24th August, 72 BNM
Equestria

3 months since the fall of Baltimare to the Nationalists, and the unofficial end of the Separatist faction [officially only 2 weeks ago, as the Separatists split for the most part to align with the Royalists of Separatists].
Rumours had spread of the sheer power on display on battlefields as more and more non-political Alicorns in the Royalists and Nationalists, no more than a hundred combined, most from Alicorn heritage already, joined the battles themselves. Aubelles was merely one notable Alicorn who actively fought, there were others, some with political clout to boot.
Tales spread, rumours of amazing, or terrifying feats performed by a single Alicorn in battle. Platoons wiped out in a single blast, the entire battlefield terrain altered by a single spell, and how useless many magical or physical weapons were against their magic.
Tales of the war becoming worse, more vicious, suddenly were truths.
And then the news broke.
Nationalists had gone to the Citadel in Equestria’s north-midland lands, and unbelievably, had become allies.
Lord Blackmane, in an utter breach of his oath to defend all of Equestria against outside threat, had picked a side in this conflict.

Late Morning
Canterlot, Royal Palace
Queen Aurora’s drawing chambers

Aurora couldn’t help but notice the bags under Starswirl’s eyes, the Wizard not looking the best he’d ever been at this stage. Stress was getting to him.
“I still cannot understand why he would do this. Still, those are questions I will leave him to answer once I meet him.”
Starswirl remarked aloud at this, as he had figured Lord Blackmane would not pick sides, based on readings and meeting him at that meeting at the onset of this new Civil War.
Taking a small sip, Queen Aurora remarked wistfully: “I met them all myself too, the ones you met. Sir General Slickwing from Tartarus, Lady General Broadhooves from the north east, and Blackmane. All determined, but, I always sensed something hidden, secret, about Blackmane.”
In deep thought, Aurora remarked: “You said he was a close disciple of Siral’s, your old friend? It explains his subtle dislike of Alicorns. But why would he align with a faction that is ruled by families of Alicorns clamouring for power?”
Starswirl shook his head at this, uncertain, as he stressed to Aurroa: “I feel I must find out. Blackmane struck me as somepony who keeps things to himself, cold, analytical. He either knows something we don’t, or has his own agenda. My worst fear is that he’s seen things to make him feel being allied with the Nationalists will be least harmful to him, which wouldn’t bode well for the war.”
“If you cannot convince him to remain neutral, at least ask him to reassure that he’ll defend Equestria as a whole. He swore an oath when he took that northern fortress’s command.”
Starswirl nodded to the Queen, as he replied with some attempt at optimism: “Let us hope that if I fail, your daughters can convince General Slickhooves to align with the Royals, to even this changing of allegiances.”
With a thankful smile, the white furred, black/pink maned Alicorn queen hovered a small bowl of sugar to the Wizard, to which he politely declined as he drank much of his tea, straight with little milk, in one gulp.
“You mustn’t blame yourself if things don’t work out Starswirl. You can only try your best in life’s affairs. You’re clearly letting stress get to you.”
“I’ve lived a long time, seen much. This war after a previous civil war and a gryphon war before is difficult, but manageable.” Starswirl pointed out, before Aurora admonished the wizard:
“Celestia and Luna see it, you are becoming colder as years go by, even before this war. They’ve known you since birth, we’ve known you for over 40 years when Celestia still grew inside me. Seeing you succumb to this stress makes us all concerned for you.”
Starswirl was quiet, as he reaffirmed his position with some unintended, but slight bitterness in his tone: “I can handle it.”
With a slight sigh, Aurora replied: “I know, we all know. But just don’t let your sense of duty blind you to those who care about you.”
Starswirl had a memory of his lie of omission to Siral, about the prophecy warning of those close to his heart being a danger. He didn’t admit it, but all this time, he’d been careful about making friends because of that.
“I made my own oath to the greater peace of Equestria so long ago, my life. If I appear stressed because of it, it’s a burden I happily saddle.”
Queen Aurora saw a hollow look in Starswirl, she knew he had many secrets that he hadn’t told anypony. Wizards as old as he, ones who delved deep into the mystic, always had their secrets.
She respected the wizard enough to not pry. But she and others still couldn’t help but worry.

Midday
Canterlot, Royal Palace
Main foyer

Bowing to their father, after also giving him a hug each, Princess Celestia and Luna backed away with Luna promising:
“We shall not fail you father.”
“Just do you best. That is all I can ask of you two.” King Nova pleaded sincerely, to which Celestia remarked:
“I’m sure that Tartarus and its neutral militants can be convinced to ally with us. General Slickwing’s ideologies do align with ours more often than not.”
“He’s a reliable pony if he agrees to help. Go now, home won’t have changed much when you return in a few days.”

The Blue Alicorn king watched from afar as his daughters boarded a small, fast air carriage, the royal guards pulling away with little pause as soon as they were aboard. Beside him, Queen Aurora gave him a small nuzzle, assuring her husband:
“They will be fine love. You know that.”
“I know. I just wish fate hadn’t required what they are going to ask for to even be needed. This war, it is draining everything.”
Aurora nodded in agreement, she merely hoped Starswirl could gain some insight into why the Citadel fortress had sided with the Nationalists. Some things had changed greatly, and not just alliances, but ponies too.
But when Starswirl returned, so much would have changed.

Next day
25th August, 72 BNM
Equestria, North midland mountain ranges
Citadel Fortress, main road entrance

Starswirl found himself waking under the fortified front gate arch of the hill mounted Citadel, the lakeside bridge and entry over a murky mud bank greeting him beforehand.
Looming overhead, built onto the slope of the mountainside to appear taller than it already considerably was, the Citadel’s battlements, towers, and unseen hidden underground levels filled Starswirl’s vision. Just like Tartarus, it had a larger majority of its space underground.
The blue robed Unicorn saw the usual guards stationed across the various battlements and doorways, as he then paused at a sight in the main courtyard.
A carriage, drawn by Pegasi, bearing the Nationalist colours, and the crest of the dominant Alicorn family among the various leaders.
“What are the Trumanes doing here?”
As Starswirl pondered this, he decided it would be best to keep a low profile to them at least. He’d seen them, he knew how to recognise them, and a Royalist aligned wizard, even invited, wasn’t the best thing to let them see.
Taking his blue wizard cloak, and his blue hat, he quickly applied some magic, changing the blue and star/moon décor to a plain brown colour, hiding the hat entirely, letting his lighter grey mane and beard flow freely.
Up on high, though, eyes were watching him.

Citadel fortress, living areas

He stared out from the living area’s balcony, a large veranda that doubled as a backup tower to fire from.
Peering down, Gaudium’s red eyes marvelled, and maybe somewhat feared, the famous Wizard who had arrived, and for some reason changed his robe colour.
The light brown, blue winged Alicorn walked back inside, as he wandered off down the hallway, towards the walkway that overlooked the main hall.
As soon as he got there, he saw Lady Ave-Dol, in her pale blue and yellow maned Alicorn form, also standing within earshot of the speaking taking place down in the main hall.
Hearing the young male Alicorn, the older female smiled at him. Ever since Gaudium had arrived here, she’d taken a liking to the young stallion, viewing him as a sort of son of sorts. The others treated him well enough, with indifferent acceptance from Odi Viscer being the worst he ever got. Gaudium had been shocked to see their ‘alternate’, or ‘true’ forms, but knew they’d chosen them.
He’d been told of Siral’s true identity, but like most of them, didn’t know his ‘true’ intentions.
Coming up to Ave-Dol, Gaudium overheard the last speaking down in the hall, as he looked at Ave-Dol as she and he stared down from the walkway balcony:
“Who are the visitors?”
“The Trumanes.”
“Huh, I guess Siral didn’t want them to see his, blemishes.” Gaudium jokingly remarked, though Ave-Dol merely nodded at this, thinking to herself:
Siral never spoke of the Trumanes, and yet here they are, and we are allied with the Nationalists. Why?”
It wasn’t the first time she sensed something was up with Siral, something he was hiding in the back of his mind.
Ave-Dol turned to Gaudium, asking him innocently: “Gaudium, I must ask, did Golmoc, Teal Quirt and Odi-Viscer say where they were headed? I can’t help but worry at this stage.”
“I thought you would know. They said they were heading south, training in the wilderness.”
She said nothing as Gaudium finished, going back to staring at the Trumanes as they shook hooves with Siral, disguised as Lord Blackmane.
Somepony was lying, those 3 had said they had been told to leave yesterday, before the Trumanes arrived this morning to finalize the alliance.
She’d eavesdropped on Siral enough to suspect he was hiding something.

Citadel, Main entrance hall

Lord Trumane, marble white with a blue mane, happily shook hooved with the disfigured, but nonetheless valued Lord Blackmane. Lady Trumane brushed some of her lilac mane from her eyes, her yellow Alicorn frame also bowing out of respect, having already shook hooves with him.
“Goodbye Lord Blackmane, and thank you for making the choice once again.” Lord Trumane’s remark was short and blunt in his farewell.
“It is easy to see the benefit in being on the winning side.” Lord Blackmane remarked blankly, to which Lady Trumane couldn’t help but smile in agreement, as she added to the farewell:
“All too true.”
Without much more of a word, the Trumanes left, though they gave a brown robed Unicorn who had entered with permission of the guards, his grey beard distinctive to Blackmane, but disregarded as a dishevelled traveller by the slightly upturned noses of the Trumanes as they passed by.
A few seconds passed, before the Trumanes were out of earshot, before Starswirl’s brown robes turned blue with stars and moon, and his hat donned atop his head to look as formal as could be. He had overheard enough, and was not at all pleased.
“So, I ask of your council, your input, and you say you fear Alicorns and their power. And yet here you are, you and your citadel, allied with the faction with most Alicorns, and the most ambitious and dangerous faction Equestria has ever faced. Tell me Blackmane, must I even state the hypocrisy and uncharacteristic nature of your decision?”
At Starswirl’s assertion of Blackmane’s conviction, loyalty and hypocrisy, the black maned, black Unicorn turned to slightly glare at Starswirl, stepping away from the main steps to a main table and chairs lined to face the main entrance like a judging table.
“If you are going to choose a side, choose wisely. I went with what my mind and heart said was the one most likely to win. You cannot deny that Alicorns present a huge strategic advantage to any faction that has them, and no faction has more than the one I have just forged an alliance with.”
“So you are allying with them for your own benefit?”
“My own ease. I offer help, and they stop pestering me, and this fortress against the north Gyrphons stands.”
At Blackmane’s words, Starswirl grew suspicious. There had been an undercurrent of doubt in the last part of the sentence. Then, it clicked:
“You feel the Gryphons aren’t going to attack, and you wish to get involved.”
At this, Blackmane gave a stiff smile, as he congratulated the blue robed wizard dryly while slowly walking from the main hall’s centre towards Starswirl slowly.
The Wizard backed up as he saw the black maned and bodied leader of the Citadel begin to speak, gesturing a few times with his hoof to the direction of the door in a symbol of Equestria as a whole:
“They don’t attack because of the Alicorns, and frankly the smart thing is to be within the side that is going to win. You let your loyalty to the royal family prevail over your logic, whereas I thought Wizards had a duty to Equestria as a whole. Times are changing Starswirl, and I intend to position my resources in the midst of the Nationalists, where they will be most appreciated, and trusted.”
As Blackmane stopped before Starswirl, the grey wizard narrowed his eyes, rebuking coldly: “So, you want to get in their inner circle. So much for being a close disciple to Siral, he would have never tolerated Alicorns, sadly.”
Blackmane’s gaze hardened at this, as the wizard stated with an icy steel to his tone: “You didn’t know him for 60 whole years that he lived in Equestria without you. He watched as his best efforts to sow peace quickly became futile amidst rising Alicorn power mongering. That time can change many ponies. Don’t preach to me about him out of some old acquaintanceship that you left behind on some self-righteous ‘prophecy’ that proved to merely distract you from your true duties.”
Starswirl’s expression faltered slightly, as he looked to see Blackmane turn around with a scathing remark:
“My decision stands. Go back to your precious royal ties.”
As the Black Unicorn began to walk away, Starswirl remarked quietly:
“You’re right. It was a distraction to my duties, but not entirely. I learned many things from them all, one still to come. But if I have one regret, it was losing an old friend. I should have been here.”
Blackmane remained with his back turned, as he actually dropped his cold tone slightly to admit:
“Starswirl, one thing that became clear in the time you were gone, even your presence may not have stopped this war, the previous or the Gryphon war. Alicorns have ambitions and power, a self-proclaimed importance, which always clouds their judgements and morality. Just like you.”
Starswirl’s expression snapped towards Blackmane, who then decided to flat out drop the façade:
“And now that I have the alliance I seek; I can stop proving you are just as easily fooled as the rest of them.”
Turning to face Starswirl, Blackmane’s black mane shimmered with grey magic, the white mane forming instead of it. Blackmane’s cloak remained unchanged, grey as usual. But more importantly, his exposed body and face emerged with a crisscross mosaic of faded, but prominent and hairless scar lines, as if he was made of glass fractured so many times.
He looked much older, which was when Starswirl remembered he’d lived 60 years before jumping to match him to the Salaman debacle, his last time jump ever. Siral was now his age.
Stunned, Starswirl saw Siral give a slight grin, his voice drawling the last word with an unhidden cold demeanour:
“Surprised to see me? I’m not surprised myself, after all it has been a long time, ‘old friend’…”

Up on the balconies, Gaudium stared down at the exchange, in awe but also fear at the tense atmosphere and silence that now reigned in the hall. With an unnerved expression, the light brown Alicorn turned to the light blue and blond maned female Alicorn, who’s eyes had narrowed ever so slightly.
Ever since she had gained her enhanced powers, in addition to aura based abilities that were much subtler, especially lethargy and laziness, she had a sense ofr many other things.
And for much time she’d sense a hidden layer of secrecy, even maliciousness, brewing deep inside Siral.
Today though, it was on the surface for her to sense easily.

“You did return to this time when I emerged for the 6th exemplar, didn’t you?” Starswirl quietly accused, to which Siral gave a ghost of a smile, offering this small retort:
“Yes. Why would I not? You know I came along on your venture in the first place out of curiosity. I decided it was worth seeing what you would do. And I must say, you have yet to, ‘succeed’ with Chack, aren’t you? Exemplar of kindness, a joke if there ever was one. How much blood is on his slimy webbed hands?”
“Compared to whom you’ve allied with, I’d wager less.” Starswirl rebuked, to which Siral shrugged lightly, remarking:
“True, but they are who they are, never something some prophecy says they are. Honesty was one of the virtues you learned, though we left on terse terms because you lied to me.”
“You left because you wanted to go back to Equestria, help it not devolve into chaos! I thought we had an understanding!” Starswirl pleaded, losing his composure at all this happening. Siral was the leader of the Citadel, and he was allied with the faction his own loyalties opposed, and his old friend had suddenly re-emerged, purposely having deceived him somehow and for some reason.
“Yes, but I also refused to be lied to any longer. Those close to your heart being a risk, the one line of it you didn’t tell me, and why you therefore didn’t’ want me along. Our previous friendship was a danger to a few foolish oracles for your duty, and you always had that fear of me. But do not fret, we are over, so no reason to fear me anymore.”
Blinking a few times, Starswirl walked towards Siral in the hall, asking quietly: “What happened to you Siral? You are not the Unicorn I relished my travels with.”
“60 years in Equestria, nothing changed for the better, disharmony was inevitable. And the past 40 years have not been much better for you, have they.”
As Siral added this, Starswirl’s eyes narrowed in suspicion at Siral’s seemingly curt demeanour:
“And what of you in these past 4 decades?”
“I have allied with the Nationalists, I have the last thing I want for my security. And I work largely independent, unlike you, tethered to the Royalists.”
“Yet you ‘tether’ yourself to the Nationalists.”
“Call it getting within their circle of trust for my own gain. Philosophers have said it for centuries, to know your enemy is the key to overcoming them.”
Starswirl blinked, before he grasped the subtle scope of Siral’s plan.
He would get within the Nationalists inner circle, trust from them shielding him. And then from within, he could…
“You cannot be serious Siral. You harbour this grudge after so many years still?”
Siral’s eyes widened in anger, as he hissed at Starswirl while his grey magic made his mosaic-like scars glow prominently: “They are dangerous, simple as that. Powerful, and without the knowledge you or I would have needed to match them in raw power, underserving and unappreciative of their gifts. Reckless, power hungry, arrogant, their squabbling over power and influence did more to destabilize Equestria than any rumoured destructive seven beings in that utter TRIPE of a prophecy ever could!”
Starswirl’s mind was whirling, as he pleaded with Siral: “Please, you must see there are some that are good.”
“Good is relative, an opinion even. But one thing I did learn, if that you and I are now in the factions we should be. You, protecting the old status quo by the Royalists, and I to pursue a grander, better vision of Equestria, with, or without the Nationalists in power.”
“You are going to discard them.”
“More like cut them from Equestria like a rotting limb from a body.” Siral surmised, to which Starswirl finally succumbed to his paranoia, and utter rage at this entire scenario:
“Whatever you plan to do, you will not get away with it Siral!”
“Spare me Starswirl. Now that you are here, do you think I would tell you even a hint of my plans if you had the slightest realistic chance of stopping them?”
Turning away, Siral offered this as he couldn’t help but give a pained grimace that this was how he would discard his old friend, but he knew the future beckoned, one where he could smile in his success so well earned:
“As part of my deal to align with the Nationalists, I promised them an event that would hand them a temporary advantage in the war, even if fighting from the Royalists became more revenge fuelled as a consequence.”
“Run along home Starswirl, while it stands.” Siral offered, as he turned around to see a blue flash vanish from the main hall, Starswirl having left in a panic.
Siral couldn’t help but wonder what Starswirl’s reaction would be when he saw that among those out on ‘wilderness’ exercises, some had gone to Canterlot as soon as he’d left the castle yesterday.
Up on high though, he sensed two watching pairs of eyes staring in trepidation. He would have to be careful of the eventual beings of Sloth and Pride growing too doubtful.

Author's Notes:

Siral drops the façade now that he has the alliance he wants to get into the inner circle of the Nationalists, after performing one ‘surprise’ attack for them with his Citadel ‘forces’.
Next chapter, something big happens.