“Tia wait! We don’t know where-”

Tia grunted as a soldier tackled into her.

I rushed forward, The two were wrestling along the ground, and the stallion seemed to be alone.

I punched him in the side of his helmet and pushed him over with the hilt of my sword.

He would make an excellent source of information if we got him to talk.

Time was now firmly on our side.

Tia stood up as the stallion rolled to a stop.

She pointed a spear at the stallion.

A mixed group of peasants walked up behind me.

“Take him to the breach.” I pointed at the still stunned stallion. “I wish to talk to him.”

They nodded and produced a coil of rope.

Tia surged ahead from besides me.

“What are- What are you doing?!” I called out.

Tia rounded corner.

“Tia you fool wait!” I called out, running after her.

I rounded a corner and found Tia dueling with two royal guards. Using both ends of her spear to fight both.

“Get away from her!” I called out, charging forward.

The soldier had been too distracted with his fight to notice me.

My sword bit through his spine as my sword slashed at the back of his neck.

With the sudden relief of a whole attack angle, Tia swiftly brought the butt of her spear around, catching the Unicorn on the side of her head.

Stunned, the Unicorn couldn’t block Tia as she turned the spear around and jabbed forward.

The spear pierced through the mare’s cheek, slid under her skull, and pierced out the back.

I yanked my sword out of the stallion’s neck.

“Tia!” I called again, approaching now that she seemed to be keeping still, trying to pull her spear out of the twitching mare. “Tia wait! Why are you here? I thought I told you to stay behind!”

“Lu you don't understand...” she grunted, pulling her spear out. “I have to do something, before it’s too late.”

“What are you- Tia, what are you talking about?” I said, grabbing her by the shoulder, as she looked like she was going to continue, heedless of what I had to say.

“I…” Tia shook her head. “I can’t explain it.” she pushed past me.

“Tia.” I said, dashing forward and grabbing her by both shoulders. “What are you talking about? What must you do?”

“I…” Tia tried to say. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Do you know why it must be done?” I asked, trying to calm her down.

“I… I think so.” she admitted.

“Would Mom be proud of it?” I continued.

If something were affecting her mind, like some dark spell or something, she could fight against it if she became aware of it.

“I- Yes. I think she would.” Tia nodded.

“Would I be proud?” I asked.

She looked me in the eye.

“Yes.” she said quietly.

Whatever she was talking about worried me, but if she was somehow compromised, I'd be more able to protect her if she trusted me.

“Then what must you do? And how can I help?” I asked.

“I-” She shook her head. “The Cathedral. I need to get to the Cathedral.” she said finally.

“The Cathedral? What- Nevermind.” I let go of her shoulders. “Lead on then. I will assist you however I can.”

“You will?” she perked up.

“Yes.”

“Then we don’t have a moment to lose!” she started running. “The clergy has something. Something they shouldn’t have, and something they’ll try to destroy before losing it!”

A bell went off in my head.

Was Tia really being influenced by dark magic? If she was being influenced, she must still trust me enough to want my help.

“Do you know what the object is?” I asked.

If it was some sort of artifact, then it may want Tia to do a certain thing… Something to reactivate and use it most likely.

Which could be bad.

“It’s… I think it’s a book.” Tia explained.

“A… Book?” I asked.

Curiouser and curiouser. Some sort of dread spellbook that wanted to possess Tia?

“Yes. I think-” she stopped at a corner and peered around it. She pulled back. “I think it’s the original spellbook. The one directly given to them by the Sun.

“The first book? What would the first book have-?” I started to ask, but Tia turned and rose an eyebrow at me. “Nevermind!” I encouraged. “Where to?”

Sloppy. And she’s definitely being influenced. But… Was the artifact really the first book? Everypony who had grown up in Unicornia’s culture of book reverence, knew that supposedly the first book was a spell book of tremendous power, one that gifted Unicorns with magic.

Of course that was a load of hooey. All anypony needed to do was to witness an Earth Pony Earthbreaker or a Pegasus summoning lightning between their feathers to know Unicorns weren’t the only ones with magic.

So surely that couldn’t be it… But what else would the Unicorns keep in their main Cathedral?

Until I know for sure, I’ll trust Tia.

“Follow me.” Tia whispered, just before she ran around the bend.

I followed without hesitation.

We entered another courtyard. In the distance, a column of soldiers were rushing by, following the distant sounds of fighting.

They were already leaving the courtyard as we dashed forward, facing away.

Tia lead me towards another street.

Ahead, a spire loomed in the afternoon light.

I realized Tia was pulling ahead of me as I slowed.

“Wait Tia, I’m coming.” I resumed my pace.

Tia turned a corner.

I followed, emerging into a large boulevard. Abandoned carts could be seen everywhere, overturned and left where they lay.

Prole Unicorns were running down the street, all heading towards the tall spire.

Tia was already overtaking, and ignoring several peasants.

They flinched and fled in terror at Tia’s roughly made and unpolished armor.

Their screams alerted those ahead of Tia, causing them to split in terror, allowing Tia free passage as she advanced.

I followed close behind. While they kept from me, the effect wasn't as pronounced as Tia’s march. She split them aside by presence alone, while they were already out of the way for me.

Not a soul in the crowd gave her resistance. They were too shocked that an invader could be so bold as to wander unchallenged in Unicornia itself.

Strange… How many Ponies in the tribes thought their own seat of power was untouchable.

An iron gate loomed ahead.

Soldiers in gold kept the crowd back as somepony tried to close the gate, after permitting in a Pony dressed in fine clothes.

Tia marched forward. She didn’t even slow. She walked right up to the unaware soldier and jabbed him in his gut.

The crowd gasped, and somepony even screamed.

That caused a stampede, as the crowd became overrun with panic and fled backwards.

One of the soldiers lunged for Tia.

I hit the blade off its mark and slashed at the Stallion’s neck with a nimble knife.

More guards approached.

I let the stallion fall beside me as Tia pulled her spear out.

I lunged at the first golden soldier, sneaking under his guard by using the knife to push his blade away from its target.

The front of my blade met flesh, and tore through it.

The mare fell away.

I blocked a spear with my sword’s hilt, pushing it up so the lunging head missed my head.

My knife slashed at his exposed throat.

He fell with a gurgle.

Tia behind me resorted to magic, blasting a few soldiers with a wide beam.

A guard was trying to close the gate.

I threw my knife, catching him in the eye between the bars.

He screamed in agony and surprise.

My final opponent outside swung at me, hoping to catch me by surprise by an attack from the side.

I swung down, knocking the spear to the ground, pinning it place with a hoof, and breaking it as I dove past his guard, the sword edge already slicing forward.

His decapitated head fell to the ground.

Tia rammed the screaming Pony through the bars in the gate with her spear, silencing him.

Rather than rush for the gate, the guard Ponies backed cautiously up the stairs leading to the Cathedral door.

The Noblepony behind them waddled up the stairs as if their life depended on it.

I held the gate open as Tia pulled her spear back, dislodging the soldier’s corpse.

She rounded around me through to the open gate and advanced up the stairs.

I followed, taking the opportunity to pull my knife out of the soldier's eye, letting the gate close behind me with a clang.

“No more need die today.” Tia called up. “Surrender, and I will spare you. Cross me however, and die.”

“And let a heretic like you into the Great Cathedral? Never.” A Pony called down.

“Then so be it.” Tia stated loudly, lunging up the stairs.

I rushed up the stairs after her.

I really wished she’d slow down and at least let me catch up…

But instead of running up heedlessly into the gang of soldiers, Tia sprayed a beam of fire across the stone stairs, melting several to slag and tripping several Ponies with the sudden heat and improper footing.

Tia lunged.

She brushed beside a spear, knocking it out of its owner’s hooves. Her spear jammed sideways into the stallion’s neck. A quick jab through the jugular and he was cast aside, Tia already advancing to her next victim.

I dove in front of a rushing opponent from the other side of the stairs. The mare's spear met my sword, embedding itself halfway through the shaft.

The mare advanced confidently.

I shoulder checked her and ripped the half broken spear out of her hooves, letting the weight of the shaft yank it off the blade for another clean swing.

Tia barged into a Unicorn who had turned towards me, thinking I was the most serious threat to her at that moment.

The Unicorn’s leg made a loud snap as Tia stepped on it.

“GOOOOOOOOOW!” he screamed in agony.

Tia pressed on. The stallion was down and she knew it.

He had too many wrinkles to have strong bones.

Tia intercepted the last Unicorn’s spear with a twirling parry.

I dove in with the sword.

Tia turned back towards the door, just closed shut with a resounding thud.

The Noblepony was nowhere in sight.

I pulled my sword from the Pony’s corpse and followed behind Tia.

“Lu. From here on focus on protecting me. Do not advance alone."

That was… An odd request.

“I…”

You promised you would trust her until you knew! Maybe she thinks she can talk with the priests!

“I trust you Tia.” I nodded.

Tia turned towards the doors and announced.

“The time has come Pope Morning Glory! Just as I predicted!”

What the-? What where did that come from? Who was 'Pope Morning Glory'?

“Heretic!” An old voice called from within. “You have not undergone canonization!”

What were they talking about?

“Then you leave me no choice.” Tia answered, her horn glowing.

A similar glow manifested around both double doors, at least four Ponies tall and made of heavy oak and banded iron.

Several shouts of surprise echoed inside.

The door wiggled and flexed as Tia used her magic to pull at the door.

rrrrRRRNK.

A steel hinge bent and tore.

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