It only took a little while for both Rain and Shining Armor to explain to the princess their current predicament as they made their way back to Ponyville. But also became a bit complicated in trying to explain the events that occurred before Nightmare Moon tried to ruin the festival. All of Twilight’s friends mostly had questions about Rain, since like most ponies that didn’t live in Canterlot or make frequent business trips there, they knew nothing about them other than his heroics just a few moments ago. When it came to each one of her friends though, Rain’s feelings about them were different. Sure, he had a thing for treating mares with respect, but some of the ponies he was answering questions for just… made him feel uncomfortable. Rarity was solely focused on looks and appearance when it came to clothes. Rainbow Dash thought that his combat skills were awesome, but that was it. Fluttershy wasn’t even able to form a sentence around him, which made things awkward. And lastly, Pinkie Pie herself was too focused on getting the Summer Sun Celebration up and running in Ponyville again.

The only other pony that he felt comfortable around when it came to Twilight’s friends was Applejack. Not only did she thank him for helping them earlier, but she was rather surprised to see someone like him use earth magic. Magic involving the land and soil was normally something that earth ponies were familiar with when it came to harvesting crops, so she was rather surprised to see him control it on his own. Unfortunately, he was only able to talk with them for a short while before Pinkie Pie pulled everypony that was taking part in the festivities as they all began to celebrate.

Leaving Rain and Shining to sigh a little as they looked back at each other… along with the crystals that contained the visions they summoned as one of the knights then spoke. “So… that was something. I’m glad everything’s back to normal now.”

“For the most part…” Shining then stated before looking back at Rain. “We still need to figure out how to be able to get back to Canterlot on hoof now that we have no airship to take us back.” That was true. The airship that they originally arrived in was destroyed by Nightmare Moon earlier. It was a means to cut off anypony from actually finding a way to get the word of the princess’ disappearance to the rest of the guard in Canterlot.

“That may be true… but I think we can figure this out. I had a few ideas in mind-” Before Rain could be able to finish what he was saying though was when both him and Shining Armor noticed something that caught their attention. It was something that looked like a stone pillar, but it had carved inscriptions all around it, was emitting a cyan glow and floating off the ground. “What is that? That wasn’t here when we first originally landed now… was it?”

“I don’t believe so.” Shining replied, looking at it for a moment. “It looks like some kind of… monument or something-” Before both of them knew what was going on, a bright flash was released from the pillar and it blinded them for a moment. However, when they opened their eyes again… they found themselves in someplace completely different. Where it looked like the sky and the world around them was nothing more than just something floating in a star filled void.

“What the hell… What is this place?” Rain said, looking around a bit before looking at Shining Armor, who was personally trying to understand what was going on. Then, an idea came to mind. “This… has got to be some kind of dream! Shining, come here! Let me pinch you and see if you feel any pain.”

“Why me?!” Shining protested in response, having the human knight back up and give him some space. “Pinch yourself, you fool!” Before either of them could respond again though, that was when they heard and saw a familiar figure… for the third straight time. It was the same pony that was encased in crystal… and it wasn’t long until they heard something from her.

This is the farplane… For those who have the power of visions, a place of great trials… and greater blessings.

She was only there for a moment… but just as quickly as she arrived, the mare in the crystal soon disappeared afterwards. Leaving Rain and Shining rather… puzzled by what they just heard. “Great trials… and greater blessings? So… is this place suppose to be a good thing or what exactly?”

“Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise… Nevertheless, we should proceed with caution.” The unicorn advised as he looked around the area once more.

“Hey, if these trials are suppose to help us get stronger, then perhaps this place could be a good thing.” Rain then spoke up, leaving Shining to mentally roll his eyes a bit as he glared back at his companion.

“At times, your optimism can almost be mistaken for stupidity…” He sighed. Which did little to bring down Rain’s confidence as he looked back at his partner and friend.

“Cut me some slack man, I’m not saying we have to do these now… we can possibly come back here another time and do it.” The knight told the unicorn as Shining folded his arms for a moment and raised his eyebrow.

“And pray tell, how exactly are we going to get back to Ponyville?”

“How else?” Rain replied, before stepping forth towards the monument that looked exactly like the one they found in Ponyville and placed a hand on it. Just like before, a very similar light shined in front of them for a few moments and before they knew it, the two of them found themselves back in Ponyville. “I had a feeling that this thing could allow us to come back to and from that Farplane place whenever we aren’t doing something… and heck, it seems like not a lot of things have really changed around here.”

Rain was right on that part. There weren’t really any changes at all. In fact, it almost looked like things had remained almost exactly the same. Something that seemed rather bewildering at first, before the knight mentioned something to Shining Armor that broke his concentration. “So, were you still wanting to hear what I was thinking about for how we get back to Canterlot? It may seem crazy at first, but I think it will help us get back to there rather quickly so we can inform the Captain about what we saw earlier.”

All Shining Armor could do was just sigh as both of them began to walk towards the outside of town. “Fine. Lay it on me.”

“Well, it turns out that this town actually has a station for incoming trains,” Rain explained as they were passing the entrance to the train station. “However, since they are going to a collection of other stops and it may be hours before the next trip to Canterlot comes up on their schedule, I say we try to improvise.” That had Shining Armor stop for a moment as he looked back at his friend and facepalmed himself.

“Rain, are you honestly suggesting that we hitchhike onto the back of a train?”

That immediately had the knight shake his head from side to side. “No, of course not. My idea was to follow the tracks up the side of Canterlot Mountain and get to the front of the city that way. Sure, it’s a bit of a walk, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. Besides… I don’t think either of us have the bits to purchase two train tickets.”

“We could ask Celestia-” At that part, that was when Shining Armor turned to realize that the princess wasn’t exactly there anymore… meaning that she either must be en route to Canterlot right now or already back in the city. “ …… Okay, I guess we’re going with your idea. Just… here’s something that I’m concerned about.”

“What’s that?” Rain asked, noticing a nearby stand that had a collection of maps that one could pull out and see the entire railway system across Equestria and taking one out.

“How are we going to know which tracks to follow? By what you said, my concern is that we might accidentally follow a track that leads us in the opposite direction.” The unicorn replied back as Rain soon opened up the map he had taken out and looking at it.

“Well, it looks like there’s only one track here that goes completely north… the other two start off north and splinter off to go to the east and west,” He replied, giving the unicorn the map in order for him to see for himself. “So by that logic, if we just follow the track in the middle here, we won’t have any problems.”

That just made Shining Armor stare at him in disbelief before deeply sighing to himself. It was just like what he said a few moments ago. At times, Rain’s optimism could easily be mistaken for stupidity… and right now seemed to be like one of those times.

The Knight’s plan involved both him and the unicorn walking throughout a large stretch of land. With the only thing guiding them being the tracks. Several monsters and hostile creatures even had tried to attack the two of them, in which case, the two of them had to properly defend themselves by using their weapons. Yet, this plan was effective for another reason. Unlike that of a train, which had to stop at two other stations before fully being able to reach Canterlot and one of them being a security checkpoint at the bottom of the mountain, Rain and Shining did not have to stop moving unless if it were to rest their legs.

It took them almost a couple of hours for them to reach most of the way there… and even then, Shining Armor himself was having to rely more on the map to make sure they were on the right track. And while he was looking at it, that’s when Rain soon spoke up and asked him something. “Hey Shining, how close are we to Canterlot?”

Despite the question really irritating Shining a little, he just took a deep sigh and responded to his companion calmly. “We are not that far away actually. The guard outpost at the bottom of the mountain shouldn’t be far from here.” That was most reassuring for both Rain and Shining. However, when they got closer and closer to the outpost… Rain immediately noticed that something was really wrong… Wrong to the point where he soon took off and ran towards the outpost in the distance.

Or more likely… what remained of it. “Shining, get over here! Quickly!!” Rain called out to his partner as the unicorn dropped the map and rushed over to help. Both of them found a member of the Canterlot guard on the ground, groaning in pain as they both used any curatives that they happened to have in order to try and help him. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“M-monsters… came out of n-nowhere… A-attacked our post,” One of the coughed as the stallion took off his helmet so he could breath. This pony was someone that Rain and Shining knew very well since they we’re trained in the Royal Guard alongside him. His name was Swallowtail and back during training, the unicorn would get in trouble because of his habit of conjuring roses out of thin air with his magic and trying to hit on mares. Though, these traits were superficial compared to his dedication and loyalty in the guard. “S-shining? Rain? Aw man, I d-didn’t realize it was you guys. Couldn’t tell w-who you were because of this d-dumb helmet… What are you doing here? I thought y-you were in that Ponyville place.”

“Easy there… We were traveling back from Ponyville and found you just now…” Shining told him.

“Well, I’m glad you did…” Swallowtail replied, clearing his throat as he finished the curative that Rain had given him. “Because the monsters that attacked us weren’t the only thing that came through here… We saw somepony else that looked to have commanded them to attack us here. We normally don’t see any creatures at all except for the ones that graze along the edge of the forest.”

Hearing that had Rain’s eyes widen as he looked back at Shining with a look of concern on his face. “You don’t think…”

“Only one way to know for sure,” Shining replied. “Swallowtail, were you able to see who this figure was?”

All the unicorn could do was shake his head as he got up and picked up the rapier that was his weapon as he put it away. “No. Neither of us could see who it was because they were wearing a full suit of armor. Dark in color and looked rather demonic… whatever of case, it was because of him that the monsters attacked and those beasts destroyed the checkpoint here. I tried going after him, but all he did was just fling me to the ground like a ragdoll.”

Now that definitely got Shining Armor and Rain rather concerned. Because if what Swallowtail was true, then that meant that he must’ve seen the same individual that the two of them saw at the Everfree Shrine. If that same person was going to Canterlot, then it was possible that he was going to launch an attack on the city. “Swallowtail, when did you encounter this guy?”

“Like… twenty minutes ago, I think…” He replied, before looking at both of them. “Why do you ask?”

“Swallow, we encountered that same individual earlier and he overpowered us,” Rain then told him. “If he came through here, commanded monsters to attack you and was strong enough to overpower you just like he did to us… then he could possibly attack the city. We need to get there and warn the captain before-”

Just as he said that, all three of them heard a loud crashing sound as they all turned towards the castle in the distance. Monsters were beginning to attack the cities gates while the soldiers along the wall were scrambling to take up arms and prepare to defend the castles barriers.

“I-impossible!” Shining gasped. “The castle would be protected by the barrier we have in place. How could it be destroyed?”

“I don’t know, but we need to hurry and get inside to make sure the princess and everyone else is safe!” Rain replied back, before coming across another potential problem. “But how the hell are we going to get in there if the main point of entry is crawling with monsters?”

The answer at first… didn’t really happen to show itself so quickly and left both Shining and Rain lost in thought… until they heard their fellow comrade speak up. “I know a back way inside the castle.” That had both Shining Armor and Rain look back at each other for a second before looking back to Swallowtail, completely surprised.

“You know a back way in?”

“Yeah, how else did you think I got out here without having to go through the main gate,” The unicorn replied. “Since you guys saved my life, let me repay the favor by helping you get inside.”

“Okay, I’m a bit surprised that there actually is a back way. Normally, most ponies who are assigned to be at the guardpost come and go through the main gate.” Shining replied as Swallowtail began to lead the way. At first, they partially went up the mountainside the same way that the train to Canterlot would normally go. But at one point, behind what looked like some kind of boulder, Swallowtail used his levitation magic to move it aside as all three of them walked in. “How do you know that this is connected to the castle?”

“This used to be part of the gem mining facility that was near here, but nowadays, it’s just a set of underground catacombs with old mining equipment that hasn’t been used in years. But it’s also where Canterlot get’s their water supply because of the lake on the opposite end of the mountain.” That had Rain stop for a moment as he looked back at Swallowtail for a moment and also Shining Armor.

“So let me get this straight… this is… basically the city's sewer?” Rain replied back to him while raising an eyebrow and smelling the air around him. Wondering why this place didn’t exactly smell like a sewer at all

“Not entirely… At ground level yes, but not here.” The Unicorn replied, before pulling out what looked like a torch as he turned to Rain. Seeing his comrade with the torch, the Knight used some of his fire magic to light up the torch so it was easier for all of them in order to see what they were walking through. It turns out that there were a few scattered monsters that just happened to be wandering around inside the catacombs, but it wasn’t something that was too much for them to handle, so there wasn’t a need to call on the help of Nimbus or Steela.

But there was something that was lurking on the back of Shining Armor’s mind as they were traversing the catacombs… and it was something he had to ask their comrade in arms. “Swallowtail, may I ask you something?”

“You just did.” Swallowtail told him, while chuckling shortly afterwards and slightly irritating the fellow unicorn.

“That wasn’t what I meant…” Shining Armor deadpanned as his katana sliced through another monster that tried to attack him. “How were you assigned at that guardpost in the first place? You’re a leader of your own squad and yet, we found you on your own with nopony else from your battalion. Care to inform us why?”

The other unicorn sighed for a moment, slicing another creature to ribbons for a moment before turning to the others. “Remember Patriot? While we were training, she and I had a wager over who would win in a sparring match. If I won, then the next time my squad and I were getting something to eat, she would pay the bill. But if I lost…”

“Then you had to play guard duty?” Rain then asked him.

“That and the rest of my group would have to patrol the wall instead of her. Which is why I want to get back to the castle as soon as I can so I can make sure everypony’s okay.” The unicorn then told him as they cleared their way through the rest of the monsters that were lurking in the caverns before reaching what looked like a narrow stairwell. “Come on, the entrance should not be far from here. From there, you two can easily be able to reach the castle afterwards.”

“What do you plan on doing?” Rain then asked as they reached the top and began to open up the path forward.

“I’m going to try and regroup with the rest of my unit and any other guards I can find. Push these bastards out of the city and then try to help any civilians that might’ve been caught in the fight,” He told them as he turned to look back at Rain and Shining before taking off once more. “I’m going to try and find the captain as well! Just make sure that the Princess is safe!”

Rain and Shining both nodded at that before rushing to the central building inside the castle, where the princess’ throne room would be. Upon going through the door, they could already see that some of the monsters had already infiltrated the sanctum of the princess. Some of the stained glass windows along the walls were shattered as shards of glass twinkled along the floor. Both knights drew their weapons as soon as they saw the creatures that infiltrated the corridor and prepared themselves for a fight.

“Any idea where the Princess might be in all of this chaos?” Rain then asked his fellow warrior as they charged in and began to take down their foes one by one.

“It would be best to assume that she would take up refuge in her personal chambers. That or in the main hall.” Shining replied as he used some ice magic to freeze another intruder still while Rain cut it in half. “I’m more concerned on if the civilians are okay. Canterlot has not been attacked in… well, since all that time ago when Nightmare Moon first appeared.”

“Yeah… speaking of that,” The knight in crimson mentioned as he turned around just in time to cut down another hideous fiend. “Something about the whole thing between Nightmare Moon and Celestia… well… doesn’t make sense.”

That actually had Shining Armor be rather confused as he looked back at Rain for a moment. “What exactly about that is confusing you?”

“Well, for one thing,” His friend replied as they traversed through the hall and continued to look for the princess and anyone inside. “She talked about Celestia almost as if she was her equal… Like if Twilight were talking about you when it came to magic and how she was superior.”

That even puzzled Shining upon hearing that… until he thought of something that seemed almost downright impossible. “Wait… are you saying that Nightmare Moon is somehow related to the Princess? That’s preposterous! What would even give you that idea in the slightest-?!”

“Shining, we’re talking about somepony who was able to not only beat and kidnap the princess, but also somepony who, just a few hours ago, was a threat to not only Equestria, but the entire world. Not to mention the fact that she was an alicorn… the only ponies we know that have both horns and wings are both Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence,” Rain replied as the two of them cut through a fallen stone pillar that was blocking their way forward. “It was just something that was on my mind, that’s all.”

“Well, perhaps you should let your mind focus on what we are doing right now,” Shining Armor suggested before stopping for a second, closing his eyes and placing a hand against the wall before emitting some magic as it traversed through the floor and the walls across not just the compound… but the entire castle. It was an ability that he happened to learn while he, Sunset and Rain were learning more about understanding their magic and it allowed him to feel the presence of anypony who happened to be nearby. However, the only time in which he could do this was whenever he was out of combat since his eyes needed to be closed and he needed to touch a solid surface. “I can feel the Princess’ magic coming from the Throne Room nearby… and Sunset’s with her.”

“What about Cadence and Blueblood? Are they with Celestia too?” The knight asked as he looked around a little to make sure that there was nothing that he was overlooking at all.

“Both of them seem to be okay. I can feel them with Patriot and some of the guards in her platoon right now,” Shining Armor told him as he opened his eyes and exhaled another breath. The downside to having such a spell though was that it slowly chewed away at mana he happened to have… and the longer he had the spell active, the more mana it consumed. “Do you have an Ether on you?”

“I was already making sure that I had some in reserve for if you were going to do something like that,” Rain replied as he tossed a small orange vial to his companion so he could regain a portion of his mana. After a few moments, Shining felt a bit rejuvenated once the effects of the ether kicked in as they both stared down the door to Celestia’s chambers. “Come on, let’s hurry.”

The unicorn couldn’t agree more as both of them soon slammed the doors wide open to find that intruders had definitely broken into the main hall while Sunset and Celestia herself were losing ground. Just as quickly as they broke through the door, both knights got to work in cutting down the brutes and fiends that had invaded the hall one by one. Minimizing their numbers and pushing through to make sure they could try and reach both Sunset Shimmer and also the princess.

When they finally got to get a moment of rest and also the chance to breath a little, Sunset was the first one to soon speak. “I was beginning to wonder when both of you were going to show up…”

“Sorry about that… we just so happened to have to take the long way around to get here,” Rain sighed, before turning to Princess Celestia. “Are you alright, Princess?”

“Other than a little bit shaken, I am otherwise unharmed.” The alicorn of the sun replied in a motherly tone. “What I would like to know is that who would have the audacity in order to attack us? We never did anything to anypony to provoke such actions as this.”

“We’re sorry for not returning sooner… But Shining and I might know who would do such a thing… we’ll explain once we get outside…” Rain then replied back, with Shining Armor also nodding his head in acknowledgement before taking a turn to speak. “Swallowtail’s right now working with his men to try and regroup with Patriot in order to push the invaders out of Canterlot. It would be wise to meet up with both of them so we can eliminate the remaining enemy forces and attend to anypony that may be hurt or wounded.”

“I believe that is the most preferable… and our only option at this stage.” Celestia replied back to them. “We should move before anymore of those creatures arrive.” Rain, Shining and Sunset couldn’t agree more on that as all four of them rushed towards the exit in order to get out of there. However, it was barely after they got outside and were a certain distance away from there that parts of the building began to crumble and tapestries that were along the wall began to burn.

“The castle… is burning!” Sunset gasped in shock. “I-i didn’t think it would get to be this bad of an attack on Canterlot.”

“Damn it…” Shining cursed under his breath as he looked to what was in front of him. “How can this be? Canterlot’s supposed to be the safest place in Equestria. How did-?”

It was before Shining could finish though that Rain happened to notice something completely out of the ordinary as he stepped in front of Princess Celestia and Sunset, moving a free hand towards the grip of his sword. “Shining… Isn’t that…!?”

When the Unicorn looked ahead in the same direction as his fellow knight, he soon realized what Rain was talking about… and also became rather worried. “Yes… and he’s no longer alone,” What Shining was referring too… was the individual in dark demonic armor that was stepping out of the citadel that Rain and the others just escaped. And to make matters worse… there were several other figures directly behind him. “We barely survived an encounter with just one of them! What if the others are all just as strong as he is?!”

“Well, I don’t think we got any other choice right now…” Rain grit his teeth as he armed himself with his Crimson Saber while Shining did the same with his weapon. “Brace yourself-” Yet, just before the armored foe could take another step, the ground began to shake below all of them as parts of the ground began to break and cause a hole to emerge in the Canterlot Courtyard.

However, what Rain and Shining saw next… was also seen by Princess Celestia and Sunset Shimmer as a bright light began to emerge from the gaping hole in the ground. And from it… emerged the same crystal that both of them had seen a few times before. “No way… that girl!”

“It’s the same one that we saw on the airship and that warned us about the Everfree Shrine. What in the world is going on?” Shining added on. However… Celestia herself could not believe what she was seeing… or for that matter… who was in that crystal.

“N-no way… After all these years… You’ve come back home…”

However… to the one who was in armor… he saw this as something different as he looked towards Rain and Shining Armor. “You two…” That was also when he also noticed something else as he spoke up. “Ahh… and now you hold the power of visions.”

That statement had Rain redirect his attention at the enemy as he held up his sword in a defensive posture and stared down the armored figure. “Yeah, that’s right! We won’t be so easily beaten this time!”

It didn’t really help anything though as the armored foe just sighed and looked back at him. “Didn’t I warn you before? About the crime of ignorance.”

“Seriously…” The Knight grit his teeth in irritation as he was beginning to get really annoyed with the one that was talking to him and wanting to take action. “Every time you speak, you manage to piss me off!” Neither Celestia, nor Shining Armor for that matter had seen Rain like this before and they were both beginning to worry for his safety. Especially with what armored warrior said next.

“You stubborn weeds will grow to become thorns in my side if I neglect to exterminate you now… so be it” His words were soon followed up by channeling the same kind of darkened orb that Rain and Shining had remembered seeing from the Everfree Shrine as it began to form above it’s head. “Know this… that I am one of the Sworn Six of Paladia… Veritas of the Dark!”

And as he said who he was, the Veritas then pointed at Rain as his spell was finished charging. “You are sullied!!”

It was as the spell was released that Rain could hear a crack from the crystal as a blinding light soon casted over the courtyard in which they were in. Making it almost impossible to see… but when the light did die down, Rain was caught off guard to find the same girl that was in the crystal… directly in front of him and glowing with power as a magical barrier was casted over all of them. Including Shining, Sunset and the Princess.

This one is our last hope… We will not let you bring harm to him!

“Woah…” Sunset stated as she soon saw what was happening. “So much power…”

“Just who or what is this girl?” Shining then asked as the barrier went down and the Veritas’ own spell was no more. But the Darklord himself just stood there for a moment. Before turning around and beginning to walk away.

“It matters not… We have done what we came here to do,” He told the others behind him as they all began to disappear one by one, with Veritas of the Dark being the last one to leave. “Let us proceed to the next crystal.”

It was as the Sworn Six left that the girl in front of them soon dropped to the ground, causing Rain to rush over and take off the cloth that was around his waist so he could wrap it around her. But before he could say anything, the knight was caught off guard when he saw Princess Celestia appear on the other side of her. “Please tell me she’s okay…”

“Woah uh… Princess?” Sunset soon spoke up as she noticed the princess rush over much faster than Shining or her. “Do you know this girl somehow?”

“Know her?” Celestia spoke up… before saying something that caught all three of them off guard. “This here is my sister, Luna…”

That statement almost caught everyone by surprise. Especially Rain and Shining Armor as the knight was trying his best to help the girl as she was slowly opening her eyes. “Uh…”

“You… saved us,” the blond haired knight told the young girl as she looked back at him. “Thank you.”

The girl soon found herself awake… and slowly able to speak. “I… I’m Luna…”

“Luna, are you okay?” Celestia then asked, hoping that somehow… after all the years of them being apart, that her own sister would remember her. However, what she heard next from the young alicorn was something she wasn’t prepared for.

“Y-yeah… Um… W-who are you?”

Author's Notes:

Straight out the gate, we got a LOT of things covered in this chapter... some in which, will be covered more in depth later. As for new characters, the ponies known as Swallowtail and Patriot are two characters that are based on actual units who know Rain and his companions in the actual game. Swallowtail is based off of the character named Lawrence and Patriot is based off of another character in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius named Charlotte . Both with completely opposite personalities.

Also, in terms of cliffhangers, what did you think of this one?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for future updates.
-Frost