Our arrival at the Sanctuary didn't take horribly long, and we were granted entrance when we got there. It wasn’t long into our time within the walls, as I was making my way towards the stairs of the Main Hall specifically, that I saw a familiar sight. Trotting across the square was a pony with dandelion-yellow hide, brown stripes on the body, and sandy blonde hair atop their head. I sat for a moment, looking at the pony before it clicked. "Sparky?!"

I saw her turn, looking around for where it came from. I began trotting over to her, calling out to her again. “Sparky!”

When she finally put two and two together she furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"Well, that's kind of relative. A lot has happened, and-"

"So...yes or no?" I folded back my helmet, maybe hoping she recognised me. "So that looks like a no."

"It's me, Sparky; it's Aqua." Now her brow really furrowed.

"Aqua was a blue pony with white hair. You might have white hair, but she definitely wasn't orange."

"Like I said, a lot has happened."

"How do I know it's you?" I went to open my mouth and remind her of my scars earned in combat, but remembered that those were given to me within these very walls, rather than the school.

"Because I was the one that told you I was going to do what nopony else could, so I joined the Order. I mentored you, saved you from a ring of bullies, and delivered the heartbreaking news that there could be no mares in the Order. Any of this proving it?"

"If it really is you then what happened?"

"I don't know. I died in a forest and came back out like this."

"You what in a where?!"

"I died in a forest."

"I don't believe you."

"I have the scar to prove it. I have the scars to prove several deaths." Her expression read heavy doubt, so I powered down my armour. My entire orange hide came into view. "This one on my chest was from the forest, the one on my neck is from a fight, the one on my side here from a basement of torture, these two on my chest were-"

"Ok, I get it. You don't have to list them all. I can already see that you're pretty messed up. What happened to you?"

"I wasn't ready." She blinked. "So I made myself ready. I have this armour, I have advanced fighting methods, and I've acquired allies. The list could go on further."

"Well, it's good to see you're still alive...somehow."

"And what are you doing here?"

"I was accepted to come here."

"...what?"

"Yeah, I got a letter last night that said I was a special case, but that they were investigating another, so they cleared it. So made my way here. I actually just finished putting all of my stuff away and was trotting over for armour when you called out to me from the front gate." My brow furrowed.

"...something's not right. The Guildmaster wouldn't make an exception like that, at least not the Guildmaster I know."

"So...is it a good thing that I'm here?" She still looked up to me for guidance and support, if nothing else.

"Yes. I think it's wonderful that you made it this far." But regardless of that, something was off, and I needed to figure it out. "It was good seeing you here, Sparky. I have to report to the Guildmaster real quick, but I'll be around."

"Okay! See you around Aqua." She trotted off, leaving me to turn to Storm.

"You're not content with something."

"No, I'm not. If Sparky's here then the Guildmaster intentionally brought in a mare, which means he either changed the rules or isn't playing by them anymore. I have to figure this out. That means I have to speak with the Guildmaster. You can stay outside if you wish."

"Alright. I probably shouldn't go in, since he doesn't take too kindly to my group." I nodded before making my way to the Main Hall. I trotted within, finding the Guildmaster sitting on his throne.

"Ah, if it isn't Aqua returned from his latest adventure. And what do you have to report to me today?"

"Well, it's an interesting report indeed, Guildmaster."

"Oh? How so?"

"Duty called me to clear an entire city filled with unnatural monsters to help a group of ponies."

"Well, did you succeed?"

"I did; the city is safe and the ponies can continue in peace."

"Wonderful news indeed, Aqua."

"That is my report." I turned to leave, as was customary.

"Now, Aqua?" I turned back around.

"Yes, Guildmaster?"

"Would you mind explaining to me a few of your...um…extracurricular activities, if we call them that?"

"Uh...I don't understand the question, Guildmaster."

"You've had quite the life, Aqua, and I know of things you've done recently." I wasn't sure if I was confused or concerned at this point. "I'm aware that the city that you helped clear was the capital of our enemies."

"They needed my help, they reached out to me, and I rendered my assistance. Is that not our call?"

"You were furthering their cause."

"I was killing murderous creatures."

"However you want to justify that betrayal, Aqua, feel free to try. But that's not the only information you've kept from me. You see, this organisation runs on honesty."

"I came forth in my failure before. You know I'd be honest in this task."

"Yet here you are with somepony, one in particular. You and I both know who I'm talking about, Aqua. He works for the enemy."

"How are they our enemies? I've seen nothing but help and hope from them for our Order."

"They rebelled against our allies in a civil war. Besides, that pony with you is of interest. That stallion isn't just any other stallion to you, Aqua, is he? You're not even a stallion yourself. More than this? You've betrayed our rules again, as the two of you are now a singular unit." That happened last night. How did he already know?

"So you're spying on me?"

"Oh, I'm not, but my friend is."

"Oh yeah? Who is this 'friend'?"

"Oh, she'll be here any minute now. Probably right about...now." Suddenly, an explosion echoed off outside. My attention naturally turned to the sound before I turned back to the Guildmaster. "Oh, now you're surprised, aren't you?"

"What's going on?"

"That's for you to figure out. In the meantime, organise the defences; we have a fight ahead of us." I looked at him in disdain, his smug expression filling me with immeasurable anger. Suddenly, another explosion sounded off, forcing me to leave the painfully smug pony behind.

When I got outside what met my view was definitely not something I'd hope to ever see. The entire Order was in commotion, running this way and that. There were several flaming chunks of ordinance laying about the square, with a few still coming up over the walls. The wooden gates were severely damaged at this point, and taking rhythmic hits from the other side. The armoury was swarming the most, with ponies entering and exiting like some form of hive. Suddenly, there were shouts echoing from the building, and it quickly emptied. Seconds later, one of the chunks of ordinance hit the building directly, demolishing it entirely. It was at this moment that I snapped into action. I galloped over to where my armour was and activated it once again. My armour plates had completely folded over my body by the time I continued attempting to piece together any kind of direction for these ponies. I shouted out with as mighty of a tone as I could as I approached the chaos in the main square. As it turns out, it was far louder than I anticipated, echoing out a commanding presence. "Those of you without weapons and armour: salvage what you can from the remains of the armoury. If there's nothing left of use, head to the forge. We must be armed!"

Without even flinching, these Protectorates, by far my superiors, moved out to obey my command. "The rest of you: get any archers that we might have on the walls. Position yourselves before the front gates and be ready to hold the line!"

They looked at me for a moment before moving out. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing, or why, but I knew that somepony had to take command of the situation. As I was finishing up my last orders to the group Storm approached me and spoke.

"I didn't know you were that respected here, that they would consider you as their superior."

"I'm not, and they don't."

"Then why do they obey you?"

"Because I'm the only pony giving any kind of direction or orders." I still wasn't entirely sure why I was, but I was. Before Storm could respond, however, another explosion sounded off from the ordinance. A few blinks worth of time later the gate finally gave way. In one final shout, I charged in. "Hold the line!"

I reared up onto my hind legs when I arrived and drew my blades. From this angle, I got a clear view of the incoming enemy. They were equine in nature, but they were not ponies. These creatures shifted and appeared as if they had at least some part of their body as glowing sand while the rest appeared as glass or some kind of other dense, clear material. It wasn't anywhere near as unnerving as the skeletons summoned by the sphinxes but it still wasn't natural in the least bit. It didn't take longer than a few seconds before the creatures were upon us, and it took about that amount of time for me to work my way to the front. As the creatures arrived, swords first, they galloped straight into a wall of pikes, followed by a wall of swinging swords. Our efforts proved effective, or at least would have if it wasn't for one circumstance: for every two of them we killed, one reformed. What made this worse was that I could see the group of them extend down the trail and out of sight; a long and tiresome fight was before us with no signs of escape. Naturally, however, I broke out ahead of those around me so that I could more effectively use every last bit of me that I could to destroy these creatures.

Quite a bit of time, or at least what felt like quite a bit of time, passed while we were locked in combat. Of course, several of those guarding the entrance fell, but most held the line excellently. Suddenly, and much to our disadvantage, a rumbling sound echoed through the area. Moments later, large, worm-like creatures burst through the ground within the Sanctuary walls. It was enough to distract many of the Protectorates, who quickly fell because of it. "Focus on the fight! Stay alive and hold your ground!"

My voice rang out again, though I can't explain why or how I was finding these words. Regardless, it seemed to be just what they needed to hear, and the moderately reduced number of Protectorates fought on once more. I continued my work of death until I saw motion out of the corner of my eye. It came from the worms, so I paused momentarily to look. The weapons of these creatures was unable to penetrate my armour, so I was able to safely turn away. Creatures were pouring out of the worms, and another quick glance down the trail revealed several pockets where they were not anymore. I quickly put two and two together. "They're inside the walls. Protect the Main Hall!"

Those in the way of the gate began tactically retreating, making sure they weren't hacked down by the ever pressing tide of glowing half-sand creatures. Several in the far back, who were free of aggro, quickly bolted towards the Main Hall to intercept the incoming forces. I withdrew my blades and dropped back down to all four hooves again, intentionally landing on one or two of the creatures to smash them. I then bolted towards the Main Hall, barrelling over many of the creatures that had tried to surround me. I made it to the doors just in time, much like the others, to prevent the creatures from opening them. I smashed a few of them against the doors brutishly, as I hadn't received the opportunity to draw my blades yet. When I finally did I drew them as quickly as possible. Those of us who bolted here managed well enough to hold off the stream of enemies until those that were tactically retreating arrived. I noticed the group was smaller now, perhaps no more than about a hundred; this was a significant drop from the original populace, though, and was highly concerning. Once the line had reformed, however, my voice rang out again. "Hold this line. As long as you draw breath you will not allow these creatures to enter! I must speak with the Guildmaster."

One of the ponies finally spoke up. "Wait, why do you get to take a break and talk with him?"

"Because this isn't going to be a break, and I get the feeling that talking is going to be the last thing that happens within the walls of the Main Hall." The pony looked at me, a new kind of concern growing in his eyes. "Hold the line! I will get this sorted out as soon as I can and return to aid you."

They seemed content with the answer this time, so I entered the massive wooden door. I closed it behind me to ensure nothing came in. Once it was closed, I turned about. The Guildmaster was sitting upon his throne again, looking rather peaceful considering the exterior conditions. I began trotting determinedly towards him. "There is a lot of explaining that you have to do, Guildmaster."

"Well, why don't we start by having you explain your activities, then?"

"Because we don't have time for this nonsense. You can execute me for all of this later if it makes you happy. Either way, you have a lot to answer for."

"So you dare to come here and challenge me when you are splattered and tainted by the filth of the enemy?"

"I could describe you the same way. Why are you in league with MoonDusk?"

"Well, now isn't that a bold accusation?"

"The reason the splinter group that Storm is in split from the Serpanians is because the Serpanians teamed up with MoonDusk. If Storm's group is your enemy it means that you are allied with MoonDusk."

"Well, you're using your brain now, aren't you?"

"Doesn't take a lot to connect the dots, Guildmaster, especially not when you've connected half of them already."

"Well, if you are so intelligent and self-aware, then are you aware of the why behind it all?"

"She wants me."

"Why, though? What's special about you, then?"

"If you have to ask that, you've been very unobservant."

"Well, it doesn't matter either way. I managed to corral all of Equestria's best and brightest fighters into one, easily assailable location. Without all of your friends, MoonDusk can have you without a hitch."

"I'm not going to let that happen." I reared up onto my hind legs and drew my blades. "And that starts with taking you out of the picture."

"Oh, so you're going to murder me, then?"

"If that's what it takes, then yes."

"Always so quick to violence. Well, ‘Aqua WindStorm’, if that's how you want to play, I'll play along then." He jumped off of his throne, sending a magical shockwave out when he landed. I skidded back a few feet, but was generally unaffected. I noticed, however, that his cloak had finally come off, revealing what he truly looked like. His light purple, almost lavender, hide was marred by different markings and scars, which almost seemed to flow around each other in cyclic patterns. He had a horn and wings, meaning he was an alicorn as well. His charcoal-grey hair was generally unkempt, but remained of average length for a stallion, and was starkly contrasted by his searing turquoise eyes. "If it's a fight you want, you had better be prepared to die!"

His face had twisted into exaggerated expressions of rage, his irises shrinking with his crazed intent. He broke into action, casting some kind of spell. I saw his deep-purple magical aura glow around him, rather than just around his horn, for but a moment. Suddenly, he began changing, shifting into something entirely different than what he had been. I began making my way over, but by the time I arrived he had fully transformed. With the swing of an arm he sent me flying into one of the nearby stone pillars. Due to my circumstance, I had to sheathe my blades in order to rise to my hooves again. When I looked at him once more it was clear that he was entirely different. His hide had been either covered or replaced with some kind of chitinous material about the same colour as his hide had been. His horn now emanated from most of his head, rather than a singular point. His wings had developed into a set of arms, which actually appeared to be a second set of arms which sprouted from his back. He manoeuvred on two legs rather than four now, and his tail had entirely vanished. There was no longer any hair on him, but his turquoise eyes remained the same colour, if not gaining a more intense look to them. "How does it feel to finally fight something that can kill you, horse?"

"Just like the last dozen things I've fought with that exact same capacity. You're nothing special."

"You don't know the power she has given me. Let me show you, whelp." From one of his hands he generated what I assumed to be a ball of pure energy. Once he was content with the content he flung it at me. I rolled out of the way, hearing the explosion echo behind me. "Running as always, I see."

I waited for him to throw the next ball and rolled out of the way again. I then began galloping in a circle around him until he threw another ball of energy. Rather than stopping or rolling to the side, I quickly changed direction, the skidding of my metal on the floor shrieking out. I had just about reached him when the next ball was primed. I ducked down into a slide, narrowly missing the projectile, and drew a blade. I sunk it into his leg and, using my momentum as extra leverage, yanked forwards and up. I flipped him over, hearing him land with a thud. As quickly as I could, I wheeled around and went to sink the blade again. As I went to thrust, I saw all four of his arms charge up separate balls and fire them off. I was launched away from him, hitting one of the walls by the corner of the ceiling, some fifty yards up. As I recovered, I did my best to slow my descent. Regardless of my efforts, I landed with a painful thunk, breaking apart the stone floor beneath me. I arose to my hooves with a groan, finding him quickly approaching. His hands were charged with energy, meaning it wasn't going to be a gentle blow. I rolled out of the way, as much as my aching body protested, and extended a blade in time for it to lightly cut his leg. He managed to stop before hitting the wall and began firing the bolts he had charged. I managed to dodge them, until the last one. He had managed to lead the target: me. The bolt hit my armour with a decent amount of force, pushing me back a yard or two, but otherwise was harmless. I made my way back in, galloping straight towards him. He began unleashing a torrent of those bolts, trying to shove me back. I managed to push through, locking my leg around him. He began pummelling my armour accordingly, hoping to break free from my grasp. With my free leg I unsheathed a blade and ran it through his side, after which he blasted me with four bolts again. I tumbled away, being ripped away from him, before hitting the wall with massive force. Several chunks of the wall came loose, bouncing off of my armour. I managed to rise once again, the rubble rolling off of me. When I was on all four hooves again, however, I noticed something that made me brace in fear: he was already upon me, four bolts charged and swinging. I barely managed to duck out of the way once my body responded to my commands, watching one arm pass within inches of my face. I drew a blade as it passed and went to sink any part of the sword into his body once again. The force of the blast caused by his arms hitting the wall behind me was enough to cause me to use the blade for balance instead of damage, losing my shot at hitting him. In the wake of the explosion, a large hole occupied the side of the Main Hall. As he wheeled around, arms swinging while they charged bolts again, he spoke. "Hold still, horse!"

I managed to dodge the wild swing, and his momentum carried him well past me. I was given a perfect shot, which I gladly took. I shoved one blade up through his lower back, the blade pointed upwards. I quickly arose onto my hind legs and drew the other blade. No sooner had I sunk it sideways into his ribs than his arms came back with charged bolts. The explosion knocked me away and out of the hole in the wall. I ricocheted off of the wall as it happened, bouncing and rolling my way across the open square outside. I was on the side of the Main Hall at this point. At least I knew such when the world stopped spinning. As I got back up with a groan, the transformed Guildmaster exited the hole. An excessive amount of blood was coursing out of his side. The extent of the injury became very apparent when he turned his torso a small bit; the large severed gash split open every time he tried to move, causing him to groan. "A lucky shot, horse, but your time has come to an end!"

"Speak for yourself, traitor!" I saw his face twist in either rage or anguish, or both, as he hunkered a bit. Suddenly, membranous filling shot out of the arms on his back, completing a set of wings. He then bolted for me, using the newly formed wings to hurtle towards me at higher speeds. I reared up and attempted to draw my blades, but he had a firm grasp of me by then. He then lifted off of the ground, the fierce effort of carrying my weight heavily pulling on his gashed body. When I got the chance, I extended my blades. They shot out, but didn't accomplish more than stabbing both of his legs. I felt his grip loosen a little, which I took advantage of. I violently twisted my body, freeing one of my legs. He tried to grab at it with one of arms but I managed to keep my leg free of his grasp until the blade had superheated. Once it was primed I took whatever shot I had, curling my blade in with as much force as I could muster in such a compromised position. I didn't hit the exact mark, the valley of a gash that consumed most of his side, but the searing blade cut straight through my arc of movement, and did its job effectively. The top half of the Guildmaster's twisted form accelerated beyond his lower half, which began plummeting down towards the ground again after a short while. The grip of the arms began slacking, and the beating of his wings was feeble at best. I looked down below me as I began to slip from his grasp, only to find a fatal drop below. I was at least a dozen stories above the top of the Main Hall, which rose higher than castle walls. I was suddenly released, and my panicked recovery began. I did what I could with my wings, but feathered wings can only carry so much flesh and metal. As I frantically worked to slow the acceleration of my descent, I saw the twisted torso of the Guildmaster plummet limply past me. It bounced off of the roof, leaving a splatter of blood at the collision site. That impact, however, was nothing compared to what was to come. My drop landed me directly onto the roof, and I smashed through almost unhindered. I was twisting and tumbling every which way as I bust through the next few floors of wooden platforms and crossbeams. I eventually stopped a few more floors down, a large chest of drawers absorbing all of my momentum. I sat in silence for a moment, processing everything that had just happened. I eventually groaned as a wave of pain washed over me. I eventually managed to fight through the wall of agony and get off of the splintered furniture. Once I was on my hooves, a painful enough prospect in and of itself, I set my aim on finding my way out of this section of the Main Hall.

I eventually stumbled my way to the main doorway, leaning against it momentarily. I took the best breath that I could, although it was little more than a gasped trickle of air, before opening the door. What met my view was a pleasant surprise. Ponies clad in mechanical suits of armour were tearing the last few of the glowing, half-sand ponies apart. I noticed that even Cularix and the other, Polcrix I believe his name was if I recall correctly, were present. The whole of them were unleashing pure destruction upon the enemy, finally giving me an idea of what their war suits were capable of. Eventually, though, the square fell silent. It was then that I heard a few ponies gasp, and others began telling those around them to look. Sparky was actually the first one to approach me. "Aqua, you survived! When we saw you two burst out the side of the Main Hall, and fly up too, we though you weren't going to make it."

I went to respond, to say something like how tough I was or how it would take a lot more than that to kill me, but my words were instantly stopped before even the first syllable managed to escape. I coughed, feeling something in my throat. When I got it up into my mouth I noticed the metallic taste. I decided to fold back my helmet and see if I could clear the rest of it. As such, I either coughed or hacked, and I'm not sure which it was. A large splatter of blood shot from my mouth, which I looked at momentarily before I lost whatever sense of balance I had feigned. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, with several ponies rushing over. I gave the command for my armour to retract, but it was stuck and would not respond. Storm was nearby, his voice easily recognisable. "Alright, I'm going to get Bane and Galaxia again. Make sure she stays awake."

"Ok. Get them quickly. She looks pretty bad." That was not a reassuring phrase to hear from Sparky. "Now, you're going to stay with us, alright?"

I nodded. "So in order to do that, I need you to do one thing for me. I need you to sit up. Think you can do that?"

I looked at her for a moment before planting my hooves onto the ground. Cularix came rushing over. "That is not a good idea. We have to think about blood flow and the loss of it and-"

"Trust me." Her confidence confused both Cularix and I. Regardless, I decided to go through with the order. It took a bit of concerted effort, and help from the two of them, to get me up. As I neared the peak of the seated position I hacked up another spurt of blood. Once I was finally upright both Cularix and Sparky let go of me, forcing me to remain upright by myself. It took a considerable amount of effort to do so, but I managed. As I waited for Storm to arrive with the promised aid I ended up hacking up several more large globs of blood. After the fourth or fifth, Cularix spoke.

"She's bleeding internally. A punctured lung, perhaps."

"Exactly. I knew she didn't have exterior injuries, although her armour does look compromised in a few places. A quick analysis revealed that she didn't have any major wounds on her exterior, but her ribcage has sustained heavy damage. If Storm doesn't return with whatever help he's bringing, or at least quickly, she'll promptly die." That wasn't very reassuring news.

"How did you determine her injuries that fast..." Another hacked blood glob caused Cularix to pause momentarily before continuing the sentence. "...and without even removing her armour?"

"I figured out how to do it. My plan in joining the Order was to be a combat medic. I just don't have the magic for it because I'm just a simple earth pony. That won't stop me, though!" A dramatic change of tone; that much was certain.

"Well, we always have need of proficient medical personnel in our base."

"This is my home, and I'm staying with Aqua."

"Suit yourself, then." As she finished her statement, Storm arrived with Bane and Galaxia. I coughed up another glob of blood as they arrived, causing Bane to react in suppressed disgust. Galaxia was the first to speak.

"Considering just how much blood she's spat up, and the blood trickling out of the midsection of her armour, I'm surprised she's still up." As she finished the phrase I lost my bearing, eventually finding myself on the floor. From the next sentence she uttered I’m assuming that Sparky and Cularix attempted to raise me up again. "Leave her; it will be easier like this. It's in our control now. Bane, get ready to fix things."

"I don't know what's-"

"Her lungs are punctured." Sparky's now dull voice caused them to both look at her. "That's why she's coughing blood, so you might want to focus your magic there."

"Alright. Worth a shot." Galaxia's horn began to glow. Soon, my grip on reality began to slip.

When next I awoke it was in one of the beds of the Order. When I stirred and sat up there was cheering. It wasn't very loud, nor deep, but there was genuine excitement. Looking over the crowd of ponies revealed perhaps a dozen or so standing or sitting nearby. As the noise died down, and as Sparky approached, I spoke. "Is this everypony?"

"Yes." Ajiin's voice rang out. "At least, those that are something more than maimed corpses."

I sighed. Before I could respond, however, Cularix did. "You did some really great work out there, Aqua. I'm surprised you came back from that."

"With Bane, it shouldn't be surprising, Cularix. You should know that much." I saw her blankly staring at me, or at least her helmet's cold visor was staring at me in a very blank manner.

"Aqua, I know this is kind of sudden, but..." Sparky spoke, but her voice was almost reserved or withheld, as if she wasn't trying to continue with her words. "...uh...we have no Guildmaster now. While you were asleep, we talked about things."

"What kind of things?"

"We want to elect you as Guildmaster, Aqua. Sparky and I spoke about it with the other Protectorates. It's almost entirely unanimous."

"I appreciate the notion, Ajiin, but I'm basically the newest member of this Order, aside from Sparky. I don't know how this Order truly works, nor do I think that I'm fit for any kind of rule."

"We'd be honoured to be under your direction, Guildmaster Aqua." Ajiin's words ended with him kneeling down beside the bed, an action mimicked by everypony else in the Order. I was speechless, but feeling rather unworthy. It was then that something else came to mind, something that simultaneously frightened me and gave me hope that I wouldn't have to lead the Order.

"There's something you should all know before you swear your allegiance to me." I sighed, especially when I noticed that only two of them raised their heads. "I'm not a stallion; I'm a mare. From day one I've been directly disobeying the standards of the Order."

That revelation turned a lot of heads from the floor. The shock in the room was palpable. Ajiin spoke once again to respond. "Aqua, you must realise why the Guildmaster sustained that law. He feared that mares were weaker than stallions, which they tend to be on average, and feared that the image of the Order would be marred by that difference. You have since demonstrated just how wrong he was. You're a stronger, faster, and a more competent fighter than many of us here combined. You're being chosen because you've earned it."

Most of those that turned to look at me returned to their bowed position. "I...but how? I don't know anything about ruling or most the ins and outs of administration for the Order. Why me?"

"Because, Aqua," the voice of Cularix rang out, causing several ponies to turn, "your behaviour most exemplifies your order's morals. You selflessly gave yourself to beat an opponent far stronger than you. Your fellow Protectorates are awed by your behaviour. You don't have to lead by word. Lead by example. Continue your exemplary behaviour and they will follow it."

I sat for a moment before nodding. "Then I guess my first order as Guildmaster is to secure the perimeter and deal with the bodies."

Those seated around me arose and shouted out their affirmation before setting out. I was soon left with just Storm and Cularix. She went to leave but I stopped her by calling out her name. "Cularix, why did you come to our aid? After everything the Guildmaster did to your order, why did you decide to aid us?"

"Because we knew that your Guildmaster was the one with that mindset. Everypony else with it would either die in the fight or change their minds by the end of the ordeal anyways. As well, Bane stole a look into MoonDusk’s Orb of Oracles. He saw in MoonDusk's timeline that two of you would survive the fight otherwise: you and Ajiin. She would have easily stomped Ajiin herself, and without him it would have just been the two of you. You still would have been injured, much as you had been, so her supremacy over you would have been as easy as stealing candy from a filly, had you even survived. As such, we did what neither time nor MoonDusk could predict: we broke the cold silence and came to your aid as we had done before, before our civilisation split."

"Thank you, both of you, for helping. I owe you."

"The only thing you owe me is a sit rep of what happened on your rogue mission to the fortress." Ah, right. I hadn't reported yet.

"You're not going to like the report."

"I already don't, considering how you went against protocol and risked endangering us for it."

"The entire population of the fortress was decimated."

"You went out and murdered the entire city?!"

"No. I killed their murderers." She was silent, perhaps quietly fuming. "Strange, twisted creatures had killed them all. I spent the entire time, at least several weeks, killing off the creatures and scavenging for supplies to maintain myself."

"...so the fortress is entirely devoid of life?"

"I believe so. If not, then there aren’t a whole lot of creatures, something manageable considering what that war-based armour did to MoonDusk’s minions. I don't know what caused those creatures to arrive in the first place, or who invited them, but I strongly believe that everything inside the fortress is dead now."

"...well...thank you, I guess. I must bring this news to the others. Perhaps we'll get the chance to resettle our old homes." She turned and left, I'm assuming taking the others with her. Storm was still nearby, however, and didn't show any intentions of leaving any time soon. I decided I should get some rest before setting out. As such, I laid myself back down and waited for sleep.

I was awakened not much later by Galaxia. It was certainly a surprise to me, at least. "Good, you're awake. We don't have a lot of time."

"What? What's going on?"

"Everything has lined up; MoonDusk is vulnerable. Bane and I have agreed that the time to strike is now, and she knows."

"Where's my armour?"

"Aldorn has fixed it for you, and it's resting in the Main Hall. The rest of us will await your arrival there. Come as quickly as possible." With that, she warped out of the room, leaving her usual darkened space behind for a moment. I got up after rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Storm wasn't here, I noticed, so perhaps he was waiting for me in the Main Hall. Once I was up I made my way over.

Upon opening the door, I found Lazuli, Storm, and Sparky all within. Aldorn was there too, along with Bane and Galaxia. She was the one to speak as I approached. "Excellent. Now, here's the plan: Bane will assist me in teleporting you within MoonDusk's realm, and Aldorn will get you inside. It's up to you four, Storm, Lazuli, Sparky and Aqua, to find and defeat her once and for all. Once we receive word of your victory, we'll warp you back here to recover as Bane and I establish things."

"Anything we are to expect from MoonDusk?" I wanted to get any advantage I could before waltzing in there.

"The unexpected."

"...thanks." My flat face and flat tone paired perfectly to show my lack of enthusiasm in response to her answer.

"MoonDusk doesn't fight with a single fighting style; she changes it every time."

"Fantastic. Well, I guess we should go then."

"I wish you all luck. Bane, are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Send me in, Galaxia." Aldorn's voice rung out as Bane and Galaxia's horns both glowed. Galaxia nodded a response, their joint magical auras enveloping him as well. Before too long, we were whisked away.

When I adjusted to my surroundings I noticed that it seemed like any other castle's interior; there were high ceilings, many windows, torches, carpeted walkways, and a general theme. The patterns in the windows, on the floors, and the walls were swirling, much like the patterns that had been on the Guildmaster's hide. Each line flowed gently between the next, creating mesmerising patters within which one could, simply by staring for long enough, get lost in time. Thankfully, I was brought back to attention by Aldorn's voice. "They got us in as close as they could, and I'm surprised they managed to teleport you this far. Judging by what Bane has told me, this is the North Wing, the entryway into the castle. I can get you inside, but once you're in, good luck. And, Aqua, you'll be needing this."

I heard a clunk and turned to see what it was. Aldorn had set down my armour, which was stashed inside of two large saddlebags. I trotted over and put it on, waiting for the plates to finish unfolding before speaking. "Thank you. I believe we're ready now."

Aldorn trotted forwards towards the two large doors before us. "Now, it might be best to use stealth for as long as possible. Otherwise, you can expect to fight a lot of minions. Thousands might have fallen during the siege, but she didn't use her full force. It was anywhere from half to three-quarters of her army, so there will still be a considerable number of them here, and she might be crafting more."

"What are they? They're not natural in any sense of the word." Ajiin spoke out this time.

"Since MoonDusk is currently the baroness of time in this place, she has some control over the sands of time. Other barons use it to redirect events and prevent disasters in order to keep peace and prosperity, shoring up the banks of the river of time in that place. Of course, things still happen as the flow is redirected, but it generally works. MoonDusk, however, uses it for something else." He opened the door, looked through it for a moment, and ultimately closed it. He began trotting the other way shortly thereafter. "Sorry, wrong way. These castle halls always look the same, and I'm never sure where to go."

He was trotting over in silence, as if forgetting what he had been saying. Lazuli spoke up a few paces later. "How does MoonDusk use the sand?"

"Oh, right. MoonDusk uses it to create her unique army. As a few of you noticed during the fight, every two that fell became another full creature, so it continued until too much of the sand had scattered to reform any of them. That's the unique property about MoonDusk's timeless warriors: that regeneration. That's why stealth would be the best option here. I don't doubt your prowess in combat, but having to kill over a thousand of those soldiers, and all their halved subdivisions, would wear you out pretty fast."

"Got it. Thank you, Aldorn."

"No problem. After these doors..." He opened the large doors that he had pointed to. "...there's a gate that'll bar your path. That's where I come in. Because of what I am, I can leave this armour, slip through the cracks, and open the gate. From there, you'll be on your own."

I nodded, trotting behind his massive frame as he turned back around to guide us to the gate. Once we were there, Aldorn's suit went stiff. His small, wispy core left the plates behind, slipping through the grate of the gate. It looked like nothing bigger than a small berry could fit into the holes, or perhaps several grains of sand. As I was contemplating how small the grate was I heard the clanking of mechanisms. The gate began lifting, granting is access. The four of us trotted to the other side accordingly, finding Aldorn's wispy frame barely managing to hold the lever down. Once we were in, he let go. This caused him to shift backwards with a sigh of relief. I then noticed the gate close behind us. "I wish you four the best of luck. You'll need it."

"Your help is appreciated, Aldorn." Lazuli's voice sounded out before mine. "Now, you should probably return to Bane and Galaxia."

"That was the plan. Go get her." With that, he slipped through the grate again, leaving us alone. I was entirely clueless at this point, which made me glad that we had Storm with us. He began trotting forwards, causing Sparky to question him.

"Where are you going?"

"Before we came here, I spent considerable time with Bane in an attempt to memorise the building schematics. I know where her chambers and her throne is."

"Wouldn't she know where we were going to fight her because she can see through time?"

"No. That's the reason I memorised the entire schematic, just in case we needed to find her while not getting lost at the same time."

"Well then, if that's the case, let's get moving." We continued trotting, but in silence from this point on. Indeed, we were all training our ears to block out the sound of our own movements while, at the same time, keenly listening for any other sounds.

We made our way about the winding, labyrinth-like hallways of the castle successfully. There were a few times when we had to find cover, or another route entirely, because of patrols and stationary guards. Eventually, however, we found what we were looking for. After opening the massive, and very ornately designed, doors, we trotted into the chamber. The ceiling was massive, reaching so far up that we couldn't even see it. The supporting pillars, which resembled massive helices of stone, simply vanished into the darkness above. The first couple of yards from the bottom up had torches to illuminate the way. Their orange glow washed out all other colour in the room. The floor was all flat, but some places appeared raised. It carried the same swirling patter as everything else in the castle, but with a variation so subtle that you could notice it, but not why or what exactly it was that was different. Before I had time to think on the matter any more than I had I heard a mare's voice, an alto, call out from the darkness ahead. "Well, would you look at that? You finally decided to rear your heads. And who do we have here? The filly of prophecy, the traitor, an interloper, and a misguided mage. Well, aren't you precious?"

Suddenly, more torches sprung to life, fully illuminating the way towards a throne that appeared from the darkness. Seated upon it was a pony with deep, dark purple hide, and hair the colour of night. Her eyes, two piercing portals of blazing orange, glared viciously down at us through her expressionless face. A horn protruded out from her hair, and a lack of wings told me she was simply a unicorn. "Now, you three can just go back home. You've helped me enough."

"We're not leaving, especially not without Aqua." Storm's determined tone rang back at her.

"Oh, well that's quite a shame. It means I'm going to have to kill you then. Those are your two options: surrender or die. Simple. You do know who I am, I assume."

"They've given their answer, MoonDusk. They won't leave without me. We know your plans, and it's time to end them."

"Hopefully you'll be more entertaining than the last disappointment to trot into these chambers." We saw her horn begin glowing, the radiant orange-yellow glow creating an aura much larger than any other unicorn's magic that I had seen before; the aura was two, if not three, times the size of a normal unicorn's aura. She arose from her throne and leaped towards us, launching much farther than any pony could. As we assumed our readied stances she landed before us. She released the magic as a shockwave. I was shifted back a few yards, while Lazuli remained unmoved thanks to a magical ward she placed around herself. Storm skidded and rolled a bit, maybe going a dozen yards back or so. Sparky, however, was launched harder than anypony that I had ever seen launched. She rebounded off of one of the helix pillars, flopping and rolling across the floor until she was little more than a limp yellow spot by the door. I wheeled back around to face MoonDusk, only to find her obliterating Lazuli's warding spell with sheer, unbridled magical might. As she recovered, and before we could act, MoonDusk's orange-yellow aura surrounded Lazuli for a moment before she simply disappeared in a flash; MoonDusk had teleported her away was my only guess. It was then that I heard the doors to the chamber bust open and numerous shuffling hooves galloping in. Storm and I charged in quickly, but she dodged my swinging kick and blasted Storm back towards the doors. He was engulfed by MoonDusk's army before he could recover. "Take him to the dungeon. Any leverage I can use to get my way is appreciated."

I went to swing my tail, but she grabbed it and used my own momentum to hurl me to the other side of her. From this view I watched them shuffle as one large body until the chamber was only occupied by MoonDusk and myself, along with two of the remaining soldiers. "Follow them. This battle is mine, and just between this drake and me."

They quickly left, closing the doors behind them. It was now just the two of us. "Now, you have something that I want, and you're going to give it to me."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you don't have an option." I reared up onto my hind legs and drew my blades.

"Then you'll have to pry it from my dead hooves."

"Tch. Typical." Her horn glowed, a normal sized aura this time, and armour formed around her body. As I drew near, swinging my sword in an effort at a preemptive strike, a sword materialised in her mouth. She barely managed to block my strike, but my strength was clearly superior and I began pushing her down to the ground. I saw her horn glow as she teleported away, causing me to lose balance and begin falling forwards. I converted the fall into a roll, finding MoonDusk behind me. She swung her sword, which nicked my tail's armour, as I finished my motion. I stood upright again and shot a glance back at the point of contact. A small divot was carved into the armour, but I couldn't continue staring at it. The sound of her movement caused me to wheel back around, narrowly parrying her blade. By this point, my swords were heated and aglow, a reassuring notion. A few more bouts of unsuccessful sword strikes on both sides left us wearily at attention. My next movement was a two-sword swing from the right. She attempted to parry, as I anticipated, which allowed me to knock her blade aside as I continued my hasty circular motion. My tail swung around heftily, quickly stealing her ground from underneath her. I reacted as quickly as I could, jabbing both swords down to where she would have been, but found that she wasn't there. I rolled forwards, using the leftover momentum to flip myself over my blades and narrowly dodge her strike from above. As I got back up onto my hooves she was charging in. She tried a swipe, but I caught her sword between my two, trying to pin it. I saw the blade begin to heat up as she tried to wrest it free. When it softened enough to bend was when she could yank it away. Her total force carried her back a step or two. "Most entertaining."

I didn't give her, or her sword for that fact, a chance to recover. I came at her with a few vicious swings, which she made sure to parry with the harder portion of her sword. I then repeated my double swing from the right, which was again parried. I continued around much like I had the first time, but raised my tail at the last moment to catch the jumping foe off guard. The colossal force of my tail swing connected square on, launching her across the chamber. She hit one of the stone helices, severely cracking it as she quickly flopped to the ground. She grunted and arose in the time it took for me to sheathe my blades and gallop over. As she realised where I was she went to raise her blade. I leaped forwards, barely managing to kick her blade a little to the side. The sword dug into my armour, but I remained unharmed. It did, however, give me the window I shot for. I slammed straight into her, busting her through the weakened support. She tumbled in front of me as my momentum ended. I quickly bounded over, pinning her back to the ground. When I could, I began pummelling her face with jabs from the left and right, watching her head react violently. Her horn glowed the massive aura once more before I was blasted by a spell. It launched me about a dozen yards up, roughly as far as high, until I rebounded off of the floor several times. When my tumbling stopped I arose and groaned. She was trotting over, her stride a bit unsure. "Pathetic fool. Surrender already."

"Why? You're the one that's nearly half dead." She growled in disgust before her sword rematerialised. She charged over again, causing me to rear up and draw my blades. I parried a few of her swings before ultimately landing a sword into her left front leg. Unfortunately, this also gave her a chance to stab into my abdomen with her sword. I decided to collapse down onto her, trying to crush her beneath me. She barely evaded, but caused more damage to both of us. As I adjusted to the shift, finally withdrawing my swords, I noticed her swinging hers. I tried to react quickly, to draw a blade to parry the strike, but wasn't quick enough. My motions barely pulled my head out of reach, or so I thought. That was until I felt an exquisite pain hurtle through my forehead, causing me to reel backwards violently and grasp at the source with a hoof. When I touched at the area I found a frighteningly empty space. Looking down at the ground revealed my severed horn, rolling casually in a circle, beside the hooves of MoonDusk. Deep, unparalleled rage built up inside of me as I tuned out the agony of my injured horn. I leaped at her, a howl of seething rage emitting. She didn't even manage to raise her sword to the proper stabbing position before I was upon her. It was true that her blade still left a decent injury, but my blinding fury didn't permit me to feel it at the time. Rather, I grabbed her head between my two front hooves, squeezing viciously before beginning to repeatedly bash her head against the ground. The stone floor cracked further with each successive impact. She channelled her magic into the massive aura again, but I could tell it was shaky. The blast hardly knocked me back a few yards, but it gave her enough time to get up and stop me from charging in again. The glow of her horn was mimicked by the glow around me as I froze in place. When she spoke, her speech was slurred and unclear, seemingly requiring great effort.

"Ah, there it is. Now you see it. Your father's genes cry out for blood. You really are no better than that murdering abomination. Typical. Well, now you're mine and I will do with you what I please when I recover. It's been fun, but it's time for you to become the engine of Equestria's destruction like you're supposed to be." As she finished this statement I let out one more enraged cry, forcing myself out of her magical grasp with sheer might. When she saw that I was breaking through her hold she began frantically trying to renew it, but was unable to do so successfully. Finally, she used what magic she had to conjure as many weapons as she could and levitate them. As I reared up and drew my blades, she sunk her arsenal, around a dozen swords, axes, and polearms, into my body. I groaned my way through the pain in order to send both of my swords straight into her chest. As the blades began to heat up I could see her squirm more. Using what strength I had left I lifted her up, letting her sink down onto my blades. She conjured up a few more weapons to sink into my body before her magic failed her. Eventually, the life drained from her eyes and she slumped, her last cry of agony escaping moments before her death. When she fell completely limp I hurled her onto the ground, sheathed a blade, and lowered myself down. I trotted over and stood over top of her. I sunk my free blade straight between her eyes and waited, ensuring she was absolutely dead. I then cut what protruding polearm handles I could reach before sheathing the blade, a decision spurred by the further damage caused by landing upon their hilts. I breathed deeply for a few moments, perhaps venting my rage, before the pain kicked in. It was at this point that I figured it was time to go. It was then that I remembered that Sparky had been launched at the start of the fight. I trotted over as best as I could and nudged her a few times in some kind of vain hope before picking her up. She slid down my neck and rested upon the hilts of a few of the weapons, sending shooting pain down my spine. I pressed on, nevertheless, and called out Galaxia's name. Perhaps, I figured, she'd be able to find me like Ajiin could.

It wasn't Galaxia that found me, but rather Storm. I had just about collapsed from the effort of remaining alert while balancing Sparky across my destroyed back. When he entered the room I limped over. "Aqua? You did it! Let me contact Bane immediately to let him know. I think he will be pleased with the outcome."

Through grunts of discomfort and pain I spoke. "How did you escape?"

A moment or two of silence rolled by until Storm answered. "The guards just stopped. They ceased acting and simply crumbled into sand. I wasn't sure what it meant, so I cautiously began making my way over here. Judging by what I'm seeing, though, she left quite the damage."

"Yeah." After the last little grunt, Storm finally caught on to the whole situation.

"Let me take Sparky. You shouldn't carry her on those injuries." I happily obliged, lowering my head so Sparky's body slid off. As she slid, the shift in weight caused me to fall to the side. I landed on the weapons sticking out of my side, driving them in to the hilt, or farther, and causing me to barely lose control of the cry of agony I was suppressing. Storm had no sooner gone to pick up Sparky than he came rushing over, trying to lift me back up to a seated position. He eventually managed to, right as Galaxia trotted in through the doors. She paused momentarily when she saw the situation. Suddenly she spoke, her tone bleeding with suppressed rage despite the unchanging nature of her face.

"Did you make her fight MoonDusk alone, though I expressly forbid it?"

"MoonDusk separated us. Look at Sparky. Where's Lazuli? We didn't choose to leave her alone with MoonDusk, Galaxia."

"Whether you chose to or not doesn't matter. The fact that she was alone with her is sheer-"

"It's fine, Galaxia. I won." My grunted voice cut her off, causing her to glare over at me through her neutral countenance.

"But if you had lost to her the aftermath would have been catastrophic."

"But I didn't, so the other possibilities don't matter." She looked at me for a moment before looking to Storm.

"Well, then, let's get Aqua back for rest and recuperation. Once Bane's healed her he can take MoonDusk's place as the seer." I nodded in thanks. It was then that I barely managed to see the absorbing glow of Galaxia's horn. Within a moment or two the four of us were back in the Main Hall of the Sanctuary. Bane was standing nearby with Aldorn at his side. The two of them quickly came over, especially when they noticed my condition.

"Getting yourself into this kind of situation already?"

"Bane, now isn't the time for lightheartedness. Aqua needs help, and a lot of it."

"I can break the swords, axes and polearms, as well as get her armour off." Aldorn's hollow, echoing voice rang out. Galaxia simply nodded to him, signalling him to begin. The heavy suit of armour trotted over, using magic to break the weapons that were lodged inside of my body. The breaks were just beneath the armour, allowing Aldorn to eventually remove the heavy plates. No longer supported by the hydraulics of the suit I collapsed into Storm's grasp. He was having difficulty holding up my entire mass, but managed to do so. When I was cleared of obstructions, aside from Storm holding me up, Galaxia began casting a spell. Before I felt the effect, I could already tell it was going to be the deep slumber spell she always used. As I was drifting out to sleep, I felt sharp pains as Bane began removing the weapon fragments. One drowsy glance revealed that all of the weapons, axes included, were serrated in some fashion, like barbs in a sense. Before I could dwell on the thought I slipped under.

I awoke with a start, panic coursing through my veins. My heart was racing and my eyes darting as I tried to get a hold of my surroundings as quickly as I could. I couldn't tell why, but I was frightened for my life. When I found that it was my house surrounding me I began gradually calming. I eventually let out a deep sigh before settling back down. The overarching drowsiness of morning hung about me, beckoning me to succumb. I didn't see a reason not to, so I closed my eyes and let sleep embrace me.

When next I awoke I stretched myself and arose. I was a little curious as to why I had been on the floor, but soon figured that such a question was the least of my concerns. The floor, rather than being the wooden planks I had known from home, was made out of a dark stone, or at least that was my guess. I looked around, but thick darkness surrounded me. I went to call out, but found myself incapable of making sound. Regardless of this, it was as if something had awakened. I heard the reverberations of a growled intake of air and a small glow began to take shape. It started beside me, but rose up well beyond my height within a few moments. Two orbs, presumably eyes, began to glow, with lines that outlined a general face shape. Before much more of the thing illuminated, I saw a fanged smiled break across the hidden face, the internal temperature of the creature lighting it up from the inside. Suddenly, the creature roared, causing immense fear to shoot up body.

I suddenly jolted awake again in the same fashion as before. After panting in terror for a few moments I consoled myself enough to realise I was in no real danger. As I was laying back down I noticed that Storm wasn't present at the time, meaning I was alone in the room. Regardless of such, I closed my eyes and hoped for rest.

Once again I was on the floor, that same darkened stone floor, and trying to figure out where I was. The glow began again, but I was able to move this time. I backed up, running tail-first into a wall. At this point, the glow of the creature was enough to dimly illuminate the walls, which were also made of that same darkened stone. From this position I could see much more of the creature. When it roared, fiery veins illuminated more fully, barely highlighting the shape of obsidian plates around its body. The creature was bipedal, with claws on the end of the arms and legs. I saw one of the arms swinging towards me, claws extended. I bolted away from it, bursting into a full gallop in line with the swing. I barely dodged the strike, the only thing saving me being a leap of colossal might towards the monster. I barely managed to see one of the legs raise, forcing me to bolt again. When it collided with the floor I was sent airborne about a yard or two. As I recovered and looked around I saw that the floor had severely cracked. Suddenly, the creature burst downwards through the floor, sinking into a pool of lava that now illuminated the room much more clearly. The floor completely broke apart as the ripples of lava rocked the cracked ground. The monster rose once more out of the pool, being submerged to its midsection. It was, however, now entirely illuminated, if simply from a strange angle. It had the maw of a wolf, but facial features not too foreign to those of a pony. It had no ears, but rather large horns that curved forwards in a little more than a half-circle. Its hide was what appeared to be pure obsidian, its eyes little more than two burning pools of fiery-orange hatred. Lines ran all across the body of the creature, like plates of armour, and glowed with fire. Their glow intensified when the monster roared, and subsided shortly thereafter. Before I could note much more about the creature, however, I saw a claw, dripping with the lava it just emerged from, swinging directly towards me. I bolted, trying to leap between platforms. I was barely successful in doing so, and each platform hit was another lost chunk of precious ground. It was after the loss of about a dozen or so of these floating chunks of rock that I actually remembered my wings. As soon as this realisation came to mind I took to the skies. Before too long, however, the creature tried to swing at me. Due to how close I was to the wall, the monster's claws collided with the rocks beside me. My flight pattern was momentarily interrupted as I was showered with debris. When I recovered I noticed severe damage to the wall, signalling that it could have been my death in my unarmoured state. I saw the claws reaching again and evaded once more. This time, however, the creature didn't connect the hit with the wall, almost catching me with the change in its swing. I then heard more rocks tumbling and looked towards the source. The wall that had been damaged before was now collapsing in the area. Behind the rocks, which got blasted out by the end, was the lunar princess herself. She bid me come, and I figured it was my best course of action, so I sharply turned my flight path. I narrowly dodged the swipe from the creature and began my quick approach to the hole in the wall. As I was about to dive for it I felt a force connect from above and I was very quickly hurtled downwards. I tumbled against the wall before abruptly stopping on one of the rocky islands beneath. As I groaned and raised back up, barely managing to move in time, I heard the princess' voice ring out. "Hurry! Time is of the essence and you are in the utmost danger! You must escape!"

I was trying, but decided to double down. I began my flight once more, taking note to dodge the swings of the creature. My spiral path took me upwards, along with the motion around the exterior of the room. When I had the chance, I veered over to fly over the creature's head. It took carefully manoeuvring to dodge the two-sided clap of the claws, but I managed. It gave me enough time to adjust my flight and hurtle down towards the hole. The princess was not there, so I took no precautions. As such, my landing was in no ways gentle, forcing me to tumble. As I tumbled through the open space, almost finally at a stop, I fell off of one last drop.

I hit the floor, forcing a groan out of my body. I managed to get to my hooves eventually, trying to figure out where I had ended up. Suddenly, a door burst open. I turned my attention, finding Storm at the other end. His expression instantly changed and dropped when he saw me. Immediately, and without even asking how I was or if I was alright, he bolted out of the doorway and back down the stairs. I trotted out, as seemingly fatigued and tired as I was, seeing if I could figure out where he had gone. I had gone all the way to the front door, trotting out, before I figured that he was already long gone. As such, I turned my attention back inside and entered once more.

By the time I had climbed the stairs again, my front right leg ached immensely. I hadn’t given much thought to the dull pain until I remembered something: my front right hoof was the one that had the artificial hoof, that mechanical support that latched into my leg. When I looked down I was so shocked by the sight that I stumbled backwards, losing my ground and eventually tumbling my way down the stairs. I groaned as I sat back up. Once upright once more, I looked back down at the strange sight: my front legs were blue. I decided to quickly make my way to the nearest mirror, the bathroom upstairs to be specific, to look myself over and make sure everything was alright. As I slowly careened into the bathroom and turned on the light I was shocked. The first thing I noticed was my form. Rather than being my large, bulky form with orange hide, I was my smaller, lither form with blue hide. My hair was the light brown once more, rather than my stark white hair I had become accustomed to. My eyes were still their rosy pink, but they were dead and lifeless. In all honesty, I looked like a complete mess, if not like I was mostly dead. My hair was severely unkempt, my eyes were dull, my face drooping and filled with major sleep deprivation. The sight caused me to wince before searching for an answer. When I discovered that I could find none, I decided I should try and fall asleep again. As such, I returned to the bedroom. When I opened the door and looked inside, and before I could react in any other way, words of disbelief slipped from my tongue. "By the stars..."

My bed was absolutely soaked in blood; my bed was completely soaked in my blood, specifically. From the sheets on the bed to those that had fallen off with me, the deep crimson colour unmistakably showed a large loss of blood, one that seemed like it should have killed me. Before I could react further I heard Bane behind me. "Aqua, Storm said that something had happened to you. Aside from changing forms, what...oh."

I had turned around at this point. "Oh dear Celestia...you look like you came straight from a nightmare."

"I did. I didn't know anything that happened in the dreamscape would have sway in the real world."

"It shouldn't."

"What happened to me? Am I going to survive? Can I even sleep again?" My worried tone sounded almost panic stricken. Hearing such a tone emitting from my own throat was even more terrifying than the nightmare I escaped from.

"I can't answer the first, but I can say 'yes' as the answer to the second and third questions. Storm, if you would be so kind as to call Galaxia as well. I think this goes beyond just me." I saw Storm's eyes widen in concerned fear before he turned and bolted downstairs. "Let's get you seated for the time being, yes?"

I nodded emptily, but didn't move at first. I figured that he would lead the way. After a short moment, he trotted forwards and beckoned me inside the room. When I moved out of his line of sight, finally granting him view of my stained bed, I could hear his audible disbelief. "Luna have mercy on us...A...A-Aqua, h-how are you even alive right now?"

I looked at him worriedly. His sudden stammer of disbelief certainly didn’t help. "That looks like it's more blood than a normal body can hold, alicorn or not. To lose that much, if it all came from you..."

He shook his head, unable to entertain the thought any longer. "Never mind. Let's just hope that Galaxia gets here soon."

"I have." Her voice rang out, but there was a different tone to it. It seemed more concerned than usual. "Judging by what I see before me, I can only assume that I was called because Aqua's life is in severe danger."

"We don't know. All we know is that she changed forms and bled everywhere in her bed." Storm’s voice was the one to answer her assumption.

"It was a nightmare." They looked over to me, all three of them.

"What happened?"

"There was this monster, a huge creature of fire and obsidian. It was trying to kill me. I only escaped because the princess of the night blasted a hole in the side of a wall that the creature had broken apart with a swing. I took a hit in the dream, but nothing that could cause this."

"If the princess of both night and dreams interfered, then it was because it was monumental. Did she say anything?"

"She said I needed to hurry and that I was in danger." Bane let out a kind of scoff before speaking.

"She wasn't kidding. If your dream caused this much damage, I can only imagine what would have happened if you had stayed for much longer." A sudden wave of pain from the mechanism on my hoof caused me to both wince and barely shift the corresponding leg in the process. This drew the attention of Bane.

"By the stars, Galaxia we have to do something about that artificial hoof." I saw Galaxia turn her head to look at the metallic hoof that was far too large for my leg. It was at this point that I finally looked down at the hoof rather than my legs in general. I saw the flesh of my leg being pulled apart and stretched to nauseating proportions by the mechanism.

"Storm, call Aldorn. I must have a discussion with him concerning this matter, and we need his expertise to remove the prosthesis properly." Storm nodded again, with a bit of a sigh, as he bolted away once more. "In the meantime, Bane, I will render Aqua unconscious. It is your task to maintain her vitals."

"Happily."

"Good. Hopefully they arrive soon." Galaxia's horn began its strange glow, sapping the light from around it.

“No, don’t send me back to that nightmare, please.” A strangely pathetic tone rang out from my throat.

“Do not worry. The sleep induced by my spell is devoid of dreams.” Before long, a heaviness not unlike the one I was already subject to fell upon me. Within mere moments my eyes drooped and I succumbed to sleep.

When next I awoke it was upon my couch. I groggily rubbed my eyes as I raised myself up to look around. Storm was seated on the nearby chair. His head was drooped and his breaths rhythmic, signalling that he was asleep. I looked over myself once more, making sure that the last night was neither a dream nor a hallucination. It wasn't, unfortunately. A thought then quickly shot into my mind, forcing me to look down at my right leg. I found the same style of artificial hoof attached, but rather than being too large it fit snugly. There were scored lines running from top to bottom around the entire outside of the thing, forcing me to cock an eyebrow and examine it more closely. As I was pouring myself into studying the new mechanism I heard Galaxia's voice. "Ah, finally awake. I see Storm finally became exhausted from watching over you all night. No matter. I see you've noticed the change to your prosthetic as well."

"What's so different?"

"It's dynamic now."

"Dynamic?"

"It will change sizes as you do."

"Uh, I don't know if you noticed how big of an ordeal my change was, but I don't believe I will be doing that again any time soon."

"Actually, that was exactly what I was about to discuss with you. You see, as you are something special, something very much out of the ordinary, you have access to spells that most ponies will never even know about."

"Like what?"

"A spell that will cause you to change forms, shifting between the form you're in now and the form that you had been for the last little while."

"And how exactly does that work, and why am I so different like that?"

"Needless to say, it's like fast forwarding and rewinding yourself through time repeatedly. The further into the future you traverse, the older you are, the more dominant your father's immortal genetic code becomes. The more dominant it becomes the more submissive your mother's mortal genetic code becomes."

"I assume you're still not going to tell me who they are, are you?"

"No, but there is a way in which you can discover such for yourself."

"So we've made progress."

"You will not appreciate the prospect, unfortunately."

"What do you mean?"

"Erazul will be visiting my kingdom for a discussion-"

"Wait, isn't he your enemy?"

"Yes."

"Then why allow him entrance?"

"It is clear that you are unfamiliar with the intricacies of royal courts. Because he is my enemy, I must keep communication with him open in order to avoid the onslaught of total war. It's also the only way you'll get a clue about your parents."

"So I just talk with him?"

"No. Erazul is much too crafty for simple talk. He'll try anything to get you under his dominion."

"Right. I had forgotten that he was out to subdue me." My tone was slightly sarcastic, but it seemed to just bounce right off of Galaxia.

"Before you fight him, however, there's still the singular matter of business that we need to settle beforehoof: transforming."

"I already told you, Galaxia, I'm not going through that mess again and I'm not having you clean up after me a second time."

"What happened to you last night was in no ways normal, or even remotely similar to what I'm talking about. This true form of transformation is natural, unlike that unnatural ripping that occurred last night."

"So there will be no horrifying nightmares or profuse bleeding?"

"No. It won't hurt, either."

"And I'll have access to both this form and my larger one?"

"Yes."

"Although I don't know why I would ever use this one. It's inferior to the other form."

"It might have its purposes. For now, however, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I teach you the required magic. I will do so in my realm, which has a chamber that can alter the flow of time to allow us more of it to train you in this matter."

"Alright. When do we leave, then?"

"I would prefer now."

"Like right now?"

"Yes. Time is of the essence, and has been against you since day one."

"Alright then. I still feel pretty exhausted."

"Well you still look like you just came back from the dead, so I can only imagine how you feel." I arose, unsure at first if I would have been able to. Once I was on my hooves she spoke again. "Let's go."

Her horn glowed as usual and within a few moments we were briskly whisked away. When we arrived at the destination, I could barely even see. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of what seemed to be a moonless night. "Are you coming?"

After a brief moment I was able to discern where she was. She had turned about to face me. "Yeah, my eyes just had to adjust."

"You mortals can be strange...regardless, follow me." She turned back and began trotting. I made sure to follow closely behind her, as the dark halls made finding her difficult.

Eventually, however, we entered a chamber. Either the light had increased or I was more accustomed to the dark surroundings that were bathed in the low light of her dim torches. Whichever it was, seeing things was a much easier task at this point, and I was thankful for such. It did give me a chance to look around, so I took a gander at the room we were in. The chamber itself was very large and open, entirely barren of any decorations or furniture. The walls were so far distant, it seemed, that darkness enveloped them just out of sight. All in all, it seemed like empty space. Galaxia's voice echoed out, pulling my attention back. "Now, are you ready to learn the magic needed to change shapes?"

"I suppose I am, but I have a concern, Galaxia."

"No, it's not going to kill you or make you suffer."

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"My horn was severed during the fight with MoonDusk. I can't use magic anymore."

"There is still a way, young Protectorate."

"How? Isn't a horn a focus, like where the magic is created?"

"Whereas that may be true, you must remember that sources can be things other than horns."

"So then what do I use?"

"An idea is stuck inside of your chest." At first I wasn’t sure what in Equestria she was referring to. She must have noticed the confused look on my face, as she motioned towards my chest. I looked down, finding the glowing pearl embedded therein. It was then that the dots connected.

"Wait, you expect me to use the very thing that keeps me alive, and for something like that?"

"Unicorns using magic tap into their soul through desire for an outcome. Now imagine the power that would be behind your magic if you, rather than merely tapping it, used it wholeheartedly."

"So what's the catch? What's the downside?"

"The more powerful the magic, the more drastic the reaction. The reactions change based on your spells and magical composition, so accurately predicting a pattern is nigh impossible."

"So I use it and hope for the best?"

"Unfortunately, yes." This didn’t sound like the best plan for going forward, but what other option did I have?

"Well, then, I guess we start trying." Galaxia drew near after nodding. She then began explaining the processes I needed to cast through the new source. When she would finish explaining something she would give me the chance to use it. Once I had mastered the concept she moved on to the next point.

I have absolutely no idea how long the training session lasted, as there was no indication of time within the vast and empty chamber. All I knew was that I was exhausted by the end, worn out from the major effort of relearning how to cast spells. It also didn't help that I was using the pearl, the house for my soul, as my magical focus. By the end, however, I could heal injuries once more, and I had learned the art of transformation. Once Galaxia was satisfied with my success she began trotting away before speaking. "Well, I'm almost surprised you lasted that long. You've got endurance that I wasn't expecting. When you're ready to continue with your life just trot through these doors. There will be a galactic wisp waiting to guide you home."

"Thank you, Galaxia."

"The pleasure was mine, Protectorate." A small smile broke across her face before she ultimately turned and left the room. I took a moment or two more to gather myself, trying desperately to find the drive to move, before rising and trotting towards the doors. I was stopped in my tracks when a pony suddenly materialised into view before me.

"Ah, so it did work. So you must be this Aqua character I've heard so much about."

I couldn't tell what colour he truly was in this dim lighting, but my guess was that his hide was grey, his hair black, white, and grey, but that his eyes were a piercing light blue. He was a unicorn; that much was certain. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Why, you've never heard of me? I am Erazul, conquerer of voids and shepherd to my people." Upon hearing his name I took a step back to assume a combat ready position. "Oh, come now, don't be silly."

"You ordered those doppelgängers to capture me at all costs. You ordered the torture of an entire city to see if your sick experiments could turn my daughter-"

"Adopted, mind you."

"Adopted or not, your delusional fantasy permanently scarred her. You were also in league with MoonDusk until I killed her."

"I do have to thank you for that one."

"I don't care what you have to do. What in Equestria would ever cause me to trust you?"

"Because you're looking for something, something particular, are you not?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"I have what you want to know. Your parents are still a mystery, both in identity and in circumstance. You want to solve this mystery, do you not?" I sat in silence. He had me there.

"So what would it take to get that information from you?"

"How about we do a bit of a friendly wager, hm? I'm feeling a bit extra mischievous today."

My tone shifted to a more reserved one. "What's the competition?"

"A friendly spar, a small fight, a quick skirmish, whatever you want to call it. If you win I will tell you the information."

"And if I lose?"

"Then you will serve me in whatever way I please." I took a deep breath. Those were pretty steep terms, and I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to risk that much in pursuit of knowledge I had lived without for this long. "Go ahead, take your time. It doesn't exist in this room anyways, so we have an eternity for you to decide."

"I'll do it." What did I just say?

"Excellent. Now, as you have no weapons on you currently, how about I summon some for us. Nothing life threatening, like training swords almost. Sound fair?"

"Yes." With all of my training, I wasn't sure how fair it actually was. Suddenly, a weapon dropped onto the ground before me. As I picked it up I noticed that Erazul had one in his mouth as well. From what I could tell, they both seemed like unsharpened swords. I readied my stance, preparing myself to fight him.

"Then let the spar begin!" He charged in, using an easily parried strike. Swing after swing, it was more than apparent that his strikes were untrained and unprofessional, granting me easy shots. I'm not entirely sure how long he kept trying as he was, but after a while he stepped out of range. I charged in cautiously, successfully deflecting his counter strike. After a few more hits landed upon him Erazul teleported out of range. A grin broke across his face as he gripped the blade with new determination. He then teleported again, vanishing from sight. I quickly looked around, finding him behind me. I barely managed to get out of the way of his swing before turning to face him. Again he teleported out of sight, so I wheeled around immediately, catching his blade with mine. I shoved him back with a swing before wheeling around again. My tail connected, launching the unicorn across the room. I saw him teleport once again, finding him hurtling directly towards me. I barely braced in time as he plowed directly into my side with his tumble. Had I been my smaller form he surely would have knocked me over. As I was my larger form, however, his attempt was unsuccessful. As such, I quickly whipped my head down, holding the blade at his throat. When I saw him relax I spat the blade out onto the ground in order to speak.

"Well, it appears as if the victory is mine. Now is the time when you give me the information that is owed to me."

"Well, Aqua, there's a concept you must understand. I am an entity of mischief. Just when you think you might have pinned me down on something..." I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen, causing me to gasp in pain. I had a moment to glance back at the area, finding a blade sticking out of my midsection. Through a grunt of pain I finally spoke.

"You said these were training swords."

"Oops." He kicked me off, a feat in and of itself, before arising. As I skidded about a yard, and subsequently attempted to get back onto my hooves, I felt the sharp point of a sword touch the skin of my neck. "Well, would you look at how the tables have turned? It would appear as if I have won. A shame, really, I was almost excited to tell you about your parents. Oh well, such is life."

I felt something on my neck, forcing me to stop glaring at Erazul. I looked down to find a black collar with a small cord attached to it. The cord lead directly to Erazul's mouth. Despite the obstruction he spoke just fine. "Come now, Aqua, I must orient you on your duties."

With a tug of the cord I was being pulled in. When I was a few yards away the pulling ceased and he began trotting towards the door. I couldn't let him cross that threshold, so I snapped into action right before he did. I violently kicked down on the cord, almost causing the two of us to collide face-first into each other. I quickly reacted by kicking his face, causing him to fall. With lightning speed I was upon him, violently attempting to beat his face in. When I figured it enough I hefted him out into the hallway, getting on top of him again. "So you thought you won, huh?"

"You sneaky little...you can't cheat like that!"

"That's not what a bleeding wound in my midsection says about that."

"But-"

"I won. You're outside of the room and at my mercy. Now give me the information."

"Alright, fine. A deal's a deal. Your parents lived in the Everfree Forest for their own safety. Despite this, they were murdered when you were too young to know them. It was a drake and a mare."

"A drake?"

"A dragon that shapeshifts. He took the form of a draconic pony in order to court your mother. So you're more than a mere mortal. You're a creature of much grander design and a descendant of pure power."

"What else do you know?"

"That's all that I know, but I know of two ponies who'd have more information on them."

"Who?"

"Well, it's one pony and a group of ponies."

"Who?!" My tone was sharp, too insistent on getting the information I needed. I heard Erazul gasp in pain, which caused me to look for the source. Emitting from my shadow were sharp tendrils that had begun digging into his body. I leaped backwards in frightened shock, which caused the tendrils to recede. I was entirely without words, unsure of how my rage had materialised like that into my shadow. Erazul stood up.

"You could have just told me you needed the info instead of trying to torture me with that twisted black magic."

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what that was."

"I'm going to assume by your shock and concern that you really didn't know what it was. Regardless, the group that can tell you more about your parents is a guild of assassins that live out in a large city in the Badlands."

"But there are no cities on our maps of the Badlands."

"And how many of your civilisation have actually ventured out there to make a map, nonetheless have managed successfully to return?"

"None that I know of."

"Exactly. Anyways, it won't be hard to miss; it's pretty big."

"And who's the pony?"

"You're not going to believe me when I tell you."

"Then tell me."

"Bane." I blinked and looked at him for a moment. "Told you."

"He's been withholding it this whole time?"

"Yup. Feels pretty bad, doesn't it, being led around like that?"

"Then I must speak with Bane at once. I must know."

"Well, don't let me keep you." With that, he disappeared. Galaxia was soon trotting up.

"And? How did it go?"

"I have to speak with Bane."

"So I heard. The wisp was supposed to lead you home, but it instead led me to you, most likely because it was startled by your sudden bursting through the door with Erazul. I suppose then that I should personally take you home to save on time." I nodded, liking the idea. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." This time she nodded. I then saw her horn glow with a different pattern than I remembered. In here it illuminated, but in Equestria it stole light from the surrounding area. As peculiar as it was, I didn't have time to sit and think on it, as I was soon whisked away by the spell. When next my eyes focused I realised that I was standing in my house. Storm was nearby, oriented on the side where I had been stabbed. He rushed over when he had a few medical supplies and began binding the wound. As he did so he spoke.

"What happened?"

"I sparred with Erazul." He stopped, dead silent. "It was a friendly bout, which I won with ease."

With this he began wrapping again. "You do love to live your life on the edge, don't you?"

"I have to do what I can to figure this out."

"Figure what out?"

"Who my parents were and where they are...er, never mind on that last point." Storm looked at me inquisitively. "They're dead. Where they are doesn't matter."

"Ah."

"But there's somepony I need to talk to before I go off on any quests."

"Oh? Who?"

"Bane."

"Bane? What's he got to do with this?"

"A lot, apparently."

"Do you want me to contact him?"

"Yes, and when he arrives I believe it best that the conversation is had in private." Storm nodded, deciding to not question. He left the room once my injury was fully bound. I sat in silence, awaiting the moment that Bane finally arrived.

It didn't take long, perhaps a few minutes at most. When the door opened and Bane trotted in I could tell that Storm was hanging behind him, peeking around the corner. Bane spoke first between the two of us. "So you wished to speak to me in private?"

"Yes." I saw Bane nod to Storm, who closed the door and left I'm assuming.

"What did you want to discuss?"

"My parents." I could tell that his expression changed.

"What about them?"

"What do you know that you haven't been telling me?" He went to answer but the words got caught in his throat. I had enough time to add another statement in because of it. "Erazul isn't the only one who could tell me what happened to my parents, and he knew very little."

"There's a long story behind that one."

"And I'm injured, so it's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon." He looked at me for a moment before sighing.

"It started when I was exiled from my homeland. I fled here to Equestria to find asylum, and it was an excellent choice. The ponies were kind, open, and always friendly. Unfortunately, I brushed into the wrong crowd the wrong way, defeating their plans to seize power of the local government. They sent assassins after me because of it. When I received word about it from a friend I immediately fled to the Everfree, leaving behind all of my possessions. I stumbled upon your parents' cabin and, in desperation, begged them for shelter. I thought I was safe. So safe, in fact, that I even helped your father with work outside of the cabin. All good things, however, come to a close; the assassins found out that I had been hiding in their cabin. They attacked your father for information but got nothing. Instead, they followed behind, stalking him like a jaguar stalks its prey in the jungle. He led them straight home without realising it. When he arrived he informed me of what had happened. After tending to his wounds, and by this time night had fallen, I snuck out one of the windows and made my escape. After hiding in a dead log for two days I worked up the courage to return and help him fight the assassins, but when I arrived my heart sank. The cabin was decimated, burnt down and torn board from board afterwards. I was distraught, and began stealthily searching the nearby area. Just when I was about to give up I found you, by yourself, wrapped up as you always had been. There was no sign of your parents, no sign of a fight, nothing. Just...you."

"Then why was I alone in the Everfree?" My soft tone sounded as if tears were on the verge of erupting from my eyes.

"I couldn't raise you longer than I already had. The supply of berries you had for a while, the stack that taught you what you could eat, was provided by me when I had to leave. I did what I could, Aqua, including build that shed for you. When I returned, I did what I could to keep the malignant evil at bay; I was the only one nearby you."

"And that's all you know of it?"

"Yes. I wish I knew more, or even just where your parents went if they survived. I searched for over a decade with no luck."

"They didn't." He looked at me before sighing.

"Well, I know one thing, though. Your father would be very proud of who you have become."

"Thank you, Bane. I’m sure the sentiment would mean something if I had any clue who they were or what they were like. I guess there's just one more place I have to look to figure this out."

"Where?"

"Erazul told me that the assassins that murdered my parents are in a city located in the Badlands."

"You plan on going, don't you?"

"I have to know, Bane."

"Nothing that enters the Badlands comes out the way it went in. They always change, shift into something darker and more vile. Be careful that you don't do the same, Aqua. I'd hate to see this quest be your downfall."

"Yeah...me too." My dejected tone left the room eerily silent. As Bane went to speak again Galaxia appeared in the room.

"Aqua, there’s something...oh, am I interrupting?"

"No, no, Aqua and I had just finished."

"Oh, good. Aqua, there's something that just came up."

"Is it imperative that I help? I need to journey to the Badlands."

"How come?" Bane shot a glance over to her.

"Because I want to figure out what happened to my parents."

Galaxia looked at Bane for a moment before speaking again. "You told her, didn't you?"

"You knew too? When did you plan to tell me?"

"I had already said that you would learn when you were ready, and you were ready when you learned to harness the power of both heritages."

"So then I have to go to the Badlands to learn the rest of the story, and why any of this is possible anyways."

"Something more urgent has come up, Aqua."

"What could be more urgent than figuring out who I came from?"

"I discovered the source of the nightmare that caused you to shift forms." I blinked, thinking back on the massive obsidian creature. "It's been murdering ponies through the nightmare. The fact that you have survived is astonishing. That being said, however, as the Guildmaster of the Order of Protectorates, it falls on you to assign somepony to the task or take it yourself."

"I'll take it."

"Don't forget that delegation is a big part of leadership."

"This one's personal; it tried to kill me."

"Very well. If my source is correct," as she glances over at Bane, "then the monster will be appearing at your house tonight."

"Well isn't that convenient?"

"It's after Lazuli." Bane's voice cut in before Galaxia's. It certainly caught my attention, though.

"What?"

"That's why it's coming here. Normally, it wouldn't leave its realm of existence, but perhaps it figured Lazuli to be as tough as you are. It might just see the chance to keep her asleep while it murders her physically."

"Not going to happen. How much time to I have?"

"Not much. Sun's about to set."

"Then clear out and make ready. It's time I put this thing in its place." I could see both Bane and Galaxia look at each other, concern upon Bane's face, before agreeing.

"Stay safe, Aqua. I believe there is more in store for you than just this."

"I plan on it, Galaxia." She nodded and began leaving, prompting Bane to do the same. As he made his way out I made my way towards my armour. Once it was equipped I turned around. I found Galaxia standing inside the doorway once more. "Did you forget something?"

"Don't warn Lazuli; the creature won't come if you do."

"Got it." With that, she left. I was alone for a short while until Lazuli came back. In our usual fashion, whenever the two of us are actually in the same house for a change, we exchanged greetings, told each other the news, and enjoyed a meal before separating. Now was when I started my vigilant watch, monitoring everything that happened in her room. I positioned myself as close to her door as possible without being suspiciously close in case she left for any reason.

Several hours into the night had turned up nothing so far. I found myself starting to doze off, so I decided to begin quietly trotting about. I leaned in to the door to see if I could hear anything, but it was silent. After patrolling the living room a few times, being as quiet as I could in my large suit of armour, I decided to trot around the house. After silently closing the front door I started the round, heading first to the side of the house where Lazuli slept. As I rounded the corner I saw something protruding from her window, something that was moving. I almost didn't notice it at first due to the fact that the object, a tail as it was, was as dark as the night it was stalking through. Suddenly, upon realising this, my heart sank before beating quickly. I bolted over to the window, barely catching up in time to kick the tail with my front right hoof. Whatever it was, I got the attention of the source. The tail suddenly whipped inside and I went to follow it. As I began climbing over the windowsill I was rammed head on and launched outside again. After I hit the ground and oriented myself I finally had the chance to see what it was that tackled me out of the window. Standing above me was a creature with reflecting plating as dark as night. I could see faint lines of glowing, amber orange. Each breath caused the intensity of the light to pulsate. Suddenly it clicked; I knew exactly what was standing over me. With a heave I bucked the obsidian monstrosity off of me, barely launching it a few yards. If nothing else, the creature was heavy, as even my colossal strength was barely enough to throw it a few mere yards. I arose when I could and faced the glowing creature. I saw it approach, so I reared up and drew my swords. As the creature, which stood as tall as I did while bipedal, collided with me, threatening to bowl me over, I sank both blades into its body. This, itself, required extensive effort, but it effectively anchored me to the creature. With the position I had I decided to begin fiercely dotting one side of its body with holes. As my blades began to heat I sank my right blade in time and time again. Around the twelfth time the creature managed to lift me off of the ground. I felt pressure around my midsection, pressure strong enough that I swore my armour was buckling. With a twist the monster attempted to throw me. Because my blade was stuck in its shoulder I simply whipped around it before coming loose. The monster was thrown off balance as well, giving me a grace period for recovery.

When I arose next I could tell the monster was charging in quickly once more. With a swing of its claw it attempted to assault me. I pulled up one of my greaves to block the attack, as I couldn't properly position myself for a parry. Sharp pain followed as the claws tore through the armour, leg-mounted sword mechanism included. The machine sparked, sending small jolts of pain through my lacerated leg. The next time the creature swung I merely ducked underneath the blow, dodging to the side. With the window I had, as small as it was, I flopped onto my side in order to slice mightily at the creature. The blade cleaved through well over half of the creature's leg, causing it to buckle. It gave me just enough time to roll away from its reach. When I looked back I could see the obsidian beast crawling towards me on the three remaining operational limbs.

By the time it arrived I had prepared myself thoroughly. As it arrived in range I wheeled around, pelting its head with a blow from my tail that sent shockwaves up my spine. When I finished my circle I saw that the face of the creature had shattered and that it barely remained attached to the glowing interior. I swung my remaining blade, narrowly missing the weakened plating. In response the creature leaped upon me, pinning me to the floor. It began tearing fiercely into my armour, shredding it and the flesh underneath. My chest could only take so much, so I kicked its face as hard as I could with my free leg. This prompted the creature to pin that front leg down, holding it firmly with the punctures it inflicted with its wicked claws. I groaned as the creature returned to tear at my chest with the free claw. I took my blade and, in an act of absolute desperation, stabbed upwards repeatedly and violently. Time and time again the blade sunk deep into the chest, throat, and face of the creature. It seemed relentless in its pursuit of my demise, and I began to fear the worst. I tried a few kicks and bucks but the creature remained.

Just as I was on the brink of surrender I felt the efforts of the beast cease. At this point my world was blurred and surreal, I'm sure a consequence of my injuries. I finally managed to roll out from under the obsidian beast, barely staggering to a stand after sheathing the blade. The beast, with its faint glow even dimmer now, looked at me for a little while, the pulsating orange interior visible through the heavy damage I had inflicted. Indeed, there was almost nothing left of the chest, neck and right side of its face, as I’m sure was the situation with my chest. If I figured the monster to be in any way organic I'd say that it was panting in exhaustion. At that point, however, nothing it did mattered to me. I rose onto my hind legs and drew the functioning blade again, moving my way over. The creature tried to put up a fight, but I had more strength left in me that the creature had strength in it. I beat it down, eventually hacking at it until it stopped moving. I sat over top of it for a moment before listing. Suddenly I was kneeling, and then laying down, before I could get a grip of reality. I silently pleaded for help, as the shredded mess of my chest didn't give me much room to speak, or even breathe for that matter. As I was begin to fear the end I saw two black hooves step before me. There were silver bracelets upon them. It was when I heard the voice that I knew who it was standing above me. "Protectorate, I would have figured you were better prepared. Nevertheless, child, you accomplished the task. Bane, if you wouldn't mind preparing what you need to heal her."

"Mhm."

"Storm, you and I will carry her in." I heard Storm affirm his willingness to Galaxia. A moment later, I felt myself being lifted by the front legs. I was then being drug slowly, the pulling on my legs sending waves of numb pain through my eviscerated chest. When I was inside the house they lowered me back down, ensuring that I was on my side. I saw Bane trotting in with supplies as Galaxia's horn glowed in its usual manner. Before too long I felt my grip on reality slip.

When next I was aware of anything I saw the couch beneath my head. I sat upright, a surprising feat thinking back on it, and looked down at it. It was my couch, alright, so I began looking around. In the living room, my living room, there was nopony else. I shook my head a little before looking down. I saw the white bandages that adorned the front of my body. Directly on the front of my chest the bandages were crimson in colour. Around the edges of the crimson it had turned to a maroon or burgundy, depending on how far out it was from the epicentre. I blinked a time or two, staring idly at the mess, before I heard another pony in the room. To my surprise, it was Bane sitting nearby. "Well, you're awake."

"Where's Storm?"

"Cularix needed him for a mission, so I'm here instead."

"And Lazuli's alright?"

"Not a scratch, no lost blood, nothing. You did a mighty fine job, Aqua."

I looked down at my chest. "I had hoped so after getting this."

"I don't know how you always end up looking like that, even with as advanced of armour as you have."

"I don't know either, and I wish that such wasn’t the case." The room fell silent for a moment until Bane arose. He was heading towards the door. "Bane?"

"Yes?"

"Is there anything else I should know about my parents? Was there any family aside from me, or was I the only child?"

"You're not the only one asking that." With that, he turned and left. I blinked a few times, confused at his answer, before slowly making my way off of the couch. I carefully made my way over to the wall-mounted map. I stared intently at the simplistic geography sitting before my eyes. Thoughts began racing through my head, causing me to remember what all had been said. The thing that stuck out the most was all of the talk about the Badlands. I began searching for it on the map, finding it not long after I started. Once I found it I began carefully planning out my route to arrive.

I had just about finished polishing up the travel plans when my attention was torn away from the map by the sound of an opening door. I turned to face the sound, finding Storm. He seemed tired, but whole nonetheless. "Oh, Aqua, what are you doing up?"

His tone was a little flat, perhaps the product of exhaustion. "Figuring things out for when I recover fully."

At this point he closed the door, trotting over. "So what's the plan?"

"I'm going to the Badlands." I watched Storm's face, now no longer covered by his helmet, as concern stretched across it slowly.

"The Badlands?"

"Yes."

"You are aware of how dangerous it is out there, right?" I looked at him, then to my chest, before turning back to face him again. "Right."

"I'm sure I can handle myself."

"Not all of the danger is physical, though."

I cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"They say that ponies who enter there never come back the same."

"I'll manage."

"Have you thought this through?"

"Storm." He was silenced for a moment. "I have to do this. I need to know what happened to my parents."

He looked at me for a moment before the defiance melted off of his face. "Just be careful, alright?"

"I will." Storm trotted away, heading upstairs to the room. I glanced back over at the map for a moment before heading back to the couch to rest.