My guides lead me deeper in the bowels of the monolith, marching through halls swarming with other soldiers. A few cast sideways glances at me, but a smile, some friendly words, and a quick dose of my charm sends them on their way. Still, we need to hurry; someone will inevitably realize that I'm not supposed to be wandering around.

The guards take me to an elevator, which we ride down to the entrance to the dungeons. Much like the dungeon in Genesis, the only way in is through a heavily armed, multi-gate checkpoint.

“Can we access the control rooms?” I whisper to the closest guard.

She nods towards a nearby door. “Through there.”

“Go inside and knock everyone out. No deaths or permanent injuries.”

The guard nods and indicates for two of her fellows to accompany her. They go to the door and knock. When it’s opened, they head inside.

The guard besides me remains still. I study his face; unlike the comics, TV shows, and movies told me when I was growing up, he doesn’t have the gruff, ugly faces of an evil henchpony. If it wasn’t for his gun or uniform, he’d look like any other ordinary pony I’d meet on the streets or at a party.

Why did he join up with Iron Hoof, I wonder? Was it promises he made? The beliefs he held?

Did one of my speeches convince him to join a dictator?

With a loud click, the gates swing open. The door leading to the control room does the same as the three guards emerge. One has a bruise on his face, but they’re otherwise unhurt.

“The dungeon staff have been knocked out,” the lead guard informs me. “The next shift change happens in thirty minutes. We have until then to finish our task.” She gives me a modified shotgun. “Take this. It's a stun gun used to knock out prisoners.”

“Thank you.” Slinging the gun over my back, I hurry through the gates, the guards staying close.

When we’re past the gates, I go through a heavy door and emerge into a three-tiered prison wing crammed with dozens of cells, all lit by a few dim lights in the concrete ceiling.

Prisoners come to the gates of their tiny cells, curious as to who’s entered. They’re probably expecting an unfortunate newcomer, and are caught off guard at seeing me.

They’re not happy.

I point to three guards. “You three, release the prisoners one cell at a time after telling them that they’re being freed by the Resistance.” Then, to the unicorn. “Take me to the VIP prisoner.”

Nodding, the unicorn heads off. I follow her, listening to the others getting to work behind me.

I hope the prisoners are more interested in getting out than ripping the guards apart.

My escort leads me down more hallways and security doors, our path growing darker as the lights dim. This section of the dungeons appears to house prisoners Iron Hoof has no love for.

One last door is opened, and we emerge into a small block. There are only a few cells here, the walls made of thick, reinforced plexiglass. The lighting in here is almost non-existent, forcing me to squint as I’m lead to a cell at the end of the hall.

I look inside, but I can’t tell who’s inside.

“Cast a light spell,” I say.

The unicorn does so, illuminating the hall, the cell, and its occupant.

I freeze.

It... it can’t be...

The last time I saw the cell’s occupant, she had been on the cusp of defeating Equestria. Her cruelty had led to the deaths of thousands and the misery of untold others. Her name has gone down in history as someone who refused all offers of help, friendship, and redemption, instead choosing to embrace hate time and time again.

She was cunning. She was powerful, and she was filled with pride at her glory... but that was long ago.

The Chrysalis laying before me is none of those things.

Startled by the brightness of the light spell, the would-be conqueror of Equestria looks to me, her eyes straining to adjust. But it’s not just her eyes that have been strained: the queen’s iridescent hide has faded to a nearly colorless shell. Her skin has faded too, and so has her hair, now pale and gray.

It takes me a moment to realize that her wings are gone, as is most of her horn.

Her eyes finally adjusting, Chrysalis realizes who I am, and she hardens, her face a visage of malice and defiance.

“Back again?” she growls. “You come to mock me? To gloat?”

Sweet Celestia, she sounds so... old. The menacing snarl that once soaked every word is wizened and faded, a shadow of what it once was. That voice once tried to destroy me and my family. And yet... I don’t feel any anger towards Chrysalis. Nor is there hate or the desire for vengeance. I have more important things to focus on.

“Hello, Chrysalis,” I say.

“Spare me your mocking-”

“I’m here because I need your help. I’m looking for Princess Celestia and the Bearers, and I’m hoping you know where they are.”

Chrysalis doesn’t know what to make of this. She’s staring at me, head cocked, unsure if this is a trick.

“Iron Hoof has been using me as a puppet for decades with a mind-control spell,” I say, stepping closer to the plexiglass. “I finally broke free, and now I’m trying to stop him.”

I stop, waiting as Chrysalis thinks things over, unsure what to believe.

“Lies...” Lips rise, revealing still-sharp teeth. “You’re lying!”

“No, I’m not.” I don’t have time to try and convince her, so I crank up my charm to maximum. “Equestria is on the brink of ruin. By this time next week, everything will be destroyed. Both our races will be dead. Celestia is our only hope, and if you have any idea where she is, I need to know.”

Chrysalis rises, her knees cracking from the effort. “I know what you’re doing, Silverspeak, and it won’t work.”

Buck.

She reaches the plexiglass. Only an inch of it separates us. “I know where your princess is. Her and the accursed bearers... and your precious little wife.”

My eyes widen.

“I will tell you where they are," Chrysalis continues, "but only if you give me something in return.”

“What is it?” I expect her to gloat, to grin and demand all of Equestria be given to her, or some other impossible dream.

Chrysalis leans in as close as she can, her words a whisper sharper than any needle. “Set me free, so I may crush Iron Hoof like the maggot he is!”

“Because he put you in here?”

I jump back as Chrysalis slams her hooves into the glass. “He took my freedom, my wings, my horn, and tossed me in here to rot!” She’s shaking with pure, unadulterated rage. “He sent you to be my personal tormentor, to tell me that no one would miss me. That no one would mourn me, that my own kind was glad to be rid of me!”

“I was under his control,” I say. “I had no idea what I was doing.”

“What a convenient excuse!” she spits.

I glare at Chrysalis.“I’m supposed to be locked up right now. Iron Hoof will inevitably realize I’m loose, send everyone he has to get me, and your only chance of escaping will be gone. Now, will you help me?”

Chrysalis doesn't answer.

“I said, will you help me?”

Chrysalis narrows her eyes. “Only if you let me out.”

“And what guarantee do I have that you won’t immediately kill me?”

“You won’t get one, save that I hate Iron Hoof more than I hate you.” Chrysalis closes her eyes, taking deep breaths. “We may be enemies, Silverspeak, but if you help me escape, get me to the Resistance, and ensure I won’t be executed, then I will tell you everything you want to know.”

Before today, I never imagined I would be making deals with the changeling who nearly killed my family and threatened to blind and mutilate my wife. But these are desperate times, and any chance to find Celestia, no matter how small, can't be tossed aside.

I nod to the unicorn. Her horn lights up and the door’s locks undo themselves, allowing me to swing the door open.

The bloodlust washes away from Chrysalis as she takes a few, uneasy steps outside the cell, as if fearing that this is only a dream.

I do nothing as she stops in the hall, where she stops, closing her eyes.

Is that... a tear rolling down her cheek?

“Freedom...” Chrysalis whispers. “I’ve forgotten what it feels like...”

I let her savor the moment. When it passes, I activate my radio. “Green Wing, do you read me?”

Static.

“Green Wing, do you read me?”

Chrysalis looks at me, irritated at having her moment ruined.

“Radio,” I explain. “There must be too much interference.” I turn to the guard. “Let’s get somewhere where I can send a message.”

The unicorn heads off. I follow her, and Chrysalis behind me. Her movements are slow and staggered, most likely from weakened muscles. It takes a few seconds, but Chrysalis picks up speed. Then her walk becomes a trot. An uneasy one, but a trot nonetheless. And when I’m convinced she can keep up the pace, I turn back to the guard. In any other situation I wouldn’t dare turn my back to Chrysalis, but she gains nothing by killing me. She needs me to vouch for her if we make it to the Resistance. I’m her insurance policy.

If she can get me to Beakbreaker and Celestia, I’ll gladly play that role.

I hear talking as we reach the cell block. As we pass through the last security door, I see the guards have been hard at work, for all the cells have been opened and their occupants released.

“Look!” a pony screams. “It’s Silverspeak!”

All heads swivel to look at me like a pack of hungry wolves.

“Kill him!” another pony shouts.

Oh buck!

The crowd rushes me. I try to activate my charm, but the crowd’s too fast, and they tackle me to the ground.

“Kill you! Going to kill you, you motherb-”

“Stop!” I yell. The guards are trying to get to me, but the other prisoners are holding them back. They’ll never get to me before the prisoners rip me apart! “Stop! I’m not trying to-”

A hoof hits me in the face, and then another. These ponies are crazed; they won’t listen to reason, and I’m forced to rear back and kick the closest ones off me, buying me a second to act.

Grabbing my stun gun, I get to my hooves. “Listen to me! I’m here to break you out!”

“Like tartarus you are!” a pony yells

“Kill him!” another screams.

“He speaks the truth!” Queen Chrysalis emerges from the doorway leading to the high security cell. “He has come to release all of us, so that we may all take our reve-”

“It’s Queen Chrysalis!” a pony yells.

“Kill her!”

The shouts and screams double as all the ponies charge.

Buck! I raise the gun, my hoof on the trig-

Bright lights flood my vision, and I’m forced to turn away.

A sharp crack cuts through the yells. Then more echo through the hall.

I recognize those sounds: Gunfire.

Turning, I can just make out the source of the lights: they’re coming from the far end of the hall. I raise my gun and fire. One light shatters, and then another, revealing a small squad of guards raising their guns.

Taking aim, I fire, darting between the hall’s support columns, trying not to hit the panicking crowd.

One of the guards falls. Then another. But not from my handiwork; the guards I convinced to join me now come to my defense, firing their magic and weapons on their former comrades. In moments, all but two are down. I take of those last two myself, blasting them with the stun gun. They drop like sacks of sand, electricity dancing over their armor.

My protectors study the last two and nod. They’re out cold.

Breathing deep, I turn to the crowd. Some are trying to wake their fellows who were knocked out, but the rest are confused at seeing Iron Hoof’s speaker attacking his allies.

I grab the guns from the unconscious guards and toss them into the crowd. It’s a great risk, but they all saw me attacking my so-called allies. If I arm these prisoners, they'll realize I'm serious about freeing them.

“Who wants to get out of here?” I ask.

Turning, I run for the security checkpoint, my guards falling in beside me, and then Queen Chrysalis behind them.

A moment later, and I hear the thunder of hooves following me.

I had hoped we could escape the fortress without being noticed, or that we wouldn’t be noticed until it was too late, but it’s not to be: Alarms scream from speakers throughout the halls as we run, and red klaxons flash from their sockets in the ceiling.

The higher up we go in the tower, the more soldiers we encounter, but my guards are good, making quick work of them as we go. What they miss, the prisoners take care of, stripping any guards of their armor and weapons like vultures, falling in line and blasting away at anyone who gets too close to us.

I activate my radio as we reach another level. “Green Wing! Can you hear me?”

The radio crackles to life.“Silverspeak? What’s going-”

“I’ve managed to break the fortress’ prisoners out. We’re on our way to a train, but we’re still going to need some airships!”

“I’ve got one on standby, but you owe me. You have no idea how hard it was to get-”

There’s the sharp crack of bullets above my head, and the concrete wall fractures an inch above my horn.

“I’ll talk later!” I sign off.

“You intend to escape with these prisoners?!” Chrysalis yells, surprised.

“I’m not leaving anyone behind!”

“They will only slow us down!”

I ignore her as the guards turn right, emerging into the fortress’ train depot. As I feared, it’s swarming with guards, at least fifty of them. Getting out of here won’t be easy. We need to figure out a strategy to-

“Kill them!” a prisoner screams. “Kill them all!”

Prisoners shoot past me, their guns lighting up the room as they fire on the guards. Iron Hoof’s minions scream as electricity jolts through their bodies, leaving them helpless as they’re tackled, clubbed, and beaten into submission by the ponies they once fought and tormented.

I should try to stop the prisoners from bashing the soldiers into bloody smears, but I just don’t have the time. Instead, I run towards the only train in the station. It’s an elevated one, held aloft by magnets that let it glide past support poles. My guards attack their fellows as I reach the engine car and climb onboard, hurrying to the door. A yank on the handle reveals that the accursed thing is lock-

The door swings open, the fifth guard looking out. “You made it,” he says casually.

“Yes,” I say, never so glad to see a friendly face. “Get this thing going!”

“Already on it.”

As he ducks back inside, I climb to the top of the car and fire at reinforcements rushing into the station who blast the prisoners with stun rounds. But even as an undisciplined rabble, the prisoners determination to gain their freedom gives them the fury to fight back twice as hard. With Chrysalis, myself, and the guards helping them out, it’s just enough to turn the tide.

With all the guards incapacitated, the prisoners rush the train and tear the doors open.

Bullets fly past us. I spin to see more guards entering the hangar.

“Get onboard!” I yell down, ducking behind a small dome before running for the engine, praying that my guards have got it working. And thank Celestia, they have; I can hear the train’s motors churning as they warm up.

Reaching an opened hatch, I duck inside, finding the guards working the controls. “We need a minute for the engine to warm up,” one of the guards tells me.

Bullets ping off the engine car.

“We won’t last a minute!” I say.

“This should help,” another guard says as she works the console. I can’t tell what she’s doing, but I hear gears and machinery activating atop the roof. Clambering back up, I find that the domes have swung open, revealing gun turrets within.

“I’ll take this one.” I turn to find Chrysalis climbing out behind me, wheezing from the effort. “You get the one at the end of the train.”

Chrysalis is all too eager to take a seat. Leaping in, she opens fire on the enemy. While the guards focus on her, I run to the end of the train and take a seat in the turret on the last car. Thankfully, the system is easy to understand: aim at your enemy, pull the trigger, and pummel them with shells powerful enough to turn steel into swiss cheese.

Taking aim at the entryway, I pivot upwards and fire, bullets peppering girders and walls. Both give way, and rubble falls, sealing the entrance, stopping more guards from coming inside.

The train jerks. I bounce in my seat as it moves forward, unseen magnetic panels humming as sunlight falls onto the turret. We’re outside the depot and picking up speed as we head through the city of concrete and steel.

I hear Chrysalis and her guns roaring behind me. Spinning the turret, I see her firing into two massive gates leading out of the city. It doesn’t seem like the shells are having any effect, but then they buckle, bend, and finally shatter as the train barrels through, racing out into the desert.

There’s a headset by my seat, and I put it on. “Nice work.”

Chrysalis’ voice comes through. “You expected anything less?”

I glance back to see if I’ll have to do any shooting of my own. Transports and other ships continue to leave the fortress; some of them are bound to come after us. Yet, they don’t. They keep flying into the sky, reminding me of bees fleeing their hive.

“Green Wing, do you read me?” I ask.

“Loud and clear.”

“We’ve made it out of the city; where’s our transport?”

“On it’s way. You being followed? We can’t risk an evac if you’re under attack.”

“No,” I say. “It’s almost like Iron Hoof’s forces are ignoring us.”

No sooner do I say it than movement catches my eyes. Three ships are flying from the Monolith, but they don’t head off with the others.

They’re coming our way.

“Green wing? Forget what I just said. We have three craft coming after us.”

“Take them out, and we’ll come get you.”

“What about Spike?”

“He's still several miles away. He won’t make it in time.”

The line goes dead as I rotate the turret. “Chrysalis!” I say into the radio. “We’ve got a ship heading our way, but we also have incoming.”

“Leave them to me.”

“I’ll handle them,” I say. “You move all the prisoners to the front of the train.”

“I don’t take orders from you!”

“I’m closer, and have a better line of sight.”

A groan. “Don’t miss.”

The line goes dead as I turn the turret upwards and peer through the targeting device. Looks like three troop transports are coming in. Soldiers lean out the hatches, carrying heavy weaponry.

Buck... if Chrysalis does know where Celestia and the Bearers are, Iron Hoof won’t want the Resistance to know such sensitive information. And judging by their weaponry, the soldiers won’t hesitate to ensure that won’t happen.

Breathing deeply, I take aim. I don’t want to kill these ponies, but if I have to choose between them and the prisoners, I’ll sacrifice those who want to take lives.

Celestia... forgive me.

I fire.

The three craft split away as my tracer rounds cut through the sky. One's hit, causing it to wobble and weave before plunging into the sand, crumpling like a tin can.

The second and third craft split apart, forcing me to choose between the two. I spin left and try to hit the engines of the craft, but the ship’s too fast, and the soldiers take aim at me.

I fire again.

Soldiers plunge from the craft without a sound, red mist marking where they were a moment earlier. I keep firing, spraying the hull until the craft disintegrates and falls into the sand, joining the other rusted husks to bake under the merciless sun.

I can only spare a quick prayer for the fallen soldiers as I spun the turret back around to the third and final craft. It’s coming in fast, the soldiers unloading everything they have. The turret’s armor dents as I fire again, trying to hit the craft’s engines. One finally explodes, forcing the craft to pull away. But as it does, a soldier leaps from the hold and lands on the edge of the car behind me.

Not wanting to take another life, I leap from the turret and draw my stun gun. A quick shot and he’ll...

I stop.

The pony before me isn’t a soldier.

It’s Iron Hoof.

Iron Hoof glares at me, his mane and coat billowing from the wind as the train races past another support pole.

“I underestimated you, Silverspeak,” he calls out. “Accept my apologies. It won’t happen again.”

I yank the trigger. If I can take Iron Hoof-

A bang, and the stun gun flies from my hooves.

Iron Hoof holds a service revolver in hoof, smoke drifting from the barrel. He walks towards me, the gun aimed at my forehead.

“Surrender, Silverspeak, and I will spare you and everyone on this train. Even Chrysalis.”

“You gain nothing by killing me,” I say, fighting to keep my voice calm and controlled. It’s not easy with a gun pointed at my face. “You lose the one pony who can help you keep control of everyone once all this is over."

Pausing, Iron Hoof studies me, considering my words.

The revolver’s slipped back into its holster.

“You're coming back with me, Silverspeak," Iron Hoof says. "Now, are you going to come quietly, or will I have to do this the hard way?”

I’m no fighter. Never have been, and never will. But there's nowhere to go, and my silver tongue won't work here.

This a battle that words cannot win.

I ready myself to leap, leaving no doubt about my answer.

Iron Hoof cracks his hooves, shaking his head in disappointment. “So be it.”

I launch myself into the air, rearing back to smash a hoof into Iron Hoof’s head. But my leg’s grabbed and twisted, tossing me aside. I hit hard and roll as Iron Hoof runs at me. Leaping up, I charge back, swinging wildly, Iron Hoof weaving back and forth like a dancer. Not a single blow hits, but I keep trying. One hit is all I need to put him down.

Spinning, Iron Hoof tries to kick me. I grab his leg and spin him overhead, slamming him into the roof so hard that it dents beneath him. Rearing back, I finally land a blow, hitting him hard enough to hear bones crunching... but it’s not bone.

It’s... metal?

I’m kicked back, and dent the roof as I land.

Standing, Iron Hoof yanks off his coat and lets it be carried away by the wind. His chest sparks, torn skin revealing a mechanical frame beneath.

A cyborg... Iron Hoof’s a cyborg!

I rise, panting and wheezing. It’s a struggle to breathe, and Iron Hoof charges, throwing blow after blow, forcing me to go on the defensive. I kick and block as fast as I can, but Iron Hoof's faster, hitting me again and again, metal crumpling beneath his blows. My artificial body lets me fight like someone half my age, but so does Iron Hoof’s.

A blow to the chest knocks the wind from me. A second throws me across the car. I reach out, but there’s nothing to grab!

Buck!

I scream as I spin head over heels, falling off the train.

No! No I’m going to- wait!

Thrusting my hooves forward, I contract the muscles within and shoot to the side of the car, the thick magnets slamming into the metal and holding fast.

Thank you, Coin Counter!

I want to hang there and recover from almost falling to my death, but I don’t have the time; disabling one hoof, I swing down and activate it again, then do the same to the other one. I reach the bottom of the car and make my way underneath the train as quickly as I can, raising my legs as rusted vehicles pass beneath me.

Keep going, Silverspeak. Don’t stop!

Reaching the other side of the car, I peer up.

No sign of Iron Hoof.

Going as quietly as I can, I make my way up the side of the car. If I can catch Iron Hoof unaware, I can-

Two hooves grab me and slam me onto the roof.

Buck!

I swing and hit Iron Hoof as hard as I can in the chest. He yells and throws me across the car, the impact denting my frame.

Blast it all, this isn’t working! I’ve gotten a few good blows in, but they’ve done little to stop my adversary. He’s not even breathing hard, while my systems are scrambling to finish emergency repairs. Iron Hoof’s cyborg body is stronger than mine, faster than mine, and three times as durable.

If I’m going to win this fight, I have to use the only advantage I have left.

I focus on Iron Hoof, gathering energy to my horn. I won’t risk a spell that could kill or knock him out; that would take too much energy. But it won’t take much to make him trip and send him off the train’s edge.

Celestia, please let this work...

I fir... oh Celestia! Buck! Oh, buck, that hurts!

I force myself to force my eyes open. Please tell it worked. Please...

Iron Hoof’s standing on the roof, and still on his hooves.

I fire again, and can’t suppress the shriek of pain that comes with it. But the spell flies true, and it...

Vanishes?

What on earth?!

Amused at my confusion, Iron Hoof rips off a chunk of his skin, revealing the reinforced frame beneath, and numerous strips of black rock interwoven with the tubes and pipes.

Black rocks... wait. Is that the magic-canceling material Onyx Shield told me about? If it is, then Iron Hoof laced his body with it, making any magical attacks useless.

No sooner does the realization sink in than Iron Hoof charges again. I kick, but he ducks and tosses me over his shoulder. Before I can rise, he’s on top of me, pinning me down.

“You fought well,” Iron Hoof says.

His legs lock around my neck and squeeze harder than any organic leg can.

I can’t breathe!

“You will serve me, Silverspeak, whether you want to or-”

A loud bang, and Iron Hoof’s gone.

Gasping for air, I look down the train to see Queen Chrysalis rushing towards me, firing a rifle as quickly as she can. Rolling clear, I look back to see Iron Hoof getting back to his hooves, his body jerking as it’s hit again and again.

Chrysalis roars with the fury of the damned seeking vengeance on their tormentor.

Iron Hoof yanks out his revolver and fires, shooting Chrysalis’ gun from her grasp. She ducks behind the turret, shrieking at the indignity of being denied her revenge as Iron Hoof fires again and again.

Something beeps on Iron Hoof’s belt. Keeping the gun up, he takes a small radio and holds it to his ear. I can’t hear much over the howling of the wind, but there is something about something empty. The fortress?

Switching frequencies on his radio, Iron Hoof presses a red button. Moments later, and another transport ship swoops down from the clouds.

Chrysalis dashes from the turret to attack, only to retreat behind it again as the transport’s own turrets open fire, pinning her down.

“This is your last chance, Silverspeak!” Iron Hoof yells.

There’s no words in any language to convey my defiance, so I settle for a disgusted glare.

Frowning, Iron Hoof takes a remote from his belt, one that holds a single button.

“If you will not serve me, Silverspeak, then you will serve no one!”

He presses the button.

The transport pulls alongside the train, and Iron Hoof leaps into the hold. Grabbing a support bar, he glares back at me as his craft flies away.

“Come back here!” Chrysalis howls, running from her hiding place. “Come back here, coward!”

The ship banks into the clouds, the engines roaring.

Why is it going so fast?

Chrysalis curses, smashing her hooves into the car’s roof. “Coward! Always fleeing to save his own skin!”

I’m in no mood to argue or agree with the queen. Being alive is enough for me. Finally able to breathe again, I activate the radio. “Green Wing, we’re clear. No fighters in sight.”

“Good. We’re en-route. ETA Five minutes.”

Chrysalis continues to stare at the sky, fuming.

“Chrysalis?”

“What?”

“That remote Iron Hoof used. What was it for?”

The queen’s anger vanishes. “What did you say?”

“Iron Hoof said that if I wouldn’t serve him, I wouldn’t serve anyone, and then pressed a button on a small remote.”

Chrysalis stares at me, and I see something I’d never thought I’d see on the Queen of the Changelings: Fear.

She’s scared out of her mind.

“Call your transport,” she says, her eyes wide. “Tell them we need to be picked up now!”

I almost ask why, but decide against it at hearing the panic in Chrysalis’ voice. “Green Wing? We need to get picked up now.”

“This thing is only so fast, Silverspeak. We’ll be there in-”

“Iron Hoof has launched his weapon!” Chrysalis shrieks. “The Empyrean bomb!”

Empyrean bomb? “Green Wing, Iron Hoof’s launched something called an Empyrean bomb.”

Silence.

“Green Wing? Did you hear-”

“Punch the engines!” Green Wing’s yelling at someone. “Maximum power!”

“Green Wing, what’s happening?!”

The voice that comes from the speakers is almost a scream. “Silverspeak, get everyone on top of that train now!”

“On it!” I want to ask what this Empyrean bomb is, but if both Chrysalis and Green Wing are scared out of their minds, they must have good reason to be. “Chrysalis, get everyone onto the roof!” I run for the control car before she can answer, jumping inside to find the guards still working the controls.

“Push the engines to maximum!” I say. “And get onto the roof!”

“Sir, what’s-”

“We have an Empyrean bomb inbound!” I hurry back to the roof and find prisoners climbing onto the top of the cars. Thank goodness; if we can get all of them-

Something glints in the sky.

Everyone looks up. One by one, they recognize it.

Ponies clutch each other. Others weep.

I’m about to ask Green Wing where she is when the thing in the sky picks up speed, racing down so fast that it’s almost like-

Light. Light so bright and painful that I have to turn away.

Ponies scream, but the sound is drowned out by a roar.

A wave of intense heat washes over me and I’m thrown onto my side. Only a fast grip of the magnets in my hooves keeps me from falling off the train.

The light fades.

Squinting, I turn back towards the horizon, trying to make out what’s-

I freeze.

Miles away from us, where the fortress once stood, a giant cloud of ash, smoke, and fire rises into the sky, ugly and red, bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. It eclipses skyscrapers and mountains alike, rising so fast and so high that I have tilt my head back to see the top, where tendrils of smoke billow outwards like daggers.

Sweet Celestia...

A rumble makes me look back down, and I see something impossible,

The earth is breaking up, rising like a tidal wave of rocks, rubble, and stone, tons of debris carried up as if they weighed nothing.

The wave gets taller as it races towards us.

Ponies scream.

Oh Celestia.... oh Celestia, what do I do?! There’s no sign of Green Wing or any transports. I can’t fly out, and the few pegasi we have among our number can’t carry everyone, and there are too many ponies to teleport out.

“Chrysalis! Get everyone to the front of the train!” Going to the nearest hatch, I jump down, landing among boxes of cargo and supplies. “Is anyone in here?!” I yell.

Hooves thunder overhead, and I can faintly hear Chrysalis yelling something.

I run to the next car, and then the one after that. A part of me yells that I need to get to the roof, but I can’t risk leaving anyone behind. There could be a child here, a parent, or a spouse, and I couldn’t look myself in the mirror tomorrow if I knew I had left one behind.

I enter the last car. “Is anyone in here?!”

A cough. A weak one, near the back.

I rush to a back corner and find a pony lying on the floor, thin and weakened from disease, and probably incapacitated by a stun round. I slip him onto my back and run up a nearby ladder, throwing the hatch open and climbing out, using my wings to keep the pony on my back.

Reaching the roof, I glance back.

My legs almost give out beneath me.

The wall of earth and rubble towers above us, almost blocking out the sun.

“Green Wing!” I scream into my radio. “Where are you?!”

“Almost there!”

A boulder the size of a city slams into the earth.

“Hurry!”

More boulders slam down, rubble pelting the train’s side, making it sway, forcing me to engage my magnets to stay upright. The ponies ahead aren’t as lucky; I hear screams, and have a brief, but heartbreaking view of someone falling off.

The pony on my back screams.

I spin to see another boulder coming down. It misses us by mere feet, almost scraping the paint off the car.

I run for my life, leaping from car to car, not daring to look back. I can’t stop, can’t think. If I do, I’m dead, and I am not dying today. Not here, and not now!

A boulder slams into the train, crushing the three cars behind me as if they were made of tissue paper.

The pony on my back clings to me, screaming, convinced he’s about to die.

I activate my radio once more. “Green Wing! If you don’t get here now, we are going to die!”

One of the prisoners looks up, a hoof shooting towards the sky.

I look up as something swoops down from the clouds above. It’s a transport, and a big one, racing for the train as fast as it can go. It pulls up alongside, where a hatch opens. Green Wing stands behind it, bracing herself against the frame as she throws a ramp onto the car.

“Get on!” she shouts. “Now!”

The prisoners run up the ramp as fast as they can.

Chunks of mountains slam into the earth around us as dust and debris turns day to night.

The last of the prisoners rush onto the transport. Only Chrysalis and myself are left.

“Silverspeak!” Green Wing screams. “Move it!”

Chrysalis races ahead and onto the transport. Green Wing recognizes her, but the queen is onboard before she can protest.

The train shakes, and the transport is forced to pull up.

I heave the injured pony off my back and throw him towards the ramp. Green Wing lunges forward and grabs hold, dragging him inside. When he’s gone, she reaches out.

“Silverspeak, come on!”

I don’t dare look back as I hear metal screaming, instead leaping for the transport, my hoof stretched out-

The transport lurches up, Green Wing’s hoof just missing mine.

“No!” I scream. “NO!”

Something falls from the transport and hits the train. And them I’m suddenly flying through the sky.

Green Wing grabs my hoof and somehow drags me inside. But how? What tossed me up?

I look down to see Chrysalis on the train’s roof.

The back of the train is thrown into the air as the wave slams into it.

“Go! Green Wing yells to the pilot. “Go-”

There’s no time to think. I lean down, extending my hoof as far as it will go.

Chrysalis jumps.

We reach for each other...

I just barely grab her hoof.

I yank, muscles of steel and motors dragging Chrysalis onboard and past the ramp as it retracts, the hatch closing behind it.

“Get us out of here!” Green Wing screams.

Unseen engines roar, and the three of us are slammed into a wall, glued in place as the transport races ahead. I can barely see through the forward windows, only catching glimpses of falling earth and rubble as the pilot spins, dives, and rises, trying to outrace death itself.

I want to help, to use my magic, to do anything, but there’s nothing I can do. No, that’s not true.

I can pray.

Please let us get out of this, I think. To who, I don’t know. The Creator of All Things, Celestia, the Universe, it doesn’t matter. I can’t die here, not yet, not like this.

Beakbreaker… please, let me see her one more time…

With a yell, the pilot hits some emergency thrusters, and the transport accelerates even faster, until breathing itself is almost impossible.

A boulder larger than Canterlot falls before us.

“Hang on!” The pilot yells. He pushes the control stick down as fast as he can, the cabin shaking so badly that glass cracks.

The boulder fills our view.

I slam my eyes shut.

Oh please, let this be quick...

Nothing happens.

“We’re clear!” the pilot yells.

The roar ceases. The engines slow, and I cautiously open my eyes. Ponies around me look to one another. Most cry. Some huddle against one another in shared shock.

I reach down and touch my limbs to make sure I can feel them, and that this isn’t a dying dream. I even bite my lip to be sure it’s real.

It is.

We made it.

My legs wobble as I stand and peer out the nearest window. Below us, the wall of rubble and the cloud continue to grow as we race away.

“Where’s Spike?” I ask Green Wing.

Shaken as she is, it takes Green Wing a moment to answer. “Back at base. Had him teleported back. Nothing he could have done against an Empyrean bomb.”

I look down to Chrysalis. Like the others, she’s shaken, amazed that she survived. No one else had a closer call than her... and it was to save my life.

“You saved me,” I say.

The queen looks to me. “Because I need you,” she says.

She didn’t save me out of friendship... I should be upset or disappointed, but if I’m honest with myself, I don’t care. Disappointment can come later.

I’m just glad to be alive.

The transport continues on, flying towards the clear sky above.