It was a surprisingly smooth ride through the underground for the six heroines of Equestria albeit a dark one. Sparkle and Rarity’s glowing horns illuminated the interior of the carriage but there was little to see outside the windows other than rock and stone rushing past them. Most of them sat quietly, mulling over the fact that the fate of their world once against laid in their hooves. One, however, was preoccupied with examining her cyan barrel.

“Are you feeling alright?” Fluttershy asked when she noticed her fellow pegasus tracing lines across her fur.

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine.” Dash snapped out of her inner thoughts. “I was just wondering if there would be any…side effects from being brought back. No telling what that dark magic stuff can do.”

“Other than some stiffness in the joints, nothing serious as far as I can tell.” The Alicorn thought as she scanned over her once perforated frame. “Credit where credit is due, Trixie makes a fine necromancer.”

“Like having a sudden craving for braaaaains?” Pinkie suggested with an exaggerated moan.

“Ugh, I was thinking more a mental change like when Discord messed with our heads.” The weather mare said with a disgusted frown. “But I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I, for one, feel invigorated.” Rarity commented with a dainty toss of her mane. “No strange cravings or greedy impulses whatsoever.”

“Thank goodness fer that.” Applejack said with a short chuckle. “I feel fit as ah fiddle myself. How ‘bout you, Twi?”

“I’m just relieved that we are all together.” The purple Princess answered with a sigh. “The fact that we appear to be free of adverse effects speaks to Trixie’s newfound skills or our sheer dumb luck.”

“To think we started out looking for her thinking she had fallen into some bad hoodoo again.” Dash shook her head at the thought. “Now we have to stop save the world from eternal day, eternal night or both.”

“Speaking of, how do we plan to do that?” The pearl unicorn asked. “This seems like a job for the Elements but they are stuck in a tree.”

“And I doubt said tree would part with the Elements.” The scholarly mare mentally mused. “I have been giving it some thought…”

“I was hoping that we could talk Princess Celestia down from whatever madness has seized her.” Sparkle explained her rather vague plan. “If we can get her back on our side we might be able to stop Nightmare Moon and her partners.”

“And if not?” Applejack asked with a worried look.

The youngest Princess did not answer right away. She glanced down at one of her saddlebags and the book Spike had sent her concealed within. While she was fairly certain she could recreate the spell Starswirl had used to imprison Suneater, the cost it demanded still gave her pause. The Alicorn of Magic was about to dismiss the idea when the carriage suddenly shook violently. The passengers were thrown from their seats as the vehicle bounced a few more times before settling. From her new spot on the floor and under a dazed Pinkie, Sparkle was able to see via the window that they had left the darkness of the underground for the dimly lit forests of the Everfree.

“Sorry about that!” The drive called out from his perch. “We hit the surface a little faster than I thought. We’ll be at that thestral town shortly.”

“Just get us there in one piece!” Dash shouted back angrily as she untangled herself from Fluttershy. “Ow! I’ll take the sky any day.”

“I much prefer the train myself.” Rarity said as she noticed something lying across one of her hind legs. “Oh, Twilight I believe I had found one of your books.”

“Of all the books I have of course it’s that one.” Sparkle bemoaned in her mind.

Before the Princess could say anything, the generous fashionista took the book in her magic. Unable to resist looking at its contents, Rarity briefly scanned the page the tome had opened to as she passed it to her scholarly friend. While she made no claim to be on the same level as the Alicorn when it came to magic, she did understand enough to tell that the spell was not entirely beneficial to the casters.

“What exactly is that?” Rarity asked with slight trepidation.

“Might as well tell them.” The academic Alicorn mentally sighed.

“It’s…it’s the spell Starswirl used to imprison Suneater.” Sparkle confessed. “I thought it could have been useful against him but…”

“But what?” Dash pressed for more upon seeing her friend’s guilty look. “Twilight? You’re making me nervous here.”

“In its current form, it demands a constant source of power to keep the target locked away.” Sparkle explained carefully. “The caster would have to bind at least two others to the spell where it would feed off them until there was nothing left.”

“That’s horrible!” A mortified Fluttershy gasped. “Twilight? You were not going to-“

“NO!” The Princess snapped before she caught herself when the pegasus flinched. “Sun, Moon and Stars…I could never do that to any of you.”

“Take it easy, sugercube. We know that.” Applejack offered a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Shoot, you nearly had ah breakdown just at the thought of not givin’ us some of us those gala tickets.”

“Thanks.” The Alicorn said glumly as she climbed back into her seat. “I tried to refine the spell so sacrificing others would not be necessary but…huh?”

The bookish mare looked at her notes scribbled in the margins to find a set she did not recall making. Upon closer inspection, it was not even her writing style. Sparkle arched an eyebrow as she read what someone had left for her.

“Sparkle,

Trying to stand on old Starswirl’s shoulders again? You’ve dissected his forgotten work well enough but need to think outside the box Equestria has stuffed you in.

First, it appears the old coot accidentally replicated what the Elements of Harmony can do only instead of kindness, loyalty and the rest of that drivel he used his ‘friends’ lives. If you decide to do the same, use the weather mare and the farm hick. Their souls will last the longest.

Second, the target, caster and source components of this spell are not mutually exclusive. One can perform multiple roles so there is nothing stopping you from sacrificing yourself.

One more thing, don’t bother trying it on His Excellency or Suneater. The former broke the spell to release the latter so they already know how to beat it.

Hope to see you again soon,

-The Great and Powerful Trixie”

“Ugh. So much for the Great and Apologetic Trixie.” The Princess of Magic scrunched up her nose at the rather hostile way the necromantic Archmage conveyed advice. “At least she is getting something from living among the dead. Now what was that about mutual exclusivity?”

While Sparkle had already came to the conclusion that Starswirl had crudely replicated one of the effects of the Elements of Harmony it was the second point that made the gears in the scholarly mare’s mind spin. She had been so focused on finding a way to cast the spell without feeding her friends to it she had overlooked the other components. With those factored in, new possibilities began to form.

“If I draw magic from here instead of there, maybe…I should write this down!” Before she lost her train of thought, the Alicorn retrieved a travel quill from her bag and began revising her notes. “Use harmony to cast it…then use two opposing forces…hmm…”

“Uh, Twi?” Applejack waved a hoof in front of her friend as she started scribbling furiously in the book. “You still there?”

“Shh!” Pinkie shushed her. “Don’t stop her now, she’s about to be brilliant!”

Indeed, Sparkle’s face seemed to light up as her calculations and equations fell into place. The academic Alicorn eventually finished her brainstorming and put down the now smoking quill. She carefully ran over her new notes as her friends looked on anxiously.

“Well?” Rarity asked. “Feel free to share.”

“I think I got it!” The Princess answered excitedly. “The only way to know for sure would be to test it but we know what happened last time I used incomplete spells.”

“So many apple trees.” Pinkie visibly shivered. “So would this help slap the crazy out of Celestia and Luna?”

“Not sure ‘slap’ is the appropriate word.” Her friend mentally grumbled.

“In theory.” Sparkle responded with a slight grimace. “In practice there is still a great risk. Hopefully we won’t even need this.”

“No harm in being prepared.” Dash said with a shrug. “Hey, are we slowing down?”

A look at the windows revealed that the carriage was slowing to a stop just as the forest began to thin. It was reasonable to assume they were just outside the outskirts of the thestral colony.

“This is your stop.” The driver called out. “Everybody off.”

After taking a moment to gather their bags, the six friends opened the door and climbed out of the carriage. Through the trees they could see the various buildings of Hollow Shades. What caught there attention, however, was the solar eclipse hanging above them.

“That can’t be good.” Dash said with a frown as she scanned the unfriendly sky. “Moon and her partners must be making her move.”

“Then we have less time than I thought.” Sparkle agreed as she turned to the driver. “Thank you for taking us this far.”

“My pleasure.” The creature nodded as he cracked a whip over the heads of the black wendigoes. “Best of luck to you, looks like you’ll need it.”

The carriage wheeled around and disappeared back into the wilderness. The heroines wasted no time in galloping through the brush and into town. Sparkle was about to suggest they find the Countess and request support but upon passing the outlying buildings, she noticed a distinct lack of activity.

“I know most would be asleep this time of day but surely the eclipse would draw their attention.” The Alicorn thought as she scanned the windows for signs of movement.

“Where is everypony?” Fluttershy voiced the question on all their minds.

“Ah don’t know.” Applejack said just as she noticed movement toward the center of the colony. “Hey! That’s yer balloon, Twi!”

The apple farmer pointed toward the town square where the Princess’ aircraft was inflated and appeared ready for departure. She was about to shout ‘theif’ when she spotted the distinct builds of her brother and his partner. The honest earth pony galloped ahead of her friends, relieved to see her sibling safe.

“Big Mac!” She called out. “Caramel!”

The two farm stallions turned to see the six mares galloping toward them. They stopped whatever they were doing and greeted the heroines.

“Good to see you in one piece, Miss Applejack.” Caramel said with a smile. “McIntosh here was worried sick about you.”

“Yep.” Mac said simply as he embraced his younger sister. “Things have gone stir crazy since you left.”

“You could say that again.” Dash scoffed lightly. “Do you know what happened to all the bat-ponies?”

“That’s the thing.” The other stallion answered. “It happened this morning…”

By his account, Mac and Caramel had awakened at the crack of dawn as they usually do. They were eating breakfast when it went from early morning to high noon in the blink of an eye. This riled up the thestrals who were still awake and the entire town was put on alert. After a few hours, the apple farmers tried to argue with a guard to let them leave when the sun was eclipsed.

“That really got their attention.” Caramel wrapped up his tale. “Then they all got real quiet and alert like somethin' was whispering to them.”

“Suddenly they all flew out of town, hissing and snarling like rabid timberwolves.” Mac concluded. “We figured we should leave while we had the chance.”

“This has Moon’s hoofprints all over it.” Sparkle inferred. “She’s built an army to take Canterlot.”

“Before you ask, we weren’t going to leave you.” Caramel said defensively as he gestured toward the balloon. “We were just getting it set up.”

“I’m surprised you two knew how to prep a dirigible.” Dash commented. “Uh, no offence.”

“Oh, we hauled it out of the shed the bat-ponies had stored it in.” Mac gestured to said shed and then to the tavern. “But they got it ready to fly.”

The mares looked to see a familiar unicorn trot out of the building with a stack of boxes suspended in magic.

“I forgot those two were here.” Sparkle thought. “Can’t blame them for wanting to leave.”

“I hope you two don’t mind if I bring a few things along.” Flim said from behind a crate. “If space becomes an issue, we could convert your wagon into some sort of skiff.”

“You might want to reconsider.” Mac advised. “My sister and her friends are back.”

“Oh! I see. That changes things.” The sales stallion peeked around his load and saw the orange apple farmer giving him a hard look. “Flam? The mares made it back. Go to plan B.”

“Got it.” Flam answered from within the establishment. “I was against leaving it behind anyway.”

His brother set down his stack of boxes and slapped on his winning smile. He maintained it as he approached the group but ultimately dropped it when it only caused Applejack’s frown to deepen. Mac noticed her sour expression and nudged her to tone it down.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to leave us.” She said accusingly.

“In the interest of honesty, once the thestrals took off like bats out of Hell the four of us wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.” The clean shaven half of the sibling duo admitted. “Your brother insisted that we wait to see if you came back or not but until then we got it ready for them.”

“That’s Mac fer ya.” Applejack smiled up at her brother. “And… thanks for helping them.”

“Well my brother and I figured now would be an opportune time to bury the hatchet or at least kick some dirt on it.” Flim said with a nonchalant nod of his head. “Plus it’s a welcome change of pace to be leaving a town on our own terms.”

“I feel like I should be writing a friendship report to Celestia about this.” Sparkle reminisced. “I miss those days.”

A rhythmic series of pops, rings and clangs backed by the steady chug of a motor greeted their ears. A few moments later and Flam emerged from behind the tavern at the controls of an elaborate contraption. His brother wasted no time in transferring his boxes onto the back of the device and joining his moustached sibling.

“It has been fun catching up Apple and friends but it is time for the Flim-Flam brothers to embark on another venture.” Flim said in time with their machine. “Right, Flam?”

“Indeed, Flim.” Flam concurred. “Given the success of our tavern, I purpose we ply our trade in the calmer climbs of Gryphondom.”

“You two be careful now.” Caramel said as he and the rest waved farewell. “Maybe come back some time once things have calmed down.”

If either of the two sales stallions responded, it was lost in the noise of the infamous Super Cider Squeezy as it drove beyond the gates of Hollow Shades and into the wilderness beyond.

“I still don’t fully trust those two.” Applejack said with a slight frown. “But ah guess beneath all that smarm, snake oil n’ straw hats are ah pair of decent ponies.”

“Imagine what they think of us.” Mac said jokingly as he patted his little sister on the back. “I guess we should be on our way as well.”

“You got that right.” Dash agreed as she zipped to the front of the balloon where the harness lay on the ground. “And this time, I’m flying us the whole way!”

“I won’t stop you.” Sparkle looked away sheepishly as she helped her friends and the farm stallions into the basket.

It was a tight fit with the addition of two stallions particularly with McIntosh’s heavy frame but the equines managed to make it work. After giving the all clear signal to Dash, the strapped in weather mare took to the air and dragged the balloon up with her.

“Wait, what about our wagon?” Caramel asked as he indicated the empty applecart left behind.

“Forget it.” Applejack waved off his concern. “We got a country to save!”

The fully laden balloon broke past the treetops and into open air. After gaining a bit more altitude just to be safe, Dash took off toward the Southwest with her friends in tow. Her passengers had to hunker down to avoid the stinging air as it whipped by them. After a while, Caramel noticed something else they had forgotten.

“Wasn’t Princess Luna with you?” He asked curiously.

The heroines exchanged looks. With the two farmhands out of the loop, it would be quite a lot to dump on them.

“That is a long story.” Sparkle said apologetically.

“Well with this eclipse and all I imagine she is not feeling herself.” McIntosh inferred. “What exactly happened on your quest?”

“We’re zombies now!” Pinkie exclaimed suddenly.

“What?” The two stallions said in unison.

“Thanks Pinkie.” Sparkle rolled her eyes.

“Like I said, it is a very long story.” The Alicorn reiterated before deciding it may be better to divulge some details. “In short, there is a world below ours filled with the souls of the departed. The King who rules over it had us killed and then resurrected. Completely, I might add, not as undead flesh eaters.”

“There are also ancient gods about to assert their will over the world, Celestia and Luna have gone insane and said King might be invading soon but I don’t want to pile on.” She mentally added.

“That’s…” Caramel visibly paled as he struggled to put words to his jumbled thoughts. “…holy shit.”

“Yep.” His big red partner agreed.

“Hey, don’t worry you two.” Applejack assured them. “Things may have gotten a bit crazy but we’re goin’ to set things right.”

“I certainly hope so.” The Princess thought as the peak of Mount Canterhorn began to steadily emerge over the horizon.

The heroines saw the smoke before the tallest spires of Canterlot appeared. An apprehensive hush fell over the airborne passengers as the capital fully came into view. They had left the castle in a rough state but it appeared to have only gotten worse. Several towers had collapsed and the superstructure had a few new holes with a particularly large one around where the throne room would be. The accompanying city had fared little better as bolts of errant magic tore chucks of buildings while fires burned out of control. In the airspace around the besieged city flashes of gold and specks of black darted to and fro like flies fighting over a carcass. In the ominous half-light of the eclipse, it appeared to be a scene from the depths of Tartarus itself.

“Looks like Moon has made her move.” Sparkle thought as she scanned the harrowing scene. “I hope the non-combatants had time to escape.”

“This is pretty bad, Twilight.” Rarity stated the obvious. “I cannot tell who is winning.”

“We will.” The Princess of Magic said resolutely. “Once we drop off Big Mac and Caramel, we’ll find a way into Canterlot and confront Celestia.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Dash yelled over the wind before she noticed something flying toward them. “Heads up! We got a boogie coming in at one o’clock high!”

“Then we have time to prepare.” Pinkie said as she rummaged through her bags. “Now where did I leave my party cannon?”

“I meant direction not time!” The weather mare was unsure if her land bound friend was joking or genuinely misunderstood the jargon. “There slightly to my left! Looks like a golden boy!”

The prismatic pegasus pointed to where a gold armored guard was heading straight for them. Sparkle and Rarity ignited their horns as the lone Pegasus drew closer to the admittedly large and not very agile balloon. It was only when the Princess was able to make out the orange rather than dyed white coat beneath the gold that she quelled her magic.

“Flash?!” She called out while telling the fashionista to stand down with a pat on the shoulder.

“Twilight!” The Captain shouted hoarsely. “Stop the balloon!”

“Hold it, Dash!” The Alicorn said urgently.

“Are you sure?” The cyan pegasus eyed the approaching Solar Guard warily.

“I trust him.” Sparkle nodded. “Plus he is alone and flying in open air; not exactly the best way to attack somepony.”

Dash kept a suspicious eye on Sentry but slowed to a hover nonetheless. The orange pegasus flew closer and closer until the passengers could hear his labored breathing and see the strain in his face. He was obviously struggling to keep himself airborne.

“He must have been flying at top speed for some time.” The purple Princess deduced. “All while wearing full armor.”

With no clouds nearby, Sentry had no choice but to grab onto the basket with the last of his energy. His sudden weight caused the balloon to list precariously before McIntosh and Pinkie managed to drag him in. The Captain lay on the floor panting heavily with his wings splayed out behind him.

“Oh, I’ve been there.” Dash said knowingly. “Endurance flying is rough on the unprepared.”

“Haa…haa…yew…” Sentry gasped dryly.

“Anypony got any water?” Fluttershy asked.

“I do!” Pinkie answered as she dove into her bags once again. “I also got some…Hey! Who took all my treats?”

Missing sweets aside, the party pony retrieved a canteen of water which the orange pegasus accepted graciously. After chugging half of it in one go, he passed it back with a sastified ‘ah’.

“Thanks, Pinkie.” Sentry said roughly as he caught his breath. “I’d say that Equestria needs its heroines again but I think you can already see that.”

“It’s simply horrid.” Rarity shook her head sadly. “Between Celestia embracing tyranny and Luna falling back into darkness it is almost too much.”

“How did you know about Celestia?” The orange stallion asked. “And Luna’s evil again? I thought she was just trying to stop her sister.”

“That is a bit of a long story.” Sparkle said while giving Pinkie a look that told her not to blurt out anything related to their death experience. “Right now we need to focus on stopping both of them before they rip this world apart.”

“You have a plan then?” Sentry asked hopefully.

“Sort of.” The Princess admitted. “We were going to confront Celestia directly but we seemed to have missed that window.”

“Just my two bits here but I think we should set down somewhere and iron out this plan.” Dash suggested. “As much as I like winging it, charging off into that mess looks like a bad idea. Last time I tried something like that I got fried.”

“Ah have a mind with Dash.” Applejack agreed.

“Very well then.” The Alicorn saw no reason to argue. “Any suggestions?”

“Your castle is the safest bet.” Sentry pointed toward the crystalline tree just visible over the Everfree. “I had the civilians and guards who refused to go along with Celestia moved there.”

“And with the Solar n’ Night Guard busy fightin’ each other ah doubt they’re payin’ much attention to little ol’ Ponyville.” Applejack added.

“Sounds good to me.” Sparkle nodded in agreement. “Dash, take us in low and quiet. Applejack’s right but we can’t be too careful.”

The speedy mare snapped a salute and resumed their flight. They descended until they were just above the tree tops while the passengers watched the besieged mountain as if a flight of Umbrals or Solarii would fall upon them at any moment. The apple farmer’s observation proved truthful as the fully laden dirigible entered the outer limits of Ponyville without incident and continued on to the Princess of Magic’s castle.

“Place looks like ah ghost town.” Applejack said as they flew over the empty streets of the normally bustling town.

“I imagine most ponies have barricaded their homes, fled or taken shelter in the castle.” Dash surmised. “At least that’s the procedure in Cloudsdale.”

“Mayor Mare put something similar in place ever since Tirek rampaged through here.” Sparkle said knowingly. “Though I don’t know how much good it will do if an army decides to pay a visit.”

The prismatic pegasus slowed to a near hover as they reached the landing pad of the crystal tree-castle. Dash had no sooner begun their descent when a trio of Sparkle’s tyrian guard, two pegasi and a unicorn, emerged from the palace with weapons and magic at the ready.

“Stand down!” The Princess called down to her guards. “It’s us!”

“Princess Sparkle?” The relief of the soldiers was almost palpable. “Finally some good news!”

The pair of pegasi flew up to Dash and helped her bring the balloon down with a gentle bump. As the equines disembarked, the unicorn trotted forward knelt respectfully. Sparkle bid the officer to rise and waited from him to speak.

“I apologize about that, your highness.” He said genuinely referring to taking aim at his liege. “We didn’t recognize the balloon.”

“In this current climate I don’t blame you.” The Alicorn stated as she glanced at the eclipse which was now fluctuating slightly as if the sun was trying to peek out from behind the moon. “My friends and I are heading for the council chambers to strategize. You can fill us in on the way.”

“Of course, majesty.” The guard saluted. “What of your aircraft?”

“It would signal to Celestia or Luna…Moon…that we have returned.” The Princess thought. “Then again, we might need it soon.”

“Move it to shelter but leave it air worthy.” Sparkle answered.

The officer relayed her orders to the two pegasi and then followed after the group into the palace. Along the way to the central chambers, he reiterated what Captain Sentry had told in receiving a group of disenfranchised nobles and Solar Guards from Canterlot by air and then a later batch by train. Some continued on to relatives in distant cities while the rest were currently being held in either the castle’s guest quarters or dungeons.

“The dungeons?” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Whatever for?”

“Some of them were conspirators in Blueblood’s coup. Even with Moon invading they are still traitors.” Sentry answered for the officer. “I assume you already knew about that.”

“We did but we’ll deal with that later.” Sparkle nodded. “So after the elites arrived?”

The unicorn explained that the eclipse arrived not long after the last group of guards arrived. At first they thought Luna had returned to stop her maddened sister but when scouts saw legions of thestrals heading for the capital they began to suspect something worse. The general alarm was sounded by Mayor Mare and the civilians took shelter in the castle, town hall or their own basements and cellars.

“Once the last of the civies were taken care of we locked down the palace and posted lookouts to keep an eye on any developments.” The officer finished. “Having you all back will do wonders for morale.”

“I still have a few party favors.” Pinkie offered in her usual upbeat tone. “I could make it like a giant sleepover for them.”

“I’m sure they would appreciate that, sugercube.” Applejack said nicely but firmly. “But we need you with us for now.”

“Right, right.” The party pony deflated a bit but maintained her positive disposition. “It would be better to throw a party after we win this.”

“I think we would all enjoy that.” Fluttershy agreed quietly.

The group eventually reached the council chambers and entered except for Applejack and the farm stallions. Fearing leaving their elderly grandmother and youngest sister alone outside of town, they thought it would be best for McIntosh and Caramel to return to Sweet Apple Acers.

“We’ll keep them safe, don’t worry.” The red stallion assured his sibling.

“Ah know you will.” The honest mare said as she hugged him. “Be safe you two.”

“Best of luck to you Miss Applejack.” Caramel said as he and his partner departed.

While the orange earth pony saw off her brother, Pinkie and Fluttershy were drawn to a peculiar sight. On a side table stood a glass jar filled with ashes and a very familiar pair of misshapen eyes.

“Discord?” The party pony asked as she tapped the glass. “Is that you?”

“Mmmph!” The ashes vibrated in what sounded like a rough approximation of a yes.

“Oh no!” The yellow pegasus clasped her hooves in front of her muzzle in horror. “What happened?”

“Celestia, or Daybreaker as she calls herself now, incinerated him.” Sentry answered with a sympathetic look at the disembodied draconequus. “She wanted me to drop his remains into the sea.”

“How could she?” A rare flash of anger crossed the kindly mare’s face. “First Blueblood and now Discord.”

“Wait, you didn’t join that jerk in trying to overthrow her did you?” Pinkie narrowed her eyes at the jar suspiciously.

“Mmm-mmph!” The red and yellow eyes looked from side to side in a pantomime of shaking his head no.

“He’s not technically lying.” The Captain said with a frown. “I’ll let him explain himself once he pulls himself together.”

A bit of the ash formed into a rude gesture as Sentry turned away. The two mares offered to start arguing to give him a boost but after a few moments they realized that there was little to argue about between them. The ash pile of chaos spared them and himself any further half-heated debate by motioning for them to work with Sparkle. He could fix himself it was just going to take some time.

“Get well soon, party animal.” Pinkie gave Discord a farewell tap on his glass before going to the council table.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t help.” Fluttershy said meekly. “We could look for a bunch of schoolfillies later if you want.”

The disintegrated draconequus’ eyes beamed in delight as he formed a crude claw to wave goodbye to his two friends. With the heroines reconvened at the table along with Captain Sentry and the tyrian guard officer. Princess Sparkle sat in the crystalline throne bearing her cutie mark and focused the geo-map on Canterlot and the surrounding area.

“We are about to open another front in this civil war.” The youngest Alicorn thought as her friends and allies began to formulate a plan. “The Sun and Moon may have once ruled this land but harmony held it together. We will remind the mad mare, usurper and any other fiend of that fact.”

---

The lunar Bastion of Nightmares had many halls and galleries dedicated to Nightmare Moon’s sense of supremacy and desire for admiration. One such temple to her ego contained numerous statues of equines in various states of adulation. They were all directed toward an empty stage at the far end of the hall where the Usurper would indulge her vanity and practice grandiose speeches. Since the dark Alicorn’s first departure, the hall had remained undisturbed with the airless vacuum of space and latent magic imbued in the moonstone ensuring it was well preserved. This was shattered in an instant when a black robed stallion fell through the roof and landed amongst the ‘peanut gallery’ of the stone audience. The Silent King lay motionless on his back as the shock of being sucker punched by a Primordial dragon rendered his body unresponsive. His mental faculties, however, were firing like a steam engine powered by a form of anger known only to a damned few.

“It’s treason then.” The Theoi fumed darkly within his mind. “A sudden but in hindsight inevitable turn of events.”

In time, the Dread Lord’s body obeyed his commands and sat up groggily. He took stock of his surroundings including a door opposite the stage that appeared to be the only normal way in and out. With his bident that he had managed to keep a grip on, the pale horse got to all fours and popped his aching back.

“I knew there would be resistance especially from Night Sky and Moon but I had hoped to argue my case not be smacked through a wall, particularly by Shifting Darkness.” He thought as he looked up at the hole his fall had made with a bitter sneer. “Eons of trust and friendship destroyed in an instant by the swipe of a dragon’s arm. So be it. Like Sombra, this folly will be their undoing.”

With a grunt of restrained anger, the Lord of Shades trotted through the throng of statues toward the exit. He was about halfway there when the room trembled and a bit of the ceiling fell free. The pallid pony watched as a series of smaller tremors made their way toward his point of entry. It was clear that something very large and heavy had landed above him. His assumption proved true as not a moment later the Black Dragon dropped in front of him along with most of the ceiling. In the sudden implosion of pale dust and rubble, the Theoi took cover behind one of the larger statues.

“What’s this?” He thought somewhat optimistically. “Was it all just a ploy on the dragon’s part?”

“Hidden One!" The Lord of Darkness’ tone was more challenging than friendly. “I know you are down here!”

“I guess not.” The stygian stallion mentally grumbled.

With the colossal dragon having not noticed him yet, the Theoi stole a glance at the starlit sky above. The larger hole allowed him to see part of the exterior of the Orrery as well as a bit of the planet Equus. The lack of magical lights or other signs of combat from the dome above spoke volumes to the Dark Lord.

“Moon must have sided with her benefactor. I suppose that puts a moratorium on our relationship.” He mused just as a stream of starlight shot out of the dome toward the planet. “Ah, so they go on ahead while Suneater finishes me off.”

The Hidden One looked past the draconic Primordial at the exit. There still some distance but a hard gallop would see him through. The stallion was about to make a break for it when Suneater looked behind him at the same doorway. With a mighty *FWOOSH*, the one-time patron of the Marked Legions created a wall of nether fire that effectively barred the way.

“There is nowhere to run.” The Black Dragon rumbled. “And not even you cannot hide forever.”

“I beg to differ.” The Hidden One thought as scanned for any other avenues of escape. “There might be passageways backstage. The only other options are to brave the flames or jump out the roof.”

The Theoi quietly crept from behind the statue to another one. He had just reached it when the dragon suddenly brought his fist down obliterating a chunk of the stone crowd. The Dread Lord watched as the beast picked through the rubble with a claw. It was then that he noticed that the dragon’s dynamic entrance had coated him and the room in a fine layer of moondust giving him roughly the same coloration as the statues.

“One of the few times were my complexion is a benefit.” The pale horse thought as he held a foreleg against a stone mare to compare. “This could work.”

Unlike most modern ponies who went about in the fur, the equines of Moon’s time whom the statues were based on wore a variety of clothing. However, few of them were wearing anything as elaborate as the Silent King’s heavy robes and none of them were holding anything like a staff. Thus the Theoi dissipated his vestments save for the tunic-like garment he wore under everything. As for his trusty bident, he considered taking the risk of keeping it but after Suneater pulverized another batch of statues he thought better of it.

“I can at least by some time with it.” The Dark Lord mused as he hefted his weapon of choice.

With a deft flick of his forehoof, the pallid pony tossed the two-pronged staff into the air. It let out a metallic thrum as it spun before landing with a clamor center stage. As expected, Suneater immediately whirled around with tongues of nether flame licking from his jaws to face the noise. When he saw only the staff, he quenched his fire.

“Playing tricks now?” The Primordial sneered derisively. “That is about all you can do. I have seen you limping and struggling like an old nag; your strength fails you here.”

“Which is probably why you were so bold as to knock me through a wall.” The Theoi mentally cursed his inability to properly cover his weakness.

Taking advantage of his small distraction, the King moved as quickly and quietly as he could toward the stage while keeping an eye on Suneater. He only made it a few steps before the dragon’s eyes fell upon him. The stallion immediately froze and did his best impression of the statues surrounding him. He felt the Black Dragon’s gaze linger in his general area before it moved on. The Dark Theoi waited until Suneater had his back to him again before he broke his stillness.

“I really do not want to press my luck with this ruse.” He thought as crept ever closer to his target. “He is bound to notice one of the statues keeps moving forward.”

Like some diabolic variation of the game red light/green light, the Silent King continued his stop and go pace as Suneater grew increasingly frustrated. The Theoi had just reached the ‘peanut gallery’ again when the dragon’s eyes fell upon him once more, forcing him to freeze just shy of the stage. Instead of looking away, the dragon inhaled and unleashed a torrent of accursed flame. It took all of his will for the Dread Lord not to flinch as the rows immediately behind him were engulfed in black fire.

“Rragh! Where are you?!” The Lord of Darkness roared in obvious frustration.

“Eventually he is going to just turn this whole room into an inferno.” The Theoi thought as he thanked the Fates Suneater failed to notice his tail move from the rush of air. “I need a plan before then.”

After spending a few moments checking to see if any of the immolated statues were burning rather than melting, the dragon finally averted his gaze to repeat the test with other rows of statues. The Silent King waited until he heard another blast of fire and used the noise to mask his hoof falls as he galloped onto the stage and into the relative shelter of the interior.

“That was way too close.” The pallid pony thought as he leaned against the thin wall that separated the main and backstage. “Now if I can only find an exit.”

Unfortunately for the Theoi, there was not egress to be found backstage save for the way in came in. The only objects were a few more statues bearing the likeness of thestral guards and a bench where he assumed Moon took the time to prepare before she addressed her fantastical subjects. In searching for escape, the King had only trapped himself.

“Damn it!” His still smoldering temper flared up again. “Cornered like mere game!”

The Lord of Shades looked around as he desperately tried to come up with another plan. As he plotted, the room shook as Suneater obliterated another batch of statues with his flames and fists. It was clear the dragon prince’s patience was at its end and he had to act.

“I grow tired of this game, Hidden One!” The Black Dragon called out. “Your tricks can only do so much!”

“The stealth rout has run its course but I still need more time.” The Silent King thought as the pieces of a plan began to form. “Let’s give diplomacy a try for all the good it will do.”

“Those ‘tricks’ are the only reason you are here right now, Shifting Darkness.” The Dark Lord responded as the acoustics of the nearly demolished room made his voice seem to come from all around. “How quickly you forget my mercies.”

“I have not forgotten.” Suneater retorted as he tried to pin down the origin of the neutral voice. “But you of all Theoi should know not to make me chose between a friend and my bride.”

“I did not.” An edge entered the disembodied voice as its owner’s anger began to bleed through. “I objected and then you attacked.”

“Mrrph. A fair point.” The dragon rumbled as he mulled it over. “Regardless, it was foolish of you to stand in our way.”

“The only fool here is you.” The Dread Lord retorted darkly. “I can tolerate a modicum of defiance but betraying me, the Lord of Shades, is beyond the pale! There are scores of shades in Tartarus that can testify as-”

“Rahahahahaha! Your threats ring hollow!” The Lord of Darkness interrupted with a rough laugh. “You and I both know that without the Underworld, you are nothing more than an old, nearly crippled husk of a god.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, he is right.” The Khthonic Theoi mused as he withdrew his helm from what little storage there was in his undergarments. “Fortunately I always carry a little piece of it with me.”

“Yes, the monster we once feared died along with his loathsome brothers.” The draconic Primordial continued confidently. “Once Night Sky and I take the mortal world, we will merge it with the Sunless Lands and use Barathrum as our seat of power! So face me, Dark Lord! Let us end this once and for all!”

Silence greeted this bold proclamation. Suneater was about to fire off another barb to provoke his foe into action when he heard something from the empty stage behind him. He turned to see the wall that formed the background explode outward in a shower of lunar rubble and fire; not the nether fire of Darkness but the hellfire of the Infernal Pits. A figure silhouette against the roaring flames trotted forward, each hoof fall punctuated by the solid clank of abyssal metal against stone. The silent stallion knelt down to retrieve the bident and then returned to its full height. The hellfire gathered around his shoulders and cooled into a cloak of billowing smoke and embers matched by the flowing plume atop his great helm. Two points of baleful white light filled with nothing but rage and malice shone out from beneath the skull-faced Helm of Darkness, causing the object of their enmity to unconsciously take a step back. The Silent King spoke, his voice now a deep rumble from the depths of the earth as his black rage boiled over.

“Everyone, mortal or immortal, fears me, lowborn spawn of Khaos!” The Immortal Overlord of the Underworld boomed as he leveled his weapon at the dragon. “Let me remind you why!”

Next Chapter: Supernova Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 33 Minutes