Darkness.

A void without light, sound or smell met me as I opened my eyes. However, it didn’t last for long. Ever so slowly my senses began to return to me. Apparently I was lying on something rough but easily yielding to my slightest movements, and covered with… a blanket?

Sand. I was half-buried in the sand, with my face in it. That explained why I couldn’t see a thing. I actually could hear, but not much more than the faint murmur of the chilly wind and the susurrous whisper of the sandy soil shifting under my body.

Groggily and gingerly I began to rise to my front hooves, rivulets of grit raining from the places between and under my plates, where the flesh of the desert had found its new home. Absentmindedly I noted that it was quite a problem – the sand most likely got into my joints.

Now that I could see, not much changed for me. It certainly wasn’t dark anymore; I was witnessing either a dawn or sunset with the sun absent from the sky. But other than that I appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, since nothing but an endless sea of orange sand stretched away from me. How did I end up here? I strained my mind trying to find my last memory. I remembered using a teleportation spell...

The memories of the events that transpired right before I woke up rushed into my mind, hitting me like an anvil. Tin Flower! She was badly hurt!

As I whipped my head around, my neck screeched with the dying screams of sand grains being ground inside of it, but I didn’t care. My eyes instantly caught sight of Delight sprawled on the ground, her wings outstretched, covering the dirty soil like two great sheets of snow. She was alive judging by the rise and fall of her chest, sending twirls of dust away from her nostrils. Not so far away from her, Red Wire weakly stirred, half-submerged in the sand – the filly was waking up from being knocked out. A bit afar a mound of pitch blackness lay half-buried, turning her surroundings into a fine silt to be carried away by the mellow breeze. I couldn’t see Rainbow anywhere, but that was mostly because my eyes fell on the frighteningly still form of Tin Flower.

Stumbling, with my hooves sinking into the soft soil, I rushed to her like a miniature sandstorm. A few unbearably long seconds later I was standing over Flower, panic rising inside of me as I could see no signs of life. The vitals checking spell, right!

As the purple aura enveloped her body I was looking for any injuries, but saw none at all, small scratches and bruises notwithstanding. Finally, with the help of my magic I was able to tell if Flower was even alive – she was, but barely. Her heartbeat was slow and weak, as well as her breathing. She was dangerously close to a comatose state, however I had no idea why: the spell couldn’t find any physical damage at all, making me confused to the point that I was becoming driven mad with worry.

The sound of sand softly scrunching under hooves came from behind me. Briefly turning, I caught sight of Red Wire limping towards me, lame on her hind left leg. Trixie, who was probably looking the best of all of us, was following her like the shadow she was. Further beyond, Delight was shaking grit out of her mane and feathers. I even saw Rainbow Dash who was doing the same, but with her armor. Apparently the reason why I didn’t notice Rainbow at first was her being sunk too deep in the sand.

The moment Red Wire’s gaze fell on Flower’s motionless body, her expression became full of worry, soon mirrored by Trixie as they both came closer.

“Is she alright?” Wire asked, in a hoarse voice full of concern.

I glanced at Flower and turned back to the red-maned filly, shaking my head sadly. As her expression sombered, I forced myself to speak, remembering how Flower was struck by the spectral claw. “It must be a magic injury.”

While I had a vast knowledge of arcane arts, I wasn’t a qualified medic by any means. I knew a basic mending spell, I could even stitch a cut with magic, not to mention providing first aid in non-arcane ways. But such thing as a magic injury, the most grievous and difficult to treat type, was far beyond my ability. So, hanging my head, I whispered, holding back a sob, “There is nothing I can do.”

Wire turned her head to Trixie in a silent question, but the shadowy mare shook her head dejectedly and spoke, her voice heavy with shame, “That is not how my magic works.”

I watched as Wire, her face desperate, looked between me and Trixie, both of us avoiding meeting her eye, full of pain. A single tear rolled down her cheek, but then she clenched her jaw and frowned.

“We are going to find Princess Luna, right?” she more stated than asked. Though I nodded to Wire I shared almost none of her enthusiasm. “The Princesses were the most powerful mages, she will heal Flower,” Wire asserted fiercely as if it was a history already written down.

I wished I was so sure – we had no idea what we were going to find in the Badlands, our demise was an outcome as possible as any other. But first, we didn’t even know where we ended up or if Tin Flower would make it to the Badlands in her state. However, if we were lucky indeed, Princess Luna was our only chance to save Flower.

Speaking of our location – when Wire was dealing with her grief, I noticed Rainbow checking on her map. Now, along with Delight, she was heading in our direction. While Delight’s eye grew wide and worried as she saw Flower, Rainbow gave the wounded filly a mere impassioned glance.

“A casualty?” she asked in a nonchalant voice, instantly making me bristle.

“She is still alive and needs help,” I almost growled back, but Rainbow didn’t flinch or react in any other way for that matter. Though, judging by the pause, she put some effort in choosing her next words.

“We have ended up a day’s march from the Badlands,” Rainbow levelly stated, making my eyes go wide from surprise.

We were incredibly lucky! Well at least in that aspect... It was amazing in the first place that I was able to teleport to a place I’d never been before and so far away with so many ponies – it was either the stress of the situation giving my spell more power than usual or all that arcanium dust amplifying my magic. Maybe even both. Although I didn’t have a concrete location in my mind when I released my teleportation spell, it must have been affected by my desire to get to the Badlands. It helped us to cut at least a couple of days of marching.

However, a frown took its place on my face a few moments later, despite the great news. I knew what Rainbow was implying – we were too far to turn back, though with her suit she could cover that distance in about a day if she wanted. Flower’s condition didn’t matter to her.

Turning my head around I barely saw the ochre peaks of the crags surrounding the Badlands on the horizon, but they were there, waiting for us. Behind me I saw nothing but a desolate desert, though I knew that in the unseen distance there was a death trap which had almost become our grave. In the east a dark green line between the sand and sky was reminding me of how vast the Hayseed marshes were. It was early in the morning, the break of dawn, so we could indeed reach the Badlands by nightfall. It sounded like a good plan, considering all the factors. On the other hoof, we had no choice but to remain stranded in the heart of the nothingness otherwise.

Anyhow, it seemed that Rainbow’s intent was only to inform to me, she wasn’t asking for my opinion. She was already passing food rations along with bottles of water to Wire and Del. With worry I noted how Rainbow’s saddlebags sagged after that – those were the last of our supplies. There was one glaring flaw in our plan which none of us dared to speak: at this point our journey wasn’t suggesting any way back to Canterlot if we failed to get Princess Luna. I realized that I didn’t want to think about it.

Wire and Delight basically devoured their share of food. For a moment I was surprised by their gusto, but then I realized that it was the first meal since our last camp shortly after we were attacked and both of them spent the entire night (or even more since the flow of time was bound to no logic in Dodge City) fighting and running. It was a concern on its own – I doubted that the brief time they spent unconscious counted as rest. But, again, we had no choice but to press on.

Right now I regretted my decision to go for Princess Luna more than ever. There was even a dark thought skittering on the edge of my mind: she had better make it worth all the effort.

Ever so carefully and gently I lowered Flower onto Delight’s back. After some thought I decided it would be better than letting her bounce on my metal spine.

Delight herself looked horrible. She used some of the water to wash her most serious and deepest wounds, but since the precious liquid was limited, it hardly changed anything. The rags covering her body were almost gone, acting as a poor or even potentially harmful substitute for bandages or to make bedding for Flower. Del might not need immediate help, but she needed medical attention very soon.

Unfortunately, Wire was no better. It was decided not to risk applying water to her damaged prosthetic, but it was still bleeding, albeit very weakly. As for now, half of her head was wrapped in the remaining rags to prevent any dirt from getting in her wound. It was the only serious injury she had, but it was extremely concerning. She needed to get back to Canterlot as soon as possible – no matter how good a mage Princess Luna was, an artificial eye would be beyond her.

Sporting almost black circles under their eyes, both girls were in dire need of rest, looking like they would fall from exhaustion any moment. Their faces were drawn by tiredness and hunger, and I suspected by the stress of the latest part of our journey. Once again I thought of it as a huge mistake.

There was only one thing I was grateful for. Despite the rising sun starting to shine brightly, unhindered by clouds, it wasn’t promising to turn the desert into a frying pan. The air was cold, contrasting with the meager warmth granted by the sunrays. Though, it was absolutely dry, so the concern of thirst wasn’t going away.

The thing I wasn’t grateful for, however, was the sand. It was coarse and rough, irritating and getting everywhere. But the worst was how it was giving up under my hooves. Fortunately, it was only my problem, since my body was the heaviest (Rainbow’s armor seemed to be enchanted, as the treacherous ground barely moved under her steps). Speaking of my long-suffering frame, the grit was beginning to itself known. I could feel it scraping my joints from inside, slowly but steadily wearing them down. After that thrice-damned journey I would have to undergo a capital maintenance if I didn’t want to fall apart in a literal way.

This time our procession had a different formation from before. Rainbow was leading now, steadily trotting towards the inevitable, almost cantering. The rest of us could barely keep up with her, so she would occasionally move quite ahead of us and was forced to wait, with her face bearing a dissatisfied frown, though she never commented on that. Trixie, despite being easily able to match Rainbow’s pace, wasn’t closely following her, keeping to us instead. And by us I mean Red Wire and Delight who were trudging in front of me in that order – I was at the end of the line, keeping my eye on Tin Flower, ready to catch her if something went wrong.

However, as time passed I realized that I had vastly underestimated Delight’s endurance. She had yet to stumble even once, despite her obvious weariness her gait was as steady as could be. Rainbow was right about the fabled pegasus stamina. Or perhaps it was due to Delight’s previous occupation, but that was something Flower would joke about, and I myself preferred Rainbow’s version.

Anyhow, with my worry about Del being overencumbered by Tin Flower dissipating, I began to pay attention to the others, namely Wire who was slowly drifting towards Trixie. They were yet to talk, but I was sure I would hear their words – I wasn’t that far behind, and the wind was carrying dust into my face. It didn’t take the red-maned filly long to catch her breath as she evened with Trixie and I heard her speak.

“Miss Lulamoon…” Wire began in that respectful and timid tone which instantly betrayed her intentions. Slowly, I began to speed up, because I knew where that conversation was about to go.

“You can call me Trixie, Wire,” Trixie wearily interrupted her. I couldn’t tell if it was lack of sleep making her sound so or something else, like if the last conversation we had was still affecting her. “I’m not ‘Miss’ to anypony.”

Drawing a deep breath, Wire continued, “I wanted to ask you to teach me some of your spells.”

Trixie instantly shot me a wary, fearful even, look over her shoulder, followed by Wire glancing at me as well, but with an expression I couldn’t read. In the corner of my eye I noticed Del looking at me with concern.

So far only Tin Flower was aware that my stance towards Trixie had substantially shifted. However, it wasn’t changing anything about my intention to allow Wire learn from her. Yes, I was still reluctant, but I wasn’t backing out of my word, of which Trixie was yet to learn.

That meant I had some things to clear up.

“I’m allowing Wire learn dark magic, but only under my supervision,” I levelly stated to Trixie as I evened with her. As expected, that earned a disbelieving look from the shadowy mare. Knowing that it must be appearing as a display of utter hypocrisy for her, I elaborated, “She is going to learn it anyway, as you said. But I would prefer to make sure she knows the price.”

Ignoring the way Trixie winced, I turned to Red Wire, addressing her, “Though I don't think right now is the best time for that. You need to have some rest first. Practicing magic, dark or not, takes a higher toll than most ponies realize.”

But my words only ignited the fire of resolve in Wire’s eye.

“The sooner, the better,” she snapped with surprising conviction. “Maybe if I was able to do something back at that city, Flower wouldn’t have been hurt,” she added quietly and bitterly.

I looked at Wire with renewed respect. Behind all that animosity a good heart resided indeed. She genuinely wanted to learn dark magic to protect others.

“Well, I wasn’t going to teach you any spells anytime soon, anyway,” Trixie said with a sigh, visibly preparing to meet Wire’s disappointment.

“Why?” the filly asked incredulously, in an almost betrayed tone.

“Because it isn’t the spells that make dark arts dark,” Trixie patiently explained. I almost objected at her choice of words – ‘arts’, I wouldn’t call such vile practices that. But she got my attention, after all I knew literally nothing about dark magic and regardless of my disposition towards its use I was curious. “If it was as easy as just learning the right incantation or rune, every other unicorn would be a dark mage. It’s all about from where the energy to power those spells is drawn.”

She paused, letting her words to sink in. I was pleasantly surprised: instead of jumping to potentially dangerous training Trixie decided to go with theory first. It was a professional approach. Though, I grimly remembered where she had picked up such a practice and who her teacher was.

“Tell me, Wire,” Trixie continued, oblivious to my dark ponderings, “From where do you draw the magic to power your spells?” she asked, intently looking at the filly, to her horn in particular.

That unexpected question caught Wire so unaware she even stumbled, as she was gathering her thoughts to answer, “Uh… the air?” I barely resisted the urge to facehoof, Wire’s knowledge of magic approximated zero. It looked like Trixie had better start with the most basic conventional magic theory before moving on to something else. However, to my (and probably Trixie’s) relief, Wire corrected herself, “No, wait! It’s… ley lines… they come from the ground, right?” To my horror it sounded like it was really intended to be an actual question, though it was still better than her previous answer.

As much as that inquiry came as a surprise for Wire, the answer was just as unforeseen for Trixie. Like me, she expected Red Wire to have some semblance of understanding of how magic worked so she could teach her how it shouldn’t work. I was sure that despite the change in Trixie’s approach to that matter she still had solid knowledge of magic theory, but as seconds passed I could clearly see her struggling to put it in an eloquent and understandable form. Apparently, my help was in order.

“Yes and no,” I charitably replied to Wire and began to explain, “Those torrents of energy, the ley lines, indeed pierce the soil, but they don’t originate from it, but rather from somewhere much deeper – the center of the world.” It was something every unicorn should know; but evidently it wasn’t as important in modern Equestria, judging by Wire’s fascination. “A core of pure and raw arcanium resides there, but that is not what creates the ley lines, it only fuels them. It is Harmony, a great ancient enchantment enveloping the nexus, that equalizes its output and allows everypony to tap into the core’s immense power, not to mention it is what assigns cutie marks to ponies.”

That impromptu lecture brought back some good memories, and I would gladly go on and on, quite possibly for hours. However, it wasn’t the knowledge Wire sought (even if she needed it nevertheless in my opinion), so I glanced at Trixie. She didn’t look anywhere near cross with my interruption. As she met my gaze she gave a barely noticeable nod, both in gratitude and acknowledging that it was her turn to lead the lesson once again.

“Except, there are ways to access the core’s power tricking Harmony,” Trixie began, and I focused on her words, listening carefully. The things she was about to tell couldn’t be found in any books (well, unless they were bound in leather) and they would be as novel to me as to Wire. “Such methods are usually referred to as ‘dark magic’, though I don’t really think it is the proper name, because by that definition any practice of magic by anyone except ponies should be considered such as well. But nopony calls zebra alchemy or Saddle Arabian ritual dances dark.”

Trixie’s words made me blink. I wouldn’t say she turned the world upside down for me, but she incited me think, probably for the first time, about what exactly dark magic was and question my judgement on the matter. I started to realize that before, I had condemned those practices simply because of some particular cases, or rather, users, letting myself think that was all it was.

Looking at Red Wire, I saw how entranced she was by the lesson. Despite her initial lack of knowledge, there wasn’t even a hint of incomprehension in her eye – she was quickly learning. Wire’s attention didn’t go unnoticed by Trixie, and she, sounding more sure of herself, went on:

“The technique I use is derived from the combination of the dreamwalking used by Princess Luna and blood magic of the ram and goat septs,” she proclaimed with abandon, sounding even somewhat proud.

I couldn’t tell what it was in that sentence that almost made me trip over. Was it the fact that shadow weaving was based on a unique ability of one of the Princesses, knowledge likely stolen? Or the part about the atrocious practice of the northern warlocks, making me wonder with an increasing worry what exact elements went into the magic Trixie used?

I wasn’t the only one who was shocked by that. While the part about dreamwalking only spiked Red Wire’s interest, making her eye flare with curiosity, she was taken aback, scowling when she heard the mention of blood magic.

“Where did you learn that?” Wire asked with a clear tinge of worry in her voice. Considering that I had already heard more than once about the rams and goats operating in Canterlot, she could be more familiar than me with how horrible their magic was.

It was Trixie’s turn to stumble. Grimacing, she tried to come with an answer, fumbling with her words, “Er… I… It’s– ”

“Tell her the truth,” I simply said in a level voice. It wasn’t an order or a demand, but it still cut through the air, making Wire look at me, the concern on her face growing, and Trixie wince as if I had hit her.

“I learned shadow magic from its inventor…” her voice trailed off and she gave me a glance as if asking me to allow her to finish at that. I answered her with a hard stare. So, with a deep sigh she forced herself to whisper, “...King Sombra.”

Red Wire came to a dead stop and took a step back from Trixie, recoiling as if in disgust. It was relieving to see that the Ebony Warlock’s terrible deeds weren’t forgotten, but there had to be more to that, Wire’s reaction was still stronger than I had expected it to possibly be. And then I remembered: she mentioned that one of her ancestors fought in the Great War and fell victim to Sombra’s vile magic.

Yet, there was indecision on the bandaged filly’s face that made me watch her intently. She had to make a very important choice: betray her predecessor and let their sacrifice be for nothing as she carried on the legacy of King Sombra, or turn down Trixie’s offer.

Delight stopped at my side, shooting me a concerned look. She might not be actively participating in the whole exchange, but she must have heard it, and she cared for Wire from all I could tell. Even Rainbow paused in her unrelenting march and dispassionately observed us from afar.

Finally, Wire raised her eye from the ground at which she was intently staring for the past minute and regarded Trixie with an unreadable expression.

“Are there any other ways to cheat Harmony?” Wire simply asked, making Del raise her eyebrow and me hem in surprise. She didn’t give up on the idea of surpassing the limitations set on her by the Transference Paradox, and yet she wasn’t going to follow in Trixie’s steps.

“Yes,” Trixie replied after a short moment of silence as she was dealing with the filly’s choice – her reaction ranged somewhere between disappointment and confusion. “But I’m afraid I can teach you only a little of the theory, I can’t use any of them myself.”

Red Wire reservedly nodded to that and began to trot forward, prompting us all to resume our journey.

After about half an hour spent in somewhat awkward silence, Wire drifted to Trixie’s side once again and I began to hear the quiet murmur of conversation between them, but it was much different this time. It was mostly Wire asking questions and Trixie giving unsure, brief answers this time. It was apparent that Trixie’s knowledge outside of her field of expertise was quite limited indeed.

I barely paid attention to that, since there wasn’t much to supervise anymore and there was now a noticeable coldness in their interaction, leading me to believe that Wire had learned a much more valuable lesson today than she anticipated.

As I ended up by Delight’s side, I decided to check on Flower’s condition, and what I found was extremely concerning: it seemed that her vital signs were gradually diminishing, albeit slowly. Apparently the worry on my face was clear and explanatory enough for Delight to notice.

“You care about her…” Del murmured as if more to herself rather than addressing me. However, her next word caught me unguarded, “Why?”

“Well,” I spluttered as it was such an obvious question, “she is a just a filly, and she has put a lot of effort into helping me.” And yet I was beginning to understand that I was missing something, otherwise Delight wouldn’t have asked.

“But have you wondered why she does that?” Del pressed on, unsatisfied with my reply as I expected.

I realized that I had no idea how to answer that question, actually. I remembered how Flower was stricken with guilt when she realized she basically yanked me from death without asking. But she had started to care about me before that. I knew her disposition towards equinoids, so she didn’t consider me her property either.

My silence became a reply on its own. Delight was almost reading my mind, and was finding it blank. I didn’t need to have her Moth emotion-perceiving skills to notice clear disappointment as she let out a sigh.

“Let me put it in other words,” she tried again, despite that little display sounding patient and kind, almost sad, “why do you think Tin Flower created you?”

I wanted to argue that she didn’t create me per se, but rather resurrected me by accident as she was trying to make an equinoid. And that was where my mind finally caught onto the thing I had been missing from the very start: what prompted Flower to create an equinoid in the first place? It was no easy task, risky even, considering that she had to venture into the city via the Tunnels to acquire some components, namely the crystals. Such options as ‘for the sake of it’ or ‘for fun’ were instantly dismissed, since Flower was smart enough to know that it required no small effort and was a serious crime. She wasn’t friendless either, she had Red Wire and from what I could tell they deeply cared for each other, being almost as close as sisters.

Why did Flower assemble an artificial pony, and why did she care for me even after discovering that I wasn’t what she expected me to be? Even presented with all those facts, the answer eluded me. Though I knew it must be something simple.

Perplexed and slightly irritated by my own lack of insight, I looked at Del and became even more confused when she met my eyes, her expression that of overwhelming sorrow.

“Twilight… she is an orphan,” Delight uttered in a gentle sad voice.

My first response was to frown, as her explanation made no sense, but then a realization dawned on me, hitting me like a ton of bricks.

When Tin Flower was creating an equinoid, she was creating neither a machine to serve her, nor a friend to have fun with, just as I supposed. But I never thought she wanted to bring back a parent she lost. The parent she was still seeing in me. A mother.

With wide eyes I looked at Del once again and was met with the same sorrowful expression, but I still couldn’t tell why. Was it because I had failed to see over and over the way Flower acted towards me and understand what it meant? Was it because of what Flower was doing, the depth of her desperation, loneliness and pain? Or was it because I had yet to decide how to respond to that?

I glanced at the still form of the grimy filly slowly dying on Delight’s back, a filly who thought of herself as my daughter. I was always too busy to think of such things as a family, and thus I had no idea how to feel about it now. Did I want to be a mother? Could I be a mother? Not in the sense if I could bear foals or not; for me it was a path denied as much as for Del, obviously. But did I have it in myself to raise a filly? Especially considering that I failed to see her as such for almost two weeks, despite her, now quite apparent in retrospect, affection. I certainly cared for Flower, but I didn’t know if I cared for her enough for it to be considered a parental bond.

My eyes shifted to Del’s face, but I was met with an unreadable expression, neutral at best. It was something I had to decide for myself, since it was only between Flower and me.

Letting out a deep sigh, I gathered my thoughts.

Right now my life was a mess. I was on the way to face an insane goddess as I followed the will of a changeling queen ruling a city on the brink of a great calamity. Even if I wanted to accept my position as a parent for Tin Flower, this was the least appropriate time, not to mention that said filly was yet to be brought back from death’s door. Once it was all over I could certainly give it thought. Even right now it was something warming – Flower was a sweet and smart filly indeed, especially after given a proper bath and cured of her habit of swearing like a seapony. And somepony had to teach her how to read, after all.

Feeling conflicted as I was presented with both a new thing to worry about as well as something to possibly cherish in this dark and unforgiving world, I trotted by Delight’s side, deep in my thoughts.

Along with sand, a gust of arid desert wind brought a fragment of conversation Red Wire and Trixie were having:

“...release the arcane energy because many living beings are connected to the core of the world on a very subtle…”

It took me only a moment to understand that Trixie was explaining the principles of zebra alchemy, a very complicated and unobvious art. Apparently she had run out of techniques exploiting the weaknesses of Harmony and began to tell her about things which could barely be considered dark magic, as she stated herself. That made me wonder what Wire would do. The filly seemed to be adamant on compensating for her lack of magic power through alternative ways, but how far would she go? I also noted the fact that she and I weren’t bound by our agreement anymore, since it was only about me supervising Trixie teaching her, not any other dark mage. In a bitter ironic revelation I realized that I acted more as a mother towards Wire than Flower.

No matter how bothersome the fillies’ fates were, regardless of my role in their lives, their present seemed bleak. At first it seemed that Wire’s limp had worn off as we began to cross the desert, but now I could see it return and become more pronounced as time passed. Since her leg looked unwounded I could only suggest that it was either a sprain or a cracked hoof, and unfortunately, here, in the middle of nowhere, there was nothing that could be done about that. I could only hope she would be able to reach the Badlands in her state.

However, the young ones in our group weren’t the only who were suffering from the aftermath of visiting Dodge City. I turned my head to take a better look at Delight. When I met her in the Tunnels she looked rather beautiful, especially compared to most ponies I had encountered. Now, with most of the tatters on her body used either as bandages or to make a nest for Flower between her wings, I could clearly see the toll adventuring with me had taken on her.

I remembered that she used those ragged clothes to conceal her bright shiny coat, but now it wasn’t an issue anymore: the dust and caked blood were accomplishing that job perfectly. Along with the bruises and small wounds, they would have made me question her original color (as was still the case with Wire) if didn’t know it already. Half of her left wing was tightly wrapped in a red-stained shred of worn cloth, and the right wing was a mess of ruffled feathers. Her mane and tail, once smooth and silky, were tangled, with dirt and small pieces of rubbish clinging to them. I even thought I saw a glint of arcanium in her hair, but as I squinted I saw that it was just residual dust.

My scrutinizing examination didn’t go unnoticed, and with a wry smile Del chuckled, “I may not be a Moth anymore, but I still don’t serve equinoids. Sorry, Twilight.”

It took me a few moments to understand what she was implying, and I scrunched my nose in discontent and slight disgust as my mind tried and failed to imagine how it could possibly work.

“I think you have spent too much time with Flower, she’s rubbed off on you,” I dryly commented, though not without wearing a reserved smile myself.

“Until she receives a bath it is going to happen with everything within a hoof-length distance from her,” Delight retorted with a quiet yet hearty giggle that I couldn’t resist but share.

Suddenly I realized that from all my friends, newfound, old or not-really-mine, Clandestine Delight was the one with whom I was most comfortable. Despite her mellow character, she had an adamant resolve and fiery heart which made her strong without preventing her kindness from shining. She was a pony I enjoyed having around, but the question was: did she enjoy my company as much? She had no choice but to come with us, and looking at her I seriously doubted it was a pleasurable journey for her.

“This all is probably not what you expected when you decided to accompany me in Canterlot, is it?” I asked in a tone devoid of any mirth. If I remembered correctly Delight joined me because she had nowhere to go and wanted to help me. How did I repay her? She was wounded and had faced death more than once as I dragged her to the end of Equestria. We had made no progress with the plan we had to flee to Stalliongrad, and I wasn’t sure if that was even an option anymore.

However, Delight’s response was something I didn’t expect and it came with a just as surprising wide smile, “Actually, it pretty much is”

“...What?”

“If I didn’t meet you, what would my life have been?” Del exclaimed, beaming at me. “I was practically done. And even if I remained a Moth it would be a drab life in the dying city until I was killed by its inhabitants or winter.”

I just stated at her in amazement. Very soon, comprehension began to dawn on me. It would be a lie to say I would have made a different choice in her situation. Wasting an entire life in Canterlot as it was today as a prostitute even with the merits of that job? Nopony would want that.

“And look at me now,” Delight continued to gush. “Yes, I’m beaten and bitten, I can’t remember the last time I took a shower or had a meal I can actually call a meal, and I may not understand everything that is going on, but I am in the company of three Former Ones, outside Canterlot and about to see a Princess. I am a part of something greater than myself.” She looked at me with deep gratitude. “I could have only dreamt of that before.”

I smiled back at her, but in all honesty I didn’t know how to feel. As Del fairly noted herself, she wasn’t getting the full picture, starting with the fact that we very well might not make back alive, not to mention Queen Chrysalis waiting for us if we did. On the other hoof, she was probably the only friend who I had managed to make truly happy so far. Settling on that it was probably the only thing that really mattered in that situation, I allowed myself to stop worrying about Del and just trot by her side, content with her company.

The sheer cliffs surrounding the Badlands kept growing closer to us, but unfortunately they were doing so agonizingly slow. We spent hours trudging across the infirm sands, and it seemed that we were about to spend many more before we finally met our fate lying beyond the wall of jagged stone.

Despite Delight being in lifted spirits and steadily trotting forward, I didn’t really want to bother her with a chat. She was trying to hide it, but I could tell she was very tired. Though it wasn’t much, talking would tap into her little remaining strength. The same could be applied to Red Wire, except she wasn’t even trying to conceal how exhausted she was. With her head hanging low and tail sweeping the hoofsteps left by unsteady legs, she was forcing herself forward, any conversation she had with Trixie dead long ago. I tried to offer her a ride on my back, but she stubbornly refused without telling me a reason, though I could guess – she must have been thinking it was Flower’s place.

Speaking of Flower, she was growing weaker by the hour. She would hold on until the night, but I was afraid today’s dawn might be her last. That and the waning strength of my friends weren’t my only worry. I couldn’t stop thinking about Rainbow Dash. I began to speed up, which was an irritatingly difficult endeavour due to my hooves sinking in the sand. My goal was to catch up with Rainbow since I had at least two points I wanted to talk with her about.

I was concerned about Rainbow. She looked fine, but I didn’t really know how Dodge City affected her, physically or mentally. It also occured to me that she hadn’t eaten once since our journey began, and it was a long time. On top of that, she missed out on sleep, which wasn’t a big issue in itself, but combined with hunger…

On the other hoof, however, I was mad at her. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment my aggravation began to build up, it could even have started when we were at the Edge. Anyhow, the tipping point for me was the way she acted towards Tin Flower. Regardless of my relationship with that filly, Rainbow’s reaction to her condition was heartless. I could pretend that the unamiability she had shown to the Bridge’s occupants was explained by them being outlaws in her eyes, but Flower was an innocent filly and also my friend, which should have meant something to Rainbow.

There was also the question of our forthcoming journey back, which right now looked impossible. Rainbow must have had some plan, judging by how she never mentioned it as an issue.

Lastly, despite Rainbow initially acting friendly, almost the way we were back then, after she received orders from Queen Chrysalis, she began to shift into what I supposed was her ‘operating mode’ which was affecting our interactions in a way I wasn’t enjoying at all.

Struggling over the doughy ground, I caught up and cantered by Rainbow's side. She gave me a brief glance, implying that she had nothing on her mind she wanted to share and it was up to me to hold a conversation with her. Obviously, that wasn’t helping my growing anger, thus deciding what to say to her first.

“You know,” I began, trying to keep my tone as level as I could, “you could have been a bit more caring towards Tin Flower, after all we owe her a lot.” I put a slight emphasis on the last part, hoping Rainbow would understand that I meant not just the recent help coming from Flower during our journey, but the fact that she deserved all the credit for my current existence.

As Rainbow spoke I noted how she tried to keep her voice even as much as I did but failed, with the irritation not so prominent in it, but still clearly discernible, ”Twilight, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is not a walk in the park, it’s a combat operation.”

“So what?” I tried to meet her eyes, but she was looking forward, constantly scanning the horizon with an impassioned expression. “Does that mean you should stop caring about anypony?” I knew this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation by any means, but it seemed like I underestimated how much.

“Basically, yes,” Rainbow deadpanned without missing a beat. I stumbled, momentarily losing balance. I thought I must have misheard her, but she continued in the same passionless tone, “That filly is a civilian, irrelevant to the mission objective.”

For a few moments I was just at a loss for words. This was going beyond anything I knew. My brother was as much of a soldier as a pony could be, but he knew compassion, even on the battlefield. So, as soon as my initial shock passed, I exploded, “What is wrong with you!? She is a kid! She is our friend!” I yelled at her in disbelief. Why should I be reminding her of such things? Why did she need to be reminded?

“Fillies become casualties like everypony else,” Rainbow dismissed my words, not even bothering to turn her head to me as she kept staring ahead. If she didn’t speak I would have thought she didn’t hear me at all.

I was already preparing a wrathful tirade to bring upon her when she spoke again, this time giving me a very brief sidelong glance which I couldn’t discern. “And there are no friends in war.”

Those words felt like a hit in the gut. Rainbow Dash becoming heartless to the point that she stopped caring for the young ones was unexpected, but hearing her saying that was beyond imagination. It actually hurt, and I had to start my phrase a few times before I could speak coherently.

“Does that mean I’m just another expendable civilian to you?” I bitterly muttered, not sure who I was asking: Rainbow or myself. Nor was I sure if I actually wanted to know the answer.

Rainbow Dash abruptly stopped, finally willing to spare me some attention, it seemed. I looked into her dark eyes beyond the visor and a hard glare met another hard glare, though both being such for different reasons.

“Twilight,” her voice was harsh, but not angry, even bearing a slight hint of sympathy, “what we are doing now is an extremely serious matter, and don’t think that I’m enjoying all of this. Nightmare Moon, or whatever Luna has become, is a major threat to Equestria’s safety, and as a captain of the Royal Guard it’s my direct responsibility. My mission has been compromised four times already, and no, you are not expendable,” she finished the little speech with a sigh, but then quickly added, “You are part of the objective.”

Throughout Rainbow’s explanation my face started to gradually turn into a scowl. She told me nothing I didn’t know already and despite her apparently believing that it all was a valid justification of the way she acted, I didn’t share her opinion on that matter. And if she thought to make amends with that, all her effort became instantly wasted with that last sentence.

“Great, I’m an objective now,” I snapped, becoming extremely tired of Rainbow’s attitude. “If you don’t care about my friends and are going to hoof me over to Chrysalis, why should I even follow you?” I could believe in Chrysalis caring for the city and ponies, but the thing was that neither I nor Luna were such. We were her sworn and most ancient enemies and I couldn’t realistically expect of her any hospitality.

“Because you are going to die without me,” came the curt rasping reply, followed by an impatient explanation as I glared at Rainbow, “and I don’t mean that as you need me to survive, which you do.” My glare only intensified, though I had to admit she was right. Without her we would have never made it out of Dodge City, not to mention the griffins’ attack and the hostility of the bridge squatters. “I can’t guarantee that you won’t be ordered to be killed without my protection.”

The last phrase was rather ambiguous, since it didn’t explicitly say who exactly would want us dead, though I could already name the first candidate.

“And can you guarantee that Luna and I won’t be executed the moment you present us to your Queen?”

“You and Luna are assets too valuable to be wasted. Your fate will be decided by the Queen and her advisor,” Rainbow readily retorted. Though her expression remained unchanged and tone neutral she made it quite clear that she didn’t appreciate the way I emphasized the words regarding her command. However, I barely paid it attention as Rainbow wounded me deeply once again.

“You greeted me as a friend,” I uttered sadly, staring at my hooves, “but now I’m an objective or asset you are ready to surrender to the mercy of an enemy.” I shook my head and raised it to look Rainbow straight in the eyes only to be met with the same face, focused and yet dispassionate. “Rainbow, what happened to you?”

She gazed at me for a few long moments before suddenly asking, “Do you love Equestria, Twilight?”

“Of course I do,” I exclaimed, slightly taken aback. “What kind of question is that?”

“So do I, with all my heart,” Rainbow said somberly and quietly, for the first time since we had left Canterlot’s outskirts letting any emotion other than some form of anger show in her voice. Bitterly, even sounding a bit hopeless, she continued, “Equestria is on the brink of oblivion now, especially considering that Nightmare Moon is alive. And I’ve learned the hard way, as you did, if you have forgotten, that friendship doesn’t save anypony anymore.” I winced as she reminded me how the Elements of Harmony failed. How we all failed in the end.

Rainbow paused, but only briefly and I could see that she was carefully choosing her next words. Finally she spoke in a voice full of both steel resolve and resignation, “You are still a friend to me, but right now I can’t allow that to interfere with the tasks at hoof.”

A heavy, solemn silence hung in the air like a thundercloud.

Rainbow continued to march towards the already not-so-distant bloodstained crags. She didn’t wait for my answer, and really, what could I say to her? I wished I didn't agree with the things she said, but unfortunately I knew she was right. There were no Elements this time, just a huge city with thousands of problems. I was just one confused mare who didn’t know even half of what was needed to deal with any of those issues, but unlike me, Rainbow could make a difference. She was a hero standing between Canterlot and its demise.

And the best I could do was to not stand in her way.

The dry chilly wind of the lifeless desert whistled between the plates of my body. The self-forgetful concerto of nature was interrupted only by the retreating sound of sand scrunching under armored hooves. In that growing near silence I, for the first time, realized that Trixie, Wire and Del were listening to the entirety of our furious exchange. Briefly glancing at them, I was met with their gloomy expressions. I couldn’t tell if that was because they sympathized with me or because they were reminded of how dire our situation was. Though I felt like they were waiting for me to say something, I remained silent. I didn’t want to drag them into that mess more than I already had and any words of encouragement died in my throat – I desperately needed some myself. Pursing my lips, I turned away and began to follow Rainbow’s steps. We, especially Flower, were running out of time.

After Dodge City my clock was jumbled, refusing to tell me the time, but I could tell that we had been traversing the desolate sands for hours. The sun was dipping towards the horizon, but we still had to cross quite a distance between us and the Badlands. I could already make out the details of the mountain range and the gap in it patiently waiting for us, but we would only make it there under moonlight, no sooner – it just seemed to be deceptively close.

Sometime ago we made a brief resting stop, but unfortunately it barely helped – without food and water, it couldn’t. As I returned to my position at the end of the procession I could observe the full extent of how little strength remained in my friends. Delight was still walking steadily, conscious about the filly on her back, but her wings drooped and were leaving two faint lines on the sand along with shallow hoofprints. And Red Wire was now resting on my back, since she had begun stumbling and even falling to her knees. The fact that she almost didn’t resist my invitation (or rather order, since I wasn’t taking no for an answer) was a bit concerning.

When the night’s veil began to cover the sky, we were still about an hour away from the rocky pass. Two spells were wrapping Tin Flower: the vitals detecting and weight alleviating, since Delight was barely able to carry her weight. Red Wire was asleep on my back, unable to fight the exhaustion back anymore, but her slumber was troubled – she was quietly whimpering in pain, her wounded eye making itself felt.

Doubts and worries were washing over me in waves, followed by regret. With every step, I could feel the ominous presence ahead, even though I was sure it was just my mind playing cruel tricks. Every shallow and irregular breath of Tin Flower, each taking a bit longer to come, was resonating in me with a pang of guilt.

Finally, my hoof stepped on the rocky soil. The precipitous mountains of the passage loomed above us, but not as sentinels – as a warning. We were mere minutes away from entering the Badlands, and if I didn’t have Flower dying I would have turned back, so strong was the feeling of committing a grave mistake.

A sharp gasp cut the silence ahead of me. To my surprise I realized that it belonged to Trixie. I moved closer to her only to hear her mutter in a horrified whisper, “She knows!”

Confused, I strode forward, and as I evened with Trixie and Rainbow, who stood looking into the distance, I felt it. It was as if my hoof struck a violin chord, but both melody and string were woven of magic. For a very brief moment I saw the thing Trixie told me about: an enormous invisible arcane network, a vast detecting spell covering everything to the horizon. Nothing could step into the Badlands without raising an alarm.

Hours spent crossing the sands between this desolate place and Dodge City made me think we were trying to traverse a lifeless void. But the sight before my eyes easily beat it. Smooth, barren stone plateaus devoid of absolutely anything was the only thing I could see. Or at least it seemed so at first, until I noticed movement in the distance. The sky above was clear, allowing the moon and stars to bathe the dead stone with cold silver light, preventing the night from being tenebrous. However, in that moonlight I could see a moving patch of pure blackness, an impenetrable shadow rolling across the ground like spilled ink.

And it was rushing toward us like a bolt of ebony lightning.

Panic shot through me – this was all a huge mistake. I turned around, preparing to flee, and froze in bewilderment – the passage between the crags was gone. I rushed to it, sure that it was only an illusion, it had to be, but as I stretched my hoof to prod at it, I was met with a solid mass of rock.

I whipped my body back and witnessed how the tiny shadow in the distance had become a swirling pitch-black tide closing on us, taking up most of our view.

Red Wire, disturbed by my sudden ministrations, slid from my back and was already retreating, her eye wide in utter terror. Delight was already at the wall with her rump pressing into it and her wings weakly outstretched in the instinctive, yet futile, desire to look imposing. Rainbow took to the air, and I could hear her cannons come to life with a sinister hum. Trixie stood where she was, seemingly paralyzed with fear, oblivious to the mad thrashing of her stolen shadow as it tried to escape her body.

Only a few moments passed before I could see nothing but void, the moon and stars gone as the sea of darkness enveloped us. Numbing fear took hold of me as I remembered how it already happened once, in the land of eternal snow, a long time ago.

Then, amidst that blankness a pair of narrow menacing eyes appeared and I couldn’t help but stare into them. Those were not the eyes of a pony. They weren’t even the eyes of a living being. The night itself gazed at us, empty and dead, shining forth with the merciless cold light of distant stars and an orphaned moon.

Trixie was wrong, Princess Luna was no more, there was nothing left to save. It wasn’t even Nightmare Moon – she was rage, a twisted ambition, a passion. The entity that caught us in its web could know only merciful oblivion, it was void incarnate, hunting these lands for any signs of life. For it, nothing but changelings could reside here anymore. And in that moment I felt how the abyss gazed back, focusing on me.

Suddenly, in that impenetrable wall of nothing stars began to flare one after another, but as I looked at them I realized… they were eyes, dozens of lifeless eyes. Through the ages, from the nightmare, words spoken in an icy tone echoed: “I’m taking two entire platoons of the Royal Guard and scouring the Badlands until the changeling threat is completely eliminated…” Goodness, she didn’t let them die, those soldiers became forever bound to her vengeful, grief-maddened spirit!

It was a mistake, I should have known that coming here was a death sentence. Damn it, who I was fooling – I knew that! Why did I even agree to come here? I had a choice, and I doomed us all…

The darkness shifted, something changed in it. Inside the silver pools of the night’s eyes a blemish appeared, the shadows leaked into it and a mere moment later – or an eternity, I couldn’t tell – two vertical streaks of ink cut the unblinking eyes of death, becoming irises and expanding in astonishment.

A voice that I could barely recognize, hollow and painfully loud boomed, surprised and displeased at the same time, splitting the air like a whip:

“Twilight Sparkle. What are you doing here?”

She recognized me, but… Who was she? As that question rang through my dazed mind, many others joined the chorus of confusion. How she recognized me was one of the most prominent among them. I barely looked like Twilight Sparkle anymore. Or did she think I was wearing armor, like the younger version of me did? Then comprehension dawned on me: whatever that entity was, she wasn’t seeing me, but my magic in a way similar to how Spike recognized me.

As I stood dumbstruck, I saw her glowing gaze slide over my company. I noted how her eyes lingered on Trixie, the vertical pupils narrowing slightly, but the deafening silence remained unbroken. The moment she focused on Delight, the pegasus’ nerves gave up and she fainted, making me to catch both her and Flower who almost fell from between the wings. Wire met the penetrating regard defiantly – I expected nothing less from her, but I could see the filly’s whole body shaking violently. Finally, she looked at Rainbow and then spoke.

“Rainbow Dash, isn’t it?” There was apparent puzzlement in her voice which changed into the urgency of somepony who was distracted from an important business. “I presume that means the war is over. If that is all you wanted to tell me, then I must return to my search immediately, Equestria is still at peril.”

The irony of her words was excruciatingly painful, but it wasn’t what struck me. Princess Luna… Nightmare Moon… she… didn’t know. She was completely unaware of the course of the war that almost destroyed Equestria. Had she even noticed the passage of time? Another realization came to me: we weren’t giving her a clue. My magic was almost the same as it was when I recorded the crystals which served as my ‘soul vessels’ now. Rainbow Dash was frozen in time, her magic signature just as unchanged.

“P-princess Luna?” I called in a shaky voice, dreading to hear her answer, for I was afraid she answered to that name no more.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle, what is it?” she responded impatiently to my immense relief, oblivious to my internal struggle. Though I could barely recognize her as Princess Luna, she still saw herself as such.

But my turmoil didn’t end there, it only became worse as I realized that I had to somehow break to the Princess of the Night the fact that she had been lost in her vengeance for centuries. That she willingly, yet unknowingly went through half the length of her exile to the moon.

I cast my eyes to the ground, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to meet hers.

“Princess…” I began and felt my voice failing me, so I had to start over, “Princess Luna, it has been five hundred and seventeen years since The Great War ended,” I said in a hollow voice. Only when those words left my mouth did I realize what I just said – I echoed the same thing Red Wire told me when I woke up. There was a bitter wryness in that it was my turn to pass on that painful truth.

The pregnant pause that came after I finished speaking stretched on forever, with every passing moment driving me closer and closer to the state of complete mental breakdown.

“Twilight, ‘tis no time for jokes. I expected better of you,” came her angry response.

Of course she wouldn’t believe. I didn’t want to believe that either, but it changed nothing. The question was: how I was supposed to prove that to her while standing in the middle of the unchanging homeland of the changelings, taking into consideration her thinning patience?

With a loud thud, Rainbow landed on the rocky ground and took a few steps towards the eyes looking at her from the darkness.

“That is no joke,” she reported briskly. Her tone was… accusing? I expected Rainbow to be relieved. After all Princess Luna not being completely insane meant that she was no threat to Equestria. But it sounded like Rainbow was taking a lot of effort to not to say too much.

The darkness began to dissipate and swirl into a huge hurricane until a pony, an alicorn was standing in front of us. I stared at Princess Luna in horror. Not only did she appear more like Nightmare Moon with her coat being so deep blue it was almost black and those dragon-like eyes – she was emaciated. It looked as if there was nothing between her lustreless coat and bones, she was but a skeleton with skin taut on it. On the gaunt body, armor of the blackest metal hung from her like on a rack, it had long lost its shine, but refused to surrender to corrosion. On her side, a tarnished scabbard resided, concealing inside a blade that must have become dull from time. The void became her mane – I couldn’t tell if it seemed so huge because of how marcid her frame was or if that was just the way it was now. It was like churning water, unresting ink with muzzle outlines peeking out of it, their glowing empty eyes watching me and the others intently.

Princess Luna raised her head to the sky and her horn became a beacon of blinding light as she reached out for the moon. I knew it because I saw the celestial body move ever so slightly, corrected on its course after countless inexperienced moonrises. But it wasn’t the only thing that moved.

With an uneasy feeling I watched how Princess Luna’s facial expression began to change, a grim restless determination rapidly melting away to be replaced with a grimace of utter horror, an agonizing comprehension of the time passed.

Finally Princess Luna’s horn went dark and ever so slowly and painfully she cast her eyes, wide with shock, to the ground. Minutes of heavy silence passed by but she remained unmoving like a grotesque statue save for her mane and tail soundlessly whipping on invisible wind.

What she was going through right now must have been much worse than it was for me. I was unwillingly torn from another era and placed into the present only to comprehend its atrociousness. Princess Luna had a choice, she could have been there all the time, but instead she was hunting these lands. It was a mistake undoubtedly, but that made her no less responsible. I couldn’t imagine the crushing weight of guilt she must have been feeling right now.

Taking a tentative step forward, I carefully called, “Princess Luna?”

She raised her head once again and looked at me. I thought her eyes were already as wide as they could be, but I was wrong – upon seeing me they became even more round. She finally saw me as who I was now – a living machine, not to mention that she might realize I should have been long dead.

“Twilight…” Princess Luna kept staring at me like I was a ghost. In a sense, she was right. “What happened to you?” she uttered out in a small, no longer imposing voice.

“That is… a long story,” I replied with a grimace. I didn’t want to go through it again, at least not right now. “We…” I hesitated. Knowing from my own experience, there was no way I could tell Princess Luna all that had happened over the last five hundred years and what was happening now without breaking her heart. As the initial shock of meeting her passed, my concerns returned: behind me were two fillies, one dying and the other seriously wounded, not to mention a blacked out pegasus who needed medical attention as well. I couldn’t spend the whole night looking for the right words.

“After the Great War, Canterlot remained the only city in Equestria,” I grimly began, avoiding meeting Princess Luna’s eyes and adopting the same lifeless tone Trixie once used to tell me the events of the distant past. “Right now, things are really bad there: it is ravaged by severe winters and a lack of resources.” It was the understatement of the millennium, though it wasn’t the reason why I paused – the next words would hit much harder. “And it is ruled by Queen Chrysalis.” Surprisingly it was Rainbow who reacted first – I heard her make an unintelligible sound and saw in the corner of my eye how she made a step towards me. However, my attention was focused on Princess Luna. As I expected she looked shocked and broken, but I couldn’t tell if the last part changed anything – her expressiveness met its limit it seemed.

“I… failed…” Princess Luna choked out and tears began to stream down her cheeks. “I failed everypony…”

I thought of approaching her to give a hug but decided against it. It felt out of place and I still felt uneasy about her morbid appearance. Instead I gently floated Tin Flower closer to me, in the process checking on her – she was still alive, but not for long.

“Princess Luna,” I softly said, taking a few steps towards her shuddering, sobbing form, “we need your help.” Motioning at the still form of the filly levitated by my side I added, “She needs your help.”

Princess Luna paused in her lament and glanced between me and Flower. A moment later I felt the careful touch of her magic on mine and the arcane aura enveloping Flower began to shift its colors into blue tones. The filly floated closer to Princess Luna, and she began to study her with a deep frown.

“Her entity was almost severed from the Harmony,” she muttered. “What happened to her?” she asked, looking at me.

I couldn’t tell her it was another long story, it would be disrespectful if not suspicious. Also she might need all the details to cure that wound. “She was attacked by a… thing. An abomination of arcanium and flesh,” -I shuddered at the memory- “a spectral limb of that… creature passed through her.”

Princess Luna’s brows shot up as I told her the very short and cut version of our nightmarish experience in Dodge City, yet she said nothing, just curtly nodded and returned her attention to Tin Flower. I briefly wondered if Princess Luna had encountered something like that at some point. Suddenly her horn flared brightly and I felt magic around me lurch, shifting in a very strange way. As sudden as that sensation appeared it was gone along with the brilliant shine of the alicorn’s horn.

“Her entity, magic and physical body are properly connected to the Harmony now, but she needs rest for them to come into unison,” Princess Luna said, carefully lowering Flower into the nest of rags on the ground. Her horn then flared for one more time, and a wisp of soft light materialized above the filly, bathing her in the silvery glow. I felt warmth radiating from the glowing orb.

Princess Luna looked around and her eyes stopped on Delight and Red Wire, the latter trying to bring the unconscious pegasus round. “I can tell the rest of your company needs help as well,” she commented.

The midnight alicorn came closer to them and as her horn began to glow once again Del came to life with a gasp, her eyelids fluttering like a caught butterfly’s wings. However it took her only a moment to notice the Princess standing over her and with a loud shriek, futilely trying to take off, she backpedaled, slamming her back into the stone wall, hyperventilating as her horrified gaze was locked onto Princess Luna.

Princess Luna cringed away from such a violent reaction and with a sad expression began to look over herself and realize how she looked. I was by Delight’s side already, embracing her in my hooves (though it was mostly to stop her from thrashing around rather than to placate).

“Del, she is here to help,” I muttered into the pegasus’ ear.

That finally had an effect on her and Delight calmed down, going limp in my metal limbs. Her gaze remained on Princess Luna however and there was no awe or respect, only fear.

Tentatively and slowly the Princess reached out with her magic and the bandages covering Delight’s wing went away revealing inflamed wounds on her skin. Both Del and Princess Luna winced, from the pain and from the sight – being wrapped in the dirty tatters had not helped those bites and cuts.

Princess Luna spent a few minutes mending Delight’s injuries, though I could tell that her ability couldn’t cover them all, as the nastiest gashes remained barely touched – magic couldn’t solve all problems, no matter how good a pony was at it. The anesthetic spell did a great job at making Del feel better. I could see the pain leave her eyes, but not fear – she couldn’t stop trying to shrink away from the Princess.

When Princess Luna turned her head to Red Wire I started to move closer to the alicorn’s side to warn her about the nature of Wire’s wound and that at best only her leg could be helped right now, but the filly spoke first.

“I don’t need your help,” she all but hissed in disdain, taking a step back.

“Is it my appearance that scares you so, little one? Fear not, for-” Princess Luna patiently said, putting the kindest smile she could on her gaunt muzzle, but Red Wire didn’t let her finish.

“You were here all that time, while we were all suffering,” Wire’s voice was cold and calm – coming from her it meant that she was beyond fury. A single tear rolled from her eye. “While my brother was dying.” Princess Luna jerked as if she had been slapped, but Wire wasn’t finished.

“I was always told that you were a goddess, a hero. But all I can see is just another heartless monster.”

Awful silence reigned. Princess Luna looked like she wasn’t just slapped – but like a dagger was plunged in her chest. Her body was shaking with soundless sobs. I reached with my hoof, but she shied from me and, muttering, “I want to be alone right now,” and began to slowly walk away from our group.

I turned to Red Wire and she met my eyes steadily. I wanted to berate her, but no words came from my mouth, as I realized I didn’t know what to say. What could I tell her if she was right? As I pursed my lips and looked back to find where Princess Luna went, I saw Wire helping Del to carry the rags no longer needed as bandages to add them to Flower’s bedding. Princess Luna herself was sitting a fair distance away from all of us, her horn shining with moonlight threads spooled on it from all around her – she had escaped into the Dream Realm.

Suddenly, I was violently yanked, so hard that I fell, but whoever did that didn’t stop, and I was dragged across the stone, sparks showering from where my metal body dug into rock. I whipped my head around trying to see who had assaulted me, but even before I saw hooves clad in arcanium clutching me, I knew it was Rainbow Dash – it could be nopony else from my present company, not to mention that only she had enough strength to move my body like that.

Before I could call to her she basically threw me on the ground at her hooves and towered over me. Furious, I scrambled to my hooves and came face to visor with her.

“What are you do-”

In a one frighteningly fast motion Rainbow stuck her hoof in my mouth.

“Keep. Your. Voice. Down,” she hissed at me. Only now did I notice how despite her face looking as if it were chiseled from stone, her eyes burned with barely contained rage.

I slapped her limb out of my jaws and angrily whispered, “What is this all about?”

“Twilight, could you fucking think before you open you mouth?” Rainbow barked at me almost literally growling.

“What?” I was genuinely confused. Was it about Wire’s conversation with Princess Luna? But I didn’t even let fall a word. “What did I say wrong?”

“You just told Luna about Chrysalis!” Rainbow snapped with a wrathful expression contorting her features.

“And what was I supposed to tell her?” I shot back just as vehemently. It was going to be another of those talks. “Were we going to pretend that nothing is wrong and take her to the Sky Palace? Do you think she wouldn’t have noticed?”

“I should have told her that in a proper way.”

“What proper way?” I returned and in a mocking tone added, “Chrysalis killed everypony we knew, but she is good nevertheless?”

Rainbow scowled glowering at me and let out a short sigh before returning to her rant, “You asked me of guarantees not so long ago, and I want to ask you now: could you have guaranteed me that Luna wouldn't snap, leave us here to die and go straight to Canterlot to kill Chrysalis?”

I couldn't help but mirror Rainbow’s scowl. So that’s what it was about – the changeling queen to whom she seemed to be so endlessly loyal.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to let her kill your precious Queen,” I sneered with a grim grin. That wouldn’t completely erase Princess Luna’s guilt, but it should help her immensely, not to mention a positive effect on Canterlot now that it would have a rightful ruler. However my answer resulted in Rainbow giving me a look of utter disappointment.

“Again, Twilight, you asked me what was wrong with me and I can ask you the same in return. I remembered you as one of the smartest mares I knew, but right now you’re acting like a retarded donkey,” Rainbow said in a loud whisper sounding like she was on the verge of losing patience, “The Crown is the Swarm and the Crown controls almost the entire city. If Chrysalis dies, the city won’t hold for a single damn week. We didn’t come here for Luna to let her fuck up everything!”

Her last words came out louder than the low voice to which we tried to keep our conve… fight. I glanced back, but Princess Luna was still dreamwalking. As I was turning my head I noticed that Trixie was actually standing close to us, barely discernible in the shadows of night. No matter how things were between us, when I caught a glimpse of her eyes I saw sympathy in them. After all, it was her idea to come for Princess Luna. Speaking of which...

“It is Princess Luna, by the way,” I scolded Rainbow who in addition to acting like a complete jerk was also apparently failing to remember that we were talking about a diarch, a goddess.

“Negative,” Rainbow whipped out, “she is not, and she never should be.”

“What?” I almost cried out loudly. I couldn’t believe my ears. “What are you talking about? Do you want Chrysalis to rule forever?” Rainbow might not be under hypnosis, but I feared that the changeling queen could use some other ways to break her mind.

“Hey!” Trixie finally came to my help, using the brief pause in the conversation to chime in, “We saved her so she can save us all.”

“You shut the fuck up, this is none of your business,” Rainbow instantly snapped with such fury in her voice at Trixie that she took a step back. Then whipping around she rapped at me, “Twilight, are you listening to me? I just told you that the city needs Chrysalis to survive, it needs the Swarm. If you put Luna on the throne right now, even without killing Chrysalis, all will come crashing down.” Narrowing her eyes she spat, “And I don’t think there will ever be a situation in which you can put Luna on the throne and expect something good to come out of it.”

“How can you say that?” Trixie hissed outraged from Rainbow's side, but the pegasus ignored her completely.

“Luna is just a fucking lunatic at best,” Rainbow growled with so much disgust in her voice that I was sure she would have spat on the ground if not for the helmet, “at worst – she is a threat to everypony.”

“What!?” I exclaimed, scandalized. Princess Luna was our only hope, the last bulwark of ponydom, she didn’t carry the title of Princess for nothing! But Rainbow talked about her as if she was an enemy.

Rainbow was once again uncomfortably close to me, her hoof clamping around my mouth. She was looking over my shoulder intently. As I followed her gaze I saw Princess Luna still lost inside her arcane domain, unperturbed by my outburst.

“Keep your fucking voice down or she will hear us,” Rainbow chided me once again. Releasing the grip on my jaws, which I was sure left dents, she continued in a low menacing voice, “That is exactly what I’m talking about, she is mentally unstable and holds too much power for a pony that insane.”

“Should I remind you that her sister was murdered? How can you be so heartless?” I whispered angrily, barely preventing myself from screaming at Rainbow. “She needs our help right now, like she did when she came back as Nightmare Moon.”

“Should I remind you that things have changed?” came Rainbow’s surly answer mocking my own words. “We have no time to play therapists. If it weren’t for my orders I would have shot her down already,” she said matter of factly, making me look at her in horror and take an involuntary step back. A stray thought crawled into my blank from shock mind: Rainbow Dash died in that accident indeed, the mare in front of me was nothing like her… if it was a mare anymore.

Grabbing my breast plate Rainbow brought me so close that I could make out single hairs on her muzzle.

“And now listen carefully, because it seems like you have trouble understanding my words,” she said terrifyingly calm in a tone that could freeze water, with her rosy eyes matching it. “While I do comply to orders, I also have room for my own judgement. If I see Luna becoming a security threat I will kill her immediately. If you don’t want that to happen, you are going to talk to her and tell her that she is a Princess no longer.”

Author's Notes:

One chapter closer to the finale.
Chapter 16 is already being edited and chapter 17 is in works. I'll do my best and try to finish all the drafts of the remaining chapters by the end of the next month, though it does mean they will be posted shortly after that. Editing takes some time.
Besides that there isn't much more I can tell for now.

Aftersound Project Discord server - it's a little community dedicated to discussion of the story and whatnot. Everyone is welcome to join.
Pony Tales, a quite welcoming place dedicated to disscussing and working on many great stories (now including Aftersound). I think you may also find it interesting.

If you notice any mistakes sneaked in through the editing, let me know.
I hope you enjoyed reading this story so far.
Stay awesome.