Author's Notes:

If you want to go into this chapter without any spoilers, please do not read the following note, which is included for those who are sensitive to certain story tags.

For readers who may be affected by mental illness and/or depression, this chapter contains elements of suicide and self-harm

Equestria’s sky gives way to the void of space as the shuttle rockets towards the moon, the ship threatening to shake itself to pieces as I push the engines to their limits. While I can’t make out any ships floating over the moon’s surface, I can’t afford to take things slow.

Chrysalis stirs in the cabin behind the cockpit.

“Take the controls,” I tell Beakbreaker as I head into the cabin, hurrying past Chrysalis to the lockers, where I search for weapons, armor, and anything else we can use in the coming battle. To my dismay,I can only find basic supply and repair kits Whoever used the ship last must’ve taken most of the stowed gear with them.

Blinking, Chrysalis looks around, confused at finding herself inside one of Iron Hoof’s shuttles. She tries to stand, panicking, probably thinking she’s being taken to her former ally.

“Relax, Chrysalis,” I say. “You’re safe.”

Nearly jumping at my voice, Chrysalis realizes that if I’m here, she’s safe. “What happened?” she demands. “How did I get here?”

“Beakbreaker and I freed you from Mangus,” I say. “Now we’re-”

“Wait. Did you say Mangus? As in, Mangus Bluehorn, my former-”

“It’s a long story,” I say as I rush back to the cockpit and take a seat. “All you need to know is that Mangus Bluehorn is alive. He’s been manipulating Iron Hoof all these years so he can take over Equestria.”

Chrysalis scoffs. “Preposterous! Mangus Bluehorn would-”

“I don’t care if you believe me or not!” I snap. “Because Iron Hoof and the rest of his cronies know where the Resistance is hiding. We have to get there and evacuate as many as we can.”

Chrysalis enters the cockpit, looking out into the void and to the rapidly-approaching moon.

It takes her a moment to realize that Beakbreaker’s glaring at her.

The last time Chrysalis entered our lives, Beakbreaker was used as a bargaining chip by the changeling queen to ensure I’d do as she ordered, ensuring the deaths of thousands, and that’s not including everything she did as Iron Hoof’s ally.

“Chrysalis,” Beakbreaker growls. “I’d normally break your back and shove you out the airlock. But in light of our current situation, I’m willing to declare a truce between us.”

“As am I,” Chrysalis nods.

“Good.” Beakbreaker turns back to her control panel, paying Chrysalis no further attention.

I check the readouts before me. If they’re accurate, we’ll reach the moon in about ten minutes. Yanking the radio from its holder, I hit the transmit button. “Resistance base, this is Silverspeak! Come in!”

Silence.

“Moon Base, this is Silverspeak! Come in!”

A voice comes through, garbled and hard to make out. “...peak, repeat.”

“This is Silverspeak!” I say. “Iron Hoof and his forces know where you are! They’re preparing an attack as we speak! The base needs to be evacuated!”

I can hear a brief scuffle as someone grabs the microphone from their end. “Silverspeak?” It’s Onyx. “Silverspeak, repeat what you just said: Did you say Iron Hoof-”

“He knows where the base is, Onyx!”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes! You need to start an evacuation!”

There’s an uncomfortably long silence.

“Onyx?!”

“Silverspeak, if we do this, there is no going back. Are you absolutely-”

“Yes, I am!” I almost yell. “Tell Luna she needs to get everyone out!” I take my hoof off the transmit button and take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “Chrysalis, how long will it take for Iron Hoof to assemble a strike force?”

“I do not know,” Chrysalis admits. “Maybe half an hour, an hour at most.”

Okay... we have an hour. Can we evacuate the base by then? We should be able to: Luna and the other leaders of the Resistance would have fallback plans in case their base is discovered. No doubt they’ve practiced such evacuations as well, which means this should go quickly and smoothly.

The moon quickly fills up our windows. In any other situation I would be awestruck at approaching such a magnificent celestial body, but I don’t have time to marvel at its beauty.

“Beakbreaker,” I say, “How do we get into the base?”

“There’s a hidden passage inside a crater,” Beakbreaker says, bringing up a map of the surface. “Get back on the radio and let Onyx know we’re coming in on a stolen shuttle. We don’t want them to shoot us down.”

I’m about to hit the transmit button when the radio squawks again. “Silverspeak, this is Onyx. We’re beginning the evacuation.”

“Good. We’re coming in with a stolen shuttle; don’t shoot us down.”

“You have got a shuttle? How many can it carry?”

I glance back, counting the seats in the cabin. “Fifteen. Twenty at most, but it’d be crowded.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Can you guide yourself in?”

“I’ve got Beakbreaker with me. She’ll take care of that.”

A brief pause. “You rescued her?”

“Yes.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now, get here as quickly as you can.” I can hear frantic movement over the radio, and then an alarm begins ringing.

“We’ll be right there.” I flick some switches, ready to slow us down for our approach.

“Silverspeak...”

“Yes, Onyx?”

“How did Iron Hoof learn where we were?”

Buck... I should have known Onyx and the others would ask that. I’ve been so caught up in reaching the moon that I haven’t thought about what I’d say. Onyx and the others are not going to be happy when they I learned I betrayed the location of their base to save Beakbreaker. But do I tell them now? Getting it out of the way and confessing what happened might be the best thing I can do, instead of waiting and telling them after everything’s destroyed.

Beakbreaker looks to me curiously. So does Chrysalis.

“Silverspeak,” Onyx Shield asks, “Is there something you’re not telling us?”

Blast it; might as well tell them now and get it over with.

“Onyx... I-”

An alarm fills the cockpit as the control panel flashes red.

I shoot a glance at Beakbreaker. “What is that?!”

“The proximity-”

Something shoots past us like an enormous torpedo, and then another, and another. Shoving down on the control stick, I send us into a dive, trying to get away from... whatever these things are!

“It’s Iron Hoof’s fleet!” Chrysalis growls.

I spin the shuttle as an enormous fleet of warships and zeppelins emerge from giant portals around the moon, falling into a blockade formation. And these aren’t small attack craft meant for hit and run assaults: they’re flying gun emplacements, built to hammer enemy bases until there’s nothing left but blood-drenched rubble. Sweet Celestia, there has to be dozens of them, each one having enough firepower to level Canterlot. The largest craft alone holds enough cannons and guns to resemble a mechanical porcupine.

Those guns are already turning towards the moon. It's going to be a while before they can lock on, which means we still have time to get everyone out.

“Beakbreaker! Where’s that passage!?”

Beakbreaker points towards a medium-size crater on the moon’s surface. “There!”

“Alright; everyone, hold on, I-

A bright, green flash fills the windshield, and I turn away, instinctively covering my eyes, Beakbreaker and Chrysalis yelling out in surprise.

When the light fades, I lower my legs, dreading what I’ll find. But... there’s nothing. The moon is still in one piece.

“Is everyone okay?” I ask.

“Yes,” Beakbreaker says, checking our instruments. “What was that?”

“I don’t know... Chrysalis?”

She shakes her head. “A spell of some kind. Perhaps Iron Hoof is trying to find the base before he begins his bombardment.”

“If they see us entering the passage, they’ll know where it is,” I say.

“The base is on the other side of the moon,” Beakbreaker says. “And they’ll have to make it through the tunnels before they reach it. None of these ships are small enough to fit.

That’s good enough for me. “All right. Everyone hold on.” Turning us towards the crater, I race down faster than I should: it won’t take the nearby ships long to realize that a lone shuttle is out of place among the assault fleet. If I were in their position, I’d destroy it.

I grab the radio as we race towards the crater. “Onyx, this is Silverspeak. We’re coming in!”

There’s no answer.

“Onyx?”

Silence.

We’re almost at the crater. Dropping the radio, I slow us down as we plunge into the shadows within, which is broken as Beakbreaker engages the lights, revealing a small tunnel before us, well hidden within the crater’s walls. As she said, it’s small, just barely big enough for the shuttle, but we’ll make it through.

Going at the slowest speed I can manage, I head into the tunnel, following it as it curves, twists, and goes up and down as we make our way through the moon.

“How long is this passage?” I ask. It doesn’t feel right to be going so slowly when Iron Hoof’s fleet is right behind us, but going faster will only send us crashing into the walls.

“Not much longer,” Beakbreaker assures me. She peers ahead. “There!”

We turn a corner and come into view of a shimmering energy field, and a familiar hangar on the other side. The shuttle heads through the field without incident, and I set us down as best I can, steel groaning and crunching as the shuttle grinds to a halt.

“Everyone out!” I shout. Beakbreaker’s already ahead of me, prying the door open and rushing out into the hangar. Chrysalis is right behind her, and I bring up the rear as stale, recycled air greets us. But no one else is here to meet us: no guards, no representatives, not even a courier to escort us.

This... this is wrong. The hangar should be packed with Resistance members fleeing the base. The shuttles and other craft should be heading through portals leading to Equestria’s surface. But none of them have been touched: fuel pipes lie unused on the floor, and mooring lines keep each craft attached to their berths. But what’s most startling is the silence: No officers are yelling at others to hurry up. No alarms are blaring.

It’s as quiet as the void beyond the moon.

“This way,” Beakbreaker says. “I’ll take us to the control room.”

As I’m still unfamiliar with the base’s layout, I let Beakbreaker take the lead. She heads into a hallway and into a stairwell, heading upward as quickly as she can.

We’ve only gone a few floors when she stops.

“Beakbreaker?”

She doesn’t answer as she sniffs the air. Puzzled, I do the same. There’s something foul, yet sickeningly sweet in the air.

“What is that?” Chrysalis asks, her face scrunching from the smell.

Beakbreaker’s still trying to figure that out. Not wanting to waste time, I hurry up and take the lead. If there’s something dangerous up ahead, I want to face it instead of her. Going to the nearest door, I take hold and push it open, and-

And...

Oh... sweet Celestia...

The smell isn’t coming from a spilled garbage can or a burst sewage pipe.

It’s coming from something far worse.

The corridor before me is crammed with bodies. Dozens of them, slumped against the walls, one another, or sprawled upon the blood-drenched floor. An in an instant, I realize that all these ponies are dead: their heads have holes in them, their chests have gaping, bleeding maws, and their throats have been slashed wide open.

Dozens of empty, lifeless eyes stare at nothing. Those who still have faces have their mouths stuck in silent screams or cries of despair.

Beakbreaker and Chrysalis enter the hall, only to skid to a stop. A second later and they’re retching, vomiting onto the floor, leaping back in disgust as blood splashes up. But I... I can’t tear my gaze from the carnage before me.

What in tartarus happened here?!

A sob breaks the silence.

Snapped from my trance, I realize that the sound is coming from the end of the hall, where Gusty treated and repaired me.

“Stay here,” I say. Biting my lip, I head down the hall, focused on that sound, using it to distract me from the bodies I have to make my way around, or the blood that’s splashing onto my hooves with each step.

Finally reaching the door, I open it. The room’s dark, and I can just make out someone curled up in the corner, rocking back and forth, sobbing hysterically.

I turn on the light, and...

“Gusty?!”

No, no, it can’t be him! This pathetic, sobbing pony can’t be Gusty! He... It is. Sweet Celestia, it’s him! I rush to his side. “Gusty! Gusty, can you hear me?!”

He shakes, biting down hard as tears dribble down his cheeks. “No... no, no...”

“Gusty!” I take hold of his head and force him to look at me. “Gusty, look at me!”

“It’s not true! It’s not true!” He sobs, his body shaking with grief.

“What’s not true?!”

“I... I... I didn’t do it!” Gusty gasps. “I didn’t kill ‘em!”

“What are you talking-”

“My parents!” He grabs me, eyes wide and shaking with terror. “I didn’t kill ‘em! I swear, I didn’t! I didn’t! I didn’t!”

Sweet Celestia, I’ve never seen Gusty panicking like this, so overcome with grief and fear that he can barely even talk. It terrifies me, but there’s no time to try and calm him down, or argue with him. Turning my charm to its greatest strength, I tighten my hold on Gusty. “Gusty, I know what you did, but it’s not your fault,” I assure him. “But for now, I need to get you out of here. Can you walk?”

Gusty blinks, as if trying to clear his head. “I... I...”

“Just stand,” I say, keeping my voice firm and commanding, but not condescending. Gusty needs a strong voice to tell him what to do. “I’ll get you out of here, but you need to stand up.”

Gusty tries, forcing everything he has into his efforts, but it’s enough for him to stand on wobbling hooves.

“There. That’s good,” I say. “Now, stay with me. I’ll get you to safety.” Crouching down, I slide Gusty onto my back. Spotting a bag of supplies on the bed, I grab it and head back into the hall. “Beakbreaker? Chrysalis?”

The two emerge from other rooms. Beakbreaker looks like she’s vomited, and Chrysalis’ mane seems whiter than it was only an hour ago.

“Everyone else is dead,” Chrysalis says, her voice shaking.

Then that settles it. We have nothing to gain by staying here any longer. “Beakbreaker, lead the way.”

She hurries from the hall, and we follow, everyone eager to be rid of this horrible place.

My wife and Chrysalis struggle to keep their composure as we head higher, each hall holding the same stench of death and misery: bodies of ponies, dragons, griffons, and all other species lie slumped against one another, guns and knives lying on blood-soaked floors.

I can barely keep myself together as I follow Beakbreaker, keeping a tight grip on Gusty. Knowing that things will only get worse if Iron Hoof finds us keeps me focused. We find the control room, get what survivors we can, and get out of here.

We reach another hallway when I hear something. I stop, my ears swiveling to the left.

The others stop, hearing it, too.

It’s a cry.

A child’s cry.

I carefully lower Gusty off my back. “Beakbreaker, Chrysalis, watch him.” Then I hurry through the doors into the base’s medical wing, fighting not to vomit at seeing patient and staff alike lying about on the floors in multiple areas, scattered among overturned beds, cabinets, and shelves. The stench of death is overpowering, burning my mouth, my nose, and my eyes as I make my way through the carnage and-

Oh no... Silver Scalpel... He’s lying in a corner, the back of his head collapsed upon itself, and a gun lies near his lifeless hooves. Tears still lie upon his cheeks, and lots of them. They’re still damp. He was sobbing before he ended his life, consumed by the same grief that Gusty had.

But why? Why... why would he end his life? Why would so many others end-

The cry comes again.

There’s nothing I can do for Silver Scalpel now. I hate to leave him, but I have no choice as I follow the cry into one of the small side rooms, where a few beds lie tightly packed together. A tiny form lies in one of them.

Gold Wing's terrified and confused, her cheeks wet with tears. Then she recognizes me and frantically shakes her hooves at me, silently begging for me to take her.

I reach down and scoop up the changeling infant as carefully as I can, so grateful that at least one child was spared from this insanity. But where’s her mother? Where’s Green Wing? I haven’t seen any changelings lying amongst the dead. Perhaps she’s like Gusty, curled up in a heap somewhere. If I find her, seeing her child will snap her out of whatever madness has gripped her.

Clutching Gold Wing tightly, I rush back to the others, desperate to leave this place of death and misery.

“Silverspeak?” Beakbreaker asks as I hurry through the doors. “What was it?”

I hold out Gold Wing.

Gasping, Beakbreaker instinctively snatches her from my hold, clutching Gold Wing as tightly as she can, so relieved to see her alive.

Chrysalis, while glad to see someone else still alive, isn’t so sentimental. “We must keep moving.”

Pulling Gusty onto my back once again, I take the lead, heading back into the stairwell.

We finally reach the top of the stairwell and emerge into another hall stuffed with the fallen bodies of the dead. Beakbreaker hurries through them, fighting not to cry as she glimpses ponies and others that she knew, but forces her emotions aside, only stopping when we finally reach an important-looking door. This must be the base’s control room.

I’m about to confirm so with Beakbreaker when I hear more sobs nearby.

“Beakbreaker, you-”

She’s already running towards the sobs, desperate to find more of her companions. Chrysalis follows closely behind.

Leaving them to their task, I take a deep breath and enter the control room, my eyes watering at the stench of death and blood. The place reminds me of the control room on a zeppelin or any other large vessel, with numerous consoles, displays, and maps spread throughout. Computers display information, waiting for commands that will never come. As with everywhere else on the base, the floor is covered with still-warm corpses.

“Hello?!” I call out. “Is anyone in here?”

There’s a moan near the main control console.

I rush into the cesspool of misery, keeping a tight hold on Gusty. “Hello?!” Then I spot the source of the moans, and I thank whatever gods there are for sparing him.

Onyx Shield lies crumpled before the console. He’s like Gusty: a sobbing, emotional wreck oblivious to my presence, lost in his own world of despair and grief. But if I could get through to Gusty, I can get through to him, and I take hold of his shoulders, forcing him to look at me.

“Onyx? Can you hear me?” I turn my charm up once again. “Onyx, listen to me. We’re all in great danger! We need to get out of here, and I need your help.”

Onyx shakes his head, tears flowing down his cheeks. “I can’t help... I can’t help anyone!”

“Yes, you can. But only-”

“I’ve failed!” Onyx howls. “I’ve failed, Silverspeak! Everything I’ve tried to do has been a waste! I’ve hurt so many! I’ve.... I’ve...”

“Onyx! This isn’t you talking! The base was hit by a spell, and it’s affected your thinking. You-”

“Do you know how much blood I have on my hooves?!” Onyx demands. “How many I’ve hurt? How many I’ve killed?!” He thrusts his hooves in my face. “Look at them! Look at them!”

I don’t have time for this! “Onyx, if we don’t leave now, everyone here is going to die! Do you want their deaths on your conscience?”

He doesn’t answer, but his hesitation is good enough for me.

The console beeps. Taking my attention away from Onyx, I study a display: Iron Hoof’s fleet is descending towards the lunar surface, including several dozen shuttles, all of which will no doubt be carrying soldiers, cyborgs, and whatever mechanical terrors he can unleash.

There has to be a way to stop them! I go through the menus, trying to find gun emplacements, shields, anything! Wait! There! I hit a button, and a shield rises over the base’s location. Two of the shuttlecraft vanish, and the others turn away. A few moments later, and red dots fire from the fleet, hitting the shield again and again.

An indicator tells me we have ten minutes before the shield fails.

“Onyx, I need your help.” I kneel before him. “We need to get out of here before Iron Hoof’s forces can get to us. Can you stand?”

Onyx tries to talk, but he’s still too shell-shocked to even do that.

I’m interrupted as Chrysalis hurries inside. “Silverspeak: we have found several survivors. Are there any in here?”

“Only Onyx,” I say, glad that at least a few others survived the carnage. “Is Green Wing among them? Princess Luna?”

“No.”

I bite my lip. “Get them all to the hangar. We can use the portal in there to get everyone to the surface before Iron Hoof breaks through the shield.” I indicate the graphic on the console.

“We won’t have time to search the rest of the base for survivors,” Chrysalis points out.

I nod. “We just need to get as many out as we can.” Then, to Onyx, “Onyx, where is Princess Luna?”

Onyx struggles to talk as he takes deep breaths, wiping the tears from his cheeks. “She... she was in the... the... the sanctuary...”

I run from the room, leaving Chrysalis to help Onyx.

Once outside the control room, I run to the lift and cross use it to cross the chasm, and then race into the sanctuary, dreading what carnage I’ll find inside.

Please, Celestia, don’t let Luna be among them...

There are no bodies when I rush into the sanctuary, no corpses draped across chairs, pews, or the monuments within the alcoves in the walls. No blood flows over my hooves, and the stench of death is mercifully absent.

“Princess Luna?!” I call.

A sob answers me. It’s coming from the windows at the far end of the room.

Running over, I find the princess curled up beneath the window, her crown lying on the floor, discarded and forgotten as she sobs like a child.

“Princess!” I kneel, my heart sinking at seeing Luna in such bad shape. She’s deathly pale, her shaking out of control as she rocks back and forth. She’s in no shape to talk or even stand. But I have to get through to her. More than anyone else on this base, I need Luna to come back to us.

“Princess Luna? Can you hear me?” When that fails to get a response, I focus my charm; I don’t know if it will overpower the grief-stricken will of a princess, but I have to try. “Princess, you’re in great danger. I need to get you to safety.”

A flash of light distracts me: the shield is visible beyond the windows, as is the fleet that’s bombarding it with everything it has, refusing to let up.

“Princess,” I say, trying to ignore the sight, “I need you to come with me.”

“No...”

“Your Highness-”

“No!” Luna roars. She’s on her hooves so fast that I fall back, terrified at seeing her so angry. “No! No more! No more!” But then her anger fades as quickly as it came, replaced once more by grief, and she collapses to the floor.

The shield lights up again, bending as the bombardment increases.

Time is not on my side, but trying to force Luna to come with me isn’t working. Perhaps empathy and listening will do more good than trying to bend her to my will, even if it’s only to save her life.

I kneel beside the princess, taking her hoof in mine. “Princess... tell me what’s wrong.”

“I... I... ” Luna’s tears splatter onto the tiled floor. “I... I can see them...” She stares at nothing, stiff with horror and fear and guilt and shame. “Everyone who’s dead. Everyone who’s suffered! Everyone I’ve failed!”

“Yes, you can see them,” I say, trying to ignore another flash of light beyond the windows. It’s difficult to keep my voice from rising. “But right now we need to-”

“Kill me.”

“What?”

Luna looks me in the eyes. “Kill me... I order you to kill me.”

I can’t speak.

“As your princess, I order you to kill me!” Luna snaps.

“No,” I say. “No, I won’t.”

“You don’t know... You don’t know!” She’s shaking even more violently than before, her tears falling so fast it’s almost like seeing miniature waterfalls. “You don’t know how much it hurts!” She stumbles towards me, crazed, eyes wild with desperation. “Kill me! End it!”

“No.”

“You will!”

“No!”

“You... you...”

Her hooves shoot out and grab my throat.

“You coward!”

I’m forced to the ground, and I struggle to breathe under a grip stronger than even the mightiest earth pony.

“It hurts!” Luna shrieks. “It hurts!” She’s sobbing, alternating between uncontrolled rage and soul-crushing grief.

I finally grab Luna’s legs and shove, my mechanical strength just managing to overpower her. “Princess! Listen to me! This isn’t you! Iron Hoof cast a spell that’s affecting your thinking!”

“It hurts! It hurts!”

A flash of light, and the shield buckles from the bombs being thrown against it.

“I know it does,” I say, lowering my voice. “But I can help you. I can make the pain go away.”

Through her tears and her grief, Luna hesitates. Her legs weaken slightly.

“Come with me, your Highness. Come with me to safety, and I can make the pain go away.”

“Swear it,” Luna hisses. “Swear on your life that you will make it go away.”

I nod. “I swear.” My promise isn’t enough to break through the grief that grips Luna’s mind, but it is enough to make her stop struggling. She calms down just enough that she can stand, and I hurry to her side. “Follow me, your Highness.”

A bright flash of light, and the shield bursts like shattered glass.

“Quickly,” I hiss.

We head through the sanctuary. Luna is nowhere near as fast as I would like, but I can’t rush her, not for fear of her losing it and doing something suicidal. When we leave the sanctuary and emerge onto the lift, I see Chrysalis and Beakbreaker on the other side, herding some shell-shocked survivors down the hall and into the stairwell. Upon seeing me, Beakbreaker runs over.

“Silverspeak!”

“The shield’s broken,” I shout. “We have to move!”

“But we don’t have everyone! There has to be more survivors we can-”

“Iron Hoof’s coming!” I say, pointing to the distraught Luna. “We have to get her to safety. You and Chrysalis get the others out of here through the hangar portal. I’ll be right behind you.”

Beakbreaker hesitates, but she knows I’m right. Every second counts, and if Iron Hoof knows where we are, he’ll be sending a strike force our way right now.

Nodding, Beakbreaker finally turns and runs back to the others. There are so few of them that it only takes a few moments before everyone’s gone, leaving just me and Luna upon the lift.

“This way your Highness,” I say, picking up the pace. “We’re almost out of here.” Oh Celestia, please let her feel better once we’re back on Equestria. Let the spell’s effects dissipate and-

A bright shimmer stops me in my path, and Luna too. I recoil, shielding my eyes as the light grows unbelievably bright. Then it fades, and our path across the lift is blocked by unicorns in uniforms of red and black, led by none other than Iron Hoof himself.

“Iron Hoof...” I growl.

He turns to me, surprised. “Silverspeak... Wherever trouble may be found, you are never far behind.” Then he turns to Luna. “Princess... You have no idea how glad I am to see you.”

Shell-shocked as she is, Luna still realizes who’s standing before her. Her anger flares, and she storms towards him.

The unicorns close ranks around Iron Hoof, their horns lighting up.

“Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn’t do that, your Highness,” Iron Hoof cautions.

Luna doesn’t care.

“If you kill me," Iron Hoof says quickly, “then my forces will destroy this base and everyone in it!”

“There is no one left to save,” Luna snarls. “You murdered them all!”

Iron Hoof’s hooves shoot up in mock surrender. “It was my benefactor and ally who cast that spell. You have survived.” He gives me the briefest of gestures. “So has he. But it’s over, your Highness. You cannot win this war by yourself and with an elderly cyborg.”

Luna answers by rearing back, howling in blind fury, her eyes going white as magic erupts from her horn.

I rush forward, trying to-

A barrage of magic slams into Luna, throwing her across the lift and into a support beam.

“Princess!” I rush to her; Luna’s groaning, weakened, but still alive.

The unicorns light up their horns again, and-

“That’s enough!”

Everyone stops as someone emerges from the darkened tunnel behind us. It’s...

Princess Luna?!

A Luna identical to the one before me strides into the light. Like everyone else I’ve found, she’s shaken and uncertain, but she’s forcing herself to walk through it, to not let herself succumb to despair and grief.

“I will not have you both killed on my watch,” this new Luna says to me.

“And who are you?” Iron Hoof demands.

“The real Princess Luna,” the newcomer informs him. She points to the Luna at my side. “She is my decoy. My double. But I will not have anyone else die today. Not when enough blood has been shed.”

I stare this new Luna, and then back to the one I was trying to save. Was the one I found a decoy, as this newcomer says? Is she the real Luna? But if so, then who lies before me?

“How do I know you’re not an imposter?” Iron Hoof asks the newcomer.

New Luna looks to me for the briefest of moments, her eyes darting to Luna, and then back to me. “Did you really believe the Princess of the Night would be foiled by your spell?” New Luna turns to glare at Iron Hoof. “I thought you’d have known better than that.”

Iron Hoof’s unfazed by the insult. “Oh, I knew you wouldn’t be incapacitated,” he says. “I was counting on only you having the will and the strength to resist.” Iron Hoof smiles. “A queen is so much easier to take when her defenders are all dead.”

“Do not consider this battle over just yet,” New Luna sneers.

“You said you didn’t want anyone else to die,” Iron Hoof says. “Are you prepared to stop any further loss of life and end this pointless war?”

“I have always been open for negotiating.”

“It’s hard to negotiate when you hide yourself,” Iron Hoof points out.

“Enough talk.” New Luna gestures to me and my Luna. “Allow them to go free, and we will talk.”

“You are in no position to dictate any terms.”

New Luna’s horn charges. “If I wished, I could end your life in an instant, and you would have nothing to gain.”

“And as I said, if anything happens to me, my forces will destroy this moon and everyone on it. There might be a scattered few down here who managed to survive that spell. If you don’t want to be responsible for their deaths, you will get on your knees and surrender.”

It occurs to me that the unicorns and Iron Hoof are so focused on New Luna that they’re ignoring me.

I start to shift my position, trying to get a clear shot at Iron Hoof.

“And how do I know, General,” New Luna demands, “that you will not harm those survivors?”

“I give you my word of honor.”

A scoff. “A traitor's honor is worth nothing.”

“It is honor that made me do what was necessary, your Highness, to save our species. To protect us from those who would do us harm.”

“By committing genocide.”

“Who mourns the mosquitoes we swat by the millions? Who cries for the flies we squash without a second thought? Tell me, your Highness, would any of us have mourned the races that sought to take over our lands and enslave us?”

“Your words fool no one, Iron Hoof,” New Luna snarls. “You only deceive yourself. And when you find yourself before the great judge of us all, your lies will not save you from an eternity in the darkest pits of Tartarus.”

For the briefest of moments, Iron Hoof wavers, suddenly lost in uncertainty and doubt. But only for a moment, and he opens his mouth to speak... just as New Luna swings her hoof at his neck, a small, hidden blade glinting in the light.

That knife almost hits Iron Hoof, but his guards fire a dozen spells at once, all hitting the princess and sliding her across to lift, slamming her into a support cable, where her skin crackles, and then melts away with a flash of green flame, revealing-

“Green Wing?!”

Shaking at having come so close to death, Iron Hoof storms across the lift to Green Wing, who struggles to rise, still full of fight. But she can’t stand before Iron Hoof yanks out a combat knife and plunges it into her chest.

“NO!” I howl, running towards the two. But I only make it a few steps before I’m hit by something powerful and white-hot, and thrown into the real Luna.

Green Wing gasps as Iron Hoof grabs hold and hoists her up, glaring at her with hatred hot enough to melt stone.

“Parasite,” he hisses.

Yanking the knife free, Iron Hoof plunges it into Green Wing’s throat and slashes it open.

Green Wing gargles, frantically trying to grab her wound, but she can’t break free of Iron Hoof’s grasp, can’t press down on the wound.

The flow of blood slows. So does Green Wing’s struggles.

Her legs drop to her sides.

As if he’s taking out the trash, Iron Hoof tosses Green Wing off the lift and into the chasm, where she vanishes into the darkness below.

No... oh Green Wing, no!

Iron Hoof wipes green blood from his uniform, but he can’t hide his shaking hooves. “You are a coward, Princess,” he snarls. “Letting your followers die instead of you. You live, while they-”

Luna vanishes behind me with a flash of light and re-appears before Iron Hoof. A blast of magic knocks his unicorns across the chamber, a few tumbling into the chasm, screaming as they plunge into the darkness below. Luna ignores them all, rearing back and roaring as she brings down her hooves towards Iron Hoof.

Shrieking in fear, Iron Hoof rolls clear, narrowly misses being crushed. But before he can rise, Luna’s magic grabs him by the neck and yanks him up, aiming to crush his throat.

Gargling, Iron Hoof yanks something small and red from his belt and tosses it onto Luna’s chest, where it spreads out and grows with terrifying speed. It’s... It’s amber!

Startled, Luna tries to shake the amber off, but it’s too fast, quickly enveloping and encasing her in seconds.

Iron Hoof drops to the floor, gasping as the amber shakes slightly, rocking back and forth as Luna tries to break free. But her efforts fail, and in seconds the shakes slow down.

They stop.

Iron Hoof smiles.

Several unicorns levitate the amber and hurry from the chasm. Their leader lingers a moment, smiling at me as he brings up his radio. “Destroy this place,” he says. “Make sure no one can ever come here again.”

No sooner does he speak than his unicorns light up their horns. Iron Hoof and his minions vanish with a flash of light, taking Luna with them.

The chasm shakes. Rubble and rocks loosen from the ceiling and fall around me, some hitting the lift, others plunging into the chasm below.

I want to give in to the shock and the numbness enveloping me. It would be easy: So many are dead. Iron Hoof has killed Green Wing, the changeling who saved me from him, who helped me on my path to saving Beakbreaker. And worst of all, Iron Hoof has captured Princess Luna.

It would be so easy to collapse and give in to grief like everyone else has, to embrace despair and hopelessness... But I can’t. Beakbreaker is still alive.

I can’t leave her.

There’s no time to take the lift, and no time to try the stairwell: Iron Hoof will waste no effort in leveling this place as quickly as possible. I stand and jump from the lift, spreading my wings as I fly down to the hangar level, where I rush inside, finding Beakbreaker and Chrysalis with Onyx and about thirty Resistance survivors. No one’s in good shape: everyone’s worn out and exhausted, but there’s no time to rest.

“Where’s Luna?!” Beakbreaker asks.

“Iron Hoof got her,” I say, hating each word as they slip out.

“What?!”

“We have to go!” I say. “Iron Hoof’s going to destroy this base!” I run to the control panel that opened the portal when Green Wing and I headed to the surface of the planet, but I can’t make sense of the buttons and knobs. “Beakbreaker! Do you know how to use this?!”

Shaken from our latest setback, Beakbreaker manages to push that shock aside and hurries to the pad, trying to get it work, hitting buttons and keys.

The hangar shakes as the moon itself is hit by something. Craft wobble within their metallic cradles, and a few slip free, crashing onto the floor. None of the survivors moves to flee or protect themselves.

“Beakbreaker!”

“Almost got it...”

A shuttle slams down not ten feet from us.

“Hurry!”

“There!”

A portal appears before us. Rough, ill-shaped, and not at all steady, but on the other side is safety, and that’s all that matters.

“Go!” Chrysalis yells. “Everyone, through!”

Clutching Gold Wing tightly, Beakbreaker rushes through. Chrysalis is behind her, dragging Onyx after her. The survivors follow, aware that they’re supposed to be fleeing for their lives, but still too shaken to care. Most even seem to welcome the idea of dying. I dispel that as I shove them into the portal, one after another. Only when Gusty is left do I throw him onto my back and run through.

The chill of teleportation is intense, but vanishes as quickly as it came, and I’m landing on a hard surface behind everyone else. We’re in what looks like the remains of a courtyard, surrounded by long-broken walls enveloped in vines and weeds.

Behind us, the portal wobbles, shakes, and then closes, fading from existence.

Struggling to his hooves, Onyx tries to recover his composure, perhaps realizing that we need a leader, and as the most senior member of the Resistance, that task falls to him. “Is everyone okay?” he asks.

The others nod.

I look around, trying to recognize our surroundings. “Where are we?”

“Canterlot,” Gusty mutters from my back. “At least, what’s left of it.”

Canterlot? I hurry ahead, emerging from the ruins to find myself amongst a scene of unimaginable destruction: stone, broken towers, and imploded buildings lie before me, all overcome by weeds and other hardy vegetation lit by the light of the late-afternoon sun.

We’re not alone here; for a moment I freeze, only to relax as I recognize the dragon going through the rubble before us. It’s Spike; he must have been sent through to the surface before that spell hit the base, to act as a vanguard and watch over everyone who was coming through.

Spotting us, he hurries over, the ground shaking with every step of his giant feet.

“Look!” Someone yells.

I look up. High above, the moon is glowing. Even from this far away, there’s no mistaking the numerous explosions rising from the moon’s surface.

The survivors of the Resistance stumble from the wreckage, all silently looking up to the sky.

More explosions appear. They’re tiny from this far away, but they must be enormous, possibly stretching several miles high.

Then there’s a bright flash so powerful that I have to turn away, along with everyone else who’s emerged. When I can finally look back, I... I...

I’m silent.

The moon still floats above us, but no longer in one piece. Giant chunks hang in the void, countless smaller pieces shooting away like shooting stars, racing out into the cosmos.

Iron Hoof... He... he...

He’s destroyed the moon.