As the escort group reached its end, a young Eclipse found himself as the last member of the escort being directed to his new living arrangements. He had seen the buildings offered to the others in his group of eight, and while they weren’t tremendously impressive, they were far from hovels since even Canterlot’s slums were far from the worst places to live in the world. For many of those ponies it was likely an upgrade to their usual living arrangements (especially over the tents that they were forced to live in at the work camp) but for Eclipse it was sure to be a downgrade from his upper-middle-class lifestyle.

He didn’t care though, there was hardly anything he cared about anymore except Galeal and trying to find an excuse to get back to him somehow. There was no telling what he was being subjected to back at Griffonstone, and without him at his side, Eclipse was lost. Being separated from Galeal was worse than any punishment they could force him to endure, and because of that, Eclipse was prepared for whatever pathetic excuse of lodging they would have him inhabit.

With his hooves in chains, he walked down the cracked and frayed sidewalks of the slums of Canterlot with three armed guards at his sides, each carrying a chain attached to the young unicorn. All three of them were burly and looked at least eight times stronger than Eclipse (though admittedly he was a rather scrawny pretty boy), so breaking free to make an escape was likely impossible.

He watched the streets as he trotted, hearing the chains rattle as the cuffs rubbed against his hooves, causing discomfort after being forced to wear them for so long.

A line of ponies stood across from him waiting near a group of armed guards as a building behind them passed out food in rations. Children whined that they were still hungry, some of which had their mothers hush them, others just cried. One approached a guard begging for more food, only to be whipped with the stern backside of the guard’s hoof, sending her to the ground, scattering other children nearby.

The further down the street they walked, the more he could see the kind of kingdom that Serenade kept. Children had no toys to play with, the elderly were sickly and dying in the streets, bodies of the recently deceased literally laying about on the side of the road waiting to be cleaned up by the daily cleaning crew like common trash left on the side of the road. Endless suffering for no reason, that was the kind of world that Serenade wanted, the kind of world she saw as “ideal”.

An elderly mare approached the group and fell to her stomach, grabbing one of the guard’s hooves as she pleaded, her voice full of desperation. “Please! My husband is very sick, he needs help! You have to convince Serenade to let him go to a doctor.”

The guard pulled his hoof away and gave her a scowl. “I’m giving you exactly five seconds to get the fuck out of our way, or I’ll give you something to cry about.”

“Please! I will do anything!” She begged, ignoring his warning.

“I won’t warn you again, back the fuck up!” He hissed.

“Please have a heart!” She continued pleading, her eyes leaking as she gripped his hoof again.

Sighing, the guard released his chain wrapped around Eclipse and offered it to one of the other two. “Hold this for me.” He requested.

The other guard nodded and both watched as the guard removed his helmet and set it aside, brushing his long dark navy blue mane to one side. He cracked his neck before approaching the mare.

She sat up a bit and nodded. “Thank you, sir, thank you!”

“I ain’t helping that shit stain, so you shouldn’t be thanking me.” He growled.

Without another word, the guard kicked the elderly mare in the jaw. She fell to the ground gripping her now dislocated jaw as more tears ran down her face. He didn’t let up though, instead, he kicked her a few more times, and eventually, he was stomping on her. “I TOLD YOU TO SHUT THE FUCK UP!” He barked.

She screamed in agony as he beat her, his hoof would come down over and over until eventually the screaming stopped and the mare’s body ceased movement. Even after her body stopped, he continued to hit her a few more times. When he finally stopped, he panted and ran a blood hoof through his mane. Picking his helmet back up, he looked at one of the other guards. “Make sure we send a cleanup team this way tonight to clean this mess up.”

“Sure thing...” The other guard merely nodded, not seeming too affected by it all.

Eclipse just stared at the corpse until the bloody guard gave him a grunt and a nasty look. “What’s wrong, shitface? Got something to say?”

Eclipse shook his head.

“Smart choice, the last thing you want to do is end up like that smear on the sidewalk, right? You're smarter than that, after all.” He smirked at Eclipse.

Eclipse wanted to make a smartass remark but decided better of it. This stallion clearly wasn’t fooling around, and he likely was looking for an excuse to beat someone to death again. Eclipse imagined such a desire was commonly on the forefront of his twisted mind, as it was with many who chose to serve Serenade willingly.

“No, sir,” Eclipse replied.

“Smart kid. Stay smart, you’ll live longer that way.” The guard smirked as he placed his helmet back on and took the chain back.

Within a few more seconds, they were back to heading to Eclipse’s assigned living quarters while he was to stay in Canterlot. Whether or not he would be required to stay in Canterlot indefinitely wasn’t relevant to him, as he had no intention of staying any longer than he had to. A part of him had already decided that he would search for any and all ways to escape the city. While the situation seemed hopeless, he knew that the city was large enough to where there had to be a way out, some kind of hole that Serenade’s security had missed.

A few more blocks and they arrived at a small house that had definitely seen better days but was far from the worst Eclipse had ever seen. It was serviceable, good for perhaps a newlywed couple as a serious DIY project. One of the guards stepped aside and began unlocking the chains on Eclipse’s hooves.

After a few clicks and the other guards following the same pattern, Eclipse was free of all chains restraining him. He looked around at the three guards who all nodded and gestured to the building. “Welcome to your new quarters, shitface. You’re to be here every night after 8:00 PM. Any creature seen out after curfew will be punished. Secondly, you will stay out of restricted zones; if a guard gives you an order, you’re to follow it to a T.”

Eclipse stood silently as he listened.

“Am I clear, shit-for-brains?” The guard grunted.

Eclipse nodded. “Crystal, sir.”

“Good, you so much as step out of line, and you’ll be greeted with a beating that will make what you saw that old broad get look like a fucking spanking.” The guard smirked, clearly giddy at the idea that he might be able to find an excuse to beat Eclipse within an inch of his life. The unicorn, however, had no intentions of giving him the opportunity.

“Now, we have shit to do, so get in and make yourself comfortable...” One of the other two guards stated as he gestured toward the door.

Eclipse shrugged before stepping inside, feeling the door slam shut behind him. Looking around the shabby house, he could tell that the previous owners had likely been rushed out and most of their things had been tossed aside or thrown away. Remnants of past inhabitants were scatted about in the form of broken glass on the floor, dishes left on the counter, and indents on the pathetic excuse of a couch.

The unicorn sighed and stretched before heading toward the bathroom. He wondered if the place even had hot water because a bath or shower would be absolutely heavily at that moment.

Making his way to the bathroom, he flicked a light switch, astounded that it actually worked, albeit very faintly. In the mirror, the stallion got a good look at himself. While he looked a bit tired, his usual appearance shined through. Soft silky messy white mane over a light grey coat. He had a side cut in his mane that caused one side to be short and the other to be long and drooping with a few permanent cowlicks.

He had soft feminine features, and what many considered an effeminate voice to match it. Around his neck was now his most prized possession, the one item that he would never let anyone take from him, no matter what happened: the necklace that Galeal had given him. He would hold onto it until he died if necessary. In his mind, the only thought he had was making sure it got back to the griffon.

Looking at himself, Eclipse tilted his head and ran a hoof through his long mane. He would be lying if he didn’t say he felt like he looked cute. Galeal used to tell him that too, only seconds before saying “in a gay way”. It made him smile just thinking about it. It was their usual banter, that didn’t make sense to anyone but them. Galeal would always play the tough cool guy, and Eclipse would be the uncaring mate.

He had to find him. He couldn’t just sit idly and do nothing, he needed to become proactive.

Not wasting any more time, the unicorn decided to skip the shower and head out. He could ask around, see what ponies in the city knew, find out if anypony had discovered a way out or had heard rumors of places where security was weak. It was a long shot, but with thousands of minds in the city, there was no better resource than to pick every single one he could find. At this point, he had an infinite amount of time to kill, so there was no reason not to use it being productive.

Taking a deep breath, the stallion stepped out of the bathroom and eventually out of the house. Originally he had wondered on if he should fix the place up, but now he had submitted to the idea that he likely wouldn’t even be spending much time here. This building would be only the place where he slept and nothing more.

As he came outside, he peered around to see if there was anything of interest. There were old run down apartments, closed shops, and beggars everywhere the eye could see. However, a good few blocks down from his new home was an establishment that caught his eye, a place that would likely never stop receiving business no matter how hard times got, a bar aptly named “The Scumbag Saloon”. He wondered if that kind of humor was the kind that the slums enjoyed or if the owner legitimately was looking down on the society he belonged to. It didn’t matter.

Shrugging, he made his way there. Along the way passing by the occasional beggar or two hounding him for food, which he politely informed that he had none. While he was far better nourished than these ponies, he had lost some weight from the work camp, and he wasn’t in a position to be giving anything away even if he did have it.

Making his way to the bar, he pushed his way in noting the type of crowd that frequented the place. Lots of burly types with impressive muscular builds. None of which were Eclipse’s type. He liked them with a tiny bit of an effeminate flair along with their strong aura. It was dawning on him that perhaps Galeal was the perfect fit for the stallion.

As he approached the counter, a few of the larger stallions eyeballed him, and a girl or two. He lowered his head as he pulled himself up onto the bar stool in front of the female bartender who smiled at him. “Hey cutie, ain’t you a little young for this place?”

Eclipse shrugged. “Probably, are you checking IDs?”

She shook her head. “Shit, in these pressing times? Ain’t no point. Law of the land has changed anyway. Serenade doesn’t give a fuck if eight-year-olds drink themselves stupid. All that matters is we ration what we have. So you can go nuts for all I care.”

“Do you still take bits or did Serenade switch us to some other currency?” He blinked.

She shook her head. “Ration chips are the new hot ticket item. Food is a commodity around here, so that’s essentially what we trade in now. You can buy food with ration chips distributed by the guards.”

“I’m assuming the costs of better foods are higher than others?” Eclipse guessed.

She nodded and cracked her neck, making her black and red short cut mane bounce a bit. It was clear she was using some kind of hairspray to maintain her side swept look. It was clear she was attracting a lot of attention from bar patrons, but not Eclipse. For as long as he could remember, he had never really had an interest in females. He could admire how cute some would be, but the thought of ever kissing them or getting sexual with them was lost on him.

The only creature he had ever been sexual with was Galeal. He blushed as he remembered those times together with him. They were still young, but in Equestria they were far from underage, at least as far as sex was concerned. They had partaken in many activities, and Eclipse had loved all of them, he would blush just thinking about it.

“You guessed right, cute stuff. A piece of quality broccoli is like eighty fucking chips, so unless you save up then you are going to be stuck eating that processed trash around here, and that’s assuming they even have the stock,” she explained.

Eclipse blinked as he put two and two together. “I’m assuming because of the cost of the low-quality items they run out much quicker?”

She nodded. “See, you’re a smart kid. Maybe if you put that brain to use then you’ll get somewhere around here.”

“Thanks, but unfortunately, I just got here, so I don’t have any chips...” Eclipse shrugged.

She shook her head and grabbed a glass from behind her with her hoof and poured from a cheap looking whiskey bottle, filling the glass halfway. She smiled as she leaned in and passed it to him, flittering her mascara covered eyelids. “This one’s on me.”

“Why?” Eclipse squinted as he took the glass and pulled it toward himself with his hoof, oh how he missed having magic.

“You remind me of my kid, brother.” She grinned.

“Oh?” Eclipse raised a brow.

She nodded and looked up in thought. “Yeah, he’s somewhere out there at one of those work camps.”

“Ironically, I just got released from one...” Eclipse replied.

“Maybe it was fate that we meet today then,” the girl responded.

Eclipse wasn’t even sure if he believed in fate or destiny. It was a concept that he’d rather not be true if he was being honest. To accept that everything happened for a reason would be accepting that his lot in life was pre-determined and that he could do nothing about it. He found more comfort in the idea that he could influence and control the outcome of anything that happened to him.

“I don’t believe in fate...” Eclipse said quietly.

She nodded and gestured to the drink. “Well, regardless, take a drink and make yourself at home, sweetie. You’re among friends here.”

He nodded and picked up the cup, taking a sniff of the whiskey inside. It was strong smelling, but he took a quick swig of it and coughed as it went down his throat. He leaned over the counter hacking and shaking his head as his eyes watered. “Fuck!” He managed to get out.

One of the other bar patrons sitting a few seats down started chuckling and laughing at his expense. “What’s so funny?” Eclipse hacked.

“Kid like you acting tough.” He smirked.

His short mane cut and strong jawline definitely made him seem older, perhaps in his late forties. The stallion’s tufted chin had some graying fur to make his age more apparent.

“I have to be if I want to get out of this hellhole...” Eclipse responded.

The stallion laughed as he scooted a few seats closer and came next to Eclipse, a tall mug of beer in his hoof. “You got spunk, kid, but it takes more than that. Serenade’s goons got this place on lock and key. I’ve seen my fair share of stallions dragged away for breaking her laws.”

“What happened to them?” Eclipse asked.

He shook his head. “No one knows for sure, but I hear talks that they either kill them or worse.”

“What’s worse than execution?” Eclipse raised a brow trying to take another sip of his drink, this time a bit more carefully.

“You don’t wanna know, kid...” He shook his head.

“I do though,” Eclipse insisted.

The stallion looked back and forth to make sure none were listening before he leaned in to talk in a hushed whisper. His raspy old voice sounding a bit odd at that volume, but Eclipse leaned in as well to get a good listen.

“I heard talks that they get turned into those... Things...” The stallion said.

“What things?” Eclipse asked, more confused than before.

“You haven’t seen ‘em yet?” The stallion raised a brow.

“No, I’ve been in a work camp for almost all of Serenade’s takeover.” Eclipse frowned.

“Oh, right. Well if you ever look outside your window at night... You’ll see ‘em... Black as midnight, tendrils all over their bodies, whipping about something mad. Skin that’s black and slimy, oozing with this black shit,” he began to describe.

“What are they?” Eclipse blinked.

He shook his head and shrugged at the young unicorn. “No one knows for sure. We call ‘em reapers though.”

“Why’s that?” Eclipse asked.

“Dunno where the name started, but probably because of what they do. They are the nighttime patrol units to make sure nopony is out after curfew. They wander the streets looking to slaughter any who dare go out at night. They’re relentless hunters, they never seem to tire and they don’t ever give up on a kill.” The stallion shuddered as he described them, clearly he was very familiar with them.

“Sounds bad...” Eclipse gulped.

He nodded. “They’re slow though, which is why they’re usually accompanied by a few maulers.”

“What’s a mauler?” Eclipse blinked.

The stallion shuddered once more. “A true abomination. Small little guys, they jump really high and tear you to shreds. Supposedly they were children at one point that Serenade turned into those things. Fast, agile and devastating in groups. Only the brave and the stupid go out at night for that reason...”

Eclipse could only imagine what would turn a child into such a creature, or what something like that would even look like; he prayed he wouldn’t have to see it. It didn’t make a difference to him though.

“I don’t care, I need to get out of here, I can’t sit around waiting...” Eclipse explained.

The stallion shook his head. “Listen, kid. The reality is, you ain’t tough enough. You’re not cut out for escaping this place, and that’s a fact. Serenade’s goons would snap you in half, and that’s not even considering what Serenade herself would do to you. I hear stories that she can rip a pony’s guts out through their nose, or that she can bleed you through your eyes...”

The bartender overheard their talk and added her own commentary. “I hear talk that she once took a jar of acidic bog water and made a pony drink it, his guts dissolved from the inside out.”

The older stallion nodded. “Yeah, I heard that one too... The point is, that you shouldn’t even think about it.”

Eclipse looked over at his glass and picked it up. He chugged the rest of the vile drink and wiped his lips before letting out a grunt. “Well, you both are right about one thing; I’m not strong enough... Yet...”

It was true too, he knew in order to defeat something like Serenade he would need to become a lot stronger, a lot faster, and develop a lot more technique. He couldn’t afford to be too hasty, that demon would slice him up if he made a move far too early. He would train his body, bide his time and look for the right opportunity. This wasn’t just about escaping the city or finding Galeal anymore, this was about revenge. He needed to wait, he needed to savor it, after all, Serenade wasn’t going anywhere, there was no need to hurry.

“You’re a foolish one, I’ll give you that.” The other stallion laughed.

Eclipse shook his head, his mouth turning to a serious face. “No, for the first time in my life, I’m thinking with complete conviction...”

Applejack stood tall with a group of stallions in the local saloon of Appleoosa as they discussed their current situation. They had taken a small recess from the battle outside to discuss their options, all of which looked grim.

The Cult of Sombra was a ruthless group, willing to kill any who stood in the way of their insane beliefs. They were under the impression that through bloodshed they could bring the mad king back. They had traveled across Equestria looking for opportunities to do just that, and they had believed they stumbled across an ancient ritual ground in the desert that would be ripe for such a terrible ritual.

Applejack wasn’t completely certain there was even a shred of merit to this idea, as none of them had been out that way to check on this supposed ritual site, but she surmised that it was likely just a bunch of old folklore wrapped in myths passed down by word of mouth with no real truth to it. Necromancy was an ancient art for sure, but little was known about it except for the fact that the dead never truly returned to the world of the living, not in their original form anyway.

While it was spooky to talk in ghost stories about ponies who could return their dark masters to the world of the living, it was known to be fairy tale even in a land where magic was abundant. Some things, magic could not do, and returning consciousness of a pony back to their body after it passed on was one of them. Applejack didn’t know too much about it, as studying magic wasn’t her field, but she had heard stories from Twilight from time to time about how many ponies had spent their entire lives trying to find ways to cheat death and bring one they love back to the world of the living, none of which successful. It was beyond any reasonable doubt: impossible.

That didn’t stop this cult though, logic and reason were lost upon them, and their hearts were set on Appleloosa, believing it to have unique properties due to it being old buffalo territory where their ancestors performed ancient rituals honoring the dead. Applejack surmised it would be a waste of time to try and explain to them that none of those rituals involved bringing them back, as it was clear it would fall upon deaf ears.

Now though, they found themselves clashing blades and swapping blows with them. While they were primitive and didn’t exactly have the best weaponry available, they had numbers, lots of them.

“What’s our status?” Applejack asked her cousin from across the table, trying to tune out the sounds of fighting outside.

He shook his head. “Not good, we’re surrounded on all sides. They’re gonna git’ in here eventually, it’s a matter o’ time now.”

“What about our stallions on the south entrance? Can’t we move some of ‘em to other areas? ‘Ah know we over fortified it,” Applejack suggested.

Braeburn shook his head. “Not an option, we lost a ton of ‘em already. The south entrance is about ready to give.”

“What about the backup teams within the barricades?” Applejack inquired.

“Already moved ‘em to other areas that needed ‘em.” Braeburn shook his head once more.

“What about-“ Applejack got cut off this time.

“There ain’t nothin’ we can do, cuz. We’re already spread thin and these freaks are whittlin’ away at what we got,” Braeburn explained.

Applejack held her breath, afraid to ask the next question, already knowing the answer was unsavory, but she gritted her teeth and exhaled before speaking again. “So that’s it then? We’re all...”

“Gonna die.” Braeburn nodded, already anticipating her next words.

She sighed and took her hat off and held it to her chest. It wasn’t the way she had imagined she would go, but she was ready to face it. She would be damned if she had to be taken down begging for mercy. Instead, she would give them hell, she’d make them never forget her name.

Raising her hat to her head, she placed it atop of her golden yellow mane and nodded at the group before her. “Well, everypony... It’s been a hell of a fight. We’re goin’ down, but not before we give ‘em hell.”

“Amen, cuz.” Braeburn nodded.

“It’s been a pleasure servin’ with y’all.” Applejack smiled.

Every pony in the room bowed their head in silence before a familiar voice broke that silence. “Dying isn’t an option for all of you.”

Applejack’s sensitive ears twitched and she caught a whiff of a familiar fragrance. A perfume that she knew to belong to a certain former librarian-turned-princess. Squinting she turned around and sure enough, in the same chaotic armor she had donned before was Princess Twilight Sparkle with a big grin on her face like she knew something that they didn’t.

Applejack blinked a few times to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, but sure enough there stood a messy short mane mare now sporting a cut mark on her cheek that had formed into a scar.

“Twilight... How’d y’all get here?” Applejack asked.

“We fought our way in, narrowed their numbers even.” Twilight grinned as she displayed her hoof mounted blade, soiled with blood.

“We?” Applejack squinted once more in disbelief.

“Your backup.” Twilight gestured toward the door.

Through the swinging door, three ponies entered, two wearing full spandex dark grey stealth suits, along with all kinds of odd gadgets mounted to their front hooves and a pair of some kind of vision improving (possibly night vision) googles mounted on their heads. One has a long blue streaked ponytail while the other was sporting pigtails of purple.

The third one, however, was wearing some kind of armor that covered their whole body. It was sturdy looking and had jagged parts around the joints creating somewhat of a “horned” look as they stood tall with their visored helmet.

The equipment this pony was sporting looked cutting edge, far more advanced than anything Applejack had ever seen.

“Who’re y’all?” Applejack asked the three ponies.

Twilight cleared her throat and pointed to them each in order. “That’s Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk, and the armored one is...”

The armored pony stepped forward bowing their head before speaking in what sounded like a synthesized voice, clearly not their true one. It was impossible to determine their sex from it either. “You may refer to me as Glitch.”

“Aria, Sonata... And Glitch...” Applejack peered around the room as did the other ponies there, all a bit skeptical of the bunch. “How’d y’all end up teamin’ up with Twilight?”

Aria and Sonata looked at each other, wondering if it was a good idea to inform her that they were sirens, but Twilight ended up answering for her. “Let’s just say, I’m resourceful. Glitch here is going to be our ace in the hole.”

“How do ya’ figure that?” Applejack raised a brow.

Smirking, Twilight gestured toward the armored pony. “Glitch here is the last magic user in Equestria possibly. And thanks to their cool gadgets we have a little access to them ourselves.”

“That’s all fine an’ special an’ all, but why are y’all here?” Applejack finally asked.

Glitch bowed their head and stepped forward. “We’re here to help you win this fight and save the ponies of Appleoosa.”

Braeburn now chimed in. “How exactly do ya’ figure you’re gonna do that?”

“With our superior technology and magic at our disposal, we can make light work of these cultist rejects. We already diced through a large chunk of them on our way in here,” Glitch explained with their hoof lifted.

“And what’s the catch?” Applejack crossed her hooves.

“You and the citizens of this town join us,” Glitch prompted.

“Join ya’ in what?” Applejack questioned.

Glitch stood tall as they declared their intention. “In our resistance. We are going to overthrow Serenade.”

The other stallions in the room began laughing at the proposition. “You’ve got to be joking? Have you seen what that thing can do? Applejack here got a look at that thing and that creature is invincible, she could rip you apart!” One of them stated.

The laughter didn’t seem to faze Glitch who stood still waiting for the laughter to stop. “Wait, you’re serious?” The stallion asked.

“I told you, we intend to overthrow Serenade...” Glitch repeated.

“Y’all are nuts, that creature is invincible as he said...” Braeburn added.

Glitch shook their head. “Powerful, maybe, but not invincible. Everything can be beaten somehow.”

“You’re insane...” Braeburn replied.

Applejack bit her lip and uncrossed her hooves as she eyed up the armored pony. She admitted she wasn’t keen on trusting a masked pony, but if teaming up with them meant she had a chance of saving the ponies of Appleloosa, she didn’t have much of a choice.

Applejack cleared her throat and stepped toward Glitch. “If y’all help us save this town, we’ll go with ya’ to hear ya’ out, deal?”

Glitch just nodded and turned to the door. “We have a town to save then.”

Glitch’s initial words seemed like they were too simplistic regarding the matter to Applejack. They were far too nonchalant about the matter, but then Applejack got to see a small taste of what the pony could actually do. Blades danced with precision and purpose, magic flared from their horn burning opposition and they cut down all in their path. Whoever this Glitch was, they had practiced fighting before, many times in fact.

It wasn’t long before they had cut down so many of the cultists (along with Twilight, Aria, Sonata and the townfolks’ help, of course) that the remaining ones began to retreat. The battle was over almost as swiftly as it started. Within eight minutes, Glitch and their allies had managed to push the cult back.

“They’re retreating!” Braeburn whooped as he tore off his hat and twirled it on his hoof. “We did it!”

The crowd cheered and cried for joy as they watched the cult members turning tail and running, a few of the ponies of Appleloosa calling out to them with taunts and war cries. Ordinarily, Twilight would advise people that gloating wasn’t wise, but at that moment, she felt they deserved to celebrate their victory just a little bit. The odds were supposedly unbeatable, yet they survived.

Glitch lowered their blade and stood still as they watched the cultists run for the hills. All she could hear were cheers and whoops from the townsfolk.

Those cheers, however, would come to an abrupt stop when the next figure showed its head. A dark brown pony with golden yellow short mane approached the town with two armored guards by his side. They were several cuts above the cultists, and Twilight instantly recognized the cloak on the one being escorted, it donned the symbol of Serenade herself.

“Great...” Braeburn sarcastically remarked.

“What do they want?” Applejack squinted.

The decorated pony looked around and then shouted to get all of the villagers’ attention. “What is all of this?”

There was silence.

“Who gave any of your permission to organize and arm?” He demanded.

Glitch stepped forward and stood tall. “I did.”

It was a lie, but they didn’t care.

“And who might you be? The caped crusader?” He chuckled.

“It doesn’t matter, we saved this town.” Glitch stood tall.

He laughed and shook his head. “Unfortunately for you, saving this town wasn’t in Master Serenade’s plans.”

“I don’t give a fuck about Serenade’s plans...” Glitch responded.

“Maybe you will when we go back and tell her about you, stranger.” He smirked, his overconfidence showing.

Glitch stepped forward and leaned in, their visor only inches from the pony’s face. “I think you’re making a mistake in assuming that I’m going to let you live long enough to do that...”

“What?” He blinked.

Before he had a chance to respond, Glitch’s retracting blade extended and quickly sliced his two guards, dropping them in seconds before turning to him. He backed up slowly only to see that the townsfolk surrounded him. “You’re making a big mistake! You kill me, you’re making an enemy with Master Serenade!”

“I’ve already made an enemy with her,” Glitch spoke raising their blade.

“Wait, wait! I can help you!” He nodded profusely.

“I have no interest in help from traitors, now stand up and take your death with honor.” Glitch growled.

He continued to plead until Glitch quickly slit his throat and dropped his body to the ground. The crowd was quiet at first, but then Braeburn spoke up. “Y’all stood up to Serenade’s goons... Ya’ must be crazy...”

“I’m not crazy, I just know that Serenade can’t stand for long if we all band together. She may be powerful, but she isn’t invincible. If we band together, we can take her down,” Glitch spoke loud enough for all around to hear. Clearing their throat, they continued. “Who is with me?”

A pony in the crowd stepped forward. “I’m with you, Glitch!”

Another followed suit. “Me too! Death to Serenade!”

Before they knew it, dozens were stepping forward and before long the entire town, save one pony, a certain orange farmer. Glitch looked over at Applejack and tilted their armored head. “What will it be, Applejack? Will you stand with us? Or are you insistent on going your own way?”

Applejack sighed and closed her eyes before nodding. “Alright, Ah’m with ya’ Glitch...”

Glitch nodded. “Let’s get everyone together in about an hour and we’ll head out. I’ll be in the saloon if you need me.”

Applejack nodded but watched as the pony exited. While she didn’t like Serenade, she was a bit uneasy trusting a pony that wouldn’t even show their face as well. What was Glitch hiding and could they really be trusted?

Applejack sat with Twilight enjoying a cup of cider, which caused Twilight to look into the cup with a puzzled eye. “Not exactly the best cider I’ve had from you, no offense...”

Applejack laughed and nodded. “None taken. Since the raids, we haven’t been able to get to the good trees for some time. All we got is this low-quality trash.”

Twilight blushed and looked away. “Right, of course, sorry.”

“Yer’ as fidgety as ever, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled, somewhat relieved that Twilight was still Twilight.

“I’m just glad you’re alive. I was legitimately worried for a bit there...” Twilight admitted.

“It takes a lot more than that to kill me, y’all know that, Twilight.” Applejack shook her head as she took a swig from her mug.

“I’ve never seen you run away before though...” Twilight commented.

Applejack knew that statement was coming. She had been expecting it since Twilight showed up at Appleloosa, wondering when she was going to drop that one on her. She couldn’t say she blamed her though, abandoning her friends wasn’t exactly a good look for Applejack, or a common one.

The farm mare sighed and shook her head. She set her mug down and looked away in shame.

“To tell ya’ the truth... ‘Ah was scared...” Applejack closed her eyes, her body filling with shame.

“Fear of death is natural...” Twilight smiled.

Applejack shook her head and opened her eyes. “Nah, ‘Ah ain’t afraid of dyin’. ‘Ah was ready for that the moment ‘Ah went to face that thing head on. Dyin’, it’s just another part of livin’, ‘Ah’ve made peace with that.”

“What then?” Twilight asked.

Applejack bit her lip but decided it was best to tell her friend everything. “Serenade... She has... powers...” Applejack began.

“I’m well aware.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Not like that, I mean she can... Make y’all see things,” Applejack explained.

“What kind of things?” Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

“Listen, that demon was a siren first, right?” Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, what of it?”

“That means somethin’ turned her into a demon, she wasn’t born that way, right?” Applejack asked.

Twilight shrugged. “I guess so, but why does it matter?”

Applejack shifted in her seat uncomfortably. “That means that any of us could be turned into one of those things...”

“Maybe so, but none of us would ever go willingly, pure demons give themselves entirely to-“ Twilight was cut off.

“She showed me, Twilight... She showed me what ‘Ah would be like... How easy it would be t’ turn me...” Applejack’s voice was trembling.

Twilight now completely understood what it was that she saw when Serenade touched her. It was hard to say though if what Serenade showed her was just a lie to get into Applejack’s head or if she showed her something genuine.

“My anger... My temper... It consumed me...” Applejack closed her eyes, not wanting to envision it again.

There was silence between the two before Twilight spoke up again. “Even if it’s a possibility, we can’t live in fear of what could happen, only what we know will happen. Right now, you’re not a demon and you don’t want to become one, so that is enough, isn’t it?”

Applejack sighed and nodded. “Yeah, ‘Ah was a fool to run away.”

Twilight shook her head. “Being scared is natural, Applejack.”

“Well, no more runnin’ away. We’re gonna stand together and beat Serenade this time, right?” Applejack smiled.

Twilight nodded. “Glitch sure seems to think so, and I’m inclined to believe them.”

“This Glitch fellow... Who is he?” Applejack asked.

Twilight looked up from her mug thoughtfully. A small smile played her lips making the scar on her cheek lift up. “Trying times often make extraordinary ponies appear.”

“Y’all are gonna be all cryptic like he is then?” Applejack asked.

“I’m sorry, Applejack, but it’s not my place to say. I can’t speak on his behalf. He’s already doing a lot of favors for me, so I can’t really reveal too much.” Twilight frowned.

Applejack found it odd that there were secrets that Twilight couldn’t share with her, one of her oldest friends. This Glitch was rubbing her wrong for sure.

“Where’d he get that suit?” Applejack questioned.

“That’s...” Twilight began but stopped as a familiar synthesized voice echoed through the room.

“A need-to-know basis, Ms. Applejack, and right now you don’t need to know.” Glitch’s computerized voice echoed through the room.

Applejack stood up and scowled at the pony. “Why’re you being so cryptic and mysterious?”

“Strategy, something you clearly don’t understand,” Glitch retorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Applejack’s voice rose as she stepped closer to the armored pony.

“It means that you can’t reveal all the cards you’re holding, not even to your own teammates sometimes,” Glitch replied carefully.

“So y’all don’t trust us then? Think you’re better than we are?” Applejack questioned.

“I didn’t say that. Don’t put words in my mouth,” Glitch said.

“Y’all better be thankful that words is all ‘Ah’m puttin’ in there. Half of me is tempted to put my hoof in it.” She grunted.

“Anger is not a good trait to have, Applejack. It’s an emotion that Serenade can easily manipulate,” Glitch explained.

Applejack pushed the armored pony back and growled. “Don’t analyze me. Tell me what you meant by what ya’ said.”

Glitch adjusted their stance and shrugged. “What I meant is that if Serenade got to any of you, she could squeeze you for information. She can’t squeeze out what you don’t have. This, in theory, will keep her from learning secrets to defeat me, and in turn, keep you alive as well.”

“How do y’all figure that?” Applejack asked with a squared brow.

Twilight decided to explain it for Glitch. “If Serenade were to capture you, she’d keep you alive until you told her what you knew. So long as there’s no chance that she could get you to talk, she’ll keep you alive indefinitely because she won’t believe you if you say you don’t know.”

It pissed Applejack off that this masked pony had a logical explanation for their secrecy, but she couldn’t dispute it.

“Take off yer’ helmet,” Applejack demanded, ignoring the logic of the situation.

“No.” Glitch shook their head.

“How’re we supposed to trust y’all if we don’t even know who ya’ are?” Applejack hissed.

“Well, I can already tell we’re going to have a strained working relationship anyway,” Glitch joked.

“Don’t get cute with me.” Applejack glared.

Glitch shrugged. “I can’t make you do anything, but give it time and I’ll prove to you that you can trust me.”

Applejack backed off and sat back down, picking up her mug. “Let’s hope y’all are right...”

Glitch could already tell that Applejack was going to be a tough one to work with, but still, they were thankful to have her on their side. Her headstrong attitude would prove useful down the road, no doubt.

Serenade found herself enjoying a soak in the finest of crystal bathes in Canterlot Castle. While she had tested the bathes at the other keeps of the places she had conquered, nothing compared to Canterlot. Celestia had imported the finest crystals from not only the Crystal Empire but the Frozen North as well. Unique ice crystals that could not be obtained anywhere else, and they were heavenly on one’s coat.

For an overlord of a new empire, it was a lot of work. Serenade spent eighty percent of her time in Canterlot Castle, but often found herself being forced to travel to many other places on a regular basis. Many matters would require her attention and it was routine to check up on her other cities, if not just to scare the citizens by reminding them that she could still show up at any time, should they get any ideas of resisting her absolute rule. Most weren’t stupid enough to do something like that, but every now and then, a pony that was extra dumb would step forward and rise to the challenge.

She was thankful that she didn’t need to sleep, as it gave her plenty of time to attend to all of her duties and still have time to herself. Relaxing was, of course, an important part of being the overlord, perhaps even the most important part. It definitely was up on the list for Serenade, somewhere around showing all that you ruled with an iron hoof, which was arguably her favorite part.

A good overlord had to make sure ponies knew what happened if they crossed her, and Serenade never wasted an opportunity to do just that.

The siren allowed her long mane to dip into the water as she submerged herself entirely for a moment and then came back up with a delighted “ah” sound.

Resting her hooves on the edge of the large pool, she smiled contently as she lost herself in her relaxation.

Her moment was interrupted though but the sound of a deep male voice that annoyed her. “Ma’am, sorry to interrupt you...” The voice echoed through the bath.

Serenade growled and rubbed her temple. “You know, Shield... I was literally just about to hit maximum relaxation. So whatever bullshit reason you’ve chosen to interrupt that had better be worth it because if it’s not, then you’re going to be down a set of testicles.”

He gulped but stepped forward. “Sorry, ma’am it’s just... Appleloosa...”

“You interrupted my bath to tell me about some sand and a bunch of dirt farmers?” Serenade raised an angry brow.

“Ma’am, the town was under attack by some cultists nearby...” He began.

“And I care, why?” Serenade was getting annoyed with the big waste of time he was presenting to her.

“Master, after we sent one of our advisors there to check on the situation, they never came back, nor the guards with them,” Shield explained.

“So what? They’re incompetent help, what else is new?” Serenade rolled her hoof to suggest to Shield to get to the point where she was supposed to care.

“Master, the entire town is gone now. They all disappeared, not enough bodies to have been slaughtered by the cultists either, they just... Left... We found the advisor dead among the bodies we did find though,” Shield stated.

Serenade blinked and stood up from her bath, water running off of her body as she did. She nodded and smiled. “Finally you bring me something that has a shred of interest to me. Go investigate it, Shield. I want a full report of anything of interest that you find there, understand me?”

He bowed and nodded. “Yes, Master. I will see to it that it is done.”

“Excellent. You never let me down, Shield. I wish I had more like you at my disposal,” Serenade praised.

“It is an honor to hear you say that.” He smiled.

“Indeed, now get moving.” She gestured with her hoof.

Shield didn’t waste a second taking his leave. Serenade looked back at the bath water and sighed. “Now my bath is ruined...”

With a granola bar in her mouth, Moondancer tapped away at her keyboard while she ran through some code she was working on as she conversed over her headset with Sunset. “So, the suit seems to have worked out, congratulations on your successful venture with Appleloosa.” Moondancer praised.

As expected, Sunset remained serious and gave her usual “all business” voice. “Yeah, well we gained some support, but I’m pretty sure Applejack doesn’t like me. Guess she isn’t too keen on trusting masked ponies, can’t say I blame her...”

Moondancer sighed and shook her head. “She’ll come around, after all, you saved her little town there, she can’t hate you that much.”

“If she’s anything like her human counterpart... You’re underestimating how remarkably stubborn she can be...” Sunset laughed.

Moondancer couldn’t deny that. While she didn’t know Applejack as well as Sunset did, she did know her to be insanely stubborn. The girl often times did things the hard way just because it was the only way she knew; though sometimes she could be persuaded to attack a problem differently. She was stubborn, but she wasn’t stupid, even the mighty Applejack knew when she was taking on too much.

“A problem for another day, so the suit is fine?” Moondancer changed the subject.

“Tough as nails, though some of the mobility could be improved...” Sunset admitted, recalling many moments where she didn’t feel quite as agile as she was used to.

Moondancer smirked as she was preparing to move the conversation into that direction anyway. She had been hard at work for the past few days preparing for this exact occasion and now she had an excuse to show off what she had been working on.

“I thought you’d have some improvements to suggest, so I actually just finished a diagnostic program. It should return all the combat information of the suit to me, so I can make improvements via software upgrades. I’ll download the data tonight and see if there are any processes I can simplify or redundancies that I can eliminate to improve some of the times of operations,” Moondancer explained.

Sunset’s voice seemed soothed and calmed. “Just when I thought I’d seem the limit of your genius, you surprise me once more, well done, Moondancer.”

“What can I say? I’m the kind of girl who likes to plan ahead after all.” Moondancer boasted.

“That you are, but do you think this suit can handle Serenade?” Sunset asked.

Moondancer bit her lip, her confidence slipping just a hair. “I... I don’t know yet. I’ll need more data, but at least I can make improvements long before you have to fight her to give you the best chance you can get.”

“I have faith in you, Moondancer. I’m in your very capable hands, anyway, I should get going, I have some stuff to take care of.” Sunset signed off with those words.

Moondancer took her headset off and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She wished she could say she wasn’t stressed out, but that would be an egregious lie. The reality was that she wasn’t completely sure if her suit would make a huge difference against Serenade. While she studied the siren’s powers from a theoretical standpoint, actual practice seemed to always differ vastly.

She prayed her calculations were all correct and that her suit would be enough to give Sunset the edge she needed to win, otherwise, Sunset would die fighting that monster and it would be partially her fault. Moondancer wasn’t sure she could live with that outcome.

She composed herself and pulled away from her computer while the suit’s data was downloading, deciding now was a good time for a shower to clear her head; she already knew it was going to be a long night.

Twilight poured some hot tea into a cup and passed a glass of juice to her daughter who took it with the same plain expression she always had. Twilight had learned to read her daughters emotions carefully, knowing that she seldom showed them upon her face.

The little girl sipped from her cup and placed it onto the table as she gripped it with both of her little hands.

Twilight smiled at her. “So, the professor said that you’re a very special girl, Horizon.”

“How?” Horizon tilted her head.

Twilight giggled and sipped from her cup. “You’re a genius, it means you’re very smart. That should mean that you’re going to learn a lot when you get into school.”

“Is that a good thing?” Horizon asked.

Twilight nodded. “Very good.”

“If I do well, will mommy come home?” Horizon asked.

Twilight bit her lip, not wanting to even touch that question.

“Let’s just focus on getting you ready for school for now, alright?” Twilight smiled sheepishly.

“Okay.” Horizon nodded.

Twilight let out a sigh and as she stared at her daughter, she could only remember all the trouble they had been through in the past three years. It was all coming back to her like it was yesterday.

Eclipse is sort of an “evolving” character. One of his first major growth points was when he met Galeal and now we’re kind of seeing another.

At first glance, he may come off as just another brooding teenager who is trying to look cool and aloof in the face of a very real adult world looming over him, but now we can kind of see that he’s somewhat of a mentally immature guy in a way. He’s still in child mode while the rest of the world is in cold unforgiving adult mode. I think this chapter is when we see he really starts to see what he will have to do to truly grow up.

Unlike many others in the story, Eclipse has virtually no support network. He has to give himself everything he needs and he can’t rely much on others to do it for him. He’s forced to grow or perish and that is going to likely become more evident as he progresses.

The decision to make him gay was a conscious one, which I can’t really divulge much on yet. There is still so much that you don’t know that makes it so I can’t really get into much because you haven’t seen it yet.

Eclipse is a character that took quite a bit of thought to get right, but I think the end result is a lovable guy.