dead serious, “Well, I am not going anywhere. Go ask her, if she convinces you like everyone else tell her about my plans and send me back to the moon, but if you want to return to my offer, I am right here. Oh yes and if you could convince some of your friends in Ponyville to join you, I would not mind at all.”

Nightmare vanished along with her creepy furniture.

“What am I going to do now?”

After her rather interesting encounter with Nightmare Moon she went back to Ponyville. Since she didn’t have to worry about protecting a group of ponies anymore the route back was much easier. If she really would get into trouble Twilight was sure that Nadir… or rather Nightmare Moon would give her a quick teleport, but it was so much more complicated than before. The tale of the wicked alicorn still lingered inside her mind, so much of it really did make sense, at least to some degree. Nonetheless she would hold back her judgement until she asked Princess Celestia.

Since Rainbow Dash had some pretty serious injuries the lavender mare presumed that they have taken her to the Ponyville hospital. A quick talk with the head nurse confirmed her hunch.

As she entered Rainbow’s white painted room, the other five members of the group were standing around the still unconscious blue pegasus’ bed. All of them had deep worries written on their face. That was everything Twilight wanted to know, since the polychrome pegasus was, indeed, still alive she could go back to Canterlot for now.

Just as Twilight was about to leave unnoticed, Applejack cried out, “Twilight! Ah’m so glad that you are back.”

Everypony turned around to look at the embarrassed scholar. Now she had to delay her journey again… great. “I’m glad too, I guess.”

Rarity noticed that something was the matter, “Darling, are you alright? I would never pry, but you seem so, I don’t know how to put it… confused.”

“Confusing would be the understatement of the century, but not right now. I just wanted to check if Rainbow Dash is relatively okay.”

Again the pink party pony seemed to be unaffected by the tense atmosphere and chimed in, “The doctors said it was super close, but with their freaky magic Rainbow Dash will be drowning in ‘Get better’ parties in no time!”

The farm pony was confused by Twilight’s statement, “What do ya mean by just wantin’ to check? Where are you goin’?”

Simple questions, simple answers, Twilight thought to herself. “Canterlot. Some urgent business to take care of. I have to catch the train, so I am leaving now unfortunately. It shouldn’t take long, but there is no way around it. Could some of you please take care of Spike while I’m gone? It would be better if he won’t be with me there. My number one assistant can cook for himself, he just needs some company and maybe some explanations which I will deliver when I’m back.”

Applejack spoke again, “Sure, Ah can keep him company. But what about the whole thing with the sky? Ah’m no expert in magic stuff, but this looks like it’s gonna cause some trouble if we don’t fix it.”

“To put it simple. We can’t. Nightmare Moon has to lower the moon by herself or Celestia does it, but she has to control the sun as well. The only option would be that we defeat Nightmare Moon, but, I have no inclination to do so at the moment and without the Elements of Harmony which are in possession of Nightmare Moon if you would remember, it is impossible altogether.”

This didn’t clear things up in the slightest, even Rarity had no idea what was going on right now. “Darling, what do you mean by—”

“No time for this, explanations later!” Twilight interrupted the seamstress.

Applejack called out for her again, “Be careful, sugarcube!”

The lavender mare had a lot to think about during the train ride. The wagon she sat in was completely empty. Since this ‘unique’ state the sky was in, the ponies of Equestria were not really up for a train ride. So there Twilight was, without a single soul to talk to, not even Nadi— Luna has answered her calls. What would she do next? What if Luna really told her the truth? Would she still want to be Celestia’s student? Could she forgive her?

All those questions with so little answers. Twilight just sat quietly contemplating her future plans, not that she could do anything else. The train would be in Canterlot soon enough. The lavender unicorn thought about the consequences her next actions could have. If Celestia really banished her only sister to the moon, there would be no way for the young unicorn to help the Ruler of the Sun anymore. On the other hoof, what could she possible do against an immortal alicorn? That was stuff to think about when it happened.

Ten minutes later she was walking towards the very heart of the capital, Canterlot Castle. It was oddly quiet outside considering the crisis Equestria was in right now. Not even a single pony wandered through Canterlot, only Twilight’s hoofsteps echoed from the empty streets of the capital.

After another twenty minute walk without meeting any sentient creature she reached heavy gates of the castle. As she approached the entrance she was stopped by two ponies who looked like guards, only they had long white coats trimmed with gold draped over their shoulders, they were more like ornate capes rather than actual clothing.

The white furred with the rather unusual short blue hairstyle took a step towards her and said, “Halt, who goes there?”

Twilight stopped and spoke up relieved, “Thank goodness, finally some ponies! I’m Twilight Sparkle, the personal protege of Princess Celestia.”

The same as before stated, “Twilight Sparkle? We were informed that she is currently in Ponyville, dealing with Nightmare Moon”

“It’s Luna not-” she said before covering her mouth.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Twilight answered quickly. “Anyways, I’m here now and I have to talk with Celestia immediately.”

“That could prove quite difficult, because of the curfew that is currently active she has quite a lot to do.”

“A curfew? Why? I mean yeah, the sky is weird, but it’s not really dangerous, is it?”

“Well, now it is. Since you are here, that must mean that Nightmare Moon could escape or trick you, either way she is free now. No doubt she has dangerous things planned.”

Twilight looked a bit shocked, she hadn’t thought about the other residents of Canterlot or Ponyville, until now. “Okay, okay, I get it. But I have to speak with her anyway. It is imperative!”

“Hmm, since you are her pupil we could make an exception,” the guard stated. “Better not make us regret the decision.”

“Thank you. Before I go I wanted to ask something. You aren’t normal Solar Guards, right?”

“No. We aren’t,” he said. Not getting another answer Twilight went into the large castle.

Since Celestia was neither in the court or the Solarium, she had to be in her own chambers. It would be better, to discuss things privately anyway.

She entered Celestia’s chambers without knocking, Twilight hadn’t had the time for formalities. “Princess! I have to ask you something!”

“Twilight? Is that you, my faithful student?” Celestia rose from her cushion where she was doing paperwork before her student came rushing in.

“Celestia, I just came from the Everfree forest and a very interesting conversation with Nightmare Moon… or should I call her Luna?”

Celestia had millennia of experience, but as she heard the name of her long gone sister she hesitated, if only for a split second. “What are you talking about, Twilight? You shouldn’t have listened to the insane words of that wicked mare.”

“I SAW IT! YOU HESITATED!” she screamed, so everything Luna told her was true. “I can’t believe it. You manipulated the entirety of Equestria, only that you could stay on the throne?!”

Celestia's facial expression was one of pure sorrow and sadness, “No, T-Twilight, it’s… it’s not… I wasn’t—”

Now she was even trying to deny it! Twilight had enough, all of those years living a lie, “SHUT UP! Just shut up. How could you do this? Betraying the only family member you have? And what about me? Were you trying to teach me magic? Or were you just trying to get an effective weapon against Nightmare Moon?!”

“NO! I didn’t raise you as a weapon! I would never be so cruel. You are very dear to me, Twilight. Ever since you were my student, I saw you like my own innocent child I never had. You know I care about you, but I can’t keep up lying to you or my subjects,” Celestia exclaimed sadly. “Yes, it is true. I did banish her, so that I could rule over the land alone. For over a thousand years I have been ruling now, but there is more to it than just that!”

Twilight summoned her pitch black sword before answering her teacher with pure hatred in her voice, “I don’t want hear your sick mind games anymore. I also can’t believe that you care for me, as much as I want to. I know you can’t die, Celestia, but before I live another minute under your disgusting regency I’d rather die trying to fix it!”

The Ruler of the Sun couldn’t believe her own ears. What had Nightmare Moon done to her student? She didn’t want to execute or even harm her, but it was true, she couldn’t die, not by any conventional means. So Celestia decided it would be best to bear the pain of presumably getting sliced in half with that terrifying sword, rather than accidentally killing her student. She saw that convincing Twilight wouldn’t likely work right now, she had to fix things, but if she wasn’t careful the lavender mare could be lost, forever.

Celestia readied herself to receive the punishment Twilight had in store. It was true that she would survive almost any attack, but she felt the pain like any normal pony, this would likely hurt, a lot.

Twilight stormed towards Celestia, raising her blade, ready to strike. “I’ll show you regret, Celestia!” As her blade was mere inches from face, the sound of clashing blades could be heard. A thin, flaming, blade intercepted the much larger sword of the lavender unicorn, followed by a serious, feminine voice saying, “What do you think you are doing, kiddo?”

She turned her head towards the pony she held this deadlock with. It was Morning Blaze! She still looked like a wreck, covered in bandages, especially bad around her chest, but it was her. She also had one of those weird coats hanging over her shoulders, which was strange because Blaze never wore any kind of formal attire. Standing confidently before the princess, disturbing Twilight revenge.

“I see you are out of the hospital, Morning Blaze. Now get out of my way. This is none of your business!”

“Whatever happened to you in this forest? You are the student of the princess, not her enemy!”

“You have no idea! I can’t forgive her for what she has done. She slaughtered thousands of innocent ponies, even though they were ready to surrender. She banished her only sister, only for her own selfish desires. Now, move or I will make you. You know that I’m stronger than you!”

The yellow mare laughed shortly before continuing, “Hah! Who do you think I am? I am Morning Blaze, Captain of the fifth division of the Solar Guards! You had just taken me by surprise, that won’t happen a second time. But it doesn’t have to come to this, Twilight! We can talk about what exactly happened”

The princess spoke up, much more quietly than usual, “Blaze, please. I deserve this and I don’t want that you get hurt.”

“Don’t worry, princess. I know how to prevent this fast and easy, though that’s just a temporary solution.”

Before Twilight could even raise her weapon, Morning Blaze teleported behind her and touched her back, “We’ll fix this, Twilight.” After that, the lavender mare was gone, just as fast as she appeared.

This calmed down the atmosphere, if only a little. Celestia said, “Morning, you know that won’t fix it. I presume you teleported her to Ponyville, that means she is most likely already in the grasp of Nightmare Moon. If we don’t find a solution, this situation will get much more severe than an eternal twilight sky and my student being angry at me.”

“I know, but… give her time. I know her quite well by now, she won’t be so irrational as to side with a crazy alicorn only because of an untrue story. I’m sure she’ll be back in a few days.”

“I hope you are right.”

Please forgive me, Twilight, she thought to herself.

Twilight stumbled out of the teleport while she came to a stop, having tumbled along the ground for quite a distance, she dissolved her sword. Damn you, Morning Blaze, Twilight grumbled quietly.

Well, since that plan backfired she decided to visit Luna again. Maybe not right now though, first she had to convince her ‘friends’ to join her. Having at least half of them as allies would surely help her in some way. Luckily the hospital wasn’t far.

As Twilight entered the door to Rainbow Dash’s room again, Applejack jumped out of her chair to greet her. “Twilight? You okay, sugarcube?”

“Hmm? Oh yes, I’m quite alright,” Twilight stated with a certain sorrow in her voice.

Rarity woke up as well, apparently it was night-time, it was hard to tell when the sun and the moon were constantly shining, “Are you sure, darling? After your sudden departure yesterday we were worried about you. What exactly happened in Canterlot?”

Now all of her friends were staring at her, awaiting an answer, “It went pretty well at first. The whole city was empty due to a curfew because of Nightmare Moon. Even the castle looked nearly abandoned only two weird ponies were guarding the gates. Now that I think of it, after I saw my magic mentor in the same clothes, those two were likely captains of the Solar Guards. But back to the story, to be honest, I think it went down the hill after I tried to kill Celestia.”

All of them shared a shocked expression and screamed in sync, “WHAT?!”

Rainbow Dash managed to sit up right as well, she spoke up weakly, “Are… Are you out of your… mind? Why would you do that?”

“You want to know what happened? I hope you are ready for the truth. It’s a long story, but I am gonna tell you the truth about Nightmare Moon and Celestia.”

Unbelievable, her story was absolutely unbelievably. Everypony present in the room, except Twilight had a terrified expression written onto their faces.

Applejack could somehow feel that she spoke the truth, she had no idea why, but she just felt it, “So… Let me get this straight, Celestia and this Luna fella are related? And our princess is an evil manipulatin’ mastermind, who just wants to rule over the land by herself? Twilight, you know we are your friends, but… don’t ya think that’s a bit… unlikely?”

Twilight had an absolutely serious face and stated, “Oh, believe me. I wouldn’t joke about those things. It is all true.”

Fluttershy had the most issues with it, “Oh… Oh my. I don’t know, Twilight. The princess wouldn’t do things like that, right?”

“I am not trying to convince you or something, believe what you want, but I won’t just sit here and wait for her to catch me. Now that I tried to challenge her, I won’t have a quiet minute anymore. I know none of you want to hurt ponies, but if you want to join me you have to be able to defend yourself and your team. None of you will be forced into this, I won’t judge you, no matter what happens. We will stay friends,” the lavender unicorn finished, now the moment of truth would come.

None of them spoke a single word, minutes passed by without a single sound, except all the magical empowered machines still connected to Rainbow Dash. Applejack was again the first to reply, “I sure am shocked to hear all of this, but Ah’m not sure that’s the right way. We can’t jest overthrow the princess, even though what she’s done is bad. I’m sorry, Twi, but you have to count me out.”

Fluttershy was surprisingly quick to reply this time, “I umm… I just can’t throw my life away like that. My animals need me. I’m sorry Twilight.”

The next to answer was the hyperenergetic Pinkie Pie, “You know how ponies always say you will regret things you don’t do rather than those you actually do? Or like when one door closes, another opens? I think now is the right time to apply those rules. I don’t care about the princess anyway. As long as there are parties and my bestest friends, I’m in.”

Good, at least she had one of them, Twilight was not sure how it would be, having Pinkie Pie around all the time... twenty four hours a day. The next on the list was Rainbow Dash, “Snap out of it, Twilight. This is not one of your books, that’s real life. You can’t oppose Celestia. Even if she has done those things I could never betray Equestria like that!”

Last was Rarity, the lavender mare doubted a pony like her could be convinced to do something so ‘brutish’, “I’m in. I don’t exactly know why, but if the princess is really such a monster, I can’t stand to live under her regency any longer. It hurts to leave Sweetie Bell behind, but if that is what it takes, then I’m willing to make that sacrifice, darling.”

Twilight viewed each of her friends again before she started, “Good, now that you all decided it would be best to leave. Howver, I have to warn you two, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, after we cross this line, there is no way to return. I’m not forcing you two into this, you can stay here if you are not sure. And for you other three, be aware that we don’t want to fight you, but if you stand in our way, you will be destroyed.”

Pinkie and Rarity looked each other in the eyes before nodding and walking over to their lavender friend.

Rainbow Dash was angry like never before, there was no way she could let them go, “Applejack! Hold ‘em, we can’t let them go with that criminal!”

The farm pony pulled her stetson deep into her face as she said, “We’ll bring ‘em back, RD. But now right now, there is no way Ah could stop ‘em. Twilight over there could likely crush us with a mere thought.”

Twilight turned to face the door and started to leave, followed by her newly found allies, “Damn straight I could. But I won’t as long as you stay out of our way. Tell Spike I am sorry and that he should stay away too.” After that the three of them left, towards the heart of the Everfree forest.

One last time Fluttershy spoke up, “I hope you three know what you are doing.”

The light-blue pegasus scowled at her earth pony friend, “What are we gonna do now? We can’t let them leave! They are throwing their lives away, for a story they can’t even confirm.”

“What we are gonna do? We are going to Canterlot, sugarcube, we have to tell the princess everythin’ we know. We’ll bring ‘em back, no matter what…”

The journey into the Everfree forest was much easier now that Twilight could actually use her sword. Sure, it had taken her a while to explain how the blade worked, but her two allies weren’t stupid. Rarity even promised to train with Twilight to get better at magic. The castle was already in view, they all crossed the point of no return.

“Luna! I’m here… and I brought two new allies,” the lavender unicorn shouted, her voice echoing through the abandoned halls of the old castle.

The blue alicorn appeared in front of them, looking quite different. She didn’t wear any armor and she no longer had fangs. Even her wings were somehow, although really large, normal pegasus wings, “So you accept my offer?”

“Yes. I don’t care about being a ruler, but I will do what I must if it means we can make Celestia pay. Would you be so kind to explain why you look so different?”

“Oh, that? This is my normal body. I can switch whenever I want, it just looks more terrifying for foes. The Nightmare gave me the power, but not without a price.”

Twilight tilted her head slightly, “The Nightmare? Is that why you are able to stand a chance against Celestia and what do you mean exactly with a price?”

“Insanity, Twilight. I’m constantly fighting against the madness of the Nightmare. That is why I slip into this laughter every so often, but don’t you worry I managed to fend it off over one thousand years now.”

“But what exactly is the Nightmare?”

“I have not the slightest clue, it offered me a chance to stop my sister and I accepted. Now enough of that,” Luna replied. They had more important things to discuss right now.

“Interesting. Now let’s talk about business, shall we? This here is my fashion designer friend, Rarity and that pink pony bouncing over there is Pinkie Pie.”

“A pleasure to meet the two of you. I am surprised though, I hadn’t expected that anypony would voluntarily join us.”

Rarity hadn’t understood a single thing after they got into this grime filled castle, “We won’t just sit around when we know what happened all those years ago, darling. Pinkie and myself will do everything in our might to assist you.”

Pinkie bounced over to the group and chimed in happily, “Yep, we couldn’t let you down, Luna and Twilight of course. Oh my gosh! I had the greatest idea ever! We should totally throw a secret conspiracy party!”

The lavender mare felt the urge to facehoof herself really hard right now, “Pinkie, why would you even… Nevermind, no parties at the moment. We can celebrate if we actually manage to win. Now let’s get to the important part, the plan. I presume that you at least have a general route, Luna?”

“Yes, but let’s continue this somewhere else,” the demi-goddess said, while reaching out into thin air with her right forehoof. To everypony's surprise a black steel door opened out of nothing. “This will bring us to our temporary hideout.”

As the four of them appeared at the other side of the door, they were positively surprised. The main hall of their roomy hideout consisted of several night-themed furniture such as, 4 neatly made beds, a few bookshelves, two medium-sized round tables, some chairs, a nice carpet and some lovely decor. Even though no lamps could be seen the room was brightly illuminated. Pinkie immediately began to search for the mysterious source of the light. There were also several doors leading to two different bathrooms, a kitchen and a command centre for important conversations.

“Make yourself comfortable, but let’s discuss things first before you enjoy our hideout,” Luna stated.

All of them trotted slowly into the command centre, the carpet covered room was only equipped with a large round table some chairs around it and a large map of Equestria which was integrated into the large furniture.

After everypony had taken their seat Luna began to talk, “So, everypony present should know by now that our plan is to overthrow Celestia. Since she and I are both immortal, we have to consider alternative methods to end her reign.”

Rarity spoke up softly, “Well, how are we supposed to win this if she can’t die? Not that I would prefer not to kill her or anything.”

“It is true that she can not die, but she feels both pain and exhaustion. If we manage to weaken her enough, we can capture her in an anti-magic cage and throw her into the dungeons of the old castle or other prison, enchanted with magic absorbing wards. I’m sure we will find a way to make her life miserable,” the alicorn explained.

Twilight had to interrupt her as well, “Easier said than done. Her entire army consists of more than ten thousand well trained soldiers which are split into five divisions. Each of them is lead by ponies with extraordinary abilities, the captains of the Royal Military. I know the name of three, Morning Blaze which leads the fifth division, Thunder Flare and my brother, Shining Armor. The other two are unknown to me. They are only outranked by the three generals and Celestia herself. I know next to nothing about them, but rumours say that their powers are ‘out of this world’. Again, I don’t know how reliable those rumours are, but we should definitely worry about them.”

Luna was deeply sunken in thoughts, “Your brother? Hmm, we could use that for our advantage if we play this right. Those are valuable informations, Celestia has really enhanced her defenses. That means she is either very careful or very confident. There is only one way to compete with that. We have to build our own army.”

Pinkie looked into the map constantly while saying, “I’m not a tactician or anything, but I think building an army is like really difficult.”

The blue alicorn replied, “There are many ways to gain an ally, with her immense powers Twilight could summon shadows to fight for us from the Void, but more on that later. First we have to recruit my servants from the old days. I know that they survived unseen all those years, they were called bat ponies. They are better at controlling pegasus magic than actual pegasi plus they are undeniably loyal to me.”

“Sounds promising, darling, but I think this will be harder than any of us can imagine. We have to be prepared.”

“I have another question. Can’t they just attack our little hideout here? I mean if they find us now, this whole plan will fail before it even started,” Twilight asked worried.

Luna started to explain causally, “Here come the beauty of darkness magic into play. This whole hideout can’t be found from outside... because it does not exist in our dimension. Only unicorns who have been here before can enter it again. And since you two are here means that you can just think about opening a door to this place and let it appear with magic.”

“That is either the single most ingenious, or crazy concept I’ve ever heard of. If there is even a tiny mistake in the structure of this, this thing would collapse and we could all easily die in here.”

Luna broke out in maniacal laughter again after it subsided she spoke up amused, “No reward without a risk. But even if there is this slim chance that we all get crushed by the forces of this dimension, what other possibility do we have? This is the safest option. We can’t be found here, I can expand it with more room to even fit large quantities of ponies. And the best thing about it is, since this building is in the Void, that we can open door to every location we want. That means we can move our troops extremely fast and efficient, we even could march right into Canterlot Castle… well not really since the castle is mostly protected by an anti-magic barrier, but you all get the idea.”

The cheerful party pony listened careful throughout the whole meeting, “Isn’t that normally the point where you tell us about the catch?”

“The catch?” the blue alicorn asked confused.

“This sounds a bit like ‘too good to be true’, as I said I’m not much into tactics, but even I see it,” Pinkie explained, it was probably meant seriously since she even stopped bouncing up and down.

“I can assure you that there is no ‘catch’, our only problem is that we can’t even hope to defeat my sister without followers. We will begin to tackle that issue tomorrow.”

“Hmm… Is there a way to get past the Castle’s barrier?” Twilight asked absent minded.

“I think I know what you are planning and I don’t like it, but if you really want to get past the barrier you have to teleport behind it, it may sound a bit odd to teleport behind an anti-magic barrier, but it’s a bit more complicated. Since you struggle with teleportation I will show you a more efficient way to move around fast and unseen. And please bare in mind that you can leave the hideout anytime you want, but be ready to be chased by guards if you do. If you leave without me being present, then get ready to fight your way through,” Luna explained. “Now, I think that covers everything. Let’s rest until tomorrow, it will only get harder, so we have to be at our very best.”

Everypony left the command centre for a well deserved rest. Twilight and her friends could tell that this was just the beginning of something Equestria has never seen before...

Gathering Forces

Chapter 8: Gathering Forces

It has been nearly a day since the ‘incident’ with her student. Celestia had expected her sister to assault her as soon as she returned, but it came worse… much worse. Instead she decided to take away her beloved student. Twilight had been around her for so long now, it would break her immortal heart to see the innocent mare wander on this darkness filled path.

She knew that her student would find out eventually, but Celestia had hoped it would have been on her terms. The princess was no fool, she knew she had to pay for her sins one day. The first rule of immortality was that it did not matter how long you live, one day, you will die anyway. Not this time though, Celestia would find a way to fix this without hurting Twilight and her sister. Easier said than done, with their powers combined her student and Luna could likely kill half of her army in less than a day, they had the Nightmare on their side after all.

If they really wanted to, they could become a major problem for her reign. Twilight was an expert tactician, maybe a bit naive, but extremely intelligent nonetheless and Luna was a true master on the battlefield, what force could stop them if they worked together properly? The easiest way to prevent this would be to capture Twilight and convince her that siding with Luna wasn’t very clever, on the other hoof who would be able to stand a chance against Twilight? Morning Blaze only reinforced this fact, she was one of Celestia’s strongest unicorns and she ended up in the hospital, fatally injured. She had to think of something…

At this exact moment Morning Blaze appeared in the Solarium, right in front of the princess. Good that nopony was present in the room at such early hours, “Morning Blaze, what did I tell you about teleporting around the castle?”

“My apologies, princess, but I was in a hurry. I searched for Spike around Ponyville, just like you ordered me to and I found him. He was in the local hospital with three mares, they claimed to be Twilight’s friends. As I explained why I was there, they all seemed to be really sad. He in particular was very upset with the whole situation, but he insisted on staying in Ponyville to assist them. They told me what happened during the time Twilight was away, it is just as you feared, Celestia, Twilight and two other ponies of this group with the names of Pinkamena Diane Pie and Rarity joined Nightmare Moon and went towards the Everfree forest. A pegasus with the name Rainbow Dash, who got injured in the first fight with Nightmare Moon, wanted to immediately search for her friends, but I told them they should come to Canterlot first, to discuss things with you. They will likely arrive later today,” Morning Blaze said with a serious tone.

“You did a good job. It is worse than I thought, we have to arrange a meeting with all captains, as well as the generals and the leader of the Archmages, proven that we can persuade him to leave his laboratory.”

“Very well, I will tell everypony to meet here,” the yellow mare agreed. If Celestia gathered all the leaders of the military, things looked darker than she originally thought.

Their first training went surprisingly well, Rarity learned the basics of Maat and Isfet and Luna showed Twilight some extremely advanced techniques, they would be of good use later.

None of them slept more than an hour during the night to be honest. Pinkie Pie was especially unnerving, since the meeting she had been bouncing all around the hideout and she was not even a little bit tired the next morning. After their first breakfast with Luna, the three of them began to train with her. Since Pinkie wasn’t able to use magic (that didn’t stop her from trying though) she had to watch them, not that it wasn’t interesting, especially some tricks Twilight learned were quite fascinating.

Right now they were discussing where to find their first allies.

Luna spoke up first, “My guess would be the Whitetail Woods, they would be perfect for a bat pony hideout. The sun barely comes through the thick foliage of the forest and it isn’t too far away from our old castle.”

“Well, since it’s the best trail we have, we might as well give it a shot. Is there anything special to know about them?” Twilight agreed.

“The best would be to show some restraint, if they haven’t changed, then some of them could be really aggressive towards strangers. I’m sure most of them know that I returned by now. Explain that we work together, but defend yourself if necessary, they respect strength.”

Twilight knew that this would likely be quite difficult, she had to be very careful, “That settles it then, Pinkie, Rarity and me will travel to the Whitetail Woods to locate the remaining bat pony population. What will you do?”

“I will stay here and gather my strength, the last few days were quite taxing, we have to be ready in case Celestia becomes too desperate, which will happen eventually,” Luna stated.

The lavender unicorn opened a door to the edge of the forest and everypony, except Luna, entered the black rift.

The forest was exactly like they imagined it to be, big, dark and green, there was not much else unfortunately. After around half an hour of searching the little group found an abandoned fireplace with some logs around it, presumably a temporary resting place of the bat ponies or maybe just a little camping place.

Rarity was already fed up by this whole searching in the woods thing, “Twilight, darling, do you really think they live in this plain and dark forest?”

“Rarity, I have absolutely no—” she stopped as she got the familiar feeling of danger, she had to protect her friends. In a fraction of a second the lavender mare summoned her sword and rammed it into the ground. By doing this she created an invisible vortex sphere around the group that would destroy any impending projectile. The air crackled around Twilight, all of her power was busy protecting the little group at the moment.

Her friends were heavily startled by her sudden actions. Just as they were going to ask what was going on a barrage of spells crashed into the barrier. Fireballs, ice and lightning bolts, even some dark projectiles tried to destroy her protection. As soon as the unknown attackers stopped their assault, they revealed themselves by surrounding the little group.

Luna was right, they were indeed bat ponies, some of them had black bat wings and only a few could be seen with a twisted black horn. One of them stuck out in particular, his dark brown fur was covered in scars from countless battles, the longest one was over his right eye all the way down to the cheek, the eye was still working though as he stared at them angrily. Even his dark red hair seemed to be burned at the tip. Weapons of choice seemed to be extremely sharp wing blades as he wore them at the moment.

He spoke with a very raspy voice, “What do we have here? Another group of wanderers with a death wish or maybe not?” Now he pointed at Twilight with his right wing blade. “You are different, nopony could block our spells so easily. So what do you want here? Speak now or be silent forever.”

Twilight dissolved her barriers and held her sword ready to strike. The bat ponies seemed to understand, they stayed at a distance, “Luna sent us, as you should know she returned and now we are planning a war against Celestia. So we want all of you to join us.”

“Hah! You and our queen, allies? She must be in serious trouble if she sides with weaklings like you, but if you really tell the truth then we have no choice, we must be loyal to our true queen.”

“You will see my abilities soon enough. Let’s introduce ourselves before we go, shall we? My name is Twilight Sparkle and over there is Pinkie Pie and Rarity.”

“My name is Silver Night, calling me Silver will suffice and those are my fifty comrades. We are the last bat ponies in existance,” Silver finished. He couldn’t really imagine why his queen would side with peasants like this, but the stallion couldn’t risk losing her again.

Twilight opened another door back into the hideout and said, “We will discuss the details later, let’s meet up with Luna first.” They were not as many as she hoped, but enough to be useful and they found them first try. Things couldn’t be better at the moment.

Around the same time as Twilight and her friends returned from their ‘adventure’ in the forest, the last higher ranking members of the military arrived in the Solarium. For this special occasion the princess cancelled all other events for one evening. It was a miracle by itself that Morning Blaze could convince every single one of them to show up, the captains were not the problem though, only the three generals and the leader of the Archmages had their own interests and business.

Celestia waited for the last one to take his seat, of course it was Dr. Specter, self-proclaimed genius and leader of the Archmages. Better late than not at all. To say that all of them had a rather eccentric personality would be an understatement, but she could not deny that these nine ponies were the strongest fighters she had.

Now the meeting could begin, “First, I wanted to appreciate the fact that every last one answered my summon. Most of you have their own business to attend to, but I can assure you that this is, indeed, urgent.”

“Let’s leave the formalities out, we don’t have all day,” Mistral, the only female General said. The light-blue furred mare had her long white hair bound in a classical pony tail. As all the other Generals she wore an elegant suit under her coat, unlike the coats of the captains the word ‘Justice’ was imprinted on it. The suits were themed after their individual fighting style, hers was entirely blue.

“Always so snappy, Mistral. Maybe you should try to meditate,” the second General with the name ‘Law’ replied, it was an open secret that this wasn’t his actual name, but not even Celestia knew his real one and as long as he was loyal that didn’t matter. The beige stallion with the wild, red and slightly spiky hair was the youngest of the leadership, he was quite fierce, but had a lot of potential. His suit was coloured in different shades of red.

“Be quiet, you two. I am sure that Celestia has a good reason to summon us,” the last of the trio ended the dispute. Dawn Comet, was actually the oldest pony in the leadership circle, but by no means the weakest. His gray, almost white short cut hair matched pretty well with his dark-yellow fur. Somepony could think he would be as radiant as Celestia with his extravagant bright yellow suit, his age certainly did not help.

The princess tried to ignore the three Generals and continued with her meeting, “Some of you already heard about it, Nightmare Moon returned to Equestria. Currently we believe she hides in the Everfree forest and she convinced my faithful student and two of her friends to join her. The Nightmare makes her unpredictable, she will do everything to end my reign. If that happens, the entirety of Equestria could be plunged into eternal darkness. To prevent that we have two immediate options, the first would be to track them down and start a full scale attack or secondly, we capture Twilight to eliminate her tactical advantage and find out where Nightmare Moon has hidden the Elements of Harmony.”

Morning Blaze and Shining Armor, leader of the second division, both shouted at the same time, “We can’t harm Twilight!” They looked each other in the eyes and nodded shortly.

Celestia was slightly stunned at the sudden emotional outbreak, “I know she means a lot to the two of you, believe me… I feel the same, but she presents a serious threat to the crown at the moment. Of course we won’t harm her, but she is the likeliest one to know where they are, the best would be to locate their hideout first and decide after it.”

The Captain with the white fur and rather wild blue hairstyle named Thunder Flare spoke up, “I don’t know why you three want to spare them, she and her friends betrayed the crown and Twilight Sparkle even dared to attack the princess. In my opinion we should execute her as soon as we are able to.”

Normally nopony had anything to say against him, the only exception were the generals and the princess of course. He was undeniably the strongest Captain, his first division was known to be the elite of Equestria. Also he was the only former criminal with the rank of a Captain, even his coat showed that, a blue skull with two crossed lightning bolts was imprinted on it.

“You won’t even lay a single hoof on her, Thunder Flare!” Shining Armor said angrily.

“Oh yes, that’s right, she is your little sister. What a shame, but what do you want to do about it? We are Captains of the Equestrian military and we won’t defend a criminal,” Flare mocked.

The Ruler of the Sun magically enhanced her voice and shouted, “ENOUGH! You two will stop immediately and Shining Armour is right, Thunder Flare. We will not harm her, our primary goal is to find Nightmare Moon hideout and stop her.”

“If I may interrupt your little ‘chat’, your highness, but what exactly am I doing here?” Specter asked, he did not try to hide his boredom at all.

Celestia gazed at him for a few seconds, deliberating on what to say, “I am very well aware of the fact that you consider neither yourself nor the Archmages as a part of the Equestrian military, but in this special case we need all the assistance we can get. For the duration it takes to defeat Nightmare Moon, your forces will assist us in every way possible. In exchange the Equestrian Crown will grant you access to all resources you deem necessary for this task, within reason of course.”

Now that got him interested, “Interesting offer, princess. Are there any restrictions to this deal?”

“No, as long as it helps achieving our goal you have have no restrictions. Armour, weaponry, guards, money, even access to certain areas in the archives, anything,” she knew it was risky giving them this much freedom, but they needed their tactical and magical strength if she liked it or not.

“You certainly know how to hook somepony. I accept your generous offer, the Archmages of Canterlot will assist the Equestrian military until Nightmare Moon is defeated,” Dr. Specter replied. His black coat with the word ‘Magic’ fluttered as he stood up. “Now, if you would excuse me, we have some preparations to make.” After that he vanished with a quiet spark.

“As trustworthy as always, it would surprise me if he does not even try once to stab us all in the back,” Eclipse stated. She was the leader of the third division and the only expert in the leadership circle for darkness and void magic, well except Celestia. Her deep blue fur and equally dark, nearly black, long hair stood in a stark contrast to the white coat she had to wear in formal meetings.

The Captain of the fourth division had enough negativity for the day, everypony was so mean to each other at their meetings. Her name was Misty Melody and she was probably the only pony to ever see things even remotely positive. Her appearance certainly showed that, with her light pink fur and darker pink hair she looked like the happiest unicorn in Equestria, “And you are always the optimist, right Eclipse? Can’t you all just lighten up even if it’s only for this occasion?”

Exactly that was the reason Celestia did not like these meetings. Even herself could not deal with this group for a longer period of time. She sighed and said, “Well, I guess that concludes our meeting. I will assign all of you to your search territory in the next few days, if anypony happens to find them, I must warn you. Do not approach them, even if Nightmare Moon is alone, not even I can hope to defeat her in single combat without the Elements. The only thing you will do then is contact me right away, after that we decide what to do. You can go now, thank you all for coming.”

One by one left the Solarium, leaving only the princess and Shining Armor.

“Princess, I trust you… I really do, but… do you really think that after everything that happened, Twilight will just go with us willingly and tell us everything she knows?” Shining Armor asked concerned.

“I am not sure either… I don’t want to lose her, but we have to do what is best for Equestria. If that means we have to force her, than we have no choice. But I am sure we have time to fix this. I might have an idea how to higher the risk for them without attacking them, maybe, if things get too dangerous for her, she will see that it isn’t worth it.”

“If it means I get my little sister back I will help you as much as I can.”

“Excellent, then I have a task for you…”

Finally Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Spike arrived in Canterlot. The train ride felt like it lasted an eternity. Because of the current situation, Equestria’s capital was just as empty as their home town. This lack of day/night circle was really annoying for everypony involved, it was so much harder to meet up when you have no idea what time it is. Well, despite all that they arrived at the Castle.

They had to wait in the courtroom, apparently Princess Celestia was busy with an important meeting.

Spike did not like this uncomfortable silence at all, so he decided to ask something that was bugging him for quite a while now, “Do you guys think that Twilight and the others will come back?”

Applejack knew that it was her job to tell him the truth, but… could she herself accept the truth? “Well… Shoot, Spike, Ah don’t know either. They all seemed a might upset. Ah hope the princess has an idea, but don’t you worry, sugarcube, we will do everythin’ we can.”

“Stop worrying so much, Spike. If we find them Nightmare Moon is gonna wish that she stayed at her goddess-forsaken moon,” Rainbow Dash said, absolutely serious.

The creaking sound of an opening door interrupted their conversation, finally Celestia had shown up. All four of them bowed before her, she just nodded shortly to let them know that they could move again.

“I am glad to see that you arrived here safely. Since we do not have much time at our hooves, we have to move things along fast. Please tell me what exactly happened in the Everfree forest.”

Applejack started their tale of misery, “Well, it started at the town hall…”

Half an hour later she finished up her report on the incident with Nightmare Moon.

“I have to say that I am impressed, Rainbow Dash. Not many ponies would voluntarily face Nightmare Moon to save her friends, you really are an impressive group.”

Praise from the princess herself was nice and all, but that was not why they were here, so Rainbow tried to reinforce that fact, “Thanks, princess, but that’s not the reason why we’re here. We want to find our friends, they can’t stay with that criminal.”

“Of course I trust in your abilities, but none of you stand a chance against Nightmare Moon or Twilight for that matter. I can’t let you journey into a suicide mission. Have faith in the capability of the Equestrian military, we will bring them back.”

The farm pony was not convinced at all, “No offense, princess, but ah won’t stand on the sidelines to watch our friends gettin’ rescued by some unknown soldiers. Either ya let us help or we will search them ourselves. Right, guys?”

They all gave an approving nod. Celestia sighed quietly and replied, “Very well, you will be allowed to help us, but not without proper training. None of you can fight against real targets or know how to counter magic. I offer you to stay in Canterlot to train with my guards and if and only if I deem you ready you can start to search for Twilight.”

“What do ya’ll say?”

Fluttershy said with a bit of hesitation in her voice, “Umm… I think it sounds reasonable. I would like to search for them right now, but… but we are not ready yet.”

“Screw the training, everyday we don’t search for them, is another day for Nightmare Moon to brainwash our friends or whatever cruel things she does to them. But I know the advantages of a good team, so whatever we decide I will stick with you guys,” the blue pegasus answered next.

“I can’t stand living with the fact that Twilight is in the fangs of this wicked monster. I want her back more than anything but I’m with Rainbow Dash you decide, Applejack.”

“Shoot, Ah don’t really like it, but Ah think the princess is right. We saw what could happen to us at the old castle, she wasn’t even trying to fight us and nearly killed you, RD. So Ah think we should take the offer.”

Spike said absent minded, “We understand.”

“Excellent, I will arrange your stay at the castle. Spike, you can stay at Twilight’s tower if you want to. For Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy I will provide you with one of the castle’s suites. Expect the training to begin in the next few days.”

“Alrighty then, let’s do our best to get our friends back!” Applejack exclaimed.

All of them shared this special moment, “For our friends!”

The group returning from the forest consisted now of fifty bat ponies, Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie. The lavender mare was still not sure about Silver Night, of course he and his comrades could prove useful, but the more ponies they recruit for their army, the more likely it would become to get stabbed in the back.

Their makeshift headquarter changed quite a bit since they left. The main hall was a bit larger with more tables and chairs and numerous new doors were added, all of them now had neat little labeled signs, like ‘bathroom’; ‘sleeping room A’, ‘sleeping room B’ etc.

Since Luna was nowhere to be seen, Twilight shouted, “Luna! We’re back.”

After a few seconds the door to the operation centre opened and the Princess of the Night greeted them, “You were faster in tracking them then I expected. I am pleased to see that some of my followers were still out there.”

The lavender unicorn rubbed her head awkwardly, “Well, we did not really find them, they kind of ambushed us, but yeah here we are.”

Silver and his group stood in a well organised pattern and bowed for their queen. As the leader he had the honor to speak with her, “Princess Luna, it is a great honor to be in your presence. None of us could have imagined that you would return, we will serve you till the end.”

All of the bat ponies cheered for Luna. She had to admit that this was something she could get used to, but this wasn’t the right occasion. After raising her hoof to silence them she exclaimed, “Silver Night and all the others, we will need the help of every single pony present, with our powers combined we will show Celestia what it truly means to face Justice!”

Again loud cheering before Silver could speak, “I might have an idea where to find our next possible allies. In my younger, more rebellious years I left the forest to explore Equestria. Long story short, I ended up in the downtown of Manehattan. I don’t want to bother you with all the details, but there I met a boss of a rather big mercenary ‘business’ named ‘Capone’ and before you ask, I have no idea if that is his real name. We became friends, kind of at least, before I left. The only problem is that this was almost ten years ago, but we may have a chance to find and convince him to join us.”

“Why would a mercenary gang join us? What advantage would they have?” Twilight asked.

“They are mercenaries, Twilight Sparkle. We give them what they want and what they want is most likely money. If we win, we could offer them part of the royal treasury,” Silver Night replied.

Luna waited until they finished, “Very well, it is at least worth a try. I suggest that Silver Night and Twilight travel to Manehattan tomorrow. Since you two are the strongest of this group and it would be very unwise for me to be seen by the public just yet.”

Twilight nodded in agreement, “Good, now if you all excuse me, I have to pay somepony a visit.”

Rarity grabbed her friend by the shoulder and said, “Darling, where are you going? You can’t just go out all alone at… well, I don’t know if it’s night time or not, but still.”

“It indeed is night time right now, I still have a very strong connection to the moon, so I can somehow feel where it should be if it weren’t for the battle with my sister’s sun,” Luna chimed in. “You can’t stop her anyway, if she has a plan then we should trust her. This whole rebellion or whatever you want to call it is based on trust.”

“Yeah Rarity, we should trust her. She’s our friend after all,” Pinkie stated cheerfully. It eluded everypony how she could be so happy all the time.

“Well alright. Be careful, darling.”

“Oh I certainly will. I’ll be back soon,” Twilight said before opening another door and disappearing with it.

It had been a long and stressful day for Morning Blaze, the meeting with the leadership of the military went horrible as per usual and it had taken her quite a while to finish Celestia’s ‘special’ assignment. Hopefully it was worth the effort, if everything went right this would increase the pressure on Twilight and she would realize the risk of being a criminal.

For now however, she just wanted to nestle into her bed and rest.

It had been almost two hours after she went to bed. Morning was half asleep as she heard a weird whistled melody. The tune itself was rather cheerful, but at the same time it was strangely haunting for the yellow mare. Like it was made by a pony that was happily selecting the next victims for his or her’s never ending killing spree.

She slowly opened her still sleepy eyes. At first the yellow mare couldn’t really realize what she was seeing. The first thing Blaze noticed was a ridiculously sharp blade a few centimeters above her head, waiting for her to stand up. The second was the source of this creepy melody, a lavender coat, a magenta mane with a pink streak in it and a devilish smile on her face.

Twilight saw that Blaze finally woke up and greeted her immediately, “Well, well, well, look who has finally woken up. Lovely interior you have here.”

As Morning Blaze came back to her senses she instantly teleported out of her bed and summoned her weapon to face her student. “It was a mistake to come here. You will either leave with me voluntarily or you won’t be able to leave, ever again.”

The lavender unicorn laughed shortly before she stated, “You are always so overly dramatic. Please, if I wanted you dead, I could’ve killed you right as you were sleeping. I’m just here to give you a chance, leave Celestia behind and join us, we could use an Elementalist like you or we will crush you alongside her.”

“Twilight, what has this maniac done to you? The student I knew would never do something so cruel.”

“She opened my eyes, Blaze. You have no idea what happens behind the scenes, you are all blinded by Celestia’s fake ‘Harmony’. Now back to my initial question.”

“I think you already know my answer, I would never betray the princess.”

“What a shame, well then, it is time to take my leave. I hope you know what you are getting yourself into,” the lavender mare said.

“How do you plan on getting out, huh? This whole building has dozens of barriers around it that prevent teleporting. Not even Celestia could do a spatial manipulation in here.”

“I think you don’t realize how much Luna has taught me. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, just like this.” She sunk into the shadow below her, disappearing completely only to reappear behind Blaze and cutting of a strand from the back of her mane with Yoru.

“See? If I were not so full of mercy you’d be dead right now,” Morning Blaze jumped forwards in surprise and turned around. Simultaneously she deadlocked her blade with Twilight’s to prevent her from striking again.

“How in Equestria did you mana—”

“Let’s not stall our little chat with boring details about chaos magic, Blaze. I learned quite a lot about it, okay? This is your only warning, our next encounter won’t end so well if you stand in my way again,” Twilight said before sinking into the shadows again. “Oh and tell Celestia that there won’t be any mercy for her. Goodbye.”

Not good. Not good at all. Morning had to get to Celestia as fast as possible.

Twilight looked quite satisfied as she stepped out of magical door to their headquarter. Playing mind games like that was more fun than she expected. She stopped for a moment to repeat that thought… was that how Celestia felt all the time? Manipulating the ponies around her to gain personal advantage? The lavender mare shuddered at the thought of becoming like Celestia, she meant nothing for Twilight anymore. Celestia was meaningless now, the princess’ feelings for her had been fake all along, she was sure of it.

“Twilight, darling, we are so glad that you are back. You might want to see this,” Rarity stated concerned.

She handed her four rectangular papers. As Twilight took a closer look, she saw that they were actually wanted posters and not just any, they were about Luna, Pinkie, Rarity and herself. All with high quality pictures of them and their cutie marks. They were already searching for them all over Equestria. She had not expected Celestia getting so desperate so quickly, but that also meant that the princess saw them as an imminent threat.

After looking at them for a while, Twilight read them out loud.

Wanted: Twilight Sparkle
Physical appearance: See Image
Defining traits: Extremely intelligent, Love for books, Versatile in use of magic

This individual is wanted for the following crimes by the Equestrian Court:
- Assault and battery
- Treason
- Conspiracy
- Acts of terrorism

A sum of 100,000 bits will be paid in exchange for credible information about the individual or the successful capturing of the individual.

- Signed, Princess Celestia: Monarch of Equestria and Great General of the Equestrian Military

“Celestia is already getting impatient, quite unlike her,” Twilight said.

Luna nodded shortly and replied, “Pathetic attempts to higher the risk. Who in their right minds would approach a criminal voluntarily?”

Pinkie bounces over to Twilight and stated happily, “Do me next! Do me next! This is so exciting.”

“Pinkie, you do realize…” In that moment, the lavender mare realized that her pink friend would likely not care anyway. “Nevermind.”

Wanted: Pinkamena Diane Pie
Physical appearance: See Image
Defining traits: Hyper energetic, Always cheerful, Reality defying capabilities

This individual is wanted for the following crimes by the Equestrian Court:
- Treason
- Conspiracy

A sum of 15,000 bits will be paid in exchange for credible information about the individual or the successful capturing of the individual.

- Signed, Princess Celestia: Monarch of Equestria and Great General of the Equestrian Military

“Aww… Why are you more worth than I am?” Pinkie asked frowning.

“Pinkie, that’s not—”

“Twilight, darling, just read out the last two. This won’t get us anywhere.”

Wanted: Rarity
Physical appearance: See Image
Defining traits: Fashion designer, Obsessed with beauty, Noble expression

This individual is wanted for the following crimes by the Equestrian Court:
- Treason
- Conspiracy

A sum of 25,000 bits will be paid in exchange for credible information about the individual or the successful capturing of the individual.

- Signed, Princess Celestia: Monarch of Equestria and Great General of the Equestrian Military

Luna’s poster only had some kind of sketch of the alicorn, apparently they didn’t dare to face her.

Wanted: Nightmare Moon
Physical appearance: See composite sketch
Defining traits: Extremely volatile, Insanity, Tactical knowledge, High magic abilities

This individual is wanted for the following crimes by the Equestrian Court:
- High Treason
- Conspiracy
- Murder
- Assault and battery
- Genocide

A sum of 300,000 bits will be paid in exchange for credible information about the individual. DO NOT APPROACH! HIGHLY DANGEROUS

- Signed, Princess Celestia: Monarch of Equestria and Great General of the Equestrian Military

Rarity looked at her picture and said, “Oh my, this picture of me isn’t flattering in the slightest.”

“Celestia will get more desperate as time moves on, that’s why we all have to be very careful now. Nopony leaves alone anymore, at least you should be a group of two,” Luna explained.

“Silver and Twilight will try to find his old friend and I suggest Rarity and Pinkie Pie to search around a smaller town as well.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie. This is gonna be so much fun! We totally got this, right Rarity?”

“Why of course, but remember we have to be discrete and if we see some guards we hide, okay? Because I don’t want to be in need of a rescue.”

“Right, totally secret. Nopony will even notice us. Hey, wait a minute… does that mean we are Ninjas now?”

Twilight face-hoofed herself and stated, “Yes, Pinkie Pie… you are a Ninja…”

“Wohoo!”

The lavender mare was really glad that she was not the one travelling around with the crazy pink mare all the time. She was not so sure about Silver though, he did not look like the most trustworthy of pony, but for now she had to deal with him.

Shooting Star

Chapter 9: Shooting Star

Since Twilight and Silver arrived in Manehattan they got along pretty well. He told her about his time in the big city with their possible new ally. Even if Silver was not really trustworthy he could at least tell exciting stories full of fighting and celebrating and what not.

The whole city was just enormous, Canterlot was nothing in comparison. The streets were crowded with all sorts of hectic business ponies and tourists. Following Silver Night’s advice they stayed off the main roads and market districts. If they’d done it her way, she would have travelled with the shadows through the town, but he said that certain barrier-wards could spot her and alarm the guards of Manehattan. Not only that, but that would also alarm one of the three generals, more specifically Dawn Comet because he was stationed in Manehattan. That was the only sure thing though, Silver’s sources were reliable, but nopony in their right minds would spy on a general.

It had been quiet for a while now, so Twilight decided to change that, “So, any idea where to search next?””

“I’m not so sure, back then he had a small outpost at the docks. Maybe he’s there, it’s been a while.”

“Alright, it’s worth a shot,” the lavender mare got temporarily blinded by his shiny, shimmering wing blades. “Agh… Aren’t your wing blades a bit suspicious for a normal tourist?”

“I won’t take them off if that’s what you’re aiming for,” he stopped briefly to look if they were still there. “We are almost there anyway.”

She knew that he hid something, but they were not even friends so that was none of her business.

After another half hour of sneaking through the city, they eventually arrived at the docks. Manehattan was the city with the biggest maritime trade income and therefore had the biggest harbor district in all of Equestria. It was quite difficult to find a specific pony in this extremely wide area, especially if everypony looks away nervously when you even mention the name of said pony.

Twilight and Silver wandered around at one of the last docks, it had been quite a long walk as both of them could feel somepony following them.

Silver Night asked without turning around or stopping, “Twilight.”

“Yes, I’m on it,” she vanished into the shadows, before reappearing with drawn weapon behind their shocked pursuer.

It was quite obvious that he was a street rat, torn, dirty clothes, unkempt mane and a crude little dagger in his pocket, “Well, what do we have here? I suggest you talk if you don’t want to end up in the water with a sliced throat."

She went silent for a few, precious moments, to let the grave nature of this event fully sink into her terrified prisoner, "Let’s start with the obvious questions, who sent you?”

Silver was slightly baffled by the sudden display of cruelty. He didn’t know that this weak mare from Ponyville could have such a fire in her eyes. Her absurdly long and sharp sword helped to reinforce his opinion. Maybe it was good to travel around with her, things could turn out fun.

Their nameless prisoner whimpered before speaking up in panic, “Okay, Okay! Please don't hurt me, I’ll talk. Capone noticed that two unknown ponies were searching and asking for him all around the docks. So he paid me fifty bits to get rid of you.”

“Where can we find him?” Twilight asked, her irritation start to show.

The pony looked around in panic, “I’m a dead pony if I tell you.”

She moved the sharp edge of her blade slightly closer to his throat, “Either if he finds out later or now if you don’t talk. The odds aren’t exactly in your favor. Where. Can. We. Find. Him.”

“H-he…. is a-t.... Dock 7 in the m-main shipyard,” he said while closing his eyes in fear.

Twilight smiled and dissolved her weapon, causing him to fall to the ground, “Good, now get out of my sight.” He got up to his hooves quickly and ran away as fast as possible. It was so much easier to get what she wanted when she used the intimidation methods Luna taught her. Sure, she would not go as far as her, killing him if he had remained quiet, but it was effective either way.

“You heard him, let’s go,” the lavender mare said, satisfied.

“You are full of surprises, Twilight Sparkle. Even I would not want you as an enemy,” Silver stated.

It was much easier to find Capone’s base with a vague description. At the door to the shipyard stood a tall, muscular, pony in a classical suit. He looked quite good despite his stature, likely the security of Capone.

Silver looked at him for a few second before asking, “Should we just knock him out?”

“No, I have a more subtle way. Touch my shoulder.”

After he did, the two vanished into their own shadows. Luckily for Silver it wasn’t far. Traveling per magic could be really disturbing for ponies not used to it. They reappeared in the middle of the shipyard.

“Ugh… Warn me next time.”

“So you two are the ponies causing all this trouble, only to speak to little ol’ me. ” a voice said from behind them.

She turned around to look at, presumably Capone. His grey coat was almost entirely covered with a black pinstripe suit and his black, short hair was slicked back, hidden under his also grey fedora. In between his perfectly white teeth smoldered an expensive and surely illegal cigar. The look was completed by his cutie mark which showed a black fedora alongside a pile of bits. He certainly looked like a boss of a criminal gang.

Silver Night smiled and greeted him, “Is that a way to greet an old friend?”

Capone eyed the stranger up for a moment before starting to smile too, “Silver? Hehehe, it’s been a while, kiddo. Out for some trouble in the big city? And who is you lovely company?”

“This is Twilight Sparkle an ally… of some sorts and no we are here because we wanted to ask something from you. You could say a favor for an old friend.”

“I don’t like where this is going, but sure, who am I to deny my friend a request,” the gray gangster boss said while smoking his cigar.

The dark brown pegasus looked at Twilight, who nodded approvingly, he faced his old friend again before saying, “Your business is infamous in Equestria, you have an army of elite mercenaries under your command and we need your help. We work together with my Queen and the remaining bat ponies to end Celestia’s reign, in order for that to work we have to have an own army.”

“Overthrow Celestia? Bahahahahaha! You always had big ambitions, but that’s the most foolish one. She has nearly ten thousand soldiers in her military and I’m not even counting her leadership circle. How in Equestria do you plan on doing that? Not that I would mind Celestia being gone, that would certainly help my business.”

“Simple, my Queen and Twilight Sparkle over here, these two are master tacticians. I have absolute faith that they have a plan for that. Besides I think you wouldn’t talk like that if you have seen her fight.”

Twilight interrupted before he could talk, “Of course I have a plan. We worked on it for quite a while now, but we need an adequate army if we want to pull this off. If you don’t want to do this for Silver, do it for the money. If we win you will get fifteen percent of the royal treasury.”

“Now that is a pony who knows how to make a deal! Fifteen percent of the whole treasury? If you hold your side of the deal I will be swimming in bits when this is over. Alright, I’m in, we will do our part when you call us.”

Twilight shook his hoof and smiled, “That’s what I want to hear. I’ll let you know when we need your help.” She opened another magical door and they both vanished.

He blew out a small cloud of smoke and stated, “She is dangerous, better watch out Celestia. Either way this will be the beginning of a new era.”

Twilight and Silver were thrown out of the magical rift as it shattered by the impact of a huge explosion. They were back in the streets of Manehattan, but were now surrounded with startled residents.

“Twilight, what happened?!”

“I don’t know. I had no idea the rift could even be damaged let alone shattered.”

“Hehe. The wards are reliably as ever. You two are arrested for crimes against Equestria.” a strong male voice said. It was Dawn Comet with his bright yellow suit, he wore the typical attire of a general, a long, white with gold trimmed with the words ‘Justice’ at the back. He stood about ten meters away from them, but they could already feel the powerful aura that he was emanating.

“Tw-Tw-Twilight! It is Dawn C-Comet! He is one of the generals! We have no chance against them! Run!”

Before she could even react a bright yellow ray of light closed the distance between them and Dawn stood behind Silver.

“Ever got a kick with the speed of light?” his hind legs glowed and vibrated before he kicked Silver Night, he did not put much force in it, but the dark brown stallion sailed several dozen meters through the air. Now he stood besides the paralyzed mare and his right forehoof glowed in a similar manner.

A last attempt to stop him was a bolt of pure chaos energy, it sailed through his skull, leaving a gaping hole. He did not even notice it, the wound glowed shortly before it closed itself. Her entire knowledge vanished, just like that. All of the hours training for this exact moment, and she laid on the ground, paralyzed with fear.

“You can’t stop justice. I won’t kill you, but don’t expect to see the sunlight ever again.”

Twilight closed her eyes, that was it, what should she do now? It was hopeless. She waited for the pain, but it never came. Instead she heard a flaming sound and the slicing of flesh.

As she opened her eyes once again, she saw Morning Blaze cutting off Dawn Comet’s forehoof to stop him temporarily, blood spurted from the wound. Equestrian healing magic was good enough to regrow it completely, so he didn’t really feel the need to get an adequate payback. Twilight sat there mouth wide open not sure what to do, she felt so useless.

“Huh? Morning Blaze, you know that you are on our side? It is our duty to arrest those criminals,” he said, but not very enthusiastically. He could kill them right now, he just did not feel like it.

Blaze turned around and said quietly, “This is my last gift for you, Twilight. You won’t get any mercy next time.” She teleported Twilight next to Silver, she hoped they would disappear and to her relief they did. The yellow mare saw her former student frantically open a strange gateway and vanishing with it.

“I’m afraid this will have consequences, Blaze.”

“I know.”

Meanwhile Rarity and Pinkie had finally decided where they should go. It was not easy to debate with somepony like Pinkie Pie, she suggested things like the volcano islands where the dragons lived or the arctic north.

Luckily Rarity could convince her energetic friend to pick a more… realistic location. They settled on the beautiful town of Baltimare. None of them were there before so it would be exciting to explore the new city, also for a more practical purpose, nopony would know them there.

After Rarity opened another gateway, they both entered the rustic harbor town. Luna suggested to take some bat ponies with them, but Pinkie insisted on staying a small group because that would be ‘more ninja-like’. However, they got a warning from the princess, she said to not travel on the main streets. Baltimare was unfortunately the city in which Mistral, another general was stationed in. They should immediately flee if she appeared.

Pinkie bounced happily besides Rarity as they trotted through the town. The city had a certain ‘medieval’ look, none of the houses was above two stories tall and the most common building material was cobblestone, unlike in for example Canterlot where they only used marble from the nearby mountains. In nearly every corner they could see a pub or a fish market and there were many, many fish markets. They had all kinds of fish one could possibly imagine and more.

“Hey Rarity, wanna get something to eat?” Pinkie asked in her usual cheerful demeanour.

“Hmm? Oh yes, I have to admit that I am a bit starved.”

“Okie dokie. Let’s go into the restaurant we saw earlier at the shore.”

“The decor looked absolutely lovely,” Rarity exclaimed enthusiastically.

Another ten minutes later they sat in the famous restaurant ‘The Salty Sea Mare’. A rather old, but surprisingly charming business. They overheard the conversation of two dock workers as they waited for their meal to arrive.

“Did you know that one of Celestia’s generals visits this place from time to time?”

“Are you kidding? Why would any high class pony in their right mind visit this run-down restaurant?”

“Don’t ask me. I just heard it from a friend of mine over at the main market.”

“And who of the three should that be?” the second worker asked.

“I guess Mistral because she is stationed in this town. Even though she doesn’t wander around town without a reason. I heard she is always either training or drinking. Strange kind of general if you ask me.”

“Eh, she got that position for a reason, the princess has absolute trust in her soldiers.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s change the topic, wanna go to the market before we go back to work?”

“Sure.” The two left, wandering over to the market.

Rarity listened carefully the whole time to not misunderstand the situation, “Did you hear that?”

“Sure, the general does not have a good taste for free time activities.”

“Not that, Pinkie. She visits this place, do you know how dangerous that could be?”

“Well yeah, silly, but how high are the chances that will happen right now?”

As on queue the door opened and a light blue mare with long white hair and a blue suit entered the restaurant. Draped over her suit was the long general coat with the word ‘Justice’ on it.

Pinkie laid her head on the table and murmured something about ‘stupid Pinkie sense’. Rarity was mortified, they were not even two hours in the city and they already stumbled upon Celestia’s highest ranking soldier. Should they just stand up and leave quietly? What if she had already seen them and recognized them from the wanted posters?”

The seamstress nodded towards to door and Pinkie got the hint. They walked past Mistral who was already sitting at the bar, as the door came into reach a female voice behind them stated mockingly.

“Playing hide and seek with me, huh? Hahaha, I’m in a good mood, you two get two minutes head start before I bring you to Celestia,” Mistral said while she waved a rum bottle in her magic.

“RUN!” Rarity and Pinkie shouted simultaneously.

Not two seconds later, right at the front door, Mistral materialized herself out of thin air. It looked like the air itself froze to ice and formed the stature of a pony.

Pinkie stammered weakly, “W-what about the head start?”

The light blue unicorn tilted her head slightly and smiled, “I lied.”

The pink party pony pushed Rarity further away as Mistral slowly approached her. “Rarity, run!”

The designer could only nod in panic and ran trying to open a door to their hideout. Luna and Twilight have to know what happened, she thought to herself.

Mistral towered over the panicked pink earth pony, “Hehe, a noble sacrifice, but I’ll get to your friend sooner or later.” Now she touched Pinkie’s shoulder and closed her eyes briefly.

Before the usually happy mare could react everything including her in a twenty meter radius froze completely. Mistral not only froze her intended victim, but also the ‘Salty Sea Mare’ and all the visitors. “Oh well, I overdid it a bit, they thaw sooner or later anyway. Celestia will be pleased, it’s not as good as Twilight Sparkle, but I’m sure she can work with it.”

Rarity cried silently as she felt the temperature rapidly sinking behind her, but she could not get herself to stop now. Finally the magical gateway opened and she jumped in, leaving her pink friend behind.

Almost at the exact same time two terrified mares and an unconscious male bat pony landed before Luna’s hooves.

Twilight and Rarity exclaimed, “We have a problem!”

The Princess of the Night looked at them with a neutral facial expression and said, “Calm down you two. Take a moment and then report.”

The first one to calm down was the lavender mare, “Well, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we could convince ‘Capone’ to join us, in exchange for a part of the royal treasury. The bad news is that Dawn Comet caught us, Silver Night is injured pretty bad I think. He got us unprepared, we did not even see him coming.”

Luna lifted her left forehoof to her chin and asked, “How did you escape then? I don’t take that you won against him.”

She couldn’t tell that she had been rescued by a follower of Celestia, especially not when her own followers were present. “I managed to distract him long enough with a chaos spell plus he did not seem to be very determined to catch us.”

The blue alicorn turned around and shouted an order to a dark-green coated thestral stallion, “You, bring Night Light to the sickroom and make sure that he gets medical attention.”

“Rarity, could you tell us what happened with you and Pinkie Pie now?”

“Of course, well we were just exploring Baltimare for a bit before we decided to get something to eat. It turned out that the restaurant we picked was commonly visited by another general. Mistral was her name. We had no chance, Pinkie sacrificed herself to save me. Mistral has terrible powers, she can freeze everything she touches and she was not even trying to fight.”

Twilight stared at her friend disbelievingly, “WHAT?! Pinkie has been captured?!”

The seamstress dropped her gaze at the ground and sobbed slightly, “I’m sorry. I could not do anything.”

“Rarity… It’s okay, but this won’t be easy. Dawn Comet can somehow manipulate light itself and use it as a weapon, Mistral is able to freeze everything. I wonder what powers the last of them has. Also, conventional magic does not work against them, well for Dawn Comet at least, my attacks sailed right through him and his wounds sealed themselves.”

“I’ve heard of this before,” Luna stated. “It is very difficult to learn, but a pony who is an expert Elementalist can transform his or her body into a natural element. This way it becomes immune to almost any kind of harm. The only other thing I know about it is that it could be countered with darkness magic.”

The worried lavender mare paced around the room and mumbles, “I have to research this as soon as possible. That might be the key how to get her.”

Rarity asked concerned, “Twilight? Are you alright, darling?”

“Huh? No, no I am not alright. We already lost one of our most important members! Most likely Celestia will brainwash her or something and she will tell her everything she knows. And if she is imprisoned in the dungeons of Canterlot a rescue attempt becomes near impossible.”

The blue alicorn replied, “At the moment we can only wait until Celestia makes her move. I am sure that she won’t pass up such an opportunity. We’ll wait two days and after that we have to continue our mission, we need followers if we want to overthrow her.”

Pinkie, darling, I’m so sorry. I hope you are alright, Rarity prayed silently in her thoughts.

Dawn Comet, Morning Blaze and Mistral with her still half frozen prisoner gathered in the Solarium for an urgent meeting with Princess Celestia. According to the princess it should be night time, but due to her sister the sky was still painted in an eternal twilight.

They reported what happened in the two cities, especially the parts about Morning Blaze and Pinkie Pie were interesting.

The pink mare desperately tried to free herself and shouted, “Please let me go! I have to throw Rarity a ‘It’s okay you left me. I’m fine.’ party. I need to be there for her, otherwise she will be super sad,”

Mistral pushed the frozen mare over and stated, “Well, too bad, we would not have a problem if you weren’t a criminal, but here we are.”

The only captain in the room had to be held back by Dawn, otherwise she would have killed Mistral right now, “Stop it, Mistral! We represent justice! Not torture!”

Celestia intervened before the situation got out of hoof, “Enough! Blaze we’ll come to your punishment soon enough and Mistral, she is right. Unfreeze her.”

“Hmpf, fine.” Mistral replied and instantly unfroze the sobbing pink mare.

Normally Pinkie would have been cheerful to be free again, but she just sat on her haunches and cried silently. Celestia regarded her directly this time, “Pinkamena Diane Pie, it does not have to be like this. Tell us where your headquarter is and how to access it and before you realise it you can be together with your friends again. You can talk to three of them right now if you want. Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy are here in the castle.”

“I don’t want to see them! And after everything Twilight and Luna told me about you I would never tell you where we hide, you deceiving McDeceivyPants,” PInkie exclaimed with confidence in her voice.

“A talk with your friends would show you the errors of your way, but so be it. Since you have been thoroughly corrupted by Nightmare Moon I see no other way than executing you in public. This will set an example for what will happen to all the other rebels.”

Everypony present in the room looked shocked at their demi-goddess ruler. A public execution? That hadn’t happened since the dark ages of Equestria.

Two guards wearing the usual gold-plated armor came in and grabbed Pinkie Pie. Celestia gave a last order before they left, “Escort her to the dungeon, she will be executed at the scaffold in the inner courtyard of Canterlot castle in three days time.”

They saluted without any trace of hesitation and dragged the panicked pink mare with them.

Morning Blaze couldn’t restrain herself any longer, “Princess, what are you doing?! We are not in the dark ages, we can’t execute her!”

Celestia gave a short laugh and said, “Of course we are not executing her Blaze, but when the rebels hear the news they won’t just sit around and let it happen. They’ll be forced to make a move. I’m aware of the fact that this is maybe a bit… extreme, but an effective way to stop and capture Nightmare Moon and Twilight, as well as the other rebels.”

Dawn Comet nodded in appreciation, “Clever... a bit cruel, but clever. And I have a suggestion to make, if Morning Blaze takes part like all the other captains and generals will, her punishment could be nullified.”

Now the princess nodded to, “Agreed.”

Blaze just left without a word after hearing that, she couldn’t believe it. Was Celestia so desperate to capture them? The next three days would be a mental torture for Pinkie Pie as well as Twilight. If only she had captured Twilight when she had the chance, now they would start an open war against each other with actual losses on both sides. Was that really the best solution?

After a restless night of sleep Twilight, Luna and Rarity woke up from a loud voice shouting for them in the main hall.

It was one of the younger bat pony unicorns, he paced around frantically and overall looked quite exhausted. “...Princess… Luna, Twi… light Sparkle, there is… something you… should hear,” he said while trying to steady his breath.

Twilight got up first and said, “Calm down, soldier. What is wrong?”

He had to wait a few more moments to talk normally again, the stallion then replied, “They made an announcement in Ponyville and as I heard, in all of Equestria. I was able to sneak up on them while I was on scout patrol.”

Luckily all other leadership members were present in the main hall by now, so he continued, “For severe crimes against the Equestrian Crown, Pinkamena D. Pie is to be executed in three days time at three p.m. It will take place on the scaffold in the inner courtyard of Canterlot Castle and will be broadcasted over a magic transmitter in every major city of the land.”

That even caused Princess Luna to blink in disbelief. She stated in a pensive tone, “That is uncommonly extreme for my nemesis. I would not have expected her to ever use an execution as deterrence because that is clearly what it is.”

Her co-leader interrupted the train of thought, “It could be a trap? I mean she wants to catch us desperately, but… what if it isn’t? I’m certainly not willing to let Pinkie die. I’d rather kill half of her army than losing even one member of our team.”

“I would join in as well. I could never look at myself in the mirror if I let her die,” Rarity stated seriously.

Luna spoke up again, “But we don’t have many viable options. Our rebellion is not strong enough right now and I want to avoid non-essential losses as long as possible. If all mercenaries and Capone hold their end of the bargain we would have around a thousand soldiers at best and Celestia will summon all her elite soldiers and the leadership of her military, at worst they could have an advantage of four thousand ponies.”

The lavender mare replied, “You and me alone could blow up whole castle, especially with some of the more advanced spells you taught me. What if only you, Rarity, me and probably Silver Night go there through the rift and try to rescue her? We would avoid losses and we four are the strongest in the rebellion anyway.”

Rarity said, “I talked with the doctor yesterday and he said Silver is most likely gonna be okay in one or two days, but I’m not so sure about the rescue attempt, darling. I’m still not much of a fighter and haven’t ‘discovered’ my special ‘style’ of magic. Also, what about those ruffians like Mistral or Dawn Comet?”

“Heh, I have a pretty good theory on how to get them, I’ll explain it later and we do not have to fight against the whole army. We just have to get up to the scaffold, grab Pinkie, get the tartarus out of the castle and teleport to our headquarter. We do not even have to kill them, only if they get in our way, well… I’ll make sure you don’t have to at least.”

The princess stated absent-minded, “If it only would be as easy as you make it out to be, but unfortunately that is the best we have. We can not afford to hesitate right now, if we, indeed succeed in rescuing your friend, we will no longer be able to keep our rebellion a secret. That could also have two possible outcomes, either this will get us more followers because they dislike her methods or the population will aid Celestia in hunting us down.”

Full of determination Twilight answered, “A risk I’m willing to take. So do we all agree on the plan?”

“I trust you, darling. I agree.”

“You had trust in me when we started our rebellion, now it is my turn. I also agree.”

“Good, then we four will rescue Pinkie and show Celestia that we mean it seriously.”

Two Sides

Chapter 10: Two Sides

Tomorrow was the day everypony in Equestria has been talking about. Worst of all Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Spike had no idea what was going on. They noticed the general uneasiness within the castle’s staff, but Celestia refused to tell them, she said it is ‘nothing of concern’ and they couldn’t leave because their training would start soon.

Through a tricky ‘heartfelt’ talk with one of the cooks, Applejack was able to find out what was going on. Their reaction was appropriate for this kind of situation, all four of them combined formed a pretty terrifying storm of insults and anger who pushed through the line in front of Celestia’s court.

Princess Celestia knew when something was about to be difficult, so she signalled the guards to close the large door, trapping the still very angry mares, dragon and herself in the court hall.

“You three seem to be quite upset, whatever is the—”

Rainbow Dash interrupted her, “Why the hell would you do something like that?!!”

“Yeah, that ain’t right! We want to speak with her!” the country pony joined in.

Celestia sighed and said, “I should have known that I could not hide something like this from mares like you. Since we are alone, I am quite busy and this room is soundproofed by magic I will reveal my true intentions, but none of you can talk to anypony about this especially not your pink friend.”

The blue pegasus rolled her eyes and replied, “Get on with it, we won’t leave until we know what is going on.”

“To put it simply, the entire execution is just a show. Twilight, Nightmare Moon and Rarity will certainly not let your friend die, they will come and try to save her. We don’t know how many soldiers they have, but my reliable sources said that they have been making business with a dangerous gangster boss from Manehattan. We are prepared for that case and when they appear we will capture them. This is going to put an end to their rebellion, hopefully Twilight and Rarity will see the errors of their ways and come back to us, voluntarily.”

Applejack exclaimed angrily, “That were a lotta fancy word to say that ya’ll use our friend as a bait! Ah’m absolutely sure there’s a better way to convince them, princess. If ya start a war with Twilight, you better be up for a ride.”

“We want to help you for Pete’s sake! We all want Twilight back!” The little dragon exclaimed, he had enough of this ‘hiding in a shelter’.

Fluttershy got the chance to finally speak up too, “Uhm… I agree with Dash and Applejack.”

Rainbow was sick of this, “Enough explaining, either you let us speak with Pinkie or let us at least help you catch Twilight tomorrow. We aren’t as weak as you thing we are!”

“I can not allow any of these options. If you speak with her she will know that this is just a trap for Twilight and I can’t let you fight with my soldiers because there is a very high chance that my student and Nightmare won’t refrain from killing them.”

“Well too bad, I’m sure she won’t harm us just like that. If that means we get them back we are more than willing to help you.”

Celestia simply sighed and talked with them about the details. ‘Great, more problems for her to deal with.’

Morning Blaze wasn’t very fond of doing things behind Celestia’s back, this however, could prevent a war.

As a part of the Equestrian military, it was her duty to serve her land. If that would mean going to the deepest dungeon in Canterlot and risk ruining an extremely important mission, then it had to be done. Blaze had never been good with rules anyway.

She stood before Pinkamena’s cell, in the safest prison Equestria had to offer. All air vents and cell bars were reinforced with gryphonian steel, the best and hardest metal in the world. It was practically crowded with guards, every corner had to be secure, at any given time. That’s why the watch shifts also changed very frequently. Two ponies in black steel-plated armor were guarding the cell.

Walking calmly towards to heavy door, consisting of massive, double reinforced steel, the yellow mare said, “Open that door.”

One of the two ponies, guarding the cell, looked around nervously and asked, “Captain Blaze?”

“Yes, would you hurry up already.”

“I’m sorry, but the princess herself ordered us to keep this door locked, without any exceptions.”

“Are you doubting my authority as a Captain of the Royal Guards?”

He gulped once and replied, “N-no, o-of course not! J-just don’t say a word to the p-princess.” A little generic threat was all it took for her to get what she wanted. Was that how Twilight felt now?

As she entered, the prisoner Pinkie Pie lifted her head to look at her visitor. The pink mare looked horrible, very thin, her coat was duller than last time Blaze had seen her and her mane fell down her neck in a ninety degree angle, it was unsettling even for her.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, complice of the famous rebel Twilight Sparkle. What an honor to meet you,” Morning Blaze said in a mocking tone.

“Leave me alone...” Pinkie whispered, her gaze directed at the floor beneath her.

“Not until I get some answers! We both want Twilight safe, don’t we? The only way to prevent them from starting an open war with us, is to capture her, before your execution. So tell me, how do I get into your HQ and what are your plans?” the yellow mare asked, the desperation in her voice was apparent.

“You don’t get it, do you? This can’t be stopped anymore. It doesn’t matter if I return to Celestia or if Twilight and the others rescue me. The first wouldn’t be an option for me anyway, I’ve heard some pretty bad things about Celestia. Living under a tyrant like that doesn’t really appeal to me,” Pinkie explained with an unusual serious tone.

“What are you—” Blaze got cut off by the pink prisoner.

“I may seem silly to you, but let me tell you, this is going to be bad... really, really bad. They are out for blood and as I know them, their plan will end badly for Celestia. Twilight isn’t afraid of hurting anypony anymore, she wants revenge, just like Luna.”

Blaze rushed forward and punched Pinkie in the chest, “Do you even know what you are talking about?! Twilight will find her way back to us!”

Air escaped Pinkie’s lungs as the sudden punch came. Coughing only made the pain worse, it was like inhaling boiling, hot water. The spot already began to swell. Another few hefty hits rained down on Pinkie it was like Blaze lost herself.

As the yellow mare finally came to a halt, the prisoner looked even worse than before. Swollen parts all over her body, bleeding nose and lip and a black eye. Blaze huffed and simply left the cell without saying another word, Pinkie had no idea what was going on anymore.

“Twilight, this is not the end! I will save you!” Blaze spoke to no one in particular.

Silver Night sat in the main hall together with Twilight, talking about what happened the last two days, ”So, you all agreed on this?”

“Yes.”

“Assaulting Celestia to prevent the execution of Pinkie Pie?”

The former student simply nodded this time.

“And you want me to blindly follow you into suicide?” Silver asked angrily.

“Pretty much.”

“I won’t even start pointing out the errors in your ridiculous plan, but what choice do I have? Fine… I’ll come with you. Even though it is most likely that we’ll all die or get captured.”

“Great, we need you out there. If everything goes as planned we have her free in no time. Your job will be to fend off the soldiers as long as possible, since you don’t have any way to focus stronger chaos magic, Rarity will try to help you. Luna and myself will, hopefully, kill the generals with a new technique we developed and free Pinkie. We had no chance to test it out, but I’m sure that we can at least delay them. And just in case, if you see that the scaffold is clear, take the opportunity and spare us needlessly killing innocent ponies.”

The brown bat pony stallion tried to mask his fear while listening to her plan. Fear… genuine fear of death… that was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. As Twilight finished explaining he simply replied, “Understood.”

Before they left the lavender mare said, “Don’t worry, I won’t allow any of you to die. We go in, rescue Pinkie and after that we can focus on a proper vengeance for your injury. However, in case we waste too much time, we have to have a backup plan, that is why I wanted to talk to you so urgently.”

“Alright, I’ll hear you out.”

Thirty minutes…. thirty minutes and everything would be over. A loss was not an option, the citizens of Equestria relied on them, without Celestia and her army there would be nothing but chaos and anarchy.

Built at the very end of the inner courtyard was the scaffold, the steel construction stabilizing the wooden platform where Pinkie Pie was held captive. Massive steel shackles that were enchanted with various anti-breaking spells chained her to the platform. Behind her, two guards with long poles that had straight swords attached to it, the executioners, hired for the specific purpose of ending her life. On the other side of the platform stood Princess Celestia in all her glory, looking over her army.

It was enormous, nearly the entire ground was filled with more than three thousand elite soldiers, every last one of them willing to sacrifice their life. The crowd reached until a large, massive marble block, where the scaffold was build on. This thing cut off the entrance to the castle entirely, it had been built only for this event. At the two sides of the scaffold stood her most powerful soldiers, the five captains, including Morning Blaze and Shining Armor, the three generals and as ‘guests of honor’ Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Only Specter and his Archmages were absent, that did not surprise Celestia in the slightest, he would always stay in the background, but as long as he was on her side she could tolerate that.

Twenty minutes... nervous chatting could be heard from the crowd of soldiers. “Do you think they will come?”

“What is going to happen?”

“I hope this will be over soon…”

Celestia noticed the unrest and spoke with a magically enhanced voice, “We are the power that holds Equestria together! No group of so called ‘rebels’ will ever change that! Every last one of you is an elite member of the Equestrian forces, we have the chance to put an end to this. We fight for the law, we fight for justice, WE FIGHT FOR OUR LAND!”

Her little speech had just the right effect, with lifted spirits her soldiers broke out in loud cheers. Only a few more minutes and they all could brag about how they helped to save the land. They would be heroes.

Fifteen minutes.... suddenly a large, black rectangle appeared at the end of the courtyard. It was about three meters wide and five meters high, confused with the situation, the few soldiers near it backed off.

It slowly split open like a door and revealed four ponies casually walking out of it. The only non unicorn was also the only one wearing armour, his entire body was covered with red hardened cloth and iron plates. It was enough to offer medium protection against physical attacks, but also granted the maximum possible amount of mobility. The lavender one wore nothing but a confident smile on her face. Walking a bit behind them, a white mare followed, she seemed to be unsure. The biggest surprise was the last one, wearing her deep blue royal regalia and wielding a nearly black, magical straight sword, Nightmare Moon!

At the sight of Twilight Sparkle and Nightmare Moon even the toughest soldiers became unsettled. They had to have some kind of ace if they expected to win against an entire army, with only four ponies.

Twilight summoned Yoru and pointed it straight at Celestia, her voice could be heard in the entire courtyard as she spoke, “You never fail to surprise me Celestia. I never thought you were that stupid. In honor of our good old times I give you one last chance, release Pinkie or watch as I slaughter your army!”

As no answer came from the demi-goddess Twilight gave the signal to the others and stated, “As you wish.”

The princess noticed that her sister and the other two rebels were going into an offense and ordered, “Don’t let them come near the scaffold!”

The soldiers right in front of the small group charged at them and shouted, “For Equestria!”

Silver Night was the fastest of them, his nearly unbreakable wing blades tore through the necks of the nearest group of guards as he flew past them with an impressive speed. Their dead, and in some cases dismembered bodies fell to the ground, the first blood of this battle stained the ground below them.

The battle had just begun, but dozens of guards were already dead. Nopony was able to even follow the movements of Silver, he would either fly past a guard, who would break down without a head seconds later or lift a guard off the ground, where he would soon land again, only in little, bloody pieces. He was like a whirlwind of death with nothing to lose, which was partly true.

He was stopped by a purple barrier, trapping him and dragging him towards the ground. In between the corpses of his soldiers stood Shining Armor with his horn glowing and an enchanted saber floating near him. “You will pay for this.”

With a quick slash of his right wing blade the barrier was destroyed and he said, “We’ll see about that.”

On the other side of the battlefield Princess Luna slowly trotted through the masses of soldiers. Her goal was the scaffold... and Celestia, the only thing she left behind were dismembered, burned or crushed bodies of her sister’s ‘elite army’.

A bright shine came flying towards her, she squinted to see what exactly was attacking her, it was a beam of focused light. Luna definitely didn’t want to get hit by this attack. Time to test that new spell Twilight developed. She surrounded her sword with a vortex of chaos energy, the blade itself was barely visible anymore. Luna struck the ray sideways and deflected the magical projectile so that it impacted with a group of unsuspecting guards. The following explosion was enormous, it was enough to let the ground shake all around the mountain of Canterlot. For just a second the battle came to a halt, curious as to what happened most ponies looked around, only to remember that they were currently fighting for the honor of their land. As the cloud of dust began to settle down, the magnitude of the attack could be discerned, it instantly disintegrated over fifty soldiers and left a hundred more with permanent injuries or at least unable to fight. The crater that was left in the ground was over ten meters deep and had a radius of more than fifteen meters, turning a good portion of the battlefield into a mass grave.

Just outside the gigantic hole stood the source of this monster attack, Dawn Comet. He sat lazily on a huge boulder that didn’t get smashed into pebbles. After a short yawn the general stated, “Well, that certainly did not go as planned. Good reaction time, Nightmare Moon. Only very few ponies are able to attack me in my light form.”

Luna levitated her sword into a neutral stance and asked, “Too bad you won’t live long enough to appreciate it.” After threatening her opponent the Princess of the Night broke out into another fit of insane laughter. Killing always made the Nightmare push harder against her sanity, but on the other hoof she was so close to finally get vengeance.

Dawn drew his weapon of choice as well, the light sword Murakamo. Although he was nearly twenty meters away from his dangerous opponent, Dawn just pointed his right forehoof at her and stood right next to the alicorn, ready to attack. Luckily, Luna could react fast enough to intercept his blade with her own. The chaos vortex surrounding the sword already began to absorb the energy of his blade. As the general noticed that, his entire body shone with an extreme intensity, quickly more and more particles of his form disappeared until he was at a safe distance again.

“So you can suppress my elemental magic, interesting.”

“The darkness attracts everything, even magic. What is caught in the gravitation of this special spell won’t be heard of, ever again,” Luna mocked. Although she couldn’t cast the spell as perfect as Twilight, it worked better than she had expected.

Then the circle started anew, only clashing sounds were audible and the flurry of blades could be seen from outside the battle. Dawn was good, but the millennia old demi-goddess’ abilities in the battle exceeded his by a landslide.

Soon his bright yellow suit and his body were littered with deep, bleeding cuts and some places were burned due to a good aimed fireball. Because of Nightmare Moon’s strange spell he couldn’t regenerate himself and that was a big problem, as he looked at the state his body was in. The worst of all was, that Dawn did not manage to land a single hit. Not even a dent in her regalia or her blade.

Before he could think any further, Luna attacked him near his legs to make him back away. Followed by an extremely fast side swing with the hoofguard of her blade, managing to disarm him. Murakamo laying at her side, just outside of his reach. With a victorious grin Luna towered over him, her blade at his throat.

The wicked alicorn laughed and said, “At least you tried.”

Accepting the inevitable outcome of the situation, he closed his eyes to wait for death’s sweet embrace. The blade that would make his pain go away, the first real pain he felt in a long time. Instead he felt magic surrounding him and the familiar tingle of a teleportation spell. Opening his eyes once again Dawn was laying before Celestia, a good hundred meters away from Nightmare Moon.

“Rest, Dawn Comet. I’ll handle this.” Then she was gone. The princess saved him… he felt miserable, it shouldn’t have come to this. As a general he was supposed to be the very best…

Luna looked at her sister walking towards her, wearing an angry expression on her face. Oh, this was going to be good, “Ah, the glorious Princess of the Sun, what pleasure it is to see my sister again. Always so full of mercy, saving her favorite subjects from the vile grip of Nightmare that has befallen their lands.”

“It was a mistake to come here, Luna. This battlefield... will be the end of your rebellion and if you don’t surrender immediately… your grave.”

“I’d like to see you try, dear sister.”

Between the hell that broke loose and the countless corpses of their enemies, one little pony was all by herself. Separated from her friends, running from guards and dodging numerous spells. Rarity was never meant to be a warrior, she was a fashion designer, nothing more, nothing less, but there she was partaking in the biggest bloodshed Equestria has seen in the last hundred years.

Almost two hundred soldiers were already dead or unable to fight, all that chaos caused by four angry ponies. So far the fashion designer tried to avoid confrontations, only helping out Silver with a barrier at the right time, his fight with Shining Armor was still perfectly even. Now she was just scouting for new possibilities to help her friends.

With that many enemy soldiers the inevitable happened eventually, a group of guards surrounded her and cut off Rarity’s only escape route. Screaming wouldn’t help either, every last one of her friends was engaged in a different fight and couldn’t come to her aid.

A particularly heavy hit against her chest with the blunt end of a spear knocked the seamstress to the ground. Fortunately it wasn’t hard enough to knock Rarity unconscious, that would have been the end. She tried to focus chaos magic several times by now, all attempts failing. It just wouldn’t work. Only now, under this extreme emotional distress, Rarity felt the magic flowing stronger than ever before. This was all she had, a small glimmer of hope, she grasped it and channeled as much magic as she could into it.

The outside effect of her magic was different from what she had imagined. Sharp crystal-like spikes shot out of the ground, brutally impaling the guards assaulting her. With their now dead victims, they protruded over three meters out of the earth. All of them had a nice blue colour, but as soon as the blood of the soldiers flowed over them, they began to absorb it, changing colour into a menacing, vibrant crimson red.

Rarity never felt like this before, she was sorry for the guards she just killed, but also incredibly glad for this new magic. Again she tried to focus it, only around thin air this time and sure enough, it worked. The air before the seamstress crystallized into thin, razor-sharp projectiles which she shot into the other guards that weren’t killed by the spikes. As they hit their targets the ponies began to scream in agony, their fur and soon their inner organs crystallized more and more, until only lifeless statues remained.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t start this. At least you will all look fabulous... forever,” Rarity stated with apparent sadness in her voice.

After a little amount of relative silence the screaming started anew, this time from the large crystals she created. Some guards came to lift their friends off and as soon as they touched the pulsating red gem they too began to turn into crystals. Her special talent with gems and fashion turned into a lethal weapon and even after she used them they remained deadly traps.

Sadly this was far from over, so she had to find her friends and help them.

Morning Blaze watched idly over the battlefield, there was a specific pony she was waiting for. On her left side stood Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash who were all very eager to help the guards down there.

Rainbow Dash snapped already and exclaimed, “Oh come on! What are we waiting for?! We want to beat up Nightmare Moon.”

“Celestia is handling her and we are waiting for somepony specific,” Blaze said absent minded.

“Ah don’t suppose that ‘somepony’ is Twi, right?” the farm pony asked.

There she was! Morning Blaze couldn’t forget that weapon, the long, slightly curved blade sliding effortlessly through the armor of dozens of guards and pulsating with dark magic. That was different from last time, but nonetheless, it was Twilight Sparkle’s weapon so she was there as well.

Without warning the yellow mare teleported herself and her three ‘guests’ down into the battlefield, directly before her student. Blaze looked at her closely, her eyes spoke for themselves. So much hatred and anger in them, something bad must have happened with her former cheerful student.

Twilight made her first move and greeted them with false joy, “Well, would you look at that, what a pleasant surprise! Hello there Blaze. So you didn’t accept my offer, what a shame. And you guys too! What a great reunion.”

Simultaneously she swung her blade at the thin air her behind her, seemingly ripping it apart, it convulsed and distorted, cracks forming at the edge of nothing particular. It was like a earthquake shattered the sky, that caused a large shockwave to appear at that point. Over fifty ponies charging at her back were thrown through the air like paper bags. A good portion of them had broken at least a leg or were knocked unconscious and had bleeding wounds from the heavy impact.

The polychrome pegasus who just witnessed this pointless act of cruelty from her friend charged at the lavender unicorn with maximum speed. Her plan was to tackle Twilight to the ground, to hold her down long enough for the others to react. The former student however, had other plans. She rammed the sword almost half a meter into the ground again so that she could hold the grip tight. This stance improved her defense by a margin, the large golden crossguard of Yoru would be hard to get around. Dash couldn’t react in time and slammed head first into the sword guard. Stunned for a second she didn’t notice the magic surrounding her, it was purple, that meant she was in trouble. Gulping once, the agile pegasus looked at Twilight.

“Hehe, Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow. Always acting before thinking, right? Who would be so blatantly stupid to attack an enemy empty hoofed?” Twilight lifted the blue pegasus slightly into the air.

“Be-because I am not your enemy, Twilight. Come back to your senses! I… We all want you and Rarity back, we can even make sure that Celestia leaves you alone, forever, just please, end this madness.”

“Sadly I have to decline your, very generous offer. It’s payback time for Celestia and her allies. I mean really, banishing her own sister just for the spotlight? Trying to raise the most powerful, mortal unicorn as a tool for her own amusement? Two very wrong choices that will cost her quite a bit.” Twilight laid her right forehoof at the bold pegasus’ chest and unleashed the chaos magic she had focused during the conversation.

A second time the battlefield witnessed a chaotic shockwave. Rainbow Dash got hit by the full power and crashed with near supersonic speed into the marble block the scaffold was built on. If she hadn’t been a pegasus the light blue mare would have been a flat bloody pancake, distributed all over the huge marble boulder. So the impact only knocked her unconscious, lying on the ground beneath the structure, the imprint of her impact could be seen clearly, even from relatively far away.

Unsatisfied with the results Twilight vanished into the shadows and reappeared a split second later, towering over the helpless pegasus. “Wrong spot, wrong time, now you gotta pay too, Dashie.” She rammed the blade into her former friends abdomen and twisted it for maximum effect. The reaction was immediate, Rainbow Dash’s coat lost, slowly, but surely it’s usual shine of life, her own blood pooling underneath her. Without a miracle this would be the end for her.

Morning Blaze saw that as her chance and teleported behind, the now apparently insane, Twilight. Unfortunately she taught her student too well, the lavender mare dodged to the right, preventing a lethal strike from her teacher. Blaze’s blade only grazed her flank, but due to the nature of her weapon it still burned like hell. The wound didn’t even bleed because the fire immediately sealed it.

Twilight closed one eye to cope with the pain, but she couldn’t stop smiling. Killing Rainbow Dash felt like a personal victory against Celestia. “You cheeky bitch. Shouldn’t Celestia’s favorite subjects play honorous?”

“We crossed that line as you killed your helpless friend.”

Just the line she had hoped for, “Well if you say so.” Once again the darkness swallowed her. This time appearing behind the timid yellow pegasus. “Hey Fluttershy, wanna see a cool trick?”

Fluttershy didn’t even notice the lavender mare, she was beyond mortified right now. Staring at her childhood friend lying motionless in a pool of her own blood. She slowly turned around, “Please… Tw-Twilight, don’t… don’t do this.”

“If you were to go on a trip... where would you like to go?” Fluttershy didn’t understand what her murderous friend meant. Getting no response Twilight touched the pegasus’ shoulder and enveloped her with chaos magic. A few seconds later the black magic faded and Applejack’s only remaining friend vanished.

The farm pony couldn’t get herself to speak, she just lost two of her dearest friends… killed by another friend. Applejack fell on her haunches and cried, she couldn’t deal with this situation anymore…

“Cool new spells, right Morning Blaze?” Twilight saw Rarity approaching her and figured it was time to go, they had a mission after all. “Oh well, I guess it is time to go. Let’s see how long it takes us to kill all of you.”

Rarity joined Twilight in their sprint towards the scaffold. At the same time she produced more and more crystal thorns and spikes out of the ground to shake off their pursuers.

The lavender unicorn looked at the new spells the seamstress created and said, “Impressive new magic, Rarity. Wouldn’t have thought you had something like that in you, both killing and this magic.”

“We have to do what has to be done, darling. Our goal is to save Pinkie, while I think it wasn’t necessary to… kill Rainbow Dash, she was still an enemy. I agreed to join you because I know Celestia has to pay and that includes her allies. And for the second part, isn’t this kind of magic absolutely fabulous? So beautiful, shimmery and shiny!”

They were almost there, but then two new opponents interrupted their rescue attempt again. Mistral and Law. Of all ponies on the battlefield two of the most powerful had to oppose them at the same time. That wouldn’t be easy, Twilight and Rarity were already panting in exhaustion from the heavy magic strain. Also, the two were far from uninjured, the fashion designer had some bloody, swollen spots because of the kicks she got and Twilight had this nasty burn on her flank which still hurt pretty badly.

Every town square in every city was crowded with masses of worried and curious ponies. All of them looked at a giant, square canvas where the images of Canterlot Castle were transmitted. Like spellbound they stared at the moving images of the terrifying event.

Many reporters were already describing the horrifying images to the smallest detail. Soon the entirety of Equestria would know about the disaster of Canterlot. Approximately three hundred ponies dead or injured until now because of four, lousy rebels? It was devastating for Celestia’s reputation. Even other kingdoms would hear the news, that could give the rebels even more followers than they already had.

The Princess of the Sun had been untouchable for millennia, now was the first time since Luna’s defeat, that enemies of her reign received some hope. It would be the end of Harmony if other countries started a war against Equestria.

Nervous mumbling could be heard everywhere, it was the same questions over and over again.

“What will Celestia do?”

“How can she protect us against other kingdoms, if she can’t even defeat a small group of rebels?”

“Can we really trust a pony who executes innocent citizens of our land?”

Twilight and Luna predicted the situation right again. If they play it smart they could start a civil war in Equestria, it wouldn’t take long for it to spread like a wildfire. Celestia’s only hope was a miracle or an ace she hasn’t revealed yet.

While all the other members of their small group were occupied with their main objective, Silver Night was stuck with Shining Armor. It could have been better for him. The white stallion was the second strongest captain and an expert in barrier magic.

Silver couldn’t get to him before Shining Armor was ready to push him back with a new barrier yet again. It was starting to get frustrating. While he was struggling to come forward, the captain of the second division just had to cast the same spell over and over again. Just like his little sister, he had an immense amount of magical energy to spend and by the expression on his face they weren’t even close to running low.

While slashing through another purple barrier with his enchanted wing blade Silver asked, “Isn’t this getting repetitive? I’m sure you have something else you’d rather be doing right now.”

“If it means I can save my little sister from criminal scumbags like you, I would do this for all eternity! And as soon as I’m done with you, Twilight will come home with me, if she likes it or not.”

“What a fine big brother you are. Let me just say this, she isn’t the pony you knew anymore. Just look at her, she has killed more ponies in this battle than Rarity and me combined. Twilight is doing this willingly, she wants revenge. Maybe ask Celestia, your sister was nothing but a tool for her entire life. A weapon to be used against my princess, nothing more. Retreat and I’ll let you live to ask her.”

Shining Armor wasn’t even reacting anymore. He couldn’t trust anything out a criminal’s mouth. Celestia would never do such cruel thing.

Not even two hundred meters away from them the most energy consuming battle in the last thousand years was happening. The two princess fighting with everything they had to offer. Nightcaller on Luna’s side, the blade, born from darkness itself and Horizon, the favorite weapon of the Sun Goddess. Aside from that, control over an unrestrained, nearly limitless pool of alicorn magic in its purest form.

Both represented the two individuals to perfection. Luna’s sword dark as the night and cold as ice, flickering with coldness and Celestia’s Horizon steady as a stone, like her it stood for total control, hotter than the sun and harder than the best steel.

Every second another explosion could be heard all over Canterlot. However, none of them managed to finish the other off, they parried each other’s spells almost perfectly. Neutralizing them or intercepting them mid air with a similar spell. All of that while having a near light speed sword fight. No mortal pony could even hope to keep track of their motions, a tornado of blades against another.

Luna unleashed an inferno of black flames, which got countered mid air by her sister’s sunfire and stated,”It’s been long since I’ve felt your magic, sister. A great opportunity to improve my magic, even more chaos spells I can teach MY new student.”

“Oh Luna, trying to distract me, how unlikely of you. I know I can still fix things, she won’t ever be your student and don’t you play fool on me, I know you’re just trying to keep me busy, but that’s not really important. Twilight won’t best General Law and Mistral at the same time and if we have her, your ridiculous act of revenge will be over.”

The next few seconds were again filled with the sound of dozens of sword strikes clashing into each other. Nothing could stop them now and that was exactly what Luna wanted.

Rarity and Twilight stood only a few meters away from their pink friend, who was oddly quiet for a pony like her, blocking their path were two of the three most dangerous soldiers in Celestia’s army. Both extremely aggressive and absolutely loyal to the Princess of the Sun.

“Rarity… How much magic... can you spare?” Twilight said, panting in exhaustion. Her magic pool was enormous, but even the deepest pond has to run dry at some point.

“I can hold them off for a short while,” the fashion designer replied, obviously exhausted as well, but she couldn’t fail right now.

“Good,” the lavender mare disappeared into the shadows once more and left Rarity alone with Law and Mistral.

Both looked at each other and Law said, “Well, then, you’re first then. We get to Twilight soon enough.” Their attack was quick and unexpected, Law unleashed a stream of extremely hot lava at Rarity and Mistral fired several thick and sharp ice spears at her.

Before either could hit the seamstress she managed to erect a crystal barrier, blocking off the elemental magic. She felt the two opposites gnawing at her magic reserves, it wouldn’t be long before the crystal would break. “Hurry up, Twilight!”

That was the plan for the former student. She had no intention to slow down now, everything went according to plan. With her pulsating dark sword she appeared behind Pinkie Pie at the top of the scaffold. The two executioners dropped dead a second later, trying to grasp their bloody, torn throats “I’m here, Pinkie. Hold still.”

A quick strike with Yoru and it was done, the countless enchantments shattered alongside the chains that tied pinkie to the wooden platform. Now they just had to get out of the courtyard, she had a plan for that as well, but it would demand a sacrifice.

She looked at her once again free pink friend, she was in a much worse state than Twilight had hoped. Pinkie looked bruised, scratches and bruises all over her body as if she had been beaten over these three days, her left eye, swollen and black. Blood was splattered over her coat, some older, but some was fresher, apparently from some unfortunate guards that got hit by an attack. Also she was much skinnier than usual, like she hadn’t eaten anything at all in days. “Pinkie, are you alright? You are unusually quiet for yourself.”

It took her a moment to reply, “Tw-Twilight.... I-I… You are… here.”

“What happened to you, Pinkie?” Twilight asked genuinely concerned.

“I… I’ve s-seen… so much b-blood. All these ponies dying… just because… because I wasn’t strong enough.”

“They knew the risk of following that whore of a princess. It wouldn’t have come to this if she hadn’t been so desperate.”

Pinkie’s hair seemed to straighten even more, this statement from Twilight didn’t make her feel better at all. Her expression changed to a more neutral and she said, in an almost creepy voice, “I won’t ever be a burden for all of you again… I-I’ll make her pay for this! T-these soldiers died… died because of her.”

“I hope you know what you are doing, but alright, let’s go.”

Twilight touched Pinkie’s shoulder and they both appeared a few meters away from their white unicorn friend. Without any explanation the lavender mare grabbed Rarity with her magic and pulled her along, until she ran for herself. “We’re finished here. Let’s run.”

As they ran the consequences of Pinkie’s promise became apparent. She dashed through the soldiers like they weren’t even there, flipping over them, grabbing their neck and pushing them to the ground, breaking it in the process. Even without a weapon the pink mare was deadlier than most guards, Twilight had no idea how she was doing it, but that could wait, at least until they were safe.

She called Luna and Silver through a simple thought sending spell and said, “Luna! Silver! We have her, you know what do you, Plan Bravo. I am sorry Silver, we’ll meet at the HQ if you come through.”

Her ominous message was their escape plan, a complex paralysis spell, triggered by a code word. This way they could escape and immobilize Celestia’s troops and preventing them to recover their injured and chase the rebels. Unfortunately though, one had to stay behind and since he volunteered, Silver was chosen. It was a suicide mission and they wouldn’t come to rescue him.

Luna appeared besides Twilight at the end of the courtyard where they came in. The two of them focused Silver’s wingblades as some sort of anchor for the spell. He could feel the foreign magic pulsing within the metal, he just had to fight on and wait.

Rarity created a barrier around herself, Luna, Twilight and Pinkie in order for them to finish their spell. The two magical experts started chanting the phrase, “Rin, pyo, to, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen.” Simultaneously they moved their left front hooves in a seemingly random pattern, but it was far from random, it was just extremely complex.

Celestia noticed the pattern and shouted, “Stop them! They must not escape!”

They all entered their newly opened rift to the safe haven they called home now. “We’re sorry, Silver Night.”

As he felt the door closing, Silver closed his eyes as well and said, loud and clearly, “Isfet!”

An extremely fast and dark shockwave originated from his wingblades, washing over the whole castle in a matter of seconds. Immobilizing all ponies hit by it, the only one fast enough to protect herself was Celestia and she was right next to him. She didn’t look very pleased, covered with some long, bloody scratches and slightly sweating, “A noble sacrifice, that will cost you a lot…”

It was over, Celestia and her ‘undefeatable’ army was bested, all it took was four extraordinary ponies. In less than an hour they killed over three hundred soldiers and injured at least twice as much. This battle would soon be known as the Nightmare of Canterlot.

Fading Light

Chapter 11: Fading Light

Every city in Equestria was in a state of shock as they received the news. Headlines like, ‘Hundreds of ponies dead.’, ‘Dangerous criminals terrorizing Equestria.’ and many, many more changed the public mood to panic.

Many were unsure what to do now, most just locked themselves into their houses and only came out when it was absolutely necessary. Smaller town especially looked like ghost cities. The Nightmare of Canterlot wasn’t even two days ago. Every last pony in Equestria now knew the name of Twilight Sparkle.

On the other hoof, the entirety of her land had witnessed Celestia’s first defeat in over a thousand years. The fact that those who inflicted her this reputational wound were her sister and her student made it even worse. It was horrible for her, even though they captured the bat pony, it still felt like her Harmony was threatened. Over three hundred of her soldiers dead, nearly twice as much permanently injured.

Anger, pure unadulterated anger. The last time she felt like this the entire kingdom fell into a horrific and brutal war. It was the time she had to banish her sister…

Exhaustion… Exhaustion, and for most of them satisfaction were the two primary emotions of the rebellion leaders. They showed Celestia what power they had. Together with the bat ponies they cheered and celebrated that night. Everypony was happy, well, all but one… Pinkie Pie sat apart from all the others. Her hair still straight, her coat still duller than usual and her aura wasn’t quite as energetic.

She still felt incredibly guilty for the ponies she killed, she just lost it on the battlefield. She had wanted to protect her friends…

Suddenly somepony touched her shoulder, the pink mare twitched at the unsuspected physical contact. It was one of her best friends, Twilight Sparkle. “Hey Pinkie, are you alright?”

Pinkie looked at her friend and her look was also concerning, bandages covering her flank where Morning Blaze had hit her and many little scrapes and scratches all over her body. “Y-yes, Twilight, I-Im fine. You look far worse then me, look at your flank! It’s covered in bandages!”

“Oh, this? Nah, it’s fine. Just a little burn, that’s all. Back to my initial question, you seem so… off to me.”

It was no use hiding the truth from her friends, they had to trust each other, “Well, I… I just feel so guilty about everything.”

“You mean about the guards? They knew the risk of their job, Pinkie. I’ve talked about this topic time and time again with Rarity. You have to abandon this feeling of guilt, because something like that will happen again, it’s inevitable. Now more than ever, we started a war against the Sun Princess, her allies won’t just do nothing. After we recover I’m going to Manehattan again. I have to talk with Capone, now that so many ponies are so insecure, we can get new members even easier.”

Without replying to her speech, the pink mare nodded. Twilight was right, that would happen again, but could she really get over the guilt of taking someone's life?

“Twilight… What exactly is your plan? What do you hope to achieve with all of this?”

“Why, making Celestia pay of course, she used me and her sister as simple tools, maybe she will feel the pain if we make her as helpless as we were. And after we are done with that, the government of this country will get some drastic changes.”

Her friend only wanted the best for them, that’s what she hoped at least.

At the other side of the giant rectangular table, Rarity told a group of curious bat ponies about the battle. Well, about how fabulous her magic was and a little showcase as she crystallized a small flower from outside. Many of the bat ponies were upset that they couldn’t help them and about what happened to Silver.

They all had no idea if he survived or where he was. He could be dead, brainwashed, captured, it was frustrating to know that they couldn’t help him.

Twilight hadn’t seen Luna on the celebration, she was used to see the blue alicorn at a distance, never warming up to a conversation, never laughing… except when the Nightmare tried to take over. The lavender mare couldn’t really find any rest that night, so she decided to look at the plans in their command room.

Right before she was about to enter, the lavender mare heard quiet scribbling noises, coming out of the room. Twilight guessed that it must have been the princess, so she slowly opened the door.

“Princess Luna?”

Luna sat on a big comfy chair next to the command table with the big map of Equestria on it. Several smaller maps and little figures that should represent soldiers were sprawled across the round furniture. “You don’t have to call me princess, Twilight. The title is worthless to me.”

“What are you doing in here so late?”

“It isn’t late, the sun should have risen three hours ago,” the lunar demi-goddess replied. She arranged a large group of figures around the area of Canterlot, as well as in several other major cities, it looked exactly like the events not even two days ago.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Luna. We are the foundation of this rebellion, it rises and falls alongside us. We don’t have to trust each other, trust is for fools, but we mutually benefit each other and that...that is a solid foundation for this to work.”

The former princess looked at her ‘partner’ and stated, “Well spoken, I was trying to analyze our mistakes and how to avoid them, should it come to something like that again.”

“I see… A lot of things could have gone better, maybe Silver would still be with us if we had a better plan.”

“Indeed, but let bygones be bygones. We have more important matters to handle,” Luna explained. They had to be prepared in case Celestia had enough of the ‘rabbit chase’.

“Yes, that’s why I’m going to Manehattan in a few hours. Capone knows a lot more about the citizens of Equestria than we do, and we have to make sure that nopony wants Celestia as a princess anymore, I have several options in development which I will share in due time.”

Luna gazed into her eyes, scanning for signs of doubt. For Twilight it felt like her partner pierced through her very soul, “We’ll talk when you are back. There are some things we need to take care of as soon as possible.”

“Alright.”

Two hours later, before anypony was even awake, Twilight was already trotting towards Capone’s dock. She had to be careful at any given time, not only did the vast majority of Equestria’s citizens know her face, but even the most dangerous soldiers of Celestia were constantly chasing her.

Fortunately Twilight had the nifty ability to travel with the shadows. So the entire journey went without a hitch. By now the tall and sturdy guard at the entrance knew her and let the lavender unicorn in without hesitation.

At the back end of the hall, always smoking a cigar, sat Capone, dangerous mercenary, high class smuggler and her ally. “I imagined that you would come back, sooner or later. Quite the show you gave us, Miss Sparkle.”

“I’m not here for fun, Capone. I need some updates, how is the situation in Equestria right now? You have your spies, mercenaries, whatever you want to call them, all over the land.”

He blew a cloud of smoke into and answered her in a serious tone, “... Chaotic, to say at least. The ponies of this land are uncertain, easily manipulated, if that’s what you are aiming for. The smaller cities especially are in a bad position right now, for example Ponyville, over seventy percent of the locals fled or retreated towards the south of Equestria. The others? Guards, many guards, every town has nearly doubled their numbers of Celestia’s soldiers, only a small percentage are citizens who are quite angry at the princess. If my sources are correct they are currently captured in the big town hall, for interrogation. Apparently for some havoc they caused.”

“Good… very good,” Twilight replied, already thinking about possible ways to take advantage of that. “I’ll need a small group of your mercenaries, about twenty or so. They should hide around the city for the next few days, ready to attack, especially around the barracks the guards live.”

“Everything you need ‘Deathbringer’,” Capone said in a mocking tone. The lavender unicorn stopped for a moment.

“What did you call me?”

“Ah, so you haven’t seen your new wanted poster yet.” He handed it over to the curious unicorn.

Her bounty had risen up to a astonishing amount of money, over one million bits, and she got herself a nickname, Twilight ‘Deathbringer’ Sparkle. “I guess this has been distributed to all cities in the land, right?”

The stallion nodded and stated, “Every last pony of Equestria now knows you as ‘The Deathbringer’, a bit over-dramatic if you ask me, but I presume your ‘plan’ in Ponyville will reinforce that fear of the residents.”

“Let’s just say we will finally get a real headquarter…”

Horrifying, that was the only word that came even close to describing the last few days. Informing the families of the fallen, the stacks of paperwork, the reputational damage constantly coming from her subjects. Celestia went through hell yet again in those last few days.

Today she made an unannounced visit to the Canterlot Hospital, to say that it was crowded was an understatement. Hundreds upon hundreds of injured soldiers littered the temporary beds of the big, white halls. The one responsible for this, her wronged student, known throughout the land as the ‘Deathbringer’.

One nurse informed her about the state Rainbow Dash was in, and it was not looking good. Many internal injuries and organ damages, it wasn’t likely she would wake up, ever again. The second cause why she was there laid in a clean white bed, bandages covering his bright, yellow fur. Although he was still alive, the stallion looked pretty depressed.

“How are you feeling today, Dawn Comet?” The princess asked in a gentle, yet polite manner.

“What an honor to be visited by the princess herself.” Dawn lifted his head as far as his bandages allowed him to. “Honestly? Not good, it’s not the physical injuries that hurt, I can take quite a few hits, rather what happened in the castle.”

“Because Nightmare Moon bested you? Dawn, she is the most dangerous—”

He interrupted her angrily, “No! Princess… I… I am one of your elite soldiers. I am trained to fight with criminals, Nightmare Moon is no exception… and yet… I lost. You had to fight her, because I wasn’t strong enough.”

She shook her head slowly and explained, “You were, and still are one of my best soldiers. The only ponies other than… Twilight Sparkle and me, who would have been able to defeat her, have long since deceased. I will not lie, the situation is not in our favor. I had hoped to defeat her with the help of my student and the Elements of Harmony, but Nightmare Moon guards them closely at all times, I am sure of that.”

“Your student… the most promising young unicorn of this era, turned into an instrument of death and destruction. Princess…” He broke out into a coughing fit, it took him several minutes before Dawn could continue, “Don’t you think that transformation was a little… extreme?”

“Explain yourself, Dawn.”

“It’s just… she seemed so cruel, so full of hatred for everything that was related… to you. A change like that is created after years of anger, not weeks… it was almost unnatural how cold she was.”

“I knew her better than almost anypony else, general. You don’t have to tell me how much my student lost her way…” It hurt, Twilight was still very dear to Celestia. Deep inside her, she clinged at the idea that her once so smart and innocent little student would simply return, like nothing ever happened.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m truly sorry, princess.” Dawn could see that the loss of her personal protege still hurt. “I just think that… maybe, Nightmare Moon has something to do with it. What if she is controlling your student? I’m sure this evil creature knows a spell for that.”

How could she have been so stupid?! Why hadn’t she thought about it earlier? She had to visit Morning Blaze again. “This might be a possibility… Anyways, I’m fairly busy today, so I will leave you now. Please don’t think a second longer that it was your fault, Dawn. It wasn’t, and I will gladly welcome you back, after you have recovered.”

Since the incident at the Castle, Morning Blaze had stayed at home, the behaviour of her student really worried the yellow mare. At first she thought that it was some kind of ‘phase’ Twilight was going through, eventually it would just stop, but after Blaze had seen the lavender mare slaughter dozens of innocent ponies…

Three quick knocks at her door suddenly interrupted her train of thought, “I’m coming!”

As the curious mare opened her wooden door, the creaking hinges revealed Princess Celestia in all her glory, standing right before her. Blaze immediately bowed and said, “Greetings, your Highness. What are you—”

Celestia quickly talked over her, “No time for formalities, Morning Blaze. I have to ask you something, regarding Twilight.”

The yellow mare’s facial expression changed from surprised to dead serious, “What is it, Celestia?”

“You have trained her for more than a year, seeing her almost every day. Did you get, at any point last year, a feeling that Twilight was talking to herself? Or maybe closing her eyes for a longer period of time? Even a sudden change of opinion could be important.”

Morning raised a hoof to her chin, “Hmm… Now that I think about it… Yes, she did all of those things at some point, but every time I tried to talk about it, Twilight just pushed me away.”

“Oh no...”

“What is going on? What is happening to her?”

“She is cursed… Tainted by an extremely powerful, ancient being… The Nightmare.”

“Nightmare… like in Nightmare Moon?!” Blaze gasped. How could something like that happen to her lovely, innocent student?

“Yes, all the signs point to that… The Nightmare is a sentient being, created by Nightmare Moon, it gave her power, but at the cost of her sanity. If it finds another powerful unicorn it tries to taint it too, infesting the victim with a tiny splinter of itself. It feeds off of magical energy and we both know that Twilight has tons of it. Now it drained her enough to take control…”

“I-is there a way to stop it?” the yellow mare asked, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear an honest answer.

“The only known way to purify the victim, is to use the Elements of Harmony. The problem is that Nightmare Moon has stolen them long ago… and they need to be used by six special ponies, the Elements choose the bearer, not the other way around. I might have an idea which ponies are fit for that role, but one of them is in a coma, another one missing, one deeply traumatized and the other three are in an alliance with Nightmare Moon…”

“Please don’t tell me that you are talking about these five mares from Ponyville and Twilight… You have only seen them once, how could you possibly know that?!”

“Their aura. I could feel it as they all were present. They might not know it, but they all are predestined for that role. We need to gather them, capturing them if we must, but time is of the essence. If we wait longer to act, they’ll start attacking smaller cities after a while even larger ones, and soon all of Equestria. All of us have seen what only four of them could do… A whole army though…”

Blaze took a moment to process this new, crazy information, “So… There are a number of problems I am sure you are aware of…”

“Yes, we still know nothing about Fluttershy’s whereabouts, it is not certain if Rainbow Dash will survive her injuries and not even I can take Twilight in a magical duel, at least while the Nightmare is still controlling her.”

“What are we going to do…”

“Develop an extraordinary plan, Blaze. I am not the ruler of this land because of my pretty face… Specter sent me a letter, his preparations are complete and his archmages are positioned all over Equestria…Our chance to get some insider information about them. Also we are not alone, Equestria has many strong allies that will aid us without a doubt.”

“I sure hope this works, princess. We both want Twilight back in one piece.”

Celestia nodded in agreement. The next few weeks would be horrible, but together it could work.

Twilight’s stay in Manehattan went rather successful. Most of Capone’s mercenaries were already in position and she already had a plan for attack. It wouldn’t be difficult, not at all, any of the four leaders could do it on their own, but it was safer this way.

Her partners were already gathered in the main hall, waiting for her return. As the rift closed, the lavender unicorn was greeted warmly by them, even Pinkie… she looked much better today.

Rarity sat next to her and spoke up first, “Well? How did it go, darling? Any new important information?”

“The entirety of Equestria calls me ‘The Deathbringer’ now and I have a plan for getting us a new headquarter.”

Half an hour later, Twilight had explained every little, intricate detail of how to conquer Ponyville… Even Pinkie knew that this was not without a risk, Celestia would do anything she could to retake the city.

“Twilight…” Luna started. “Are you sure this is the best way to approach the situation?”

“Of course it is! We’ll get a new base, some new rebels and best of all, starting to destroy Celestia’s system. It is too late to stop now anyway, if any of you want to come along, feel free to, but leave the killing to me...”

Everypony was surprised about Twilight’s sudden shift in behaviour, conquering a whole city? Hopefully that would end up well.

All of them came along, after some more discussion. The walk to the city took them a while because they had to open the portal out of reach for the guards. Several miles were behind them already, all of the bat ponies had remarkable stamina, but Rarity was starting to get exhausted.

“Darling… I’m not an athlete... “

“You get your rest now, Rarity, because we are already there.” Twilight was right, the small group reached the outskirts of Ponyville. Only a good dozen meters away from the newly built barracks. About ten, big, green military tents organized in a neat line. On some of the rooves nearby, the lavender mare could already spot some of Capone’s ‘workers’. Also, right before the barracks, built out of steel bars and iron, was a giant, cuboidal cage, used to ‘house’ the so called ‘criminals’. There were around thirty of them, looking quite angry at the tents.

Since it was already pretty late, most of the guards sat inside their tents, playing cards or drinking. Twilight guessed that their superior was either not around or not very strict. The only thing she needed to do now, was to give them a signal. The lavender mare crawled through the high grass just outside the tent, drawing her weapon.

Instead of destroying it with her sword, she lit it on fire, that would certainly be a symbol they would understand. As the horrifying screams of agony started from inside the flaming inferno, the other rebels attacked, exclaiming various warcries in languages the student didn’t understand.

She joined in, cutting through the guards outside like paper, scattering their dismembered, bloody bodies over the grassy field outside the small town. It was mind numbingly easy, the ‘battle’ was over in minutes, all the tents were either on fire, burning the dead bodies with them, or totally destroyed. Those weren’t real guards, they were recruits at best.

After the bloodshed had ended, all of Capone’s gangsters vanished as quickly as they came, assuring her to inform their boss. Twilight calmly walked over to the big cage, “Step back if you don’t want to be cut into pieces…”

Three strikes in rapid succession was all it took, the entire front of the cube was scattered on the smoldering remains of the barracks, as simple metal scrap. She stepped inside the mess of metal bars and blocked the exit for the rebels, “So, you all are the rebels that caused so much trouble in Ponyville?”

She laughed shortly as the dangerous mare saw their unsure faces, “Good, the first step into the right direction. As I see it, you all have two options… either you try to crawl back to Celestia in which case I have to brutally murder you, or you all join me and Princess Luna and help to end the tyranny of the deceiving alicorn.”

Nothing happened for a few seconds, they looked around in uncertainty. Was she serious? Ending Celestia’s reign?

One pony out of the crowd started to laugh, Twilight couldn’t see the source, but it was certainly a male voice, “The Deathbringer wants to tell us something about freedom.”

Nervous mumbling started to emanate from the larger group, words that repeated themselves over and over were Deathbringer and Twilight Sparkle.

Suddenly the mysterious stallion spoke up again, “What other possibility do we have? I don’t think any of us wants to return to Celestia. Follow the wind, let’s see where famous Twilight Sparkle will lead us.”

More nervous mumbling, as Twilight was about to speak up, one by one started to kneel before her. She exclaimed firmly, “Are you all ready to join me? To leave Celestia behind and to do everything that is necessary to end her reign?!”

“Yes, General Sparkle!” They all said in unison.

“Good, very good.” The notorious mare began to laugh maniacally, it had an uncanny similarity to Luna’s laugh, maybe the Nightmare was really getting to her. She stopped abruptly and noticed the strange satisfaction that came with this evil laughter, “Every last one of you will help the three other leaders of our rebellion to change the entire inner city from a lowly town to a top tier stronghold! Laziness won’t be tolerated. Almost everything we need, you can find within the city, cannons, tools, materials, weapons…”

Everyone left the destroyed cage and met up with Luna, Pinkie and Rarity, well… almost everyone. A beige unicorn with a tied up, blonde ponytail, a rather short tail and a white lotus as his cutie mark, sat cross legged on the floor. Strapped to his back, with some kind of cord, was a one and a half meter long, heavily decorated sword sheath, not just any sword, but an exotic katana. Not many of those were used anymore, at least that was what her brother had told Twilight.

His ice blue eyes gazed into her own, it was like he tried to pierce through the lavender mare’s soul, with just a mere thought. As he spoke up, a smooth, masculine voice came out, “So, Deathbringer or would you prefer ‘General Sparkle’, you are now the rebel’s leader. Wondrous what can happen to ponies in the span of a short year, from the beacon of light, the protector of Harmony, to the legendary Deathbringer, the Reaver of Souls, like some superstitious locals started to call you.”

“Do I… Do I know you? Your voice seems familiar, and that sword…” It took her a moment, but then it hit her like a truck. “Of course, how could I have missed it?! You are Silent Flare! You were captain of Celestia’s third division, before Eclipse replaced you. They called you the ‘silent storm’. I’ve seen you a couple of times around the castle.”

“Sweet memories… but yes, Celestia kicked me out, well… condemned me to a lifelong exile because ‘apparently’, slaughtering an entire village that housed a few criminals was ‘not ethically justifiable’. Her dungeons weren’t really all that pleasant, but painfully insecure. I summon storms that can eradicate entire countries and my wind blades can each compare to the very best Equestria has to offer, why would some iron bars stop me?”

Twilight laughed again, this time it took her slightly longer to stop, it just felt so… good, “I think you’ll like it in our team. I have a question though, if you are using magical wind blades that are ‘the best’, why bother on carrying around a real sword all the time?”

“Oh, I know they can’t compare to your sword, ‘General’, I’ve seen what it is capable of, but they are sufficient for my fighting style and answering the second one is simple.” Flare drew the sword out of the sheath, it’s black steel slightly curved. The single-edged blade’s hardening line had the appearance of a saw, or sharp teeth, having a very distinctive pattern at the edge’s ending. “This is made out of gryphonian steel, very rare and very hard to acquire, but in return, gives the blade near unbreakability and makes it extremely keen towards enchantments. In combination with various elemental Infusions, it makes a great catalyst for the occasional bloodlust.”

“Then why sit in this cage, waiting to be brought back to Celestia and why would you help us?”

“Why should I bother? It’s not that Celestia could imprison me anytime soon, if I cared, I could have been her top general, but I’drather be underestimated than the other way around. Regarding your second question, why not? You have power, Twilight Sparkle, I respect that. Also, you finally got some fresh air into this boring land, I can’t stand decades of peace, war is my purpose, the only thing I'm good at and it shall be my grave when the time comes.”

“Well spoken,” Twilight looked at their new ally lazily, he was just another tool in her plan. “Then let’s get to work, we won’t have much time before Celestia notices our little victory here.”

The orange earth pony mare hated hospitals… All those injured people, unable to move, sometimes screaming in pain. Applejack wished she could help them… help all of them, but that was not why she visited the gruelling place, the mare wanted to be certain. She hadn’t dared to visit a certain pegasus since the incident.

After a few minutes talking with a nice nurse, she was finally able to find the blue pegasus’ bed. Her walking speed slowed down more and more, ever since Twilight likely killed one of her best friends and made the other disappear, Applejack’s thoughts had been filled with guilt, horrible, horrible guilt. She could’ve done something, not just standing around, listening to the lavender mare’s taunts and watching her slaughter all those innocent ponies.

She reached her destination, sitting down on a small chair, next to the blue pegasus, “Rainbow…” Nothing more came out of her mouth, it was near impossible to hold back her tears, as she saw in what state RD was in.

Nearly her entire body was covered in bandages… bloody bandages. Not a single spot was not bruised or horribly scarred where her coat could actually be seen. Many different tubes were connecting the bold mare with complex machines AJ didn’t recognize. A little box was projecting some weird lines, only later she realized that it was her friend’s heartbeat, slow and weak, just like the orange mare herself…

Suddenly a rough, male voice spoke to her from the side, “H-hey… you’re that farm pony from Ponyville, that was present in the Nightmare of Canterlot… right?”

Applejack turned her head, tear streaks visible under her eyes, “Yeah, do ah know ya?”

“Heh… Probably not,” It was a yellow unicorn, apparently much older than her, also covered in bandages, “I’m Dawn Comet, General of Celestia’s Royal Army on duty…”

“You were the fella fightin’ against Nightmare Moon, right?” The country mare replied, another innocent pony, hurt because of her friend’s actions.

“Fighting... “ He gave a small, sad chuckle, “More like losing… I couldn’t slow her down for more than a minute, because of that, hundreds of ponies died or are in the process of dying, look at your friend over there. I’ve heard the doctors talk, it wasn’t sounding very good, a perfect example of what Nightmare Moon’s legion is capable off…”

As Dawn didn’t get any kind of response he continued, “Pinkamena Diane Pie only killed a few, the fashionista… dozens, Nightmare moon? Almost twice as much, but worst of all was the Deathbringer… Twilight Sparkle. She alone killed more than any of them combined, hundreds… Listen to me girl! You have to stop her, this isn’t natural, nopony can be that cruel, merciless and cold…”

“Ah… Ah can’t… Even… Even if that’s true… How could Ah kill another friend? We lost Fluttershy, it isn’t sure if RD is ever gonna be okay, Ah can’t lose them too…” Applejack broke down into tears, sobbing into her hooves, her stetson tilted over her eyes, so that nopony could see her… like this.

The old stallion wasn’t sure what he could do to make her feel better, nothing he had to say about these… criminals was helpful in any way right now. So he just stayed quiet, Dawn would put an end to this… somehow.

“Oh princess… this will be a lot harder than any of us could’ve ever imagined,” He thought to himself. The real fight had not even started yet.

Breaking Point

Chapter 12: Breaking Point

Celestia had been the ruler for so long now… perhaps… there really was time for a change. So many horrible things happened during the past month, so many innocent died because of her incompetence.

The divine ruler was not concentrated enough for the court, there were many ponies waiting just for her… and she sat on her comfy throne, thinking about her life. Just as she was about to close the court for the day, Thunder Flare rushed into the long, decorated throne room.

“Princess! Something bad happened!”

“Go on.”

He panted slightly, it seemed like he had sprinted all the way, “The division stationed in Ponyville… is dead, every last one of them.”

“I presume that... Twilight is responsible for this?”

The white unicorn nodded, “All four of them were there, as well as minions from Capone, they managed to free Silent Flare too. Currently they are fortifying the entire city, changing it into a giant fortress.”

The princess gave him a long sigh, filled with despair and sadness, “Now they even start conquering our land? That could prove troublesome indeed… I would have never thought that Silent would join Nightmare Moon, willingly.”

Thunder didn’t react to her statement, how could he? He was just a captain, the best of course, but still. Celestia continued, “Thunder… tell the royal messengers to send a letter to all of my allies, we’re in need of help, this can’t continue like this.”

“If you mean ‘all’, you surely don’t m—”

“I know what I said! Now go!”

That couldn’t be happening, now she had to rely on more help from others… to fix her own mess. That her once so promising student had been infested by the Nightmare was bad enough, but now ponies from her elite started to join her…voluntarily?

Twilight and her friends worked extremely hard in the past four days. Every last one of them, plus the rebels fortified the entire city. The biggest project was a two meter high, and one meter wide stone wall around the town. The unicorns did most of the work, cutting the stones into symmetrical pieces and levitating them into position.

After that was finished, Twilight and Luna placed various enchantments upon it as well, making the stone hard as steel, protecting it against enemy telekinesis, giving it deflecting characteristics, canon balls and other ballistic weaponry would simply ricochet off of it. Numerous other traps were set around the city, magical elemental mines which could either freeze, burn, explode or cause a poison cloud to appear.

The rebels were equipped with the remaining weapons of the guards that had been stationed in the city, they surely wouldn’t need them anymore. Luckily two stallions of Flare’s rebels proved to be quite crafty and were able to use a forge, now they even could repair and craft new swords. Through slits in the wall, they were able to fire their heavy artillery, special cannons, enchanted to have a much bigger firepower.

All of the rebels stood in an organized pattern, before them the four mares responsible for that. Twilight began her speech, “Okay, listen up! First of all I want to thank all of you, we changed the city into a citadel in record time, but there is no time to lose. Celestia has many allies which won’t be waiting for us. I’m sure they will attack us in the span of the next month, since we will be greatly outnumbered, we have to fight with a clever tactic. They can’t siege us, since we can grow our own food here and have sufficient reserves, so they will try to attack us with full force. I have a plan how to turn them against one another, but in order for that to work, we will have to survive the first wave.”

Luna continued, “As you all know, Celestia’s elite consists of five captains, and two generals in duty. We received information from a reliable source that the leader of the archmages, Dr. Specter is planning something as well. They, as well as her allies, who are currently unknown to us, are our main problem. The cannons and the protective spells on the wall will be sufficient for an average soldier, but not for her elite. If the situation gets out of hoof, Twilight will call our ally as well.”

To everypony’s great surprise, Pinkie began to speak, her hair still straight, but in a calmer mood, “Heya everypony! I know the situation is not very promising, but we can to it! You all just give your best, then we can defeat those Grumpy McGrumpyPants!”

Twilight cleared her throat, “Yes… those were indeed, true words of inspirement. All of you, give your very best, our victory will change history! Together, we can build our own future!”

The crowd broke out into a loud cheering, making clashing sounds with their weapons and armor. After the speech was concluded, everypony dispersed into the different sections of the inner town, preparing more traps, forging ammunition or swords or tending to their fields, they needed food after all.

The lavender mare noticed a slow clapping sound from above her, Silent sat on a nearby roof, his hooves crossed like he was meditating, “What an inspiring speech from our future ruler of Equestria.”

“Co-Ruler. Neither Pinkie nor Rarity want to rule the country, they believe in me and think that it is right, even though we’re a bit… overly efficient, but hey, we can’t make everything perfect. We will rule the land even better than Celestia, nopony will have to be a tool for our enjoyment.”

The beige stallion nodded slowly, “Truly wise words at such a young age, I hope you will fulfill your promises.” He jumped down without hesitation, landing smoothly besides the lavender mare. “Because you’ll have a problem keeping your followers if you lie to them about your true motives…”

Cold… so cold. Where was she? Surely not in Equestria… everything, was just so cold…

Three days and three nights had she been stuck in this… strange spell. It took her here and disappeared without any explanation… not that magic could talk. Now she was nowhere… stuck between endless plains of white, a frozen and dead landscape. A permanent blizzard tormented the land, making life near impossible, she had hear about it. Well, nearly every last pony in Equestria had heard the stories…The ancient demons, the windigos froze the first home of the old pony race. Was that where the mare was?

She struggled to stay awake at such low temperatures, the mare needed a shelter. Then she wanted to get back to Equestria, her friends were worrying about her, she was sure of it. The lost pony couldn’t be sad now… not even as she remembered her best friend getting killed by another friend.

So many innocent ponies dead… because of reasons that eluded the mare. The faces of so many hovered before her eyes, all bloody and dead… the words of their killer, still in her head. The biggest question was, ‘Why wasn’t she dead?’ Why was she allowed to live when the other ponies were not?

It was too much for her, the traveller broke down. Barely awake she laid in the snow, slowly freezing to death in this freezing hell. The last thing she saw, was a tiny black figure on the edge of the snow storm, approaching her rather quickly, then everything went black...

The mare woke up in a comfortable bed, it took her a moment to realize that she was still alive. As she looked around, the traveller saw that it was some kind of small wooden cottage, decorated with shields, different kinds of strange weapons and countless animal hides… She immediately screamed in shock as she saw that.

A brown stallion, dressed also in animal fur, rushed through the door, apparently searching for the source of the scream, “What happened?”

The mare screamed, “G-get a-away from me! You m-monster!”

The stallion relaxed visibly, “Ah, you saw the animal hide.” It was hard to read him because he wore a very ‘rustic’ looking iron helmet. It had two, she hoped false, horns on its side, probably because it was more ‘intimidating’.

She was shaking madly and couldn’t get herself to speak up.

“You must be cold, let me give you one of these furs.”

“N-no! I-I don’t w-want to touch that,” she muttered, it was wrong to kill animals.

He removed his helmet and looked at her in annoyance, the deep blue eyes staring into her, “If you want to die, that’s fine, but if not I strongly recommend wearing these.” The stallion pointed at his garb for emphasis. “In this harsh land we have to do this, wearing hides, eating meat, it is the only way to survive.”

The mare reluctantly accepted a hide and wrapped it around her chest, she had to admit that it was quite comfortable, still incredibly gross and wrong, but warm, “T-Thank you…”

The stallion smiled faintly, “It is hard at first, but you’ll get used to it. Some of us rely on even more brutal methods to survive out here.”

“Why are you staying here then? Equestria is a much better place, also much warmer…” She shivered again.

“Equestria… Strange name. Anyways, we can’t just leave, our ancestors remained in this land, they were the strongest warriors of our tribes. Now we are continuing their legacy.”

“O-okay, I-I’m Fluttershy… w-what is your name?”

“... Rost. Now I have to ask, how did you get here? I’ve never seen other ponies from outside the borders, from beyond the frozen mountains.”

“I-I don’t know either… I was… on a b-battlefield and then…” She started to sob uncontrollably, the memories were to hurtful.

“I see… Well, if you want to get back to your land… then you’ll have a problem.”

It took the timid, yellow mare several minutes to calm down again, “W-why?”

His deep blue eyes stared at the shy pegasus, not really sure if he should speak any further, it was always dangerous to speak with strangers in this land. The brown stallion had no idea if he should trust her, then Rost just sighed and replied, “Because you wouldn’t survive even five minutes in those mountains. The reason for that, is a volcano… well, a glacier now. Every year we perform a ritual at the lake before it, causing it to erupt and bringing warmth and prosperity over our land.”

Fluttershy listened carefully, forgetting about her worries and absorbing his tale. Rost continued, “That changed five years ago, as our High Priest was about to end the ritual, the sky suddenly darkened, engulfing our land with shadows. Usually at the end of the ritual, the sun would shine high above and a glorious explosion would bring another year of prosperity. On that particular day however, it did not. For just a few minutes everything went as dark as night and a bone-chilling screech could be heard. Followed were the heart-rending screams of our own people, they were filled with so much agony…”

The timid yellow mare looked at him, shocked by those horrible events, “W-what happened after t-that?”

“High Priest Kemu protected me, fending the danger off. At the time I had no idea what was happening, a lesson I had to learn the hard way…” He looked genuinely hurt, but Fluttershy was not sure how to help him. “As the darkness vanished… everypony was dead, an entire village simply… dead, sliced in half, laying in deep, smoldering craters or turned into a living ice-statue… The entire lake, plus our sacred volcano was completely frozen. I saw what caused it, flying towards the shrine of the sacred mountain, two owl-like demons, one silver... and one golden, we called them Lechku, and Nechku, the twin-demon gods. Since that day... the volcano has not erupted again, our land is going to be completely frozen in one, maybe two years, everything will die.”

“S-so y-y-you want m-me to k-kill them?!”

Rost looked at her again, “If you want to return to Equestria, then yes, that is your only choice. I don’t know why or how you got here, but I’ll help you kill those demons. Only that way I can get revenge for my fallen brothers.”

Fluttershy calmed visibly at that statement, “I don’t have a weapon though…”

“I’m sure we can arrange something… So, will you help me?” He stretched his right forehoof out, inviting her to take it.

The yellow mare hesitated for a moment, then she thought about her friends, they were in danger. She shook his hoof and said, “Alright, I-I’m not a good f-fighter, b-but I will help you a-as best as I can!”

Celestia sat in the center of command of the castle, discussing… the attack on Ponyville, with the general of her army and her allies.

Dawn Comet was still recovering in the hospital, Mistral and Law sat on her side, arguing like usual. On the opposite of the round table, sat Taka, General of the Griffon-Empire, a very young and very aggressive personality, his countless scars testified experience in battle, most significant was the one straight over his left eye. The princess wasn’t sure how he got that high rank at such a young age. Last of the bunch, was Queen Himiko, emperor of the Saddle Arabian kingdom.

Taka slammed his claws on the table, seemingly irritated, “What are we waiting for, Celestia? They have a hundred ponies, I alone could defeat them, my division consists of five hundred elite soldiers!”

Himiko nodded, she was known for her hard and brutal style of ruling, “We cannot afford to let them live a minute longer! Our combined forces outnumber them by a margin, and they have nowhere to run. Furthermore… I know for certain that the Griffon-Empire has the lead on advanced weapon technology.”

The Princess of the Sun silenced them with a single movement, “We can not let our guard down, it would be foolish of us to underestimate them. Just four of Nightmare Moon’s warriors killed at least four hundred ponies of the Equestrian military. The entire city of Ponyville has been changed into a citadel, nothing will leave, nothing will come in, without a plan.”

Before anypony could speak further, the heavy wooden doors swung open, a cloaked pony stepped calmly into the room. The unknown troublemaker emitted some kind of black smoke, like it was producing… shadows?

Celestia did not relax in the slightest at the sight of this cloaked pony, “You are late, Blight.”

A low chuckle erupted from her, it was definitely a feminine voice, making everypony present feel uneasy, “Celestia, good to see you again, but you know, I come and go as I please. You wouldn’t have summoned me if you didn’t need me.” She continued to linger in the shadows, easily becoming one with them, nearly invisible.

Law regarded the princess, “You summoned her?! Celestia, this… creature can’t be trusted, sooner or later she will stab you in the back!”

Blight chimed in, “That would be fun, wouldn’t it? Or I could slit your throat you insolent, little colt!” She appeared behind the fiery stallion, a massive shadow-like sword held at his throat.

“Blight! Law! Stop this foolish behaviour at once!” The princess ordered.

Blight vanished again, “My apologies, Celestia.”

“I’m sorry, princess.”

The white alicorn summoned a big and incredibly detailed, magical map of the immediate area of Ponyville. Everything was on its place, even the tiniest bushes or stones were in their respective position. Celestia let the east end of the town shine in a bright red.

“Taka and Law, you will each lead a division, consisting of one hundred ponies, you will initiate the fight at the east end, use everything you have, the important part is, that you breach through their defenses.”

Next the hills and fields far in the west shone brightly, “Himiko and Mistral will do the exact opposite. Only about fifty soldiers will be there to offer protection. Your job is to offer constant distraction, every last one of your soldiers will be an expert in ranged combat, in addition to that, you will get a small unit of extremely competent cannoneers. Your shared group will not engage in direct combat, and will retreat if the opposing group will try just that. In the unlikely case that they are trying to retreat, you job will be to intercept, defeat and capture them or their leaders.”

The mysterious, cloaked mare manifested herself right next to the princess, “What will I be doing, Celly?”

Mistral slammed her hood on the table, “You dare to mock the princess?! I’ll—”

Celestia interrupted her general, “Calm yourself. There is no need for that, I’ll make an exception… for Blight.” She looked at her directly, “You will get a special task, more on that later.”

Without the need of any more words, she vanished.

The Princess of the Sun cleared her throat and continued, “There are five ponies that are particularly dangerous, they function very likely as the leaders and main combat force. Nightmare Moon, wicked alicorn and unstable behaviour. Twilight Sparkle, tactician, extremely intelligent, more magic versatility than most likely everyone of us combined, do not attempt to confront her directly. She has the ability to hit and injure elemental magic users, the same goes for Nightmare Moon.”

Himiko asked, “Twilight Sparkle? The ‘Deathbringer’ or the ‘Reaver of Souls’ my people started to call her?”

Everyday she had to be reminded of that fact… the princess nodded sadly and continued, “Yes… exactly. Then we have, Pinkamena D. Pie, former prisoner of our dungeons, now a leader of the rebels, unpredictable, seemingly split personality, indicated by her hairstyle and martial art-like style of combat. Next up, Rarity, fashion designer, cares a lot about her looks, possesses dangerous crystal-magic, do not touch those crystals under any circumstances. Lastly they have Silent Flare, a deserted captain of my armies, his main weapon in combat is the sword, due to its high conduction of enchantments, he is able to charge it with almost any form of magic to improve his abilities.”

“A traitor? Amongst your ranks? That is very uncommon, my dear Celestia,” Taka said, almost mocking her.

“It is… he had other goals then we had. Nonetheless Silent is very dangerous, as all these ponies are. Let me clarify something, I do not accept the death of any of them, those five ponies will be captured, not eliminated. Did I make myself clear?” Her tone was dead serious, almost off for a pony like her.

Everypony present nodded, this concluded their meeting. Now they had some last preparations to make, soon the rebellion would be over.

The raging blizzard grew ever stronger with no hope of improvement. There weren’t many villages anymore… not since that day five years ago. Rost was the last of his line after all…

The stallion was a lot nicer than Fluttershy had originally made him out to be, still the mere thought of eating meat sent shivers down her spine. Other than that the situation was not as bad as before. The yellow mare’s temperature was relatively normal, her belly was full and she had a friend to talk to. As far as she could tell, Rost was a pretty good story teller, the history of their land was actually pretty interesting. All the rituals, gods, and beliefs they had, their daily lives were filled with praying, sacrificing offerings at certain shrines and a strong self discipline.

They made their way to the next village, to stock up on weapons and food, would still take them a while through the snow storm. Rost just asked right away, “How is it?”

Fluttershy looked at the brown stallion in mild confusion, “H-huh? What do you mean?”

“Your land… How is it to live in Equestria?”

“It is… nice, everypony there is just so friendly and accepting. The seasons are pretty fair and we hadn’t had a war in a very long time, all thanks to our princess,” The yellow mare answered, she hadn’t thought about that before, but living in Equestria had its advantages.

“Do you believe in gods?” He had to admit, their land sounded wonderful. Especially since ponies like this mare lived in it.

“Well… Princess Celestia is some kind of demigod, an immortal alicorn, she’s ruled for over one thousand years now. We don’t have the need for any other beliefs.”

“Sounds… unbelievable, still a bit of faith can really raise the moral and gives the feeling of safety, even in dangerous times like this,” Rost said, sunken in thought.

Through the everlasting blizzard the first roofs of a village could be seen, all of them were brightly lit with torches, to make them easily noticeable in these harsh environmental conditions. “Ah! We’re almost there. Only a short while, then we can get some supplies and hopefully a good weapon for the two of us.”

“Y-you don’t have one?”

“No… I had no need for them in the past five years. That’s why I lived so far outside the village, they didn’t agree with my pacifistic lifestyle.”

“O-oh…” That surprised the timid pegasus, she met the presumably only nice stallion in a land full of brutes… Perhaps Twilight had planned all of this?

The ‘village’ only consisted of five relatively small, wooden houses. The outside was just as dead as the icy planes of the landscape, nopony dared to leave their houses during this raging blizzard. They entered the biggest of them, Rost knew that it also had a small shop.

“Welcome! Warm up in our lovely—” greeted a gray-haired stallion, his white fur looked pretty kempt and well cleaned, despite the conditions.

He stopped as he noticed who has entered his house, “Look who came back… The town’s pacifist and traitor, Rost. I thought we sent you into exile…”

“I’m not here for dumb arguments, Echo. It is urgent, we need food, water and two weapons.”

“You? A weapon? Hah! That I get to experience this day… Anyways, who is your marefriend over there? Never seen her before.”

Rost blushed and stammered, “I…how, you know... she is… She’s not my marefriend!”

“I, uhm… I’m Fluttershy, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Just making sure, Rost,” He turned his head to face the yellow mare. “Well, it is nice to meet you too. Now that we got the formalities out of the way, why do you need new supplies, especially the weapons?”

The brown stallion looked dead serious, every last bit of joy vanishing from his face, “We’re going to slay the twin demons.”

Echo blinked, “I’m sorry, I think I didn’t quite get the last part. It sounded like you said something about slaying the twin demons, that would just be—”

“You heard it right, we’re going to the sacred mountain and kill them.”

The stallion came to the front of the store with wide eyes and a shocked expression, he grabbed Rost by his shoulders, “Are you crazy? You won’t survive a minute in the Kamui shrine.”

“I have to try… It could be my chance for vengeance. Also, this mare wants to go home, for that she’d have to take the mountain pass.”

“Ah, I see. Look’s like I can’t stop you, but let me at least help you two out a bit. You can have all the food and water you like, plus, I have some special weapons for you two.”

Echo walked into the back of his little store. After a few minutes he came back, alongside a giant crate, full of supplies, “The entire food I have in stock, if you really want to kill the twin-demons, then you can have it, all of it.”

Rost blinked, the look of confusion on his face was priceless, “T-thanks, but we’re just wandering for about a week… not an entire year. The weapons are a bit more important.”

The white stallion’s expression darkened, “Yes, of course. For you Rost, I have this.” He unpacked a beautifully crafted broadsword, the steel was coloured entirely in a deep, rich crimson colour, the double-edged blade broke out in seven different positions, creating a branch-like look. Golden symbols were etched into it, Fluttershy couldn’t decipher them though. “This… this sword is called ‘Seven Strike’, an ancient sword of our tribe, demons fear this blade, use it well.”

He carefully presented it to the stallion, who strapped it to his back, using a strong leather belt. Echo then faced Fluttershy, staring at the timid mare, “For you, I had something different in mind, you don’t look like a sword fighter. I think something with a bit more… finesse will suit you much better.”

“O-okay, if you s-say so,” the yellow mare was obviously nervous, never before had she fought a demon or even a pony.

Echo carefully lifted some kind of rosary, it consisted of countless red glowing curved jewels. Apparently their tribe had a thing for the colour red, it had the same strange runes and symbols etched into each of the little jewels. “The Life Beads… a tool used to banish the evil, when you wear it, it offers protection and if you swing them like a whip, it’ll produce holy energy that will cut even the strongest demon into pieces. You will see it yourself, hard to use, but very rewarding.”

Fluttershy wore the rosary like a necklace, instantly the tiny beads began to glow. They seemed to fit perfectly and hovered around her neck slowly, never quite touching it. She looked like some sort of saint with this glowing thing around her neck.

Echo cleared his throat to gain their attention, “I entrust you two with these powerful artifacts, follow your path and destroy those who plague our land.”

Casualities

Chapter 13: Casualties

The siren of Ponyville howled through the night, waking everypony present. That could just mean one thing, Celestia was about to attack. In less than two minutes the leader’s were awake and ready to fight.

Twilight vanished into the shadows, appearing behind one of their own scouts, he was watching the enemy army through a telescope, “Report.”

“Lady S-Sparkle,” Obvious hesitation and a trace of fear could be heard in his voice. “Across the river in the east, a division consisting of heavily armored infantry is moving towards the wall. I’m counting around two hundred of them, their leaders are a griffon in light armor and a pony with a long white coat and red, spiky hair.”

“Lightly armored griffon… Does he have a scar over his left eye?”

“Yes, Lady Sparkle.”

“Ugh… Taka, the griffon kingdom’s best and most aggressive general. The other one, is even worse I fear. Law, one of Celestia’s best generals. She sure is desperate.”

“That is not everything, a division of about a quarter of their size is moving in the west end of the hills. Most of them seem to be equipped with strange googles, something I’ve never seen before. Also there are cannons, a lot of them.”

“Their leaders?” Twilight wouldn’t admit it, but she feared the answer. Their defenses would have a hard time against two generals.

“Two mares, one is dressed in a complex looking outfit, wearing the same strange googles, and another one dressed in a blue suit, same coat as Law.” He finished reporting his observations.

The lavender mare appeared in their commando tent, there was no time to lose. “Alright guys, listen up! Their trying to flank us, Queen of Saddle Arabia and Mistral are leading a cannoneer group up at the hills in the west, Luna and Rarity, you will deal with them, don’t let them lure you out. Stay in the city and defend, that is everything we have to do. Pinkie, Silent and myself will defend the west gate, Law and Taka, General of the Griffon Kingdom will await us there.”

Flare rubbed his hooves together in excitement, “Finally, a worthy challenge.”

Pinkie Pie just nodded, she certainly wasn’t as depressed as before, but took these situations a lot more serious. Her mane went straight, a good sign for a fight, but a terrible sign for her friends.

Luna gave Twilight a nod, “Prithee be careful.”

“You too, good luck everypony. We will win this!”

Two hundred and fifty of Celestia’s, Taka’s and Himiko’s elite, against legendary Twilight Sparkle, her friends and about a hundred rebels. Twilight was confident, with her mind, magic and Yoru she could win everything.

“Aim at their wall, north-northeast,” Himiko ordered their cannoneers, in total they had ten of the best and highly developed cannons there was in most likely the entire world and forty high class Equestrian cannons. Her division certainly knew how to use them, their accuracy for under eight hundred meter shots was about one hundred percent. This, were merely two hundred meters.

All of them aimed at the enchanted wall, they surely won’t suspect the consequences of the enchantments, “Cannons one to three… Fire!”

A thunderous explosion emitted from the west of Ponyville, three cannons fired in perfect unison. Normally nothing could withstand this firepower… only as they touched the thick stone walls, the three fiery steel balls just… ricocheted off of the wall. They flew towards the cannons again, in nearly the same speed.

“Enchantments, how clever,” Mistral said, she pointed a hoof at the projectiles and stopped them mid air. They were nothing but three ice balls as they touched the ground. The general turned to face Himiko, “Any idea how to get past that?”

“We just don’t fire at their walls, we bombard them. Let steel and fire rain upon our foes!”

Her division gave a loud battle cry and all fifty of the cannoneers started to turn their cannons upwards. They would function as an aerial distraction. Only a minute later, the first steel balls flew towards the conquered city, looking like flaming meteors.

Rarity and Luna gave their best to defend the city, crystallized the projectiles, slashed them in half, dissolved them into their basic components. The problem were their numbers, they couldn’t rest even for a minute. Neither Luna nor Rarity had any idea how the east end of Ponyville was doing so far.

“Luna! Two balls, twenty meters north!” the seamstress shouted. Although they only started firing those nasty cannonballs ten minutes ago, sweat was already forming on her forehead. Rarity simply wasn’t used to this kind of exercise.

The blue alicorn fired a wave of telekinesis against one of them, letting it collide with the other, producing a ridiculously strong explosion in the air. “Good eyes, Miss Rarity.”

“Oh please, we’ve been through alot together, have we not?”

“Indeed, let’s keep going, Rarity,” Luna said, a small smile on her face. Even in this situation she could find joy from Twilight and her friends, forgetting the war, the nightmare… her sister, for just a moment.

Law and Taka crossed the river and neared the east wall, stopping roughly one hundred meters away from it.

“Why are we stopping?” asked a soldier, nothing of his actual body could be seen, the stallion was entirely covered with thick steel plate armor, even his face.

“Watch and learn, soldier,” Law picked up a small rock in his magic. He just threw it between them and the wall. As soon as it touched the ground, a vibrant green explosion could be seen. Big enough to shred half of the soldiers into little pieces. The colour indicated either poison or something similar… the whole battlefield was full of mines.

“S-sir? How are we gonna get past that?”

Take stepped forth, “As he said, watch and learn.” He pulled a small, yellow gem out of his armor’s pocket, it fizzled with energy. He cracked it with his claw and threw it into the minefield. Nothing happened for a few moments, suddenly lightning struck the field, seemingly formed out of thin air.

The electrical energy coursed through the earth, disarming the mines, the only real weakness of this spell. Taka was a better General than Twilight had expected. “Basic rules of making war, never run into an open field without a plan.”

As soon as he finished his sentence a cannon ball flew straight at him, the fiery general barely had time to burn it into a crispy ball of ash. Several of the rebel thestrals fired at them, killing several soldiers. Their cannons lacked, by far, the immense precision and firepower of Himiko’s, but were sufficient to kill even a heavily armored pony.

Ten of their division were already reduced to tiny shreds of flesh and armor, the stallion had to think of something.

Twilight and Pinkie watched the hail of cannonballs flying towards their pathetic enemies. Oddly enough, Silent had vanished, leaving those two alone. Pinkie looked down the massive stone wall, she didn’t like this at all, the pink mare wished that Celestia would just give up. So many innocent ponies could be spared, on the other hoof, if she looked at Twilight, the former student almost… enjoyed killing.

Pinkie Pie watched the fight, or rather the execution, with a neutral expression, her cut-straight hair gave away her feelings though, “Another hoof-full of ponies dying in this war… Twilight… did you plan this, was all this… part of your plan?”

The lavender unicorn sat on the edge of the wall, as if she wanted to jump down, her gaze was locked at the horizon, at the endless twilight sky, “No… I would have ended it the day Luna told me the story, if Morning Blaze hadn’t stopped me. You don’t know what I felt… Celestia was my idol, like a second mother, to find out that I’ve been nothing but a weapon...a tool for her…”

Pinkie never really thought about Twilight’s motives, she just assumed that Celestia deserved it, but that was just… sad. It wasn’t really justifying the death of hundreds of ponies, but there was no way back now. Maybe Pinkie could at least prevent civilian casualties. She wouldn’t kill anypony either, just… just if it was one hundred percent unavoidable.

The usually energetic mare heard metal scrape against stone, she turned her head to see Twilight, casually cutting the top stone of the wall into tiny pebbles, “Uh… Twilight? What are you doing?”

“Waiting for the right moment,” The lavender mare replied. She really enjoyed playing little mind games from time to time. A strange behaviour considering her enemy, the princess bitch of manipulation herself…

Law and Taka approached the wall, despite the hail of projectiles, they had to get through, at all cost. The price was not a small one though, nearly thirty of their soldiers were already dead. Only twenty, painfully long meters divided them from their goal, a doable goal… until Twilight ‘The Deathbringer’ Sparkle, decided it would be a good idea to intervene.

Her impact shattered the ground around her, her blade was lodged into the dirt next to her, for ‘extra’ dramatic effect. A simple air manipulation prevented any damage to her legs. Another spell created ominous dark mist around her, intimidation and pride were the first step to victory. A lesson Morning Blaze taught her…

“Well hello, long time no see, Law,” She turned her head to face the griffon, Twilight could practically feel his hatred towards her, “And you, must be Taka.” Her sword slid out of the ground effortlessly, the, by now legendary blade Yoru, faced its new opponents. Two top tier generals… worthy opponents indeed.

The former magical student felt the temperature rising, Law was known for his fiery temper. Twilight chuckled shorty, this comparison was ridiculously accurate. Despite the situation she was completely calm, maybe a bit excited, this would be good.

Law stepped forth, his body radiating heat, “Surrender and face justice, or else this entire town will be slaughtered!”

Priceless reaction, she couldn’t hold back another insane laughter, it had been hard to keep this under control lately, “You think… hehehe… you think I’d care if this city burned down? Reduced to nothing, but ash? Besides, it’s not like you could beat me. Come on, call for aid, get your immortal bitch out here, challenge me!”

He charged at her, the mare’s insults wouldn’t be forgiven. His left forehoof turned into semi-liquid lava, pointing straight at her while screaming his furious battle cry. The target of his wrath looked at him, her expression was almost… bored.

As the fiery stallion almost reached her, a large, pitch-black sign appeared under him, it consisted of a large circle, filled with lines in a strange, seemingly random pattern. Every line had its own line of unknown runes with it. Needle-thin tendrils of black were wrapped around Law’s entire body, they had been invisible, until she activated her trap. Her horn flashed briefly, the spell causing a dark purple shockwave to emanate from her body. As it passed over the stallion, he nearly tripped, the general felt that his magic pool was almost completely drained, his forehoof turned back to normal.

“What have you done, you sick criminal?!” The stallion practically spat on her, if he had any power left to move his muscles.

“Oh, let’s not start with petty insults, Law. Do you think I’m a fool? That I just approach one of Celestia’s highest ranking soldiers without a plan? You disappoint me, really. I knew that you had this twisted sense of honor and respect, so I just needed a void trap placed at the right position and a small insult towards Celestia.”

Taka crossed the distance between them faster than Twilight’s eyes could follow. She was barely able to react in time, his claws clashed against her blade, some of his energy got sucked into the blade, the spell it held syncing with the very core of the darkness. The sheer force of the impact let her slide several meters backwards.

She did not even have to keep track of his other claw, he lunged at her again, grazing her right cheek, barely even touching her skin, it still left a gash of considerable depth alongside the entirety of the mare’s left face. The lavender unicorn winced, her eyes flashing black for a moment, her entire thoughts only circled around how to kill this damn griffon.

His next move was wind magic, only produced through his immense physical wing strength. Although her blade blocked most of the harmful wind, it still felt like thousands of tiny blades slowly cutting into her flesh. Soon her entire body was covered with tiny, bloody cuts, it was thrilling, it had been quite some time since her enemies survived more than a few seconds. She carefully thought about her plan, her fur almost completely soaked in her own blood, giving it an ominous crimson colour.

His obvious advantage was speed, an ability very similar to a certain blue pegasus. The solution? Movement tracking weaponry. A good portion of her magic conjured a simple, yet very effective darkness spell. Her former mentor had taught it to her, Twilight had modified it to make it even better. Vortex Spears, or in her case, needles, countless tiny, black-as-night projectiles, able to follow their target indefinitely.

He had tiny traces of her blood on his claws from the attack, enough for the spell to track him. Taka’s eyes went wide as he saw the projectiles flying towards him. The griffon really was one of the fastest ponies Twilight had ever seen, loopings, roles, complex air maneuvers, all done in a fraction of a second. It still wasn’t enough, some of the tiny needles had already lodged themselves deep into his flesh, slowly draining his innate magic.

After about two minutes his frantic flapping became slower and slower, his dodge maneuvers, sloppier and without any technique. Finally the general came to a stop, right before a failed attempt to attack the rebel leader one last time, and the only thing Law could do, was watch how their plan failed. Prevented by a single, insane mare. Meanwhile countless cannon balls still decimated their numbers around Twilight, giving her some free space.

Beads of sweat rolled down Twilight’s forehead, if he had hit her again, that would have been it. These spears consumed an insane amount of energy, and the painful injury on her face didn’t make it any more bearable. She looked at the two powerless generals, barely able to stay conscious. Suddenly, a low chuckle rang through the air. It wasn’t Twilight’s…

She couldn’t take it anymore, the last few weeks had been a constant nightmare. Three of her best friends were now her sworn enemies, one was in a coma, likely never waking up again and the other was missing altogether.

Applejack was always up for a challenge, when life threw her onto the ground, she rose and tried harder. Giving up was not an option for the tough country mare. However, this wasn’t some sort of challenge anymore, when she failed, she would die, never seeing any of her friends ever again. Worst of all was, that it would likely be one of her former friends to end AJ’s life.

After her encounter with Dawn Comet, she didn’t do much else, wandering around the outskirts of Canterlot, through the fields below the mountain capital. The scars of Twilight and Morning Blaze’s magical training were still visible, charred patches of earth, deep rifts in the dirt, and craters of the countless magical explosions. All of that was unknown for the earth pony mare. Even if she had knowledge over it, her mind was simply too preoccupied with the not so recent events.

She racked her brain, time and time again, there had to be a way to undo all of this. Clearly her friends must have been under the influence of Nightmare Moon. After their most recent behaviour, Applejack wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. It was almost like they were doing that out of their free will. If that was, indeed, the case, then all hope was lost for her.

Applejack had enough… the constant twilight sky, the forthcoming war with the ‘rebels’. She could never bring herself to hurt another pony, the fact that Rarity and even Pinkie Pie had seemingly no aversion to it, shocked her. Returning to Ponyville was not an option either… she couldn’t bear to be judged for her failure… the country mare loved her family, but right now, this was her problem, not theirs.

Only half an hour later, she was ready to leave… wherever the road would take her, at least until this war was over. The orange mare chuckled sadly, the whole situation was pretty ironic, the last time she had left her home, led to the discovery of her true talent, being a farmer, staying with her family. Now Applejack was leaving that behind, because she feared for her own petty life…

Equipped with just the very basics, her stetson, a canteen full of water and a saddlebag with some food and some things to survive in the wilderness, she decided to leave everything behind… at least for a while. Since the train was still off limits for civilians, AJ decided to use the north route down the mountain, the only other path besides the tracks, normally the mountains were pretty steep, but this path was relatively safe.

To her surprise, somepony was already waiting for her, leaning against a lone tree, just outside the high wall, crimson hair, yellow coat, it was the mare who worked for the princess, Morning Blaze was her name. Her eyes were solely focused on Applejack.

She approached the captain, “Ya lookin’ for me pardner? Morning Blaze, right?”

Blaze ignored the questions and cycled the confused mare slowly, “I’ve seen ponies like you, time and time again, pretending to be loyal... pretending to care. Such is the conceit of the self-proclaimed heroes. But in the end, you all lack the stomach. Fearing the consequences your actions might bring upon yourself…”

“Hey! Stop with your fancy riddle talk. What do ya want from me?!” The orange earth pony asked, half of those fancy words didn’t make any sense to her.

“You want me to speak clearly? Alright. You are abandoning everything you love, literally dooming the entire kingdom, worst of all, you’re leaving your friends behind… Say, Applejack, can you look at yourself in the mirror?”

“Hah! You’re talkin’ about honor, loyalty, but right now ya are here, accusin’ me and not out there, chasin’ Twi and the others,” Morning Blaze looked to the ground, apparently in shame. “Ah can’t deal with this, okay? All those poor ponies dyin’ out there...Not even the princess could stop this mad Nightmare Moon, why should I even try?!”

The captain thought about AJ’s words, they weren’t completely wrong… “Yes… I’ve made mistakes, if I had watched Twilight more carefully, maybe this whole war could’ve been prevented altogether. Still… we have to try, the life of thousands is at risk, I can’t even imagine what would happen if Nightmare Moon could do as she pleases…”

“Then please! Go and die in this pointless war! Twi isn’t controlled by this wicked criminal, ya know? She’s enjoyin’ it too much, all of them have killed at least of few poor souls…”

Applejack walked past her, beginning her long climb down the mountain. Leaving a sad and speechless Captain of the Equestrian Military...

Twilight stood before the two, near unconscious generals, as this laughter filled the air around her. Not like the insane laughter of Luna, nor an evil laughter of someone who’s plan worked out perfectly, no, it was laughter of genuine enjoyment.

In a giant poof of smoke, a pony appeared, his coat hidden under a dirty lab coat, floating besides him, the strangest creature Twilight has ever seen. The body of a snake, a goat hoof, a dragon claw, two different wings fluttering at its back, it was total chaos.

The creature laughed again, “Oh this is so much fun! Equestria was never so full of chaos in millenia! Commendable job, Twilight Sparkle. Allow me to introduce this small partnership. I am Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony incarnated, and this very loyal pony is…”

The dark-white, almost gray furred stallion spoke up, “I am Dr. Specter, leader of the Archmages, a pleasure to make your acquaint—”

Before he could speak further Twilight cleared her throat, magic cutting of Specter’s windpipe, “I don’t know why you decided to interrupt me, nor do I care. If you’re the leader of the Archmages, you serve Celestia, enough of a reason to kill you.”

Discord snapped with his dragon claw, Specter was free of Twilight’s grip and gasped for air, falling to his knees. The spirit cleared his throat and said, “Now, now, we should listen to what he wants to say, won’t we, Miss Sparkle?”

The lavender unicorn glared daggers at him, “Fine, you have two minutes before I disintegrate you.”

The gray unicorn spoke, his voice sounding ragged and broken, “I… don’t serve… Celestia anymore. We want to… make a proposal…”

With another snap of his finger Discord created some kind of office, Twilight was sitting in a comfy chair, wearing a really expensive looking suit. Behind the desk, like two employees asking their boss for something, Discord and Specter sat, each wearing their normal attire which was a really vague statement for the spirit of chaos.

Specter cleared his throat, “In return for high position in your new government, I, Specter, Leader of the Archmages, and Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, will assist the leader of the rebels, Twilight Sparkle, in every way she deems necessary.”

Twilight replied calmly, ignoring the fact that they weren’t in the war-torn battlefield before Ponyville anymore, “Why would I do that? I know what you are Discord, and you as well Specter. The spirit of chaos would never submit to somepony voluntarily. Also, how did you escape Celestia’s stone prison? I know for a fact that it should negate all of your powers.”

The draconequus cocked his head, “Ah yes, you see, Specter freed me, as simple as that. The stone prison itself is rather weak, the only difficulty is to find a pony who’d help me voluntarily, Specter learned as much about me as he could and decided to help me. He is a pony who picks his allies very carefully, I respect that. So we struck a deal, he gave me freedom, and in return I promised him a high position in this new world. I was sealed in stone, and my powers were sealed away, that much is true, but I’m still the spirit of chaos. If there is chaos in Equestria, I can ‘see’ or at least sense it. And you, my dear Twilight Sparkle, plunged the entire land into a truly chaotic state, it’s almost like the first Equestrian War.” He briefly drifted off into sweet memories of the first time he caused so much havoc in this land.

Discord cleared his throat and continued, “Anyways, we’re getting ahead of ourselves, in return for my loyalty, you would allow me to spread a little bit of chaos around Equestria. Without harmony, there is no chaos and vice versa. The point is, they can’t exist without the other. So you, will allow me to balance the chaos and harmony throughout the land, this would make me your balance guardian.”

“What would stop you from betraying me? Then you would not have to balance chaos and harmony. As for you, Specter, if you swear a magical oath to me, you, and your Archmages can help me. In exchange you will keep your position as Leader of the Archmages and a new job as the Administrator of the Royal Treasury.” Twilight stated, she knew what kind of pony Specter was. Greedy and selfish, the perfect way to keep him loyal, were simple promises.

Discord replied calmly, “Yes, while it is true that I could do that, I have no intentions to actually do it. Not everything is solved through violence, dear Twilight. Why start another war to kill thousands of innocent ponies, when I could strike deal with you, to ensure that I get my fair share.”

Before Twilight could start arguing, Specter charged his horn and bowed, “I, Specter, Leader of the Archmages, do solemnly swear myself to you.” The oath was completed, he had to stay loyal, in return for his promised positions…

“Discord, you will swear too.”

“What? Do you not trust my word? Fine,” He snapped with all of his available claws, hooves etc, “I, Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, promise to assist you, in exchange for the upholding of said deal.”

Twilight laughed, insanity rang through her very being, her goal was so very near now… or was it her goal? This strange feeling occurred to her for quite a while now, “Specter, you and I will speak about some of the insider information you can give me later, for now, just return to Canterlot and pretend like nothing happened, one of your Archmages will stay with us at all times, so that we can keep contact.”

The office disappeared and they were back at the battlefield again, Taka and Law were gone, and their entire company with them. Specter replied, “As you wish, Twilight Sparkle.” He teleported away, leaving her alone with Discord, well alone with him and the still ongoing battle.

“I know you can appear whenever you want, when the time comes, I will summon you, now begone.”

Before he disappeared he kept a dead serious expression, “Be careful Twilight Sparkle, insanity is a force not to be trifled with. Keep your will strong, and stay at your path. May the chaos guide your way.” Then he was gone, a final laughter filling the air.

The lavender mare stood alone on this side of the field, a sad expression on her face. Even though she got two powerful new allies, it felt… almost wrong. She melted into the shadows and appeared next to Pinkie again.

The pink mare gave her an over enthusiastic hug, “Ohmygosh! I thought you were gone forever! What happened?”

“That’s a story for after the battle....”

A slow and steady beeping sound disturbed her dangerous slumber. She tried to move her forehooves, the reaction was minimal, slight pressure and pain, nothing else. One careful eye wanted to explore the situation, a searing white light, directly above the drowsy mare forced her to shut it again. She groaned, her voice sounded broken, like if she hadn’t used it in weeks.

This seemed to catch the attention of another living being. She could make out some quiet sounds, “...ash… get… doctor…” A warm hoof, at least that’s what she thought it would be, touched her forehoof, feeling the temperature. It was so nice and soft, enough to better her weird situation a bit.

The noise was much clearer now, “Miss Rainbow Dash… Miss Dash, can you hear me?” Barely visible, the mare in question moved her head up and down, a splitting headache washed over her. It felt like a million jackhammers nagging at her concentration. She tried to open her eyes again, luckily an unknown mare was leaning over her, stopping the light from blinding her.

Dash tried to speak with her broken voice, “...Can I… get some… water, please?” This mare was apparently working here, wherever ‘here’ was, she jumped up and came back with a fresh glass of water in less than twenty seconds.

With a little effort, the light blue pegasus could sip on the water, the best one she drank in years, or at least in that situation, “Thank you.”

“Good to see you awake again, Miss Dash,” The mare answered, as if some kind of miracle just happened.

Suddenly everything came back to her, Canterlot, Pinkie’s execution, Twilight, more specifically her massive sword, Fluttershy… “How… How long was I gone?”

“About three weeks, our best doctors were treating you each and every night, you never woke up though. Slowly we were starting to lose faith, but you made it. Your earth pony friend will be pleased.”

Rainbow looked up, staring into the nurse’s eyes, “A-Applejack was here?”

“Why yes, she was. Just two days ago, she also spoke with the stallion next to you, but left rather suddenly.”

She turned her head as much as possible, it was a vibrant yellow stallion with an almost white mane. He was staring into the large hall of the hospital, deeply sunken into thoughts. Dash cleared her throat and asked, “You’re that one general of Celestia, aren’t you?”

Dawn seemed to be startled for a moment, before his expression changed into a more friendly one, “Oh, you’re awake, I’m glad. And yes, I’m Dawn Comet… General of Celestia’s Army.”

“What happened after I… blacked out?” It still hurt, not really in a physical, but in an emotional way.

“The best way to describe it, is annihilation, nopony could match their strength, this Twilight Sparkle… she was a whirlwind of death. They rescued Pinkamena and tricked us with a massive immobilization rune, they used an ally as bait, he currently is under detention.”

“What about Fluttershy? Is she okay?” The bold pegasus was genuinely concerned. It was her childhood friend after all.

“They haven’t found her yet, but reliable sources report that she isn’t even in Equestria anymore. If she is still... alive,” He looked very depressed after the last statement. These last weeks had been nagging at his loyalty, many things went wrong under Celestia.

Rainbow Dash lifted herself off of the bed, fluttering with her wings, her entire body burned like tartarus, but she couldn’t falter. Especially the injury in her abdomen felt like it was pierced by a thousand red, hot knives. “Twilight and Nightmare Moon… will… pay for this!”

He looked at his bed, avoiding her angry gaze, “Don’t even try… More than four thousand of our best soldiers, brave mares and stallions… lost against four rebels, four! Not even Celestia herself could best Nightmare Moon!”

She limped over to his bed and punched him in the face, “...pathetic. You… are… pathetic. I won’t just stand… on the sidelines… while these insane criminals slaughter innocent ponies. I don’t leave Equestria hanging!”

Comet grabbed her forehoof, ignoring the pain on the entire right side of his face, “It’s a suicide mission, look at you! You can barely stand! What do you expect? That the Deathbringer shows any mercy?”

The light-blue mare winced, a sharp pain washed over her body, standing up became more difficult by the second, “Don’t… call her that! She’s just a… normal pony. I will… imprison and save her from her own… sins, if it’s the last thing… I’ll do!”

She half limped, half dragged herself across the long, sterile hallway, a few nurses tried to stop her, to no avail. Her emotions got the better of her, and there was just one goal, Twilight Sparkle. All of her friends were either turned against her, dead, or deeply depressed, all thanks to this mare, “You will… pay for this, Twilight Sparkle!”

Of Light and Darkness

Chapter 14: Of Light and Darkness

Morning Blaze was in full-panic mode, after her conversation with Applejack, she visited Dawn Comet. Apparently the situation was even worse than she had expected, first the country mare, now Rainbow Dash. One has gone into what could be compared to exile, and the other had a suicide mission.

After a little investigation, she could find the pegasus’ general route, through a trail of blood. Her wounds reopened about halfway towards the city's gates. With the amount of precious life juice the captain found, it would be unlikely that Dash even reached Ponyville. So Morning Blaze did the second best thing she could think of, telling Celestia and chase after the blue mare…

The situation around and in the castle was still on edge. Hardly a surprise, considering what happened since she took this ‘vacation’. Blaze had needed that though, she couldn’t even focus on a proper fight anymore, her mind was still filled with the constant dark thoughts about her decisions, her weakness, how pathetic she really was. It was a joke, really, the once proud teacher of Equestria’s beacon of hope, reduced to a depressed pile of despair.

She literally kicked open the heavy gates of the sun court, normally nopony was allowed to enter it anymore, Celestia began to use it as a center of command. That wasn’t enough to stop her though, the mare stormed past the confused solar guards and sprinted towards the princess.

As her target noticed the strangely hectic mare she said, “Morning Blaze, a pleasure to see you ag—”

The captain interrupted her, “No time for formalities, Celestia. We have a problem!”

Celestia’s expression darkened, if her long-time friend took it that serious, she better listen carefully. Although, she feared what it would be this time, on the last occasion… she lost her faithful student, probably forever, “What is it?”

“Applejack and Rainbow Dash… I talked with the former as she left the city, the mare couldn’t take it anymore and left over the mountain pass. Rainbow Dash apparently awakened earlier this day, she seeks revenge for her friends, and Twilight is her target. I followed a bloody trail down the north way, but couldn’t locate her. “

The princess closed her eyes and sighed, without them… it would be near impossible to turn things around, “We have to find them. I know you are not on duty right now, but could you do me the favor and chase after Rainbow Dash? Her death is inevitable when she… faces Twilight.” It hurt, oh it hurt so much, those words tore into her soul like daggers. Her little student… feared as some kind of death angel in her kingdom. Once they caught her though… this would end, and everything would follow her plan.

Blaze gave her a little bow, “Only because it’s you, Celestia. I’ll bring her back, no matter the cost.” With a flash of light, the captain of the guards was gone, preventing a catastrophe… hopefully.

Pinkie Pie, alongside Twilight, ran through the streets of Ponyville, since the leader of the rebels single-hoofedly defeated an entire division, they had time to aid Rarity and Luna. The pink mare suggested that they should help their allies immediately, but her super intelligent friend said, that they needed to check at the town square. “Fair enough,” Pinkie shrugged mentally. If Twilight thought that they could defend it for a little while longer, then so did she.

Both were shocked as they reached the town square, they expected to find dozens of scouts and bat ponies running around, fixing things, helping out. Instead, there were corpses, and blood, so much blood… The stench was nearly unbearable, not only the foul smell of blood and slowly rotting flesh, no, it was something different, something very poisonous.

Twilight stared at the scene, an unbelieving expression on her eyes, “W-Who could’ve done this... “ She scanned the area, there were exactly forty four bat pony bodies and twenty dismembered corpses of Silent Flare’s rebels. The name hit her like the Friendship Express… the stallion had left before she encountered Taka and Law…

Then she caught a movement in her peripheral field of view, a reflection of a blade, a katana to be exact, and shortly after, two tiny, what looked like weirdly curved daggers. Twilight turned around… again! This time a clashing metal sound followed the strange sight. Finally the two mysterious opponents landed on the opposite sides of the town square. It was Silent Flare, his body littered with bleeding wounds and some splatters of an odd green liquid. His unknown foe, was completely hidden under a pitch-black cloak, only the violet eyes could be seen from under it.

As Flare spotted the two mares he half limped over to them, “T-Twilight…” His voice was coarse and very weak. “This is no ordinary foe, it… just appeared… in the middle of the town square, laughed… maniacally and started killing our allies… It’s… incredibly fast and uses…” Before he could finish his sentence, the beige unicorn collapsed, his body to weak to keep him awake.

The lavender mare’s anger grew tenfold, somepony was messing with her plans, her carefully organized plans… Her feared sword hovered besides her, she channeled her wrath into it. Twilight expected it to change, and indeed, it did, the entire length of the razor sharp blade was engulfed with black flames. The highest level of ordinary dark magic a mortal pony could ever hope to achieve. Although, for Twilight? That was just the beginning.

“Who are you?!” She half-screamed. “I want to know who’s head I will cut off!”

“Ohh! Such temper, I like that! If we weren’t enemies, I’d totally go out with you. Allow me to introduce myself,” Bligh’s magic grabbed the edges of her hood and pulled it away, revealing some kind of weird mask, it resembled an oddly long beak, like a crow’s one, only five times longer. “I am Blight, personal plaything of the princess and professional bounty hunter.” After that, the mare gave her a faint giggle. That way Twilight could see her coat colour around her neck, it was as black as her cloak… great.

“I am sure Celestia will be relieved when I leave your head on her bed, a nice little surprise,” She fell into this insane laughter again. How has Luna been able to suppress it for a whole millenia?

Two relatively small daggers hovered in front of her, they contained not a single straight edge, it was designed like an intricate piece of art, the magic holding it was coloured in a deep shade of violet.

The mare vanished, she certainly wasn’t teleporting, it was her own speed… The first attack was a small, knife-like projectile, almost piercing her head, a last second duck had saved the lavender unicorn. Then it began, Blight never stayed at one place for more than a second, but every time at least one new dagger was flying towards Twilight. It gave her little time for an opening, she had to concentrate on deflecting the, obviously poisoned, projectiles. The tactician in her analyzed every single move Blight made, there was a pattern to her attacks. After about five consecutive dagger throws, she had to stop for a few seconds, her foe was likely conjuring them from some kind of magical source.

Twilight deflected all of them, using the least amount of energy to get the highest possible defense. Blight was good, but Twilight had been trained by a goddess. The leader of the rebels arced her blade in a 360 degree angle around her, unleashing a storm of black flames. An ear shattering cry confirmed her suspicions, the mare wasn’t teleporting, it was something different. The mare rolled around on the ground, trying to quench the fire, finally she abandoned her cloak. Making her silky smooth, black coat visible. Her cutie mark showed a similar dagger with a smoking green tip.

Blight growled at her, her eyes narrowed to little slits, “Cheeky bitch, using such dangerous magic.” Her daggers disappeared, in their place an impressive, shadowy greatsword materialized in her magical grasp. It was only slightly shorter than Twilight’s weapon, but was straight and double-edged. It looked surprisingly stable for a spell-blade.

Before the lavender mare could even blink, the large spell-blade was already going for her head, her own sword intercepted the strike in time. It was this weird movement again, now she’d seen it. Blight seemed to stomp on the ground dozens of times in the fraction of a second. It didn’t even look magical, more like pure physical strength and agility.

The black flames flickered against the foreign magic, battling them for dominance. Blight grinned and pulled out another dagger, Twilight was forced to roll away, the projectile grazing her cheek. She could feel her body numbing, the poison was spreading quickly. Her foe laughed, “You can feel it, right? The poison of a chimera, very rare and very dangerous, it creates a powerful paralyzer with the right ingredients. Good night!”

The dark flames around her blade faded, she no longer had control over her reserves, the blade sunk into the ground as it impacted with it. Now her legs couldn’t support her weight anymore, she fell to her knees, sharing the same fate as Silent Flare.

That was it… after all her hard work, Blight towered over her, her spell-blade raised high, ready to end her life. Twilight was forced to watch the blade sink down, a split second before it cleaved her head in half, she heard another blade, sinking into flesh and breaking bones.

The bounty hunter coughed, her mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood, “W-what?” She managed to look down, a deep blue shaft of magic was lodged deep inside her abdomen, sinking deeper by the second. Another cough another spurt of blood. The grasp of her magic faded, the weapon meant to kill her target was gone as well.

The smooth voice of Princess Luna was filled with anger, “Your first mistake was to come here, the second was, to oppose my… friends.” She cried out, slashing through Bligh’s stomach, her immense physical strength sliced the mare in half, shattering her spine with it. The last breath escaped the bounty hunter, she laid in the dirt, with wide, open eyes and only half a body. The blood spraying out of her upper and lower half, slowly growing cold, another victim in this war, and certainly not the last one.

Luna helped Twilight up, the poison still affecting her, she could barely stand upright, without shaking madly, “Thank you, Luna. This... was a heavy blow, only… five bat ponies survived the surprise attack and ten of Silent’s rebels, he is also pretty injured. The only major force we now have, is Capone.”

“Himiko’s and Mistral’s division retreated, apparently their goal was to distract us. We will take care of Silent, and you too, some of your injuries look severe. The rest will be managed in time, dear Twilight. I’m glad I could stop that assault before she got you too.”

Twilight slowly looked down, her chest, flank, and back all had deeper cuts in them, she hadn’t noticed them, until now, “Maybe you’re right… but we have to do something, we can’t allow another attack like that. And I might know how to stop them…”

The last weeks had been tormenting, he had been working nearly twenty four hours a day. The white stallion was slowly crumbling under his own guilt and fear, the only thing he wanted, was that his little, innocent sister came back to him like it was just mere months ago.

Shining Armor, proud Captain of Celestia’s second division, and Twilight ‘Deathbringer’ Sparkle’s older brother. The times before this ridiculous war seemed to be long gone, so was his happiness. All he could do was watch… watch his entire world burn. With the slowly creeping depression, came the anger, Shining’s usual friendly and confident demeanour had completely given way to a mean-spirited and hateful stallion. That caused his self-hate to intensify even more.

He interrogated their prisoner countless times, nothing seemed to work, not even torture. Today was the time for another visit, a scout delivered bad news. Both Law and Taka, known as extremely competent fighters, have lost against his sister… only his sister, even Specter couldn’t do anything, one of his Archmages seemed to be ‘missing in action’ like their strange leader had said. Celestia’s personal bounty hunter was missing as well, very unusual for that mare, she adored the princess.

He walked down the stairs that lead to the castle’s dungeon, some guards walked past him, almost running because they didn’t want to be in his presence anymore. Shining emitted such a strong feeling of negativity, despair and anger that he was constantly alone now. He himself knew the reason for this perfectly well, but he couldn’t change it anyway. His sister seemed to be gone, forever.

Finally he reached the oldest part of the dungeons, a massive steel door separating him and their most valuable prisoner. The door creaked open with loud noises and Shining stepped in to the cell. Silver Night was strapped to the cobblestone wall, his hooves fixated with massive iron rings, exactly fitted for him.

Silver looked miserable, thin, only a mere skeleton and he had cuts and bruises all over his body. He could only smile as he saw his ‘warden’, “Heh… bad news, huh? I presume that Twilight has achieved yet another victory.”

At this point Shining Armor lost it, he rained down a series of hard punches in Silver’s abdomen, by the time the angry captain was finished, his prisoner already coughed up blood and panted heavily. The bat pony was barely able to stay conscious, he was just too weak. Silver wouldn’t give in though, for Twilight, for Luna and for the rebellion.

Shining almost screamed at his prisoner, all the blocked emotions poured out of him, “You will all pay for this! None of your petty little rebel friends will be even recognizable anymore when I’m done with them! You have taken MY LITTLE SISTER and the pony who will suffer the most is NIGHTMARE MOON!” He stormed out of the cell, leaving a bloody and beaten Silver Night. The massive steel door slammed shut, this visit only lasted for about five minutes, but for him, it felt like hours.

Twilight’s dreams had been a constant Nightmare for the past few weeks, ever since the massacre of Canterlot. She tried everything, changing her diet, reading stories before going to bed, even Luna couldn’t provide salvation. “A being even older than I is responsible for this. The cure is not known to me, nothing in the waking world can aid you, I am truly sorry,” Those were the alicorn’s words.

Yet again her dreams were plagued with the same dream, over and over again. There was so much blood, all over her coat, the floor, everything… the few loved ones she still had, all slaughtered, by the hooves of her former mentor. The worst, was that Celestia smiled, as she happily murdered her dear friends.

She was forced to watch this scene countless times, her sanity slipping with every rerun. The only thing the lavender mare could do, was cry, and oh she did, even her body in the waking world showed this incredible discomfort and fear. Not one single night passed without her wincing and whimpering in despair and sadness. All of her friends were very well aware of that, but nopony was able to help her with this.

Suddenly the scene disappeared, ripping into tiny shreds and changing into confetti, the only thing that remained was this dark and deadly silent room. Twilight’s mood certainly didn’t raise as she drifted in this darkness, “H-hello? Is anypony there?”

A voice came from behind her, a very well known, and ever so mocking voice, “I didn’t know you were the insane kind of pony, my dear Twilight Sparkle.” A certain draconequus stated, he looked like the day before, still a mismatched composition of body parts.

His voice went dead serious, she could’ve sworn to hear a bit of sadness in it, “You’re carrying a great burden. The Nightmare’s insanity are a true curse, it shackles you, dragging you into the deepest abyss of your mind..”

“W-what do you want, Discord? Didn’t I order you to only come when I summon you?” She dried her tear stained cheeks with her forehooves.

“Oh yes, that’s right, if you want I can leave you with your wonderful dream again,” He stated sarcastically.

“N-No... “

The draconequus smiled, “That’s what I thought. I can block the dreams for a certain time, the nightmare is an old rival of mine, he hadn’t been active for a millennia or so, at least not to my knowledge. Playing cat and mouse with an old rival of mine is not the reason why I'm here though. Tell me, what do you know about immortality?”

“Y-you came into my dream t-to ask me… that? Well… not much actually…” Twilight stopped for a moment, she feared the answer Discord might give her. “You can’t die, not by any normal means at least.”

“Exactly, sit down, my little pony, I am going to teach you the very basics of immortality,” Two comfortable looking chairs appeared right next to her, with nothing better to do she simply sat down on one. “Every immortal being is tied to one idea, one fleeting thing it resembles. It keeps us running, keeps us tied to the mortal realm of the living if you want to say that. Luna now embraces the chaos, voluntarily, her sister must’ve been really obnoxious, but she also is tied to the night which you can rule out due to the war.” He chuckled shortly, after Twilight didn’t join in, he continued. “I am mainly resembling chaos, well, I am the spirit of chaos incarnated, that makes it pretty obvious. Celestia… oh, Celestia is different, her being is intertwined with harmony itself, the most unstable concept in the world. Everything is related to chaos, everything shifts and changes constantly. Harmony though, Harmony is a concept mortals came up with in the ancient times, they believed that everything can be solved with the ‘magic of friendship’ and the gift of purpose. As they started to adapt to this new concept, called ‘Harmony’ and ‘Friendship’, Cutie Marks started to appear on the first ponies, it was remarkable, really.”

It took a moment for her to realize what the draconequus just said, “Why are you telling me all this? You have given me a way to kill her for good, wage a terrifying war against Equestria and make people lose faith in her and Harmony.”

“You’re adorable, Twilight. If it would be as easy as you make it out to be, I wouldn’t be here, lingering in your dream, I’d be sitting on a throne made out of cotton candy and rule over the world,” For demonstration a large, and entirely pink throne appeared out of nothing. “No, ponies have always been different, unpredictable, they tend to cling to their ridiculous beliefs and superstitions. The concept of Harmony has gifted Celestia with the ultimate tool to ensure her reign, a forced purpose on her subjects, and this forced purpose incarnated, are the Elements of ‘Harmony’. I’m sure you’ve heard of them.”

“Yes… I’ve read a book about it, and how Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon with them. I thought they were still in the old castle back in the Everfree forest,” Twilight replied, she’d calmed down considerably now.

He slowly shook his head, “No, they never were, maybe their mere shells. Celestia has the real vessels for the ‘Magic of Friendship’, or well… had them.” Discord chuckled shortly, not explaining it any further.

After a short pause the draconequus continued with his tale, “The ponies live in blissful ignorance for millennia now, guaranteeing the princess an immortal life and free dominion over every living being in this kingdom. Your way won’t end well, only with every subject slaughtered it would be possible to even touch her at all. I’m sure you’re not willing to make that sacrifice.”

“What is your point? Should I just… give up? Return to my old life, spending the rest of it in a dark cell, imprisoned for my sins?”

Discord chuckled again, “Oh no, my dear. Chaos is the answer, in the right moment, I can destroy the bonds that shackles her soul to her body. Normally that wouldn’t be really useful, she can just return back into her body in a matter of seconds, but you… you can use yourself as a vessel, absorb her soul and use her power against the rest of Equestria.”

“That should be absolutely impossible. Wouldn’t I be forced to share a mind with her?”

“Possible and Impossible, those are just words for me, Twilight. I am Chaos, if it is impossible, I change it. To answer your question, yes, you would be. Your body would still belong to your mind though, still, until she doesn’t give up, she would try to take control. An incredibly risky, and last straw solution, but in your case one of the very, very few ones that would work.”

The spirit of chaos vanished, his voice rang through her slowly ending dream, “Think about it, I’m only one call away. Hahaha....”

Then she opened her eyes, the conversation still lingering inside her mind. The sky had not been changing over the ‘night’ unfortunately. It was kind of annoying, never really knowing how late it is, well… Luna somehow knew it, but asking her every time was just silly. Her thoughts returned to the draconequus, could she even remotely consider trusting him? Would she even be willing to risk that sacrifice?

The snowy field and the blizzard hadn’t become any more bearable over the course of the last few days, three to be exact. Without the surprisingly gentle Rost, Fluttershy would’ve died as she first ‘entered’ this land. The endless white was disturbed by the distinct glow of her new weapon, she hadn’t had the time, nor the courage to try it out though.

Rost tried it the day they left, it suited him perfectly, not quite like fighting with an axe, like he was used to, but the heavy broadsword was incredibly sharp and had a very long range. The poor little rabbit that had to be his test subject wasn’t quite as lucky, the timid yellow mare looked away during the process. Surprisingly it didn’t bring her to the verge of a mental breakdown, like when he first met her, but still… Fluttershy couldn’t watch the stallion slice an innocent bunny into bloody pieces.

The fourth day had started rough for them, the blizzard got worse by the day, another very good reason to banish the demons. Only the fur around their chest and flank protected them from freezing to death. Rost luckily knew how to build small cave like igloos, to protect them during the night. Also the fact that they had enough food and water made the journey almost possible… almost. She had to admit, the things Rost could cook with meat, smelled delicious, and the yellow pegasus hated herself for that.

As they walked through the snowstorm, the brown stallion observed Fluttershy, she had been even more quiet than usual, and looked quite sad, “How are you holding up, Fluttershy?” His voice almost got drowned out, due to the heavy winds that blew past their ears.

The timid pegasus lifted her head immediately, his voice snapping her out of the absurd train of thought, “I-I’m fine, just tired. How far away is the shrine?”

“At least another three days of marching!” Rost had to shout because of the strong winds. The blizzard was unusually strong, even for this land, something was wrong here…

Just as the stallion thought about the possibility, it revealed itself to them… a trap. In a large circle around them the air literally froze, creating giant icy spikes, blocking their escape route. The winds seemed to focus on a specific spot, materializing into the strangest creature she had ever seen. It looked like a giant mouth. Well, mostly strange looking lips, not even remotely similar to that of a pony, strapped to an enormous cartwheel. The thing had the colour of the ice that surrounded them and its mere breath created more crystals around them. Even the wheel had ice crystals on it. It rolled around them, breathing more and more ice at them, for a thing of that size, its speed was ridiculous.

Fluttershy jumped out of the way, dodging a sharp icicle, “What is that?”

Rost already tried to catch the thing with an overhead strike of his sword, it left a fiery trail in the air as it came near to it, so that’s was why they were red. Apparently it was imbued with the power of fire, to help them fight against whatever the blizzard held ready for them, “A Wanyūdō! More specifically, an Ice Mouth, dangerous demons that can be encountered in the wilderness. Legends says that once a mare who made frigid comments was bound to a demon wheel. Now icy, she rolls through the barren landscapes, freezing those with open mouths. We have to slay it quickly, or otherwise it will completely freeze us solid!”

“A d-demon?!” The yellow pegasus was frozen with fear, quite literally frozen, there was no way they could defeat this thing. The beads around her body seemed to glow even more and grew warmer in the presence of this demon. Maybe it really offered her some kind of ‘divine protection’. This theory was about to be tested, Rost missed yet another attack at the ridiculously fast demon and it sped towards Fluttershy.

She shrieked and closed her eyes, in the end… she was not strong enough to return. The timid mare only hoped that her death would come quick and painlessly, she waited and waited, until she heard the sound of a heavy impact, alongside an angry scream. After Fluttershy opened her eyes, she knew the reason, the Ice Mouth had been stopped by a radiant crimson barrier around her, the countless beads of the rosary hovered around her and produced a connected shield with one another.

As soon as it appeared, it dissolved again, leaving the confused pegasus wide open. She wasn’t stupid though, she had seen what this thing could do. Carefully Fluttershy grabbed one jewel with her mouth and tilted her head in an arc towards the demon. Once again the beads connected with a ghostly crimson line of energy and created some sort of ‘whip’. The mare’s confidence skyrocketed and she let out a furious battle cry. Before the Wanyūdō was able to recover from the heavy impact, the rosary sliced it in half, the fiery pearls went through it without any effort, even through the thick wood of the wheelcart. It dissolved into a flowery explosion under soul-rending cries of agony, quite the contrast for this thing.

Rost stared at her, he couldn’t believe that the timid, little mare had something like that in her, “Woah. I sure won’t mess with you…” The strange weapon had wrapped itself around her neck once again.

She was totally lost, even though this encounter had been cleared in less than two minutes, it felt like an eternity for Fluttershy. Her entire being was exhausted, the stress, the fear everything was too much for her, although… this confidence, this fleeting strand of light… she clung to it and survived, and it felt good, better than anything she’d ever done. Well, maybe except the moment she met her oldest and most reliable friend, Rainbow Dash.

“Let’s just go…” She trotted past him, ignoring the stallion’s confused look, this was completely unlike her, The way she spoke this sentence, it was almost like a machine, her voice had lost every trace of emotion, only this cold and calculating feeling remained.

Her exile had lasted for a whole day now, longer than the country mare would’ve ever expected. Not that Applejack had ever planned to leave her comfortable home, or her comfortable life, friends… everything. That hope died the day she lost two of her dearest friends though, now she wandered around aimlessly, the constant twilight being a harsh reminder of the cold reality she now called life.

She passed over the Foal Mountains during the ‘night’, it took her about seven hours, so she figured that a new day had begun. Her only companion being her trusty stetson and the saddlebag full of supplies. Not a single soul had passed the despaired mare on her quest. Applejack figured that Hollow Shades would be a good place to rest for a while. In some way, it was exciting, exploring parts of Equestria she had never seen before. The verge of the forest was only about a mile away, the country mare could already make out the edge of the thick foliage.

The sight of the forest brought another flash of sad memories with it, the event that most likely started this whole mess, their first encounter with Nightmare Moon, “Keep ya’self together, AJ! Dun think about it all. It doesn’t matter anyway, mah friends are most likely dead. Twi, the poor gal, is still with that terrifyin’ Nightmare Moon, they’re doin’ Celestia-knows what…”

Tears threatened to fall, the memories were still so fresh, but the mare knew that moping around wouldn’t get her anywhere. She didn’t really know where this ‘exile’ would take her… everything was better than this war though…

The first few trees of Hollow Shades passed by, the foliage was unnaturally thick, it was even darker than in the Everfree Forest. Maybe that was just her imagination though. After about an hour of wandering through the woods, she decided to build up her little camp, Applejack had brought a little tent, some flintstones and a fire striker.

Another hour passed before she finished her little makeshift camp, the little leaf-green tent was barely big enough for her. At least in the little fire pit she built, crackled a small fire to warm the mare. Applejack surrounded the flame with rocks, to prevent a forest fire. She sat down on a large log she’d found a little further into the forest, “Ah guess that’s it… it takes a whole lot more time if Ah’m on ma own.”

“Must’ve taken the wrong turn, eh? These woods can be dangerous for a mare like you,” A voice had interrupted her, it was definitely male, and it seemed to be right… She jumped forwards and turned around quickly. There AJ saw the source of the voice, it was a pony, dressed in some sort of… grey leather or cloth garb. His face was obscured by a similar grey hood, but she could she that one eye was covered with more cloth.

He leaned against a nearby tree, completely calm, like he had watched her for some time now. It began to really freak the mare out, “Were ya jest watchin’ me or what?! Ah don’t need another pony followin’ me and creepin’ around in the shadows!”

The pony didn’t move one muscle, he just continued to stand there, “My wish is to discover the ancient secrets of the Nightmare, and since your friend, Twilight Sparkle has been touched by it, I figured that you six ponies would be the closest I’m ever going get to unveil its secrets.”

“Ah have not the slightest buckin’ idea about any of that! What the hay is ‘the Nightmare’? Also, Ah don’t appreciate it if ya accuse ma friend of co-operatin’ with that thing, she’s jest controlled by it! It brainwashed her or somethin’” The country mare got angrier by the second, who did this pony think he is?!

“The Nightmare doesn’t force its victims. It corrupts them, twists their world view, but Twilight Sparkle is a part of it now, by her own free will. Most of the rebellion’s members are likely in the insane grasp of the Nightmare.”

Her face showed nothing but extreme shock and sadness, Applejack sat down and grasped her head with her forehooves, another wave of tears threatened to fall, her quiet sobbing caught the attention of the mysterious stallion, “Not all hopes are lost. I haven’t found it yet, but I’m sure that there’s a way to banish the Nightmare, and finally unveil the secrets it holds.”

Applejack looked up, her eyes red and swollen from the crying, “W-who are ya?”

A faint smile formed on his lips, “Just call me… Sharpshot, my real name does not matter.” He began to move towards her, she could see a strangely curved sword at his back, it had a slight curve in the middle and went straight at the end again. AJ noticed that it had slits along the edges, it seemed like it could ‘transform’ in some way.

“Ah don’t know if Ah should trust you… but I want this to be over… Ah want ma friends back. This Nightmare… holds the means to end this hell. Ah have to know what it is and what it wants… If ya don’t mind, I’d come with ya, I may be not the smartest pony around, but Ah’m sure two pair of eyes see more than one.”

“Ahh, yes, I see…You sense a secret within the Nightmare, just like I do and you cannot bear to leave it be. As if the spirit of the old scholars lives on within you! Such inquisitive ponies will relish the journey to uncover the secrets of the night. But beware, secrets are secrets for a reason. And some do not wish to see them uncovered. Especially when the secrets are particularly unseemly…”

“That doesn’t matter anyway, Ah left everypony Ah cared about behind, it can’t get any worse…” Those words sounded incredibly sad, if only some of her friends were here right now. This Sharpshot… seemed to be weird, he definitely knew more than he let on, but if his words were true…

“Very well, let us lift the veil of the Nightmare and put an end to it.”

End of the Line

Chapter 15: End of the Line

It had taken a while for Twilight to get ready for the new ‘day’, Discord’s words had a heavy impact on her. He practically offered her the world, in exchange for nearly nothing! That couldn’t be real, she had read about the draconequus, the spirit of chaos would never help another creature unless it would turn out in his favor at the end. Care and a good plan were imperative for this.

She decided that a talk with Luna was long overdue, since the attacks, they were slowly becoming more and more distanced, a grave mistake in a group like this. Twilight asked around the inner city, where the moon goddess may be, the few rebels that were left after Celestia’s backstab told her that Luna had been sitting on a hill in the west of Ponyville, all by herself.

A quick shadow travel solved the problem of distance, she quietly approached the alicorn. The pose she was sitting in, her expression... eyes closed, mouth in a completely neutral position, her unmoving aura of confidence, Luna looked like she could sit there until the end of time, literally. Her serenity didn’t falter for even a moment as she noticed her old friend, “Twilight, we’re glad to see thee.” For a moment her modern Equestrian slipped, it was really interesting how their language had changed over the course of multiple millennia.

Twilight’s nervous expression relaxed slightly, her most valuable friend seemed to be ok— No! One of her best friends, not most valuable! These thoughts began to creep into her mind lately, it hadn’t concerned her, until now, “H-hey, it’s nice to see you too. I was a bit worried, the few rebels told me that your were sitting here all on your own.”

Her eyes opened slowly, and her face showed a deep frown, “I had to recover… from the tragic loss of our dear followers. My connections to the thestrals is deeper than you might think… I felt every cry of agony… every stab with those poisonous daggers, it was terrible. Normally, I only feel it until they die, but I’ve had this twisting pain for a while now… It’s more like a slow pain of torture, mixed with this extreme despair.”

The lavender mare considered her next words carefully, “Do you… Do you know where this feeling is? Can you use your connection with it? Because… all of your bat ponies are here, except one... “

Luna’s eyes widened, she knew exactly what Twilight meant, “Yes… it’s still hurt, its overall condition must be terrible! There is only one city in that direction… Canterlot.”

“Hah! I knew it, Silver Night is still alive! Maybe there is a way to save him after all, we owe him so much. Without his sacrifice in the Battle of Canterlot, we wouldn’t have escaped without another major loss.”

The blue alicorn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the last days had been… nerve wracking to say the least, “Indeed, we do have to thank him, the strongest of my children. It may not be the most reasonable idea… but I’ll return him into my protection, alone.”

“L-luna, you can’t be serious! Your presence would instantly alert Celestia, and with her… all guards in a one hundred kilometer radius,” Twilight tried to reason with her. It was true though, they owed Silver and it pained her to know he was still alive and most likely being tortured to get answers.

Her eyes wandered into the night sky, thinking about her children always made her melancholic, “He is special, you know? His blood is… unique, Silver’s ancestors were the first ponies who joined me voluntarily. They became the very first Thestrals, a newly formed race, blessed with some of my blood… my power. Only a hoof-full of them survived the first big Equestrian War, they were smarter, stronger and more talented than any of my children, one couple in particular…”

After a few silent moments Luna continued, “Shimmering Nightfall and Winter Crescent, their will had been strong… oh so strong, their loyalty did not falter for even one moment, not even as they faced Celestia. I don’t want to bring back these painful memories, so I will summarize it. Nightfall... was personally executed by my sister herself, for crimes against the crown and treason, only with my help Winter could flee, it happened mere minutes before my own banishment. What I did not know at the time, was that she beared a child. Their lineage became weaker over the thousands of years, due to them breeding with other races, but even now, he has a very strong and special aura.”

Twilight slowly nodded, sucking in the tale of the Thestrals, “I had no idea, well… I did not even know that Thestrals existed just a few weeks ago. So, Silver Night is a distant descendant of Nightfall and Winter. I’ve never heard of them either, it’s really sad, now that I think about it.”

A quiet chuckle came from the alicorn, “That’s not surprising, my sister did everything she could, to expunge every last detail about me and my children from history.”

“Sir Valiant Ironheart, first general of Celestia’s army, Ace Longshot, the best cannoneer in Equestria’s history, his skills were unmatched, legendary even beyond the borders of Equestria, Astrallius, legends say that he alone defeated the rampant void spirits of the east and founded the Archmages to protect our land. Every last pony in Equestria knows these names, many legendary heroes were born throughout Equestria’s history, that stopped almost entirely after you were… banished to the moon. Celestia got paranoid, I’m sure she dreaded the day that one hero would find out about her past sins and bring justice upon her, and we will be those heroes.”

That brought a faint smile upon Luna’s lips, more pleasant memories flashed into her mind, “Astrallius, he was quite the charmer, even more so than Star Swirl, unfortunately his work had always been his top priority. Anyways… my decision is final. I already lost so many of my children, he will survive.” It was funny, in a way, so many of her subjects passed away, so many friends died of age, or other means. It had never been a problem, except when it came to her ‘children’, it always hurt her when they died or were killed. Quite literally, it felt like a red-hot knife, piercing into her immortal heart.

Twilight considered her available answers, to her frustration, she had none. Even though this decision didn’t make the least amount of sense, she could understand it, “Go ahead. I will manage things around her until you’re back.”

“You have my thanks… Twilight,” Luna rose to her hooves and got herself ready for a journey through the shadows.

“Luna!”

She turned around one last time, “Yes, what is on your mind?”

“Prithee be careful... I could not bear to see you captured, or worse…” Twilight said with a depressed expression. First time in weeks since she really felt genuine emotions, maybe not everything was lost for her.

“Do not fret, dear friend. I will return soon, and Silver will accompany me.”

The pain she felt was incredible, not once in her life had she felt anything as intense as that. The light-blue pegasus winced yet again while barely holding herself together. The trip to Ponyville had taken her an hour top, but now she already travelled for a whole day. It hadn’t passed her without any marks though, Rainbow Dash was pale, barely conscious all the time, and the bloodied bandages around her chest were leaving a dripping trail of crimson behind her.

‘Fortunately’, her path towards literal tartarus was almost over, the mare could already spot the now proud standing watch tower on top of the building that should have been the town hall. Seeing her once beautiful new home town like that broke her heart, the heavy cobblestone walls around it, the tiny guards in the distance, wearing only light armor and the overall look of destruction around the city made her want to kick something.

Rainbow actually never noticed how good her eyesight was, sure, the mare had fast reactions, but the town was almost thousand meters away from her and she could make out an astoundingly number of details. Even the smallest craters in the distance were as clear as day for her, that wasn’t the reason she was here though. Revenge… revenge and peace for Equestria… those were her goals.

She was ripped out of her thoughts as something touched her shoulder from behind, instantly the mare jumped forward, almost hitting her head on a nearby tree. Before she could injure herself further though, two white hooves caught her, it was wearing a set of purple-coloured steel boots, framed with a faint golden shimmer.

“Woah! Close one. You gotta be more considerate of your surroundings, Rainbow Dash,” A masculine voice stated. It sounded kind of familiar. She looked up and saw the same purple-coloured steel plate armor with a golden frame. The white-coated stallion’s blue, short hair was disheveled and he looked like he didn’t sleep for a while.

As her mind registered who just caught her, Rainbow’s eyes widened, “Captain Armor? What… what are you doing here?”

“At first… well, I wanted to bring you back to Canterlot. Morning Blaze followed your trail, but she needed assistance. Now that I’ve seen Ponyville though… I’m not so sure, my sister… she’s killing herself with that. Maybe it’s too late to save her, but… I’d damn myself if I couldn’t say I tried.”

Dash’s heart slumped, of course… she was certainly not the only pony suffering from this, in an emotional way at least, “W-where is Morning Blaze? If you want to he—”

She fell onto her knees, the journey with this injury had drained her power almost completely. Shining instantly supported her with his hooves, “Hey, hey! Rainbow! Stay calm, we will figure this out, together with Blaze… but for now, just rest. It is unlikely that they will leave the city to patrol around and they can’t sense us here if we don’t use magic.”

A short, weak nod signaled her agreement, he laid her down carefully, she desperately needed some rest. Blaze would be there soon, the things he didn’t take into account, were the Archmages and the mercenaries unfortunately. It was only a matter of time before their little hideout would be discovered.

Rainbow groaned shortly as uneasy slumber came to an end. Her entire chest and abdomen felt like they were being pierced by a hundred red-hot knives. A really odd metaphor as she thought about it in her still drowsy mind, then a second later that thought got annihilated by another wave of mind-numbing pain.

The sky was in the same state as it had always been, well, for the past few weak at least. Morning Blaze sat next to her, alongside Captain Armor, they both had worry written deeply into their faces.

She managed to gave them a weak smile, “You guys… should really chill down… I’m totally ready to kick some rebel asses.”

The two captain shook their heads in unison, a clear statement that she was once again, not awesome enough to even convince to ponies she barely knew. Blaze spoke up, sadness and despair hidden deep in her voice, “You aren’t… you never were, all of your former friends… would not hesitate for even a moment to finish you off. Shining and I have a plan… listen carefully, it might just be crazy enough to have a chance of working.”

Shining Armor continued her slightly awkward attempt to explain that they were pretty much screwed, “We all together couldn’t even hope to get past Twilight and her friends to kill Nightmare Moon. We will voluntarily get captured and—”

The bold pegasus tried to jump onto her hooves, only to fall back with a cry of pain, “You… you… want to do what?! Are you insane?”

“Do you remember what I just said? Let him finish,” Blaze replied in an unusual snappy tone.

The white stallion cleared his throat and continued, “Ahem… as I just said, we will get captured and ask them to take us to Twilight. They’ve surely become arrogant enough to actually do it… then we will try to talk to her… my little Twily is somewhere in there… I’m sure of it. We can’t take any of them in combat… so that’s our only hope, Celestia’s attempt will fail sooner or later. She is not willing to hurt Twilight and neither am I, that’s why it’ll all fail…”

Just as Rainbow Dash was about to reply, a bright light blinded her momentarily, one flash after the other until ten blurry creatures had silently surrounded them. Her vision returned back to normal and she saw her ambushers, ten unicorns, all wearing the same brilliant white robe decorated with an eclipsed sun, the symbol of the archmages.

One of them stepped forwards, it was the one ordered to stay with Twilight and her troops in case they needed them, the situation got extremely bad for the three of them, even if they did not know it at the time. He spoke up in a deep, scratchy voice, “I hope we aren’t interrupting something.”

Blaze squinted heavily, until all the blank spots in her vision vanished, “Wait… these robes, you all are archmages, aren’t you? Phew, thank goodness, I thought we had been captured way too early.”

A faint smile could be seen from under the white hood, “Unfortunately it’s too soon to cheer, Captain Blaze.” He gave his partner around them a signal with his hoof and all of their horns began to glow in unison. Both Blaze and Shining had no chance to react, they got paralyzed by some weird chaos spell.

“What is the meaning of this?! You serve Celestia! The circle of the Archmages has served her for more than thousand years now unless somepony…” She gasped, some details of the big mystery that this whole war was got pieced together. “Specter.”

The speaker gave her a short laugh, “Take them to Lady Twilight.” The three of them got encased in all kind of magical grasps, slowly they approached the city. This situation got worse indeed, now they couldn’t even trust their own soldiers. Worst of all was that they now knew a secret, a secret that Twilight would likely not want revealed yet, meaning that an escape got so much more unlikely again.

Fluttershy had enough of this land, enough of this damned weather and enough of slaying demons. The last three days had been a constant struggle to survive under these harsh conditions. They ran out of vegetarian food too, the last crispy lettuce leaf disappeared into her hungry mouth. Another very serious problem in this freezing hell, no plants survived the cold, and the meat Rost cooked smelled more delicious every time…

The two of them sat in yet another quickly ‘built’ igloo, to protect them against the worst winds. A small fire warmed them up, reviving their spirits and bringing new hope alongside the quiet crackling sounds the flickering flame produced. They both looked at the fire in comfortable silence, Rost eating the last remains of another poor creature he used as food. The scent of well-cooked steak permeated the air, Fluttershy’s stomach growled loudly, enough for the brown stallion to notice it.

He stopped eating and spoke up, “Are you sure that you don’t want to try eating meat? Our journey isn’t over yet and we need all the strength we can get.”

The timid yellow pegasus blushed slightly, embarrassed by her own hunger, “N-no, I’ll be f-fine.” Another growling noise came from her tummy, she winced slightly.

“Oh come on! You’re barely holding up, what’s the problem? You certainly had no problem killing those ice demons earlier today, either you kill, or get killed. It’s just the way things are around here, and that’s why we eat meat.”

Fluttershy looked distressed, she could never bring herself to eat another creature, even if it is dead, but she could understand Rost’s point, “B-but… the demons attacked us first, i-it was self-defence.”

“And eating meat is self-preservation!” He exclaimed, the stallion’s irritation grew visibly. Rost needed her help, and wouldn’t just watch her slowly die in this hell. A small steel knife was enough to cut off a piece of the delicious-smelling steak, then he offered her the impaled food.

Time seemed to slow down again, Fluttershy had nowhere to run. Slowly… oh so slowly, but surely her front hooves grabbed the knife with the meat on it, the smell filled her senses even more. Seconds passed with her staring at the still steaming flesh, nothing could bring the shy mare to move. Fluttershy’s stomach growled again, that was enough to trigger an insane hunger from deep within her.

Rost watched the timid mare staring at this simple piece of meat, what worried him was her expression, this… hunger, a completely emotionless expression and completely empty eyes only focused on the food.

Her mind seemingly shut down, the meat came closer and closer to her waiting mouth. After what felt like another eternity, an unbelievable taste filled her, she went faster and faster, devouring more of this divine taste. At the time Fluttershy was finished, her eyes were wide open, bloodshot and her pupils were reduced to pinpricks. A broad smile adorned the pegasus’ face, the bliss of eating meat. She wondered why she hesitated in the first place.

“Um… Fluttershy?” Rost asked after watching the strange scene. Not once had he seen anypony getting this excited about a piece of meat. Maybe she had been really, really hungry.

This familiar voice snapped her out of it, the smile vanishing and tears threatening to fall from her still bloodshot eyes, “I-I-I… it was just…” Words failed her again, nothing would, or could justify what she had just done. It was a crime to eat meat, it was against nature… at least that was what everypony told young Fluttershy.

The stallion got closer to her and wrapped one front hoof around the unstable mare, “It’s okay… We need to survive out here… I need you to be okay, you hear?”

Fluttershy was at the verge of another mental breakdown, the soothing words of Rost helped a bit, but things were far from being ‘okay’.

Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Twilight… I need you here...

The leader of the rebels sat on the roof of Ponyville’s new watchtower, her front legs supporting her weary head. At least nopony would disturb her up there, the last months had been crazy for her. Twilight’s entire worldview had been turned upside down, on more than one occasion.

A little break once in awhile was necessary to sort out her next plans, and more importantly, her emotions. The fact that her mentor had been the greatest threat to all of Equestria was still kind of surreal. The land would be a better place without her, that would satisfy her hunger for revenge and help build a new, more efficient government. Maybe with the lavender mare and Luna on the top, maybe not, leading a country didn’t sound very appealing, but if that is what it takes, then so be it.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, a little group of ponies were approaching the northern gate of the city, ten ponies in brilliant white robes, and they were carrying three other ponies in their magical grasps. Adding the archmages to her rebellion really paid out, she didn’t trust Specter at all, but he was worth it. A devilish smile adorned her face, just like she predicted it, sooner or later they would realize that a direct confrontation with her, the ‘Deathbringer’, would be futile. As they came closer to the gates, the lavender mare could make out some details, rainbow hair and a light-blue coat, the first one was without a doubt Rainbow Dash, that stupid pegasus did not know when to stop. Yellow coat, crimson hair with a streak of sunlight, her new ‘old’ mentor, Blaze’s sense of justice really was strange. The last of the bunch was a purely white coated stallion with a blue, short mane, her dear brother. Perfect.

The Archmages reached the town square with their prisoners after another short walk. Rainbow struggled the most in her magical paralysis, “Get me out of here! I want a fair fight, you bastards!” Blaze and Shining Armor just watched the infuriated mare, they were waiting for somepony special.

Right on queue, Twilight jumped down the tower, making sure to create visible cracks in the concrete ground of the town square. It was purely for fun and intimidation, the fall had been totally safe, thanks to her chaos magic. The mare let out a small giggle and gave her new guests a cocky smile, “New guests for me to play with? How generous of Celestia and they’re so very special too!” A small pause followed, the only sounds were the occasional giggles from the lavender unicorn, and the sounds of resistance from Rainbow Dash.

“My misguided brother, my mentor and practically a walking corpse, it’ll be so much fun breaking you,” The lurking insanity showed for just a moment, in the form of another long and creepy laughter.

The same archmage as before cleared his throat and spoke to his new mistress, “Lady Twilight, we found them in the western hills, just like you predicted. What should we do with them?”

She stared right at him, still a unnaturally wide smile on her face, “Well done, Captain Winterlight. Drop the paralysis spells, they won’t harm me. After that you’re all dismissed, I want that nopony disturbs our little conversation here.”

Shining, Blaze and Rainbow fell to the ground a second later, Winterlight bowed shortly and vanished alongside his other comrades. Her three ‘guests’ got up pretty quickly, even Dash, their angry stares would worry even the bravest soldier, but not the once so socially anxious lavender mare.

“So, what brings you to my humble, little town? I’m sure that Celestia only sent her bravest warriors to deliver this fatal blow to the very heart of the rebellion,” Twilight mocked.

Morning Blaze grit her teeth in anger, Twilight’s stupid mind games had exactly the expected effect on her, “Twilight… there is one thing, that I will never forgive anypony… and that is to insult the princess.”

“Oh? I’m so very sorry, dear mentor. It was not my intention at all, to offend that WHORE of a princess, just using her name is the biggest insult to anypony with a little bit of intelligence,” She waited for the moment where Blaze would explode.

Everypony present could literally watch her face redden, anger boiled deep down inside of her, but she kept quiet. The princess would want it that way, her dear student is most likely controlled by some ancient evil creature that needs to be destroyed. If that creature is Nightmare Moon didn’t matter in the least, she would eliminate every threat that opposed her in order to make the princess’ life a little bit easier.

Rainbow Dash jumped in and took the words right out of the yellow mare’s mouth, “What the hay is wrong with you, Twilight?! Just look around! That evil Nightmare Moon bitch is just playing games with you! We barely knew each other when it happened, but you just can’t be that cruel all of a sudden!”

The lavender mare stood right next to her in a fraction of a second, suddenly caressing Rainbow’s cheek with her right forehoof. Now was a good time to test a new, less bloody, but equally efficient way to gain new followers, even though she had never done it herself. The pegasus only saw a tiny bit of lavender fur since she didn’t dare to move. Despite the incredibly strange situation, she couldn’t prevent a slight blush forming on her face, “W-what the hell, T-Twilight?! Go away!”

Twilight practically purred into her ear, her voice a little bit deeper and... older than usual, “Mhmm, so tense. Wouldn’t it be easier to just let go? Give up and join me, we’ll all be together again~ All of your friends can live together~” She chuckled inside of her head, could it be that easy? Luna taught her that seduction was another very efficient way of defeating an opponent. The chaos energy was like a guide for her, whispering just the right words inside of her head, maybe it was Luna, but it worked either way. “I know where she is, Dashie~ I didn’t kill her.”

An invisible wall of force separated the rest of the group from them, combined with a simple sound-proof spell they were all alone. She began to stroke through the polychromatic mare’s hair with the other hoof. More and more of the corrupting energy flowed right into the confused pegasus. Meanwhile Rainbow could just stare into the distance like in a trance, her arousal growing stronger by the second, “You… didn’t? N-no… I’ve… seen her disappear. There’s… only one pony you could mean… Fluttershy...”

“Indeed. Hehe, she’s brave, oh so brave~ But she needs you, Rainbow. Sooner or later she’ll return, and then she’ll need you~ Guide her towards a better life, a life of happiness. All of you under my protection~”

Rainbow gasped, the lavender mare didn’t stop touching and caressing her for even a moment. The words of her silver tongue flowed like sweet honey, making the pegasus dizzy, “I… I… could never… never.... b-betray Equestria…”

Again the lavender unicorn could only chuckle quietly, “You wouldn’t betray Equestria at all, Dashie~ We’ll just free the land of this awful tyranny and bring real peace and harmony to the ponies willing to listen.”

A faint smell of arousal hit her nose, she’d never thought that she would experience it in such an unusual way. Certainly something she could get used to, it reminded her of the soothing spring rain and the smell of freshly produced clouds. Twilight never showed any interest in love or sexual intercourse, like she called it. She saw it in a whole new light since Luna opened all the possibilities to her, chaos magic really was amazing.

Meanwhile Blaze and Shining Armor hammered against the force field, throwing dozens of spells at it, but Shining’s little sister had been getting stronger and stronger.

“Damn… this thing’s unbreakable,” Blaze said while leaning against it. Before she could say anything further blood rushed into her face, forming a vigorous blush. An accidental glance at the moaning blue mare’s behinds was enough, her folds were already glistening with a thin layer of arousal, a certain clear liquid almost dripping onto the ground.

Shining tried his hardest not to look at his sister, corrupting an innocent pony with very questionable consent. He just couldn’t believe the whole situation. His preparations were nearly ready though, Twilight may be strong, but nopony could beat him in terms of barrier magic.

Twilight went all in and kissed the almost controlled pegasus, their tongues dancing around and trying to dominate each other. Of course she got out on top, dominating Rainbow’s tongue and freely exploring her mouth. Both moaned into their respective partner.

After what felt like an eternity, Twilight ended the kiss, a trail of saliva still connecting them. A heavy blush had formed on her face too, this was way too enjoyable to abandon the concept, “Mhm~ You’re a good kisser, dear Rainbow.” She offered her the hoof that was in the light-blue mare’s hair just a moment ago, “Come on~ Join me and we can continue this in total peace and freedom. The princess, your duties, let it all fade into nothing, just focus on the lust, it can be like this for all eternity~”

Before the very confused and aroused pegasus could answer, the force field shattered, alongside the sound-proof spell. Simultaneously Twilight got trapped on the strongest barrier spell Shining Armor knew, it would take a while and considerable amounts of magic to get out of it, even for her. The only thing she said was, with a slight frown on her face, “A shame.”

The yellow mare pulled Rainbow closer to them, ignoring the still very strong smell of arousal around her, “You okay, Rainbow?”

She was completely lost, her thoughts and emotions went on a wild rollercoaster ride. It had been the best feeling since forever, and Twilight’s voice sounded so… convincing, “Huh? ... What… is going on?”

Meanwhile Twilight’s mind was already working on destroying the force field, just a little bit longer. It didn’t upset her in the least that they interrupted their little ‘conversation’, the former student had filled the pegasus with enough seductive chaos magic to corrupt even the strongest of wills. She’d come to her again, sooner or later. She couldn’t help but laugh loudly, “Now what? You’re still trapped in Ponyville, and you know, I’m not alone.”

She unleashed a magical whistle, loud enough to be heard throughout the entire town, the signal her friends and allies had been waiting for. Rarity and PInkie arrived first, both trying to keep a neutral expression, not so easy after watching Twilight ‘go at it’ from a nearby roof. After them five of the remaining ten of Flare’s rebels joined them and two bat ponies. The numbers still concerned Twilight, way lower than she had hoped, but she got a report just this morning that Flare would survive the poison, but he couldn’t fight for quite some time.

They slowly surrounded the little group, and as they were done, Twilight destroyed the force field with a sound that resembled a thousand glass windows shattering at the same time. Rainbow slowly got out of the lust induced haze, her eyes widened even further as she saw two of her old friends standing next to the lavender mare.

Only the strongest of emotions can get anypony to do the unthinkable, actions that would rather be sealed away, far far away from ponydom. Law, the fierce general of Celestia’s Armies, was filled with one of those emotions, anger.

Since he and Taka woke up in the hospital, after their disgraceful attempt to conquer Ponyville, this burning, unyielding hatred clouded his mind. His injuries weren’t that severe, after his elemental powers began to work again, almost all wounds, scratches and bruises faded in mere moments. His temporary partner though, had not been as lucky as himself, almost his entire inert magic was gone, and several bad wounds littered the feathered body. This feeling though, this shameful loss Law received, that was getting to him badly. Not even Gryphon General was that angry, and he was the one losing many of his best elite soldiers.

He simply couldn’t let it go, that mare had mocked him. If she had wanted it, Law would’ve been dead days, maybe weeks ago. Now many of his companions were dead, victims of this madness, and he? The young stallion was on his way towards Princess Celestia’s court, this would not be forgiven.

Half an hour later the giant doors of the courtroom were once again opened forcefully, this twilight sky seemed to bring out the worst in her subjects. Celestia had been dealing with more and more angered ponies from all around her kingdom. Her… student’s troops were certainly not slacking off, they seem to cause havoc in every major town now, even right at her doorstep.

Her expression remained calm and collect as Law stormed into the hall, his eyes burning with an uncanny fire she had not seen in quite some time, “General Law, good to see y—”

“You have to give me more troops! This act of terrorism can not be forgiven, we have to deliver our rightful justice to these criminals!” The stallion interrupted her, right now titles and royalty meant nothing for him, only vengeance.

Celestia had heard about what terrible events had taken place in Ponyville once again, two of her generals and two of the best military experts in the entire world had been defeated by Twilight, her sister and the Nightmare that always accompanied them. Specter had been the first one to report it to her, he seemed to be unusually calm at the time, but then again he was a mystery, even to her.

“I can’t allow you to wander into another suicide mission, our resources are limited, especially in these difficult times of war. Well thought-out actions are imperative against an opponent like Nightmare Moon.”

“And Twilight Sparkle! We can’t allow this criminal to live for even a moment longer! She has to be stopped permanently”

Suddenly the princess’ expression shifted, showing an unusual coldness, “I’d be very, very careful with your next words, Law.” The temperature rose significantly around her, the edges of the expensive wall carpets already slightly on fire. “Nopony is allowed to eliminate her, this order was very clear, right from the beginning. Capture Twilight, that is the only thing you’re allowed to do. New troops will be assigned tomorrow, now get out of my sight!”

He watched her in fear, the tips of her wing feathers were bruning, giving her the look of a newly reborn phoenix. Only a thousand times more dangerous, the flames in her eyes could even burn the strongest of his fire spell. Law gulped and nodded shortly, “Y-yes, princess.”

The revenge would come soon enough, but for now, he’d rest and plan his next course of actions.

“R-Rarity? P-Pinkie Pie? You’re here…” Rainbow said after a while, now that the strange haze was mostly gone. She still couldn’t look at Twilight without blood rushing to her cheeks though. They had certainly changed, maybe not for somepony that didn’t know them, but the bold pegasus did notice. Pinkie wasn’t as hyper as before, an aura of seriousness hung over her and Rarity wore some kind of small crystal necklace, it fit well with her mane colour, but it looked so… wrong, almost evil.

The fashion designer gave her a faint smile, but then frowned ever so slightly, “Yes, indeed, and you are too, unfortunately.” Three long, spear-like crystals formed in the air directly above her, it would be quick and sudden death should she try anything. It was not her plan to kill one of her former friends… but if she was a threat, then it had to be done.

Calmy Twilight laid one forehoof on the white mare’s shoulder and said, in a suddenly very soft voice, “There won’t be a need for that, Rarity. We have use for them.”

“If you say so, just be careful, darling,” The seamstress stated while dissolving her crystal spears. Rainbow surely wouldn’t attack her anymore, even Rarity could feel the massive amounts of chaos energy within the bold pegasus’ body. Watching the act had been… interesting, she wondered if Twilight would give her the same treatment one day. Being in a war didn’t mean losing all joy in life, at least not for her.

Pinkie’s eyes narrowed as her gaze fixated on Morning Blaze, the merciless kicks and punches had not been forgotten, even though it seemed so long ago now. The usually so happy mare knew exactly what they had to do… oh she knew it perfectly well. Celestia had to pay, the guilt of hundreds if not thousands of dead ponies laid solely on her shoulders. Twilight and Luna were the tools of this mass murder, they certainly weren’t innocent themselves, but this was justice in its purest form. For that, Pinkie respected them as allies, but the time with them also made her appreciate them as true friends, especially after the Nightmare of Canterlot.

Once again the lavender mare’s eyes shifted between her friends. The pink earth pony had a burning desire in her eyes, she knew this better than anypony, the fire for vengeance blazed in them, almost consuming her rational thoughts. A gentle and sudden hug interrupted this fire, if only for a moment, Twilight had to make sure that her friends stayed sane and happy.

Before she let go, two short, whispered sentences were enough to calm her down, “We can quench this burning desire of yours. The time will come soon, and then... they will pay.” Pinkie looked deeply into the lavender mare’s eyes and nodded shortly.

After her two upset friends were tended to, she spoke to the other group of former friends and family, “Well, your options are fairly limited, are they not? Join me, or rot in a cell for the rest of your lives.” Twilight looked into her brother’s, despair filled, eyes, a short pang of guilt shot through her heart, it took her only a second to regain that cocky smile of hers, “I suppose there is a third option, you could just end your life right here. You have thirty seconds to decide~”

Shining Armor and Blaze stared at the former student in disbelief, only Rainbow looked directly at her, every fiber of her being wanted to just go over to her and be happy. The mare’s mind was at war with itself, common sense suggested that this was just a trap, a cheap way to eliminate her as a threat, but Rainbow’s emotions just wanted to go back to this never-ending happiness.

Enough was enough, the yellow mare drew her weapon of choice, a flaming rapier, forged with her extreme magical expertise, “Twilight, if you have any sanity left in you… spare these two, and fight an honorable duel with me. No rules, the winner… will kill the loser.”

A smirk was all she got as an answer, Twilight summoned her trusted weapon and rammed it into the ground, this way she could lazily lean against it, intimidation and pride, everything she needed for this to work out, “A noble sacrifice indeed, Morning Blaze. Tell me… do you fear death?”

“...” Blaze just growled shortly, enough of an answer for her opponent.

“Where would the difference be, huh? I can kill you all now… except dear Dashie over there,” She winked at the still confused pegasus. “Or we have a one minute duel which will end in my favor, and after you’re dead, my treacherous brother will follow soon after.”

The white stallion still couldn’t believe his own ears, “Tw-Twilight… W-why would you do this? Mom and Dad are worried to death… you haven’t been at home for months, this war was… was just a series of very, very bad decisions… come home to your family, to your B.B.B.F.F…”

Twilight chuckled, then shook her head slowly, “Oh Shining Armor… dear… dear brother, unyielding knight of my sworn nemesis, my feelings for allies of that tyrant are all but gone. I simply can not stop now... many of her allies have fallen victim to my vengeance, but I’m far, far from done. Soon every kingdom in this world shall unite under our power, this will be Celestia’s doom. The gryphons, the Saddle Arabians, the Diamond Dogs, Minotaurs, Donkeys, it does not matter at all, as long as they’re loyal to us, they will be spared, not her though, she passed the point of mercy two millennia ago.”

He just hung his head after that, the captain of the royal guard did certainly not intend to die here, but his sister could kill them with a single hit, so escaping wasn’t really going to work either.

One silent shadow travel later, Twilight was standing in the midst of the despaired group, “I believe your time is up! Now, what will it be?” Shining and Blaze stepped back slightly, not wanting to be near her, only Rainbow did nothing again, just staring into these wonderful, yet terrifying eyes of their captor.

The two captain summoned their weapons and crossed them towards her. They exclaimed their answer in perfect unison, “We would never betray the princess! Only we can save you now.”

Rainbow walked towards Twilight, like in trance, only those few, precious steps divided them. By the time she was mere inches away from the lavender unicorn, her face had gained a rich shade of crimson. The rebellion leader’s eyes widened shortly due to what happened next, the bold pegasus kissed her deeply, their tongues swirling around in each others mouth. That was what she wanted, this lust… this happy feeling. Dash didn’t even remember why she wanted to oppose her new lover in the first place. Lover… that was a funny word, one Rainbow thought she would never use.

After they parted she went right at Twilight’s side, a strong blush still on her face and a faint smile on her lips. Her heart began to flutter as the lavender mare nuzzled her affectionately and she took the opportunity to slightly lean against her, feeling the warmth of her coat.

Twilight began to smile too, but not due to her new ‘lover's’ actions, no, just because the chaos energy had worked so perfectly. This strangely corrupting part of the chaos magic was dangerous, she could get addicted to it if she wasn’t careful, but it was worth it, oh so worth it. One of the most loyal ponies in Equestria, corrupted to love the very being that she hated mere hours before their meeting.

“See? I knew that at least one pony had some common sense left, isn’t that right, Dashie?” Twilight asked mockingly, she spoke out the last word in the most alluring voice she could manage.

“Yeah, of course... Twilight. Come on guys, living here with her wouldn’t be so bad! I’m sure she can... keep all of us happy,” Rainbow replied enthusiastically. Finally the fog was gone, and she could think clearly again. Why hadn’t she noticed sooner? The lavender mare was absolutely gorgeous, and not evil at all, like she thought earlier, now the pegasus knew that Twilight was in the right.

The two captains went into their combat stances. Morning held her flaming sword high, ready to end this once and for all, and so did Shining, the flawless magical saber shimmered under the dimly lit twilight sky.

Before any of her friends could ready themselves, Twilight held her right front hoof out, signalling them to stop, “I will do this alone, you’ll all make sure that nopony disturbs my little training session.” She grinned at kissed Rainbow on the cheek, making her blush furiously again. “And you’ll wait for me right with the girls. We want to finish our little game from earlier, don’t we?”

The blue pegasus nodded and flew over to her new old friends. Having Twilight as a wonderful lover, and being reunited with at least some of her old friends? This truly was eternal bliss.

The famous weapon began to move, hovering at Twilight’s side, ready for more victims. The blade was only ever as skilled as their master, and the lavender mare had plenty of talent to offer. Two dead captains of Celestia’s army surely were good news for every enemy the damned princess had, they were lurking in the shadows, just waiting for the right opportunity.

“So, this is your final decision?” The former student asked, half expecting, half hoping for it. This was the end of the line for her, nopony would dare to oppose Twilight anymore. Not Celestia, nor her army, she’d win this without a second thought!

Blaze nodded, “We will stop you, Twilight. You will wake up in the dungeons of Canterlot, then you and the princess can have a long, long talk.” Shining Armor didn’t comment, he just erected a barrier around him, if they’d use their advantages, not even Twilight could defeat two skilled warriors.

Their opponent smiled, a flash of her horn announced the start of this fight. Blaze felt the energy around her shifting and rolled preemptively to her right, this quick reaction saved her life, a black, gaping maw opened below her, countless jagged teeth tried to bite a good chunk out of her sleek body. As soon as it appeared, it dissolved again, void creatures could only materialize for a very short time, at least if the caster doesn't want to fall unconscious for a few hours.

The yellow mare used her superior speed and went into combat, she exchanged a series of lightning fast strikes with her former student. “Ugh, scratch superior speed. How did she become that good?” she thought to herself. Armor was assisting her with strong barriers and shield in the right moment to give her time to breath, opening Twilight up, or saving Blaze from harm.

It was quite annoying to fight against two skilled opponents, but she had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. The lavender mare stepped forward quickly and used the momentum to do a powerful overhead strike, the air seemed to be cut where she swung, white cracks began to form in the air itself, another seemingly impossible thing that just happened. As they reached their maximum, a powerful shockwave was unleashed from the rift, sending both Blaze and Shining flying.

She shadow traveled right to their location once again. Yoru flew towards Shining’s head, who was still trying to get up, the sword was intercepted by a much smaller, flaming blade. Twilight felt like this situation had happened so often in the past few months. Their blades were still held in this impressive deadlock, magical forces beyond comprehension were put behind it, “I will enjoy breaking you once this fight is done!”

Suddenly the lavender mare ended the sword fight, jumping back and breathing out a torrent of black flames. Her former mentor screamed in surprise, both her forelegs got burned severely, chaos flames had a much higher temperature than normal fire.

Before Twilight could enjoy it properly, a swarm of semi-transparent daggers flew towards her, she could deflect most of them pretty easily. Just as she cut the last one in two, her brother came out of nowhere and plunged his sword into her left front leg, he’d used the daggers as a distraction.

She yelped in surprise as the saber pinned her to the ground, even the mare’s magic wavered shortly, it was hard to keep concentration like that. No blood came out of the wound, the sword was sealing it up tightly, she still couldn’t really move though. Shining leaned down and said, “This is it, Twily. Just give up.”

A short growl was everything he got, chaos magic gathered quickly in her body, and the lavender horn began to glow black. Shining realized his mistake too late and was thrown through the air once again. The cause was a massive explosion, by overcharging her horn with chaos magic, luckily it wasn’t very dangerous, but she couldn’t do it again for some time. That meant she had to be more careful.

The impact nearly knocked him out, and a searing, hot pain was pulsing through his forehead. Shining tried to focus raw magic into his horn, The only thing that came though, was another wave of head-splitting pain. He cried out as fresh blood poured out of the wounds on his head. Then the stallion saw what made almost him faint again, the bloody, and broken tip of his horn.

The captain didn’t find the strength to get up anymore, the fight was over for him. A horn could take months to regrow, if it did at all. In some cases the injury is too severe for the horn to fix itself, the nightmare of every unicorn. Morning Blaze tried to support her comrade, but nearly tripped due to the searing pain in her forehooves, “Argh… Twilight, how could you do this… to your family?!”

“My family? This…” She pointed her still bloody forehoof at the other rebels, at Pinkie, Rainbow and Rarity to be exact. “This, is my family, they support me more no matter what. You’re way is wrong! Celestia has to be stopped, and if anypony stands in my way… they have to pay the price.”

Another shadow travel brought her directly next to Blaze, giving her enough time to kick the female captain into her side as hard as she could. A miniature shock wave followed, the sheer amounts of uncontrollable darkness in the air would be enough to blow up the entire town. Her former mentor flew backwards several meters, tumbling through the dirt.

“Curse you… and your rotten… darkness,” were her last words before Blaze fell unconscious. Twilight had some plans up and ready for her, oh it would be delightful.

Slowly she turned around, giving Shining Armor her best ‘insane’ grin. The chaos all around her began to whisper into her ear again, “...kill him. Kill him! Kill him! Kill, kill kill kill! KILL! KILL! KILL YOUR BROTHER!” Another small giggle at first, but it quickly grew into a literal onslaught of insanity. The Nightmare pushed Twilight harder and harder, it became worse every time she had to use this power.

Fear was written all over his face, this was not a rescue mission anymore, this was a slaughter. He still couldn’t get up, his hooves didn’t seem to get the grave nature of their situation, so he crawled backwards. Slowly, ever so slowly Twilight came closer, her sword raised high into the air. Then finally, she reached him, smiling down at him.

“Hey Shining, your head will be a great gift for the princess,” The dark energy was still shouting inside her head, there was nothing Twilight could do to stop it, so she went along, another dead pony or not… where was the difference?

“Tw-Twi-Twilight, w-we can t-talk about this! Don’t do something… y-you would regret later!” The white stallion stammered anxiously. He was a proud warrior… but the mere thought of being yet another victim of his blood-crazed sister? In his fear, Shining didn’t notice the giant, razor-sharp blade vanishing.

She came closer, closer… closer, her right front hoof began to caress his cheek, this was the end. Twilight moved a bit so she was facing his ear, and whispered the last words he’d ever hear, “Good night, big brother.”

In the next second Yoru’s sharp blade decapitated the stallion cleanly. Everything went silent in the small town of Ponyville, only the dull thud of his head impacting with the ground, and the fountain of crimson liquid, gave any indication of life, or to be exact, the lacking of it. Maybe somepony could find a certain hint of irony in this, but in that exact moment silent tears fell from the leader of the rebels.

Silver Lining

Chapter 16: Silver Lining

Luna disguised herself as the terrifying Queen of Terror again. An annoying thing to do, she feared that she could not separate her true self and the Nightmare someday. Her will was stronger than ever though, especially since she had an important mission and a goal worth fighting for.

“Focus Luna! You’re on your own, and Celestia should not be alerted,” She thought to herself, this new castle was so different than their old one though. So many different halls and doors, the alicorn would’ve been lost for sure, but the connection to Silver guided her.

Shadow travel made the ‘staying invisible’ part much easier, and painting stupid runes on her royal coat was not an option. The few unfortunate guards and staff members that saw the Princess of the Night in an unlucky moment, were quickly eliminated and left, letting them bleed out in a puddle of their own blood. She didn’t feel sorry for them at all, every last pony that worked for Celestia had to be punished.

She was almost at the entrance to the dungeons, so far, so good. Then the inevitable happened, a cheerful light-pink mare walked past hear, whistling a happy tune. “What’s up, Nightmare Moon?” She ask while walking past the creepy looking alicorn.

It took her a few seconds eventually she stopped and blinked. Wait… alicorn? Nightmare Moon? Not even a single scream escaped her sweet lips before Melody’s throat was encased in dark-blue magic, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breath, staring into the hallway was all that the terrified unicorn could do.

“It’ll only hurt for a little while. This… is for Silver,” Luna whispered into her ear. Then the alicorn’s magic crushed Misty Melody’s windpipe and let her fall to the ground. The poor mare grasped her throat, desperately trying to get some air, the hole was only filled with crimson liquid out of the torn blood vessels. The last silent tears fell before she went limp. Another victim of this war.

The Princess of the Night decided to leave her here, in case somepony noticed it, she could justify another bloodshed. Twilight would understand, they were equals after all. A strange thought for her, she could’ve never expected to find the key to Celestia downfall, in an ordinary unicorn. No… not ordinary, Twilight Sparkle was far from ordinary, but she was mortal, the fact that Luna worked together with a mortal pony, considering her an equal, astounded her.

‘Now’s not the time to think about hierarchy and leadership,’ Luna tried to focus. She was still in one of the most heavily guarded places of Equestria. The entrance to the dungeons was free, she took the opportunity and swiftly sneaked through the door.

A split second later four unfortunate guards collapsed in a puddle of their own blood, Luna really was lucky today. The Nightmare would be satisfied for a while, and she could tear down Celestia’s defenses. The next straight corridor was completely frozen by the time she’d passed through it, leaving two terrified looking ice statues. While she plowed her way through the dungeon, she opened every cell door and released the prisoners, “You’re free, thank Twilight Sparkle for it. Rise and create chaos, in the name of the rebellion.”

Meanwhile the entire castle had sunken into complete anarchy, a young mare had found the dead body of Misty Melody. More and more bodies showed up and panic spread, not even Celestia knew what was going on. She knew who was responsible for it, but not how, or why.

She could feel the connection growing stronger as the alicorn approached the last door of this corridor. A quickly slash with her sword and the heavy iron door was nothing but metal scrap. On the opposite side of the room was, chained to the wall, the reason why she was here. A bruised, and bloody Silver Night, his mane and coat were filthy, not taken care of in ages, and he couldn’t be called anything more than a skeleton. The stallion’s ribs were showing through his malnourished body.

Silver’s voice was barely more than a weak whisper, “...my… queen…”

Luna destroyed the heavy chains, the countless enchantment broke like a twig under the hammer blow that was pure alicorn magic. She supported his weight easily due to his malnourished form, but they still weren’t safe, “Let’s bring you to Ponyville. They will pay for this later…”

His head hung low, Silver couldn’t trust his own senses, the queen had come to the stallion’s rescue, all alone.

Five minutes later she slowly dragged him through the terrified masses of staff member, who instantly fainted as they saw who invaded their peaceful work day. Luna looked up to see who was still standing in her way, as every last civilian and guard was gone, four ponies stood before her.

Eclipse, the captain of the third division, levitating in her magic was a black scythe, it’s razor sharp edge engulfed with black energy. Thunder Flare, his face showed a devilish, excited grin and the air around him was buzzing with electric energy. Mistral, who already prepared to freeze the entire castle if she had to. And last, but certainly not least, the Princess of the Sun in all her glory.

Beads of sweat began to form on Luna’s forehead, her sister was one thing, but three of her strongest soldiers, all at the same time? Her shadow travel was almost ready, she just needed to stall them for a moment, “Oh? My welcome committee? I was just about to leave with my guest of honor here, so I’m afraid we have to delay the celebration.”

Celestia tried to burn dagger into her sister’s soul with her gaze, “So it really was you… this pointless act of vengeance, just for one thestral? Where is Twilight?”

“My dear student? She is taking care of your old friend,” Luna mocked, Morning Blaze and Shining Armor arrival in Ponyville was no secret for her, the wards that they installed together proofed to be very efficient.

The princess’ expression changed, pure, unbridled anger was written into her face, it was always hard to keep her composure when it came to her student, rarely anypony saw the princess that angry, at least not in the last few millennia, “You will stop at once! Cut off your magic flow and surrender.”

The air around the sun princess grew consistently hotter, Mistral and Eclipse stood right next to her and shifted uncomfortably. They knew exactly would would happen if the princess lost her temper. The stories were still told from generation to generation, so that nopony under her reign would attempt anything like that ever again. The tips of her glorious wings began to flicker with white-hot flames, ready to bring doom and destruction to any mortal being that dared to oppose her. Celestia’s golden shoes gained a red-ish hue due to the high temperature in and around her body.

Luna gulped, she hadn’t felt the wrath of her sister in a long time, and one thing was clear for her, she’d need Twilight Sparkle’s help if the alicorn wanted to defeat Celestia, “I’d love to stay for a nice chat, dear sister. Unfortunately Silver here would disagree.”

The two captains and the general present stared at Celestia. This statement changed the entire situation, Nightmare Moon, the sister of their ruler? Could it be that their goddess wasn’t so innocent like everypony thought?

The heat nearly doubled around Celestia, the wall carpets next to her were already smoking, they’d catch fire any second now. No normal pony could stand this heat for more than a few minutes. “Curse you, Luna! You’ll pay the price for that!” Even her inner voice was practically dripping with venom, her anger couldn’t be comprehended by any mortal creature.

As the Princess of the Night watched their expression change, and Celestia’s fire intensifying, she put two and two together, “Oh? Your subordinates didn’t know about our dear relationship? Well then, I believe you have much to explain Celestia.” Without giving another hint, she sunk into the shadows beneath her.

Celestia cried out as she saw her sister vanishing, without thinking the sun princess fired an enormous beam of pure sunfire into the general position of Luna’s lost position. Without any target to pulverize the beam penetrated the massive stone walls like paper, leaving nothing but molten stone and fire in its wake. Later that day a small village, hundreds of kilometers away from Canterlot, would report a strange beam of pure fire destroying nearly all of their fertile land, effectively dooming them to starve.

Meanwhile only a short trip from Canterlot, Morning Blaze woke up from her pain induced slumber. She couldn’t decide if ‘waking up’ was the right term because she was still freezing from the bucket of cold water that got emptied over her head.

Her entire left side felt numb, somepony must’ve treated her wounds, at least she could look around. The room she was in had clean and flawless iron walls, even the floor was made out of steel, only the heavy door was made out of some kind of black crystal. They were no windows, except a small one in the massive door. Unfortunately there wasn’t much of anything in there, a slighter higher piece of iron represented a bed, and a barred hole was the toilet, presumably. In one corner a bowl filled with clean water and one with oatmeal in it stood ready for her.

Blaze wondered how she got here, then saw the clear reason, her old student was leaning against the opposite wall, the iron bucket still in the grasp of her magic. Twilight’s face was still adorned with this Celestia forsaken smile. The lavender mare’s voice echoed around the iron walls, “Good morning, mentor. I hope you had a pleasant rest!” She broke out in her notorious laughter.

“Very funny, Twilight. Where’s Shining Armor?” The yellow mare asked, irritation dripped out of every word she spoke.

“Who? ...Ah yes, my stupid brother. I got rid of him earlier, you should’ve seen his empty look after I severed his head,” Twilight replied in a mocking tone. Those words hurt her, but it was worth it, she couldn’t allow herself to mourn.

“W-what? N-no… n-n-no, Twilight would have never done this…”

“She wouldn’t? Let me tell you something Blaze, he was the first of many. And you know what?” For the last words she came closer, almost able to nibble at Blaze’s ear, then Twilight whispered, “You will help me.” Without another word the mare left, closing the black crystal door with a heavy thud.

The female captain’s expression was beyond mortified, her mind completely empty. Did she… did she really understand her young, innocent and not murderous student right? The death of her brother was barely worth mentioning for her, what was going on?!

Another day had passed since Applejack decided to join this mysterious ‘Sharpshot’, the mare couldn’t say whether she liked it or not yet. Some company was nice, but the way he acted made her worry about this journey. Not once did AJ understand what he was trying to say, or rather, what he was trying to hide from her.

“We’ve been runnin’ all day again, where are we goin’ anyway?” Applejack asked while jumped over a small pile of mud covered stones. Normally the country mare enjoyed the sense of danger, but traveling with a completely unknown stranger in some random woods Celestia-knows where took it a bit too far.

“Deep within these woods lie the ancient ruins of a long lost civilization. Their tribe worshipped the moon, so naturally, the Nightmare was drawn to them. After the events of its arrival, the moon tribe vanished completely. I’ve studied their old rituals, their society, not many records of that time survived until now, it seems like they had technology we could only dream of. They were able to fly to the stars, without the need of wings, they were able to walk on water, without magic, and they were able to live significantly longer than any pony today could. Many of their secrets were lost in time, but the ruins in this forest could contain valuable information regarding the Nightmare, or its power,” Sharpshot replied, one look into his companion’s eyes were enough to know that she didn’t understand half of it. There was no time for second chances though, time was running out for Equestria.

Before Applejack could even begin to ask questions Sharpshot stopped, “This… is the ruin of the old moon tribe civilization.” The area was perfectly flat and devoid of any disturbing trees. Houses in all sizes and form were half destroyed, half buried in the dirt. The biggest building was some sort of octagonal temple, a giant depiction of a crescent moon had been constructed at the very top. The temple itself seemed to be only one story tall, and each corner of the octagonal building had an enormous, black column built into it. The end of the half moon, and the height of the columns seemed to match perfectly, they was some sort of meaning there, that much was sure.

“Woah Nelly, do ya really want to enter that thing?” AJ asked with certain nervousness in her voice.

Sharpshot nodded shortly, “Who knows what kind of secrets it holds. This could be what we have been looking for, this is bigger than just me, you, or your little group of friends, the entire world could be in dire peril very soon.”

Without the need for more words, they approached the giant temple. Sharpshot was certain, this was as close to the Nightmare as he was ever going to get without being corrupted by it. It was like walking through a graveyard of the centuries, the moon tribe’s technology surpassed their own by a landslide. What threat could’ve possibly wiped them out in this short period of time?

Runes and foreign symbols engraved into the massive stone gates. Sharpshot stepped forward, touching the outlines of the symbols, “What secrets are hidden withi—”

Suddenly he was thrown backwards, magic energy surged through his body and the runes. The strange energy lit the hollow engravings, unleashing the true potential of this technology. Centuries upon centuries worth of knowledge opened up to the little group as the giant gates moved on their own. It lasted for a minute, then the blue glow faded, revealing the open passage into the moon tribe’s most sacred place of worship. He groaned shortly, but got back up quickly, it seems that it was only the magical backlash from the mechanism being activated for the first time in centuries.

The first thing that greeted them, in this cold and dark hallway, were the long withered remains of a pony. Some kind of blue robe was still draped over its skeletal shoulder, although it didn’t fare well, holes littered the dyed cloth, giving it an extra haunting look. As soon as they approached it ghostly blue lamps illuminated the corridor, the walls were covered in the same kind of unknown symbols as the door, the floor was just polished cobblestone, now covered with moss and grime.

Sharpshot paid the skeleton no mind, he went straight into the temple, wanting to reveal its secrets so desperately. Applejack stopped next to the long rotten corpse, something had caught her attention, a small journal, bound in deep blue leather or hide. Her curiosity had peaked and she picked it up, eager to read the last thoughts of this deceased pony.

Nearly all of its pages were unreadable at this point, or simply missing. Maybe she wasn’t the first pony that read this. Only very few survived the signs of age.

704. Moon Cycle - Day 14

Today our High Priests have returned from the very first flight to the stars. Their tales of the moon sounded like a little child’s depiction of paradise. Someday we will all travel to the home of our gods. They brought many valuable informations on the celestial bodies too and even hints that could lead us to the Plains of Heaven! May the gods be pleased with our work.

704. Moon Cycle - Day 24

High Priestess Rao’s second journey was an even greater success! Hopefully my barriers are enough to hinder prying eyes to read this, but I can’t shake off the feeling of distrust, every time I lay my eyes on her. The priestess seems so far away all the time, never considering alternative methods. Rao’s is known to be incredibly cruel, her cold eyes differentiate not between foes, and those who disagree with her ways.

She brought a strange deep blue crystal with her, its properties are quite remarkable. It seems to have some sort of sentience. Rao apparently knows how to communicate with it, the secrets the crystal reveals to us are incredible! The mere fact that she is the only one able to talk to it is another very concerning thing to worry about. Maybe the gods just blessed her with this gift though, and my emotions simply betray me. Anyways, I should keep this short. The other apprentices already prepare themselves for the journey, I shall do so too.

The country mare came to the last page, half of it was missing, but the some of the text was still readable.

704. Moon Cycle - Day 28

All attempt to stop it have failed. Even the High Priest are unable to prevent the inevitable. Rao went missing after she unleashed… that thing out of the crystal. My distrust has not been unfounded, unfortunately. Our city is…

… only hope. I fear my training won’t be complete in this lifetime. If only the princesses…

...this damn Celestia may be cursed for all eternity! In case this journal survives the ages, and this tragedy repeats itself, there is only one way to defeat it, find Tsuku…

The entire rest had been ripped off. She didn’t understand half of it, but this strange crystal had something to do with it. After their weird journey this Rao must’ve found it. What was the way to defeat it? Only a part of the word was still there ‘Tsuku…’, what did it mean?

“Hey Sharpshot! Ah think you might want to read this thing,” Applejack exclaimed, he approached her again, already storing several ancient books in the bags and pouches of his weird garb. She handed the journal over to him.

After only a few minutes of reading the stallion stumbled backwards, slightly shivering. Applejack already began to worry, but then he slowly removed his hood and stammered, “T-that’s it… I can literally feel the Nightmare in this parchment… after so long.”

At least she could see his face now, Sharpshot’s short, black hair was styled in a wild manner, almost like something blew up right in the center, creating a vortex of hair, it didn’t look half bad though. The stallion icy-blue eyes were wide open, still staring at the journal, he must’ve been really excited about this little book.

“Ya don’t look like Ah expected in the least, it’s not bad though,” She giggled shortly, the country mare herself didn’t really know what she was saying. Maybe, just maybe this totally weird and dangerous pony was a teeny, tiny bit good looking, from an outside totally-not-attracted perspective.

He shook his head quickly to get a hold of himself again, “I, uh… thanks? I guess. Anyways, we have to explore this temple! This is the best hint were likely ever going to get!” After the orange mare offered him a hoof, they both began to search through the temple.

Countless doors on both side of this labyrinth like corridor revealed many interesting details about the moon tribe, well, they would’ve… two thousand years ago. The only thing they found, were skeletons of moon worshippers, broken furniture or the occasional burnt, rotten or withered book. This thing that came out of the crystal, that must’ve been the cause for all of this.

Finally they came to the main chamber of the temple, it was easy to recognize since it was four times the size of the other rooms. Weak, blue light was shining from below the slits between the mossy stone tiles. The walls were adorned with strange paintings of foreign creatures, all of them were born in the shadows. One beast was depicted as big as a mountain, on its back a shrine could be seen surrounded by a garden with a giant temple bell hanging in it on a large stone pedestal. Underneath the pedestal was a mass of writhing tails, entwined, and at the sides of the mass sprouted eight necks the size of tree trunks, and on the end of each neck was a head, wearing an ancient samurai helmet with thick armor plating and armed with a gaping mouth covered in vicious teeth, and the outside lined with barbs pointing outward.

They both noticed that this was some kind of story, told in form if these pictures. The beast attacked the tribe ferociously, each head was able to utilize a different kind of element to make the ponies suffer even more. Although there was no text, it was clear was was going on.

“L-look at this, Sharpshot,” Applejack stammered, the depictions got more and more disturbing.

The beast settled down in a giant cave, in the middle of a moonlit lake, every year on the night of a particular full-moon it demanded the sacrifice of a young mare. Otherwise it would bring destruction upon the tribe once again.

The fateful night happened again in the next picture, the loved one of a proud warrior was chosen to be its meal. He refused to let his loved one die, the stallion entered the cave himself, disguised as a mare. A long and exhausting fight began for him, he used a long broadsword, adorned with the symbol of a crescent moon, the steel of the blade completely blue, like the night sky.

Holy winds came to his aid as one head drew upon fire, countering and extinguishing them. As it came rushing towards him, a large tree was depicted to grow right in front of the stallion, protecting him. Every move, every attack of the beast was rendered useless by this unknown, divine protection.

One head after the other got severed by his blade, after the last one hit the ground, the terrifying beast collapsed in a pool of its own blood. The last picture depicted the stallion, proudly holding his blade towards the shining moon.

The last picture almost touched the first one again, it was like a never ending story. Sharpshot took his time to look at it over and over again, “This blade had some kind of meaning… this beast was certainly not the Nightmare… but it almost looked like an ancient servant of it, definitely of demonic origins. Look around, there has to be some kind of clue in here, maybe it’ll lead us to the sword, or to an effective weapon against the Nightmare.”

A large altar was placed in the exact center of the room, the light from outside shone through a small opening in the ceiling, giving the stone construction a dangerous, but serene look. It was plain, without any form of decoration, placed on top of it was a cracked, midnight-blue gemstone of unusual size. Its size almost equal to that of Applejack’s head.

Although it was centuries old the gemstone still emanated magical energy, chaos in its purest form. The country mare felt herself drawn to it, suddenly touching it was the most desirable thing in the world. She approached it slowly like in a trance, only a few centimeters separated her and the strange crystal. Far in the distance she heard a quiet voice shouting something.

Before she had the chance to fulfil her sudden desire, Sharpshot slapped her hard. The country mare tumbled backwards, he was certainly stronger than his form would let on. That was the only methods to snap her out of it that the stallion could think of. His sword was obviously not suitable for that.

Slowly she came back to her senses, first thing Applejack did, was to touch her cheek. She had to bite down on her tongue to not cry out in pain, “Gosh darn, Sharpshot! What the hell was that?!”

He offered her a hoof, “You didn’t react to my warnings. Who knows what this thing is, and it’s still brimming with magical energy. I am sorry, but I’d rather just slap you before I have to watch another innocent pony turning into whatever Twilight Sparkle is now.”

She kept her mouth shut, maybe he was right. Twilight was obviously not the same mare as she was before… it still hurt though. Not everything was lost, there was still hope, “Alright, let’s keep searchin’.”

The icy winds whipped over her body, the feeling of little needles pricking every fiber in her beings had long since faded. Now only a dull feeling in the back of Fluttershy’s mind. The yellow mare barely paid attention to her surroundings anymore, that could’ve her end on more than one occasion.

The reason was not the slaying of demons, the icy temperature, nor the responsibility that loomed over her like a dark shadow watching every step of the timid, little mare. Maybe all of it played a part, but the main reason… was herself. She’d committed the one of the ultimate taboos of their land, eating flesh. That was the reason why no other kingdom dared to send ambassadors towards the Griffon Kingdom, they were seen as blood and flesh hungry beasts. Even Celestia herself had a certain… aversion to call them for help, but she’d go over corpses for her… precious and innocent student.

Suddenly the brown stallion before her stopped, causing the mare to bump into him, at least that snapped Fluttershy out of her thoughts, “W-why are we stopping?”

“This is it… the Kamui Shrine,” He looked up to the mountain, a very steep and difficult path could be seen, almost leading up to the top, it stopped somewhere in the upper third though. Fluttershy couldn’t see discern what it was leading to, the snowstorm and the strange fog that seemed to follow them around made it impossible to see further than a few meters. She nearly tripped on the way over to him, as the timid mare looked down she could nothing but thick ice. This must’ve been the frozen lake at the bottom of the shrine.

Their respective weapon grew just slightly hotter as they approached the dangerous path, they seemed to do that whenever a strong demon came close to them. The second Fluttershy stepped onto the path, a thunderous roar could be heard from somewhere above them, presumably from inside the shrine.

Fluttershy curled herself up in a little ball, so that the evil creatures couldn’t hurt her. It was just like a reflex, from deep inside her mind, telling her to run, to hide, to close her eyes, “W-w-what w-was that?”

Rost already had his red broadsword up and ready, gripping the guard tight with his mouth, after it was over he strapped it to his back again, this was not good at all, “The demons… it seems like the element of surprise is not on our side anymore.”

Without the need of another word they began to climb the steep path, it would take them at least another day before they could finally put an end to this nightmare… and then the real fight back in Equestria would begin. The fight for her friendship.

For the first time in a thousand years, Celestia laid awake in her bed, her restless mind not being able to get a calm minute of soothing oblivion. Her celestial mane was a mess, disheveled and some stray strands of hair gave her the perfect look for insomnia, the immortal alicorn’s coat was duller than usual, lacking its striking shine. Even her gorgeous wings were affected, some big, white feathers were ruffled and out of order.

She hadn’t been able to sleep properly for more than a month now, it would’ve been a very serious health risk for any mortal pony. However Celestia, was an alicorn, their bodies worked a little different and they had a remarkable longevity, she could go without sleep for another month if she really had to. The best solution was to finally end this war and get her precious student back, the memories of her long lost sister still hurt too, but the Sun Princess had realized that Luna was beyond saving for a very long time now.

Twilight however… Twilight was a whole different story, the Nightmare did not fully taint her yet. Her appearance would’ve change quite a bit if that had been the case. Celestia prayed that her student’s corrupted mind let all of the bearers live. Without them, the alicorn had to watch another loved one fall into the abyss that was her eternal nemesis. Not Discord, nor the old tyrant Sombra, or even the evil spirit Tirek came close to being Celestia’s most hated creature in this world. For Faust’s sake, in the entire universe!

Finally Celestia found the courage to stand up and attack yet another depressing day. The morning was always the worst part of the day, oddly enough because she was quite literally the first ray of the dawn. The the annoying and tedious rest followed, bathing, preening her feathered wings, brushing her coat so that it gained its usual luxurious shine. The part that took the longest was combing her hair, normal ponies simply did not understand the difficulty of combing celestial manes, it almost had the same consistency as maple syrup

The next thing on her very, very tight and predictable schedule was breakfast, or rather it would be. Suddenly three short knocks on her chamber’s doors interrupt her planning. She answered with her usual composure and gentleness, “Come in.”

The bright yellow coat, short, ruffled almost white hair and a suit that put her sun to shame, it was none other than her favorite general and friend, Dawn Comet. It was obvious that he wasn’t back to full health yet, some bandages still covered his sides and one went around his forehead. Celestia considered saying anything about his condition, but she wouldn’t be able to change the stallion’s mind anyway, “A pleasure to see you, Dawn. I hope that the nurses have been treating you well.”

The old stallion smiled, it felt good to be in the presence of his princess again. Her aura was always so warm and soothing, although that changed over the course of the last few months. Especially every time somepony talked about her student, “Of course… Celestia, but you know how I think about hospitals. Hahaha! I left yesterday, they gave up trying to bring me back into a bed after a half an hour chase around the town.”

She chuckled and slowly shook her head, “He and his weird antics.” Then her smile faded slowly, the grave nature of their situation sank in once again. “Is there any particular reason you endured all that trouble, just to visit me this early? Not that I don’t enjoy your company, Dawn, I am just a little curious.”

Dawn’s smile faded as well, “I wanted to talk about a certain topic.. because some of the puzzle pieces still don’t fit.”

“Hmm, well then, go ahead. You can ask me whatever you want.”

It took him several minutes before he was able to word correctly what the stallion was about to ask, “What kind of relationship was really going on between you, and Twilight Sparkle?”

The princess’ eyes widened, of all the bad questions he could’ve asked, Dawn choose the worst, “W-well…” She began to stammer. “As nearly everypony knows, I was her mentor for nearly her entire childhood, we were close…”

“Maybe a bit closer than anypony realized?” He asked with a serious expression.

Celestia’s expression was riddled with shock, eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape, “W-what did you just say?”

“P-princess, maybe you don’t realize it yourself… but the amount of sacrifices you were making… just for one subject, it’s just very suspicious.”

Now her emotions went into a very dangerous direction, “How dare you to accuse me of that! Dawn Comet, I’m over two thousand years old, do you really think the bottom of my heart was left unexplored?!”

The stallion winced at the intense wrath emanating from her, it just reinforced his suspicions, “Think about it Celestia! You were willing to sacrifice half of Equestria, you gave her an easy chance to conquer one of your cities, Law and Taka are both injured because of that. We haven’t heard anything from Morning or Shining Armor for over forty eight hours, I’ve done my research. Now tell me, would you do all of this for any other pony in this land?”

“Leave. Now. I… I need to get ready… my schedule is full enough as it is…” The stallion left without a word.

Celestia sank back into her bed, her face buried under a fluffy pillow. Even she had her breaking point, and the immortal alicorn was the closest she ever was to breaking it. Tears threatened to fall from her already reddened eyes.

Just one thought crossed her mind, “Twilight… Oh please come back to me… I will save you, no matter the cost.”

Author's Notes:

My apologies for the slight delay. I know there are actually very few who are reading it, but I shall try to keep the updates fortnightly.

It's my turn to ask for feedback again, I love to read thoughts and comments on the chapters, positive and negative. So feel free to leave a rating or comment. A big thanks to the few people who stick around.

Eclipse

Chapter 17: Eclipse

Twilight gasped as she felt the magical waves Luna and Silver’s arrival unleashed. It was like pure electricity down her spine, to say that the lavender mare enjoyed that would be an understatement. Their arrival had its drawbacks though, she would have to delay the next… private session with Rainbow Dash because she also wanted to visit Morning Blaze again. The blue pegasus was so much more enjoyable as an obedient lover, another Element of Harmony she did not need to worry about. Fluttershy would likely not return from the icy hell she’d sent her to anyway.

She shoved everything aside for the moment though, Silver and Luna were more important right now. The weak thestral was instantly taken away for medical treatment, at least Silent Flare would have some company because he was still in recovery.

Now Twilight had the chance to speak with Luna, the blue alicorn was physically unharmed, but showed signs of extreme stress, apparently Celestia really was a force not to be trifled with so easily. Not that the Tactician Twilight Sparkle would ever make such a grave mistake. They would still do everything they could to overthrow her though… nothing could change that plan now.

After half an hour or so, Luna finished up her tale of blood and anger, “It was not the sister I knew anymore, even before our ways parted, Twilight. Her frustration and anger after I mentioned your name were almost… unnatural.”

“I see… maybe we can use that to our advantage later… because whether or not I trust Discord, his plan is the only option we have right now. And I have to get close to her for it to work,” the lavender mare explained. She hoped that they would find another solution soon, because nopony would be that naive and trust the draconequus, well… except Specter.

Luna snarled quietly as she heard the cursed name… Discord, she didn’t trust this situation one bit, but after everything they’ve been through, she did trust Twilight, “Discord is nothing compared to the Nightmare, if it could roam this land. Still… Prithee be careful, Twilight. You can not trust him.”

The lavender mare was intrigued by the Nightmare, sure, it was trying to make her insane and change her into the next Nightmare Moon, but on the other hoof… it’s power was beyond imagination, with that the entire world would soon bend its knee for them, “Any suggestion on our next movements?”

The blue alicorn nodded, “Indeed I have, it has been a while since we gained territory. We should plan our next raid on a smaller town.”

“Sounds like a plan. Gaining more territory would make it harder for Celestia to predict from where we strike next. Also it creates more chaos for her, and I’d never pass an opportunity to make her life more miserable. Unfortunately I have to ‘visit’ Morning Blaze now. So we’ll continue this discussion later. Take care, Luna.”

“Take care, Twilight.”

As promised Twilight approached Morning Blaze’s makeshift cell. Since Ponyville did not have a dungeon or anything even remotely similar, they had to use the underground room of the former town hall. It soon became the main building again, only with an entirely different purpose.

A bat pony mare was guarding the cell, at least one of the rebels had to make sure the former captain stayed where she was. Twilight personally enchanted the room with a few spells Luna had taught her. Not even a general could neutralize them from the inside, except if they knew how to replicate the exact signature of the spell, but that was fortunately out of question.

After the mare had assured her that nothing happened during the lavender mare’s absence, she slowly trotted inside. Her old mentor laid on the ‘bed’ of her cell, her eyes bloodshot and her coat dull. Apparently Blaze did not get much sleep the last days, at least she always had water and food. Twilight wanted an ally, maybe even a friend who could finally see the truth, and not another body on the growing pile of her sins.

Morning’s gaze was fixated on her former student, she asked with a weak and raspy voice, “What do you want, Twilight? Another visit just to taunt me?”

The lavender mare closed the cell with her magic, the creaking hinges filling the silence, “Oh Blaze,” She began to slowly shake her head. “Blaze, Blaze, Blaze… it does not have to be like this. You want to know why I am here? I will tell you the truth, about Celestia, about Nightmare Moon’s banishment and about this war.”

“Why should I listen to you?!” The yellow mare began to cough violently. “You killed your own brother! You’re a monster!”

“He just didn’t listen, Blaze. But you, you understand me, you always have. Even back then, when I was nothing but a small filly under the control of Celestia, only a tool, raised for her own, sick amusement,” Twilight answered with apparent sadness in her voice.

Then she giggled, “I remember that day like it was yesterday, the Summer Sun Celebration, it was one of the most joyful days in my life. I was just so happy to have such a good teacher and a wonderful mentor, both watching over me…. You know, Luna always had an eye on me, guided me, even back then. I was so close to telling you, to ask you what it meant, but I guess you wouldn’t have understood.”

Blaze’s expression softened as happy memories flashed before her inner eye, the training units with this little, incredibly talented filly. The entire year they have spent, so close to each other, the Summer Sun Celebration had been the day she revealed her past to a little kid, something she thought would never happen, “Twilight… I… tell me what you have to say. I want to understand your reasons… why you did those horrible, horrible things. I want to know what happened to the innocent book-loving filly that I held so dearly… and what I can do to prevent a catastrophe.”

Twilight thought about the yellow mare’s words, certainly not what she had expected, “As you wish, I will tell you everything… about the royal sisters.”

The orange mare stopped for a minute, they had been searching for a secret entrance all over the temple for more than two hours now. It was not like she was going to just give up, but it was starting to get annoying, “This darn temple thing! Why do they always have to hide their switches ‘n stuff?!”

Sharpshot sighed, the mare had a point, if there even was a hidden switch or anything similar, then they had hid it very well, “I don’t know, but if it’s that well hidden, it has to protect something valuable.” He looked onto the ground, it was covered with mossy stone tiles, strange runes were carved into them, as usual in this thing.

Then he noticed something odd, there was no blue light shining through some tiles. Sharpshot kneeled down, trying to look through the narrow slits, “I think I’ve found something…” The stallion slowly crouched forwards to discern the dimensions of this lightless secret.

It took him a few minutes, double checking everything of course, but now he knew that it was most definitely an entrance. The ‘door’ lead to the top of some stairs, that was all he could see, but it was big enough for two ponies to fit in. The entrance itself was about two meters square, it surprised him how well hidden it was.

Since they couldn’t afford to waste more, precious time, Applejack decided to deal with it an a more physical way. “Hnghh… Years of apple bucking experience! Haaaaah!” She kicked out with her mighty hooves, shattering the relatively thin and fragile plates covering the secret entrance. Even without a weapon she was a force to be reckoned with, nopony could kick like her without ending in a hospital.

“Good job, Applejack. I have never seen a kick like this before… that somepony could destroy stones with only their bare hooves, impressive!” A certain trace of curiousness apparent in his voice. He still was a discoverer of secrets and gatherer of knowledge!

The country mare rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, “Aw shucks, it was nuthin’. Just like Ah said, years of kickin’ trees.”

They began to descend the ancient stairs down into the unknown. It could very well be possible that this was just another clever designed trap, that was used to fend off unwanted intruders. Applejack couldn't even see the bottom of the stairs, so it would take a while to finally uncover another secret of this ancient civilization.

She almost slipped twice on the mossy cobblestone, it looked like nopony had been tending to this place for a thousand years… which was probably very true. Another twenty minute climb was needed to reach the bottom, to their surprise their was no trap, no terrifying monster waiting for them, or anything even remotely similar, just a lonely, wooden door, waiting to be opened.

“Well, Ah guess here goes nuthin’!” Without waiting for Sharpshot she opened the door in one go. Another unexpected surprise was that the door actually opened, not even a lock had been installed on it…

The door revealed a small room, barely big enough to be called a closet, the walls were covered with another story, this time it involved some mist monster. A barren wasteland could be seen on the pictures, the only thing that was of importance there, was the same pulsating, blue crystal they had seen earlier. Ponies found the crystal and brought it home to their queen. At first nothing happened, it even aided them, revealing new kinds of technology unheard of in their time! This little, unimportant tribe soon ascended to the ruling kind of this land.

Then the depictions changed, the crystal became stronger and stronger from all the praise and devotion the ponies offered to it. The next picture was even stranger, the crystal was inside a midnight blue mist, its form vaguely resembling that of a pony. It embraced the queen of this land, seemingly becoming one, the birth of a new Nightmare…

The pony’s look reminded her too much of Nightmare Moon. The insane eyes, the black coat colour, razor-sharp teeth and the same elegantly crafted, midnight-blue armor. The heart of it all was deep inside of the mare, instead of a heart, the blue crystal could be seen in her body, it was weird that this picture put so much emphasis on such a small, seemingly insignificant detail. The slaughtering took place in the next picture, and that was an understatement, a touch of this monster was enough to rip the very soul of a pony out of its body and into a bottomless abyss that this thing had as a mouth.

Then the creature left the land, leaving nothing but another wasteland…

Applejack was shocked, the story had repeated itself more than once, just what was this crystal? “What is this room? And who built it?”

Not even the self-proclaimed ‘explorer of secrets’ had an answer for this question. Instead he just looked around the room, it was quite empty for a hidden secret, the only thing that actually stood out was a small stone pedestal. A small, crescent moon shaped stone was placed on top of it, together with a barely readable piece of paper.

He scooted closer, examining both items. Small runes were carved into the moon shaped stone as well, he would kill to know what they meant. The almost rotten piece of paper must’ve been decorated quite heavily, he could still make out a few drawings on the back of it. The text on the front said:

That was everything he could read, the rest must’ve been unimportant if it was already gone, “Crimson soul… and mountain’s past… Hey, Applejack! Would you mind looking at this for a minute?”

A few minutes later she’d examined both things as well, “Ah shoot! Why do they always talk in riddles? Maybe this ‘mountain’s past’ means the mountain where Canterlot is built on? They obviously didn’t like Celestia very much! Jest… you know, maybe not ‘past’ in the literal sense. Maybe they jest referred to that after Canterlot became the new capital, or somethin’ Sorry pardner, that’s all Ah got.”

Sharpshot thought about the possibility for a moment, more and more pieces started to fit and his face lit up, “Yes… yes! That could be it! Some parts of the crystal caves below the mountain are glowing blood red, due to the strange color of the massive crystals. We’d have to take the way through the back of the mountain though. It could take us a while, but maybe it’s worth it.”

“Fine by me pardner. Ah will rescue mah friends, no matter what!”

He nodded absent minded, “Then it’s settled. We’ll go immediately!” Before they left he picked up the odd stone, letting it vanish into his coat, who knows if it would be useful some day.

The lavender unicorn finished up her tale of horror, blood and betrayal. It took her over two hours to explain every little, intricate detail about how this all happened and why they were doing it. As the story went on she felt more and more assured, it had been the right thing to do. Maybe Twilight had killed a few too many innocent guards, but it was necessary.

She excluded Discord’s and Specter’s arrival, no matter how safe and secure a cell would be, it was never ‘completely safe’. And right now the lavender mare had to rely on the Spirit of Chaos. Morning Blaze took the story rather well, far better than she expected, maybe even too well. Only a few gasps as she told her the real cause of the first Equestrian War.

The yellow mare had been trained for almost her entire life, emotions on a mission could mean death. Especially with the… most dangerous criminal in all of Equestria standing right before her. With every passing second it became harder to maintain this emotionless mask though, a stray tear found its way down her cheek.

The story had been horrifying to no end, no wonder her innocent, little student had lost her mind. Maybe Celestia really was the bad pony after all… No! Don’t even start with that, Blaze slowly shook her head.

“This is not real…. lies, lies told by the Nightmare! Twilight if you’d come back we could—”

Twilight’s hoof was gently covering her mouth, the captain had expected a punch, or even a strike with Twilight’s sword, but the mare almost looked… sad, “Blaze… don’t start with that. It’s far, far too late for that. I can assure you that everything I told you is the honest truth. Either I take Celestia’s head, or she will take mine… There is no other option.”

“Y-you can’t be serious! Twilight, I… These things sounded… horrible. I understand your pain, if they really are true, but… trying to kill Celestia is not the right way. I can help you, we can still fix this without another bloodshed.”

Twilight slowly shook her head and sat down on Blaze’s ‘bed’, “This won’t get us anywhere, Blaze. Either you join me voluntarily, or your mind will thank me obediently while I tear down your freewill, piece by piece.”

Her answer was whispered at near inaudible levels, “... I’ll do it.”

“Could you repeat that a bit louder, I did not quite catch that.”

“I will do this… for you. I have had enough of this war anyway, but… don’t expect me to hurt other guards. I will just help you organize and intimidating the princess... “ She hated herself for saying stuff like that, but what other possibility did she have? Blaze liked her free will.

The lavender student’s next action cause Blaze’s blood to rush immediately into her face. It was a quick kiss on the cheek, nothing more, nothing less, but for some reason, maybe because she was trapped for almost four days now, made it feel so much better. Twilight whispered into her ear, her hot breath tingling the yellow mare, “That is just the beginning. Come on, we have much to discuss.”

The once proud captain of Celestia’s Armies followed her former student like in a trance. Something was giving her a really, really bad feeling about this. She just needed to wait for Celestia to fix this… eventually.

Fluttershy and her brown earth pony companion barely made it to the shrine entrance. The last day had consisted of nothing but climbing, freezing and more climbing. Her hooves were bruised and even bloody in some places. The cold and hard stone of the mountain made it extremely difficult to just rest for a moment without fearing for their lives. It was definitely not something the still young mare would ever try again, she’d nearly fallen to her death on more than one occasion.

The giant doors were nearly twenty times the size of the yellow pegasus. One half was painted in what looked like gold, but the door itself was made out of a clean-cut, massive stone plate, it had a rising sun as its main symbol. The other half was colored in a royal blue, depictions of stars and a giant, crescent moon were depicted on it. It reminded her of Celestia, at least on part of it, but why painting the other half with the moon?

“Do… do you really think we can do this?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly. It seemed like this was too much for them to handle, but who else would do it?

“There’s no turning back now,” Rost replied, obvious doubt could be heard in his voice. “I want to save this land and get revenge, and you want to go back home.” He approached the giant set of doors and pushed against them with all his might. They slowly opened, the stone scraping against the mountain, producing an unnerving grinding sound.

A wave of cold winds hit them, they were actually colder than the already freezing wind outside. It was like the shrine itself did not want them to disturb its new masters. They pushed forward, the giant hallway was entirely black, not even the smallest light from the outside world could reach them now.

Fluttershy nearly tripped again, the ground below them having changed to ice and the wind pushed even harder against them. The path also narrowed more and more, not that the walls came closer, but the rest of the path’s sides were just… not there. A bottomless abyss took its place, now the path was barely wide enough for two ponies to walk on. Rost threw a relatively big ice shard down the abyss, to test how deep this thing actually was. They impact sound never came, it was either insanely deep or some kind of dark magic was involved.

This wandering in the dark continued for another ten minutes, unfortunately they couldn’t walk very fast either, the strong winds and narrow path slowing them greatly. The fact that the icy ground nearly removed their ability to grip onto it did certainly not make things any easier. Fluttershy picked a faint sound from inside the shrine, nearly inaudible, but still there. However, the only thing she could really focus on was the deafening howl of the icy winds.

She knew this sound though, it was often heard inside of caves or dark places, it must’ve been the screech of a bat. Before the mare could say anything to Rost, something impacted with her rosary beads. Producing a loud ringing sound and bright red light. The barrier with the unreadable runes erected itself in less than a fraction of a second. Then something impacted with it again, and again, and again. The brown stallion had the same problem, only he had no such thing to protect him, tiny claws and teeth scratched and bruised him, trying to throw the stallion off the path.

They could not defend themselves without any light, only the faint glow of the beads let her see the outlines of Rost. Every time something impacted with the barrier it felt like a nail scratching on a chalkboard inside of her mind. Fluttershy’s forehooves were pressed against her ears and she cowered on the narrow ice path, yet it did not stop. More and more ‘bats’ came to attack them. Finally her tear filled eyes could catch a glimpse of one beast, these things were nearly double the size of normal bats, their coats midnight black, their wings riddled with holes. She couldn’t explain why they were even able to fly. Their razor sharp teeth and claws were already full of delicious pony blood.

As three or four, maybe a dozen, the mare couldn’t tell at this point, impacted with her barrier at the same time she screamed. Fluttershy screamed like she’d never screamed before, the barrier grew larger and larger, reacting to her emotions, it was wide enough to reach Rost, the bats were repelled and burned by it, falling into the abyss as nothing but a pile of ash.

Before she could collapse Rost caught her, supporting her weight, “You… never fail to amaze me... Looks like they won’t come back for a while. Let’s get into the actual shrine before they do.”

The timid mare blushed a little at the compliment, but she was too tired to even think straight at this point. She just pushed on, only half conscious, they desperately needed a break. Hopefully the inside would look better, because those were just a few small animals and they were barely able to fend them off. For now they just continued their assault on the shrine.

“Girls… wait for me… I’m almost home...”

It took her a while to realize just how serious her situation was, Morning Blaze was practically a servant of her once so innocent student now. All the other members of her rebellion seemed so… nice, the seamstress with the deadly crystals and their former prisoner, Pinkamena D. Pie, welcomed her immediately after Twilight had explained the current situation. The pink mare forgave her quickly after an apology, Pinkie was just Pinkie, no point in trying to understand her.

Blaze had been talking to them while her student left with Rainbow Dash for a ‘private talk’ whatever that meant. Every single one of them followed her for their own reasons, but they trusted each other and more importantly, they would die for Twilight. They genuinely believed that their rebellion was the right thing to do and that Celestia was the villain in this story.

The biggest shocker for her was a certain beige-furred stallion that was now allied with Twilight as well. Silent Flare, who was completely fine again, joined them shortly after. His face showing a big grin as he saw the shocked expression of his old friend.

“Morning, good to see you! How long has it been? Four years? Five?” He sat down next to them, they were all waiting for Twilight in the town square which was still a beautiful place to relax despite the current situation. Pinkie nearly crushed him in an affectionate ‘I’m glad you’re better’ hug.

They were all laughing, enjoying themselves… in the midst of a civil war. The yellow mare couldn’t really understand what held the group together, but finally she spoke up, “Silent… The last time I’ve seen you was right after you killed a bunch of guards to break out of Canterlot’s dungeon… How.. I… Why are you here?”

He smirked again, “Good old times. And now I’m with our General Sparkle, that mare means trouble, but every trouble somepony is causing for Celestia is good trouble, I think that’s reason enough.” His smile faded, only a dead serious expression remained. “You made the right choice, Blaze. Things will really start soon, things neither the princess nor any of us can stop now.”

Before she could reply to his ominous message Twilight slowly approached them smiling. Following her was a very strongly blushing Rainbow Dash, but she seemed to be happy too. The yellow unicorn got a general idea of what they’ve been doing back there, considering their last encounter and their last battle.

Twilight smiled again as she touched Blaze’s chest all of a sudden. A black energy coming from her hoof, directly seeping into the yellow mare’s coat. Morning did not feel any pain though, it even felt kinda… nice. As it stopped a small, purple, crescent moon shaped crystal had formed on her chest, it seemed to be part of her for now, only protruding out of her chest about one centimeter.

It was gently glowing, producing a faint purple light, it went rather well with her coat. It also felt… warm to the touch, but again, not unpleasantly warm, just enough to make her feel more comfortable, “W-what is this?”

Her student and now superior let go of Blaze and answered in a soothing tone, “Just a little reminder that your loyalty belongs solely to us. I can channel my magic into you to give you more power should you need it. And we can contact each other at any given time, all you need to do is to touch the crystal.”

The mare was glad that Blaze was actually okay after this. It had been more of an idea than an actual working spell. Rarity told her much about her own crystals, and combined with her magic it worked great as a way to communicate over great distances. All of her friends, including Silent got one of them after it worked with Blaze. Only Luna did not need it, she could talk with Twilight whenever she wanted, they were still connected after all.

Twilight turned around after that, ready to leave. She had already informed Luna about her next actions, it was incredibly risky, it might get her killed or captured in the end, and the reason was probably insane for any normal pony. Her next move would just satisfy her own twisted vision of satisfaction.

Her friends and allies were used to her planning and only knowing about her plans while they happened, but Blaze shouted, “Where are you going?”

“Paying Canterlot Castle a long-overdue visit,” She replied, half-excited, half nervous. Twilight was not sure how Celestia would react to her presence.

‘Oh Celestia, you’re gonna love the magic that my little Dashie experienced’ Twilight thought to herself happily while she merged with the shadows beneath her.

The wards and protection spell of Canterlot Castle were a joke, even a foal with enough knowledge about chaos magic could get past it. Twilight had to be fast though, her presence alone would cause heavy ripples of magical energy, disturbing the relatively calm aura around Canterlot.

The castle was still like she remembered it, every twist, every corner of this beautiful building. This would definitely be her place to live in after this war was over. For now she just scanned for a very particular pony, her aura was by far the most dominant in the entire city, maybe in the entire land and she was sitting on some cushions in her personal chambers, perfect.

The chaotic wave that came from the unknown intruder sent a shiver down Celestia spine, she had not felt anything like this… in quite some time. She spoke up without turning around, “Who are you, and why did you enter my chambers?”

That actually managed to make Twilight chuckle a little, “Oh Celestia, you don’t recognize the magical aura of your favorite student? I have to admit that I am disappointed.”

The white alicorn jumped up and turned around without a second thought, her eyes wide, shock clearly written into her face, “T-Twilight… what are you doing here?” Her students powers have certainly grown over the last few weeks, her magic felt much more… seductive than any other she had encountered in the last millennia.

“Me? Oh, I’m just checking if you’re alright. I was worried about my mentor, you know? After the… unfortunate events of the last months… we hadn’t had the chance to just talk like two mares of our caliber should.” Twilight answered with a playful tone in her voice. The fact that she was not dead or trapped meant that Celestia really was unprepared for this moment.

“W-worried… about m-me? Twilight, I... “ Then she stopped, what could the millennia old demi-goddess say in a situation like this? Celestia did not know, and that was what terrified her. There were feelings towards... her student that she hasn’t felt for thousands of years.

Twilight sat down, crossing her legs and looking completely calm. As long as her weapon stayed raw energy, nothing was going to happen. She just wanted to play with Celestia a bit, “How has it been for you, princess? I’ve heard you are awfully busy.”

The princess did not know the reason why her student was doing this, but she wouldn’t let her leave at any cost. Celestia contacted all of her captains and generals. Everything had to be ready, her student would see the errors of her way… or end up in a cell, “Y-yes… I’m sure you can imagine why that is, Twilight. I have been trying to get in contact with you after… everything went down this path.”

“Didn’t have the chance to answer, but I’m here now, just like you wanted it. Say, is it fun to live the life of a tyrant? To manipulate others into sacrificing their own lives, despite the fact that you are immortal?”

Celestia gasped and stepped back slightly. This was again something she had not expected, “N-no, Twilight! It’s… not that simple. This land… needs me to preserve harmony, without me… without me a terrible, terrible catastrophe would surely befall this land. Look at… Luna, once the Nightmare infests someone completely… there is no turning back or cure… It’s true, I had to banish her, but countless innocent citizens would have died otherwise!”

“Heh, guess what. I don’t believe you. There would’ve been so many different options to approach the problem, yet you choose the literal worst one available. And you involved me, an innocent child at the time, wanting nothing more than to please her mentor. The most crazy part is that Luna, or NIghtmare Moon if you want to call her like that, treated me with more respect than you ever have been. We’re truly equals, despite her being immortal too, we fought alongside each other, conquered, killed… and guess who is going to pay for that?”

Her reply came as a mere whisper, “Me...” Celestia’s hopes to get her beloved student back shrunk with every word, every accusation Twilight threw at her. It was true… all of them were, she was a terrible pony… and maybe… deserved to die.

“Oh, now you play smart,” She summoned her giant, black blade, Yoru. The reflected lights dancing around the dimly lit room. “Then I think you know what happens next. I’ll make you suffer, and then take your immortality. For now your alicorn magic doesn’t allow you to die, but you will wish you were dead once I’m done.”

A stray tear rolled down Celestia’s cheek, it was exactly like she had predicted it. She uttered the one word that would end this war forever, “Maat.”

The walls around them faded, they were nothing but an illusion. Dozens upon dozens of heavily armored guards stepped forth. The inner ring next to Twilight consisting of her elite. The remaining captains, Thunder Flare whose coat was sparking with electricity and Eclipse, a black scythe floating in her magic, an aura of darkness seemed to emanate from her. Taka and Himiko seemed to be missing, that surprised her, but they had their own countries to protect, and it was a threat less to worry about. It could also mean that they were coming back with reinforcements… but that was something to worry about in the future. All three generals, even Dawn decided to join this mission. Each of them standing their ground, determination written into their faces.

“Twilight… please, just surrender. We can, and we will fix this. I will not stop until I have my old student back.”

Her familiar vortex spell began to suck the light around her sword into it. That would minimize the energy she needed to sacrifice in order to hit the generals. This would likely be her end, in case she decided to preserve her ace in the hole, “Looks like a desperate last effort… come and get me, Celestia.”

Satisfaction

Chapter 18: Satisfaction

Twilight licked her dry lips, the only audible sound being the flickering of her magical vortex, and dozens of other magical abilities, The air around their little trap was practically crackling with power. Beads of sweat could be seen on her forehead, this situation required a well thought out plan… something she tended to forget when it came to her personal satisfaction.

She stepped back a little, only to be reminded that she was surrounded, quite literally. Celestia’s strongest, and in Taka’s case most aggressive subordinates or allies were all staring at her, “Ehe… look, Celly, this entire trip was just a personal affair between you and me. Let’s just call it even and—”

Before she could continue countless, razor-sharp ice spears just barely missed her head. Of course it had been Mistral, her hoof pointed straight at her. The light-blue mare growled and lowered her two front hooves, her chin nearly touching the ground. She started to emanate a thin mist, the temperature dropping lower by the second, “Ice Age!”

The entire ground beneath her began to freeze immediately, Twilight barely manage to jump in time, using the crossguard as some sort of magically enhanced launching pad. It had been strong enough to fling her several meters into the air, the floor was now covered with a steaming, thick layer of ice. It was not the only thing the generals could do, a bright ray of light came flying towards her, Dawn standing on the ground, his right forehoof pointing at her. As the ray reached her, it was not simple light anymore, instead it was the general himself, “Too slow.” The older stallion used the momentum to pivot in the air, slamming both his hind legs into her side.

The force was enough to shatter the ice and hardened cobblestone beneath them. Twilight laid in the small crater, barely able to move, her body littered with bruises, the part of her flank where his hooves connected looked like she ran into a cow stampede. Dawn simply fell to the ground, landing on his hooves next to a smiling Mistral, “Good job, Dawn. You still have it in you.”

Celestia winced at the sight, not wanting to see her student getting nearly killed by her top ranking soldiers. She couldn’t bring herself to move, nor speak, the immortal being simply could not decide. What was more important, the feelings for her precious, little student, or her loyalty to Equestria and her subjects?

Meanwhile Twilight was trying to get back to her hooves, her magical connection to Yoru was unstable due to her lack of concentration, she’d be done for without her sword. The mare coughed up some blood as she tried to stand, almost instantly falling back to her knees, “Using… dirty tricks, eh? Two can play that game.” She weakly rammed the tip of her blade into the ground, the vortex still pulsing around it, the uncanny vibrations were sent into the ground.

Nothing happened for a moment, Mistral and Law already preparing their next attack. Suddenly a scream of incredible agony could be heard behind them, one highly armed soldier burst up in violet flames, melting his armor and slowly roasting him in an unnecessarily cruel manner. The smell of cooked flesh and burned fur hit their noses, causing some of the lower ranking guards to recoil. Once again Mistral reacted, trying to freeze the stallion for the moment, that did not slow down the flames at all, still turning him into a pile of ash. Then there was another scream, the high pitched scream of a female soldier this time. The chaotic fire engulfed her too, causing an incredible amount of pain in their victim.

The princess sat there, petrified, her eyes wide open. The screams of the innocent echoed in her mind, she knew this spell, this magic in particular was a personal favorite of… Nightmare Moon. She had to do something… the flames would spread around, inevitably killing everyone here without any chance of survival, unless the pony was an alicorn...

Twilight just giggled weakly as she watched more and more soldiers burst up in flames, their screams of pain and suffering were like a finely tuned instrument for her. This was far from over though, the lavender mare needed help if she liked it or not. While her enemies were still busy with their futile attempt of extinguishing the fire, and Celestia still too shocked to act, she reached deep into her magic, her magic senses trying to find a particular object, five particular objects to be exact.

Those five ‘objects’ sat around a table in the middle of Ponyville’s town square and chatted casually. Morning Blaze wanted to know more about her… allies, especially Pinkamena and Rainbow Dash were interesting. Why did they decide to join Twilight despite their different opinions?

“So… if I’m allowed to ask,” She gently touched the glowing, warm crystal on her chest, a spark of purple electricity arcing between it and her hoof. “Why are you all here? Why do you support Twilight so much?”

Rarity sat right next to her, laying her right forehoof on Blaze’s shoulder, “Darling, there’s no need for this tension. We are not some kind of evil monsters, just because we oppose Celestia. To answer your question… hmm, I’d say because she sees us as equals, not just any subordinates. We can do whatever we want, we can stay here and not fight if we chose to, or go out and cause havoc. We follow her because I think everypony feels safer around her and Luna, they’re giving us a choice, and we chose not to live under Celestia’s influence anymore.”

All of them nodded, only Rainbow Dash’s and Silent’s expression remained neutral, showing no emotion whatsoever. The light-blue mare spoke up, “Rare’s right, you know my story. I wanted vengeance for Fluttershy, because I thought I saw her die. But after a long talk and… other stuff with Twi, she explained it to me, and the others too. Fluttershy isn’t dead, Twi sent her away for a while, so that our timid friend does not get involved in it. She also showed regret for hurting me, it was genuine, I could feel it. I forgave her, and so should you, we’re all in the same boat until the end now.”

Before the yellow mare could continue, she felt a familiar warmth spreading in her chest. The crystal shone in a dark-purple tone, the light began to appear on the floor beneath them as well. All of them rose to their hooves, an almost black circle formed under every rebel marked with this special magic. Strange runes of unknown origins were visible on the circle’s edge, glowing in pure white.

Blaze looked around, this feeling grabbing her, wanting to take the mare somewhere, “I can… feel Twilight… it’s almost like she’s here, touching me.”

“Indeed, chaos magic, extremely high amounts, Twilight really learned how to control all of that dark power… Anyways, touch the crystals, it should teleport us wherever she needs us to be,” Silent stated casually. The fact that they’d do a mass teleport over such a long distance did not bother him in the slightest. It showed his immense respect and confidence for Twilight and her abilities.

Their bodies began to melt into the shadow, again not an unpleasant feeling, the darkness invited them with a gentle caress. One thing was very clear for all of them, Twilight needed them, and it was their time to return her affection for them.

Twilight managed to get back on her hooves, breathing heavily, her coat covered with crimson liquid, most of it was her own. She could not underestimate those three ponies, ever again. She still listened to the agonizing screams of the burning guards, eleven of them had died an extremely painful and cruel death so far.

It was just a method of stalling though, because the lavender mare felt the gentle tug of her darkness, her friends would be here any moment. With them they could manage to survive, and flee in one piece, maybe even take out a high ranking soldier.

Celestia’s left eye twitched, her ears turned frantically as the screams reached them. Her horn began to glow brightly, finally the mare found the strength to move. In an instant her divine hooves impacted with the ground, shattering it and unleashing a golden shockwave. It overwhelmed Twilight’s magic, extinguishing the fire and stopping it altogether. She heard her precious student growl at her, the young mare’s body looked terrible, all bloody and beaten. Instantly the surge of strength vanished, her confidence alongside it, this mare just brought out these… feelings in her, she couldn’t understand, nor explain them. The only thing Celestia did know, was that this situation required her full mental capacities.

“Do not underestimate an Arclight… Twilight. You can’t win this, surrender and come with me… please.”

The tug returned even stronger, five dark-purple circles began to form in a perfect formation around her. She chuckled faintly, “I can’t win? Heh...hehe, I already have.” All five of the strongest rebels appeared around her, their horns glowing, and bodies moved into a combat stand, in Flare’s case his blade shimmered under the purple shine. Luna could join them anytime, should the situation require it. Their expression showed nothing but absolute confidence, determination, and the will to fight for their leader.

… and then there was Morning Blaze, looking around frantically. Her eyes widened as soon as they spotted their old friend, and demi-goddess of the Sun, “P-p-p-princess?!”

The inside of the frozen shrine was much, much bigger than any of them would have expected. Fluttershy did not pay much attention to her surroundings, the magical exertion had drained her pretty much completely. The timid mare was simply not used to such heavy usage of any magic other than her own inert pegasus abilities.

Rost on the other hoof tried to memorize every little chunk of ice that laid before them, and there were many of them. The shrine was seemingly split into several floors, the main chamber was a giant room with an extremely high ceiling. He could not even see the top, which was presumably also the top of the mountain. Each individual floor was just a catwalk carved into the solid stone of the shrine, severals doors could be seen from where he stood.

The chamber itself was oddly empty, two with ice covered doors, one half-rotten door, and a strange platform in the middle of the room, no decoration or any sacred symbols of their land. The stallion walked up to the platform, the yellow mare needed a while to regenerate so she should be fine.

Four columns reached all the way up, they were built right at the edge of this weird platform, it had strange symbols carved into it, something he had never seen before. Also, copper, or bronze cogs were connected with similar cogs built into the pillars, “Hm… this… looks like it should move upwards… maybe we can reach the other floors.... or even the top.”

A small railing was all that stopped just about anything to be placed onto this odd machine, they could just jump over it. The only thing that even remotely resembled a lever for that thing was an iron panel with numbered buttons. There was a 1, 2 and a little pyramid, that was probably supposed to be the top. Rost decided to try his luck and push the first one, only a small ‘click’ could be heard, but other than that, nothing.

“For Heaven’s Sake... “ The stallion noticed three round indentations at the bottom of the panel, it looked like something could be placed into it. “Huh… Fluttershy, how are you feeling?”

“B-better… I think, this magic was exhausting,” She slowly rose to her hooves, stretching her legs a little.

“I am glad you’re okay. Now, come over here for a second,” Fluttershy did so and got a short report on all the things Rost noticed. “What do you think?”

“Um… w-well, we should p-probably explore this floor first. There are three spaces for something, and we have three doors to enter. Two of them are locked that means this shrine is… testing us? Maybe whoever built this machine did not want anyone to enter without… proving their worth.”

He thought about it for a moment, Fluttershy’s explanation seemed to be reasonable, “So… like a challenge? It could lead into a trap… those demons have lived here for a while now, and they surely aren’t alone. You’re right though… there’s no other way to let this machine move… if it does move at all. Alright, let’s try it.”

The timid mare nodded and both went towards the first door, they’ve come so far, no lousy challenge could stop them now! Right?

The entrance to the ancient, and for the most part, unexplored crystal mines below Canterlot was not more than a tiny slit, barely wide enough for a single pony to pass through. Applejack had a really bad feeling about this, not that she wouldn’t trust Sharpshot to a certain extend, but this cave seemed… off.

“Hey Sharp… do ya know where we’re goin’?” The country mare asked cautiously. They’ve been wandering through the caves for over an hour now, and the crystals began to repeat themselves. Blue, purple, pink, red, and everything in between, if the fate of this land wouldn’t be at stake, the orange mare might’ve slowed down, appreciated the beautiful gemstones.

“Uh… yes? The crystals should gain a crimson hue if we get near it. Other than that? No. I’ve been here only once during my studies, but did not get to explore this particular part of the mountain,” The stallion replied, these formations all looked the same…

“Ah have a bad feelin’ ‘bout this…”

Suddenly their ears were assaulted by an extremely loud scraping noise. It sounded like thousands of crystal grinded against each other. The stallion lit his torch, they were at least prepared for that, the crystals also emanated a certain, eerie glow, so it wasn’t too bad. A giant crystal formation began to move right before them, short ‘arm’ crystal, ending in a spike moved towards them.

Sharpshot’s Bow-blade was drawn almost immediately, there was no room for hesitation. AJ just stood behind him, suddenly paralyzed with fear as the moving crystal groaned. What was this? This thing would be defeated in no time with the help of her friend… but now, she was alone with this still suspicious stallion.

The stallion began his attack, swinging at the massive arm with his coiled sword, the sound of metal clashing against stone could be heard in the darkness. His attack did not more than a little dent in the crystal, “This thing’s tough… Applejack, let’s—”

An arm of the golem hit him with full force before he could speak any further. The stallion was thrown backwards, smashing against the wall behind the earth pony. Applejack turned around, her face full of fear and worry, “No! Sharpshot!”

She ran over to him and tried to support his weight. As the shine of the weakly flickering torch touched his body, it was almost enough to make her drop him. The stallion’s entire side was bruised and bloody, a deep gash running along the entire length of his body, almost slicing his throat open. Crimson liquid began to colour her coat red, the warmth splashing against her. Sharp coughed, another considerable amount of life juice left his body.

Without a second of hesitation the mare picked him up and ran, she ran and ran and ran, into the deepest depths of the mountain. She finally stopped as the groans of the golem stopped and after checking his heartbeat. Luckily she had some gauze with her, wrapping the medical cloth tightly around his side. It soaked up the blood almost instantly, but made the bleeding stop for now.

“Hey, Sharp, don’t leave me!” The mare gave him some water from her canteen, he merely groaned, only half conscious.

“I… hate… crystals...” was all he could say, wincing from the pain every now and then. She decided they’d stay here… wherever ‘here’ was. The country mare had accidentally dropped the torch while carrying him, so they sat in almost complete darkness, only the faint glow of the crystals let their shadows dance on the wall.

Far above them, in the glorious capital of Equestria, Celestia’s eyes widened in shock, not only did her student just cast an extremely powerful shadow-travel spell, but the summoned ponies were her true worries, “Morning Blaze? Rainbow Dash? What are you doing?”

The lavender mare panted heavily, she managed to stay conscious, that was all that mattered right now. She couldn’t help but show a cocky smile, “Surprised… hah… Celestia? It seems like you… taught me too well. My methods of leading may be… quite harsh, but they are effective! And I see my friends as equals, not some random tool to discard.”

Rarity looked over Celestia’s small trap unit and glared at them angrily, “Darling, mind telling us what exactly happened here? This was not part of your plan, or was it?”

The giant, black blade was lodged inside the ground next to her, offering support for the exhausted mare, who was leaning against the blade, her body beaten, bloody on some spots, it even looked like she’d coughed up some blood not long ago, “No… I just talked with the bitch princess herself over there, but it looked like I underestimated her sensory abilities… Thank you all for answering my summon, give me some time to regenerate, then I can create a passage back into the city.”

Silent Flare laughed, his blade engulfed with a green-colored, wild gale, it looked like a miniature tornado was forming around his sword, “No problem, expect some casualties on her side.”

Rainbow Dash stayed closely to the injured Twilight, kissing her neck, trying to comfort her, “I’ll stay here… with you, Twi. No need to worry, our friends got this.” It just felt right for her to say these things, maybe they weren’t even her own thoughts at this point, tainted and corrupted by the Nightmare, but all of that didn’t matter, she felt happy.

A certain, former captain of the Solar Guard did not quite think so… yet, “C-Celestia?! W-what is going on here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, old friend… You decided to betray me? Now of all times?” The Princess of the Sun asked bitterly.

“N-no! It’s just… I… I can’t…. I’ll stay with her… for a while,” Blaze stammered, not finding the right ways to explain her current situation.

Celestia had her suspicious about what was going on, but kept quiet. It was not the right time for that anyway, “Capture them! None of them dies! Especially not Twilight, only use disabling spells!”

Hell broke loose in the Castle’s garden, Twilight didn’t have a chance to look around earlier, this illusion must’ve been stronger than she’d thought. Celestia managed to trick Twilight’s magic sense.

Silent charged into a large group of heavily armed ponies, his first blood followed almost immediately after. A light strike with his blade was enough to unleash a raging tornado, picking up around a dozen soldiers, quite literally slicing them into tiny pieces with this cutting storm, “Oh it’s been so long!”

The fashionista had to face two of Celestia’ strongest soldiers at the same time, Dawn and Mistral. The mare in the blue suit had a devilish smile on her face, “This time I’ll make sure you’ll stay here.” Rarity stepped back slightly, her horn preparing a spell to counter their next attacks.

Suddenly she felt a huge boost, her magic being kicked into new heights, the white mare turned around to see Twilight’s horn glowing brightly. Both smiled, this was her blessing. Determination found its way into her expression, “You’ll wish that you had killed me back then!”

Dawn was the first to attack, closing the distance between them in under a second, his hoof ready to kick her into oblivion. He had aimed a little bit too high though, the kick hitting her face with full force, but instead of collapsing unconscious, it was Dawn who backed off, without his light elemental power, it would be broken more than once.

“What? How’s that even possible?” He looked over to Rarity, who was smiling like a little foal. The side of her face that got hit with his kick had been transformed, or coated with a layer of crystals. They must’ve been as hard as diamonds if they were able to block an attack from a general. It changed back, showing a completely unharmed, and as ever, gorgeous face of the seamstress.

“You’re not the only one with powerful magic!” She shouted, feeling Twilight’s intense magic flow through her veins was… exhilarating. These spells had never worked during their normal training, but now with her help they were a walk in the park.

Merely thirty meters away from them a certain sword carrying stallion pulled his razor sharp blade out of his last remaining victim. Over fifty lower ranking soldiers agreed to join in on Celestia’s personal plan. And now the Princess of the Sun had to contact a lot of soon to be despaired families. Flare was not interested in any of this, the beige stallion revelled in the death of his, and Twilight’s enemies. The only thing he respected was a good foresight, and strength.

He smiled and looked around the war-torn gardens of his former home. Rarity was surprisingly standing her ground against Dawn and Mistral, Silent had never expected the fashionista to be capable of such a unique magic. Around him laid the dismembered remains of his former ‘friends’ and comrades, but there he was, smiling over their deaths. They were weak, and did not deserve to be called anything other than pathetic.

The magic around him shifted almost unnoticeably, the beige stallion jumped backwards, an almost one meter deep crater was now there where he just stood a split second ago. The attack had been incredibly fast, but this was unmistakably a lightning bolt that nearly turned him into a pile of burned flesh and bones.

Another stallion approached him, without even the tiniest trace of fear, or doubt. Flare growled, who else but this pony. White fur, a wild, blue hairstyle, and a skull with crossed lightning bolts on his coat… it was the Captain of Celestia’s First Division, Thunder ‘Lightning Storm’ Flare.

“Heh, fast reflexes, but that was to be expected. Long time no see, younger brother!” Thunder shouted, slowly stepping ever closer. Twilight, who was only about a dozen meters away, had watched the impressive magical attack, her eyes widening as she heard Thunder’s words.

“Hey Silent, you two are related?” She asked quickly, trying to maintain her concentration, otherwise Rarity would die.

He glared angrily at his older brother, “Hardly. We have the same mother, that is all. We never got along, not even after we both joined the Royal Guard.”

“Now, now, how could you say that, Silent? We’re family after all! Ahahaha!” Sparks of blue electricity could be seen all around his body. He was not quite as dangerous as a general, but underestimating him would be foolish. The white stallion held his right front hoof in the air and summoned what looked like a normal steel chain. Silent saw through that immediately, the steel was highly enchanted, able to amplify the voltage of his electricity by a margin.

He wrapped it around his forehoof, the range of it was impressive too, about three meters if swung correctly. Thunder let it rotate, electricity arced around it, becoming stronger and more dangerous. In a few seconds he’d be able to attack him with the same strength as his first attack had.

“Let’s have some fun, like in the good old days.”

Pinkie was the last of the bunch, that had sworn her loyalty towards the lavender mare behind her. Dashie was comforting Twilight, and Morning Blaze just stared at Celestia, so it was her duty to protect them, never again would they suffer because she was too weak! Her opponents worried her greatly though, her hair flattened like usual in these situations.

A very angry Law and an emotionless Eclipse were her opponents. It would just be stalling though, she didn’t have any magic to attack them with, and the pink mare couldn’t even touch Law without getting severe burns. She had to use her agility to stall them as long as possible.

“Get out of my way, Pinkamena D. Pie! You criminal scums will all face justice, but Twilight Sparkle shall be the first one!” He shouted angrily, his body heating up.

“Sorry hot head, can’t let you take the queen so easily. I am your opponent!” Pinkie replied, her demeanour changed completely while she was on a battlefield, this time it was a good change though. It’d keep her alive… hopefully.

Without any trace of danger she dodged to her right, a split second later an invisible, black chain appeared right where she stood. A binding spell cast by Eclipse, and a great explosion soon followed. Pinkie jumped towards her opponents, avoiding the ground changing to hot lava before it even happened. This continued for another two minutes, every time they thought about attacking her, she dodged immediately. Beads of sweat formed all over her body and the earth pony panted heavily.

“How is this possible?! You can’t cast magic! You’re just an earth pony!” Law shouted angrily, having enough of her stalling. Eclipse just stared at her, keeping her usual composure, she was more of a support than an actual threat, but as known, quiet waters run deep.

The pink mare ran to her right, narrowly avoiding a stream of hellfire, “I… have… no idea… hah, what… you’re… talking about.” This was the first time she was fighting anything at all, except the last time she was here. It was like a… shout, she heard their inner voices tell her their next attack. Pinkie had absolutely no idea what it was, but ‘it’ was keeping her alive and didn’t exhaust her too much.

Law changed his front hooves into cooled lava, creating smouldering pieces of solid material, without much special effect he began to charge at Pinkie, trying to kill her. Every attack was another punch or kick into thin air, barely missing the annoying pony, but still not hitting her not matter how hard he tried.

“ARGH! Fine! If I can’t kill you, I’ll just kill Twilight now!” He formed an enormous projectile out of extremely hot lava, shooting it into the air. Pinkie could only watch as the meteor like attack fell towards Twilight with alarming speed.

“Twilight! Watch out!” The pink mare ran towards her, but heard the ‘voice’ of this other mare revealing a crippling strike to her left hind leg. She rolled to her right, avoiding a lost leg. Eclipse’s true weapon came forth, a massive scythe, almost two times as big as herself. The black steel reflecting the twilight. Its long grip was decorated with symbols of death, skulls and other macabre things.

“So you’re able to predict the future, Pinkamena. Interesting,” She stated quietly. Her weapon hovered next to the emotionless captain.

“No… I don’t think I am. But I’ll fight you if you stand in my way!”

The gigantic projectiles was only about a meter away from a wide eyed Twilight, she still had to focus on Rarity and protecting the others, this would hurt… a lot. The lavender mare closed her eyes and waited, but nothing happened, only the sound of metal clashing against stone and an intense heat.

As she looked again Morning Blaze was standing before her, the yellow mare’s face had a determined expression. No fear or doubt could be seen anymore. Her flaming rapier had blocked the lava projectile, she struggled to stop its sheer force to crush them both. Twilight reacted instantly and shared her magic with Blaze as well.

The captain’s weapon flickered more brightly, and with one quick slash the two separate meteor pieces flew past them. Causing a massive explosion far in the distance. The power faded as quickly as it came, but she stood proud, protecting her… former student, “You will not lay one hoof at her, Law!”

Twilight smiled, but her smile on the inside was even wider, almost devilish. So her magic worked on her after all, she just needed to be patient with Blaze, soon the lavender mare had another skilled rebel in her hooves.

Law approached his former companion, “So you’re too far gone… Fine, then you have to die too!”

Flaring Chaos

Chapter 19: Flaring Chaos

Twilight felt a strange, but pleasant feeling inside of her, not any kind of magical, or chemical cause, it was just heartwarming to see that the lavender mares friends would still fight for her no matter what. As usual she was in the middle of it all, sharing her energy with Rarity and Blaze, so that they could stall their opponents. Twilight just needed some more time to regenerate, her entire side still burned like fire, Dawn was without a doubt the most skilled general. Not just strong magic, but tactical knowledge and experience from a long life assisted him in combat.

The most difficult fight took place mere meters away from her, Rarity was trying to survive the attacks of two merciless generals. Her chest turned back to normal fur, without her ability to cast this spell almost immediately, the seamstress would’ve been dead minutes ago. Another barrage of glowing bullets came flying towards her, luckily they weren’t quite as fast as light itself, but nearly too fast to react. These tiny projectiles looked weak for a pegasus, or an earth pony, but even the most magic untalented unicorn could feel the intense magic they radiated.

The white mare covered her left forehoof in a thin layer of crystal and held it straight. It seemed like elemental magic did not mix well with her crystal, the light bullets ricocheted off of her hoof, being redirected into the air or ground. Every time one hit the ground, a massive explosion soon followed, that was another dangerous fact about it, they were fast, hit like a truck, and caused explosions whenever they impacted with something. Deep craters could be seen left and right of Rarity. Even though the mare basically had the magic pool of two unicorns at her disposal she panted heavily, this wouldn’t work for much longer.

Before she had any chance to catch her second wind, another wave of ice-spears came flying towards her. This time she rolled to her left, only to cover her entire front with another crystal layer, to prevent inevitable death through a ray of pure, bundled light. Rarity slowly came back on her hooves, struggling to maintain consciousness, even with Twilight magic boost.

“You… ruffians... ” The fashionista materialized two almost three meter long crystal-spears and launched them at Mistral. The general didn’t even blink while blocking the projectiles that travelled with near supersonic speed with a thick wall of ice.

Dawn used the opportunity and ‘teleport’ himself behind Rarity, using the same method he hit Twilight with. This time his blade was summoned, the almost two meter long, straight sword, formed out of pure light. His first overhead strike came before the white mare could even blink. To their surprise the general’s blade clashed with a transparent, lavender barrier, formed like a six pointed star. Sparks of extremely concentrated energy flew around him as their high class magic clashed with one another, producing powerful, magical shockwaves. A normal unicorn could never even hope to cast top tier spells like this without intense preparations or potions to increase the flow of magic in their bodies artificially.

Only then did Rarity notice the general behind her and jumped sideways to gain some distance, the energy from the impact was nearly enough to knock the mare off her hooves. Dawn growled while the barrier shattered, “The ever so talented Twilight Sparkle… this time you won’t get away with your foolish actions!”

“Heh… Don’t worry about me, Dawn Comet. We always find a way to humiliate Celestia and escape afterwards,” She replied with a weak smile. In truth she was nearly at her limit, the magical backlash from her barrier was incredible, the general hit it with the force of a dragon, effectively deleting ten percent of her entire magical reserve.

Meanwhile, Rarity had finished creating another massive crystal-spear, but only held it in her magic, half of her body covered in the shiny crystal, she was ready to fight hoof-to-hoof now. The only problem was Mistral, who was just standing in the distance, waiting for an opportunity to freeze her solid. Dawn would best her in a sword fight, without a doubt, but she didn’t need to win… just survive for long enough, “Twilight, be a dear and hurry up!”

The mare in question didn’t react, but instead focused on filling her reserves again, and watching the auras of her friends shift and change constantly, due to the emotional stress they were enduring. Every last one of them was fighting to protect her… for various reasons, but they were still loyal. And that was what mattered in the moment...

The battle of the brothers continued inside a raging storm of chaos. Thunder’s lightning attacks made everypony’s hair stand straight, just by being in the immediate vicinity of the elementalist. He was fast, strong and ridiculously aggressive. Just the idea of his brother teaming with these sick criminals made his blood boil.

Silent on the other hoof was oddly calm, avoiding unnecessary movements, and only dodging in the very last possible moment. His brothers spells were dangerous, extraordinary dangerous, yet the stallion stayed completely calm. Not that Silent just took the attacks, no, his blade was an extension of his own being, both moving in perfect harmony. No matter what element currently filled the blade with incredible power, the resulting strikes were always devastating.

“Running out of magic, Thunder? You always were the rather aggressive type, but this is getting a little ridiculous,” He charged his sword with wind magic, the blade beginning to glow in a faint, white light. Silent sheathed the blade and lowered himself. Before his brother could reply anything, the beige stallion was gone.

Silent Flare was behind him, slowly walking away while sheathing his sword once again. Thunder could not even follow his movements, nor did he see any attack, “What do you think you’re doing? We’re not done y—”

The noise created by Silent’s sword grip reaching the black, decorated scabbard, signalled the end of the fight. A large and deep gash ripped open Thunder’s chest, the unexpected injury made him cry out in agony. Blood seeped out of it, he fell to his knees, nearly falling unconscious, “How did… how did you… do that?”

The beige unicorn turned around, his expression devoid of emotion, “You’re so naive. Did you think I’d let you win because you’re the ‘good guy’? Twilight just summoned us to protect her, so I’ll do that now. Consider yourself lucky, brother. You survived one of my fasted wind spells.”

He began to sprint towards Morning Blaze and Law, because he currently was the biggest threat. Silent saw Morning’s famous flaming Rapier clashing against the general’s semi-liquid lava hooves. With every thousand degree hot punch she slid backwards a little more, towards a still exhausted looking Twilight.

Flare charged his sword with wind energy again, lowering himself just like earlier. It always consumed an unhealthy chunk of magic, that was the drawback, but normally one strike with this speed was enough to finish his opponents for good. This time he stopped right next to Blaze, beads of sweat rolling down his face, “Need some help?”

Law’s body got sliced in half entirely, his inner organs open, clear for anypony to see. The yellow mare looked at him in shock, “N-no… but thank you. This won’t be enough to finish him off though.”

She was entirely right, before they could even blink the two injured halves connected again, his the incredibly hot liquid his body seemed to be made out of. The reformed general punched them again, this time blocked by a sword cross, the two rebels working together.

“Just like old times, right Blaze?”

“Shut up.”

The next battle for survival continued in the royal gardens. Everything that was happening was completely unknown for the common town volk. The pink mare was holding up surprisingly well against the extremely cold-hearted Eclipse.

Pinkie’s uncanny ability to ‘see’ the future did not seem to bother her in the least. Her scythe narrowly missed her every time, the mare just needed to graze her with the incredibly sharp tip of her weapon, because her specialty were curses. One drop of Pinkie’s blood on black steel would drain her life until inevitable death follows soon after.

Eclipse spun her scythe around like a mad mare, letting it hover all around the pink mare, trying to catch her off guard. Her opponent sidestepped, jumped over the blade, or even backflipped over it, without ever coming close to touching it.

“I have no idea what is going on… but if I don’t knock her out, this will be it. I have to protect Twilight, no matter the cost!” The mare thought to herself, getting ready to change into the offense.

The pink earth pony jumped over yet another vertical strike that would’ve killed her for sure. She did a fast roll as she landed to avoid a swing from the other side. Her enemy was just just a meter away from her, staring at Pinkie with those empty and cold eyes. Eclipse stretched her left front hoof out, pointing directly at her opponent.

“I’ve had more than enough of you. May your soul find rest in the endless darkness of the void,” The earth pony felt that this would be the end if she got hit by it. So she put every ounce of her strength into a mighty jump forwards, her right fore hoof behind her head to deliver the final strike.

Pinkie could feel gravity bending behind her, trying to devour the rebel. Luckily it wasn’t quite strong enough to stop her assault, “I will protect my friends!” Her hoof came crashing down on Eclipse, but instead of leaving a mark, or pushing her backwards Pinkie’s entire leg just passed through the captain. She couldn’t stop either, the earth pony tumbled ‘through’ Eclipse, the parts of her body changed into a strange darkness that burned on her fur. It wasn’t just her body though, it seemed like this liquid darkness began to appear and flow around Eclipse.

Coming to a stop several meters behind the captain she clutched her front leg, the pain began to intensify, most of her body was covered in large splodges of this darkness. Pinkie screamed in agony, tears threatening to fall, “Argh! W-what… is this?! Ahhhh!”

The question was simply ignored, Eclipse walked towards her instead, ever so slowly the pain became even worse. As the near black mare stood right before her, Pinkie’s breath got knocked out of her by a strong kick into her stomach. She couldn’t even stay upright, clutching her belly and screaming, the black liquid seemed to amplify every kind of pain she’d receive.

“Your ability is just a minor annoyance, nothing more,” Her scythe was raised, the steel seemingly shimmering in anticipation. “Now die, traitor of Equestria!” The razor sharp edge soared through the air, aiming straight at her neck. Pinkie could already feel the weapon dig into her body, a last tear rolled down her cheek.

“I’m sorry Twilight…”

Suddenly the scythe shone in a yellow, almost golden light, preventing it to move any further. The sharp steel was mere inches away from her dreck. Celestia’s horn sparkled with the same colour, she was not longer sitting on the ground, her face was no longer filled with fear and worries. Instead, her wings were spread wide, anger took sadness’ place and determination made her even more intimidating, “STOP! This.... is not an execution! You took her ability to fight, that is enough. Their deaths were never part of the plan.”

The Princess of the Sun panted slightly, it wasn’t really any kind of magical exhaustion, but her emotions played a huge role. It was inexplicable for the millennia old being, she hated the Nightmare and all its subordinates with all her heart, but could never bring herself to finish what she began. The pure white mare continued, “Focus on disabling Twilight. Only disable.”

“As you wish,” Eclipse simply said, the darkness around Pinkie’s body faded as quickly as it appeared. Leaving the mare on the ground, losing consciousness from the shock and the pain.

Twilight had watched the incredibly painful scene the moment she heard Pinkie’s screams, but she was not able to focus on anything other than Rarity’s magic and her own reserves. This played out at least somewhat alright though, Pinkie was still alive, and in range for their escape. She was nearly ready, but a shadow travel over such a distance and with so many ponies was far from an easy feat.

“Everypony… just hold on a little bit longer!”

The most intense battle happened just a meter away from her. Despite his power, the hot headed general was able to keep up with Morning Blaze’s insanely fast strikes. Her attacks weren’t completely wasted though, she had been fighting with Law ever since he joined Celestia’s Army, so the mare knew her ways around his elemental magic.

She herself wasn’t able to change her body into an element, but maybe Blaze just needed to train harder. Eventually it would happen, right now the mare was more focused on the furious stallion hammering his molten hooves at her sword, “Would you die already?! ”

Law jumped backwards, his hoof growing rapidly. In one mighty punch he fired a lava projectile from the base of his leg. The mare swung at it with all her might, being pushed back more and more, until Rainbow Dash stepped in and helped her. Both were able to push the attack away, panting heavily.

“Watch out, Blaze. This guy is… dangerous,” Rainbow stated, going back behind Twilight. She didn’t have any tools or magic to hurt any of them anyway, the least she could do was to comfort her sweet mistress…

Everyone was starting to lose ground around the lavender mare. Rarity was still holding up, mainly because Silent Flare decided to fight against Dawn, their battle was even more intense than Blaze’s had been. Dawn’s blade, the Murakamo and Flare’s steel sword clashed against each other, only very few of the present ponies were able to follow their movements.

The only thing visible for the others were shockwaves all around the garden, something like a thunderbolt crashing into some flowers, turning them into ash, or a fiery explosion near the castle’s walls. After another two or three clashing sounds they slid away from each other, to everypony’s surprise both were covered in burns, deep cuts, and various other injuries.

“You still got it, Dawn. I have to admit that I underestimated you,” Silent stated, trying to catch his breath.

Before the general could reply a loud flash could be heard, one after the other. Every rebel was engulfed in a deep, black shine, the cause of this was a certain lavender mare. She rose to her hooves and opened her eyes, they were deep black as well. As Celestia stared into them she could swear to see the void itself, raging inside her student.

The fighting stopped entirely, all eyes were fixated on the pony responsible for all off this. She smiled, her blade casually hovering next to her, the vortex around it faded half an hour ago to preserve her magic, “It was nice to welcome us so warmly, Celestia. But you see, we shouldn’t overstep our boundaries and leave.”

Celestia’s own eyes flashed white. The demi-goddess growled at her student, “I believe it is too late for that. There’s no way you can escape now, not without help. End this madness, Twilight! Come back to us, we can fix it… together.”

The lavender mare just cocked her head and frowned, it was not the reaction she had hoped for, but that wasn’t important anyway. So she just smiled again, “And I believe you underestimate what a little bit of chaos can do. The next time we met, you’ll cower before my hooves, Celestia.” Her laughter rang through the air, all of her fellow rebels disappeared into the shadows below them, until only she remained.

The once so proud and wise princess stared at the ground, tears threatening to fall. Her blurry vision spotted Twilight, sinking into the darkness with unnecessarily slow speed, “Your plan almost worked… almost. Hahahahahaha!” Then she was gone, leaving another war torn battlefield behind, a nearly dead elite, and several exhausted generals.

“Twilight… how can I fix this...” The Princess of the Sun whispered sadly, not wanting to move anytime soon. She had to eventually… she always had too. This war was slowly becoming more and more one-sided… and she was not the one winning at this point. Could it really be? Two ponies tainted by her immortal archenemy were enough to bring an end to her reign? No… this could not be. Even if it would cost the lives of her subjects, the princess would preserve harmony, and rescue her student!

A dull, throbbing pain was still pulsing in every fiber of his body, reminding him of his earlier mistakes. Sharpshot was not really a great warrior, sure, his transformable weapon came in handy, but against monsters with crystalline armor it was nothing more than a mere toy.

Applejack and Sharp sat in total darkness for nearly an hour now, waiting for his pain to subside. To think that their first enemy encounter in these caves could’ve been his last… The stallion shook his head, if he started to think like that their mission would end before it even began. This golem was nothing compared to the abilities of just about any rebel, all of them were extraordinary fighters, even Celestia’s former prisoner.

He rose to his hooves, grunting in pain, “Let’s… let’s go. Who knows what things lurk in the darkness. We have to find the crimson colored crystals, there is the next clue. I’m sorry that I wasn’t careful enough, we can’t let our guard down in this mountain.”

The country mare just shrugged, “It’s all dandy, pardner. It happens to the best of us. Maybe we should jest go this way.” She pointed down the opposite direction from where they came, risky tactic, but maybe their only chance of coming closer to the crystals. The stallion nodded and both made their way towards the ever present darkness of the cave.

“Why do caves always have to be full of monsters...” The stallion asked nopony in particular, maybe it was just to relieve some stress and ease their burdens.

“Do ya want me to answer that? Or…”

He laughed shortly, “You’re definitely a unique travelling partner, Applejack.”

“Now what is that supposed to mean?!” AJ asked, half confused, half happy that he was finally able to laugh a little. She hadn’t seen him even smile once after they found the weird riddle thing.

“Oh nothing… absolutely nothing. Come on, let’s get going.”

She only grumbled something about ‘stupid stallions’ afterwards, hoping that he’d not catch on to it.

The six rebels stumbled out of the shadow travel spell, coming to a halt in the center of Ponyville. Everypony immediately rushed over to Pinkie and Twilight. The pink mare was still unconscious, and the lavender unicorn had fallen to her knees, panting heavily.

Her enormous sword was flickering wildly, as if it would dissolve at any moment. Almost only the large, golden crossguard could be seen from it, the rest was buried deep in the cobblestone of the marketplace to offer her some kind support. She spoke up weakly, still a faint smile on her lips, “Bring… Pinkie into our sick room… darkness spells… are no… ugh… laughing matter.”

Silent did as he was told, gently picking the mare up and carrying her towards the sick room. Luckily one of the last remaining bat ponies was an excellent doctor. He also wanted to check on Silver Night, who was still very weak from the malnourishment. Meanwhile Rainbow put Twilight’s left forehoof over her neck and slowly stood up to support her weight. The lavender mare managed to stay upright with Dash’s help, but could barely do anything else, her magic was completely drained.

“Rarity… Morning… good job out there... ” She looked at her former mentor. “I know… I know that you didn’t… want to fight… and I’m sorry you… had to. And Rarity… I’m extremely grateful… and thoroughly impressed.”

The fashionista’s expression lit up at the kind words, “Oh, please, darling. Without your magic boost I would have been done for. You called for our help, and we gladly delivered it, no need to thank me for that. Although I have to say that it was really… exhilarating to fight against two strong opponents with this fabulous new magic!”

Now it was Morning Blaze’s turn to speak up, and it sure wasn’t easy to find the right words for it, “It’s true… I hesitated at first, but… after I saw that you tried to protect everypony… I think you’re not… as cruel as you act all the time… I will still avoid killing any guards or civilians, but I will protect you at all costs. Just please… don’t go around mocking Celestia again. I don’t know what your final plan is, but I’ll trust you.”

Twilight thought about her conversations with a certain draconequus, his proposal really seemed to be the only solution. First they needed to make her suffer though… and that would mean… “It was the last straw… now that she injured Pinkie a second time we won’t hold back anymore, Blaze. We still have Capone on our side, and Luna is on her way towards him. It’s time to spread the truth… and expand our borders.”

Blaze gasped at her last statement, but kept quiet. Meanwhile the lavender unicorn already talked with Luna over their mental connection, “Luna, I presume you heard our conversation?”

“Indeed, I also extended the spell a little. Your mass shadow travel was impressive and your chaos magic improved quite a bit. I’m almost in Manehatten, Capone and I will begin with Phase Two of our plan. Equestria’s citizens will no longer be able to ignore my sister’s lies. Her sins will finally be revealed under her precious sun.”

“Don’t cause too much casualties. We need them turned, not dead. Good luck to you,” Another short, but definitely heavy pang of guilt coursed through the lavender mare. She just doomed hundreds, maybe thousands of lives, just to get her vengeance. She shook her head violently, this couldn’t be stopped anyway. It was either her and Luna, or Celestia. For the latter they needed a revolution mentality in the population. And what would be the easiest way to reach that? Revealing Celestia’s sins, and causing havoc under her name.

Fluttershy and Rost entered the first open room of this cursed shrine. They were prepared for the horrors, the timid pegasus especially seemed to burn with determination. Something the two of them could really use in a situation like this.

It was something entirely different though, the room was divided with a seemingly bottomless abyss, clearly visible, on the other side, laid a pristine, sparkling cogwheel. On the back end of the room, over the abyss seemed to be slits in the mountain wall, maybe something would come out of them, but how? Then Fluttershy realized that she could just fly over the abyss, before she was even halfway there she was repelled with a strong shock, almost enough to knock her out and letting her fall into the chasm, “Ow… that doesn’t seem like the right way.”

They looked around and found the presumable solution for their problem, a giant machine with two shallow bowls at each end, in the middle was some kind of pointer that pointed slowly to the right.

Placed in the right bowl was some kind of object, frozen and turned into an ice block. Fluttershy’s gaze wandered between the two bowls and the pointer, “Maybe the pointer has to be straight, showing directly into the air… ” Behind the door she spotted some kind of frozen tree, planted in a small pot, the mare decided that it was probably not important.

Rost jumped up to the right bowl and took a strike at the ice block, it looked like some sort of chest inside it. The pointer immediately pointed even more to the right. His large, fiery sword clashed with the ice, creating a small shockwave, and a set of floating runes he’d never seen before. The frozen object didn’t have one scratch on it after his attack, he huffed and said, “This thing is definitely magical… maybe even demonic.”

“Hmm… maybe,” The mare lifted herself off the ground and landed on the other bowl-platform, the pointed slightly turned to the left again. “See? I think we have to balance the weight somehow. Wait! This tree...” She flew over to it, it was surprisingly light, small ice crystals sparkles at its dead branches. It wasn’t quite enough though, it still quivered around on the right, unfortunately there wasn’t anything else on this room to place on it.

In the next few minutes they tried every single combination they could think of. Placing the tree with the chest and only Fluttershy at the other side, then only Rost, then both. Then Fluttershy took Rost’s former position and the stallion picked up the tree on the other side. The machine gave them a satisfying ‘click’ and stone grinding on stone could be heard.

Just like they thought, a stable stone slab moved out of the wall, creating a bridge for them. Fluttershy crossed it as quick as possible, picking up the cogwheel with her mouth and joining Rost again. Another click could be heard, followed by a hissing sound “Maybe something happened outside of the room?” Fluttershy suggested. So they left this weird puzzle alone.

She was the first one to leave the room, the hissing sound slowly faded. Fluttershy saw small clouds of smoke rising from one of the frozen doors. Somehow this mechanism must’ve activated some kind of magic, or machinery that melted the ice. That also confirmed her suspicions that they really had to explore all rooms in all the different floors, to say that it’d be tedious was an understatement.

The small, iron cogwheel clicked into place without any effort, now they knew what they had to do at least. She sighed quietly and said, “Let’s look into the other room… I hope it’s another puzzle…”

Rost looked quite lost, of all the things he would’ve expected in a place like this, deadly traps, monsters, demons, none of them came even close to what they found. To state it clearly, he hated puzzles. The brown stallion wasn’t a pony of many words, or thought for that matter. If his friends or allies needed help, he was there, as simple as that, Rost’s combat skills were useful in ninety-nine percent of the occurring problems in this land, but of course they had to solve some random puzzles to activate this weird platform thing.

He followed the timid mare without being aware of his surrounding. Otherwise he would’ve noticed the odd emptiness of the room ahead. Torches lined the dimly lit room, casting an eerie glow on the two intruders. Strange banners hung between the light sources, depictions of two giant, and very weird looking birds could be seen on all of them, one silver, the other golden.

Fluttershy looked around once again, trying to find any kind of puzzle, or mechanism to reveal the next cogwheel. After a minute of searching her frustration grew, “I think something is not right here… Maybe we should—” Just as she was about to say something, the door noisily shut itself. Iron bars came out of the broad side of the stone next to the door, making it impossible to reach it.

She gasped, “Oh no! We’re trapped! Oh I knew we should’ve stayed outside...” It went from bad to worse, the torches lining the wall changed from a normal red flame, to a surreal burning blue one, flickering under the slowly dimming light. The temperature dropped by several degree, already enough to make their breath visible in the cold.

The coldness inside the room manifested itself as three of the demons they already encountered on their journey, Wanyūdōs, three Ice Mouths to be more specific. They shook themselves shortly before beginning their hellish ride, never stopping and constantly breathing extremely cold winds at the two weak ponies.

Rost was the first one to react, jumping out of the way before one of the demons could crush him. His sword began to grow hotter as well, at least giving him some of the warmth. He swung his enormous blade at one of the wheels, they were different than those before though, as the blade was about to impact with the frozen wood, it clashed against floating, icy-blue symbols instead, it seemed to be the same language like the runes on his sword. The Wanyūdō noticed this and spinned around while still staying upright, the massive wooden cartwheel hit the stallion’s side, sending him flying a few meters. The demon’s wheel had responded to his sword attack too though, the wood had thawed a bit, making it stop breathing ice at them.

Before Fluttershy rushed over to Rost, she saw her chance, one bead grasped with her teeth and a wide arc with her head was enough to change them back into their ‘whip’ form, burning the wood of the Ice Mouth. A last cry of incredible agony came from it before the demon dissolved in a flowery explosion. Hm… they seem to block one attack, spin around, but then lose their ability to produce ice for a while, that could be useful with my longer range, the timid mare analyzed inside her mind. Those demons were pretty simple now that she thought about it. Fluttershy helped Rost back up, his side was bruised, and it would definitely leave some marks, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

“Thank you, Fluttershy. Let’s finish them!” Both attacked one of them, this time Rost was prepared for its attack pattern. They seemed to do the same thing every time, really predictable if the victim lives long enough to understand it. Not even two minutes later both demons dissolved in another explosion, filling their nostrils briefly with the scent of cherry blossoms, freshly cut grass and sunshine, as odd as it may sound.

The heavy iron bars that kept the door unreachable disappeared. The middle of the room began to glow, and the scent of the defeated demons flew towards it, getting sucked into the brief vortex. After the glow was gone, Fluttershy saw the next cogwheel, laying there, completely still and unmoving as if it had been there since the beginning. The yellow pegasus picked it up gently and left the room without another word. She was worried about the situation, maybe even about herself. Fluttershy did not hesitate for even a moment to slay those demons, normally it would’ve taken a great deal of convincing her, but now it was … almost normal, it just came to her.

The hissing sound returned as well, signalling that the last door of the base floor should be unlocked. Rost sighed in relieve, “At least we got out of here alive. These things aren’t as dangerous as I thought.”

The yellow mare turned her head around and looked at his bruised flank, lifting an eyebrow. He blushed and scratched his head awkwardly, “As I said… ehehehe.... we made it out alive. That’s all that matters. For a pony that never used a weapon before, you mastered this strange thing pretty quickly.” She still had the cogwheel in her mouth and just shrugged. Maybe it really was odd, but she’d definitely keep these ‘life beads’, they comforted her, and offered some kind of protection… she just hoped it would work against anything other than demons as well…

Of Prophecies and Nightmares

Chapter 20: Of Prophecies and Nightmares

It was Luna’s turn to have some fun in this neverending game of cat and mouse. Her conversation with Capone had been relatively simple, money for the complete control over the entirety of Equestria. He seemed to dislike Celestia just as she did for various reasons, probably because her presence alone caused mercenaries to tremble in fear. Manehattan was obviously their first choice of attack, all the higher ranking ponies were still gathered in Canterlot, trying to recover from their massive defeat.

The news of the ‘truth’ spread like a wildfire, it was a delight to watch her subject’s worlds break down and crumble as they found out about the real cause why Celestia was ruling alone. Capone’s own soldiers took it surprisingly well, he had over a thousand experienced warriors under his command that now began to spread the truth in all major cities at first, and then the entirety of Equestria.

The streets of the Manehattan were a mess, hundred of ponies running around in panic as they saw the wicked alicorn smiling down at them. Most just fell back at their haunches and stared at Luna with a fear the ponies had long since forgotten, the fear of a real Nightmare. The best part was their submission though, some of them bowed deeply before her as they heard about all things Celestia may or may not did. The Princess of the Moon didn’t tell the rebels to recite every last of her words, they could add things as long as they were believable, and reasonable.

For most of them Luna was a mere victim of the Sun Tyrant, she giggled madly at the thought. Her mind was working in high gears, trying to find ways to make her sister suffer even more, “A thousand years to prepare yourself, and you found nothing better than a mentally unstable, insanely powerful little filly? Hah! You’ll never change, dear sister. Now it’s time for your final farewell.”

Next to no casualties in the crowded city, only some guards were still resisting, but with the help of the loyal citizens the rebellion was slammed into the dirt with as much force as necessary. A mad laughter rang through her again the roles seemed to change slowly, months of hard work, siding with the talented, and, more importantly, tainted Twilight Sparkle had given her the perfect opportunity to reach her ultimate goal, revenge. That was what the Nightmare wanted too after all, it encouraged revenge like nopony else.

Luna casually walked through the rapidly calming streets of the former biggest city in Equestria, almost everypony bowed immediately, some banners of a moon with a six pointed star in it could be seen on buildings, apparently it was their new symbol of hope, The Princess of the Night, and the Deathbringer. Not even a whole day had passed since she arrived in this city, and without any members of the elite guards Celestia’s precious harmony crumbled before them. Everything they did at this point was only to make her sister suffer more, unfortunately, another one of her old foes was the key to victory. The proposal Discord made was their only chance of actually killing the Princess of the Sun semi-permanent.

“Prepare yourself for the worst, sister. Your light is slowly dying out,” Luna stated casually, some citizens wondered who she was talking to, but they knew better than to oppose their saviour and new ruler.

Hundreds of kilometers away, in the Capital of Equestria, Celestia nearly fainted as she heard what happened in her land. She’d just returned from her defeat in the gardens, her blood literally boiling, as another scout came storming into the throne room. Not even twelve hours after Twilight’s escape they managed to turn an entire city?! The white alicorn couldn’t believe her own ears, never did she even think about the possibility that her sister would just corrupt innocent citizens like that.

“How many Solar Guards are still in the city?!” Her thunderous voice boomed through the large hall, the scout shrunk back to a puddle of fear at this point. She could be just as scary as the Nightmare when it came to pure wrath and intimidation.

He began to stammer, “Z-Z-Zero, y-your m-majesty. Nightmare M-Moon took c-care of them personally. W-We don’t know the exact number, b-but it seems like most of the p-population joined her v-voluntarily.”

She growled loudly at his report, “Inform every scout you can find! You all have to travel into every city of this land! All Solar Guards have to be prepared at all times, and the two best guards shall travel towards the Griffon Kingdom and Saddle Arabia! I want to know if they’ll send us reinforcements! Now go!”

The stallion sprinted out of the room, his body bathed in sweat from all the fear. He’d never seen the princess so angry, well he’d never seen documents spontaneously combust either, but he guessed that was just another side effect of being immortal.

Meanwhile Celestia extinguished the paper that had started to catch fire, sitting down on her throne and sighing deeply, “This is the worst crisis Equestria ever had… I need to fix this, fix everything… including my corrupted… student. Prithee be careful, Luna! This alicorn has not drawn her last breath yet!”

It seemed like an eternity had passed while Applejack and her still mysterious partner wandered through the darkness of the crystal caves. In the short time they’ve been in there both lost nearly all sense of time, the tranquility these shining crystals seemed to emanate certainly played an important role.

Neither one of them knew where this route would take them or how to reach their goal at all. Applejack began to feel kind of sick, she hated dark places, and her injured ‘friend’ didn’t make the situation any better. She wished one of her old friends could be here right now… together they could figure something out for sure. No… of course that was not possible, this Nightmare took that away from her, taking away a part from who she is… or rather was.

“I think we’re getting closer,” Sharpshot stated, half dragging himself, half supported by the country mare’s strength.

“Not that Ah’d doubt ya, but how can ya tell, Sharp? This tunnel looks exactly like the last dozen we’ve been in,” She replied with a bit more snarkiness in her voice than he’d have expected.

“You’re wrong,” He said, pointing at the crystal walls surrounding them. Some crystals in between the large mass of blue were glowing in a faint crimson hue. “See? Some crystals are red, just like the riddle said…” The stallion slowly approached one of the red crystals, gently touching the jewel, it was warm, unlike the rather cold rest of these caves.

Suddenly a bright flash of red blinded them momentarily. After a few moments of blinking, trying to get rid of the last few spots in his peripheral vision, Sharp saw a glowing line that connected the red crystals. The line went all the way into another tunnel and continued to light the darkness of the unknown, “Come on, Applejack!”

They followed the red line for what seemed like another eternity, the light became more intense after each connection. Finally the reach their goal… a wall. Not just any wall though, it was made entirely out of these crimson gemstones. The country mare couldn’t believe that all the trouble they had lead to a stupid wall, she could quite literally feel a scream of frustration build up deep inside of her, “Yer kiddin’ me, right? This is what we came for?! A wall?!”

“What happened to the calm, collected Applejack back in this temple? I need you to calm down and focus. Because if you were then you would’ve noticed this very peculiar shaped indentation in the wall,” His hoof pointed towards the crystal wall once again, straight at a crescent moon shaped hole.

“Oh… Sorry, it just… Ah jest wanna have a normal life again,” Her expression changed to one of deep seated sadness, her situation feeling more hopeless than ever before. Meanwhile Sharp used the time to fetch the stone from the moon temple and let it slide into the wall with a satisfying click.

The entire corridor shook, he feared it would collapse any moment, but instead the wall parted, the crimson gems disappearing into the wall. It revealed another room, much like the first one they found, also roughly the same size. The walls were glowing in an intense red, banners of a glowing red crescent moon hung from them already withered and faded from age.

“We did it!” Sharp exclaimed, finally this maze came to an end. “Huh… what’s this…” The stallion approached a neatly cut, glowing red crystal, lodged deep into it was what looked like a piece of a sword. It was just the double edged blade itself, reminding him of a broadsword, but the steel or metal was entirely blue and definitely radiated some kind of magical energy.

Next to it was a small pedestal, a single sheet of incredibly old paper was laying on top of it, unmoved for centuries. The hoof writing looks like the pony was in a hurry or barely knew how to write at all. Sharpshot began to read through it carefully.

705. Moon Cycle - Day 15

We did it… we actually came to an agreement! Now I can feel its full power flowing through my veins, this frail body is nothing more than a vessel for all the magic I can hold now. It’s exhilarating, almost… intoxicating. I’ve seen its true form in our books though, the entity itself, or rather the spirit seems to be female, but who knows if that is actually true…

Anyways, I feel like her voice keeps getting louder and louder every time she demands another sacrifice, or another task to be completed. It won’t take long for her to order the complete genocide of our race, but it’s too late to back out. The advantages outweigh the few unimportant risks by a margin! What is the sacrifice of a whole tribe, all my friends and family, compared to infinite knowledge and power. Now I understand why and how Celestia got so powerful, not even my new Master could do anything against it, but that’ll change soon enough. The only thing it seemed to avoid while we attacked seemed to be a particular sword, brought back from its home. It ordered me to destroy it, so I separated it into three pieces and spread them in the winds. The Frozen North is out of reach for these insolent mortals. I don’t have much time to continue my documentation, this page belonged to one of my old friends, Silver Streak, it was fitting to finish it with this last entry.

I’ll leave the blade piece here, nopony will ever find the required artifact to open this room, but in case they really do I’ll just leave this note here. The last location is by far the most interesting, it showed me a way to locate it, using this piece of the blade, and a weird pedestal on the Coast of Despair, remarkable really. Hidden in a small cave at the north beach. The place itself is an entire island! Not only that, but it’s filled to the brim with high ranked demons, even it’s former second hand is waiting there to guard the last piece. Not a creature I would mess with.

The brilliant part about it is that it vanishes every day at sunset, and reappears somewhere in a random ocean anywhere around the world. Nopony knows where it will appear next, but every time it vanished it left a trail of death and destruction in its wake. Even if somepony wanted to find it, they’d need the other two blade pieces, and an extraordinary wizard that could break the barrier around the island. I’m not really sure why she gave me this much detail about it, but no one in their right mind would dare to come even near the island. Time to shake this world up a bit, chaos had been held back for far too long.

~ Yours truly, Rao.

Sharp’s eyes widened as he read the name, the same as on the diary of this scholar. That meant that she really did unleash the Nightmare upon this world once again, maybe even before Nightmare Moon was created, because the depiction of her looked way different then Rao. The journal back in the Moon Temple mentioned ‘princesses’ though, as if there was another ruler at the time, besides Celestia. Did this other princess know about Rao and this tribe, they all seemed to hate the Sun Princess, but barely mentioned the other one. He sighed, more mysterious things to unravel, “Hey AJ, I think I know what we have to do.”

Applejack turned her head slightly to face the grey stallion, a certain determination has found its way into his expression. Meanwhile she examined the large crystal formation closer, it was definitely some kind of sword inside of it, but by the looks of it only a piece. She took the piece of withered paper, reading through the ancient writing. After a couple of minutes she scratched her head, this time with a confused expression, “So… Ah guess this island… or the frozen north is next, right? Also, this name rings some bells… kinda, but Ah dun’ know where Ah’ve seen it before.”

“It’s the same as in this journal we found in the temple… the High Priestess of the Moon Tribe. It seems like she really was the one siding with this thing that was trapped inside the crystal, the Nightmare… So Nightmare Moon wasn’t the first entity possessed by it,” Sharpshot stated, it was now his turn to stare at the blade piece.

“Seems like it… this is bigger than we expected… maybe the princess should know about it. Ah chose to go away, it’s not like Ah’m banished or somethin’, it’s just… difficult,” Applejack replied with a trace of sadness in her voice.

The stallion continued to stare at the sword, after a short pause he said, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea to be honest. Think about it for a moment, why do you think did they hate her so much? Very unusual, especially when talking about a princess like Celestia. Single ponies may dislike her methods, but a whole isolated civilization? No, there has to be a very good reason for a deep seated hatred like that. This ‘demon island’ does not sound like the usual place in Equestria. I only hear ponies talking in the coast areas, that… well once or twice a year, ponies suddenly vanish near the coast lines. Especially fishers and divers that search for valuables. These are just rumors though, but I heard that in nearly every city at least once. ”

“Well what do ya suggest then? Search for this island on our own? She wrote that there are demons… I thought they only existed in myths and in old tales Granny used to tell...” The country mare exclaimed, just the mere thought of these creatures sent a shiver down her spine.

Sharp drew his sword, the coiled blade glistening under the crimson shimmer, “First, we need to get this thing, and get out of here. And yes… infiltrating that island is the best thing we have. Although, I’ve never heard of a place called ‘Coast of Despair’, it’s definitely not a name Celestia would allow in her land.” He engulfed the bare grip of the blade in his magical grasp and began to pull as hard as he could. “Hngh! This darn… thing!”

Finally after five minutes of intense groaning the blade began to quiver ever so slightly, slowly sliding out of the massive crystal. “Rahhh!” He put every ounce of strength behind his last pull, freeing the sword from its prison. A blue shine seemed to emanate off of it, the crimson crystal that held it slowly turned back into colorless, transparent and dead rock.
The blade itself was a masterpiece, the blue, double edged broadsword was still flawless despite the hundred of years it waited inside of its prison. The stallion could definitely tell that it held a considerable magical charge, even this single piece of it. It soared through the air, its edge still razor sharp, “Sweet Heavens… this is the best sword I’ve ever seen… it might even rival Twilight Sparkle’s… although, it’s a physical blade… that is a disadvantage, but still one of the best in this world for sure.”

“Ah have no idea what you’re talking ‘bout, but look!” A wall at the back end of the crumble gave way, the crystals also turning transparent, it seemed like this sword was the thing that caused the crystals to gain a small magical charge. It revealed a hidden passage, maybe even a direct way out of this mountain! “Seems like it’s the tunnel this mare used to escape… come on!”

“Coming!” He strapped the unfinished blade to the cord of his other weapon of choice and briefly looked around before leaving. Everything was either turning colorless, or already crumbling, at least this was the last time ponies had to risk their lives in these dangerous caves… Sharp sighed and followed her, leaving this part of their journey behind him.

The first thing the timid pegasus did, was to let the small iron cogwheel ‘click’ into place, now they just had one more door to go. They could at least move up to the next floor, now that she thought about it, this whole shrine could take a whole lot longer than they would’ve expected. If that was necessary to leave this freezing hell she would do it without a second thought. Fluttershy’s mind was centered around her friends since she got here, the situation had to be even worse than her own.

“W-Well… I guess we don’t really have a choice… let’s enter the last room… if only these strange barriers wouldn’t exist… then I could at least try to carry you to the next floor,” Fluttershy stated with a hint of sadness in her voice. Like usual she felt pretty useless… Rost could’ve done it himself, there was nopony that needed her here…

“I’m still glad you came with me. To be honest, I hate puzzles, riddles, or any other obstacle that doesn’t involve the need of pure strength or a sharp steel object. Heh… I would be pretty lost without you,” The brown stallion replied.

As they entered the room the door slammed shut, similar to the last door. Their eyes went wider and wider as they tried to find the seemingly missing ceiling. Not that it was a way out of the mountain, but it was just so high that they couldn’t see it. Leading up to the ‘ceiling’ was a wide rectangular staircase, well there weren’t actually any stairs. Just ramps that lead up to the not visible ceiling, and presumably, the last cogwheel. They were just barely fixed to the walls. The floor beneath the ramps was filled with some sort of bubbling violet liquid, definitely not something either of them should come in contact with.

What’s so difficult with that? Just climb it carefully, no problem. The real challenge were the traps, and sweet Celestia there were many of them. Coming out of of the wall were slowly moving ‘cannons’, with a little shield on top of it that had a demon’s face on it. They were also frozen, but seemed to ‘scan’ the area slowly. As Fluttershy took one step forward the four lowest of them fixated their barrel at her in a matter of seconds, the mare ‘eeped’ and backed off again. Little holes could be seen in the ramps, they looked like spikes or something would come out of them, despite the ramps being relatively thin. Also axes… giant axe pendulums hanging from the underside of the higher ramps to slice intruders on lower ramps in half. Everything in this room was half frozen and nopony had been in here since, most likely forever, but it worked without a single broken machine.

Rost laid his right forehoof on his iron helm and gasped, “Woah… this looks like a suicide parkour, we’d be crazy to try that.” As he tried to move his hoof slightly over the boiling liquid on the edges he got repelled similar to what happened to Fluttershy. There was only one way, forward.

“I… I will try i-it...” Fluttershy shivered like crazy, her whole body trembling in genuine fear of death. If these giant axes or spikes wouldn’t finish her off for good, one of the dozen cannons would surely do the trick. “You’re… n-not a-as agile as I-I am...”

“Fluttershy! You can’t expect me to just let you die in this insane room! There has to be—”

“NO!” Fluttershy shouted, interrupted the concerned stallion with an unusual force in her voice. She was still trembling, but a certain force began to shine in her eyes. “I-I need to be s-strong! F-For you, a-and my other friends! If I can’t survive this… I… I would never survive the r-raging inferno t-that is my home land now!”

The yellow pegasus stepped back until her tail touched the iron bars of the tightly shut door, she took a deep breath, maybe the last one she’d ever take. Then Fluttershy sprinted forwards, faster than she’d ever thought was possible, leaving a small trail of snow and ice particles in her wake. The rosary around her glowed brightly, rotating around her body as she literally glided over the first ramp. The first three cannons caught the mare in their crossfire. The first frozen iron ball grazed her left hind leg slightly making her wince, a thin layer of ice began to form there before the beads of her rosary melted it off.

The last two flew towards her in perfect parallel unison, Fluttershy just acted out of instinct, opening her feathery wings and jumped forward in the right moment. She felt the coldness of the ice grazing her back and underside, but neither of them hit her directly. Rost’s eyes went wide once again in the background, he’d never seen the timid pegasus do tricks like that before. It was like she was a whole other pony, just acting through her sharpened senses and reflexes.

Fluttershy’s suspicion had been confirmed unfortunately, long, frozen rods of what looked like sharpened bamboo shot out of the holes, blocking her way. It stopped her for just a second, enough time for five more cannons to take a shot at the mare. She flew over the trap and pivoted rapidly while flying, literally backflipping over two icy balls of iron. The two deadly projectiles impacted with the other three, producing a large explosion in the air that caused her to almost lose her balance. She was not even on the third ramp and already escaped death three times. The remains of the destroyed spike trap fell into the liquid and made it splash up to her. Fluttershy didn’t notice it in time, and just two droplets of it landed on her right hind leg while she touched the ramp again. The yellow pegasus buckled for a second, it felt like one of these demons was chewing on her whole leg with extreme aggressivity.

Her eyes went wide in shock as she saw the next barrage of cannonballs fly directly at her. This time there was no way to dodge, they impacted with the rosary, producing a sound similar to nails on a chalkboard inside of her head. Luckily they turned to ash instantly from the intense magical heat, but she already looked like a mess, tears streaming down her cheeks and completely out of breath.

Rost shouted something from the door, but it took her ears a moment to recuperate from the magical assault, “Fluttershy, I know you can do it! Don’t give up!” He was right… she’d come so far, and this mountain was not going to win! The timid mare got up slowly, shakily standing on her hooves, but Fluttershy did not have much time to even catch her breath.

She barely dodged another projectile by running further up the curses parkour, the first swinging axes came into view, but the cannons never ceased fire, it also looked like they reloaded themselves, however that was possible. Fluttershy waited just a second too long for the first axe to pass, another icy cannonball hit the barrier that saved her life multiple times now. The action produced a reaction immediately, the ear shattering screech of a thousand nails on chalkboards disoriented her, but she had to push on.

This time she slid under the next axe, the razor sharp steel grazing her vulnerable stomach. The still dizzy mare came back to her eyes, thrown up another ramp by a massive explosion. Then she heard a sound that let her heart sink, a slow cracking noise directly behind her. On the safe ground Rost shouted something, barely audible because of the ear shattering crack, “..un! ...run, Flu...shy! RUN!”

She got the message and nearly tripped over her own hooves as the mare began to do as she was told. The platform behind her shattered due to the massive firepower, the cracked stones falling down into the liquid. This caused a rapid chain reaction, the ramp she was standing on lost its support, it gained a more oblique position, threatened to fall too. Fluttershy sprinted like she was chased by a demon, in her panic she completely forgot about her live saving appendages. With a mighty jump the pegasus landed on the slightly higher ramp, but didn’t have even a moment before it began to fall down too.

It was time limit which made this thing even more dangerous. She couldn’t spend more than ten seconds on each platform, her body did certainly show that. Two deep cuts in her back from a double sided axe that were making her dizzy from the heavy blood loss, her entire left side bloodied and bruised because a large piece of a cannon ball ricocheted off the wall and took her off guard. Also her right hind leg looked like it was completely useless by now, one frozen bamboo that had been sharpened to a tip pierced right through the base of it, the mare couldn’t move it even one inch. Right now Fluttershy could barely stay upright, but her still somehow present reflexes kept her alive.

The last ramp came into view, but she couldn’t run properly, a steady dripping of blood could be heard, at least Fluttershy could hear it. The world seemed to slow down, the explosive particles behind another cannon ball could be seen, lingering in the back of a barrel, ready to end her misery. Although… it couldn’t end here… right? What would her friends say if she never returned? Not only that, but Fluttershy just had to know what happened that day, in Canterlot.

The timid mare unleashed a soul rending scream. For a second there was only her, and this cursed cannon. The icy ball was mere meters away from her as it happened. She spread her wings wide to turn faster, and turning she did, spinning like a miniature tornado. Fluttershy steeled her nerves for the next moment that would decide if she’d live, or die. It was an all or nothing attempt of preserving her own life, the life beads ‘whispered’ to her, telling Fluttershy to do this insane action.

She screamed like never before, barely audible from within her ‘tornado’. Only her still working hoof touched the ground, producing massive amount of friction with the rapid spinning motion. The ball was just a meter away from the mare as she stopped, her good hoof was… burning? The flames around her hoof extended upwards to the middle of the leg, the beads glowing brightly, amplifying the effect, but it didn’t burn her. Her wings flapped once, causing her to do a backflip, as the pegasus’ leg was at the highest point her wings flapped rapidly, giving her more speed to crash down at the iron ball.

“RAHHH!” Fluttershy screamed as hard as she could, the metal fizzling and struggling against the force of her hoof. The entire thing had caught on fire as it was repelled by her tremendous and completely unknown physical strength. It’s fiery explosion looked like a dying miniature star. The yellow mare fell back on her haunches, panting heavily without noticing the recoil had literally catapulted her to the safe platform. Her leg looked completely normal again, no signs of any burn or bruises. The life beads had returned to their natural state, just a ‘normal’ hovering rosary around her neck, “Thank you...”

The ground below her got quickly soaked up with blood from her ruined hind leg and her back. She had to stop the bleeding as quick as possible, but first… Behind her, laying on the ground without a care in the world, was the last cogwheel. It just… laid there, without any traps, no collapsing platforms, nothing. So she crawled over to it and picked it up. Fluttershy then quickly dragged herself towards the literal cliff and sailed down, using her wings to control her fall.

On safe ground once again. Rost immediately trotted over to her and began to wrap their last roll of gauze bandage around her injuries, they got soaked up with blood at an alarming rate. Two minutes later most parts of her back, and the base of her hind legs were covered in bandages. Without a warning Rost hugged her, his voice quivering as he said, “N-Never do something like that again!”

“Ow… m-my back,” Fluttershy winced, the stallion quickly let go of her. “It wasn’t l-like I had a choice.”

“Thank goddess you’re okay… but… how in the world did you do all that?! You jumped around like a top athlete, dodging even the cannon balls! And that thing with your leg, how’s that even possible?!”

“I don’t know… reflexes and the magic of these beads, I guess. They saved my life on more than one occasion now,” The yellow pegasus replied, still completely out of breath. “I just hope that my hind leg heals...” The two of them didn’t even flinch as the sound of metal grinding came from behind them. She survived another deadly trap of this insane shrine, but… this was just the first floor… what would wait for them in the second one?!

The first night after the ‘heroes’ of the revolution returned from Twilight’s suicide mission didn’t go very well for the unchallenged leader. Her dreams were different this time, by far the worst she ever had. It wasn’t just Celestia doing awful things, no… entire nations crumbling in anarchy, millions of individuals dying, not just ponies.

Families torn apart, whole villages wiped from the face of their planet. This was the path she chose, and there was no way back. It wasn’t her vision though, her plan was to protect Equestria from Celestia’s tyranny and outside threats, not conquer the whole world.

In this moment a soft laughter rang through her dream, it was the most beautiful sounding voice she’d ever heard. Laughing with such clarity and happiness that Twilight could’ve sat there all day listening to this wonderful sound. Then it, or rather she, because it was definitely female, began to speak. Some stray tears rolled down Twilight’s sleepy eyes, never before had she heard something like it, “So naive~ Yet so full of darkness.”

“W-who are you? Please, show yourself,” Her dream was gone, left was a place of great importance in her past life. It looked exactly like her old room in the right tower of Canterlot Castle.

The lights dimmed, and the shadows seemed to shift and turn. The vague shape of a pony began to form out of it. The smooth blackness slowly formed the alluring form of her ‘guest’. Her form could be compared to the famous model Fleur De Lis, slender legs, curves at the perfect spots, an unusually large horn, matching the size of Celestia’s, a perfect hourglass figure, and a set of gorgeous eyes that resembled Nightmare Moon’s slitted ones. Her hips practically dripped with sex appeal, every mare in Equestria would be jealous of her.

Twilight’s mouth dropped slightly as a pair of large, feathery wings formed on her side. Definitely larger than those of a normal pegasus. She resembled Celestia in so many ways, yet never came even close to the white alicorn. They practically were negatives of each other, but at this very moment her mysterious intruder was so much more tempting. As the new alicorn gave her a warm smile Twilight couldn’t help it and smiled back, it was like looking at the crush she didn’t even know she had.

“Oh~ Do you like this form, my child of darkness?” She purred, coming closer and closer to the lavender unicorn. “This is just a small taste, you know?” The mare nibbled at Twilight ear, it made her shiver as a small bolt of pleasure seemed to go through her whole body.

“D-don’t… this is.... j-just a dream,” The confused unicorn panted slightly, blood rushing into her cheeks. The air around her seemed to grow hotter by the second.

“It is~ But dreams are so much more. They are portals into my subjects subconsciousness~ I think our meeting is long overdue, Twilight Sparkle. I am known as the Nightmare, the spirit of shadows,” She punctuated the last sentence with her slender hoof travelling along Twilight’s fur.

“Mhm~ You… you helped Luna, right? But you cursed her… that’s why she has these insane fits of laughter,” The mare said, but couldn’t think straight. Her visitor barely touched her, only grazed her fur with those… divine hooves, but it felt like the best thing that ever happened to her.

“The Princess of the Night was lonely, and unstable. I made a mistake, admittedly. You have anger too, and this burning need for vengeance. Let me guide you, Twilight~ You have no idea what your magic can do once we pull at the same string, child of darkness,” The Nightmare purred into her ear. It was easy to fall for honeyed words flowing out of a silver tongue, but Twilight wasn’t stupid.

The lavender mare moaned and squirmed against her gentle touch, “B-but… mhm… I need to follow my own… path.”

“So adorable~ What do you think I am, dear child? A nefarious beast that plans to conquer the world? No, I want to protect Equestria as much as you do. Twilight, I have seen your dreams. Think about it for a second. What happens if the Sun Tyrant loses? She is not foolish, far from it, all the beasts she held back will be cut loose. There are hundreds of threats, just waiting to dig their claws into the flesh of Equestria,” The Nightmare said while giving her little child a small kiss on the cheek, making her blush even more.

“W-What threats? C-Celestia is the main problem, everything else is not important,” She said, just a little irritated. That negative emotion instantly melted away under the Nightmare’s touch.

“The griffons in the north, their military one of the strongest in the world, and their methods are… barbaric in the least, in the east, countless islands with their own kingdoms, rulers and plans alongside them, just waiting for the right moment to invade Equestria with their strong sea presence. Those are just two of the dozens of enemies Equestria has, and their number grows while the land is crumbling under this civil war. With my help, you could end this~ Follow Discord’s plan, and we will add her powers to our own.”

“Were you r-responsible for all the nightmares I had?” Twilight asked, her cheeks coloured in a rich crimson. This was bothering her ever since the first day these dreams showed up, depicting a dark future for the leader of the rebels.

“Oh, those were no nightmares, my little darkness. Glimpses of the future would be more fitting. I showed you what will happen in case the Princess of the Sun loses her mind. Even an immortal being like her is not immune to the grasp of insanity. And you push her closer to this dark abyss every day you continue to hide from her ‘protection’, ” The last word was spoken with an enormous amount of venom in her voice, almost dripping with pure, unadulterated hatred for Celestia. It showed once more that the Nightmare was not a force to be trifled with… especially not if she was in this… form.

Twilight stayed close to the shadowy goddess. She was emanating ridiculous amounts of chaos magic, the lavender mare could tell because it was the same technique she used to ‘focus’ Rainbow Dash. Even though she knew that her guest was practically enchanting her… Twilight couldn’t help but enjoy this treatment. To give this special kind of ‘affection’ was one thing, but to receive it was a completely new experience, a feeling she could get used too... “Mhm~ I… I pushed her to this edge? H-How? I’m sure she experienced t-this kind of revolution time and time a-again, at least once with Luna.”

The Nightmare giggled, continuing to play with Twilight’s hair and fur. Just a simple touch was enough to send sparks of pleasure down the lavender mare’s spine, “I don’t know how she managed to hold back for so long, you are just too adorable~ Because, Twilight Sparkle, she has way more feelings towards you then your brilliant mind could ever realize. This has never happened once in our ancient rivalry.”

She didn’t reply, how could she? Celestia just saw her as a toy, nothing more. All these years under her wing, all the evenings spent closely cuddled together reading another book about the most complex topics known to ponydom… All of that was a lie…

“Oh I know what you think, my little darkness. How could she do something so cruel if she has such strong feelings for you? Mhm~ The answer is simple, Celestia loves her sister as well. All of these horrible, horrible decision were just made to keep those she loved under her control. The being known as Nightmare Moon wasn’t under her influence anymore, twisted as her mind is that was equal to a terrible betrayal. Loved by a goddess, and still able to flee her influence, immortal beings can’t have that~ She loves her sister, and she loved the most powerful unicorn of this century, because of that, Celestia has to control you, limit you, make sure you stay hers forever. Love should be expressed freely, without these boring restrictions, don’t you think?~” More sweet talk out of her mouth, for her it was just another move in this game of the gods. Celestia was as readable as a book, her feelings towards Twilight were even more obvious, and since the young scholar was oblivious, made it even easier to make her join the Nightmare’s cause.

“Yes… of course,” Twilight replied like in a trance. “I’ll make her realize that she can’t control me or Luna.”

“Perfect, my child of darkness~ I’ll show you the right ways. For now just keep going, you’re doing the right thing. I’ll be with you the entire time should you require assistance. And now, wake up, and bring true darkness upon this world~” Twilight’s dream faded, the intense pleasure from her encounter remained though, and the last image was the warm smile from the Nightmare.

Rise to the Top

Chapter 21: Rise to the top

Her little world was shattered on more than one occasion, before this whole war started she was nothing but a yellow pegasus, living her comfortable life, with her comfortable friends, house, animals and never had to raise a weapon meant to specifically harm a creature. The change happened so quickly, and all because of some strange magic she had no idea of. Even right now the timid mare was going through the worst, agonizing pain she’d felt in her entire life. Fluttershy looked like an undead at this point, blood soaked bandages covered most of her right hind leg and her back. Dozens of small bruises or cuts were littered over her ruined body, even her face was no exception, one misguided shrapnel from a cannon ball almost hit her left eye, leaving a cut right under it.

In comparison Rost almost looked as good as new, just minor cuts along his legs and back, most of them were a reminder from those bat creatures they faced at the entrance. He felt incredibly guilty, it was his duty to save this chunk of ice that his people called a home, not hers. Fluttershy shouldn’t have any injuries at all, from the mare’s stories Rost could tell that she had enough. Currently they were sitting in the main room of the lowest floor, waiting for the pegasus to catch her breath.

After another ten minutes of absolute silence the yellow mare took a deep breath, calming herself noticeably, “Alright… I think I’m good to go… this shrine is testing us somehow, and I don’t want to lose against the twisted minds of these demons.” She let the last cogwheel fit into its place, hearing another satisfying click. The machine began to make soft noises, similar to buzzing of angry bees. One of the buttons lit up, a faint light coming from behind it however that was possible, but it wasn’t the one that lead to the second floor as they would’ve expected it, instead the small pyramid lit up.

“I guess we’re going straight to the top then… strange, why would they have a second ‘test’ floor if they let us go to the highest one anyway. It seems like another trap… but we can’t really do anything else,” Rost stated. He pressed the button and both stepped on the platform. The entire thing seemed to move upwards, the cogwheel at the side steadily elevating them. “Be careful, Fluttershy. We don’t know what they are capable of.”

She just nodded, seeing the second floor pass as they went upwards, it seemed like the entire floor just consisted of one large door, it was a double door decorated with black gems, maybe obsidian, but she’d have to ask Rarity for a more precise identification. Another short surge of sadness rang through her as images of one of her best friends flashed into Fluttershy’s mind. Their weekly visit to the Spa, their quiet tea meetings in her boutique or a simple small talk during a busy day of work. She’d always felt that the fashionista understood her the most, even more so than her childhood friend.

The end of their ride came into view, she could see the clouded sky of this land, and the freezing wind already whipped into her face. The platform came to a halt, stopping at some sort of plateau that also was the top of the mountain. Large golden bars functioned as a barrier around the flat area. They were almost five meters high, and Fluttershy could tell that they emitted the same kind of magic the invisible barriers did back on the first floor. Lit torches were lined up on them, hanging at a two and a half meter height. She had no idea how they still burned after all this time, especially with this freezing wind outside. The floor was unnaturally flat, this plateau was certainly not here before these demons invaded this shrine. Strange paintings were on the ground, a flaming ball with tribal looking markings on it, an eight-headed serpent that carried what looked like a giant sacred bell on its back, and a grey fox with nine tails, all of them had a mask tied to it, some of them frowning, some of them smiling. The end of each tail looked like it was covered in ink, in its, with razor sharp teeth covered mouth, was the grip of a giant sword, it branched out on each side with a right angle, four on the right and four on the left, and the tip looked similar to them. It had the appearance of a lightning rod, especially because the ‘branches’ were colored in a yellow hue. All of these creature looked like powerful, evil beasts, and she was glad that these twin demons seemingly weren’t part of this ‘monster trio’.

A thunderous roar pierced through the the windy twilight, sending a shiver down Fluttershy’s spine. Then she saw something approaching, two.. owls? They looked relatively small, for about five seconds until they hovered over them. Their appearance froze her blood solid, this… shrine was nothing against the terrifying aura both emitted.

Rost seemed to have the same reaction, slowly backing off, “T-The Golden D-Demon Lechku and the S-Silver Demon Nechku… they are really here… t-there is no way around this.”

Both had the appearance of demonic, menacing owls whose body parts were composed of mechanical clockworks, and even other parts based on the same theme. Lecku’s body consisted of an analog clock with normal numbers, while Nechku's was a clock with flipping pieces bearing old numerical symbols. Fluttershy couldn’t really read them, but it looked like it ranged from zero to nine on three slots, and above this clock was a decoration piece of a night sky with a crescent moon and stars. Same thing for the golden demon, a small symbol resembling a beautifully crafted sun adorned the space above the normal clock.

Her eyes wandered further down, only increasing her confusion, these things should not exist, it was simply unnatural. Visible under the clocks were a mass of cogwheels and mechanisms, and hidden underneath these were their deadly talons with razor-sharp claws, pulled up behind the mechanisms. Atop the clocks, the arms of Lechku and Nechku were present, scrawny but also riddled with muscles, they were surprisingly small and short compared to their bodies. On the side of their chests, under a weird cloth piece, looking like an ancient toga were owl wings, enabling them the ability of flight. They were by no means natural, each individual feather reflected the light of the numerous torches, it could have been beautiful, if those demons weren’t several times bigger than the timid pegasus.

Their heads had one of the most noticeable features, each demon ‘blessed’ with an eye of their respective demon's color, the other one hidden under a silver or gold framed monocle. On the side of each demon's head was a turning gear used to externally control the mechanisms in the demon's body, Lechku and Nechku turned them once, but the mare couldn’t see anything changing, so it was unclear what function they had. The silver demon also bore a mustache above its beak, coupled with the top hat each demon had and the cane they held, Lechku and Nechku were given a formal, almost classy appearance, in a very twisted sense of the word.

They had so many similarities, yet so many differences. The small details were important, for example the silver demon used his pointy owl-like ears to hold the top hat in its place. Both hats had some sort of spinning device in them, spinning clockwise in Lechku’s and counter clockwise in Nechku’s hat. They weren’t really hats either, a large golden or silver plate, then this device, and on top of it a smaller plate, connected with four thin columns. So they were more of a hat-like protection for this strange thing. It didn’t stop there though, from the different colours, to the fact they both had a different eye covered by the monocle to the different canes. The silver cane was more like a scepter, having a crystal ball of some sort attached to the straight wood, and the golden one was more like a classical cane that she’d seen before.

Rost shivered madly, all the anger, frustration and fear came back to him. His sword was drawn, held shakily in his mouth. Fluttershy stood oddly still, not really fearing those demons, they were the only thing standing between her and her best friends. This wouldn’t hold her back.

Before she could do something though, the brown stallion galloped forth, preparing to attack the demons head on, “Rost, no! We don’t know what they are capable of!” It was too late, he jumped towards them in a mighty leap, his sword aimed at the silver demon’s head. Then they saw a glimpse of their true power, both tilted their head slightly and the clocks in their chests suddenly stopped… and so did Rost.

Her expression would’ve been a shocked one, if she could move her body. Everything was plunged into a negative colour, gone was the harsh wind, gone was the subtle movement of the sky. It looked like the entire world just… stopped, probably not everything since not even these demons could control the time of an entire planet just like that, but it was enough to be very, very dangerous. They moved calmly, their large wings flapping steadily, bringing them ever closer to Rost. They stopped right before him, observing the intruder that dared to oppose them.

Nechku raised his silvery cane, and in one quick motion pierced it through the brown stallion’s chest. Even the tip was almost as large as his heart, and that was the exact thing the demons had been aiming for. Fluttershy couldn’t even realize what was happening as the time returned back to normal, gaining her usual yellow colour.

The stallion looked down on himself, his eyes bloodshot and full of fear, as he saw the giant cane pierced through his chest, a cough escaped him, bringing a load of crimson with it. It began to saturate his coat as Rost slowly slid of the cane. The only sound except the steady flapping was the dull thud of his body impacting with the stone floor. Instantly the pegasus rushed over to him, holding the dying earth pony close, “ROST! No! Please… we… we wanted to do this together!”
She sobbed into his coat, the tears landing on his now almost… serene face. The brown stallion was completely still, only twitching lightly, “Heh… here I am… the proud… warrior of… our tribe, dying in… the hooves of a… beautiful maiden.”

Another cough escaped him, staining his coat more and more, “Fluttershy… I am… truly sorry. Please… grant me one, last wish...”

Fluttershy nodded shakily, it all happened in a matter of minutes. Those beasts were just staring at them with an unforgiving gaze, almost mocking those pathetic creature for daring to oppose them, “A-Anything...”

This brought a faint smile to his bloody lips, only whispering at this point. It became harder and harder to breath, and he was getting dizzy from the burning pain in his chest, “Tell… tell… your friends… that I… couldn’t bring… bring an end… to your problems. I failed… to rescue… this wonderful pegasus, and I’m truly sorry...” Those were his last words before Rost went limp in her arms. Fluttershy could see his coat quickly losing colour, his body slowly losing warmth, she released a strangled cry while holding her now dead friend in her arms.

It caused the demons to back off slightly, they wanted both of them dead as quickly as possible. The golden demon raised one claw to his top hat, flipping the whole thing and holding it upside down before his body. Then the cane, held by his other claw tapped against it lightly. If Fluttershy wouldn’t be so lost in her emotions, she’d be terrified, it was a giant bomb, already with burning fuse, the demons were about to throw it towards the pegasus. This would be her end, but… maybe that wasn’t so bad… the mare had forgotten why she was here… why she tried to run from her inevitable death.

The most important moments of her mind flashed before Fluttershy’s inner eye. Her first day in Cloudsdale’s School for Young Pegasi, the moment she met Rainbow Dash, one of the mare’s best friends ever since. Her first time on the ground, seeing all those wondrous creatures was truly amazing. Her Farewell Party before she left the flying city to live on the ground, Rainbow Dash even helped her to find a new home. It was a bit rustic, but had enough space for Fluttershy’s plans, she’d never forget the joy she felt that day. The memories continued with her first group hug with her now best friends in the world. Shortly after… they met Twilight Sparkle and everything went downhill after that.

Her eyes were reduced to pinpricks as she returned to the real world, hearing the mechanical ticking of those damned demons. It was already too late though, she rolled to her side, but the impact of the bomb send her flying nonetheless. She impacted with the fence, getting something similar to an electric shock, only that it hurt a hundred times more, it was enough pain to make her see stars for a moment. She didn’t hear the cracking sound until it was once again too late, the ground seemed to give way around her. Fluttershy still couldn’t move freely, only seeing the gaping hole the bomb left right where she laid just a few moments ago. Splits and cracks formed around it, the impact affected the entire floor.

Then she was gone, falling into the darkness with a surprised scream, alongside the ruble and rests of the broken floor. Worst of all Rost was still up there, his… last wish, she wouldn’t forget it! Even if this were her last moment, “Girls… I’m sorry… I should’ve been stronger… and now all hope is lost.” She continued to fall in now complete darkness, the hole seemed to be so tiny now, and the mare wondered where she’d land. Maybe there was a chance she wouldn’t die… in her shock induced panic she didn’t even think about the set of feathery wings on her back, sailing down into another unknown threat.

Meanwhile, far, far away, in a cozy bed the infamous Twilight Sparkle startled awake like a little filly. The lavender mare’s right forehoof touched her neck, those sensations… the feelings the Nightmare showed her… it had been… intoxicating. It wasn’t just mere pleasure, no, it was something greater, something Twilight wanted to feel again. Maybe this was how Rainbow Dash felt after one of their little ‘fun times’.

The first thing was her morning routine which consisted of showering, combing her mane, and eating something. It may sound boring to do the exact same thing, in the exact same order every, single morning, but it was one of the last ‘normal’ and stable things around her. Plus showering gave her time to think, it was more of a ‘standing under the warm water and pondering’. It could give her thoughts the ability to flow around freely, maybe she wasn’t seeing things from the right point of view, this could all lead to a very, very painful end of this rebellion if the lavender mare wasn’t careful. Sure, all of Twilight’s friends were loyal for now, but none of them was under any sort of spell, except the little chaos energy she used on Rainbow Dash, and the communication spell for everyone, but that wasn’t affecting their minds, most likely.

Loyalty wasn’t something natural, it never had been for the pony race. Her offer was just the best for now, if ponies like Silent Flare would notice that she faltered, or considered any compromises they wouldn’t be so loyal after another good offer from… Celestia. Her mind fell into these patterns very often recently, analyzing every last detail, as the name of her former mentor fell Twilight remembered what the Nightmare said… But that could’ve been a lie, this ancient being was not a force to be easily trifled with, and it wouldn’t make any sense that Celestia had… that kind of feelings for her.

She chuckled a little while looking in the mirror and combing her hair, so what? Even in the highly unlikely case that it would be true, she was far too deep into their immortal game to back out now. This Nightmare was likely even older than Celestia from what she’d heard about it, it offered great power, but never without a price, and the prices were always very, very expensive. The lavender unicorn was not too thrilled to give this being her soul or something crazy like that. Having the power of Celestia was enough reward for her, and seeing her severed head hanging from the palace’s balconies surely wasn’t too bad either.

After that she’d see… those threats she talked about sounded serious. It was true though, Twilight rarely bothered herself with learning about other lands. She knew just basic things about what was beyond the frozen north, or the two big oceans in the east and west of Equestria, or even beyond the famous badlands, the land even beyond the home of dragons. The lavender mare had to keep these things in her mind, but she knew that the Nightmare would help her out, all she needed to do was ask. It was similar to her connection with Luna, but even stronger, it was like the Nightmare was directly watching her every step through Twilight’s own eyes. A little bit unsettling, but she had worse, it wouldn’t hurt to cooperate to eliminate their mutual enemy.

It wouldn’t hurt at all…

The Princess of the Night chuckled to herself, observing the busy action of her subjects. It was extremely satisfying to just watch them do their work, not with fear in their hearts, but anger, pure unadulterated anger directed at her precious sister. Luna’s Children of the Night would be returning in full force soon, the very best warriors amongst the ranks of the civilians receiving a drop of her unlimited power. A little army consisting of thestral who naturally were physically stronger than normal ponies, and way better at flying, their innate magic was amplified by a margin, and all that from a tiny sliver of her own magic.

The blue demi-goddess remembered the last time she infused a little bit more power into a lovely couple, right before she was banished. The resulting bloodline was just as strong as it was on that very day, resulting in Silver Night. A shame that he was born as a pegasus, unicorns just proved to be more effective during combat, especially due to their flexibility and wide variety of tools at hoof.

There was no time to think about the past though, focusing back onto the now calm, but busy streets of their newest city. No barracks were needed, due to the whole population joining her voluntarily, sure, some were still loyal to her sister, but they already rotted in a cell beneath the city. Manehattan was known for its high security, underground prison that nearly covered the entire sub floor of the massive city. All of the newly reformed citizens bowed deeply as they saw her, doing their jobs and keeping the burning passion alive. All blacksmiths were working overtime, trying to equip the new recruits or making sure the old weapons stayed deadly enough for the rest of Celestia’s army.

Some of Capone’s mercenaries could be seen here and there, hiding in the shadows and ensuring that everything went according to plan. Identifying them as members of his organization was actually fairly easy, their dress code was… unique. Always wearing a suit, or a coat thrown over their shoulder.. Most of them wore some kind of fancy accessory, a fedora, a pinstripe hat, a golden pocket watch, maybe even a combination of said things. Also, some of them developed a habit of smoking cigars whenever they wanted to intimidate somepony, kind of pointless in Luna’s opinion, but she couldn’t tell them to stop anyway, if their boss was doing it, the habit instantly became ‘well mannered’ in between their ranks. The demi-goddess just learned fairly recently what those strangely brown things were, and she was not pleased at all about the explanation. A dried plant imported from Saddle Arabia grinded into a rough powder and pressed into these ‘cigars’, addicting after a while, and it tasted absolutely disgusting. She’d given up asking why it was so appealing though, let them kill themselves for all she cared, really.

Her work in this city was nearly done, just selecting a few strong individuals and bless them with her power, and use them to reinforce their reign in this city. All thestrals, even immediately after their transformation, were undoubtedly loyal to the Lunar Princess. She would soon travel to the next city, spread the truth, and have some exercise with Celly’s oh-so-precious Solar Guards. Her partner said to minimize casualties, but since they were trained guards it technically wasn’t a casualty to let their bodies explode like a firework. Not that she’d do such a thing, since that would just scare the population, but it sounded strangely enticing. Sometimes the blue alicorn missed the guidance of the Nightmare, but since the day of her return it remained silent, she had a quiet suspicion who her next host was. It would only benefit their plans though, with such power they were essentially two alicorn against a single one, with Twilight being extremely smart and talented in the use of chaos magic it became even better. There also was Discord… not her most pleasant ‘business partner’ from the past millennia, but Luna couldn’t deny that he was powerful, sometimes more than any of them could ever realize. The draconequus knew how their immortality worked, he practically knew everything there was about them, Discord was the literal God of Chaos after all. Without the Elements of Harmony, ridiculous as they were, there was almost nothing that could potentially stop him. They were hidden in a very, very special place though, only accessible for her, Twilight and possibly Rarity, she hoped they wouldn’t need them though, even if it meant sharing their rule with... him.

Fluttershy would scream her soul out, but the prior events just… stole her voice, rendered the now helpless mare speechless. She had lost yet another friend, they didn’t know each other for very long, but their connection was strong, maybe more than she would ever realize. There wasn’t any reason to deny the inevitable, the yellow pegasus would die here, she didn’t even know where she was, it was just black, and the hole she fell in also stopped existing as far as she could tell.

Her innert magic might save her, but it would probably hurt even more because she wouldn’t die immediately, no, for her weakness she deserved suffering. Fluttershy couldn’t save her friends, this land, and not even herself. Was everything she had achieved until now completely irrelevant? Her wings flared instinctively as she thought about it, there were still ponies relying on her… all of her friends were in grave danger. Even if the mare would die now… she would find peace in the fact that at least she tried.

Apparently Fluttershy’s timing was just as perfect as it was unfortunate, her wings slowed down her fall mere moments before the timid mare impacted with solid mass. Pegasi’s bodies were a little different, lighter, able to store wind in between their feathers and even coat, that way they could survive falls from extreme heights. It was like a waking call, she screamed like a madmare, all the pain, emotional and physical came back to her. It didn’t make her sad though, no tears flowed down her cheeks, the only thing that boiled in her now was anger, pure wrath of a pony with nothing to lose. The floor, or stone beneath her cracked, it seemed like this wasn’t the bottom of the mountain. Fluttershy couldn’t tell how long she’d been falling, maybe an hour, maybe just a few minutes.

Before she could scream again the next fall ended immediately. It was a fairly small room, walls decorated with the same kind of beasts that were drawn on the floor of the top plateau. Intricate details and complex designs, if those drawings didn’t literally radiate a sense of ‘evil’ Fluttershy would stare at them in awe. Their forms were unlike everything she had ever seen, but this was not the time to appreciate the finer art of this demon shrine. The entire room was empty, except a tall mirror in the middle of it. She couldn’t help it but approach the unknown object, its glass was framed with pure gold with strange carvings, some of the symbols seemed familiar. She had seen them on the bottom floor, but still had no idea what they were or what they meant, maybe it was better that way.

Fluttershy sighed, “Twilight would know what to do… she’s so smart.” Her thoughts involuntarily wandered to the lavender mare, especially to their last moment. It was still terrifying to even think about it, but there had to be a reason. If the rebel leader wanted to kill her, she would’ve done it without a second thought. Maybe Fluttershy was here for a specific reason, or Twilight just liked sick games…

The surface of the mirror was absolutely flawless, but apparently it was no mirror. Even though she was standing right in front of it, no reflexion of her could be seen. It only showed the plain iron door in the back end of the room. The glass also seemed to glow faintly, barely noticeable. Her hoof approached the material, expecting to stop on the solid mass, but to her surprise it went through the mirror. She immediately pulled it out, the glass looked just as normal as before, and so did her hoof. So the timid pegasus did it again, poking at it with her right foreleg. Some kind of magic that much was sure, but what purpose did it serve? It felt like some sort of liquid, wet, but at the same time try, she wasn’t sure if a word to properly describe it even existed.

Somehow Fluttershy had a really, really bad feeling about this. One of the things Rarity told her, during one of their weekly gatherings, was to never meddle with unknown magical artifacts from the old age. This thing was practically screaming ‘trap’ or horrendously dangerous. What did she have to lose though? Rost was dead, and she could not hope to defeat those demons alone, so why not try to use that mirror thing, whatever its purpose was.

Slowly, but surely her left front leg sunk into the foreign ‘fluid’, it felt very weird, but it seemed like it was worth a shot. This thing must’ve been locked away for a reason, the demons did not want anypony to find it. She move her front leg around, trying to find anything on the other side, or wherever this thing would lead her. The timid mare took a deep breath and whispered, “O-Okay… Here goes nothing...” Then she leaped into the mirror, her whole body being swallowed by its magic.

A stream of colours followed, random objects flew past her, dissolving into nothing, it was like the world was drifting away from her. Faster and faster did everything vanish until only she remained in this endless stream of pure magic. Fluttershy shut her eyes tightly, the raw energy burned on her coat, attacking her very core, but she wasn’t going to just fade away! Her friends were waiting for her, even after all this time. Just as the burning began to hurt really bad, another warm sensation began to sooth her body, it couldn’t be anything other than her rosary. It had saved her life multiple times now, and even seemed to have some kind of sentience, it did guide her in that death parkour after all. Her eyes didn’t open though, in fear that it might destroy whatever her trusted weapon was doing or rather, preventing.

Then everything stopped, and she tumbled out of the mirror, landing on the cold, hard stone floor. Her eyes opened hesitantly, seeing her life beads returned to normal, another whispered thank you came right after. The weirdest part was that Fluttershy wasn’t even scared, this was by far not the scariest thing that happened to her over the course of the past weeks. All the involuntary ‘adventure’ made this look like a relaxing situation. As the yellow pegasus looked around she was more than a little confused, it was the exact same room, with the exact same mirror standing in the center. Nothing had changed, a thought that made her frown, “So it was all for nothing...”

A quiet rumble could be heard from outside, this noise… she’d heard it somewhere before… Fluttershy carefully walked over to the iron door, opening the heavy gate just a little to peek through. The next moment was just as world-shattering as the first time a demon attacked her. The mare stumbled backwards, away from the slowly moving platform, with two… very familiar looking figures on it. Pale yellow coat, long, light pink hair, and a completely brown, short haired figure, both equipped with two faintly glowing, red pieces of intricate crafted metal.

Fluttershy saw herself… and more importantly, Rost! She was on the verge of a breakdown, breathing frantically with tears threatening to overwhelm the timid mare, “H-How i-is this p-p-possible?! H-He died in m-my hooves… What’s going on?!”

She got back up, still wobbly on her hooves, but this… this wasn’t the time for a panic attack! The yellow mare wanted to cry, wanted to fly over to him begging for forgiveness. There was just one way this could be possible though… time travel. She was by no means any kind of magic expert, but there was no other way! And this meant… that the demons would kill Rost again!

Nothing made sense anymore, if she was in the past, and was given another chance to save her friend… why wasn’t she there the first time he died? If there really was something like multiple timelines, or timeloop… things, then there should’ve been a Fluttershy rescuing Rost the first time, but then it would be a paradox. If one Fluttershy would’ve saved him the first time, she would’ve never fallen down that hole and travel back in time with this mirror, but then the Fluttershy… from the future aka. herself, would not be here right now and couldn’t save him because there would be no need to save him!

Her head started to hurt, this was way too complicated for a simple pegasus like herself. The only thing she did know was that.... Past-Fluttershy and still-alive Rost were in danger and she couldn’t let them… herself hanging…. ugh.

The pure white fashionista entered their stronghold, her face lit up with a certain impish glee. She had just returned from Manehatten, this portal magic Luna showed them was still incredibly useful, even after all this time. Watching Luna barking out orders had been amusing, just a few weeks ago she’d have never even dreamt about this. Having the means of defending herself and her friends made this whole thing worth it. Of course it was never easy to end a life, but after what happened in the garden of the castle the seamstress was sure that Celestia was the one at fault. Their leader just wanted to talk with her, and the alicorn initiated a full assault on one single pony.

Rarity was sure now, Celestia needed to be stopped, no matter the cost, and if that meant ending the lives of her subordinates, then so be it. The only things she really missed, was the weekly chats with Fluttershy, who was still nowhere to be found, and more importantly, her family. The unicorn’s parents were always up and about, travelling somewhere in the world, but she hadn’t had the chance to look for her sister. The Boutique was empty, save for a few crayons, but Sweetie Ball, and seemingly all other civilians simply vanished. Maybe the Sun Princess took care of them, making sure they were out of their reach, that made it even harder for her, her dearest friend in the hoof of this tyrant. All of the sudden her mood changed, gone was the little skip in her walk, gone was the smile on her pure lips.

The town square was no longer filled with happy ponies busy with their day to day lives, the bustling streets were now just empty alleyways without a purpose. It wasn’t as abandoned as before though, with Manehatten under their control they had free access to a lot of willing soldiers. Some volunteered to move to Ponyville, increasing the local production of weapons and food by a margin. About three hundred ponies, excluding the five remaining Thestrals and the last of Silent Flare’s highly skilled rebels. Those functioned as mentors for the civilians that barely knew how to hold a sword in their mouth or magic.

Silent was the commanding force in the training units, making sure everything was in order, but he couldn’t help but to join in on some occasions, leaving a few unconscious newbies in his wake. Pinkie and Silver Night trained them in close combat which was very funny to observe since well… Pinkie was Pinkie, crazy martial art style compared to the brutal efficiency of the Thestral, even with her slightly less hyperactive personality. Rarity’s job was a bit of a mixed bag, teaching the unicorns the basics of elemental, chaos and light magic, and explaining what they could do with that power. She wasn’t as good as Twilight, not by a longshot, but it was enough to teach them the very basics, Morning Blaze also helped her a lot.

She spotted her pink friend teaching some kind of grapple to a very tired looking earth pony. Rarity smiled again, approaching Pinkie directly, “Well darling, I do have to say that I wouldn’t have expected you to teach close combat.”

Pinkie just giggled and let go of the stallion, “It’s all in good fun, isn’t that right?” Her answer was a simple groan, enough for another giggle out of the cheerful mare. “Let’s just walk and talk a bit. We haven’t had the time for that in ages!”

Both excused themselves from the small group of rebel-in-training, and walked towards the edges of their citadelle. Nothing would be able to attack them in a wide radius around the city, these archmages were also still around from time to time, especially that Captain Winterlight. Rarity wasn’t really sure what to make of him, but he seemed alright, if not a bit shy.

The fields and nature that surrounded Ponyville were still perfectly harmonic, even the critters didn’t seem to care that it was more or less a war zone. Maybe it was the unique magic that had a soothing effect on the animals, or it was just that Twilight radiated this confident aura that even they felt safe next to her. Neither Rarity nor Pinkie could explain what exactly made their lavender friend that… alluring, almost like some sort of succubus, a stark contrast to her former self, but they still trusted her.

“Pinkie, darling, how are you feeling? This black magic that surrounded you looked awful,” The fashionista stated, a genuine look of concern on her face. Hearing the agonizing scream of her friend that day just made her hate Celestia more. She and Pinkie were probably not the bestest of friends, their behaviour was just not compatible in this world, but Rarity loved her all the same. All of her beloved friends had something that only they excelled in.

Her pink bouncing friend shrugged, “Eh, it was pretty bad, but after this bat pony doctor gave me some blue glowing medicine it vanished. You don’t want to get hit by that though, it burns like, uh… like candles on a birthday cake! Just on your coat, and every simple touch feels like another stab through your chest.”

“How were you doing that predicting though? It almost looked like you could see into the future to evade her attacks, at least for a while,” Rarity asked, it had been very interesting to watch, using that for their advantage would be incredibly useful.

“Pinkie Sense! Just happens from time to time, and I can’t really control what I want to predict or sense,” The energetic earth pony shrugged again and continued to bounce further away from their headquarter. Trying to explain Pinkie Pie was the same thing as trying to solve a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. It made around the same amount of sense, does random things, but somehow works when needed.

“I see… well, darling, was there anything specific you wanted to discuss while we're here? We have a lot to do lately, so this break is very welcomed.”

Suddenly the pink mare stopped bouncing around, a rare occurrence, especially in the presence of her friend. Her walk slowed down considerably and she sighed deeply, “You can read me like an open book, huh? I’ve just… I had this feeling that… well something dangerous will happen sooner or later. Not for me, I would take a cannon shot for all of you, but… I don’t know, it feels like something will happen to Lady Twilight.”

“You know she doesn’t like the title, especially not with her friends,” Rarity replied. “Besides, what gives you the impression that something bad will happen to her. She’s strong, and we’re there to help here.”

“It just feels more appropriate… and like I said I don’t know. I’ve had this feeling since we broke the siege of Ponyville right after we took over the city. Twilight is smart, insanely smart, maybe even too much for her own good sometimes, but she also has a strange sense of justice. It started out as an act of vengeance against the tyranny of Celestia, and now it’s a full-grown civil war. It just feel so… disproportionate. Of course I will always be there for her, she rescued me twice after all, but I wonder where this is going to end. With us taking over the entire land, the world? Or will something far greater come into play and end this? I don’t know Rarity, but I want all of us to be safe.”

“Pinkie, I… I had no idea you thought that way. Maybe you have a point though, we see it through a rosy lens, she saved all of us at least once. We are her friends, and forever will be… I guess I could talk to her later today.... Ask her to tone it down a bit. Gather our strength and end it cleanly, without any more bloodshed,” The seamstress said, already sunk in thought. To be completely honest, she had not expected something so… profound from her pink friend, it was far from silly though.

“Thanks Rarity,” Pinkie gave her a quick hug and began her normal bouncy pace once again. It was time to limit the consequences for all of them, before this war would consume all of their happy thoughts...

Future Dreams

Chapter 22: Future Dreams

Two weeks… they had been here for two weeks now! All the citizens of Ponyville had been evacuated because of ‘safety reasons’, something nopony could understand or knew anything about. The princess had been very vague and quartered the population in the guard barracks near the city limits. It was especially nerve wracking for the three very special fillies, namely Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. They found each other after the first few days in their new temporary home, each of them lost their sister, or in the orange pegasus’ case, her idol.

They quickly formed a bond as they told each other stories of their siblings or heroes, the fact that all of them bore no Cutie Mark only added to their quickly forming friendship. Sweetie Belle was the first one to suggest forming a club of some sorts, to find their special talents, but the idea was quickly shelved, this was not the time to think about that. They had to find their loved ones!

“Darnit! Ah can’t stand this any longer!” The little earth pony exclaimed. Currently all three of them played ball in a nearby park.

“Geez, Applebloom, if you want to play something else you could just ask, you know?” Scootaloo answered, balancing the bright-red colored ball on her nose. She had always been a good athlete, the best in her class at least, maybe it was just to impress Rainbow Dash, but still.

“That’s not what Ah meant! We’re sittin’ around doin’ absolutely nuthin’! Mah sister’s gone! Sweetie’s too, and even Rainbow is Celestia knows where!” She shouted angrily, two weeks passed without her sister, sure, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith still supported her wherever they could, but it wasn’t the same.

Sweetie just nodded sadly, Rarity was practically the only family she had, her parents always were somewhere around the world, exploring unknown places or something. Sometimes they were gone for weeks, and with this strange war thing going on it was unsure if they’d return at all!

“What are we supposed to do? We have no idea what is going on! Something happened in Canterlot a few weeks ago, it was even in the newspaper, something about a Twilight Sparkle, but after that, nothing! Now we aren’t even allowed to leave the city,” The orange pegasus replied, still trying to keep their game going, there wasn’t anything to do anyway.

“Then we’ll just leave anyway! Ah want to know what’s goin’ on, at least if the farm’s still alright… Ah’m sure mah sister is doin’ somethin’ to stop whatever’s goin’ on, but everypony needs help once in a while!” Applebloom exclaimed, earning a few sideway glances from Canterlot Noble Fancy ponies. The worst kind of personalities in her opinion, but even they were on edge due to the current situation. The constant twilight sky was a perfect indicator that something was definitely very, very wrong, sun and moon up at the same time… that was just not natural.

“I don’t know Applebloom… I want to find my sister too, but… well, don’t you think they have a reason for keeping us within the city limits? I just… If we really want to leave, how are we gonna do that? The gates are always guarded, the train is only moving on very special occasions, and the city is surrounded with a high wall. We’re just fillies, and don’t even have a Cutie Mark,” Sweetie explained sadly, she saw these things way more pessimistic than usual, but what could they do against this chaotic situation.

Scootaloo just sighed and kicked the ball away, seeing it vanish behind a small shop, “So? What if we are just kids and have no Cutie Mark? We’re not useless! Maybe we aren’t as strong, fast or smart as some random adults, but we can still figure out how to help our family and friends. We can start in Ponyville! There has to be a reason why they wanted us to leave the city. Let’s sneak outside this night, and then somehow hide on the train. Maybe it brings us near the city.”

“That sounds mighty crazy, Scoots. Why in Equestria should the train stop at the town that’s all locked up! The princess obviously doesn’t want us to go there,” The yellow earth pony said, pacing around in circles.

“I’d say we do it.”

“Sweetie Belle, ya can’t be serious! That’s insane!” Her friends couldn’t be serious. Of course there was a reason behind all of this, something all of them didn’t know about, but she had to admit that it was tempting… Applebloom missed her sister a lot.

“Heh, see? You’re outnumbered, Applebloom. Come on, either we do it together, or not at all!”

“Fine! We’ll take some supplies with us and try to get out… the train won’t move anyway, so we won’t even get down the mountain, then you two will see that it was stupid!”

The other two fillies nodded and exclaimed in unison, “Deal!” So it was settled then, in the next hours they’d try to get their hooves on as much supplies as possible, and meet after sundown.

Fluttershy was still extremely confused, this whole situation should not be possible at all, but here she was, observing herself… and Rost. The columns around the ascending platform were connected with this strange barrier magic, it was really visible, but some dark-purple energy fizzled around it from time to time.

So she jumped down to the first level, using her outstretched wings to soften her fall. She’d wait until they arrived at the plateau and then get up there as fast as possible. The time freezing magic wouldn’t affect her if those demons didn’t see her coming… most likely. Then they could quickly banish them. The yellow pegasus had no idea what would happen after that, but that didn’t matter right now, saving Rosts life was her top priority. He worked so hard to protect this land, but in the end failed because of some unfair demon thing...

She heard the platform stop and waited a few seconds before pressing the first floor button on this weird machinery. Would that cause problems because that didn’t happen in her real timeline… thing? The mare did not know, and at that moment, didn’t care. At least it descended a lot faster, almost reaching her in ten seconds flat. The clouds over the mountain top were still moving that meant she still had some time. These damn barriers always stopped her from rushing things, they served no purpose other than delaying everypony. Otherwise she would’ve just flown up there, saving herself from seeing another friend die right in front of her.

After a quick hop over the small railing she felt the platform moving upwards again. It surely was interesting, moving without ponies or strong animals to pull it, that would make stairs obsolete. Fluttershy was no scientist, far from it, but she always had an interest for these strange machines. Especially since her father worked in a cloud factory with even more of these things.

A loud screech ripped her out of the deep mindscape she had been in. Now was not the time to think about family or her childhood. The ‘elevator’ (the mare did not know why, but it sounded fitting for a machine elevating ponies) almost reached the top floor. Her eyes narrowed and Fluttershy lowered herself, ready to take off the second it reached the top. She instinctively grabbed one of the floating beads with her teeth. This was the only weapon she knew how to use, and that the mare had in general, probably for as long as they stayed with her.

Mere seconds before Fluttershy reached the plateau the clouds stopped moving and everything changed into its negative colour. Her rosary began to emit a strong glow, stopping this strange magic from directly affecting her. It was definitely weaker now that those demons didn’t target her specifically. The elevator stopped and she took off with more strength than ever, even causing small cracks in the massive platform under her. In the blur of motion she could make out the silvery cane racing towards her friend. The pegasus cried out and swung the rosary towards it. What happened next was equally surprising for her and everypony else, the beads didn’t connect to a long whip, but rather shot towards their target like bullets. Extremely fast and sporting a trail of flickering fire behind them. All six fiery projectiles impacted with the cane, causing the surprised demon to let go of it. Fluttershy could see it crashing into the high railing of the mountain top, the beads just returned to her.

The negative color shattered like a mirror, fading out of existence. A faint smile crept its way onto her lips, seeing the confused, and partially terrified stallion fall to the smooth ground. Lechku and Nechku screeched and backed off a bit, the present Fluttershy skidded to a halt right in front of her past self, the beads glowing brightly. They seemed to resonate with themselves in a way… this could lead to problems…

A gasp could be heard behind the timid, but determined mare, “W-what? You… you’re m-me?” Present Fluttershy turned her head to see… herself collapsing and sobbing faintly. “You… I-I thought R-Rost would...”

“Well… he kinda… N-Nevermind, let’s just say I’m here to help you,” Present Fluttershy said, telling her that her companion did kind of die would not benefit her in any way. It had been a success at least, and she learned how to use these weapons more effectively. Rost also slowly got back to his hooves, racing over to them. This encounter was far from over though, the demons screeched again, both lowering their top hats… just like last time.

“Two… there are two of you?! How’s that even—”

“No time to explain! Just run!” She yelled, jumping to her right side and running further away. Her other self and Rost did the same. Both demons did the same thing, another bomb appeared in the hat of the golden one, and a strange sword protruded from the hat of the silver one. Fluttershy remembered its design from the floor, nine rectangular ‘branches’ giving it a strange, lightning-bolt like appearance, but how could that demons have the sword of this other creature?

Now that Nechku lost its cane the demons played serious. One silver claw grabbed the yellow hued hilt of the sword and swung it with a surprising precision, performing rapid stabbing movements, it looked more like some kind of fencing style than an actual fighting style suited for a sword like that. Regardless of that it was still deadly, it was almost twice as long as Fluttershy’s entire body, and even with its thin arms the massive blade moved with a very, very lethal speed. The timid mare focused so much on the sword that she didn’t notice the other demon already launching the bomb right at her.

Present Fluttershy turned her head towards the massive, midair explosion, seeing fiery projectiles flying back to Past Fluttershy, who was smiling faintly, “You learned fast… Thank you.”

Past Fluttershy nodded slowly, “You… well you made it look so easy, and it is, for us. And I… I could not let myself die, right? L-Let’s defeat them, and go home!” Rost grabbed his massive broadsword, ready to exact revenge for his clan. Meanwhile Present-shy wasn’t too sure if she would get to see her home again. It was more likely that she would just… well vanish or disappear, the mare really was no expert in these time things, so thinking about it just made things worse.

“You’re right, let’s show them what we’re made of!”

“Stalliongrad? Is there any specific reason why I should take care of that city personally?” The lavender mare asked herself, well… not really herself, but the conversation did take place in her own mindscape.

A deep and strangely alluring purring sound echoed through the endless black of her mind, normally everything was like a big library, clean, tidy and oddly quiet. Sometimes she wondered what the inside of Pinkie Pie’s head would look like, at least her interpretation of it. For now she just focused on the rich voice of her newest… ally, “Mhmm~ Of course, my shade. There is always a reason. Stalliongrad is the home of many great scientists of this era. More importantly, Equestria’s prime military research facilities and factories are located there. Supplying Celestia’s reinforcements with everything they need~ Advanced weaponry, highly developed armor prototypes, specialized equipment, you name it, they have it. That could be our chance to land a heavy blow against our enemy, and gain some valuable advantages for our own forces.”

She talked with the Nightmare regularly, but this ‘shade’ nickname was new, those were just minor details though, way more important questions rang through her head. Twilight sighed and replied, “That sounds lovely, but shouldn’t the city be extremely well guarded by now? Also, how do you know about this?”

Her ally chuckled, it sounded like a divine choir that just decided to play the most beautiful melody every single pony would ever hear, it was exactly what the lavender mare wanted to hear in the moment she defeated Celestia. Of course it was some kind of powerful illusion magic, but Twilight didn’t care, it was too heavenly to stop her. Then she continued, with her normal, but not less beautiful voice, “You are adorable, my little shade. Did the numbers of her guards ever stop you? Who would possibly able to even do as much as lay one hoof at you? Also, I know that because my dear nemesis never changes. Stalliongrad was founded for this exact purpose and has ever remained her central military city, extremely valuable in that regard.”

“You think I’m adorab— I mean… of course, that makes sense. She never liked changes, even disturbing her daily schedule was not a good idea. I always wondered about that, as a ruler you have to be flexible, and not rely on unnecessary traditions, or cruel ways to destroy little filly’s futures...” Twilight grew slightly irritated, of course her mind brought that up again!

The Nightmare gave her a knowing smile and kissed the lavender unicorn’s forehead, immediately calming her down. It felt like an electrical surge of pleasure every time she merely touched Twilight. What would it be like to go... one step further?

Before their bizarre conversation could continue she was ripped out of her mindscape by a smooth alabaster hoof tapping her shoulder. Twilight looked around, she didn’t even notice that she already was in the middle of the town square, wandering around absent mindedly could lead to problems sooner or later. The hoof belonged to one of her best friends, and strongest allies, Rarity, looking at her in concern.

The leader of the rebels never really thought about how beautiful the seamstress was. Gorgeous coat and mane, subtle curves, even her slight Canterlot accent just emanated the high class aura she possessed. Twilight should investigate her feelings later, with the fashionista of course~ For now there were more important things, “Good day, Rarity. How did your mission go?”
“Lovely to see you too, darling. It was surprising how willingly the civilians joined our cause,” She arced her right front hoof over the bustling town square. “Some even agreed to help out here, mainly blacksmiths, construction workers, and two pyrotechnicians. Are you… are you alright though? I’ve been trying to grab your attention for a few minutes now, darling,” The alabaster unicorn stated, having a genuine look of concern on her face.

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’m totally fine. Just had a lot to think about lately. Good to hear that it was going great though, more and more cities will join us if we keep this up. Soon Celestia will run out of options entirely and then the real fun will begin.”

“Twilight, darling, actually that is something I wanted to talk about with you,” Rarity stated, now walking with her lavender friend through the streets of their town. The fact that this town belonged to them still felt… wrong.

“Go ahead Rarity, you know how much I value all of your opinions,” The lavender mare replied. Those words certainly were not lies, but she was curious what Rarity had to say. Normally the fashionista was just happy to help her and stayed out of the ‘politics’. What caused this sudden shift in behaviour? Maybe she had been a bit too.... radical with her plans, they still had no idea what Celestia would do to preserve her precious Harmony.

The alabaster mare looked down the streets, a distant look on her voice, “Well… you know that we all trust you, darling. You rescued us from Celestia’s tyranny and saved us in battle at least once, but lately... ” She sighed deeply. “Some of us are wondering where you’re going with this? Where will this lead to?”

Twilight considered the questions carefully, now that she thought about it she had done that many, many times. It was not something to be answered within a minute’s walk, all the factors and details that occurred and changed over the last weeks played a role in what was happening at this very moment, “The world, Rarity.”

Her fabulous friend stopped for a second and blinked twice, “I… beg your pardon?”

“Celestia and her tyranny are just the first step. Certain… sources reassured me in that regard. Equestria is surrounded by corruption that just waits to lay their rotten claws, hooves, whatever you want to call it, around this nation’s throat. You may think this sounds crazy, but have you ever heard of changelings, for example?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” Rarity just listened to what her friend had to say. It sounded unbelievable, but Twilight was the only pony capable of doing exactly that, uniting the world under her own harmony. Maybe it was wrong… it most certainly was, but couldn’t it be the best for everypony? Even if they didn’t realize it just yet.

While Twilight spoke it seemed that the light grew even dimmer than it had been for weeks now, another thing they should really change as soon as Celestia was nothing more but history, “A creature that looks like a pony/bug hybrid, with wings and a twisted horn. They are capable of changing into any creature they desire, the perfect disguise. To survive they devour love, affection, every positive emotion in your body and leaves you as a lifeless husk, a mere shell of your former self, and the worst of all is that nothing known in this world can bring you back as far as I am concerned, a fate worse than death.”

“Oh, oh my…”

“They live somewhere outside our border, and attacked this land before. I found some recordings in the library about it, the last time they attacked, two cities completely vanished from the map, just annihilated without mercy. Or what about the east and west of Equestria? Giant oceans with dozens of inhabited islands, I could give you the name of at least a couple tyrants that are on par with Celestia’s cruelty. Their kingdoms and territories are anything but weak, my dear. Even the griffons are dangerous, they may be Equestria’s allies now, but their ways are barbaric at best. They can not be trusted, so we have to break and add them to our land first, don’t you think that is reasonable?” Twilight finished her, more than a little disturbing tale. Rarity had no idea this many threats just waited to attack their land.

“Is there… is there anything I can do to help you?” A determined expression found its way onto her face, she would not let her friend down. This was certainly bigger than any of them, so they had to work together!

“There really is something you could help me with,” Twilight answered, this would be the perfect opportunity. A silver tongue could accomplish so much with the right timing and choice of words, unfortunately that was the exact thing Celestia did too…

“Anything, darling. I’m truly sorry we doubted you for even a second.”

“Excellent, then we will travel towards Stalliongrad. One of the most guarded places in Equestria, more importantly, a hotspot for research and Equestria’s military, and we will conquer it to open a gateway for the others. Chaos gateways are basically a spatial link between two places using the curvature of—”

“N-no need to get into too much detail, darling. I will assist you no matter what, when shall we depart?” Rarity stated quickly, before this question ended in a two hour seminar about the basic laws of the universe.

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll need a day or two even with using shadow travel. I know it’s already late, but would you inform our leadership about our mission? Including Silver and Silent, I think they still sleep in the hospital. Blaze is around them most of the time, and Nightmare knows where Rainbow Dash is, and you know, Pinkie is Pinkie, she’s around somewhere.”

Rarity ignored the Nightmare bit, that was none of her business, but she did agree on the rest. Finding them shouldn’t be too hard, and she would finally get the chance for a real mission again, alone with Twilight. That should be interesting, “Will do, Twilight. See you in the morning.”

“Have a good night, Rarity. We both will need it.”

“Psst!”

“Ouch, be careful with your hooves!”

“Quiet now! They could hear us.”

Those three voices echoed through the emptied streets of Canterlot at ‘night’. Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo finally got their hooves on some basic supplies and their saddlebags. It had been hard enough to find a reasonable excuse why the earth pony filly needed her saddlebags all of a sudden. It was not like they could make a journey around the town and camp on the streets. Officially, they now were on ‘Cutie Mark Crusading’ looking for a not so obvious way to escape. ‘Sadly’, Scootaloo’s plan to just march through the front gate didn’t quite get the amount of praise she had expected.

They came ever closer to the gates of the city… under a cardboard box. Sure, it wasn’t the most professional disguise, but most guards had better things to do than inspect a lonely, unmoving box in the streets of the hectic town. A pegasus who couldn’t fly, a relatively weak earth pony, and a unicorn not yet able to use magic, trying to rescue their loved ones out of the most dangerous place in all of Equestria, for normal civilians at least. The whole plan was insane, but they simply had no other choice, to imagine what horrors their siblings, or idols must be going through was unbearable for them.

Suddenly they heard two other voices approaching, “Isn’t that a box from our stock in the east?”

Applebloom and Sweetie glared at the orange pegasus, she was responsible for their disguise, and of course Scootaloo had to pick one that would be noticed if somepony inspected it closer.

“Yeah, but our shift ends in two minutes, and I don’t want to run through the whole town for a box,” The second, presumably, guard answered with a trace of laziness in his voice.

“You’re kinda right, but… what if the next shift sees it and blames us for that? No thank you. The princess has been in a very bad mood lately, and I don’t want to be caught in a crossfire with her.”

“Sweet Cel... A-Alright… let’s do it, quick!” He began to lift the box. “And it’s not like—” What was the single most unexpected thing one could find under a cardboard box? A question only the goddesses could answer, but in that moment the guard believed he came pretty close to finding it. The three little fillies stared at him with a shocked expression.

Scootaloo coughed awkwardly, “Ehehe… this is totally not what it looks like.”

The guard gained a serious expression, looking down at the fillies, “Well how does it look like?”

“We were just… inspecting the boxes for Admiral… Easyglider?”

“Wrong rank, wrong time, nice try though. Let’s take them to the princess, I’m sure she’s very interested to hear your story," The guard said, but stopped before leading them towards the castle. "By the way, next time you try to find an excuse, don’t use one of the most famous Wonderbolts in history, that lived about 800 years ago!”

The three had to follow them, their heads hanging and a sad expression adorning their faces. This was not how they imagined it to go… not at all. Now they had to explain it to Princess Celestia, who would surely punish them for treason or something awful like that!

The fight began anew. Both Fluttershy’ took off and flew towards the gold demon, it seemed to be somewhat damaged, the clock’s ticking was accompanied by little sparks flying out of the intricate cogwheel machinery. Lechku once again summoned several bombs out of its top hat, hurling them towards the pegasi. This time they were prepared for it though, a literal barrage of glowing red beads intercepted the demonic weaponry midair, causing a massive explosion that was strong enough to stun the demon for just a moment. It screeched again, the metallic sound echoing around the frozen mountain,

Instead of more explosives it summoned what looked like a faintly glowing bud, its leaves were colored in a deep crimson, glow sporting the same colour. The two of them stopped, not sure how to approach it, slowly the bud opened, releasing six, deeply purple colored balls. It seemed like they were just made out of demonic energy, or whatever fundamental force that kept this pure magic in a perfectly spherical form like that. They they suddenly launched towards the two pegasi, Past Fluttershy barrel-rolled out of the way, but three of the spheres simply changed course and followed her. No matter what she did they were closely behind her, one already singed the last strands of her tail.

She braced herself, then they impacted with the barrier her rosary provided, the feeling of nails scraping against chalkboard inside her mind returned in full force, eliciting an agonized scream out of her. Her time travelling other self was not faring much better, still flying around better than she ever thought possible. Suddenly Present Fluttershy had an idea, the timid mare focused the beads to concentrate on her right hind leg again, just like in that parkour room. They rotated faster and faster, until the familiar, flickering layer of flames danced around her whole leg. She flared her wings to ascend faster, then the mare let herself fall back, directly towards the glowing projectiles. The momentum of her improvised looping was enough to kick into the first ball with a tremendous force, causing it to turn from purple to a flaming red, launching it towards the other two.

Her leg bled a little due to the force of the impact, they seemed to be made out of some kind of semi-transparent energy, only hard when they needed to be. The explosion created a purple smoke cloud, both were sure that flying into it was not the best idea. Past Fluttershy let herself sink down a bit, breathing heavily because of the physical and magical exertion. She was not as strong as an earth pony, nor had the magical capabilities of a unicorn. This rosary was drawing energy from her inert pegasus magic, making flying harder while she used them. The demon backed off shortly, placing the top hot back where it was before.

Present Fluttery also breathed heavily, the barrier always came with a price, this sound could drive her insane if she wasn’t careful, “Good… idea… why did I… not think… about this?”

Her other self put a hoof to her chin before shrugging, “Well… you did… kinda. I don’t know how this is possible, or why these beads can act like they do, I really don’t. Come on, this is not over yet.”

Just a few meters next to them Rost was taking on Nechku himself, finally he had to chance to repay her for everything she’s done, and get revenge on these winged bastards. The brown stallion’s double-edged broadsword was just around a third of the silver demon’s sword, but he managed to stand his ground. The sword had grown really hot during the fight, Rost could almost see the flames flickering over it.

Heavy strikes were exchanged between him, and the demon. He parried a horizontal swing with hooking his blade into a branch of the opponent’s sword, that gave him the opening to jump onto Nechku’s blade. Rost figured that way he could attack the demon’s face, but as soon as his hooves touched the yellow hued steel he recoiled. The entire weapon was under an enormous amount of voltage, little bolts of lightning arced and fizzled around it. Somehow his blade was able to nullify the electricity, but, of course, his body was not.

He grabbed the sword with his own and went into a combat stance once again, smoke was rising from his front hooves, and it felt like they had been fried which was partially true. “Dammit! How should I get past its defense now?! I can’t just stall it until… the Fluttershys finish off the other demon!” The frustrated earth pony thought to himself. He had absolutely no advantage over Nechku, barely able to stand his ground against its simple swings and strikes.

The ‘dawn’ of the next day arrived, at least that was what Luna said. She returned from Manehattan, the Princess of the Night left Captain Winterlight in charge. The dark blue mare did not trust those Archmages one bit, but he seemed to be quite smart and capable of handling the city for a while. Next to nopony did not immediately follow Luna after their story had been told. Sheep, every single one of them, but even sheep could slow down a wolf with their sheer numbers.

All the leaders gathered on the town square, sitting in a loose half-circle around Twilight and Luna. Even Silver Night managed to finally get out of bed, he still looked pale and thin due to his severe malnourishment in prison, but at least he was able to participate in their meeting, without his signature wingblades, but they would be reclaimed soon enough. Morning Blaze had been quite shocked after she heard what happened to him after the stallion sacrificed himself, only the princess had been allowed to transport him… and that was what she did…

“Alright, listen up everypony!” Twilight exclaimed, silencing the light chatting of her top allies. Silent Flare also looked alright again, unusually thoughtful, but that was probably because he almost killed his brother, that… would affect even the most cold-hearted pony. It was very hard to read that stallion, but they had other things to focus on right now. “First of all, thank you Rarity for delivering the message.”

The fashionista beamed at her, now that they discussed their differences and Twilight even gave her a chance to join her on this mission nothing could go wrong anymore, “Oh please. That’s hardly worth mentioning, darling.”

Luna continued their meeting, “As you all know, we now have full support from one of the biggest cities on Equestria. I opened a chaos gateway right to the town square of Manehatten. It is located in the town hall on the second floor. If any of you wish to check the city, or in case something goes wrong, we now have a very important advantage that Celestia refrains from using. Now to the really tricky part. From Manehatten we will start a large scale invasion of the entire east border of Equestria.”

Their friends locked shocked for a moment, their plans always revolved around subtlety and little actions, most of the time at least. And now they should secure an entire border? Morning Blaze spoke up, “T-That’s crazy! Occupying Manehatten, Baltimare and Fillydelphia would effectively annihilate Equestria’s best trade routes! No small settlement can produce that much food, and it would cause Celestia’s subjects to starve!”

“Oh~ She’s a smart one. Let’s keep her close, my shade. Test her loyalty, it will be fun~” The nightmare suggested quietly. Not even Luna could sense it, even though she did almost the same in Twilight’s younger years.

Twilight chuckled, partially because another surge of electrifying pleasure rang through her body, that Nightmare sure knew how to please her allies, “Why that’s the idea, Blaze. Either they join us, or fall into anarchy, I’m interested to see how long Celestia’s oh-so important Harmony will be able to prevent half-starved ponies from revolting.”

Once again Luna picked up the conversation, “As I was saying, we will occupy those major cities along the east border, causing as few casualties as possible and spreading the truth around. For that mission half of Manehatten population will assist us in getting the message across, as well as five hundred of Capone’s mercenaries to ensure that Celestia is not able to freely move her troops around. There is a very high probability that we will encounter a General in one of those cities, maybe even more than one.”

Pinkie and Rarity shivered in perfect unison if only for one second, one word, or rather, one name escaped their mouths, “Mistral.”

The Lunar Demi-Goddess nodded, “Indeed, or Law, his injuries have been taken care of most likely, and he seemed to be very angry at Twilight. Mistral was stationed in Baltimare before, so we have to be careful there, and Dawn Comet will most likely stay in Canterlot or travel around with his powers. Four of you will come with me, we have to get this done almost simultaneously, otherwise Celestia has time to launch a large scale attack.”

Rainbow cocked her head, “What if we encounter resistance in the cities. I’m like not an expert on Celestia’s army, but she has a lot of well-trained soldiers.”

“Most of them are stationed around and in Canterlot because nearly all the population from Ponyville is there. Now I’ll assign who will come w—”

“Wait!” Rarity shouted. “The entire population of Ponyville?” That meant her sister was also there… she was safe for now, but the fashionista would come for her once this was done!

“Yes, indeed. They have been evacuated before we took this city. That shows that despite her dwindling army Celestia is everything but stupid. We can not let our guard down and start more single missions. Isn’t that right, my dear Deathbringer?”

Twilight huffed and looked at the ground, “Quiet you… You’re not innocent yourself, who wanted to rescue Silver all on her own, huh?” That caused both Silver and Luna to also look at the ground, none of them really were the best at discipline, but it worked.

“Now, as I was saying, four of you will join me. Namely, Silent Flare, Silver Night, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash,” Luna stated, finally finished her endlessly interrupted sentence,

“Hihi! It’ll be like a big party!”

“No casualties? Boring,” Silent stated, but he would join them nonetheless, There was always the possibility that some guards showed up.

Rainbow Dash just nodded, it was not as good as going on a mission with Twilight… but at least she was helping. The corruptive magic had her completely under its control. Pleasing the lavender unicorn was literally everything she cared about.

Twilight had the word now, clearing her throat, “While that happens a team of three will occupy a very valuable city that could prove to be quite helpful in the future. Stalliongrad, the freezing fortress. The names come from the heavily guarded walls around the city, the countless guards, weaponry and technology trained and built to defend it, oh and because it’s located at the edge of the Frozen North. Quite the challenge, but Equestria’s prime military research laboratories and weapon manufacturers are all gathered in this one, extremely secured city.”

Morning had to hold back a gasp again, they were playing a very dangerous game, “Pray tell, who will follow you into that death trap?”

The lavender mare chuckled, “Funny that you ask. Rarity and you will follow me. Be ready to face a lot of aggressive and elite guards on the way in! We will either disable and capture, or kill all of them. That city is too important to ignore, and too valuable to be careless.”

Seeing Morning Blaze’s shocked expression was priceless, Twilight knew that her old mentor still had problems with this old ‘going against Celestia’ thing. The lavender mare simply couldn’t have any hesitation in her rebellion… in their rebellion. She would test the yellow mare to see if she was worth keeping alive, not that Twilight would kill her, but Morning could not expect any protection if she was still loyal towards Celestia.

“T-Twilight, you c-can’t be serious! You know that I—”

Her now superior student interrupted her harshly, “That you what, Blaze?! Try to stay in the background and spy on me? So that when Celestia eventually has enough of this you can give her valuable information about this rebellion? Do not think I’m a fool, old mentor! I give you this one chance to prove yourself, come with me, conquer Stalliongrad and kill every Solar Guard standing in our way. If not you’ll earn a stay in our cells, indefinitely.”

“You’re… you’re making me choose?”

“I don’t, I give you a chance to be free of her influence, to end this tyranny and to be right next to me… to all of us when this is over. Forces all around Equestria threaten to overwhelm us, forces that Celestia is too arrogant to acknowledge. The entire land is just hers to play with at the moment, Harmony was just a fake creation that ensured her reign. Don’t be foolish, Morning, you knew me since I was a filly. Is my way not the better one? Even your old friend Silent agreed to join me, maybe just to cause trouble for Celestia though, now that I think about it.”

“Hey! Yeah… alright, you have a point,” Silent grumbled with a faked irritated expression. He just wanted Celestia’s life to be miserable, for whatever reason. Only his brother would be able to know, but Thunder Flare was currently, well… not on top of his game, thanks to Silent at least.

“Yes, because he’s a lunatic!” Morning exclaimed, still unsure what to do now. She needed more time, stalling was kind of dangerous with her volatile student though. This crystal on her chest prevents any outside influence, except Luna and Twilight’s. She couldn’t activate the link between the princess and herself which was very troubling for her.

The beige stallion grumbled again, but shrugged after a while, “Heh, I guess you also have a point there, firebutt.”

“You’re stalling~” Twilight commented with a dangerously sweet tone. Blaze has never seen this kind of… psychopathic behaviour in her student… not once. It could not be Luna or Celestia alone that drove her to this… madness.

Luna giggled as well, just a normal, amused laughter. She had a fair share of insanity while annihilating the guards in Manehatten. The Nightmare may have left her mind, personally at least, but a little piece of it still rested inside of her. All her shades would corrupt someday, Luna wondered when her second breaking time would come. Immortality did not really solve that problem either, being linked to chaos also only made it worse. She lacked Discords abilities in manipulating her surroundings, and her sisters near unlimited power source. Comparing the two of them to Discord was quite difficult though, they had been… normal ponies once, Luna had been born as a pegasus, and her sister as a unicorn. Discord however was a literal god, the manifestation of chaos in this land, or even the entire world. Who knew what the spirit was doing while not bothering or taunting them.

“A-Alright… I’ll come.. with you,” Blaze said with near inaudible volume.

“Come on now, don’t be shy. Who are you loyal to, my dear mentor?” The lavender unicorn asked mockingly.

“... you.”

“That’s right. You’ll join Rarity and me, and show that, in every way possible.”

The fashionista walked over to Blaze and put a hoof on her shoulder, smiling at the yellow mare, “It’s not so bad, darling. They deserve it, and we get a chance to be fabulous! Maybe even in the newspaper!”

Blaze couldn’t believe it, Twilight actually forced her into this, and Rarity acted like this was some sort of game! Innocent ponies’ life were at stake, and Equestria biggest source of dangerous weaponry… dear Celestia…

Twilight smiled again, “I believe that is everything. Luna and her team will attack the cities at once, using a coordinated team tactic. Rarity, Morning and I will attack shortly after. Nopony will notice what happened before it’s too late. Now do what you like for the rest of the day, relax and gather your energy for tomorrow. You all will need it.”

Sweet Temptation

Chapter 23: Sweet Temptation

Both versions of the timid yellow mare released their best ‘furious battle cry’. These demons were standing between them, a peaceful land, and their friends. Just a few weeks ago Fluttershy didn’t even know that things like demons existed, maybe not in Equestria, but here they were ever present. She was sure that Equestria’s harmony had something to do with it, Princess Celestia made sure that no harm came over her subjects! What about now though? It had been weeks! Who knows how much destruction their friend already achieved. Twilight had been so… different when they meet her, a bit unfriendly and not willing to get out of her shell, but not this murderous maniac that would wage a war against the most powerful being in the land!

A combined barrage of almost flaming rosary beads came flying towards the gold demon who simply raised one of its giant, metal feathered wings to protect itself. It sounded like somepony was trying to break its appendage with a sledgehammer over and over again. The beads alone weren’t really anything special, but they packed some punch! Maybe even one of them would be enough to knock an average pony out… not that she would try something like that.

Present Fluttershy suddenly had an idea, her whole face lighting up, “Keep it up! Don’t let it retreat!” She stopped with her attack, flying behind the golden demon. Its head turned slightly, but it was forced to defend itself against this other pony’s attack.

“W-what are you—”

“No time to explain!” She grasped one bead with her mouth again, looking like she would try to use it as a whip again. Instantly the life beads reacted to her mental command, they connected like a solid object, the crimson energy pulsing through them. This time the yellow mare aimed for its head though, more precisely, its neck. The connected string wrapped itself around the demon’s throat, eliciting an angry screech from it.

It wasn’t her intention to kill it like that though, it could backfire against them. She tugged on it, hard, trying to bring it down to the ground. Strength filled her body, something Fluttershy never expected to feel, but her worldview had been turned upside down on more than one occasion though, “Hnnh! Haaaah!”

Lechku screeched again, the mortal ponies strength hurled him towards the ground in a wide arc. It crashed into the hard floor with enough force to shatter it slightly. This was their chance! Past Fluttershy swung her own rosary towards its unprotected body, and the other one began to spin around again, creating this weird magical heat that none of them could even remotely understand, nor explain.

Rost heard the crash, it had been way too loud to be one of… the Fluttershys, so it must’ve been the demon! He ended another deadlock with a mighty push, trying to get the other demon off of him for a second. The brown stallion ran towards them, seeing the partially stuck demon, “Fluttershy with the burning leg! Together!” He jumped, flipping in the air like some sort of rotary, his blade almost scraping over the stone floor. Fluttershy understood, flying towards Lechku’s next as fast as she could. They were mere seconds away from reaching its throat, flames and steel together. Then everything stopped…

“NO!” The time travelling version screamed. Not again… this couldn’t be happening again! Nechku’s clock had stopped, its three flipping pieces glowing in an uncanny blue light. The golden demon slowly freed himself, shaking shortly before flying again. “Quick! We have to… hngh… get out of this!”

The crimson light of all their weapons intensified, eliciting another confused screech out of the demons that backed off momentarily. Normal colour began to return, a thousand shattering sounds forced them to cover their ears. It seemed like this spell was not as strong if one of them was stunned or distracted.

Rost growled at the demons, skidding to a halt on the ground, these flips had not been a good idea, “We have to stun both of them somehow! One of them can stop the time whenever we get close to hurting the other!”

Both version of Fluttershy were by no means as athletic as Applejack, or Rainbow, the physical exhaustion was starting to get to them. It took them a moment to catch their second wind, the past version of herself replied, “What if we stun them with the rosary, and then defeat both with the help of Rost.”

“Do you really think they will just let us do that?” Her time travelling other self replied.

“M-maybe...”

“Unfortunately that’s the best thing we have so far...” The mare answered, arguing with herself felt weird… very weird. They should have the same thoughts… but the other one hasn’t seen the same things… she didn’t hold Rost in her hooves while he died… she wouldn’t let it happen again!

“Let’s do this, ladies! This fight will end now!” Rost exclaimed as well as it was possible with a broadsword between his teeth. They would not lose to the raging chaos, not now, and never again!

Blaze was ready, finally. It had taken her a few days until she figured out when everypony went to bed and was fast asleep. Another day was wasted with searching for some supplies and a saddlebag that nopony would miss. Luckily she was sharing her room with Silent, who also was loyal to Twilight, but didn’t seem to care enough about it to report her suspicious actions. She didn’t want to do this, but her former student’s plans were insane!

The yellow mare carefully opened the door, hearing light snoring out of the beige stallion’s room. Perfect. Everypony should be asleep right now, she wasn’t sure if there were more traps, but Blaze always found a way. Using magic was sadly out of question, this strange crystal was surely not just there to look pretty and give her more energy whenever Twilight decided to step in. It would instantly detect any traces of magic and would alert Twilight, or at least make her aware of it. She wasn’t really sure what to think of Celestia anymore, but this plan seemed so… extreme though. It could cause horrible food shortages in wide parts of Equestria, dooming thousands of ponies to starve. It was effective… no question, but cruel to no end. The princess had to know about this.

The streets were empty, just like she thought. It wasn’t really dark… still the same twilight sky, but the sleep cycles stayed the same for most. The yellow mare still looked around every corner, twice. If one of the leaders or even Luna would find her… Morning gulped hard, the thought alone was scary. Her lavender student had been friendly to her after the whole ordeal with the cell, but Celestia-knew how long that would stay that way if she got caught trying to betray her. Blaze definitely didn’t want to share Shining’s fate…

Shining Armor… the thought alone made her sad. She didn’t know him that well, but he always wanted the best for his little sister. He really had been alright… until Twilight happened… this had been more than a little traumatic for her.

She slowly shook her head, “Focus! I’m dead if somepony catches me!” It was unlikely that someone would even notice her absence until ‘dawn’, or at least until they started their mission. Once she was out of the town Blaze would have to teleport very, very quickly. Otherwise the yellow unicorn would never be able to reach Canterlot in time. It would alarm her… superior, but that was a risk she was willing to take.

Suddenly two voices approached her location, instantly her heart sank and she pressed herself hard against the shadow of the nearest building. The silhouettes looked like one of the last thestrals, really interesting creatures. Faster and stronger than normal ponies, with perfect night vision and increased sensitivity for noises. Her eyes were tight shut and the only sound coming from her was the ragged, but nonetheless, silent breathing.

“Have you ever wondered about Lady Twilight?” A smooth, and deeper female voice asked.

“What do you mean? She’s allied with Mistress Luna, that’s good enough for me,” The second, this time rough male voice replied.

“No, no, no, no! I mean… you know, how it would be like to… have a night with her.”

“Crescent, don’t even start with that,” Her thestral partner answered with a certain disinterest in his voice.

“Why? You can’t deny it, she’s smoking hot! And I heard that nearly all of the leaders already—” She stopped, hearing a faint, yet audible sound nearby. “Wait… do you hear that?”

Blaze’s heart seemingly skipped a beat as she heard that comment and immediately held her breath. The voices were quiet for a second before the male bat pony groaned, “Don’t you play invisible nightmare with me, I hear nothing, except your ridiculous crush.”

“No, really! It was… there… Ah, screw you,” ‘Crescent’ went quiet again, focusing really hard on the surrounding sounds, the yellow mare’s visions already went blurry. Normally she could hold her breath for much longer, but the stress and fear made it hard to focus.”Fine… I guess it was just my imagination. Sooooooo, back to what I was saying. Have you never thought about it?”

The stallion groaned again before the voices slowly faded into the distance of nightly Ponyville. Morning gasped for air, trying to calm down her ridiculously fast heart rate, “Holy… Celestia… this is… already… killing me.” It took her a minute to catch her second wind, at least it seemed like those were the only ponies patrolling the area. She never even noticed them until now, that was probably the reason Luna and Twilight assigned them to patrol in the first place. She didn’t just ignore the ‘her innocent student is hot’ part either, but now was not the time to think about something like that. No… it definitely wasn’t.

Ponyville’s northern gate came into view. The large double steel door was built into the massive wall that they erected. Blaze still couldn’t believe how fast and efficient they constructed such a big project, the town wasn’t too small either, something like this would’ve taken the government weeks of building, and even before that probably months of planning and deciding. Once again she had to involuntarily admire the rebel’s effective decision-making, the democracy and bureaucracy of Equestria made it really difficult to execute plans in the first place.

She had to either bust the doors open with sheer strength, or open them with magic. Twilight enchanted the entire construct personally, so destroying the wards and anti-magic enchantment would probably take her days, if she could do so at all. Even though her… precious friend had committed such horrible atrocities, she was still ingenious void walker. Her spell even negated the evading spells of Celestia’s top three Generals. Unfortunately Morning had never focused on these spells, she tried to master offensive elemental spells, and basic darkness spells. Nothing helped so far, at least not in the situation the yellow mare currently found herself in. It would probably take a couple of Archmages to even break this thing on her chest, not that it felt… unpleasant, her student’s energy was something entirely different, so warm… and comfortable, but a way to monitor her nonetheless.

The mere thought of the Archmages made her furious, they were supposed to be loyal to Celestia, but their leader was so painfully corrupt and incompetent.. This cursed Specter and Captain Winterlight, Blaze never trusted them. They always tried to remain hidden until the very last moment. Of course they completed every mission Celestia gave them, even though their faction was technically not part of the Equestrian Government, but all the reports were always very, very vague describing how they actually achieved a successful mission.

As of late her thoughts tended to wander around like that more often than not. Worse than that was Blaze’s completely open position, nothing was there to hide the treacherous act she was about to commit. The fiery unicorn shook her head quickly, nopony was in plain sight, so it was probably okay. She still had some time to figure a way out of the city before ‘dawn’ or rather until Twilight and Luna woke up.

Suddenly another thing ripped Morning out of her thoughts. thick fog began to form on the streets. It wasn’t just any natural event, the parts of her coat that touched this… magic spell immediately began to freeze, slowly coating her in a thin layer of ice. The yellow mare panicked as more and more of the icy mist surrounded her, “H-Hello? W-who’s there?” She tried to summon her weapon, or at least any magical energy to conjure a small flame. The crystal on her chest began to glow in a faint, purple light, annihilating any concentration she had until now.

“Ah, Morning Blaze, Captain of the fifth Solar Guard Division, and long time friend of my dear sister~” Blaze’s heart sank as she recognized the voice, the mist around her immediately rendered her immobile, almost completely freezing the mare up to her neck. In just a few minutes she’d be frozen solid, and no healing spell could bring her back then.

Luna emerged from the shadow of a nearby building, a cocky smile on her face, that alone was very uncommon for the usually calm and collected leader of the rebels. Her icy weapon hovered next to her, the saber that conjured the winds of the underworld, it could freeze even the strongest souls completely solid, “Almost uncanny, isn’t it? Twilight asked me to observe your house closely right from the start, maybe others sleep now, but I’m still the Mistress of the Night. It was adorable to watch you sneak past my slacking thestral children.”

“P-please L-L-Luna… it’s n-not what it looks like!” Her whole body shivered as much as this freezin prison allowed her. Not only from the cold temperatures, but also from the aura that she produced. It was like the full fury of the night condensed into a single being that was now staring at her with a deep and judging gaze.

A small chuckle was the only reaction to that statement, the blue alicorn circled the frozen mare slowly, her blade scraping against the ground, producing a trail of ice crystals behind it, “It’s not what it looks like… hm… that statement leaves a lot of room for interpretation, don’t you think, my dear Blaze? What was your plan? Telling my sister about this operation? Assembling troops that would already await us in the cities? Let me tell you a secret.”

She came closer and closer towards Blaze, the mare already saw her life flashing past her inner eye as Luna stopped and whispered into her ear, “We counted on you telling Celestia.”

Morning’s eyes widened in shock, “W-what? N-No… you can’t be s-serious!”

The still smiling alicorn backed off a bit, “What do you think I am? I, my dear Captain, am a millennia old demi-goddess. I know every trick, every mind game, every plan that you could possibly come up with. I was not bound to my duties as Celestia was, the art of war was my daily reminder that I failed once, and would not let that happen again. I wasn’t fully conscious while sealed on the moon, but that didn’t stop me from going through every possible scenario how this could’ve played out. We waited if you’d run away to alarm Celestia, but you wouldn’t even get past the gate. How disappointing, but now we’ll just continue as planned, the only thing you could have achieved with that, would be an enormous bloodbath on her side. Our rebellion never holds back.”

“W-what are you g-g-going to do to me now?” She asked carefully, still not believing how much they played with her.

The ice around her vanished, letting Morning tumbling onto the ground, “Nothing. We are no fools, Twilight and I know that you will probably never throw away your morals voluntarily, but you are still a valuable asset. That’s why you’ll still join her tomorrow, and kill as many guards as you possibly can. Maybe that will change your mind a bit.”

“P-please… no...”

Luna lifted the yellow mare onto her hooves, “This is the final decision, don’t let me catch you again tonight, or ever again, or you’ll end as a pretty statue before our gates. Twilight has her ways to convince you, but first get some rest, and get ready for some classic genocide.”

So she escorted her back into her assigned house. Blaze was completely unable to form any useful thoughts, her situation was hopeless, and tomorrow it would begin to get really bad, “Celestia, please… help me...”

The two versions of Fluttershy began to attack the demons simultaneously. It was important that neither of them could start summoning any more magic projectiles, are electrocute them with the demonic blade Lechku held in his claws. The silver demon’s flipping piece clock was still somewhat damaged, not moving as synchronized as the other demon’s normal clock. Past Fluttershy was still unsure why her other self was so serious about this, of course they had to defeat them, but until now they didn’t manage to finish them off with this time stopping. It almost seemed like she’d seen things, bad things in the future and was now trying to fix it. She wasn’t even sure how time travelling was even possible, so going along with it was the only thing the yellow pegasus could do.

Rost was helping the… normal mare out… the one that didn’t just appear out of thin air at least. He was distracting the silver demon who luckily didn’t have a big sword that would instantly slice him in half. The brown stallion managed to parry most of Nechku’s swings and swipes with his claws. The demon still hadn’t retrieved his cane which was very fortunate for them since they could now focus on interrupting the strange summoning magic the demon used to pull things out of his top hat.

Finally they made some progress, Fluttershy managed to slash the moving pieces directly with her still completely foreign energy whip. A fizzling could be heard from inside the machinery, sparks flew out of it. The entire area changed from negative to normal colors multiple times in the span of a few seconds, never able to maintain this time spell. Both demons screeched loudly, sounding like they shared the pain. The Fluttershy that took on the golden demon finally got a moment to breath. Its sword was way more dangerous than the other one’s illusions. She didn’t waste this opportunity though, “Now!”

Both pegasi did the exact same thing, launching the whip towards the demons’ neck, trying to get them into the ground. It was way more difficult, since they seemed to catch on to the trick, but finally two loud crashed could be heard, the large owl like demons laid on the ground, temporarily stunned. The next few seconds were like a raging storm of steel, flying projectiles and screeching, the ponies used their last ounces of strength to hack at their opponents.

Dozens of deep cuts covered Lechku and Nechku, they screeched one last time before they stopped moving altogether. They did it… they really did it! The demonic twin demons exploded in a massive floral burst, it didn’t stop there though, the fresh wave of spring expanded outwards, passing the heroes. It left the mountain in a trail of flowers and grass, for the first time in years it actually stopped snowing. It wasn’t like an instant change of season appeared, since this land always had been very cold, but the sun also began to shine through the thick clouds.

They all dropped onto their haunches, panting heavily, their weapon getting back to their usual position. It was like the calm moments before the real storm began, this was not the end, it was the mere beginning of a new, even more chaotic chapter in their lives, For now they’d earned this freedom though, getting into a group hug.

Both pegasi actually had tears in their eyes, but faint smiles on their faces. Rost still could not believe what happened mere moments ago, he could see the land below them, still covered in snow, but free of the demons, and ready to flourish once again, “You two… have my deepest gratitude… I… I can’t say how much I owe you.”

The two versions of herself smiled, they suddenly knew what to do. They hugged each other gently, slowly merging into one, the past one’s memory and the present one’s mixed, they now had an idea what happened in this time travel. It was shocking at first, but they succeeded at their mission, Rost was still alive.

A surge of confidence ran through the now only Fluttershy, she shot forth, locking lips with the completely surprised stallion. It didn’t take him long to embrace and kiss her back though, melting into her caring and warm affection. Both had a heavy blush on their faces as they parted, the stallion was the first to chuckle a little and speak up, “I think I’d like to see this Equestria for myself.”

The yellow mare was leaning against him, resting her head on his neck, this was completely new for her. She had no idea how to act in a romantic situation, but it just felt right to kiss him, he’d been there for her, he was loyal, and… quite handsome, even if Fluttershy didn’t think about it all that often, “I’d like that too… i-it’s not over though. There are a lot of p-problems in my homeland.”

“I figured as much, but I’m here for you! We’ll get through that together and then… well, I’m sure we have a lot to look forward to,” He said, slowly rising to his hooves. The plateau was now just that, a completely destroyed and empty mountain top. Until he spotted a quite large… sword handle? It was entirely blue, and it looked like the blade itself, and some kind of ornament in the middle of the grip were missing. He quickly got up and grabbed it between his teeth. “Hey Fluttershy, what do you think this could—”

A bright beam of blue light suddenly shot out of the blade piece, racing towards the mountains, right into the direction of another adventurous duo. The shock almost made him drop the whole thing, but it was clearly pointing towards Equestria so it must be important for her!

“R-Rost what did you do?” Fluttershy asked carefully, following the small ray until it disappeared in the clouds of the mountains nearby. The yellow mare hadn’t noticed that they were so close until now, now that the raging blizzard had been mysteriously lifted they could get across! There was no time to be celebrated as a hero, even though that would be a nice change of pace for the often lonely pegasus, but now she had him anyway; and that was better than any cheer!

“Hmpffg!” He noticed his incoherent mumbling and carefully grabbed it with his front hooves, a slight current of magical charge ran through his body, not nearly enough to hurt him, but it was strange for a non-unicorn nonetheless. “Nothing! I just picked it up and boom! Magical beam.”

“W-well… I think it points towards Equestria though. Maybe we should follow it. I don’t know what it is, but it seems to be good if those demons hid it away,” Fluttershy suggested looking at the glowing piece of steel. The beam slowly subsided, but the direction was crystal clear for them. Instead it began to pulse with this energy every few seconds, and it seemed to pulse faster if the brown stallion held it in the right direction.

“Hm… like some sort of compass… maybe to the rest of the blade? It looks very old and magical, I’m no expert on the matter, but I think you’re right. Let’s not waste any time then! We wanted to travel to Equestria anyway, we’ll go through this, together.”

The yellow mare only blushed and gave him a quick nod. Rost was willing to leave everything behind, just for her. It made her feel really special, even more than those handy beads of destruction that floated around her neck. It was a gift she intended to use to its full capacity. This scary Nightmare Moon would regret the day she attacked her friends!

Meanwhile, only a few days trip past the Neighara Falls the exact same thing happened for Sharpshot and Applejack. Due to the riddle they decided to travel towards the Frozen North, and the clearly magical beam of light only confirmed their suspicions, almost pointing in the exact same direction. Their journey from Canterlot towards the northeast of Equestria had been relatively uneventful, it wasn’t easy to go around in complete isolation, but they managed to get their hooves on a newspaper in a small village that wasn’t under control of the rebels. The entire east coast was still holding their ground and were not frequently attacked… yet. Still, the constant twilight sky and threats of a ‘civil invasion’ was not really helping to keep the spirits high. General uneasiness spread in between the population, normal, innocent ponies feared for their lives, their property and their freedom.

The country mare carefully touched the blade piece of the sword, also feeling the small magical current. She almost cut herself, despite its age and condition the double edged blade was still razor sharp, “Ah guess you were right, Sharp. Seems like this thing is pointin’ towards the mountains.”

Sharpshot examined it for a while, holding it into different direction after the beam faded as well. Never before had he seen something quite like this, it almost had a magnetic force towards, presumably, its other piece. This one would be hidden somewhere in the Frozen North, not a very precise area, but the destiny of this land was at stake. After that he had the strong suspicion that the last piece would definitely be located on this demonic island, and for that they needed both pieces anyway, “Seems like it… I don’t want to get our hopes up though, but this event makes it way easier to find the other piece. It pulses stronger if I point it towards an exact location that seems to be moving though, Celestia knows who is currently in possession of the second piece. Let’s get going, the mountains are only a few days trip away.”

“Do ya know if we’ll run across another lake or river anytime soon?” AJ asked while walking next to him.

“Uh… yes, actually. We should see the same one that ran past the Neighara Falls. Why?”

“Ah’m okay with gettin’ down in the dirt, ya know? But Ah’m still a mare that likes to shower every so often, and It’s already been a while, if ya catch mah drift,” She said quickly, not wanting to get into any more details. It was already hard to concentrate with a stallion next to her the whole time, her work never allowed her to think about this any further, but now...

“I… you mean… Oh… I see,” He looked away from her, of course they were only travelling together until they manage to banish this nightmare, but… he couldn’t deny that the country mare was quite… attractive. Not that is would mean anything… and he was not thinking about her washing herself in a lake… Definitely not. “L-Let’s get going then!”

Finally, no more waiting, Twilight had been so excited right after they announced their plan. Of course she wouldn’t show that she was actually somewhat giddy to fight again, but it was always such an adrenaline rush. The lavender unicorn could fully understand why Silent loved fighting with others, maybe he was just doing that for satisfaction though, the beige stallion was kinda hard to read and the Nightmare didn’t want to be bothered with such absolutely not mandatory things.

She had stopped thinking about consequences ages ago, there was only the present to live in, and this was her only chance to take the queen, literally. Either Celestia, or Twilight would not see the end of this civil war, she made that choice on her own, and the point of return was also long crossed. Nearly every single pony in Equestria knew her name, her face, her abilities by now, or at least they thought that they knew her, but only Luna and the Nightmare knew how she really felt. Even her so-called friends could be tricked or persuaded in one way or another, in Blaze’s case their option limited down to will-breaking, but even that wouldn’t be too difficult. She used the exact same tactic as Celestia, but it was way more simple than actual caring or getting to know each individual, especially now that they had a big city under their control, and more to follow after today. Twilight didn’t really want the throne, nor the fame, it could all be broken down to a mere hunger for revenge. The Nightmare, Discord and even Luna pressed her to take the throne with them though, sometime that would surely cause problems in the future. The alicorn wanted to have a diarchy together with her, Discord wanted to be her ‘Minister of Chaos’ or something crazy like that, and Twilight wasn’t too sure about the mysterious Nightmare’s plans.

Half an hour later, after her daily routine which was mandatory for her, she waited near the town hall for her allies, or friends, depended on the mood she was currently in. The lavender mare would not hesitate to test their loyalty to her, and after Luna contacted her via the mind link, Twilight was all too happy to let her ‘friend’ slay a few guards. Pinkie and Rarity were already waiting with her, and since they shared her boutique it was probably due to the energetic pink mare that they were already up.

Pinkie bounced around the two mares in a circle pattern, giggling every so often or even telling jokes to pass the time until everypony was up and ready, “Oh this is so exciting! We get to tell everyone the truth and throw a big party at the end!”

The lavender mare sighed, slowly shaking her head, “Sounds like a plan, Pinkie, but I don’t think we have—”

Suddenly the pink mare was mere centimeters away from her face, staring into the rebel leader’s eyes with an unforgiving gaze, “There is always time for a party, always.”

“Y-yes… of course, would you mind getting out of my face, Pinkie?” Then the pink mare was already continuing her joyous bouncing as if nothing ever happened… Twilight swore that she was a disguised unicorn...

Ten minutes later Rainbow Dash and Silver joined them. They had been talking about his wingblades, and if it would be possible to get a pair for the bold mare. She didn’t want to stay at the sidelines anymore, and that meant the corruptive magic completely broke her inner will. Before this the two of them only talked briefly, but now they noticed some shared interests. Both were glad to take any challenge, loved races and didn’t fear any enemy. It was good to see her ‘team’ getting along so well. Silver practically emanated a burning desire to help his queen, now more than ever since she saved him from misery yet again. Not many of her children survived, but Luna already had plans to spread her blessing under the very best of the population. The thestrals would rise again, bringing their superior power down on the neck of her sister’s army.

Another short wait later Blaze and Silent arrived. The yellow mare looked terrible, dull coat, bags under her eyes and frazzled mane. Of course Twilight knew about what happened last night, Luna was very strict when it came to treacherous behaviour, Morning’s punishment would be so delightful. Killing her own former allies, perfect cruelty. Luna was right behind them, a confident expression on her face. Today was no time for hesitation, think fast, act faster and kill your enemy before they can kill you. Basic rules of leading a war, the Lunar Goddess knew that, Twilight new that, and Celestia knew that as well. Until now the Sun Princess had hesitated, her confusing feelings for Twilight made her blind.

Every higher ranking leader of the rebellion was now present, this day would be remembered for a very long time. Twilight looked around, seeing determined faces with just a few exceptions. Silver Night rarely showed any emotions other than complete devotion for their cause, so his neutral expression was not unexpected, Silent Flare, who wasn’t too happy that he didn’t get chosen as Twilight’s fourth member, the mysterious stallion with connections to a Captain of Celestia’s Army was as excited to fight as ever. The lavender mare didn’t doubt his loyalty though, everyone present had been observed the whole time, using bat ponies or the crystal gem they all had on their chest. Lastly, her lovely personal plaything, Morning Blaze, she would break her soon enough, the Nightmare urged Twilight to corrupt her with darkness magic, but she would do it on her own, much more efficient, and way more cruel. It worked very well with her other ‘plaything’, Rainbow was undoubtedly loyal now, the lavender mare wondered if it was physically possible for her to even think about leaving. Twilight abandoned feeling guilt about these thoughts surprisingly quickly, her original plans had been thrown out of the window anyway, This was like the first Chaos war, but now not even Discord saw something like this coming, usually he played a bigger role in these kinds of conflicts. Chaos is chaos, so even a literal God of Chaos could play along for his own amusement.

Twilight began to speak, immediately causing silence in between her other leaders, “First I’d like to thank you all for coming so… early, according to Luna. Anyways, as you all know, today we will start our Operation Eclipse.” That caused a few to tilt their heads in confusion, that name was definitely new. “Good, I was checking if all of you were paying attention because this mission is of great importance. If we succeed three major cities plus the heart of Equestria’s military research facilities will be under our control. A short summary to make sure everything is going as smoothly as possible. Silver, Silent, Rainbow and Pinkie will team up with Luna and go straight to the heart of Manehattan which is already under our control. From there you’ll split up, take about two hundred of the civilians and Capone’s mercenaries with you, and invade Baltimare or Fillydelphia. Kill all guards or police forces you may encounter, including higher ranking Captains or Generals, but don’t cause unnecessary casualties, we need them to join us, not rot in a dead city. Simultaneously a little team, consisting of Rarity, me, and Morning Blaze will use that distraction and shock over this sudden change of pace to annihilate opposing forces in Stalliongrad, reinforce the city, and open a gateway. After that we’ll let our rebels enter to keep us supplied with weapons. These missions are an all or nothing attempt. Either we succeed, or die. There is no option for retreat. Any objections?”

She waited for a few seconds, especially focusing her gaze on her former mentor, who frantically looked around to find just about anything she could use to get out of this Nightmare. Unfortunately the yellow mare didn’t even find the courage, nor the strength to speak up, just slowly shook her head, accepting her inevitable end. Twilight smiled victoriously, “Very well. I wish all of you good luck, and a good hunt. For a future without tyranny!”

After almost two hours of waiting, and a constantly panicking Applebloom that paced around and exclaimed ‘I told ya it was a bad idea!’ every now and then the princess was finally ready for them. The three fillies had no idea what would happen now, nor what their punishment would be. Maybe Celestia would even help them, it didn’t sound so crazy, since she cares about her subjects. The war that was going on around them left them completely blind to the outside world, it was frustrating, but what should they do?

The two guards that caught them opened the large gates of the throne room, or rather the Center of Command now. All kinds of maps, documents, little figures that resembled ponies and much more of that laid scattered around the room. In the middle of it all, Celestia, Monarch of the Sun, Tactical Genius and the literal manifestation of Harmony in this land. Everything was starting to crack, ponies were in panic, or just angry at everything, easy targets for the rebel’s manipulation. Time was ticking for her, but for now she had to calm three also very frustrated young ponies. Nothing could be heard in the giant room, not one rattle of two armor plates clattering against each other from the guards, nor the sound of simple breathing. Just the combined, tiny hoofsteps of Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle who were almost shivering while walking towards their omniscient ruler.

Princess Celestia sighed quietly, she’d have to be very careful, otherwise she could scare these fillies out of their minds. They were just as innocent… as her little Twilight used to be, “I have received reports that three, little fillies tried to leave Canterlot using a cardboard box and blatant lies in front of a commanding officer, all of that despite the clear rules against it.” Her gaze softened a bit, this was unnecessary, but she just had to gather as much information as she could. “While I do appreciate creativity in my subjects, I must know the reason that led you to believe that leaving Canterlot was the best course of action.”

They exchanged glances, not willing to speak up, finally Scootaloo nudged Sweetie forwards, signalling her to start. The small unicorn squeaked, but finally spoke up, “W-we wanted to… t-travel towards Ponyville, y-your Highness. P-please don’t banish us!”

Her inner voice gasped, just what did these little fillies think about her? What in the world could’ve given them the idea that she would banish everyone that did something as trivial as that? Ponyville… why would they… Her eyes widened for a second, then she remembered Morning Blaze’s reports, the ponies that joined… her, or vanished… some of them had little siblings, “Why do you want to return? It is not very safe around there for now. The evacuation had been a little… unorthodox, but necessary to ensure the highest possible amount of safety for my subjects.”

“We wanted to save our sisters!” Applebloom blurted out, immediately covering her mouth afterwards. Right… nopony should know about their plan, screw it. She sighed and began anew. “Mah name is Applebloom, this here is Sweetie Belle, and that fluttering pegasus over there is Scootaloo. Our sisters are Applejack, Rarity and well, kind of Rainbow Dash.”

“Almost, she’s almost my sister,” Scootaloo said, stopping to buzz nervously with her wings. She hadn’t been able to fly with them yet, they were just a little too small, but maybe one day she’d soar in the skies with her idol and hero.

Celestia mentally kicked herself again, of course it had to be them! One of them was in exile, doing who knows what, and the other two were already in the grasp of… Twilight’s or the Nightmare’s corruptive magic. There was no way they would return, or even enter the city. It was unlikely that Twilight would kill innocent foals, but letting them leave again was a whole other story, “I… see. It seems like you three have been through quite a lot, but… I cannot let you venture out towards Ponyville all on your own. I… I promise that your sisters will be fine, and happy to see you again, once all of this is over.”

Now she had to catch all of them alive, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to look at herself in the mirror. Her train of thought was interrupted by Applebloom speaking up again, she didn’t sound very satisfied with those answers so far, “What exactly do ya mean with ‘all of this’. Ah’m sorry if this sounds rude, but nopony told us anythin’ so far! The adults are always so nervous, but won’t tell us just what is goin’ on around here.” The other two just nodded,

“Sometimes… secrets are secrets for a reason, young ones. I know how frustrating this must be, but something is very wrong with this world right now. We are all trying to bear this burden alone, so that our future, all of you, don’t have to. Believe me, your parents just want the best and only want to protect you. Return to them now, and please, don’t try to leave again until it’s over,” Celestia replied, genuine emotion apparent in her voice. Of course this was hard for her, seeing families being torn apart by her own weakness, and it all started because she could not just speak honestly with the pony she cared so much about...

Long Lost

Chapter 24: Long Lost

To say that the so called ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ were confused would be an understatement. Celestia basically just told them they were useless for reasons they were too young to understand. Especially Scootaloo didn’t take it very well, the young filly cursed more than an old fisher that just lost his last hook to the deep abyss of the wide ocean.

“Scoots, calm down! It is how it is, we should just go back to the barracks and play ball or somethin’,” Applebloom suggested, earning an angry glare from her orange friend. They were the best in her opinion, those stupid grown ups could just let them fight with whoever outside force was threatening and cornering them like that. None of them really understood the art of war, how could they, but even a foal could see that something was wrong.

The sun and moon almost clashing was really disturbing, kinda cool, for the little group’s inexperienced set of eyes, but mostly disturbing. Even though the sun was now noticeably lower than the moon for some reason none of them could even hope to know. The immortal Princess of the Sun was losing ground, losing more and more of her precious, harmonious peace that kept her subjects in line. Nopony knew what would happen if chaos reigned once more, would things like the Cutie Marks just disappear? Would the psyche of the ponies be affected, most likely, but more than just due to the shock of the sudden change in their leadership? Questions not even the gods could answer at the moment, all the normal ponies could do, was wait and pray.

“Celestia said our sisters and your almost sister will be alright. I mean she’s kind of a god, or something, she knows what to do. My parents are always around somewhere, I’m not really worried about them. Rarity can also handle herself really good, but she’s taught me so much and she would never hurt somepony… even if her life depended on it,” The bittersweet irony passed the little unicorn unnoticed, as this pacifistic sister was just about to end the life of countless guards protecting Stalliongrad.

“See? AJ is also super strong and will pull through no matter what! And so is Rainbow Dash, Ah mean, have ya ever seen her abandon ya, or the princess? She’s the most awesome, loyal and strongest pegasus Ah know!” The earth pony replied, trying to persuade Scootaloo, but also part of herself that worried to death about her sister.

“What about your homes though? Ponyville also seems to be in some kind of trouble!” The orange filly shouted.

Before they could answer her, another voice interrupted them, it sounded smooth, a bit higher than usual, but definitely a male’s voice, “You three want to get out of the city? I can help you.” Somepony, or rather someone slowly stepped out of the shadows that were created by the closed and fortified windows. He was rather big, about an average mare’s size, he stood on two legs, face obscured by a black hoodie. His skin was purple, and green scales could be seen catching the light in a very interesting way. The hoodie had a distinct, but very faint purple glow to it, a gift from his former best friend… and big sister. It had a dragon’s skull breathing fire stitched onto the back, framed with four crimson rubies, one in each corner about ten centimeters away from the head. It seemed to be magical because the shadows created by the hood itself perfectly covered his face, no matter the angle they looked at it, only his green eyes sparkled out of it, forming a vague angry glare.

“H-hey! W-who are you?” Applebloom stammered, stepping back a bit. This… creature came out of nowhere, she had never seen something like him. Maybe a lizard because of the scales? Or even a dragon? No, he didn’t have any wings or things like that.

“Me? I’m no one. Listen, if you want to get out of here be my guest, if not then continue complaining about not being able to do anything. I’ve been waiting for weeks now, for… somepony really important to come back, but instead… Nevermind. I’m waiting until this afternoon, then the guards have a general inspection, for ten minutes a particular tower of the castle will be unguarded. The unicorn… that lived there created numerous means to escape, should something unforeseeable happen, I, or we can use that to actually try and fix something.”

The last months had been tiring for the teenage dragon… abandoned by his only friend and big sister. Celestia tried to fill in that role by talking with him or teaching him more often like they used to, but it just wasn’t the same anymore. The princess was always so… distracted, especially if the topic of her little lavender student came up. He never got any update regarding her condition, but the dragon could listen… oh yes, and he did. The days after the ‘Nightmare of Canterlot’ had been the worst days of his life. Seeing the once so noble, intelligent and innocent sister literally tear through Celestia’s ranks had been traumatizing. Whenever the little dragon heard yet another news about ‘The Deathbringer’ a piece of his former personality died, leaving only a husk of the once so cheerful and curious fire breather.

Now Spike was often seen in a very bad mood, rarely smiling, and never going out without this special hoodie that Twilight gifted him. It just had been a strange event, now that he recalled that day. It had been on the 25th of December… the morning after Hearth’s Warming Eve. Not that there was any indication of it in the entirety of Equestria, maybe in the outer territories, were the rebels didn’t cause as much havoc. Even the seasons had stopped, no time to clear the clouds letting them do what they wanted, no time to produce snow either. Cloudsdale was like a flying citadel nowadays, nopony came in, nopony came out. Spike counted the days, like he always did… planning and waiting for her. He looked at the ground for a second, away from the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’, feeling the soft, black cloth caress his cheek, even though it was faint… the magic felt like a touch from his oldest friend. He drifted off, remembering that fateful day not too long ago.

The gift had just appeared in Twilight’s old tower, where he still lived, keeping everything ready should she return one day. It wasn’t that long ago either, about two weeks ago, normally the entirety of the land would be covered in a soft blanket of comforting white, but that would be counter productive for waging a civil war. A simple box, wrapped with shimmery, purple coloured paper and bound together with a green band, even accompanied by a little ribbon on top of it. A little note was attached to the green band, it simply stated, ‘For Spike.’

At first he had been confused, what could this be? More importantly, who had placed this here for him? Other than Twilight and Celestia nopony even knew anything about the dragon. Not that he cared, the lavender unicorn had been the most important friend his whole life anyway, and the princess always had been very nice, teaching him about many important things.

Carefully Spike removed the band, not wanting to destroy it without a reason, it felt important, his usually so grumpy mood was changed into one of pure curiosity, almost like back in the old days. Next up was the purple wrapping, it perfectly matching his scale tone, a strange coincidence… He folded it neatly and laid it onto the small glass table in… his living room. A light-brown cardboard box was everything that remained, about a quarter of his size, despite the dragon’s recent growth spurt. Again Spike carefully opened it, gazing inside the box, the first thing that caught his attention was a neat, purple envelope, closed with a wax seal in the form of… a six pointed star?!

He had to restrain himself to not rip the letter open, it had to be from Twilight! Where was she, what was she doing?! Spike had to know immediately, maybe she wanted to come back Inside was a light pink piece of paper, folded once to hide its contents to the curious dragon. The hoof writing was just as tidy and beautiful as he remembered it… written in utmost care with dark blue ink, almost looking like a calligraphy.

Spike, I hope you will receive my gift. First of all, I wanted to apologize, I’m sure you have heard about my new ‘title’ and what I have been doing these last months, there is no way to excuse that. Secondly, Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, little brother.

You were, and always will be my family, even more so than my biological family who doesn’t understand why I do what I am doing. I am getting off track though, this is about you, not me. I can imagine those last months had been incredibly hard for you, and that I am probably the reason for that, again, my deepest apologies. I wanted to protect you from this, but I left you behind, trying to keep you from getting dragged into this ordeal.

Inside this box you will find three items that will hopefully ease your burden. A small bag of gems (because I know that those are hard to come by in Canterlot) that I personally gathered and checked. A special, enchanted hoodie, if other ponies ever annoy you, or if you just need some privacy. I am sure you will find out what the enchantment does soon enough, I also made it a bit bigger, since I presume you have grown quite a bit since our last encounter. The last thing is an… invitation, should you ever grow tired of Celestia’s reign, or if you find it acceptable to forgive me, leave Canterlot and hold it into the air. I will immediately bring you straight to me, and I can promise to never leave you again, should you choose to do so.

With love,
Twilight ‘The Deathbringer’ Sparkle

Spike fell back into his haunches, holding this letter close to his chest. The little dragon didn’t notice until now, but silent tears ran down his cheek, almost staining the letter of his… family. So Twilight really was sorry about all of this… she didn’t sound as cruel, or evil like everypony said… maybe this wasn’t her fault at all… He needed to see the rest of the contents, at least to see if this was not a dream...

Taking the first step felt very difficult somehow, his feet were glued to the spot, clutching the letter of his ‘sister. After months of loneliness and worrying she decided to pull him out of it… why now? Did it all became too much for her? Maybe Twilight needed her number one assistant again! Celestia wouldn’t allow him to leave though… not after everything that happened with the lavender unicorn. She would assume that her former student wanted to trick him, but… Twilight wasn’t like this! Maybe the princess really did some things wrong, and she was just afraid that Twilight would fix it without her. Spike didn’t really consider himself useful when it came to war, or politics, but the little dragon knew his sister damn well! She was brilliant, sometimes a little too eager and caught up in her books, but this was not like her at all, something else must be the reason for it.

Finally he was able to move, peeking inside the plain, light-brown box, on top of what looked like the hoodie she mentioned, rested a bag. It was closed off with a white cord, but he could already see some sharp gemstone edges slightly poking out of the thin fabric. His mouth watered, but this would have to wait, the other contents were more important for him. How ironic… a dragon rejects gemstones for stuff made by a pony. Maybe he was more pony than dragon, but that never really concerned him, from what Spike had heard, other dragons seemed to be jerks anyway.

Then Spike carefully lifted the piece of clothing, eyeing up the symbol on the back, gems, a dragon skull and fire, it was awesome! She knew him so well, it was not only surprisingly soft and warm, it also looked really mysterious. Last Hearth’s Warming Eve Twilight had given him a few books, mostly about dragon history, gemstones and where to find them, and his personal favorite, Daring Do and the Sapphire Statue. The first book of a very interesting series, full of action, villains, conspiracies etc, these books alone managed to spark his interest for literature, aside from learning new things with them. He was hoping to get his claws at little novels called ‘comic books’, but in this war nopony was really interested in that anymore. He slowly shook his head, it was all too easy to drift off into good old memories, no matter what occasion, Twilight’s gifts always hit the spot, even if they seemed boring for others. She played a very big and important role in his life.

He tried it on, and as expected it was a perfect fit. As Spike reached the mirror the effects of her enchantment were plainly visible, or rather invisible. Only his green eyes reflected some of the day light, the rest of his face was obscured by the shadows, no matter how much he tried looking at it. It faded as soon as he pulled the hood of his head, then it was just a normal, but nonetheless comfortable sweater. Thanks Twi… you always know exactly what I want… so why did you leave me here? I would’ve supported you… no matter what, even if it seemed wrong at first… I know that you are smart enough to make the right choices!

Now wasn’t the time to be depressed though, this was a gift from her after all! He stepped close to the box once again, grabbing the last item inside of it. A cut crystal, or more like a crystal plate, only about as big as his claw, the background showed an eclipse, thin lines of a crescent moon cutting into the circle of a round sun. It was overshadowed by a six pointed star that was just slightly thicker than the plate itself, like Twilight wanted to establish her power over them. He wondered why Nightmare Moon would let her do this… Spike knew that they were allies, but could she really be stronger than this insane alicorn? Not very likely at least, so maybe it should show only him that the lavender mare didn’t want to be involved into this war, distancing herself from it? He hadn’t seen this symbol in the newspaper or just about anywhere else, so this must’ve been created solely for him… another personal gift from her.

The small crystal pulsed very faintly, emitting a pleasant feeling of warmth and comfort. It was strange, but definitely not unwanted. Like a hug from her, and it could bring her to him… he needed time to think about it...

“Uh… You okay there, Mister Mysterious?” The small earth ponies voice ripped him out of the memories. He had been storing into nothingness for just one or two minutes, but it had felt like a complete recap of this particular morning. These fillies wanted to rescue their sister… and so did he, Spike had thought about it, oh he did for a long time, now he made a decision. The teenage dragon wouldn’t just help himself, but also these ponies and their own sisters.

“Yeah, just planning ahead,” He cleared his throat, those emerald colored eyes of his sparkling with determination. They still had this slight trace of distance in them though, rather than anger and frustration, arguably an improvement. It was time to get this going, this war seemed to be progressing, and so would he. “So, what do you three say? Celestia isn’t exactly willing to help, but I am. Meet me today at exactly 3:30 pm at the stairs of the east tower. Take as much things with you as you need, and if necessary, say goodbye to your families. We will have twenty minutes because at 4 pm sharp the general inspection will be over and five minutes later there will be a sweep search of the entire castle. With or without you three, I will be gone.”

Slowly the dragon walked away, hands buried in the bags of his now most precious gift. He didn’t need to pack anything, this tower was meaningless, all his books were meaningless as well for now. Spike just wanted to see and talk to her again, he could still feel the soft magical pulse of this crystal emblem in his pocket. If Twilight’s message was correct he did not even need to worry about travelling or distance anyway.

Scootaloo fluttered with her tiny wings, making a sound similar to a hummingbird, “Welp, this was confusing, Did you guys saw his face though? Totally weird, couldn’t see it from any angle!”

“I think it’s some sort of enchantment that—” The squeaky unicorn was interrupted by their third companion, having heard enough about this insignificant detail.

“Could yer two please stop talkin’ ‘bout this hood thing?! Didn’t ya hear what that fella jest said? We could see our sisters again! Ah mean we shouldn’t trust any random pony that starts talkin’ like that… especially with his choice of clothing. Ah’m just sayin’ it’s the best lead we have! What’s the worst that could happen? We get another talk with Celestia, Ah’m terrified!”

“You know my parents say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit…” Sweetie Belle replied, looking into the deadpan face of her earth pony friend.

After a little glare and awkward pause from Applebloom she continued, “But the highest form of intelligence. Now shut yer mouth and let me explain. We could actually help our sisters if we manage to get outta here. Ah’m sure they’re are in Ponyville, I haven’t seen them while we have been evacuated.”

Sweetie just huffed and pouted, less arguing for Applebloom, so she didn’t comment on it. Scootaloo also didn’t seem to particularly care since she was always up for an adventure. She had been the one to suggest this whole catastrophic failure of a plan anyways… in hindsight nopony knew why the pegasus had been the one allowed to search for a suitable disguise. The earth pony filly shrugged, “Alrighty then, let’s go to the camps, lay low for the next few hours and meet back at the east tower like he said. We have all those things packed anyway, I hope they brought ‘em back to our families.”

With that the self-proclaimed ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ made their way out of the castle. Towards a seemingly brighter future and their sisters, all thanks to a particularly lonely dragon.

The icy winds of the north whipped into their faces as soon as the three pony group walked out of the shadowy door that disappeared a second after that. Only Rarity was wearing a light pink scarf, complimenting her eyes and keeping the seamstress warm, “D-Darling, would you mind explaining w-why we’re so far away f-from Stalliongrad?” The secured city could only be spotted in the far distance of the frozen landscapes that practically covered half of northern Equestria.

Twilight’s horn flashed dark purple for a second, it seemed that its colour had entirely changed during their ‘journey’. A thin layer of magic engulfed the three of them, letting the snow melt and keeping their temperature stable, “The city is surrounded by a lot of wards, making shadow travel impossible. It’s even stronger than the wards around Canterlot. Also, the city will be crawling with guards, so we can’t just teleport in.”

“I thought you wanted to eliminate everypony except maybe the scientists anyway,” The fashionista replied, looking into the distant city. Luckily the sky was covered with thick clouds, and it began to snow, that would help to cover their tracks and made spotting them a lot harder.

“You have a point there, but it’s more exciting that way, don’t you think? Besides, if even one of them warns Celestia she’ll likely send about half of her entire troops to secure the city, it has an immense tactical value for her,” The lavender mare stated.

“Twilight… Rarity… are you sure this is really a good id—” Morning got interrupted by Rarity slapping her hard, the imprint of her hoof already visible on her face. It was not particularly painful… not physically at least. “W-why?”

“You won’t doubt Twilight’s plans a second time, ‘darling’. After intensively talking with her about all of this I am a hundred percent sure that this is, indeed, the best course of action. You may know her for far longer, but you never tried to really understand or care about her didn’t you?” Rarity grew more irritated by the second, that Blaze dared to do that despite the honor of going on a mission with Twilight, unbelievable. Rarity definitely wanted the approval of the lavender mare, she was such a confident, strong and independent pony, that was admittedly a little bit cruel as of late, but that was just a minor detail.

Mhmm~ Such tension against your new slave. While I enjoy the fiery passion this unicorn mare radiates just for you, maybe you should calm her down. Make sure to reward her later for being so loyal~

Twilight’s right fore hoof rested on the seamstress’ shoulder, “It’s alright, Rarity. Thanks for helping me out. Let’s go, this plan won’t change in the slightest, but maybe we have to talk about rewards later, my dear.”

Even through the magical layer the lavender mare could make out the blush forming on the flustered unicorn’s face, “Y-yes, of course, darling! Everything for my friends.” The two of them trotted along, they would need a couple of hours of careful sneaking and hiding to even get close to the cities large, steel walls.

“Finally!” Scootaloo whispered, it had taken them hours to convince their parents why they needed their saddlebags and some supplies all of a sudden. All three of them were ready and wandered towards the castle. All of the guards seemed to be hectic, polishing their armor, looking at documents and sharpening their weapons. It seemed like this general inspection was quite an important event for them. Probably also to eliminate the possibilities of spies within their ranks.

It was the perfect opportunity, like this mysterious dragon/lizard said, even the castle’s gates were unguarded. The princess wasn’t here either, she overlooked the preparations for the inspections. Dawn, Mistral and Law were executing it, of course. All of them were in a really gloomy mood since the events that happened in the Canterlot gardens. It had been humiliating… tricked by a small group of criminals once again. The worst thing was that they seemed to grow stronger every time, how did they manage to train in between their chaos making? The situation hadn’t been in their favor for quite some time, and the upper ranks of Celestia’s army definitely planned to change that… what was left of them at least.

“Where is east? I think we’re running in circles,” The orange pegasus whispered while trying to find the right way towards the east tower. She wasn’t very good with directions… or flying, but at least she was an awesome athlete, just like Rainbow Dash!

“You’re going north, by the way,” Sweetie stated in a deadpan tone.

“Why the hay didn’t you say so ten minutes ago?!”

“Oh I’m sorry, since when am I your secretary?” The little unicorn replied sharply.

“Hey you idiots! The east tower is in this direction!” It was the dragon standing in the hallway, his face obscured with the hoodie as per usual. He seemed somewhat excited, but also annoyed by their incompetence. “Now stop being stupid and follow me. We don’t have much time.”

Both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle pouted along the way, only the reasonable earth pony filly was walking next to their mysterious… friend and slowly shook her head,” Sorry for all the trouble. Ah swear we’re better than that. We jest had a hard time lately, with our sister bein’ gone and all…”

The dragon didn’t reply right away, he could relate to their pain, but also needed to keep going, they really didn’t have much time. Since Spike’s recent growth spurt nopony really bothered to make fun of his height anymore. Not that many dared to do that in the first place, being raised by a demi-goddess and the now most dangerous mare in the whole land. It had been a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but he finally understood why Twilight did all this… at least he thought so. His own anger flared for a second, his big sister had been manipulated all her young life, they had been separated even though he still had free time in between his education. Was it so that she would feel lonely and work harder in her studies?

Spike never dared to confront Celestia which wasn’t a good idea in general, but she was strangely sensitive when it came to the topic of Twilight Sparkle, even more so than himself. He knew deep down that she did all this for a reason, even if her sense of justice was twisted now… this wouldn’t have started without any valid reasons. The Princess of the Sun was at least partially at fault… but he had to talk to Twilight first. Maybe… the dragon could even help her, in his younger years he really hadn’t been much of a fighter himself, also because Celestia straight out refused to teach him about magic. The demi-goddess had been awfully busy as of late though, too bad that she couldn’t check the restricted archives all the time. A few weeks ago Spike paid it a visit, and found some very useful scrolls that he studied carefully. Ancient magic, hidden away to stop the once raging war between ponies and dragons. Now their relationship was kinda vague since no real information about them was known, but this magic still remained here. Now he had it in his claws though, it used the energy from different sources than the caster’s own body, that meant Spike would be able to cast it too… theoretically, he didn’t actually have time to get it to work consistently. It should be a surprise for the first pony that decided to stand in his way of getting to Twilight though.

They reached the east tower relatively quickly, ascending the stairs up to Twilight Sparkle’s old home, Spike hesitantly opened the door. He really had been taking care of the little apartment in here. Especially Sweetie Belle gasped at all the equipment for science or whatever the pony living here had been doing. Before she could touch the large telescope Spike slapped her hoof away, “I didn’t mention touching anything when I said ‘Follow me’, did I?”

“Okay, okay! You don’t have to snap like that!” Sweetie exclaimed, retracting her hoof quickly. This dragon or whatever was really not the most social creature in Equestria.

Spike sighed deeply, “Look, I know that you guys are frustrated, so am I, but this place is special for me, and the unicorn who used to live here. Don’t break anything, and you.” The dragon pointed at the earth pony filly. “You see that keypad over there? 2034218563, that’s the combination for the escape tunnel. Be careful, one wrong number and you’ll probably be blasted off the tower, or fall into a trapdoor. The pony was quite paranoid when it came to security measures for her secret stuff.”

“Two, Zero, Three, Four, Two… Uh…” She scratched her head, trying to remember the confusing order of the numbers. Who would have a password like that? And why did this dragon knew it out of his head? He wasn’t that much older than them… maybe? The dragon was certainly bigger, almost reaching up to Celestia in height nowadays, but it seemed relatively small for dragon proportions.

“Oh for Pete’s Sake,” Spike pushed her aside, quickly typing in the numbers with an impressive precision. The floor directly next to her old bed opened quietly, revealing a lit hole with a ladder going down. He knew that it went at least past the sewers of Canterlot, and then ended in a ramp that led to another secret door built into the mountain. He helped to build it after all, mainly melting the rocks ahead of them while Twilight hammered it out of the massive mountain with sheer magical force. Not once did the teenage dragon questioned why she did stuff like that, the lavender mare had her reason for everything. “You three first, then I’ll follow since the trapdoor closes in a few minutes.”

The three fillies shared a worried look before nodding. They knew that this was definitely wrong, but what other choice did they have? What would happen to their sisters if they just waited this national crisis out? Slowly they descended into the unknown, waiting for their ‘saviour’. After he also began to claw down the sturdy, iron ladder the door closed, like the dragon said. Fortunately this unicorn really seemed to plan her escapes well, the straight hole was well lit with little crystals behind clear glasses, they emitted a cold, but efficient light-blue shine.

“Alright, just continue to climb down, we should reach a descending ramp that will lead us out of the area, directly to the base of the mountain,” Spike stated, feeling the familiar weight of the little crystal plate in the inner pocket of his hoodie. In the last two weeks he never let go of it, same for the piece of clothing, except to wash it. His ‘luck’ that the princess made him learn stuff like that, next to cooking, cleaning, school subjects, dancing and even playing a few instruments. Of course he had way less free time than others, but Spike also enjoyed being tutored by her… she never forced him to learn something, but learning new things had been fun, especially because that way he felt closer to Twilight. Now he was at the border to being an adult, teenager at least… in pony years, around fifteen if he counted it correctly. His bigger sister should’ve turned seventeen a few weeks ago, but she never really cared about that. Ponies mature quicker than other creatures in Equestria, school starts with four or five, and you’re practically a young adult with~ fifteen to sixteen.

He shook his head quickly, the fillies were way ahead of him. As of late Spike seemed to drift off more often than not, he needed an organized, crazy and hectic mare like Twilight around him. Not to mention that the dragon really missed his bigger sister. Quickly Spike followed them, climbing way faster with claws and feet than with hooves.

After what seemed like an eternity of climbing, and about a hundred complaints from the fillies, they finally arrived at the descending ramp that would lead them into sweet, sweet freedom. The ponies needed a minute to catch their breaths, they just climbed down a mountain, literally, and descending ladders with hooves wasn’t the most comfortable thing to do.

The ramp wasn’t very long, the three could already spot the stone door that would lead them outside, soft light shining through the slits. Canterlot was on the more sunny side of this twilight sky which, oddly enough, seemed to affect the overall mood of the citizens. Not that the rebels had a disadvantage because of that, the darker side resembled their new leaders, and that was a real boost in morale.

“Let’s go, we’re out of the guards’ reach, so we just have to go outside. Be careful though… I don’t know how it will work out…” Spike said in an absent minded tone, already walking towards the door.

“What has to work out exactly?” Applebloom asked, trying to catch up, followed by her companions.

“You’ll see,” With a strong push the door opened, scraping along the stone ground. The dragon took a deep breath, looking at the strange sky and grasped the emblem in his pocket. A slight smile seemed to form on his face, finally he would be able to see her once again, something he’d been dreaming of for quite some time.

Insight

Chapter 25: Insight

They had been wandering for days now, enduring the still harsh weather on the snowy mountains that surrounded the land. It paid off though, Fluttershy and Rost finally passed the last mountain yesterday, and entered Equestria through the northern route. The yellow mare was still unsure what they were... a couple, very good friends, lovers, Rost had been her first interest in, well… ever, but for the entirety of their hard climbs the brown stallion had always supported her, tried to make it a little easier for the pegasus.

She’d been sticking close to him, especially now since they finally passed all this nasty climbing. Walking through her forests and fields while slightly leaning against him was… nice, maybe even more than that, but she wasn’t sure. Luckily their weapons stayed with them, and not disappeared for some arbitrary reason, that meant their chances for survival were exponentially higher than if they had been unarmed. Both learned to use them quite effectively on their ‘journey’. In the constant grasp of her wing rested the blade grip, pulsing wildly, that meant they had to be close!

They were close to the edge of a relatively thick forest, it would take them a while to get through it. “Do you think we should wander around it?” Rost asked while looking into the dense foliage.

“Hm… but it definitely pulses faster while I point it into the forest, maybe the other pieces of this thing are hidden somewhere in there? I don’t even know why somepony would hide a sword, or split it into Celestia-knows how many parts. It just seems… off, but a new weapon could maybe help us against… the rebellion. Also, the twin demons dropped this, so it must be important somehow,” Fluttershy stated, it made her sad to think that they had to face Twilight somehow, but she needed to save them, no matter what. The yellow mare certainly didn’t forget about what happened back in Canterlot, hopefully Dash was still alive and well, as well as you could be after such an injury…

“I guess you’re ri—”

“Fluttershy?! ‘s that you?!” A voice interrupted him, it had a strong southern accent that she was definitely familiar with...

The yellow mare’s ears perked up, that voice…”Applejack?!” She looked towards the forest, spotting an orange blur before it tackled her to the ground. She ‘eeped’ before getting the world’s strongest hug, the mare swore that some bones cracked, but it was worth it. Fluttershy finally arrived, and more importantly, could see her friends again.

“Oh it’s really you! Ah can’t believe it! I’ve been worried sick about ya, girl!” The country mare exclaimed, helping her old friend back to her hooves. Now that she got a good look at her… these glowing things around her were definitely new… and so was the brown stallion behind her, wearing an iron helmet with horn on the side, something that looked like a hide garb, and another glowing thing, a sword this time. Just where did her shy friend end up after the disaster of Canterlot?

“I’m also glad to see you again. Where are the others? How is Rainbow doing, and what about Rarity, Twilight and Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked with a concerned tone. She didn’t hear anything from any of them for weeks.

Before AJ could answer anything, not that she had much information, the two pieces of the dark blue sword began to glow in an intense white light. They disappeared from the grasp of the ponies, and merged into an almost whole blade, only the ornament that should fit into the middle was missing. It fell towards the ground, between the two groups, sinking into the earth to the hilt. It still seemed ridiculously sharp for its age. Sharpshot was the first to speak up after this event, “You two had the second piece of the blade?! Wait… who exactly are you, and where were you?”

Applejack scratched her head, “Oh, right. Sharp, this is my long time friend, Fluttershy. Flutters, this is Sharpshot, somepony I met during my exile…”

“Exile?” Fluttershy asked with a slight gasp.

“Ehehe… it’s a long story, sugarcube.”

The yellow mare looked at the pony next to AJ, his face was partially obscured by a grey hood, and his grey garment seemed to cover most of his body in general. A curved, almost wavy blade rested on his back, “Well, this is Rost: I met him after I was transported to a land past the frozen north, we defeated a lot of demons, and helped the entire land, for that we kinda got this sword piece. And…” Her face suddenly gained a slight blush. “You could… um… you know… say that we are a couple now.”

The brown stallion blushed as well, but stayed silent. This land was a totally new experience for him, but it was nice to help his… marefriend. He never had something like that, never even really thought about it, but it felt right. Rost definitely had strong feelings for her, but it would take them a while to explore them, after this whole thing was over.

“Wait, demons?! Coltfriend?! Are ya really the shy, timid pegasus we lost in Canterlot?”

Fluttershy chuckled, “I guess not. I think everypony has a lot of stories to tell. What if we just stay here for a little while, discuss how we should move on, and what to do now.”

Everypony nodded and began to set up a small camp. There were some shocking details to be discussed in a few hours, but first all of them needed some rest after their difficult journeys.

The magical door opened in the middle of the busy streets of Manehattan, the arrival of these five ponies made many of the newly ‘recruited’ rebels gasp and bow. Silent Flare, former captain of Celestia’s army, and cruel mercenary, Silver Night, one of the last remaining thestrals, forming the top of the flying aces in this land together with the polychromatic mare right next to him. Pinkie Pie, cheerful, but surprisingly agile commander of their ‘little’ rebellion, and most importantly, immortal alicorn, and co-leader of this whole operation, Princes Luna.

“I still don’t get why we can’t force them with unnecessary cruelty… it would be way more fun that way,” Silent sated, trotting behind everypony, looking at the midnight-black sword sheath hanging on his waist.

Pinkie bounced over and ruffle his hair, earning a growl from the beige stallion, “Aw, don’t be such a Grumpy McGrumpypants! Twilight and Luna count on us, after all. This is really important for all of us too, so don’t be sad that you can’t… uh, exert your hobby.”

That was the most harmless description of ‘killing guards as a pastime activity’ the only pegasus-like pony of the group ever heard. He finally was ready to get into action, still incredibly grateful and honored to be rescued by such a divine being, “Indeed, stay in line, Silent. We need to be fast, and efficient. Twilight and her group depend on our distraction… and I think if our other leader grows too tired of waiting she’ll just kill everything in Stalliongrad that doesn’t immediately join our cause…”

Luna said nothing, but it was surprising how fast Silver had seen past that professional mask of her co-leader. Twilight was tainted by the Nightmare… more than she could realize just yet, it made her more and more violent. Rainbow Dash was a good example of that, the unicorn that she teamed up with wouldn’t have used that much power to corrupt a single pony before, the polychromatic pegasus reeked of chaos magic. Luna almost regretted teaching it to her, but that Nightmare would've taught her sooner, or later anyway. It wasn’t too late yet, after they had Celestia down at their hooves she would rip that evil thing out of her, so that they could proceed with their plan.

They stopped right in the middle of the townsquare, the blue alicorn was already approached by a higher ranking member of Capone’s mercenaries. He had a rather smooth, and deep voice, “Your highness, members of the leadership circle, all preparation have been completed. We almost finished the mass teleportation run to Baltimare and Fillydelphia, both located in the outskirts of said town. We just need your command, then we’ll split up in three groups as discussed with Lady Twilight.”

“Well done. Pinkie Pie, Silent Flare and I will join the troops travelling towards Baltimare. Rainbow Dash, Silver Night will use the troops effectively enough to turn the city more efficiently. We also have a higher chance of encountering a general in Baltimare, Mistral most likely, since she wouldn’t let her hometown fall so easily. We have to expect difficulties and resistance, Let’s not waste anymore time and start. For an Equestria without tyranny!”

“All of you, touch my tail, or back. We have to have contact, otherwise you’ll be left behind,” The still mysterious dragon said, pulling something out of his hoodie pocket, it looked like a small emblem, made entirely out of a shimmery crystal.

The three fillies looked at each other and shrugged. What was the worst that could happen to them now? They fled from Canterlot, even though the princess told them to stay inside and wait. It felt wrong somehow, but each of them had a pony to protect out there, and they needed to protect them at all costs. Especially Applebloom had a dark suspicion about her older sister, she would never give up, that much was obvious, but her sister also had a somewhat twisted sense of reality. Family and her friends were everything for her, right now she likely had nothing… would she be able to take it? If not only she herself could tell Applebloom about her whereabouts. Maybe the orange mare was hiding somewhere, not wanting to realize the situation, or following an insane plan to change the unchangeable…

Spike held the emblem into the air, letting it reflect the sunlight. He smiled faintly, and whispered, “Twilight… hear my call… I want to help you, forever.”

Hundreds of miles away the lavender mare suddenly grasped her chest. This feeling… could it be true? There was only one thing she enchanted to have this effect on her. Rarity immediately rushed over to her, “Are you alright, darling? Maybe you should—”

“I’m alright. However, I have to go for a while. Something very important came up. You have the lead on this mission until I teleport back to you two,” She came closer to Rarity, whispering into her ear. “Keep Morning Blaze in line, she has plans of her own. If anything should happen that would even remotely resemble betrayal, and/or threaten your life due to her actions, kill her.”

“Wait, darling, why do you—” Twilight was gone, sunken into the shadows below her. The fashionista had no idea what could possibly be more important than this mission, but she had full trust in her friend. She was also more than capable of keeping Blaze in line, and capture this strategic position.

Twilight arrived in Ponyville a second later, to the great surprise of some civilians that joined them in Manehattan a week ago. Most of them were still adjusting to this new situation, but were very willing to help out where they could. Some of them even bowed before her, even though the lavender mare usually didn’t like this much submission.

Right now all of this was unimportant. If it really was… him, than all of this was unimportant at the second. She summoned Yoru, the massive, razor sharp black blade that took the life of countless of her enemies. The lavender mare rammed it into the ground, letting her horn glow in a dark purple, her sword emitted waves of energy, she was using it as an anchor for a teleportation, highly advanced chaos magic, but a mere walk in the park for her.

Mhmm~ I can sense your emotional turmoil. What is it going to be? The mission, or your love for your ‘little brother’?

“Hngh… both, and now leave me be for a second, I need to concentrate!” Twilight answered her second ally that was possessing her body for a while now. No… possessing was not really the right word since she could still control her own actions, but the Nightmare was surely able to remove that factor as well. For now she just played bystander for as long as it was amusing and entertaining.

The shadows began to surround Spike and the three little fillies rather quickly, swallowing them into the ever growing abyss of the void,” Don’t be afraid, I think this is part of the procedure!” Spike wanted to calm them down a little, but he himself wasn’t too sure if this really was Twilight’s doing. After a purple flash all of them were one with the shadow, being guided by the darkness that would bring them to a new life…

The first thing that Spike perceived, was the slight panting of a very familiar unicorn. His eyes adjusted to the dim twilight once again, and there she was! Smooth, purple fur, slender physique, even more now, and those warm eyes that focused solely on him.

“Spike… I—” Before she could say anything he was wrapping his now bigger arms around her, embracing the mare in a warm, affectionate hug. He was slightly bigger than her now, and the hoodie was obscuring most of his face, but Twilight would notice his warmth out of a million others. Her little brother was back…

After what seemed like a blissful eternity the two separated, Twilight was actually… smiling, genuinely smiling and enjoying this moment. Gone was her plans of violence and blood, for now only her little brother, or… well, big brother now, was important, “You’ve… grown quite a bit since we met last. Spike… I am really, terribly sorry about it… and I hope you can forgive me, just this once.”

“Twilight,” Spike started, pulling the hood down so that she could actually see his beaming smile that showed his sharp fangs. “I would never stay mad at you. This whole war seems to be… a bit extreme, but Celestia has been acting really weird lately. maybe it had something to do with it. You can tell me later, I’m just glad that you really came for me.” Some rebels briefly looked at the three fillies and the teenage dragon that stood right next to Lady Twilight. She always had her reasons, and they weren’t stupid enough to doubt her without a solid... very, very solid reason.

“Your aura is different too… have you learned some kind of magic?” The lavender mare had seen the half scared and half curious fillies behind Spike, but the dragon was more important right now. She could imagine why they were scared though, her sword was still lodged into the ground next to her after all, merely touching it would probably cause a permanent scar at this point.

He beamed at her and jumped backwards, “Here I come!” Spike clenched his hands into fist and punched them against each other, that caused a runic ring to appear right before his head, about the same size as it too. It consisted of a smaller and a bigger ring, the space between them was filled with runes she had never seen before. The teenage dragon inhaled a huge amount of air, moving his head upwards to inhale even more, faint sparkling of flames could be seen shining through his purple scales.

Spike quickly moved his head downwards, directly aimed at Twilight and exhaled. A massive torrent of green flames rushed towards her, way bigger than even Morning Blaze produced when they fought last. Twilight calmly lifted her right hoof, a simpl black rune appearing slightly above it. The inferno got sucked into it before the whole thing disappeared, leaving molten cobblestone and a big scorch mark. She looked at him with a still friendly gaze, a small smoke trail coming out of his mouth while he panted slightly, “That’s really impressive! I’ve heard of it before… dragonslayer magic… what a contrast that a dragon is able to cast it. If you want we can train in a few days, I’m afraid I have to go soon though, for a while at least.”

“I think the spell was called… ‘Roar of the Fire Dragon’ if I… read it correctly. It’s the first time it was so big though,” He looked at the fillies behind them, wide eyed at the spell of his. He wasn’t used to spend his inner dragon magic, and these spells seemed to be the closest to his own. Only another real dragon could teach him more, but most of his reptilian brothers were… less civilized and friendly towards just about anyone. “I understand that you have a lot to do. These are the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ by the way, they wanted to search their sisters here… so I took them with me. We used Escape Route #3, it was the safest way during the general sweep search.”

She observed them for a while, this earth pony and the unicorn… they seemed oddly familiar… the pegasus didn’t ring any bells though, “I presume your sisters are Applejack and Rarity, right?”

“And my sister is Rainbow Dash! Well… almost,” Scootaloo exclaimed, covering her mouth immediately after that, she just couldn’t shut it while her idol was in discussion.

They jumped a little due to this mare talking directly to them. Applebloom spoke to her, “Y-yes, ma’am. We wanted to find them because of all the war thing goin’ on. We figured they’d be around here somewhere.”

“Well… Rarity is actually a…” She sighed, figuring that the alabaster mare should tell her sister herself about everything. This wasn’t her business, nor job, plus she had very little time until Blaze would try something. “She’s with me on a journey… and we’ll be gone for a while. Same for Rainbow Dash, she’s in another city and will most likely be back in a few days. Applejack though… honestly I have no idea where she is. I’m sorry, little one.”

Disappointment could be seen in the little earth pony’s’ eyes, losing their usual excited and happy sparkle. Why were Rainbow Dash and Rarity still here, but her sister wasn’t?! Applebloom had no idea what to do now, but… her big sister wouldn’t stay away from the farm forever! She sighed quietly, “Ah guess Ah’ll stay here too… she can’t be gone forvever, right?”

Twilight didn’t comment on that, she was curious about the farm pony's whereabouts herself, but that could wait until they properly figured this out, “Very well, you three can also stay here, preferably with him so that he can guide you a bit.. Spike, you can either sleep in the house right next to the town’s hall, because it’s also my temporary house, or the Golden Oaks Library. You are still my number one assistant, so everypony will treat you with the same amount of respect they have for me. Most of them are from Manehattan or smaller settlements, be careful around the last thestrals though, they have a bit of a short temper and stronger… urges than other ponies.”

“W-what do you mean with that?!” The dragon asked, she couldn’t mean… that, right?

She just chuckled and sunk into the shadowy mass they came from, “You’ll see~”

“Be careful…”

Twilight emerged from the shadowy mass, leaving the second world that laid over their own like a soothing blanket made out of nothing but pure darkness. Sometimes she wondered if other creatures could traverse the planes like this too, maybe even sentient ones that call this void their home. The lavender mare felt a sense of dread from talking about it, she definitely wouldn’t want to mess with that, void creatures didn’t sound like a pleasant enemy.

The first thing she saw in the snowy field, right next to the still calm Stalliongrad, was a deep blue, and partly red crystal, about twice as high as herself, and jagged with sharp ends. Rarity sat next to it, some bruises, cuts and burns could be seen littered over her normally so perfect, pristine and flawless coat. That could only mean what she had dreaded the entire time.

“Rarity! Are you alright?” She galloped over to her friend, feeling her energy flaring up as she touched the alabaster mare, healing her wounds and soothing her, just with her mere touch. The Nightmare was probably responsible for that, making everypony feel even more comfortable around her. They were allies for now… so that was alright… probably.

Her friend groaned a bit as the little bruises and cuts disappeared, sighing in relief as the pain vanished alongside them, “Yes, darling, now I am. I presume you saw this coming?” She arched her hoof towards the crystal.

“Yes… I’m sorry that I left anyway… it was really important… and I think it’s important for you too,” She replied, sitting down next to the seamstress.

“What do you mean? And it’s quite alright, I may not be the greatest unicorn there ever was, but during the time with you and the others I’ve learned a lot. We were talking about the mission, then she suddenly attacked me with a barrage of fire. Luckily I was able to deflect it with my crystals. After that we duelled, she got a few good hits, but I could immobilize her. She’s still alive in there, just unconscious, I wanted that you decide whether she lives or dies.”

“Fair enough, I would’ve understood if you thought otherwise, taking justice into your own hooves can be a good thing sometimes. I’m impressed by your magic, as always, it’s very versatile. Regarding your question, I don’t want to give you false hope, let’s survive this day in Stalliongrad, then you’ll see,” Twilight answered in an ominous tone, looking at the crystal in a calm, collected manner, “You can dissolve it now, I can handle it.”

The large, crystalline formation disappeared rather quickly, dropping a shivering, and anxious Morning Blaze who seemed to be frozen in time the moment Rarity’s spell it her, “Wha- What happened? Rarity, please just let me—”

Instead of the fashionista, she now had Twilight towering over her with a devilish grin. Her heart stopped for a second, the lavender mare was here… that means she had lost earlier… against Rarity. How disappointing…

“Rise and shine, you little traitor. Here I was... thinking that I could leave you alone for an hour, but no. Instead I find my dear friend, covered in bruises by the pony that swore her loyalty to me. Blaze… I don’t want to hurt you, but why do you keep trying to betray me?”

“B-Because your plan is straight up insane! Y-You can’t j-just wipe out an e-entire city, just because it’s a tactical advantage! Please Twilight, I know Celestia has done some bad… no, horrible things, but you’re not innocent either. If you have to kill her, fine, but at least leave the innocent people here alive!” Blaze stammered as she looked at the towering, lavender mare. It was like staring into a deep abyss, full of sorrow, confusion and hatred. She wasn’t the same pony anymore… not only all the crimes she had committed, but also something else, something much more vile seemed to affect her.

For a moment Twilight hesitated, seriously thinking about her words… that didn’t seem to please the Nightmare very much though. She pressed her to do the ‘right’ thing, all ponies that worked for the Sun Princess. The mare below her sounded more reasonable though… innocent ponies… just as those in the major cities that joined her. Blaze always had been a real friend… even back then while she was nothing but a weak filly. The lavender mare remembered that her old mentor had her reasons to follow Celestia… really good reasons.

She stepped aside, allowing Morning to stand up once more, looking at her former student with a concerned look. Was this the last straw? Would she die now trying to protect the innocent? Her heart skipped a beat as Twilight began to speak up quietly, “Fine…”

“W-what?” Blaze answered, slightly confused at her sudden shift in tone.

Twilight sighed, dissolving her massive blade that formed during their conversation, “I will give them a chance. Join our cause, or face my wrath. If anyone attempt to contact Celestia, immobilize them. I will do the same in Canterlot, once we have the upper hand and are able to siege the city. Only she has to die… and those who actively oppose me.”

Morning Blaze’s eyes widened, she really convinced her? She smiled a little, her student wasn’t completely gone! It hurt that she still wanted to eliminate the pony that she always viewed as flawless, unfailable and like a descended goddess, Twilight also had her reasons though. Celestia was part of the reason they were here now, “What made you change your mind?”

Twilight didn’t answer the question, instead she gazed into the distance, thinking about their time together while everything was easier, “I will need your help, and I won’t tolerate such behaviour a second time. You were right, maybe I need to rethink my plan, but that doesn’t mean I will abandon everything and get locked down in Canterlot’s dungeons.”

“Yes, of course. I swear to help you, if we let them live when they surrender and join you!”

Suddenly they heard some guards on the far wall talking nervously, the search lamps also seemed to turn around more frequently, trying to find any possible threat that could add to the current, already bad, situation, “Good, because I think that’s our cue.”

As soon as Pinkie, Silent and Luna came out of their teleport, they had to face a literal rain of arrow and cannon balls. Mistral was in the town square, already barking out orders to attack the rebels that came out sooner than the three of them. It seemed like Celestia’s troops had the upper hoof, but at this very moment a sigh of relief ran through their own troops, their leaders had finally arrived!

Silent ignited the air around his sword, turning it into a raging inferno that hurt to even look at. With a quick, horizontal slash towards the arrows the rush of flames turned all the smaller projectiles, and even some of the iron balls into ash. Luna sliced through them with her straight saber with an unbelievable precision and speed. Celestia may have had more power, but she had the blood of a warrior, fighting for her life until the very last breath. The strikes cut through the heavy projectiles like butter, leaving only frozen halves littered around the battlefield that was the once so peaceful harbor town Baltimare.

“You two help our people to spread the truth, and incapacitate or kill Celestia’s forces. Be careful not to scare the citizens once you have convinced them for our cause! Twilight and I want as few casualties as possible. I will deal with the general over there,” Luna said, leaving her subordinates to deal with the peasants around them. It wasn’t good to start thinking like that, but peasant or not, Mistral was a general nonetheless.

The two opponents immediately looked their cold gazes, standing about a hundred meters away from each other, the ground beneath both of them began to freeze while they slowly paced in a large circle, “I see you took your last stand to defend Baltimare, Mistral. You would have the perfect mindset to ally yourself with us, you know? Brutally efficient, cold hearted, but loyal. Celestia’s reign does not have a future, this city will be freed from her tyranny as well. Don’t you want to swim on top of all the resulting chaos? It doesn’t have to end in your death, because unlike you, I am immortal. Do you really want to take this fight?”

Everything around Mistral began to freeze at an exponential rate, almost freezing her own soldiers and rebels alike while they retreated from the town square. The general growled, determined to slay the goddess, right here, right now. so that Celestia didn’t have to see another one failing. Dawn, Law and herself were supposed to be the three pillars to support her reign, yet all they did so far was to fail. This Specter was rarely around, she didn’t trust him one bit, even if his reports always seemed successful. The light blue mare stopped, and so did the goddess, a mere fifty meters separating them, her coat fluttering in the soft, but cold breeze, justice would finally be brought down upon this corruption, “I have made my choice long ago, demon princess. Your relationship with Celestia doesn’t interest me, she is the pillar of hope and light for all of us, and we will die to defend it if necessary.”

A dozen frozen spears appeared above her, all aimed towards Luna. They seemed wickedly sharp for mere frozen, but nonetheless magical water. Her own saber also had frozen mist permanently surrounding it, this wouldn’t be her hardest battle, and this mare was not nearly strong enough to finish her off, “I see. Well then it has to end here, doesn’t it? I will send your regards to Celestia once we are done here.”

A sharp pain raced from her back into her entire body, followed by another one, and another one. Spear after spear had formed around them during their talk, all hailing down at the demi-goddess. One pierced directly through her heart, not even giving her time to scream before her body began to completely freeze. She added layer after layer until a thick block of ice remained with the criminal’s body inside. Mistral fell to her knees, panting heavily, this maneuver had costed her way too much, this fight wasn’t over, Silent Flare and Pinkamena D. Pie were still a major threat, “I’ll send your regards to Celestia as well, you criminal scum.”

She needed a moment, the light blue mare noticed that she was shaking, not just from exhaustion, but also fear, fighting against a god in all definitions… and she really won? As if on queue the ice block began to shake a bit, “No… please…”

Small cracks began forming until the whole thing exploded violently, sending her flying for a moment. She struggled to stay upright, her blurry visions seeing the form of Nightmare Moon, or Luna… who just casually pulled the spears out of her, smiling at the despaired General. Her wounds began to close as soon as the icy projectiles gave them enough space. Luna was bound to chaos, willingly or unwillingly, her precious night time fell out of the equation for a little bit longer, but chaos was at its peak, no doubt strengthening Discord as well. He and his shaky contract with Twilight Sparkle, but pure chaos wasn’t necessarily bad, it just… changed things, so they would see how this turns out.

“I can do that myself, foolish mortal. Do you think my sister and I survived for that long because of our daily routines? Alicorns are immortal, untouchable for peasants like you. It was solely for my amusement to give you a little chance. I could’ve conquered Equestria’s coast line myself, but it’s more fun with friends, is it not?”

She broke out in a maniacal laughter, looking at the unmoving Mistral. Her will to fight seemed to be broken already, not even having the slightest chance against a millennia old goddess, “Hmm… that doesn’t seem quite right.” The blue alicorn raised her right foreleg, her horn glowing in an intense blue light. An enormous pillar of dark blue ice shot out of the smooth cobblestone that covered the town square, piercing through Mistral’s stomach and lifting her into the air. The tip was soaked in blood as it protruded from her back. She was about two meters in the air, screaming due to the agonizing pain. The entire structure began to look red, slowly draining all of her blood. Her horn flickered as she struggled, trying to lift herself off with her magic and hooves, her concentration broke almost immediately, followed by another horrifying scream. The mare’s legs flailed around without any coordination, hardly able to use her pain filled mind anymore.

“Ah yes, that’s better,” Luna said, turning around. “I’ll get you down there when we’re done. If you survive until then, great, a new guest for our dungeons. I doubt that though,”

“Fer land’s sakes! Ah sure wish I could’ve help ya two with all that crazy stuff!” Applejack exclaimed after her yellow friend finished up their rather dramatic story of how they got back to Equestria. Compared to them, their own experiences almost seemed unworthy to even bring up. “And ya really travelled through time?!”

“Yes, it’s kind of hard to explain, and I don’t really know how it was possible to enchant a single item with a spell that powerful. Maybe it was there as a safety measure, to give those who protect the land a second chance. That’s just a guess though,” Fluttershy replied, looking up to Rost for a moment. The mare didn’t even notice that she was slightly leaning against him while they told their story. She couldn’t help but blush, it seemed like a dream within a nightmare, “S-sorry, I didn’t even—”

She was cut off by the brown stallion kissing her gently. He was blushing as well, and his eyes showed an incredible amount of affection and trust, “It’s alright, Fluttershy, I can’t even imagine a pony I’d rather lean against. Parts of the story were… quite shocking, to be honest. I had no idea I… died, but you saved me once more. Thank you, really, I can’t thank you enough.”

Tears of joy threatened to fall from the corner of her eyes, but she managed to hold back and just smiled. Fluttershy had told them everything, from her eating meat, to them slaying demons, and even that Rost died the first time because they underestimated their opponents. She wouldn’t hesitate to do it again, honestly. He was such a caring, sweet and still quite intelligent stallion, even if his diet was something they would have to work on, since meat was kind of hard to obtain, especially in these hard times.

“Ahem,” Applejack cleared her throat, causing the dreamy eyed Fluttershy to ‘eep’ and snap back into reality. “Ah’m really happy for you two, but what are we gonna do now?” She looked at the blue hued blade resting in the middle of the small circle. Even an earth pony like herself could feel the energy radiating from it.

“We should find this Coast of Despair, it’s the only lead we have so far, and our time is running out,” Fluttershy replied, thinking about the whole situation. It wouldn’t be easy to get even close to their targets which were Nightmare Moon, or Luna and… Twilight Sparkle. “Hopefully we can get a clue on that strange island, if we can even reach it. We don’t even know what to do with the whole thing when we have it, I doubt that any of us are able to match Twilight or Nightmare Moon in a duel.”

“We should focus on getting the last piece first,” Sharpshot said, also looking at the blade. “I’m sure there will be some sort of ritual to banish the Nightmare. Our biggest problem is locating the island, and breaching the force field surrounding it. We’d need a powerful mage that could either teleport us in, or find a way to break the spell for a short amount of time. The Coast of Despair is most likely somewhere around… well, either Baltimare or Fillydelphia. Those two cities have been famous for their coasts for centuries, so Rao most likely refers to them. I’m not sure if there is some kind of hidden temple that protects the pedestal, but I’m sure the sword will guide as again. It seemed to resonate with this kind of magic, so there is a chance at least.”

“I guess that is the best we have so far, and Fluttershy was right, our time runs out,” Rost spoke up. This whole situation was new for him, and he really enjoyed this land and its variety of plants and wildlife, so he wanted to protect it too. Even if there weren’t that many animals and plants, Fluttershy was reason enough to do it.

“It is settled then. We will travel towards the east coast and locate this pedestal,” Sharpshot stated, making their little ‘team’ an official thing to save the land once and for all.

“So it was all a lie?!” Rainbow heard while flying over Fillydelphia. Her own volunteers and Silver were spreading the truth all over the town. Most of the time they reacted with aggression and denial, but as soon as they got into the details it become more and more… logical. Many citizens were completely destroyed as they heard it, they thought of Celestia as a god, only in truth? She was probably more of a tyrant than Discord was, a dangerously smart, and not cocky one.

She always had been at least five turns ahead, but now her advantage seemed to dwindle more and more, cities were even joining them without all of them marching in. Ponies were against violence, but for the greater good? What were a few still loyal guards or a General? It was almost trivial, in those thousand years Luna spent on the moon, how come nopony had ever thought about this? Tell them the truth, don’t slaughter them, and you have the perfect foundation for a revolution.

Rainbow herself had never expected to join them in the first place, but Twilight could be really convincing. This warm, fuzzy feeling inside of her was always there, her corruptive magic changed her entire being, but she didn’t really care. All her friends were alive and well… and the other two… were probably not so unfortunate, but they simply made a very bad decision. At least Twilight gave them a choice from the start, and they could’ve joined later like she did as well. Now their plan was too far to be stopped anyway, half of Equestria had already turned against the Sun Tyrant. They were not even fighting, just going from village to village, telling the truth about Celestia. Some of the most talented armorers and blacksmiths from even the borders of Equestria came to them, offering aid for their troops. What more could they want? Nopony really knew what Twilight or Luna had planned, but they didn’t need to know, as long as it was securing true peace in the land.

She landed near the dock area which was ridiculously large, just as in any other town on the coast. Apparently ponies around here really liked to eat fish. The cyan mare herself didn’t try it yet, it was technically meat… somehow at least, so it was always a bit… uncanny. On the other hoof fish weren’t sentient like cows, so maybe that was the difference she was missing. That wasn’t what she was here for though, she waited for Silver Night, they needed to keep a good communication, plus the mare really liked him. Strong, smart, loyal and a kick-ass fighter, pretty decent company as far as she was concerned.

Right at that moment the brown bat pony landed next to her, already having a smirk on his face, “How sweet, you waited for our date.”

Her face instantly lit up, cheeks coloured in a bright shade of red, “W-What?! S-Shut up, you idiot! This is a briefing to discuss our progress, and I WASN’T ALREADY WAITING!”

He chuckled a little at her outburst. The mare was an extrovert through and through, but he quickly picked up on her… lack of experience in this area of social interaction. She probably never really cared about that in any way, “I was just teasing, featherbrain. Let’s discuss ‘business’, shall we?”

“Idiot… Alright,” The polychromatic pegasus sighed. “The northwest to the southeast are secured, ponies from the richer districts didn’t seem to have a problem with accepting a new ruler for ‘as long as she didn’t introduce higher taxes’. Ponies like that really make me sick, but it was pretty effective for the most part.”

“The ‘average’ citizen was not as happy about it. They all seemed confused at first, then angry, and then sad that their beloved and worshipped princess would do such horrible things. It was like a wave though, as soon as a few started to accept it, most of them followed soon after. I expected us to be here for at least a couple of days, but it seems like we will be done by tomorrow afternoon,” Silver replied, looking at the few ponies around. They seemed somewhat depressed and angry, but not entirely smashed about it. Harmony was such a vague concept after all, who could really define true harmony?

Rainbow nodded, walking a bit with him to take a small break. The pegasus wondered how Twilight was doing, the news about their ‘attack’ should have reached Stalliongrad for now, so maybe she was already at it. She didn’t really worry though, she had Rarity, who became really strong, and Morning Blaze, although she didn’t completely trust her.”

“Be careful Twilight, we all need you around…”

A Shade In The Night

Chapter 26: A Shade In The Night

Twilight, Rarity and Morning Blaze immediately hid behind an about head high wall that seemed to separate the area for the barracks from the scientific districts. The mood seemed to be very tense since most tried to get in touch with their friends and family in the bigger cities. Nopony would even care about it anymore, at least not until their new goal has been achieved. The three of them knew the basic layout of the city, it was secured with a hexagonal, quadruple enchanted, over ten meter high wall, made out of the best Gryphonian Steel. The wall consisted of three, equally thick layers, and in between each layer, magic neutralizer wards had been installed. Lucky for them that shadow travel seemed to be unaffected by this, other than that, nopony comes in, and nopony comes out.

Twilight peaked over the wall, seeing mainly streets and a few open gates where workers from the facilities and laboratories seemed to go through every day. The city was basically split into three parts, plus a relaxation area around the town square. All the different factories where weapons were mass produced was one area, the next was the research centers where the most brilliant minds of this century seemed to develop new, crazy weapons and inventions, and lastly, the barracks and apartments for the citizens. The lavender mare didn’t turn her head, but whispered quietly, “Be careful, we need to… incapacitate the security guards around the research center. Then we can have a look around and start spreading the truth. Shocking news like that won’t take long until everypony has chosen their sides, and we won’t show mercy on those who pick the wrong one, Blaze.”

“Understood,” The yellow mare replied, sneaking along the wall. They were currently near the barracks, so that would mean they had to sneak through the whole city to get to the research facilities unnoticed. More dark magic would alert them too soon, so they needed to rely on more… conventional methods.

“Don’t worry too much about it, you know how charming we can be~” Rarity chimed in, following the two of them quietly.

“We will avoid contact until we have taken out those who can contact Canterlot. I’m not thrilled to fight against Celestia herself until we are ready, and she is weakened properly,” The lavender mare stated, leading the small elite team into a small backstreet. A group of workers passed them, tipped their work heads and went their way. Apparently they were just looking forward to their well deserved afternoon drink, instead of worrying about some shady mares in a shady street. For all they knew Twilight and her crew could be common street whores as well.

After some time to let things settle down, the team consisting of Rost, Fluttershy, Sharpshot and Applejack decided to make their last journey. There was a possibility that they wouldn’t return, or even reach this island. They needed to find this pedestal to even locate it, find someone crazy enough to help them, and probably fight their way through. It was an understatement to say that this whole thing was unsettling, plus their deadline was looming over them. The literal fate of Equestria was at stake, and those four were the only ones daring to rise up against their new rulers so far. It wasn’t lost yet, but ponies were wondering if Celestia was suited as their immortal princess after all. She couldn’t protect them, her allies, or their homelands. This Twilight Sparkle on the other hoof… seemed to be pretty effective, and her truth spread around like a wildfire.

At the moment the four ponies just had a long road ahead of them. They shouldn’t pass any villages on their way, the region was pretty empty, but it was definitely not their intention to confront anyone just yet anyway. The country mare scratched her head, walking behind her yellow friend, all she could focus on were those beads floating around her, not enough to make the earth pony dizzy, but definitely enough to make her curious, “Hey sugarcube, Ah know you said that this one fella in the village gave this thing to you, but… how exactly does it work?”

Fluttershy stopped, cocking her head, “You mean the life beads? I actually don’t know how they work at all. Remember how I told you about this crazy parkour thing? They spoke to me in the last possible minute, somehow they know what is friend and what is enemy. They grow hotter when a foe grows near as well. If you want to know how the fighting aspect works…” The yellow mare grabbed one bead in her mouth, swinging it towards a nearby tree. It grew in length, adding more and more beads until it cleanly sliced through the thick wood. It was lightly scorched on the cut, showing off its fiery enchantment. She just thought about severing the energy connecting between them, and it followed her command, allowing her to let them shoot forth like crimson colored bullets.

Five of them embedded themselves in the fallen tree, after a few seconds a small rune appeared over the log, glowing bright red. The entire thing exploded in a raging inferno, almost launching the smoldering pieces towards the yellow pegasus. Rost was always on her side though, blocking the projectiles with his double edged broadsword, causing Fluttershy to ‘eep’ in an adorable tone. The parts of her rosary returned to hovering around her, like nothing ever happened.

“That was… new. I guess I’m far away from actually mastering them as a weapon,” The yellow mare said, smiling awkwardly,

Meanwhile AJ and Sharpshot were too busy picking up their chins from the ground to reply, “Land Sakes, Fluttershy! Ya… I… when did you jest so happen to grow a horn?! This was unicorn level of crazy!” She grumbled a little afterwards. “Why did Ah not get something like that…”

The yellow pegasus blushed a little, “Let’s continue. We can talk about the rest later. I’m sure these beads are with me for some reason we don’t know yet, but they don’t seem to have bad intentions. If… a weapon can have something like that. They saved my life multiple times now, so I’m just grateful and t-thanks, Rost, for helping me.”

“D-don’t mention it,” The stallion said, stowing away his own weapon. They had a long journey, and protecting her from every possible harm was the least he could do. At least for now, his time would come to show her how much she really meant to him.

Princess Celestia almost winced as a stinging pain raced through her chest. The immovable, immortal pillar of light and hope just felt… pain? Her throne room was completely empty, devoid of even guards to keep her at least some company. Her magic was experiencing a significant loss in power and depth as of late. Still more powerful than any mortal pony could ever hope to achieve, but it was like a dull throb in her heart every time, because she knew exactly what caused this. Her eternal connection to harmony was wavering and getting weaker with every soul that turned against her.

This last surge of pain was different though… a great source of power was eliminated, she could feel it. The monarch closed her eyes, feeling the magical power gathering and racing through her veins. It was a simple spell, yet infinitely intricate for others. Ponies tried to explain Celestia’s mind many times over the course of the last thousand years, philosophers, scientist or great wizards, the intricacies and levels of complexity her spells showed should’ve been impossible. Her mind seemed to have another layer of consciousness, just to keep track of the thousands of magical nodes and interconnected links that formed her spells. Moving a celestial body wasn’t just that, it wasn’t just a glorified levitation spell, she twisted the layers of reality to make such feat possible, even the greatest of wizards would be unable to understand it… the mind of an alicorn.

Her mental voice was clear and powerful, sending it across the entire landscape to three very specific ponies, “Mistral, Dawn Comet, and Law, report.”

The red suited pony sighed deeply, sitting on top of a smoldering pile that seemed to consist of bodies. Flames flickering all around the destroyed town, it was cleansed, in the most literal way possible. This was Law’s absolute justice. Villagers were heard screaming, but were alive and well, at least physically, “I have reclaimed a stronghold in the west of Canterlot, they planned to fortify it soon, so I took some countermeasures. No more rebel activity around here at least.”

‘Justice’ the word imprinted on the yellow suited pony waved softly in the strong breeze that washed over the fields below Canterlot. He just sat there, looking into the far distance where their cursed arch enemy's citadel was located. It seemed to be peaceful, but sometimes… things weren’t as smooth as they might seem, “I sweep searched the entire area around Canterlot in a fifty kilometers radius. There is no trace of the dragon and the three fillies. Either they travel underground, or used some kind of magic to disappear for unknown reason. I’m getting too old for this…”

The last one of the bunch only coughed weakly as an answer, blood slowly oozing out of the sealed wound in her stomach. Her almost lifeless body hanging down the ice crystal. It seemed like the ice was coloured red by now, the tip that protruded out of her back sure was. She felt pathetic, almost too weak to open her eyes, so this… was how she would die, “I’m… sorry… pri—” Another violent cough interrupted her, bringing forth a considerable amount of crimson. “Balti...mare… is lost… it was… an honor to… serve you.”

Celestia’s eyes widened, “Mistral? Hey, Mistral?! MISTRAL!” The spell ended, all three of them had nothing to say anymore. Her hoof came crashing down onto the table with all the tactical cards, leaving nothing but splinters and destroyed remains of her oh-so-precious harmony. She couldn’t… she wouldn’t lose hope, not anymore, their sacrifices had been too great to back up, but… their options were running out. They always seemed to be ahead of her, but why?! The Nightmare didn’t show itself for over a millennia, and it wouldn’t help… Twilight directly, right? If so then this would be a lot more bloody than she hoped it would be, if her… student was really tainted by this vile creature, then getting her back would be nearly impossible.

“Every time… every, single time! She is one step ahead of me, for months now! Why?!” Celestia began pacing angrily, talking to herself quietly. That was another reason nopony was allowed to disturb her during tactical planning, her thoughts become more and more disorganized as harmony became weaker. “They mock me with every move they make. I should be way smarter than them, I am a millennia old alicorn after all!” Her hooves’ powerful impact shattered the polished marble floor beneath her pristine body once more, feeling the desperate wrath of a demi-goddess.

“Why does everypony I am close to keep falling into the vortex of the Nightmare?! My ways are righteous, I preserved harmony for over a thousand years after all! Now this silver-tongued puff of smoke just so happens to corrupt my… my… faithful student,” She knew exactly how hypocritical that was, but the history of the last thousand years proved it! Certain ponies needed to act the role of a hero, and Celestia was the master strategist to find those ponies. She had failed to pick up the details though… those few years ago, she should’ve seen that something was wrong with Twilight. That was one crucial mistake, all those heroes before her lived and died for the cause sooner or later, to preserve harmony… yet this filly had refused to accept it, and that was all that it took.

Before she could continue her train of thought, three knocks echoed through the halls of her throne room, disturbing her irritation that had been building up for a while now. The Princess of the Sun sighed deeply, “You may enter.”

A thin, almost puny messenger entered, wearing the gold and orange coloured cloth armor of the Royal Herold Division, “P-Princess Celestia, t-the two scouts you have s-sent with messages f-for the Saddle Arabian kingdom, and the Griffon K-Kingdom didn’t return. Instead, two scrolls c-came with a letter owl, and rune magic.” He quickly ran over to her before the scrolls were engulfed with a radiant golden shine.

“You may leave now. I need to concentrate and read the contents in peace,” She said, levitating them over to her. It wasn’t common for her to be so cold, but as of late the desire to keep this ‘flawless mask’ up shrunk more and more. One of the scrolls was sealed with a crimson coloured wax seal, depicting two griffons crossing their swords in a triumphant pose, the other, forest green seal showed a cherry tree with a stylized sunset in the background. “What did you two plan…”

Twilight, Rarity and Blaze finally made it across the entire town. To say that it had been a pain in the plot would be an understatement. Turns out that the workers were celebrating the town’s four hundred year anniversary, and of course that party had to be held at the townsquare! It had been relatively simple to vanish in between those ponies, stealth was a manageable task for them, even if the fashionista had slight objections against ‘hiding their fabulousness’, but after a quick reminder that this was indeed enemy territory, they made it without any major problems.

Surprisingly few murals, banners and symbols of Celestia were in the town. From what Rarity had picked up during the short history their major told, even though nopony had wanted to hear it, this town was more of a freelance stronghold. They only worked for her because she had the most influence and money to ensure harmony, they weren’t so different to Capone and his mercenaries, their morals were slightly higher, perhaps. All three of them heard a lot of talk about the rebellion though, and more importantly, critique about Celestia.

Most of them were already convinced that the rusty demi-goddess’ best years of reign already laid way past her. Maybe it was time for a change? So far news were spreading like wildfire, it wasn’t a common thing that more than one ruling force conquered that many cities without any casualties, without any known ones at least. Of course a lot of those ‘facts’ were lies and half-true statements, but those who willingly joined them really believed in the cause, and that, would be Celestia’s downfall. Control the population with happiness, and you automatically control the land and opposing forces as well.

The building before them was surprisingly small for the center of communication and security. It was a plain, yet pretty sturdy, one story block. The entire frame of it seemed to be reinforced with steel and enchanted to be more durable towards weather, magic and blunt, physical force. It was located in the far back of the town as well, surround by another separated and pretty thick concrete wall, only accessible through a guarded gate at the front.

“How are we even supposed to get into the building complex? I can’t imagine the doors standing right open for our arrival!” Blaze whispered, her Canterlot accent was audible even while she whispered, making her sound more ‘sophisticated’ for the ears of most. Twilight never really liked any accents, making sure to stay with the common Equestrian.

She shook her head shortly, focusing on the task at hoof, it happened far too often that her mind drifted into these seemingly random, but quite intriguing topics. Probably a relic from… old times, “We don’t, at least not alone. Sorry Rarity, but since you’re probably the most… believable of us you’ll have to play as the bait.”

“Don’t worry, darling. My acting skills are quite decent… years of dealing with annoying clients do help with that, now that I am thinking about it. Anyways, what should I do?”

“Just run towards the gate and play like you are out of breath and in panic. You need to tell them something believable that makes them open the gate, and bring reinforcements from inside. I can imagine that they have plenty of guards in there, to protect the inner, and most important ponies keeping it running. As soon as you succeeded just run away, I can teleport you to us again,” Twilight said quietly, glancing from the corner of the building they hid behind. Everything seemed to be in order, but the guards were still pretty nervous, probably trying to get a hold of the situations in Manehattan, Fillydelphia and Baltimare.

The yellow mare cocked her head, seemingly confused by her plan, “Why the trouble? We could just teleport in there normally, I know you can teleport better than I do.”

“Yes, but these walls are clearly enchanted, and certain enchantments don’t mix with spatial manipulation very well, and I don’t want to take any chances. It wouldn’t be a problem with a shadow travel, but ponies, especially unicorns would immediately notice such a ripple in the Aether that chaos magic usually causes. You… taught me all of that, if I remember correctly.”

Blaze sighed in frustration, being reminded of those good times was really saddening for her, “Yeah, but… I focused on elemental magic for my whole life, teleporting was always more of a side thing, especially since it uses up so much energy. It all seems so long ago now…”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully, her expression went into a more… melancholic state, a small frown forming on her edges of her lips, “We don’t have time to reminisce about our stormy past now. This is an important step for our operation, and one of the last as well. Once this is over we can… talk a lot more. For now just let Rarity do her thing, and we use the opportunity, that should be the hardest part.”

“How is it going in the east parts of the town, Pinkie?” Silent asked through their shared connection that Twilight had provided a few weeks ago. Purple really didn’t go well with his coat, but who was he to complain about her choice of colour?

“Hihi! You’re like a tiny Silent in my head! Can you make it sound like an echo in th—”

“Pinkie! Focus on this, we can screw with the spell later if you want it so badly. How is the situation over there? I encountered quite a large amount of guards around here, but the locals were surprisingly willing to help out once they realized that I didn’t start it.” Flare cut her off. That mare could be incredibly annoying sometimes… most of the times, but she was part of their leadership for a reason.

“Oh, why don’t you say so, silly. Pretty calm, I gathered most of the workers and gave them ‘the talk’. They were pretty shocked and confused, but once I started giving them free cupcakes and talking about how bad Celestia is they went along with it. I also met this group of singers that were total fans of me! They wanted an autograph and talked about baking and partying and—”

“Pinkie,” The beige unicorn simply said, interrupting yet another stray thought in that random mind of the pink pony. Outsiders would say it looks like borderline insanity, but she always focused in the right moment, and her thoughts were deeper than most ponies would believe.

She had a pretty good, if a bit basic, grasp on how magic worked. She just knew how to listen whenever Twilight and the other unicorns talked about it. Things like Star Swirl the Bearded’s Laws of Magic Preservation, or Astrallius’ Theories on the ‘Aether’ and how it affected this plane of existence, Twilight talked about them very… very frequently in her breaks. It turned out that Luna was actually quite a big fan of magical theory and the two bonded even quicker thanks to that. Friendship was still a big factor, even if they were an enemy of the classical ‘harmony’ now. It all served a bigger purpose, and the pink mare was willing to play her part in all of this, “Oopsie! Hihi, it looks good though, everyone was super friendly around here! I don’t know why Luna and Twilight worry about it so much, most ponies really weren’t a big fan of Celestia in the first place. Most of them said that they have a problem with how she handles Equestria’s borders, and something about barbaric griffons. I guess they just needed a push into the right direction.”

“Good, nice work. I will take care of the last revolts in the west with…” He sighed deeply, a look of annoyance on his face. “As few casualties as possible. I’ll say it again, ponies need a strong leader, and what does a strong leader do? Exactly, letting heads roll, more importantly, heads that would rebel if they were still attached to their owners.”

“Twilight and Luna don’t want a tyranny though. They want to establish a diarchy or something. Without all those conspiracies and unfairness, I don’t really get all of their plans, but I trust them enough to go along with it.”

“We’ll see Pinkamena, we’ll see.”

To say that the teenage dragon was worried would be an understatement. He and Twilight just got back together, and she was already running off to who-knows what kind of dangerous mission. Spike was sure, no… he was absolutely convinced that she would return though, as much of a bookworm as she was… well, in the past at least, she knew how to act in a dangerous situation. Maybe the lavender mare had been through a lot more than he could… or even wanted to realize. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t the same pony she used to be, her greatest worry wasn’t whether or not Princess Celestia was proud of her anymore, no, behind all of her antics and quirks slumbered a much, much more nefarious plan now. One that could potentially change the future of this land, a ground-breaking revolution that would lead the world into peace, or universal destruction with death at its tail?

The nervous chatter of three little fillies interrupted his train of thought. Spike shook his head to get it out of his system for now, and instead focused on these ponies that he had brought with him, “Are you three alright? I can imagine all of this is… well, quite confusing. I also couldn’t wrap my head around it just yet.”

Sweetie looked at him from their secluded circle of blank flanks, “Well, I… that pony… was Twilight Sparkle, right?” A short nod from the dragon came before she continued with a faint sigh. “It’s just that… ponies have been talking about her a lot, and there were not really nice things. They never mentioned exactly what is going on here, but… something about her. Is she a bad pony, and if you know her so well, are you a bad pony too?”

Spike pondered on the question for a bit… was she? Twilight had done a lot, and he really meant a lot of crimes over the past weeks. Even the lives of ponies weren’t sacred for her, all of them were guards and attacked her first, but still… “First of all… I’m a dragon, not a pony, and secondly… what do you think? Did she or I look like bad creatures?”

“N-no… I mean I don’t think so. It’s just that… she wasn’t quite… normal either, was she?” The filly replied, a hint of fear in her tone and eyes. All three of them had this distinct look of… intimidation written into their expressions.

“Honestly? I don’t know, I haven’t seen her like this before. You know… she is kind of my bigger sister, even if that sounds a little bit unbelievable. We grew up together, and she took care of me after I hatched from an egg… which she also took care of. There is one thing I know for certain though, she would never hurt her friends. You three are related, and almost related to her friends… so there is no reason to worry. I can’t explain the whole story to you, because I don’t know it myself, but all of her actions seem to be pointed straight at Celestia, for reasons I also don’t fully understand, not yet at least,” Spike said, sitting down onto the ground, his hoodie still covering most of his chest, it was a comfortable warmth that always reminded him of her, together with the little badge that he still had. It would transport him to her whenever the dragon wished, and that was pretty reassuring for him.

The three ponies looked at each other, not sure what to do or say. They were scared of the whole situation, but his words seemed to be somewhat soothing. Scootaloo finally stepped forth, having an idea how to lift the mood, “Hey, uh… Spike, right? Could you show us… some more of that cool magic you did earlier?”

He smiled widely, “Of course! I just managed to get it to work consistently, but it’s really useful! Come on, let’s get to the town square, there should be enough place so that I don’t break anything!” Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle nodded eagerly, forgetting about this for now, and followed the dragon into their old, and new home.

Despite all their precautions and smart decisions, the small group consisting of Fluttershy, Applejack, Rost and Sharpshot, ran out of food eventually. It wasn’t exactly easy to gather enough for an entire squad either, they needed to restock. After long debates and arguments they finally settled on a small village in the east of the Neighara Falls. It was on their way as well, so it was pretty convenient… it seemed like that at least.

Nothing seemed out of order as the four approached the small settlement, only consisting of around a dozen houses with a small place in the middle, acting as some sort of townsquare. Small trails of smoke were rising from there, but it didn’t seem like a dangerous fire, or anything, they could even hear cheering in the distance. It seemed rather odd, but who were they to judge another pony’s way to celebrate? They were probably just preparing for the New Year parties! It was around that time as well, the year would end in just a few days, not as happy as everypony hoped it would… but both sides were equally excited for it. One of them cheering for their new, and honest leader, the others relishing another year in the safe embrace of their sun goddess.

“Should we check it out? There might be some markets as well,” Rost suggested as they walked down the rather empty streets. They got some strange stares from a few villagers, but they were quite the odd group after all. Two ponies with glowing weapons on their backs, a hooded pony with a serpent curved sword visible hanging on his coat, and a strangely confident earth pony.

“Ah reckon’ yer right. Can’t keep all the food from us ferev’r!” She was in an unusually good mood. The reason was a pretty simple one, one of her old friends was back! She just needed them around, otherwise the mare was just not herself, but if even Fluttershy was okay, then the others might be too! Although, the yellow pegasus changed quite a bit during her journey, nothing AJ couldn’t look past though. Too much was already lost for her, this time none would lose their way… not on her watch.

They reached the small townsquare, and what they saw genuinely shocked them. The fires comes from the very middle of it all, a huge fire… using murals and banners of the Equestrian government as fuel. Several, once beautifully crafted depictions of their beloved princess were horribly distorted inside the flames. Around it were several what looked like guards… but definitely not solar guards. They wore night-blue plate armor, a strange symbol adorning their chest pieces, a crescent moon on the front, with a huge, six pointed star in the background, the entire emblem held in a smooth lavender hue. The ponies wearing them didn’t look quite normal either… slitted eyes, pointier ears, and more importantly, either a set of leathered bat wings on their sides, or a sharper horn on their forehead. Held firmly in one front hoof was a pole with the same strange banner on top of it.

The small group couldn’t know it at the moment, but they were gazing upon Luna’s newest creations. Her elite thestrals from Manehattan, and reinforcements from Baltimare would soon follow… one drop of her divine blood was enough to change them in body and soul. Before they were just loyal, now they couldn’t even form the idea to rebel against her, and were even blessed with better abilities than any normal ponies ever could achieve.

Citizens from the town were cheering for them as the flames flickered brightly, burning the ‘corruption’ away. More and more smaller towns got similar visits Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle planned out, spreading their truth using simple rebels, Capone’s mercenaries (who was totally okay with it, considering the mountains of cash he would be making very soon), and the alicorn’s new thestrals that had, luckily, increased their dwindling population by quite a bit.

“What ‘n the name of… Hey!” Applejack shouted, being held back by Sharpshot. He would never be a match for her strength though, especially considering her mood, and right now, she was furious! These ponies were burning images of the princess for… for that?! Was this the rebellion? Did it already come this far?!

“Applejack! Please don’t—” Fluttershy tried to reason, but the country mare was already running towards the few thestrals that were watching over the large fire in the middle. Two with horns, and another three with those leathery wings on their sides. Due to the heavily enchanted plate armor, almost nothing of their actual body was visible, they didn’t wear helmets though, so the group could see that they all shared some shade of blue or grey… the colours of the night.

The country mare was jumping, turning around mid-air to deliver a powerful kick to the nearest guard with her frightening strength. There wasn’t much to argue about, they were the enemy, the plaque that was killing harmony. Yet… the unicorn guard she targeted wasn’t even flinching as her kick connected… or did it? Her eyes went wide, Applejack had hit his chin full force, but he was just standing there, not moving a single inch. Instead, the thestral’s left fore hoof swung at her, hitting the mare’s leg and sending her flying back to her friends with an impossible speed while spinning rapidly.

His light punch had hit like a truck, and she tumbled to a halt several meters behind them in a cloud of dust and debris from a destroyed stall that was, luckily, devoid of anypony that could’ve been hurt. Sharpshot was the first that ran into the dust, looking for his… travelling companion, “Applejack! Applejack, are you alright?!”

He could only hear a weak, and pained groan from somewhere on his left. The mare was half buried under the broken wood, her hind leg was painfully twisted into a direction that it should definitely not be able to reach. The grey stallion rushed over to her, carefully pulling her out, her sides and even face were full of cuts and bruises… and all of that with a single hit.

As the cloud settled her other companions rushed over to them, while the orange earth pony was busy wiping the blood off the edge of her mouth, “Horseapples… what exactly are those folks?” As expected she didn’t even mention her crippling wound, but the hoof was definitely broken, and couldn’t be used for a while. She regretted her rushed actions, but it couldn’t be changed now, they still needed food… but apparently not without a good old fight.

“What is up with you ruffians?!” Fluttershy shouted at them, the beads hovering around her neck spinning a little bit faster due to the mare’s unexpected anger. “You burn murals of our princess, and attack innocent ponies?!”

The attacker stepped forth, the banner-pole impacting on the ground with a loud ‘thud’, “Innocent?” His voice was smooth, and sounded oddly pleasant for an enemy of them. “That mare attacked me without any reason whatsoever. We are here on official duty for our new mistress!” Some of the normal citizens began to cheer for him, showing the small group exactly who their loyalty belonged to.

“Loyalists of that traitor!”

“Piss off, you traitors!”

“Princess Celestia is a dirty liar!”

“We don’t want you here!”

“What has she ever done for us?!”

Those shouts came flying at them as the citizens began to form an angry mob in front of the raging fire of their ex princess’ murals. They were clearly not wanted here, and were exceptionally luckily that the thestrals didn’t attack them yet. Everyone loyal to Celestia was automatically their sworn nemesis… and you really don’t want a bat pony as your enemy. The orange earth pony suddenly stepped forth, holding her right front hoof out to hold her friends back. Her sides were bleeding, and one eye was black, but she didn’t back off. Applejack’s voice was clear and strong, despite her panting, “Don’t ya see what’s goin’ on?! Harmony dies because all of ya! We… we’ll go, but at least give us some food! We can’t accept… whatever this is, but we… don’t want a fight.”

“If you worship Celestia you can be glad to even be alive!”

“Leave our village! Loyalists aren’t welcome here!”

“None of you deserved any food until you see how stupid you are!” The angry villagers shouted, starting to throw rocks and random debris at them. It was pathetic to observe, but in their eyes they earned it.

Finally one voice from behind the mob calmly stated, “That’s enough, darlings. Give them some food, and let them leave. We are the new force on this land, and we won’t repeat the same mistakes Celestia once made.”

It was a female voice, not particularly loud, but it seemingly cut through the angered mood of the crowd. For a few seconds everything was calm, the masses even parted to reveal the mare. She too, was a thestral, a sharpened horn on her forehead, and her coat coloured in a nice, elegant navy blue. The only thing that stood out was her dark red, almost crimson coloured hair that was bound in a loose ponytail, otherwise it would surely fall past her shoulders.

Applejack’s eyes widened for a second… the certain accent, the way she emphasized certain letters, the use of the word darling. She shook her head, that was, most definitely, just a coincidence, a strange one, but still. Rarity was somewhere in the whole wide world with Twilight Sparkle, and she mentioned that her parents always were around somewhere. So there was really no way… The country mare still wanted to say something, but didn’t find the right words for her, she was definitely different than the others… somehow.

Ten minutes later the mare came back with several cotton bags full of vegetables and fruits, all safely held in the grasp of her light pink colored magic. Another horned thestral came back with four large canteens, containing pure water from the nearby river. The mare spoke up as the small group had stowed the food away, “Mhm… quite an interesting group you are indeed. Mistress Luna was right yet again, she mentioned that an orange earth pony with a stetson and an apple related cutie mark would be drawn towards the bigger cities at some point, and this village is on the way of most safe routes.” She giggled a little, it was a really pleasant sound, almost magical. “Now be on your way. These ponies aren’t exactly happy to help followers of Celestia.”

“Why are ya helpin’ us?” Applejack asked in a carefully quiet, but still curious tone.

The mare just turned around and ordered her fellow thestrals to continue what they had been doing before. The orange earth pony wanted to run after her for some reason, there really was… something special about her, “Can ya at least tell me ya name?”

She stopped, without turning around even once, “Nightshade… Scarlet Nightshade. We will see each other again, Applejack. Sooner than you might expect.” Then she continued on her way, the crimson ponytail slightly wavering in the soft breeze that washed over them.

Applejack turned around as well and signalled the others to follow her. They needed to get out of there quick, before the citizens decided to take matters into their own hooves. The mare was limping slightly due to her injured hind leg, Fluttershy would definitely take care of that later, for now they just needed some distance to this village. The rebellion really seemed to get out of hoof, especially since all these innocent ponies actually believed Twilight and this ‘Luna’. It didn’t matter if she really was Princess Celestia’s sister, she was a threat for harmony nonetheless, and even worse, she was hurting her friends.

That will definitely make things harder for them though...

Leviathan

Chapter 27: Leviathan

As expected, about a dozen heavily armoured ponies followed Rarity after a ‘heart-breaking’, and completely made up story about her friend that got trapped by a group of criminals in a side street not too far from here. Twilight found it amusing, what a few males, and even mares would do to help a gorgeous mare like Rarity. Sure, Twilight herself was not too shabby, far from it, but the fashionista just had this certain sense of… sex appeal, that her lavender friend lacked without copious amount of chaos magic.

Blaze and Twilight waited for another minute before teleporting inside through the open door, it was a lot easier than to hope that those enchantment wouldn’t scatter their atoms into infinity. She looked around, the other end of the door was… really disappointing. A bleak and completely empty corridor, lit by strange, glowing tubes fixed to the ceiling. The lavender unicorn was by no means outdated when it came to Arcane Science and especially Arcane Tinkering, but this was… a whole different level. Twilight didn’t even know how these light things could work without any external input of magic. Maybe crystals that could be charged with raw magical energy and store it indefinitely. She had heard of them before, these highly advanced storage crystals were called ‘Lacrima’ an old word for something like tear drop, the mare guessed that name was chosen because of their spherical form.

“Hey!” Blaze whispered, tapping Twilight’s shoulder. She had been watching the mare stare at those strange lamps with a dreamy expression for several minutes now. Deep in there her little student was still the same… somewhere. “I know that these things are kinda cool, but we have to hurry up if we don’t want to get into a fight!”

The lavender mare was startled for a second, ripped out of her wonderfully technical day-dream. She cursed herself under a breath, tapping into a special kind of spatial manipulation. A second later Rarity just ‘plopped’ into existence right in front of them. Her eyes were filled with fake tears, that disappeared after she cut off her very convincing illusion magic.

“That took you long enough, darling. I almost ran out of depressing stories to tell them. Now where exactly do we have to go?” The fashionista let her gaze wander around as well. The corridor could really use someone to spruce it up a little bit, nothing but white, sterile tiles and futuristic doors every now and then. “Well this looks just ridiculously bleak.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and nodded forward, the right door had to be somewhere eventually. It was somewhere in the center, she knew that much, but the rest was a gamble more or less. The mare rounded a corner, but before she could say anything, something bumped into her. Not something… someone. A relatively short unicorn mare, brown coat, long beige hair that was tied into a ponytail. She wore thin, black framed glasses, and a lab coat with a stylized sun symbol on the sleeve. The mare rubbed her head, eyes closed as she spoke up, “My bad! I Just don’t know what’s wrong with me today, hehe. I’ll be on my way the—”

Before she could speak any further Twilight’s spell had hit her. Her completely paralyzed body remained on her haunches, looking slightly embarrassed, even a small smile on her muzzle. No… this mare definitely did not deserve to die, “This should be enough to prevent anypony seeing us too early. Don’t worry Blaze, she didn’t even notice it, and will be just fine once we are done.”

Morning just nodded, the yellow mare was glad that her former student at least listened to her. She could be reasoned with, a sign that this Nightmare, or whatever was deep within her, didn’t have full control yet. They continued their way as quiet as they could, sneaking carefully past corners from now and just barely avoided running into a full dining hall. This place really had a lot of employees, not just workers from the communication center, many wore similar lab coats, so there seemed to be research facilities in here too.

“Careful now… I think it should be here somewhere,” Twilight stated, rounding another corner. At the end of the corridor there was another door, but it looked different. Thicker, bigger, with two keypad locks, a scanner that could identify different eyes, and even a scanner to shove your horn in, apparently for scanning your magical signature. The lavender unicorn had no idea how any of that worked, but in the moment they didn’t have to. If this plan would succeed, they would have a whole army of ponies very willing to share their secrets with. She summoned her massive blade, ready to slice the door into half. “Let’s go.”

After several hours of walking, the little group decided to rest for a while. Applejack couldn’t go much further with her injured hind leg anyway, even after a little treatment from Fluttershy. The mare knew surprisingly much about first aid for an animal caretaker, well, taking care of another pony wasn’t so different, or was it? The yellow mare’s knowledge was still very limited to the basics, using a firm stick as a cast, and tightening it with gauze bandage from the supplies they got.

It was a miracle in and of itself that they got away relatively unscathed. It could’ve been a lot worse, plus they got enough supplies to keep them covered for a while, maybe even until they’d reach the east coast line. Applejack was still awfully quiet throughout the whole travelling, her mind stuck on the brief conversation with this strange looking pony… Scarlet. She had sounded so familiar, yet… not at all. Her voice had been so powerful, but pleasant and gentle at the same time. Her demeanour and way to emphasize certain letters were very similar to Rarity’s accent, but the mare was definitely not a normal pony. Something the country mare had never seen or heard of before.

She couldn’t deny that… she had been quite alluring, even though the mare was straight… at least Applejack never truly thought about the other possibilities. A yellow furred hoof on her shoulder ended that train of thought, causing her to look into the gentle cyan eyes of her long time friend.

Fluttershy gave her an empathetic smile, “You’ve been really quiet the last few hours, ever since we left that village. Are you alright? Should I check your leg again?”

“Ah’m fine, sugarcube… jest thinkin’. Did yer... notice anythin’ weird with that Scarlet?” Applejack asked in a careful tone, not giving away any of those strangely confusing thoughts about that mare.

“Well… I guess she was really pretty, especially her hair. And her accent was kind of similar to Rarity’s.”

“She was… wasn’t she? Uh… Ah mean her voice! It was somewhat similar, right? Heh,” She quickly corrected herself, just what was going on inside of her? Applejack had never seen anypony in that light, well no mare, and she didn’t even know who this mare really was .This one conversation was enough to cause this.

Fluttershy smirked, but didn’t comment on the first part. She hadn’t really been thinking about that mare after they left, she was kind of nice. She gave them food, even though Scarlet was a follower of this Luna or Nightmare Moon. Definitely not a normal pony either, too pointy ears, and her horn had been weird. Also, Fluttershy could have sworn to catch a glimpse at fangs in her mouth, and what kind of vegetarian pony needed that? They would probably see her again, at the very least when they inevitably confronted Nightmare Moon, or she stopped them before that.

“Welp, thanks for yer opinion, sugarcube. Let’s hit the hay fer now, Rost and Sharp already agreed on doin’ the first watch shift,” The country mare stated in a neutral tone, this mare was obviously still on her mind.

Fluttershy just nodded and got comfortable, she didn’t notice how tired she was until now, “Good rest, AJ”

“Night, sugarcube.”

It didn’t take the rebellion long to take over the entirety of Baltimare. Most ponies were awfully easy to convince, and just wanted their peace. They didn’t really care who was in charge, as long as their homes and families were protected. Since the recent events in Canterlot, and the total quarantine of the city, many weren’t so sure what to think about Celestia anymore.

News of an opposing force had spread like a wildfire. Celestia’s former protegé and an alicorn related to her, the responsible ponies for the Nightmare of Canterlot. Only the princess’ highest ranking guards really knew how exactly Luna fit into all of this, the newspaper just made up the rest… as per usual. Many had seen the ‘Nightmare of Canterlot’ as something positive though, sure, a lot of guards fell in the battle, but a public execution was just as barbaric. Her ‘loyal’ subjects saw it as an act of desperation, rather than intimidation, and especially those who suffered under her tax reforms immediately jumped at the opportunity to undermine her authority.

They needed a fresh pony at the top, or even multiple, and who just so happened to be the cause of all of this? Exactly, two strong-willed, smart strategist who conquered the mind of many ponies like Sapphire Shore’s new album. Even before they started to claim whole cities they had been something like ‘celebrities’, and not even in a bad sense. The photos from the newspaper clashed with those on the wanted posters and Celestia’s plan caved in like a card house in a strong breeze. Their simple rescue mission had caused many to doubt the princess’ faculty of judgement.

Luna, Pinkie and Silent met at the town square, right next to the almost lifeless body of the impaled general. Her coat was dull, and the crystal formation was soaked with her life juice. Quite the shocking sight, even for a stallion like Silent, but he merely shrugged and focused on the Princess of the Night, “I presume she wasn’t much of a challenge. Anyways, the entire city is on our side. WE ALL HAVE ENOUGH OF CELESTIA, ISN’T THAT RIGHT?!”

The stallions sudden shout elicited a wave of cheers and eager agreements from the ponies that had gathered around their meeting place. It really seemed like they had more than enough of her oh so ‘precious’ sister. That caused her to smile faintly, she was really lucky to have these ponies as her partners, “Very well. Good job you two, and of course all who helped us today. I am sure that Rainbow Dash and Silver will be back soon with good news from Fillydelphia. Now Capone’s ‘workers’ can restore order in the town. We will leave a few here that can train the willing citizens, blacksmiths and factory workers have already began their work with eagerness. Furthermore, at least two Archmages will stay here as well, to ensure maximum safety for our loyal subjects.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie said with her usual cheeriness. The fact that they could solve this with as few victims as possible was a huge relief for the still quite pacifistic earth pony. A hoofful of guards resisted and attacked Silent, so that was at least somewhat justified as self defense. She had met a lot of nice ponies here, and could even imagine to stay in Baltimare for a while, but only after everything was over. “Do you guys know what that calls for?!”

Silent blinked twice, cocking his head, “A… party?”

“Yes, silly! A party!” Another wave of cheers and joy washed over the citizens near them. Even Luna couldn’t help but giggle at the pink mare’s antics. This was far from over, but they deserved a small moment of peace and happiness before this would get any more intense. In the cheers nobody noticed a certain ‘thud’, indicating something quite big hitting the ground and disappearing in a flash. A trickle of crimson was all that was left, a desperate last attempt to resist against the ever growing darkness.

Of course Luna had taken notice of that, especially since her ice crystal had vanished, that meant a certain somepony hadn’t been as dead as she played to be. The blue alicorn didn’t expect Mistral to be able to even create a clear thought while being impaled and losing a lethal amount of blood. In the end it didn’t really matter though, next time she wouldn’t have the time to flee.

“Let us celebrate our victory against the Sun Tyrant!” She said, once again accompanied by cheers and agreement. This was going frighteningly well, and soon her dear sister would be the last pony willing to stand.

The castle experienced a true, wrathful earthquake that day. Celestia stood in the middle of the throne room, her wavering, almost golden magic holding the two scrolls of her ‘allies’. Random objects caught on fire as she read further into them, both containing what was probably the signature on her terms of surrender. At last even the durable parchment of the scrolls began to smoke, slowly turning into smoldering cinders that were taken away with a slight breeze.

Celestia Solaris, Princess of the Sun,

It has come to our attention, that your liberal style of ruling is no longer able to maintain the peace and harmony that had reigned for over a thousand years now. While the Saddle Arabian kingdom greatly appreciated our trade routes to Equestria, managed by your government in the past, we are not willing to support weakness in our alliance.
Our goddess spoke to us, she is not an entity of vengeance, but one of firm rules and confidence. You have shown neither since this rebellion had turned into a serious threat to your rule, those who decided to rise against you even came from your own tutelage.

We chose not to trade with the leaders of this rebellion, but we will not interfere into this war. Once it is over we will gladly resume our usual trade exchanges. A firm hoof on your subjects is of utmost importance, and it seems that a thousand years of solitude did not hone your ability to maintain that. With this letter we officially step back as a member of the Leviathan Alliance. May the light of our goddess shine upon you.

Signed, Himiko, Queen of the Saddle Arabian Union.

Celestia had cringed while reading that name, of course the griffon king had chosen the name of their alliance. A group of kingdoms that have the task of maintaining harmony throughout the land should not be named after a powerful beast of the dark ages.

The letter disappeared in the all consuming sun fire as well. Those accusations were ridiculous! Celestia was the most powerful mage that ever lived, with exception of very few who could meet her gaze as an equal, enemy and ally alike. With the Saddle Arabian Union they had lost many experts and sharpshooters, as well as masters when it came to stealth missions. The griffon king’s letter had around the same contents, only without any sophisticated language, it was visible one last time before the fire destroyed it as well.

Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria,

Our senate has observed this pitiful display of weakness for long enough now. Half of our members were already willing to attack your land. We are no barbarians though, as a former member of the Leviathan Alliance, we paid our debts to your kingdom by not raiding your towns. Only the strongest and most confident rulers are able to keep their subjects in check. In our opinion it is time for a change of leadership in Equestria, but we won’t interfere with this civil conflict. That’s why we have decided to leave Equestria to handle its own mess, those traitors come from your wings after all. New negotiations can be made once this disturbance has been dealt with.

Signed, King Ironclaw XIV.
Ruler of the Griffonian Empire

Accusation over accusation, it only added more fuel into her frustrated rage, Even the beautiful silken curtain in the far back end of the hall began to smoke dangerously. Her allies made their decision to back out of this before also being targeted by Twilight and Luna. Those two always managed to be one step ahead of her, and Celestia had no idea why! How could a young mare, and her younger sister make such a mess of her carefully arranged harmony?! She never seemed to be ahead when it came to planning, even her leadership circle was dwindling more and more. Law was unfit to make political decisions, Dawn helped where he could already, and the princess still worried greatly about Mistral’s whereabouts. Then there was Specter, but… he didn’t seem to have any luck with attacking the rebellion, quite suspicious, considering his usual success quota.

Maybe she had to question him very soon. Right now she needed some time to calm down, and plan her next move carefully. Stalliongrad was still an important factor that would be the main source of new weapon prototypes. Maybe something that could stop her… former student before it was too late.

If only it would be that easy…

Two swings… two strikes of her mighty blade was all it took to best the thick steel door before the little team. They hadn’t waged a war in centuries, their defenses were pathetic for any moderately smart enemy, but now it was too late to fuss about that anyway. Before even one of the engineers or communicators in the large room could blink, they were covered in a thin layer of a vibrant blue crystal. Rarity had really found herself a gorgeous new magic, and it was quite effective too!

“Great job, Rarity,” Twilight said, her compliment accompanied with a warm smile. Maybe it was just the stress of this day, but the lavender mare could definitely see a faint blush on the fashionista’s cheeks. Maybe it was about time to explore that a little further, but this was neither the right time nor place to do that.

“O-Oh please, darling, it was hardly worth mentioning. However, now that we have effectively cut of all their connections to the outside world, what now?” Rarity replied, looking around the room. Many strange machineries were placed on desks for the ponies to work on, she really didn’t care much about Arcane Tinkering, but these communication devices looked quite interesting. A wireless box with a small plastic shell on top of it, perhaps a prototype of a portable thought sending spell? As of right now very, very few ponies could use that kind of magic, Celestia was without a doubt the expert on this, as she was able to hear the thoughts of all her subjects… that were loyal and willing at least. An easy, portable version of that would be… groundbreaking!

Twilight walked in between Blaze and Rarity, gently laying one forehoof on their shoulders, “You’ll see. Now it’s time to wrap this up.” Then they sunk into the shadows below, disappearing from the odd sight. Despite their reputation, nopony got hurt during their mission, another way of showing the ponies that they were in the right!

They appeared in the small town square, in the middle of hundreds of ponies who backed up in shock. It seemed that some of them already took notice who exactly appeared in their rather small citadel. Twilight’s horn flashed for a second, only moments later a rectangular darkness appeared from thin air, right next to them. Ten ponies in brilliant white robes, but with the rebellion’s emblem engraved on it came out of it first, followed by a few dozen rather elegantly clothed ponies. Pinstripe suits, golden watches, and the occasional cigar could be seen in the masses, Capone’s mercenaries, the common troublemaker in Equestria these days.

The lavender mare calmly stepped in the middle of them. Before she could speak though, something happened within her, Twilight felt an enormous boost in power, her mane began to waver slightly, resembling a light version of Luna’s hair, her eyes started to glow faintly as well. What was even more impressive, were the phantom wings appearing on her back. Long and graceful, resembling Celestia’s, only not as ‘physical’. Her now thunderous voice boomed through the crowd, carried even into the last corner of Stalliongrad, “For years you were forced to work under Celestia. For years you had to create weapons for her enjoyment, and for years you were suffering under her inability to bring peace to our borders. This ‘peace’ is nothing more than a sweet lie, made up by the most dangerous criminal in the last thousand years, Princess Celestia!”

The crowd was absolutely silent, somehow her voice carried such… confidence and strength, it was hard to ignore it and not solely focus on every word. At the last part a few gasps could be heard, sure, the working conditions really weren’t all that great, but Celestia… a criminal? Then her voice boomed through them anew, “We have come to put an end to this madness! We spread the truth throughout the land, and we reclaim what Celestia took from her subjects. Stalliongrad will no longer produce weapons for the Equestrian Army, the city will no longer suffer under her twisted harmony. As advocators of peace we give each of you a choice. Join us, and live your life in true, blissful harmony, or leave the city without any trouble.”

Their forces were spread far and wide on the Equestrian landscape, Canterlot was the last city that held their ground as a force of the old harmony and their dying goddess. Many weren’t sure about it, somehow they wanted to hear more, but betraying Celestia? In the first few minutes not much happened, most looked to their loved ones with unsure expressions, but then some went down to her knees, facing Twilight. Not many from the Solar Guard followed their example, but most of the civilians decided to pledge their loyalty to her. They weren’t stupid, even if this was genuinely wrong, they were just stronger than their old princess at the moment, and the fact that they wouldn’t hurt anyone earned a lot of bonus points.

“Were you doing that?” Twilight asked herself mentally… well, not exactly herself.

I thought it would be… hmm… a bit more impressive like this, my shade. A few alterations to your physique wouldn’t hurt as well~

“No, thank you. I know we are allies, but I’d rather not have my body changed. Maybe when this is over, but for now these intimidation tactics will be strictly temporary… thank you though…”

Mhm~ So clever, so strong. I know why I like you so much, dear Twilight.

The lavender mare blushed, but focused on her surroundings again. Rarity and Blaze sticked close to her while their allies got to work. They had to calm the ponies and answer their questions as good as possible. Quite the workload, but still without a single victim, this was definitely the right way… for all of them!

Applejack had a pretty rough ‘night’, that mare had been on her mind constantly. Not only her rather subtle similarities to Rarity, but also her personality in general. Polite, sophisticated, generous, all things that she admired, and tried to integrate them into her lifestyle. She was not much of a fancy city pony, but the ability to speak in a high language was rather important when she would lead the farm one day… well, Applejack was already kinda leading it, but not officially before Granny Smith… yeah.

Their little camp should be safe for now, no movement on the verge of this small forest for hours now. Rost and Sharp had been right that it was boring and tiring at the same time. The constant, only dimly twilight of the sky was quite unnerving after several months. She couldn’t talk with Fluttershy either because they chose to patrol in a wide radius on different sides of the camp to cover more ground. Applejack, sunken in thoughts as she was, didn’t notice the stump of a fallen tree right in front of her and ate dirt again that day. The country mare picked her stetson up while sitting there, getting the soil out of her mouth, “Bleh! Pfrr! This damn Scarlet with her pretty face! Why do Ah always have tah get distracted by that?”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but I do appreciate the nice compliment, darling~” Of course AJ hadn’t been expecting an answer to her completely random and undirected question, but a slender and flawless navy blue hoof covered her mouth before she could release a startled scream. She was not as easily spooked as the (old) Fluttershy, but this had been a little too much. “Shhh. Wouldn’t want your companions to ruin this moment. I am just here to talk for a little bit.”

Her form was released from the surprisingly gentle grip and she turned around, seeing Scarlet in her full glory. This time she didn’t wear any armor and her body was definitely nothing to be ashamed of. Slender legs that were neither too long nor short, almost perfect hourglass figure, flawless, shiny coat and almost silky hair that was now loosely falling down her shoulders. Applejack hadn’t noticed it until now, but the mare actually had two different eye colours, the right one was red like her hair, and the other one sported an icy, almost uncanny vibrant blue. Scarlet’s cutie mark was a pretty black, dark violet and blue coloured flower that looked similar to a lotus, but with sharper petals.

“Quite the sight, is it not? A nightshade flower, symbol of my family,” Scarlet had noticed the country mare staring at her flank a while ago, but really didn’t mind the attention. It seemed that this was an honest and strong pony that wouldn’t hesitate to stand up for her friends, an admirable trait, in her opinion. Also, she was definitely not worried that Applejack’s ‘doors didn’t swing that way’, because obviously they did, or would if the mare thought about it for a while.

“Oh, uh… s-sorry, I was just… phasing out for a moment. However, landsakes girl! Did ya ever hear about just approachin’ somepony from the front? Ya scared the hay outta me!” Applejack said in a fake irritated tone to hide her embarrassment that Scarlet had just seen her staring at her flank. The noticeable blush on her cheeks was almost not the most subtle indicator for her odd interest.

“My apologies, I guess you could say it’s… well, somewhat of a habit,” The thestral mare replied in an apologetic tone, she really was nice…

“You… aren’t a normal pony right? Ah mean Ah do have a lot of questions, but that’s been bugging me since earlier.”

“You are right, I wasn’t always like this though. I was living in the outskirts of Manehattan with my family until… well, Princess Luna came to us. I always had been fascinated by the night and the moon, I just had to agree as she offered to change me into this, a creature of the Night, a thestral, and her child,” The mare stated calmly, standing proud while her gaze was drawn to Applejack more often than not.

“Agreed… with Nightmare Moon?! Are ya out of your mind? It sounded like ya had a good life, why would ya give it up?” The country pony replied with an accusatory tone, obviously she was not happy nor satisfied with that answer.

Instead of growing irritated, Scarlet just continued to observe Applejack, while calmly answering her questions, “I have asked myself that a lot of times recently, but it’s a decision you chose for life, so I will go through with this. You see, my father is quite influential in Equestria, he owns companies like Hay Burgers, or ‘Gloria’s Milky Delicious’. We lived in a mansion just outside of town, but… it’s not exactly easy to live like that as a child either. I have never felt like a proper lady like they wanted me to be… even if my pronunciation and vocabulary begs to differ, something always sticks with you. I always wanted to be a Solar Guard, or even an Archmage, but my parents would have never allowed their daughter to do something so… dirty and dangerous. So I did what every rebellious young teenager would do, I studied as much magic as I could in my free time. From teleportation.” She emphasized her point with a quiet flash of her pink magic, appearing next to Applejack. “To advanced summoning magic and magical weapons.”

Her magic reservoir conjured a set of delicately crafted and decorated daggers. They were slightly curved in the middle, ending in an upwards curve to offer more space for the razor sharp edge. The emblem of her family, and her cutie mark were imprinted on it as well. A second later Scarlet dissolved them, “Maybe now you understand why I accepted her proposal, even though it might sound unreasonable from your perspective.”

“Well… that’s… mighty expressive, honestly. Ya seem tah be a pony with the right intentions and dreams, but I gotta say, you’re choice in leadership is really weird. The next question would probably be why ya decided tah help us common folk,” She said in a hushed tone, not wanting to alert her friends and ruin this moment.

“You are far from ‘common folk’, Applejack, and to be honest, you caught my interest. You were so brave and righteous, crippled by a serious injury already, and still willing to stand in front of your friends to protect them. I might not have the rights to say this, but I might be able to help all of you. Normally we thestrals can’t even think about acting against our mistress, but somehow… their way just isn’t right. We need harmony, if we want it or not.”

Applejack stayed quiet for a moment later, letting the whole thing sink in before answering, “Ya don’t eat ponies, right?”

That elicited a little chuckle from Scarlet, and by the gods was it nice to hear, and she looked so… gorgeous while laughing. A faint blush managed to creep onto her cheeks as well, “N-No, actually we have some similarities with vampire fruit bats. I can eat everything, but we kinda prefer fruits, especially gentle and juicy apples.”

“H-huh? Sorry, didn’t quite catch the last part,” Applejack said, her face bright red at that point.

Another giggle came from Scarlet, “Oh, it’s nothing important, let’s just talk some more.” This mare was definitely strangely alluring, and seemed to be interested in her as well… could the thestral mare find something more than companionship in this eternal twilight?

Only time and courage could tell.

“Woah!” Scootaloo ducked under a large fireball that would have probably turned her into a pile of smoldering cinders. Now only the outer spikes of her purple hair had some scorch marks on them. “Be careful with that!”

The emerald colored fireball impacted with a light blue shimmering barrier sphere, a thestral mare had agreed to help them ‘train’, she had a first row spot for that new, and delicious dragon’s behind. Spike huffed in frustration, “Sorry Scootaloo, I can’t really aim when I create it with two claws.” He walked over to the three mares that had watched his impressive display of ‘dragonslayer magic’. It was odd that a dragon would learn how to cast it, but what did they know about ancient magic?

There was a lot of commotion around them, apparently their big ‘operation’ had been a full success. Even the friendly thestral mare had left after the last spell, but not without giving Spike a long and nice view of her own plot, adding a sultry wink to it before trotting off. The fillies didn’t pay it any mind, but their newest friend’s scaly face was definitely a few shades redder than usually.

“I’m sure you will get the hang of it,” Sweetie Belle stated with her squeaky voice. “It’s not like—” She was interrupted by a very familiar sounding voice coming out of the town ‘portal’ hall.

“I would certainly agree, darling. We have not fought once during the whole mission, and we still managed too—” The sophisticated seamstress was the one being interrupted now by a little filly’s desperate shouting. That was apparently enough talking with Morning Blaze.

“Rarity! Rarity!” The mare in question was almost tackled to the ground by a little white blur that had rushed to her hooves and was now hugging her affectionately. She was confused for a moment, but then could make out the details of the filly in front of her.

“Sweetie Belle… is that really you?! Oh darling! I missed you so much! How did you… I mean…” Rarity was simply out of words, this was the best thing that could have happened for her. The mare’s parents were safe no matter what, but she had been worried sick about her little sister.

“She came back with Spike and two other fillies, that’s why I had to go for a while before we entered the city,” Twilight chimed in, looking at the filly next to her. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up, because there was a serious chance to… you know. I’m glad you two reunited though, and now that we basically have cornered Canterlot you have some free time until our next move.” With that the lavender mare left them alone, she had a certain dragon to focus on.

“Rarity, what did she mean with ‘you know’?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking up at her big sister.

“Oh, nothing important, dear. How about we talk about things while getting some ice cream? I’m fairly certain that a few thestrals have a sweet tooth around here and keep Sugarcube Corner running for a while.”

“Yay!”

Finally… this was the moment Spike had been waiting for, week after week he had asked himself why it came to this. Now Twilight was standing right in front of him, a faint smile on her face. She seemed… different yet again, a bit fitter than what he remembered, smooth curves around her waist, and even somewhat of an hourglass figure. Not really on a model level, but it showed that the mare was pretty disciplined when it came to eating, “S-So… how did your important thing go?”

Twilight nudged his arm gently, signalling the teenage dragon to follow her. For most this would probably be a pretty weird, affectionate gesture, especially when it came from the most wanted criminal in Equestria. Her friends knew the truth though, Twilight was not like that, she was just angry, and wanted the best for this land. Discord, Luna, the Nightmare, all those powerful figures were just tools in the end, all of them were, they had to work together for a brighter future. If only it would be that easy with everything. The two of them walked through the, now once again, busy streets of Ponyville, seeing a lot more thestrals, workers, soldiers in their new armor and normal farmers just providing food. Luna had been busy a lot, apparently, those bat ponies were extremely efficient warriors with the right training, and the recruited civilians would also be a fine addition, their plan was almost complete.

“It was a success! We could convince most of Stalliongrad to join us without any bloodbath. Most start to see the cracks in Celestia’s ‘perfect’ mask. Let’s not talk about politics too much though… how have you been?” The lavender mare asked in a careful tone, she wanted to finally spend some time with her number one assistant.

“Well… I was trying to master a few of these spells, worked on it whenever I could. Other than that I mostly just helped out here and there. The princess stopped teaching me once everything… started to fall apart. She has been angry a lot lately…” Spike’s voice broke for a moment. The dragon needed a moment to regain his composure, it felt like he was just a baby dragon in her presence all over again. He wanted to sit next to her on a few warm cushions, reading books while a cozy fire crackled in the fireplace. “Sorry, I was getting off track. I, um… well, I had this growth spurt a few weeks ago, and since then a lot of mares started to stare at me with weird glances. It was kind of awkward.”

The mare glanced sideways, seeing his green and purple scales reflect the light at her, underneath this alluring protection, his muscles were a lot more defined than in the past. Twilight could definitely understand why they were staring at him, “I guess that’s just normal when you reach a certain age. You have certainly become quite the handsome gentledrake.”

“Gee, t-thanks, Twi. You are also p-prettier than before… n-not that you weren’t pretty before! I don’t know, I guess I just noticed it now,” His scaly cheeks reddened notably once again. What was with all those mares around him?

“You think so?” Her face lit up a little, a warm smile on her lips. “I’m glad you think so, it’s hard to keep track on everything these days. Have you… have you talked to my parents? I’m not worried, they are strong, but… you know, just to be sure.”

“I talked to your mom last week, she is worried about you. They don’t believe that you are evil, or corrupt, you just made some bad decisions on how to handle a bad situation. They also didn’t believe Celestia when she said that Shining Armor went missing after he searched for you here,” He replied, slowing down a bit so that his thoughtful big sister could catch up.

“Shining… Armor?” Twilight whispered. She had banned that name out of her mind for the longest time, trying to forget the situation that lead to his demise weeks ago. Who knew about it? Her friends, including Morning Blaze… that was it, Celestia didn’t really have a clue, so it might work to keep it like that. It had been a horrible crime, but she couldn’t make up for anything anyway. “He didn’t come to Ponyville at least. We fortified the entire city a lot, but I would have let him in… he is still family… after all. I’m glad that mom and dad are okay though, well relatively. I can’t come back yet, but once Celestia is done for, I will bring peace into Equestria once again. Then we can spend time as a family as long as we want.”

Spike nodded, oblivious to her shift in tone, “I believe you, Twilight. What kind of brother would I be if the word of my big sis wasn’t trustworthy anymore? I know you have done some… questionable things, but I also know that you have a reason for everything.”

“Thank you, Spike. You have no idea how much that means to me, especially now that… everything gets more serious each day. I have found some true friends and allies here, but also a lot of enemies. I don’t know how long this last assault will take, but this finally has to end. I know that we were the ones that continued this eternal war between… order and chaos, but someone has to. The borders between those two sides is… difficult to discern sometimes,” Twilight answered, staring into the distant fields, and even further, the capital.

With Discord’s ominous proposal looming over her, and the constant gaze of her other… ally over her shoulder it was difficult to see just who was the ‘bad guy’ in this war. Celestia has done terrible things in the past, but Twilight knew very well that she was far from innocent. They should never have resorted to violence like they did in the past. It was far too late to reverse her emotional outburst though, it was time to bring this to a close. After that Luna, Discord and her would establish a fair and equal system of government for everyone, especially regarding their enemies and other countries. The lavender unicorn doubted that her not so imaginary shadow ally would stay put for much longer either, her plans were as much of a mystery as her own, and she worried about her true intentions. She seemed to be far more violent than any of her allies, even Discord, who just wanted to rule over stuff and spread some chaos. The Nightmare was almost… too eager to help Twilight along, as far as she was concerned, it just could take over anypony she wanted. Her magical limits were next to boundless, same with just about any experienced alicorn, their reserves were not bound to just their bodies, it was like they could draw energy from the very air itself.

Twilight didn’t quite know how all of that worked just yet, but she would certainly find out! Only her own death would stop her from gathering knowledge, but unfortunately all of that had to be held back for a while… at least until she either succeeded, or failed to bring true peace to this land. Failure would most certainly lead to her own execution anyway, so where was the point in playing it cool. Their troops included nearly… well, about 70% of Equestria’s population, about 3.5 million ponies. Not all of them wanted to fight, obviously, but a good chunk was willing to defend their new harmony, and stop Celestia from spreading more and more lies. There was no way they could let the princess live now… her oldest friend, and like a second mother for her. Maybe Twilight knew… deep down that Celestia really loved her… in more ways than one, maybe she would even admit that she shared some of those feelings, if she really thought about it, but it was far too late to stop now. Both of their sins just weighed too heavy to exist next to each other.

“Um… Twi?” Spike asked in concern, looking up at his friend. She was phasing out a lot, even more frequently than back when… everything was alright. He didn’t exactly care who’s fault it was, but the teenage dragon wouldn’t just stand at the sidelines and watch his sister suffer like that… no matter what she might have done.

“Hmm? Oh sorry. Did you say anything?” Twilight replied, looked at her assistant, with a distant expression on her face.

“Are you alright? You have been phasing out a lot.”

“Of course I am, Spike. I really don’t have time to be sad or anything like that right now. We have to prepare, organize and train. It won’t be easy, but after all of this is over, things will turn out for the better.”

Spike just nodded, following his oldest friend once again. Something was definitely happening with her, but the dragon also respected her privacy and knew when to back off. She would express her problems soon enough, and if not, Spike knew how to get those things out of her and make her feel better. That was what a now ‘big’ brother had to do for his sister.

If only he knew...

Crimson Rose

Chapter 28: Crimson Rose

The two of them expected a lot… especially after talking for an hour straight, but not three different weapons pointed at her new friend. Scarlet was extremely fascinating, while she always maintained a certain ‘classy’ aura, she was actually quite shy and thoughtful. From what Applejack had picked up during their conversation, it had been a lot worse before her transformation. As soon as they entered their camp though, well… everything escalated rather quickly.

The small group wasn’t too comfortable around bat ponies, it seemed. Who could blame them though? Thestrals were Nightmare Moon’s children, frighteningly strong, fast and agile. The perfect natural warriors, even without any additional training. Applejack stepped in between Scarlet, who was showing her fangs and hissed at the ponies out of shock, and her other friends, pointing their beads and swords at her, “Wait, wait, wait, wait! Now calm down, everypony! Scarlet here didn’t come to fight with ya folk!”

“Who?” Sharpshot replied, his tone obviously showing his confusion. This mare appeared out of nowhere with his friend, and just happened to hit it off so ‘great’ with her? The fact that she was, in fact, a loyal member of their enemy's most dangerous elite force did not help at all. “She is one of those creatures that attacked you earlier!”

“That is not true…” Scarlet said, her voice rather soft again, resembling her usual composure. “I helped Applejack, and I even ordered them to give you supplies. I am not your enemy, and just want to talk to all of you.”

Fluttershy and Rost sheathed and stowed away their weapons as well, apologizing for their rushed actions. Especially the yellow pegasus seemed much more prone to do something like that nowadays, her ‘stay’ in the icy land of Rost’s ancestors changed her, more than any of them could even imagine. She spoke up after everything settled down, “We are sorry. I guess we should not judge a book by its cover. We were certainly not expecting a pony from the rebellion to help us, especially after what happened yesterday. How did you two… well, get to know each other?”

“Uh… w-well, ya know, it… k-kinda happened! That’s not important anyway! She said she wants tah help us out!” Applejack managed to sputter out, still very much confused about her feelings for this mare.

“Indeed,” Scarlet started once again. “I felt that… Luna’s and Lady Twilight’s rebellion just… isn’t right. I may not know much about this civil war myself, but I am familiar with the basic tactics of war. It won’t end pretty for harmony if we don’t do anything against it! That’s why I wanted to help all of you, and help myself to forget all of this.”

“Why should we trust her?” Rost asked, he and Fluttershy sat closely together, giving each other warmth and comfort, a rare treat these days, especially with so much fear and confusion. They couldn’t just recruit any random pony that pretended to be friendly.

“I believe Scarlet, we can trust her,” Applejack simply stated, looking at the stallion.

“So what exactly are you?” Sharpshot interrupted, looking at her in curiosity, rather than anger. He always gathered as much knowledge as possible, about his friends… and foes. He wasn’t sure what that mare was yet… but he would at least hear her out, for Applejack.

“I am a bat pony, a normal pony… transformed by a drop of Princess Luna’s power… or Nightmare Moon if you want to call her like that. My name is Scarlet… Scarlet Nightshade. I’m looking forward to this.”

“So do I…” Applejack murmured, until she noticed that subtle smirk on the yellow pegasus’ lips. “A-Ah mean we! We look forward to it, heh… getting tired all of a sudden! Maybe we should discuss plans after some rest.”

The lavender mare stopped her relaxing walk with Spike for a moment. He stopped as well, looking at his friend in confusion. After a while she smiled faintly and nodded, obviously relieved about something. Her number one assistant cocked his head and asked, “You alright, Twilight? Did something happen?”

“Hmm? Oh, I guess you could say that yes. I just got a telepathic message from Silent Flare, informing me that their combined groups just came back from Baltimare and Fillydelphia,” Twilight answered, looking genuinely relieved about that fact. Everything was going well for them, and nopony had to be killed anymore… until they made their last move. That could wait for a little while though, Canterlot was effectively cut off from the rest of Equestria, except through the air, but there weren't too many pegasi in the capital, mostly unicorns and wealthy earth ponies that made themselves a name in the business world of the farming industry and gambling, like in Los Pegasus… although you would definitely see more pegasi there.

“You can talk to ponies without actually talking to them? Also… that might be a dumb question… but who is Silent Flare, and why was his group in Baltimare and Fillydelphia?” Spike was even more confused than before about this whole thing. They seemed to be all over Equestria already… Twilight really built something big here… like really, really big.

“It’s actually quite a simple spell, but I don’t want to bore you with the details. The rest… might take a little longer to explain, but I will tell you everything you want to know. No more secrets, no more abandoning my friends, especially not you. For now though, would you like to meet Princess Luna? She said she’ll be here in a few minutes, alongside everyone who helped us along with all of this.”

“Y-you mean Nightmare Moon?” The teenage dragon asked in concern, shrinking back a little, despite his recent growth spurt. He was likely just a tad smaller than the alicorn now, since his height even allowed him to look Celestia into the eyes without looking up, but her horn obviously made the difference. “Y-you know… I’d rather have a look at S-Sugarcube Corner, get something to eat and all that.”

“Spike… she is not the same as in those old stories anymore. She is just a pony like you and me… with the obvious factor of immortality, but still. She has fears and desires just like we do, so there is no need to be afraid. She is on our side… but alright, I won’t force you. Maybe get something to eat, and join us afterwards in the town square. It’ll be alright, I promise.”

With that the mare teleported away with a slight smile, happy to see the rest of her friends again. They had earned a small celebration since everything went so well… a party would definitely lift everyone’s spirits by a margin. Frankly, Twilight could use that as well… and maybe get some private time with Rarity, who was obviously still in need of a reward~ She also didn’t forget her Dashie, oh this would be a delight.

The now solo dragon blinked twice and shrugged. That didn’t sound too… convincing, but he trusted Twilight. First he would definitely get something sweet though… maybe a cupcake or something.

Pinkie Pie’s ears twitched as she stepped out of the portal alongside her friends. Silent took notice of the frantic twitching, “Hey Pinkie, did you have too much coffee this morning? You know, a mare like you should definitely stay away from that.”

“No, silly! That’s my Pinkie Sense! Ear twitching means that somepony wants a cupcake! Speaking of them… I haven’t made any in quite a while,” She gasped in an exaggerated manner. She didn’t bake anything in quite a while, the pink mare vaguely remembered allowing some bat ponies to run her shop for a while, since the Cakes weren’t here, and she was busy a lot. Wait… her shop! “MOMMA IS COMING!”

With almost super-sonic speed the mare was gone, bolting off towards Sugarcube Corner. It seemed like the entire population, including all the new workers sighed in relief, Pinkie Pie just had this effect on ponies… it made them happier, and feel lighter in these dark times. And definitely hungry for baked goods… that called for a big party!

Ten minutes later Sugarcube Corner was producing at their peak again, Pinkie immediately showed her new co-workers everything she knew about baking… willingly or unwillingly. To their shared surprise, it was working excellently. Her energetic spirit just created this cozy atmosphere, and everypony just couldn’t help it but kick their speed up a notch. A lot of ponies were drawn in by the returned (temporary) owner as well.

Needlessly to say that Sweetie Belle was amazed by all the baked goods that her sister’s friend had produced. Her little eyes focused on the full counter from their table in the now slightly crowded, but not overrun shop. These ponies came from a lot of smaller and bigger settlements, especially from Equestria’s biggest towns, but still worked towards a common goal. It seemed to work, they all had a tolerant mind set as well.

“Hey Pinkie,” Sweetie shouted over a few ponies. “Mind giving me another- hmppf!” In that moment a ‘strawberry twist’ cupcake was already stuck in her mouth, and happily devoured as well. A raised, pink hoof from the other side of the crowd could only be described as the hoof version of the normally claw exclusive ‘thumbs up’.

Rarity could only chuckle at their combined antics. Peaceful moments like these were so rare lately, and all they could do, was enjoy every second of it. She definitely wanted to talk to Twilight this evening though… she was still curious about that reward. She wasn’t entirely sure whether or not she should be excited, since the lavender unicorn was quite hard to read, but her voice when she said that sounded… very convincing. Once again the gentle bell sounded that signalled yet another eager guest.

Her eyes lazily wandered over the mass of ponies, some thestrals were there as well, just far in between. Then… her eyes stopped at a rather tall one… no, wait… scales? Purple and green scales that reflected the light in a rather interesting manner. Wasn’t that Twilight’s assistant? She had just heard the first part of their conversation. He definitely looked rather… nice, muscular, but also far from stupid. Hmm…

Spike noticed the gaze that was fixated on him after a while by pure accident. The moment he spotted who exactly decided to stare at him, the drake felt like dropping dead at the spot. An absolutely gorgeous mare! Flawless, alabaster coat, lucious purple hair that curled like gentle waves on an ocean of beauty. Perfect figure, as well, she wasn’t the typical ‘model’, but her curves were still at all the right places. From the outside he definitely sported a rather goofy, dreamy eyes expression right now, visibly blushing as well.

The fashionista, despite her obvious sex appeal, was quite inexperienced when it came to things like this. Sure, she had her corny romance novels, that always ended in… quite an erotic situation, or with someone dying off around the end, but this was real life! She never had quite a… serious relationship, always just something to relieve stress here and there. Rarity had always wanted to wait for ‘the one’, now Twilight was… becoming more and more like this vague figure in her head, and this dragon was looking… not bad at least, despite her knowing literally nothing about them. Feelings were just that stupid sometimes…

She gave him a slight smile which could have been enough to give him a heart attack at this point. Luckily though, that did not happen, and he carefully made his way over to their small table. The dragon looked quite unsure about the situation as well, so he wasn’t that experienced as well, if only she knew…

“Oh hey Spike!” Sweetie Belle greeted him first, in between a mouthful of her delicious frosted good. Honestly, how could anyone ever not want something like this? She would rather die than never eat sweets again!

“H-hey Sweetie Belle,” He was unsure what to do next. Would it be rude to just… sit down next to them? They seemed to be content like that, and Spike was way too polite to interrupt a family moment. Even though he would do absolutely everything just to talk to this mare for a bit.

“O-oh, h-how rude of me! Please, sit down,” Rarity offered with a smile on her face. It was slightly soothing to know that he was just as nervous as she was, or he was a veeerrry good actor. As the dragon took the offer, the mare subconsciously leaned a bit closer. “I am Rarity, and it looks like you already know by younger sister.”

“My name is Spike and yeah…” Spike thought about it. He more or less helped them to break out of a prison… a rather comfortable one, but still a prison. “I think… we haven’t met the… last time I was in Ponyville.”

“He helped Scootaloo… mhmm… Applebloom and me to escape!” Sweetie said in between yet another bit of cupcake. That filly sure had a lot of appetite for sweets… that made a moderate amount of sense with that name… somewhat at least.

“Oh really?” Rarity asked, genuinely interested, leaning closer and closer with each positive trait that she noticed. “Tell me about it. How did it come to all of this?”

“You want to hear… Oh,” Spike stated, nodding. He was either too nervous, or too oblivious to notice her coming closer, and that certain gaze she was sending into his direction. The mare seemed unsure what to think about him, so the dragon could absolutely not screw this up!

Twilight arrived at the town square a few seconds later, already seeing Luna, Silver, Rainbow and Silent. It seemed like Pinkie was absent, but the pink mare would definitely be around somewhere. Suddenly she heard something like a miniature of firework and confetti appear out of nowhere, showering the surprised mare in it.

A pink blur was visible in her peripherals for the fraction of a second, and now a cupcake was standing in front of her, neatly placed on a paper plate with the words ‘Happy We-Survived-Everything! Party this evening!’. The lavender mare let out a genuine giggled, snorting at her friends antics, oh she missed all of them, even though they had been separated for merely a day. She had never thought it would be possible to ‘miss’ friends, her younger self had never wanted something like this anyway.

Now? She was either one of the most loved, or most hated ponies in the eye of the population. Not a bad trade, not at al… and she would show everyone that they were in the right. Millions of ponies had already decided for themselves, more joining willingly every day. The others? Still not hurt, but convinced by Luna’s elite thestrals and Capone’s mercenaries. The former boss of a crime syndicate had played such an important role in their plans so far, that it was hard to believe that he was doing all of this just for the money, but who was she to judge?

“Ah Twilight! ‘Tis wonderful to see you again,” Luna exclaimed, approaching the mare. The two of them couldn’t help it but share a short hug, they have truly grown closer over time. It seemed like the Nightmare wasn’t such a big fan of that, but Twilight really could not care less.

“It is also good to see you are back unscathed, Luna. Although you don’t really have to fear any injury, but still… it hurts me as well when my friends get hurt. In the end we did it though! Manehatten, Stalliongrad, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, all those cities are under our control now, peacefully, I might add. Now we can prepare our last assault to end this war, and to bring true peace to this land, together.” It was true, now that she thought about it, the only time they had killed ponies, was the Nightmare of Canterlot, when Celestia had used Pinkie as bait, and she paid the price for it.

“Indeed, but for now we can relax and rest. Everypony deserves a little break after this, especially since our dear Pinkie seems to be in high spirits once again, now that the city is so lively. I presume you received your invitation as well?” Luna said cheerfully, unusually relaxed for the demi-goddess. It didn’t happen often that she could just lean back for a second, and take a deep breath, especially now with such good friends at her side.

“Yeah, of course! I really have no idea how Pinkie does all this, and I really don’t want to find out. Maybe one day, but for now I’m just looking forward to it! I heard that her parties never leave anyone unhappy, ever. Pinkie takes that very seriously, and not even I want to mess with that. Let’s look forward to the future, and see what it holds for us.”

“True words, Twilight, very true indeed.”

“...and we need the last part of the blade to have at least a small glimmer of hope,” Sharpshot finished up their combined explanation. Their stories had been different and exotic, but all four of them seemed confident. They just had to succeed, Equestria could not take the reign of Nightmare Moon, or ‘Luna’ as Scarlet called her. “So… now that you know what we have to do, any ideas where this Coast of Despair is supposed to be?”

Scarlet remained quiet for a while, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, “I might… The moon tribe was a wide spread culture hundreds of years ago. Their technology was said to be legendary, some describe machines that wouldn’t even work with our current knowledge! They did this Arcane Tinkering without magic, they trusted a mysterious energy, and apparently, after hearing your stories… the Nightmare had something to do with it, I’m sure.”

“What exactly are you hinting at?” The grey pony asked, half eager, half sceptical about any new piece of information they got.

“The Ark of Yamato.”

“The what of what now?” Applejack intervened, cocking her head. She obviously liked having Scarlet around, maybe more than she would admit, but most of the stuff she was talking about was… a little too complicated and out of this world for her taste. Not that she would mind a taste of— Nothing! Absolutely nothing!

Scarlet giggled a little, “The Ark of Yamato. Yamato was the name of their ancient capital. The Ark was some sort of… boat, an airship, to be more specific. It was built for exactly one purpose, to bring its inhabitants to the moon and the stars. Ancient legends tell unbelievable tales and journeys that the moon tribe had with this legendary ship. A rainbow bridge was said to be the entrance, pure spectra as a manifestation of the divine. The ponies of the moon tribe were something greater than mere ponies before they suddenly vanished.”

“So… some of their descendants could still be… alive?” Sharpshot asked, more and more curious about the full story behind all this, but unfortunately Scarlet wouldn’t know all of it.

“No, probably not. As the events of Rao’s diary happened, as the Nightmare took control, and slaughtered the tribe… not all of them did actually die right away. Some of them were able to flee into the Ark of Yamato, they probably had more similarities with divine beings, than ponies at that point. The Nightmare had been smarter though, some of its strongest creations had hid themselves in the Ark… and slaughtered every last one of them. The point where the Ark crashed, where countless demons escaped and brought darkness over the world was known as the Coast of Despair.”

“D-demons?” Fluttershy hid herself a bit more in Rost’s coat, she wasn’t so easily scared anymore… but those creatures were pure evil, and had absolutely no mercy in them.

“Yes, like Lechku and Nechku, they were part of the strongest demons that escaped. The crashpoint is now located about fifty kilometers south of Baltimare. That’s where we should look first. If you take me with you, at least. I can also teleport us past this barrier, since I am quite skilled, if I am allowed to say so myself.”

All of them looked at each other for a moment, exchanging silent opinions until Applejack spoke for them, “It would be a pleasure, Scarlet. We might not be the fanciest of troops, but we’re gonna be a damn good team!” Her friends nodded, happy to have another (mostly) trustworthy ally. Their mission could not fail at all costs, the fate of Equestria was at stake.

While Scootaloo had run off with Rainbow Dash after a while, and Sweetie Belle went with Rarity, the yellow earth pony filly was the last one of the trio. Feeling left behind, and kind of depressed, she decided to wander around for a bit. Solo activities were ‘the best’, after all. Her two friends finally reunited with their idol or sister, but what about her?

Where was the one mare that was most important in her life? Where… was Applejack? Sure, her other family was in Canterlot, but at least they were safe, and did not have to worry about too much. Maybe they did… they probably already noticed her absence in horror. She did only vaguely mention her insane journey to search for her sister, after all. In the end, that didn’t really matter though, the people here were all nice, and her family would be alive until the end of… whatever this was. Applebloom wasn’t stupid, far from it, but she couldn’t really wrap her head around all this. Both Celestia and this Twilight Sparkle, and even the slightly creepy other princess… Luna, was nice. Who had started this… fight? Was that what it was? No… something more, definitely a lot more. Maybe somepony around the town square could help her understand it better, it could possibly lead to some clues regarding Applejack as well… perhaps…

She looked around, there were definitely a lot of ponies around the town square now. More than there ever were before Ponyville got evacuated for some reason that she still didn’t understand. Then the yellow filly saw a pony that stuck out… somehow. Strikingly light blue coat, white, silky hair that was falling down her shoulder, rather short tail and a rather luxurious figure. Her ears were different as well, a lot pointier, with a bit of fluff on the top end.

What was the worst that could happen? The filly shrugged, walking straight across the town square, and stopped right before the mare. Suddenly she also spotted her… fangs? Why did a herbivore need fangs? She took a deep breath, and began to speak to the mare that was apparently patrolling through the city, “U-Um, pardon me. Ah j-jest wanted to ask ya somethin’”

At first the mare didn’t even notice that the filly had talked with her. Then she smiled at her, showing off the full beauty of her razor sharp fangs, “Of course, little one! What’s your name?”

“Ah’m Applebloom,” She replied, sounding slightly nervous. Those teeth looked really… really sharp. Of course the filly knew that it was rude to judge someone based on how they look… but this was slightly unsettling.

“Nice to meet you, Applebloom! I’m Azure Skies, and don’t worry, I don’t bite… much,” The bat pony giggled at her jokes, then realized that a little filly like her would most definitely not understand a joke like that. “Actually I don’t bite at all, heh. What did you want to ask?”

“W-well, now Ah have two questions. First one… might sound a little weird, but… ya aren’t a normal pony, right? S-sorry if that’s rude! Just… your ears ‘n fangs look kinda exotic. Second one… um… what is… what is really goin’ on with Equestria?”

“No, no, it’s fine! I guess I am not a normal pony anymore. Princess Luna took the best of us, and offered us a once in a lifetime chance! She turned us into bat ponies, an ancient resemblance of her finest warriors, really exciting, if you ask me, hehe. There is no need to be afraid though, those fangs are just… um… actually I don’t really know. I just turned into one yesterday, so I don’t really know what our diet actually consists of. I guess I’ll have to find out later,” The mare sounded happy at least, quite confused, but happy. “Anyways, regarding the second question… I don’t think you’re quite old enough for that yet. A… lot of stuff happened in the last few months. Maybe it would be better to just be on your way.”

What?! All this talk and now yet another pony wanted to avoid the topic?! “Ah’m pretty sure Ah can handle it! Please, Ah need tah know more about this!”

“Oh dear… alright, just don’t say I didn’t warn you beforehoof,” Azure replied, beginning her tale, everything that happened since the return of ‘Nightmare Moon’.

“Oh my,” Rarity chuckled as Spike finished up his story. The three little fillies apparently made a lot of trouble during their short time together, but she was infinitely grateful that he took them with him regardless. He was a real gentledrake, always let her finish her sentences, well mannered, and quite good looking… not that Rarity had thought about that during their talk! He was Twilight’s little brother after all, a handsome brother, but still. She felt somewhat conflicted by that… especially since there were definitely some feelings of attractions towards Twilight as well. ‘Her barn door swung both ways’ like Applejack would have said. “That is certainly quite the story. Things definitely… went a bit out of hoof after we rescued dear Pinkie.”

A silent ‘thank you’ landed on their table… in form of a cupcake with a heart symbol on it. In the middle were the letters S + R and outside a ‘Thank you! Come to my party this afternoon, all of you!’ Spiked cocked his head, how exactly was the pink mare doing all of this? Some kind of magical spell? Was she really a disguised unicorn? The best answer was probably: Pinkie. There was no logical explanation for most stuff the cheerful ball of energy did. Then this letter… S + R… S + R… the dragon’s eyes widened. This pink devil.

The fashionista’s cheeks were noticeably reddened as well, chuckling awkwardly, “Ehehe… our P-pinkie knows how to make a joke. A-anyways, I’m really grateful… that you rescued my little sister.”

“What does S + R mean?” Sweetie Belle asked, staring at the cupcake with a longing gaze. There could never be such thing as ‘too much sweets’. “Ohhhh, I get it! It means Spi—” That’s when she got kicked into her left hind leg, not enough to really hurt her, but certainly enough to distract the young filly. “Ow! Hey! I only wanted to say that It means Spik—”

Another kick, followed by a frustrated groan from the young unicorn, “Fine! I’m leaving! I’m sure Applebloom is more fun than you guys! See you in the boutique, Rarity!” Sweetie grabbed the cupcake with her mouth and raced off. These stupid ‘grown ups’.

“Heh, I guess that was the right thing to do, huh?” Spike asked with a nervous smile, trying to get that stupid heart message out of his head. Pinkie would definitely pay for that one! Maybe with a prank… no, the pink pony was probably the inventor of pranks… dammit.

“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity answered, giving the dragon a wink. He was quite charming indeed, especially in times like this it was hard to keep a well mannered pony around that was not war crazy or running away like a chicken. “Well, now that we have a bit more privacy… why don’t we talk some more? It sounded like you have some stories to tell.”

“Heh, there’s nothing I’d like to do more,” Spike replied, his cheeks definitely even redder now. This would certainly be interesting for the dragon that just hit puberty.

“Oh yes, before I leave. Have you seen Morning Blaze?” Twilight asked her alicorn partner, a trace of curiosity in her voice. She could just rely on their magic connection, but it didn’t always have to be this complicated, social interaction was important, after all. Not that she really had any interest in that particular topic, but ponies demanded orders and actions from the rather simple mare. She never really wanted all of this in the first place, vengeance, and a quiet life with Spike would have been enough for her, but now… there was no turning back, they were almost done, their goal in clear sight.

“Indeed, I did. She said she needed some time to think and in case you should ask, Blaze is in the east fields outside of Ponyville. I don’t know why, but it seemed like she’s hoping to talk to you in private, to catch up, perhaps?” Luna replied, looking at her friend with a neutral gaze. This lavender unicorn was never failing to amaze and impress her… for a mortal creature, at least. Her magic reserves were nowhere near alicorn level, but they could still outmatch even the strongest and most powerful unicorn by a landslide.

“Yeah, I better go check. I promised her we would talk more after Stalliongrad, and she behaved herself after the initial… let’s call it difficulties. I’m really not thrilled to hurt anyone not directly involved into my personal vengeance, so she did agree to help me out on this. Anyways, I’ll see you at Pinkie’s party!” With those parting words Twilight disappeared into the shadows, still in quite a good mood, especially now that everything rapidly ended in their favor. So far Equestria proved to be quite prone on betraying their beloved sun goddess, until now they had never faced a really intelligent foe, one did not want to take over using blunt force, but deception and clever tactics. Although a good chunk of magical skill did not harm at all.

Luna only shook her head with a faint smile on her lips, “The youth of today, always so eager. Good luck, Twilight, social interaction is just as difficult as the hardest battle you will ever face.” It would take a few more hours for the party to be set up and really start, especially since the entire town would participate, as far as she could predict the pink mare and her antics. Most people were extremely willing to help, good Equestrian citizens that were actually, genuinely willing to go along, that was… definitely a change of scenery for the former insane alicorn. She had noticed those… laughing fits returned less frequently, maybe this… adoration and friendship helped her. An answer only the Nightmare could answer, but even if she could, Luna would never exchange another word with that vile creature.

Another minute later the lavender mare walked right up to her friend, she had decided to walk the last few meters, shadow travelling was always startling the ponies around her. This time Twilight just wanted a calm conversation… with her former good friend, “Good day, Blaze.”

The yellow mare didn’t react at first, just staring into the distance, towards Equestria’s capital, to be more specific, then she sighed, “Do you… regret it sometimes?”

“What do you mean? This rebellion, killing ponies, those dark powers?” She asked in a rather calm tone, sitting down next to Blaze. The sun was as dim as ever… but the light was still warming them. Telling the time wasn’t exactly easy, impossible for non unicorns, but they still had enough time to really talk about everything. This.. was something she genuinely missed, ending the day with Morning Blaze, after a long training session, just gazing into the sunset, letting the last rays of the sun warm their coat…

“All of it… this entire thing. It feels… it feels like this will be the end of us all. Not just Celestia, but also us. I don’t want to convince you to stop, not after everything we went through, but be careful, I have a bad feeling about provoking Celestia even further,” Morning answered, her voice held this rather… ominous undertone in it. Like she knew something Twilight did not, that alone was relatively unlikely, but the lavender mare would never underestimate her.

“Honestly? Yes, yes I do regret most of the things I did. Especially since… Shining Armor had to die for my mistakes… that will haunt me for the rest of my life, and it really should. I also dragged you into all of this, you were my only childhood friend… except Spike,” Finally she had said it, talking about her feelings of guilt made it… somewhat easier. “All of my friends now as well… Rainbow Dash especially… but she is much happier now, Rarity and Pinkie needed a while, but I think we came to an agreement that makes both of them happy as well.”

“I really missed this, to be honest. You were one of the best students I ever had, and you… have grown on me during our year together. It had been shocking to see you… change that much, growing angrier and angrier at Celestia, but… I know that you are just trying to do the right thing, in your own way at least. I can’t confront the princess directly, due to my debt to her, but I will still support you, despite our differences. Shining Armor was a good soldier… and he knew the risks to confront you in this state. It happened, and it can never be reversed, but we have to look forward… no matter how much it hurts. Maybe we will be able to put all of this behind us… once this is over, and Equestria is rebuilt to its former glory. With you on top or not, I will stay here.”

“Thank you Blaze, really… it means a lot,” Twilight said, smiling faintly, the two of them continued to reminisce, thinking about their happier days together, and just relaxing after the past few days. The real storm was still waiting for them, so nobody could really predict what would happen, once the time has come.

About three hours later Twilight and Morning returned to the townsquare together. It had been a nice and long talk for the two of them, reminiscing in the good old times. They were over, but they agreed on getting closer again, training together, working on spells and so on. Of course… after this whole ordeal was over. Morning Blaze was not a fool, she knew that her former student had to do this, for various reasons. The yellow unicorn also knew when she lost though, and this definitely counted as a loss, but… maybe that wasn’t so bad. Her loyalty was somewhat unclear, and she was eternally grateful for what Celestia had done to her, but her reign was a sinking ship, and it would drag everyone into this abyss that would refuse to leave her side.

Their jawlines dropped as the center of Ponyville came into view. The first thing they saw were colours… a lot of colours, and streamer, definitely a lot of them too! Happy decorations, cakes everywhere, drinks, people walking around in party hats, some people had even agreed to walk around with plates and serve some food. This… was most definitely Pinkie Pie’s ‘magic’. Nopony could understand or explain it, but the pink mare just had her ways to make everyone… every single one.

As if on queue streamers exploded around Twilight and Morning Blaze, eliciting a quiet yelp out of the two. Suddenly both were wearing a cute party hat, a yellow and red one for Blaze, and a lavender, blue, pink-ish one for their leader. They couldn’t help but giggle had their friend’s weird antics, but who could blame her? She was just trying to make everyone happy, especially since they were approaching their goal, Canterlot. This was one of the last opportunities to have fun, genuinely enjoying their time together. After that they… would either rule a country, or end up as cold corpses on a smoldering battlefield.

“Hey guys! Welcome to the party, can’t stay, gotta bounce!” Pinkie literally bounced in front of them, giving both of them a quick hug, and then raced off to some other party guest. She definitely had plenty of those, it looked like the entire town had decided to join the unexpected festivities… not that Pinkie would have given them a choice to refuse, Twilight figured.

“Hey Morning, wanna meet up with Spike and celebrate for a while?” Twilight asked, already spotting her now ‘bigger’ brother. He was at least one head taller than everyone else, even Luna was now smaller than him. Then she realized that they were chatting, together with Rarity, whose gaze landed on Spike more often than not, interesting. Maybe that would give both of them some time to relax, Twilight would definitely not mind the two of them getting closer, it was nice to see that he overcame his ridiculous fear of Luna pretty quickly though,

“Nah, I’d rather look for Silent. He is not really a celebratory pony, and he gets angry when others annoy him with that. I’ll make sure nothing happens,” She stopped before wandering off, her voice softer than before. “Oh, and Twilight? Thank you… I really missed our talks.”

“Anytime, Morning, anytime. Enjoy the party while you can, we’ll have a lot to do,” The lavender mare replied, wandering off herself. This really was the perfect opportunity to have some fun before the storm. Maybe Dashie would be up for some fun as well, hehe… but she figured that it would be better to talk with Luna, Spike and Rarity first. Especially to see what kind of interests Rarity had towards her brother. Not that she didn’t trust the fashionista, quite the opposite actually, but it was still good to be informed about such things.

A minute later she reached the small group, who were telling stories of their adventures from the past weeks, hearing the tales from an alicorn must have been quite interesting for Spike. At least he didn’t seem to fear Luna, a fear that most of her subjects still had, at least somewhat, maybe it was just very careful respect, like for Celestia, but more honest, “Hello guys, how are you all doing?”

“Twilight, darling, so good to see you!” Rarity said, managing to not steal a glance at Twilight. She still wasn’t sure of that would be appropriate in his sister’s presence… not that she had anything inappropriate in mind, she was a lady, after all. Still… the possibilities were there, especially for such a handsome gentledrake. “I think we are all doing just wonderful!”

Luna and Spike nodded in agreement, looking quite satisfied with the party so far. A real Pinkie Pie party indeed. The teenage dragon was the first to speak up, “You were right, Twilight. I shouldn’t have thought of Luna as Nightmare Moon, and it turns out she knows a lot about this ancient dragon magic!”

“Does she now?” Twilight asked with a slight smirk on her face. The lavender mare probably knew everything there was about that magic, all of its drawbacks, advantages over regular magic, and even the specific amount of Magic used up by the most common spells. Yet she wouldn’t be so foolish to steal her friend’s spotlight, that was completely unnecessary, and plain out rude,

“Indeed,” Luna answered happily, her left hand holding a ‘vanilla explosion 2.0’ flavored cupcake, apparently one of Pinkie’s newest creation. It was simply fantastic, and the blue alicorn would most definitely ask her how she could create such divine baked goods. “I have fought countless battles against invading dragons from the Southern Lands, and know most of the common Dragonslayer spells. An interesting kind of magic, but it is new to me that dragons are able to cast it with just their innate magic. We definitely should look into that before going to Canterlot. That could be quite useful indeed, only if Spike is agreeing to it, of course.”

“Sure!” Spike nodded, a puff of emerald colored flame escaped his lips. “I promised Twilight that I would help where I could, that includes helping her to win this war. I’d probably not be a big help, but I will do everything I can.”

“Just don’t do too dangerous stuff, Spike… all of you. This is a thing between Celestia, and me, well… and technically Luna, but I don’t want any of my friends to be hurt, or even die. Too many sacrifices have been made already, even most of the Solar Guard didn’t deserve it. We’ll end it quick, and painless,” Twilight replied, a lot more thoughtful than usual. Without the Nightmare constantly suggesting violent things the mare could think a little more clearly. Maybe accepting any of its power had been a bad idea in general… Order and Chaos… those two forces always were in perfect balance… she had to be carefull. “Anyways, let’s not think about that for the moment! Let’s enjoy the party. Rarity, how did your afternoon with Sweetie Belle go?”

“Oh, ehehe… well, I guess you could say it has been quite interesting. Wouldn’t you agree, Spike?” She said with half lidded eyes, again focused on the tall lizard next to Luna. He really was quite something.

“Y-yeah! It definitely was,” The dragon answered. They all began to talk about their own afternoon, now including Twilight, it seemed like everypony was enjoying themselves, and the night was still young. This was maybe the last opportunity to really have a few carefree moments, before the very fate of Equestria would be decided.