Twilight's mug wobbled in her magic as she sat on her own at the table in the dining hall, the griffons in there giving her a wide berth. Her quick trip to fetch Clarissa had altered quickly to taking over healing Vapor for most of the night as Sunset had started to flag, not being used to prolonged expenditures of magic after being on Earth so long. Moondancer had refused, thinking wrongly that her magic was too weak, and Nightmare had been occupying herself elsewhere. Rather than get frustrated, Twilight simply took it upon herself to keep at it while Sunset slept.

Of course that had been over most of the night, and by the time she was done Vapor was mostly healed. A couple more hours with Sunset would finish the job up. Unfortunately it also meant Twilight hadn't slept since she'd had other things to do when she got back, leaving her with no other option but to suck down caffeine like it was air in the hopes it kept her going.

"Ah, good, you are awake," Luna said as she entered the dining area where Twilight was doing her best to make the table rattle with her jitters. "I was hoping to discuss the duel with you, because I cannot being the only one thinking this is a bad idea."

"Rainbow will be fine," Twilight stated, raising her mug to her lips again.

Luna made a face at Twilight, "Perhaps I should also be concerned about you. What time did you return last night?"

"This morning, and no I haven't slept. This is now my third day in a row without sleeping, and I'm honestly starting to feel like shit."

"Uh-huh. Twilight-"

"Don't say it! Just don'... say it. I know, and I can assure you that once today is over I will be sleeping for at least twelve hours, even if you have to force me to."

"Very well, I can do that. By the way, what did you say to Trixie yesterday? She was most tetchy all night, and is feeling isolated if her dreams are anything to go by."

Twilight swirled her coffee around, trying to think of an appropriate answer. The fact was that everything she seemed to say to Trixie lately was wrong, and her attempts at reason were running up against, well, Trixie. "I may have told her something along the lines of stop worrying about using dark magic so much, because the magic isn't what's claiming ownership of her."

"And I'm guessing she told you something about you not understanding?"

"Something like that."

"She'd be right too."

Twilight sighed and put her mug down, "I sense some ancient alicorn wisdom coming. Let's hear it."

"No need to be so flippant about it. I'm only going to tell you that what you said isn't being a good friend and understanding her concerns. That was you trying to make your own life easier. Trixie is scared. Accept that."

Twilight went still, those three words, Trixie is scared, rolling around her head until she heard it in Trixie's own voice, which was easy considering her speech habits. More to the point though, it made Twilight realise that she really wasn't being a good friend by not recognising that, and was being a terrible one by telling Trixie to get over it.

Luna smiled sympathetically as Twilight cursed, "I can understand your reasoning for saying what you did. This is an ongoing problem, and one that could've been avoided if she'd only listened to you in the first place."

"But that doesn't excuse what I said." Twilight downed the remainder of her coffee, "I guess that means we'll have to have another of our little talks once this duel is done."

"I suspect that would help, and I advise you to lead with an apology." Luna picked a mug of her own up off a tray by the table, and helped herself to some coffee as Cadence entered with Flurry, both of them glancing nervously at the griffons as they made their way to their fellow alicorns. "Good morning, Cadence, little one."

"Uh, morning." Cadence slipped into a seat and placed Flurry onto the one beside her. "Has nothing horrible happened since last night?"

"I don't think so?" Luna said slowly, looking at Twilight for her unspoken opinion of Cadence's behaviour, and getting a shrug for her efforts. "Is there something on your mind, Cadence? More so than there would be after yesterday at least."

"Hmm?" Cadence blushed as she realised what she was doing, "Sorry. I guess I'm still a bit put out by things. I-" Cadence shook her head, "Nevermind. I don't suppose either of you have talked to Rainbow this morning? She's acting a bit weird, and keeps calling herself Rainbow Fast."

"I'm sure she's just psyching herself up," said Twilight. "Where is she now?"

"She said she was going to go warm up a bit, claiming that'd it been a while since she's fought a griffon."

"But she was fighting them yesterday," Luna pointed out. "Does Rainbow often display such strange behaviour when 'psyching' herself up?"

Twilight shrugged again, "I wouldn't put it past her. She is very competitive after all. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about what she does during the duel, not before it."

"That does not put my mind at ease. She's going to be fighting a seasoned killer with no weapons and no armour, using nothing but her wits and speed to not only survive, but win. Acting strangely beforehoof is not a good sign."

"Well unfortunately we don't have time to worry about it," Twilight said with finality. "The duel will be soon, so we're just going to have to accept whatever happens, and pray to Cele- whomever is listening, that she wins."

"I still think this is barbaric, "Cadence half whispered, to avoid drawing grief off the nearby griffons. "Duels to the death instead of an actual trial."

"It's written pretty deeply into griffon law," Luna explained. "Not every griffon opts for it, and few situations call for such a thing, but Eustace knew it was likely the only way to keep himself and Theron from the noose. Rainbow Dash's decision to put herself up as the Emperor's duellist must've seemed like a godsend to him."

Twilight continued with Luna's point, "The Emperor had every right within his authority to have every one of those traitors executed, so it could've been a lot worse."

"Not doing that was a smart decision," Luna agreed. "By sparing those griffons he avoids drawing the ire of their families, and having them side with the traitors and continuing their work. There's a small chance those traitors might make trouble in the future, but mercy was the better decision, politically speaking, and morally as well."

"Still seems barbaric to me," Cadence grumbled.

Twilight shrugged helplessly, "As we learnt in Mareitania, we aren't in Equestria. Right now we're in Griffonia, under Griffonian law; we have no say here, and no right to interfere. Besides, from what I've been told, Theron deserves little in the way of mercy."

"But that's how we become better people! By granting mercy, even if there's no need to!"

"Which the Emperor has already done," said Luna. "I doubt that he truly wishes to see his son and brother dead, but as the ring leaders of this coup, they need to bear the full brunt of Griffonian law. Even if Rainbow Dash loses, which I sincerely hope she does not, there is little chance of them going free, not after what they did. Much griffish blood was spilled because of them, and they would still need to pay for that."

Cadence nodded, knowing that the other two were right, even if they were also wrong. The Emperor could've put all the griffons involved to death, so she could at least appreciate that he did not. "I still don't understand why we're required to be there for the duel though."

"Because we're the Emperor's honoured guests," Luna answered. "We were also involved in events, and that means we must be there at its conclusion. Thirdly, one of ours is fighting the duel." Luna placed a comforting hoof on Cadence's back, "None of us really want to be there, except maybe Lightning after what Theron did to Vapor, so I understand your reticence."

"Pretty sure Rainbow wants to be there too," Cadence grumbled. She picked a croissant up from a basket nearby, and started pulling it to pieces to give to Flurry, the foal burbling happily as she chowed down. "At least the Emperor seems a good deal warmer towards us."

"Don't think that to mean we shall get what we want," said Luna. "At most I'm expecting a token support of our efforts, and at least a hearty hoof shake in thanks."

Twilight laughed once at Luna, "That's a bit pessimistic, even for you. We've shown him that having us on his side in the future might well be worth it."

"We shall see." Luna looked up at the ceiling, getting a bearing on the position of the sun. "It is almost time. Come, let us see this to its conclusion, and hope for Rainbow Dash's success."

Cadence grabbed another croissant as the other two started to head out, then ran after them as Flurry flew along behind her. She fell into step beside Twilight, and started to build herself up into asking something that was bothering her. "Why aren't you more bothered by this? Rainbow Dash could die."

"I have faith in her."

"Twilight! This is serious! Aren't you even a little bit scared? I am!"

"Cadence, I appreciate your concern, but Rainbow can handle this." Twilight turned a grin onto Cadence, "You know she lives to compete."

"This is far beyond a simple competition." Cadence decided to stop asking, fairly confident that Twilight was living in denial about what could happen today. She couldn't blame Twilight for that, but it was... Cadence didn't know what it was. Rainbow Dash should've just stayed out of it.

The courtyard outside the castle was quiet, much to Cadence's surprise after the previous day, and as Luna went to spread her wings to fly, Cadence had no choice but to ask where they were going.

"The Ring of Justice I believe it's called. The duel isn't taking place here if that's what you were thinking."

"Oh." Cadence looked around the courtyard, "Aren't we being escorted there?"

"The Emperor just laughed when I asked him about that," said Luna. "Apparently that seemed a bit unnecessary after all we did yesterday. We're meeting him at our destination."

"Oh, okay." Both Twilight and Cadence followed Luna into the air, trusting that she knew where she was going. They didn't have to go very far, the Ring of Justice being in the upper reaches of the city, and there were plenty of griffons flying around it, mostly wearing the armour of the Golden Claws. One of them flagged down the three princesses as they drew near, directing them to an elevated box where the Emperor was already waiting with his daughter.

The three of them dropped into bows as they landed within the box, with Twilight noting the sullen expression on Clarissa far more than the highly animated Emperor. It didn't take a genius to figure out why she was like that, seeing as how she was about to lose her brother and uncle, but why the Emperor seemed lively when he was about to lose his brother and son was a mystery. Clearly there was no love lost between any of them.

"Good morning your Majesty," Luna said as she rose from her bow, "Princess Clarissa. Good to see you both still well after yesterday."

"And you as well, although I doubt I should expect anything less from alicorns." The Emperor gestured at some cushions, two of which were already filled by Trixie and Lightning, which was good because Twilight had been wondering where Trixie was for a while. Twilight had expected Lightning to be with Rainbow, and was unsurprised by the answer she got when she asked about it.

"No one's allowed to be with her when the duel starts, so here I am. Besides, she's been acting weird all morning, and I'm starting to think this is getting to her. Here's hoping she at least remembers how to kick griffon ass."

"Of course she does." Twilight took a seat next to Trixie, sighing as the blue mare shifted away from her. "Trixie..." Twilight paused, hoping that Trixie would look at her. She didn't. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. It was insensitive, and an inappropriate thing to say given what's happening."

"And did you reach that conclusion on your own, or did the Princess of poking into ponies dreams tell you that?"

"She may have advised me, yes, but she's not wrong. I'm going to be honest here Trixie, and tell you that I'm not sure how to approach the problem you face-"

"There's a surprise. I doubt anypony really does."

"-But if it helps we could put more effort into your magic training, so you hopefully feel less of a need to fall back on dark magic, and are good and prepared for whatever happens." Unexpected tears pricked Twilight's eyes as Trixie continued to not look at her. "Please forgive me, Trixie."

"Y'know, I put up with a lot of crap from you, and in all fairness you put up with a lot of crap from me. I can't help but worry that one day, one of us is going to do something the other can't forgive."

"But that's not today?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"No, it's not today," Trixie sighed, "but you really need to stop relying on my forgiving nature, and actually think about what you say to me occasionally."

Twilight jumped on Trixie, grabbing her around the neck in a hug. "I promise that I'll at least try, but I can't guarantee that I'll get it right all the time."

"I know." Trixie hugged Twilight back, then nudged her. "Hey, Twilight?"

"Yeah?"

Trixie gestured with her eyes for Twilight to look up, showing her the bright, swirling energies wafting around her horn. "Boom, light magic. Ta-da!"

"You're a constant source of amazement, Trixie," Twilight said with an honest smile. "We're really going to have to work on your shields and teleporting though. You're close to shields, but teleportation is going to take a bit more effort."

"Yeah, but not right now." Trixie nodded towards the arena before them as things started to happen, with Theron being led into the arena under guard by a quartet of Golden Claws. At the opposite side of the ring, Rainbow walked in alone. "Now we should start working on miracles if Rainbow's going to pull this off."

"That can be arranged," Twilight replied, cryptically. She only smiled as Trixie turned a questioning look onto her.

"Fine, keep your secrets," Trixie grumbled as the Emperor stood and waved to the crowd.

"Griffons of Griffonia," the Emperor said in a clear voice that filled the arena. "Yesterday an attempt was made on mine and my daughter's life, orchestrated by none other than my own brother. At the same time an attack was made on the castle, resulting in the deaths of many of our noble defenders. Rather than face a jury of his peers, my brother has opted for trial by combat, with his cohort, my very own son, as his champion."

Theron raised his head proudly as the crowd booed, then held a closed claw up in the air towards his uncle, who was kept under guard in a smaller stand next to the Emperor's.

"Fighting against him," the Emperor continued, "is Rainbow Dash, a brave champion from Equestria, who has personal grief with Theron. Should she emerge victorious, my brother shall be put to death for his crimes, but should she lose, both my son and brother will be pardoned for trying to end my life. You may begin once I say."

"Why is this happening today?" Trixie asked as another griffon flew down into the arena. "The attack only happened yesterday."

"Less time for a rescue attempt to be made," the Emperor answered. "I have no doubt that there are plenty of griffons out there still willing to try. Here's hoping my decision to let this Rainbow Dash fight doesn't backfire on us."

"And if either of you leave the ring, the fight will be considered forfeit. Do you understand?" Both Rainbow and Theron nodded at the griffon that had flown in to explain the very simple rules to them. "Then you may begin upon the Emperor's word. Your Majesty?"

"Fight!"

"Look at mommy," Cadence said to Flurry as the other ponies leaned forward to watch. "Ignore everything else, and keep looking at mommy."

Much to the surprise of a number of ponies, Rainbow didn't immediately rush in to attack, instead choosing to remain still as Theron waited to defend himself. She kept him waiting as she sauntered forwards, her hips swinging with a seductive swagger.

"What the hell is she doing?" Lightning asked, watching Rainbow with disdain. "Has she lost her mind? Attack him!"

Rainbow stopped and wriggled her hips at Theron, finally goading him into making the first move. He ran at her, swinging a claw that she dropped beneath, then rolled sideways as he tried to stomp on her with a paw, springing back up onto her hooves and giving him a saucy wink.

"This is just embarrassing," Trixie said as Twilight hid her face behind a hoof. "Rainbow really should have better hips to be attempting those kinds of wiggles."

"I'm saying nothing," Twilight mumbled. She saw the look Luna was giving her, and quickly looked away again.

"Fight me you coward!" Theron shouted at Rainbow as she danced back from his every attempt to hit her. "This doesn't end until you die!"

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be, is it?" Rainbow shook her head sadly, "And here I thought you were going to be a gentlegriff and just die for me, but no, apparently I have to kill you myself. Such a pity."

Theron roared and jumped into the air, crashing down onto the ground where Rainbow was standing hard enough to raise a cloud of dust. Rainbow flapped her wings once, pushing herself out of the way, then bucked at the cloud, producing a squawk as her hooves hit their target.

The dust sank back to the ground, uncovering Theron as he clutched his ribs, his face contorted in pain and rage. Rainbow gave him a moment to recover, then jumped out of the way with a laugh as he lunged at her.

"Gotta try harder than that if you want to catch Rainbow Fast!"

All of the ponies in the box were looking at Twilight as she glowed with embarrassment. Not one of them dared to suggest that she'd done something, but she knew they all suspected her of some kind of trickery. Perhaps her biggest crime was not taking enough time to explain certain things to the pony in the arena.

The crowd booed as Rainbow landed another blow on Theron's hind quarters, none of them apparently willing to support a pony over a traitor. Rainbow couldn't have cared less though as she polished a hoof on her chest.

Theron recovered quickly, and ran in with a low sweep of the claw that Rainbow jumped over, but quickly turned the attack around as he flipped lengthways and punched her between the eyes hard enough to knock even the sturdiest earth pony out cold. Instead, both of them shouted in pain, Theron clutching his claw in the other, and Rainbow holding her head and rubbing the spot that Theron had struck.

"Boy that Rainbow sure is a tough pony, ha ha," Twilight said with a nervous grin. Even the Emperor wasn't buying it at this point. Thankfully he kept his beak shut, letting the fight continue.

"That... was rude," Rainbow said, keeping an eye shut as she lifted her hoof from her face. "You're lucky I can't use magic right now, or you'd be fried chicken."

"She's talking about her lightning," Twilight quickly and unnecessarily explained.

"What the fuck kind of pony are you?" Theron asked, massaging and flexing his claw back to life.

"The kind that kills little bitch griffons like you, and you just made me angry." Rainbow leapt at Theron, knocking him to the ground where she proceeded to kick, punch, and occasionally bite every inch of him. He tried to escape the one sided attack, but every time she was there, blocking his way with a kick to the face, or a punch to the chest.

The crowd fell more and more silent as the onslaught continued, and even Twilight was watching with interest at the speed and grace Rainbow was putting into each perfectly executed strike. "I didn't know she was capable of that."

After a couple of minutes Rainbow relented, finishing with an over the shoulder toss that sent Theron sprawling into the dust. She walked up behind him and pinned Theron with a hoof on back as he tried to crawl away. Blood seeped from a dozen knicks and scratches that she had to have gotten by accident as she leaned down to his ear and whispered. "You can surrender, you know?"

"And die in the noose?" Theron rasped through a throat that had been punched more than once. "I'd rather you kill me now and spare me the shame."

"You just lost an unarmed duel to a pony, so your shame is pretty well rounded out already."

"Just do it!"

"That depends. It's no water off my back, but it might be off someone else's." Rainbow straightened up and looked at the Emperor's box, "Your Majesty, should I finish him?"

"No!" Clarissa screamed, jumping up to try and fly to her brother. The Emperor grabbed her and dragged her back to the ground, keeping hold of her as she struggled. "Father, please!"

"I am sorry Clarissa," the Emperor whispered to his daughter before speaking to Theron. "Do you submit?" he asked his son, getting a hate filled snarl in return.

"I will never submit!"

"Then the duel continues."

"Oh come on," Rainbow grumbled. She bucked Theron on the side, audibly cracking a rib. "Do you submit now?"

"Just kill him Rainbow!" Lightning shouted. "For Vapor, for Sky... for all of them!"

Rainbow looked to Twilight, waiting until she got a small nod from the purple alicorn. "Alright then." She wrapped a leg around Theron's neck, and held it there for a second. "Nothing personal," she whispered. "I'm sure the real Rainbow Fast would've loved to do this."

"What?" Theron asked, but never got an answer as Rainbow whipped his head around, breaking his neck and relieving him of the burden of living. The crowd was utterly silent until the sound of a single griffon clapping filled the arena. It was the Emperor.

"Bravo, Rainbow Dash, you have fought well and upheld the passage of justice."

"Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow's eyes bugged for a moment as the Emperor turned to his brother. "Ooohh..."

"Your champion has lost, brother, to a pony no less. If that isn't proof of your guilt, then nothing is. I hear by sentence you to be hung by the neck until death. May the ancestors have mercy on your soul. Take him away."

Eustace made no fuss as he was led away, and there was nothing said in his support by any of the griffons in the crowd. Commander Lurin pushed past him as he made his way to the Emperor's box, but paid Eustace no attention past that.

"We've searched the properties you indicated, your Majesty, but we found little evidence of any wrongdoing."

"As I thought," the Emperor said gravely. "With-" The Emperor glanced over at the body of Theron as it still lay in the dust, and sighed. "With my son dead, and my brother due to be executed, hopefully that will pass as enough of a warning for any dissenters to rid themselves of their treasonous thoughts."

"We can only hope," Lurin replied dutifully. "The Golden Claws are at your disposal as long as you need us."

"Appreciated." The Emperor nodded to Lurin, then turned to his guests, staying quiet as he saw Cadence wrapping a comforting wing around Clarissa, she in turn resting her head on Cadence's side, not sobbing, but her eyes were wet with tears. "This is a fine mess."

"How could you do it?" Clarissa asked, not looking at her father as she did.

"No griffon is above the law, not even amongst our family, and treason is..." The Emperor shrugged slowly. "They also threatened you, my darling, and I could not bear to see you harmed."

"You didn't have to cast Theron out in the first place!"

"I know why they hated me, Clarissa, and maybe it was only right for them to do so. Unfortunately the past cannot be changed, no matter how much we may wish it." Hergest sighed again as his daughter continued refusing to look at him. "Princesses, I will be returning to my castle as I have much to do. There's going to be a feast later, to celebrate those that gave their lives to defend the Empire. I would be honoured if you would join us, and perhaps we can finally, properly discuss the issues that brought you here in the first place."

Luna bowed to the Emperor, the others following suit. "We would be delighted, and if you desire our assistance, do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you. Come along Clarissa, I shall need your help."

Luna held her gentle smile as the two griffons walked away, then let it drop, only to replace it with a scowl as she faced Twilight. "I'm not going to be so foolish to declare the trial a fake since the Emperor didn't, but there was definitely some skullduggery going on here. What did you do?"

"Me?" Twilight asked, full of innocence. "What could I have done?" Twilight glanced over as Theron was carried from the arena, watched by Rainbow. "Are you saying that isn't Rainbow down there, and that she didn't win the duel?"

"I don't think even Rainbow Dash could forget her name for an entire morning, Twilight Sparkle."

"You'd be surprised." Twilight didn't either, but she was too stuck in the lie now to say anything else.

"Then I would have to be." Luna shook her head, "I suppose it doesn't matter now, and I have things to be doing. Cadence, would you mind coming with me? I wish to talk with the ambassador to get a better handle on how to put our proposal to the Emperor. Twilight, go and make sure whatever you did stays a secret, please?"

Twilight waved to the other two princesses as they left, feeling rather pleased with events, although it was now coming to her attention that they'd been left in the arena with a large number of potentially unfriendly griffons. "We better be getting out of here. Come on, I'll teleport us back to the castle. Rainbow Dash, get over here!"

"You called?" Rainbow purred as she flew up to the box.

"You're a shit actor, Rainbow," Twilight said to the blue pegasus.

"It was the name, wasn't it? I was wondering why I was getting funny looks every time I said it." She grinned as Lightning gave her another funny look, "What? I was almost right. It's not like I've spent an extensive amount of time with the pony in question."

"There had best be an explanation for all this," Lightning said in a low growl, "and soon."

"There will be." There was a flash as Twilight teleported the four of them to the castle interior, just inside the hall outside their rooms. She opened the door to the room Rainbow shared with Lightning, and briefly Vapor, and led them to a chest in the corner that had a sliver of wood under the lid. Twilight pulled the chest open, revealing a peacefully sleeping Rainbow Dash curled up on some cushions.

"Good news Rainbow," Twilight said cheerfully as she removed the spell keeping Rainbow asleep, "you won the duel. Congratulations."

"Pphmmuh?" Rainbow slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the light assaulting her eyes. She ached from lying still for so long, and it took a surprising amount of effort to look up at Twilight, and the bloodied, rainbow haired pony next to her. Rainbow jerked as she realised she was looking at herself, banging her head against the side of the container she was in. "Ah! What the fuck is going on?"

"Saving your life, that's what," Twilight said as the Rainbow next to her blinked, her eyes changing to turquoise cat eyes when she reopened them. She also grinned, showing off a tiny pair of fangs. "You can be angry if you want, but I'll take that over you being dead."

"Why would I be dead? Wait, the duel! I'm late for the duel!" Rainbow jumped up and out of the chest, and was halfway to the door when Lightning blocked her way.

"The duel's over," she said. "You won, and Theron's dead."

"What? But-" Rainbow snarled as she worked out what had happened and stomped up to Twilight until they were face to face, "Damn it Twilight! I was supposed to fight that duel!"

"I know," Twilight said apologetically. "And if you were allowed weapons and armour I probably wouldn't have done this, but I couldn't let you fight that duel."

"I could've beat him!"

"Could've, yes, but mightn't have. I couldn't risk you dying, or them winning, so I took steps to ensure neither of those things happened." Twilight shrugged at Rainbow, "I'm sorry."

Rainbow shook with anger, and stomped her hooves on the ground as she failed to find a way to express herself. She wanted to kick Twilight, and was pretty tempted to when Lightning placed a hoof on her back.

"Chill, Rainbow. I know you're angry, but Twilight just made sure the monster that hurt Vapor and killed a lot of our friends didn't get away with it."

"But I should've been the one to do that! Even if he could've killed me." Rainbow sat and groaned as she realised what she just said. "Fuck! Fine, so Theron is dead?" Lightning nodded, confirming that he was. "Then I'll just have to live with that. I'm still mad," she said to Twilight, "but... but... I really gotta pee. Be right back."

"So this is how it feels to see this kind of crap from the outside," Trixie said as Rainbow dashed for the loo. "The whole thing seems less offensive when you aren't the one getting screwed over."

"What makes you say that?" Nightmare asked, still looking like Rainbow, although with fetching bat wings instead.

"Because normally it's me these things get done to."

"Alright, yes," Twilight sighed, "I'm horribly misguided these days, I get it."

"But your intentions are usually there," Trixie said, giving Twilight a nudge. "So, the duel is done, we won the day, the Empire is secure, and if we're lucky we might get that alliance we're after. What now?"

"Sounds a bit too easy when you put it like that."

"Here we go," Trixie grumbled. "Time for Twilight to overthink everything and get us neck deep in shit again."

"I'm just saying, this plan they had to take over the Empire was terrible. They gave up on the assassination far too easy, and the attack on the castle was pitiful to be stopped like it was."

"Gee, thanks."

"We have to have missed something."

"Such as?"

"I don't know! If I knew that I wouldn't be having this tiny little crisis here!"

"Ugh, do you have to keep on looking like me?" Rainbow asked Nightmare as she trotted back into the room. "It's like looking into a messed up funhouse mirror."

Nightmare rolled onto her back and smiled as she looked at Rainbow upside down, "Oh let me have my fun. I imagine I'll be sent back to the retreat soon at any rate. Can't have a pony like me wandering around unsupervised."

"Twilight, I've just had a brilliant idea!"

"No, Trixie, just no."

"Eh, sorry Nightmare, I tried. Still, since we have no clue as to any possible further issues, what are we supposed to be doing?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. Anypony bring any playing cards?"

Luna walked around the courtyard, amongst the bodies of the ponies that had been discovered after the assassination attempt. She lifted the sheet on each one of them, but didn't recognise any until she found a unicorn mare with a pure white coat, a chestnut brown mane and tail, and golden eyes. She'd been a servant in Canterlot castle.

"Blast that griffon," Luna said, lowering the sheet back over the mare. "If these had been actual soldiers it would be bad enough, but to kill innocents just for this ruse... it's enough to make you sick. Where would he have even gotten these ponies from? Are they all prisoners? Or did he just abduct them off the street?"

"I'm sure that is something we'll never really know," Deetra said, the griffon quietly observing as Luna checked each body. "The depths Theron had fallen to over all of this, it makes me wonder if he was always this deranged."

"Maybe, maybe not." Luna checked under another sheet and grimaced at the expression of fear and pain still written on the stallion's face. "If he wasn't already dead, I would be tempted to kill him myself."

"You don't answer barbarism with barbarism," Cadence said as she kept Flurry occupied in the corner away from the bodies. "That solves nothing."

"Call it justice and it solves plenty," Luna spat, ignoring Cadence as the mare grumbled back at her. "Thirty two dead ponies for nothing. I can't even say that they gave their lives with purpose. They were simply murdered for a plan that failed anyway, because Theron found Twilight too scary to face."

"I'm also afraid to say that because of Equestria's recent change of hooves, we cannot send the bodies back," Deetra told the two princesses. "Faust might think we killed them, encouraging her to seek retribution."

Luna dismissed the idea that came to her as soon as she got it, figuring it to be beneath her. "All we ask is that you treat them with respect."

"That's the least we can do, at least until we can repatriate them, whenever that might be."

Luna sat amongst the bodies, at a loss of what to do. She'd originally planned to discuss the alliance with Deetra, but as soon as they'd met, the news about the bodies being retrieved was brought to them. Now all Luna could think about was the deceased, and how they'd died.

She sat like that a couple minutes more, right up until a couple of griffons walked up to Cadence, keeping quiet. She was about to ask them to leave, when she noticed they weren't wearing any armour that the Griffonians used, and figured that they had to be Sonny and Derek, the two agents from Equis.

"This is a crying shame," Luna heard Derek say to Sonny. "Ponies would've been nothing but fodder had those pillocks overthrown the Emperor."

"So you bear no hard feelings for your imprisonment?" Luna asked. She waved a hoof at them as they saluted her, "No need for that."

Sonny lowered her claw as Derek hesitated to lower his. "No, we don't have any hard feelings about it. Griffon Intelligence were the ones that ordered us imprisoned, and I think they've had their comeuppance. The only thing that really bothered me was why this happened. Overthrowing an empire just for revenge is a bit too much."

"You know why Eustace did all this?"

"We heard it being discussed once. Apparently the Emperor's wife, Moira, was being courted by Eustace, but the Emperor was mesmerized by her beauty to the point that he pretty much took her for himself, although I get the feeling he really did love her, and possibly her him. Eustace never forgave him for that, but when Moira died laying her second egg, it pushed him over the edge. He attacked the Emperor, but obviously didn't kill him, and I guess after that was when he started planning to do all this."

"The dangerous side of love," Cadence murmured sadly.

"All that for revenge though." Luna didn't want to believe that could be the entire reasoning Eustace had used. "I suppose Theron's hatred of his sister could be blamed on Eustace as much as his own shortsightedness. Wrap all of it up in a rhetoric about reclaiming the glory days of the Empire, and suddenly your revenge has a more solid backing."

"This is why love should always be allowed to take its course," said Cadence.

"Who's to say Moira didn't love Hergest more in the end? Or that she even loved Eustace?" Luna asked back. "This story, while painting a sad picture, is no reason to commit treason. Chances are that the Emperor's theft of Eustace's henfriend was but another instance of him getting everything he wanted, while Eustace was left on the side-lines."

"Ah," Cadence said, suddenly understanding where Luna was going with this. "So we'll just be calling him Nightmare Eustace, shall we? Sadly he won't be getting a chance to redeem himself, on account of how he's going to die soon."

"He has to, for the sake of the Empire's stability if nothing else." Luna gave Cadence a short, hard glare for what she'd said. "He has plenty of other crimes to pay for as well."

Cadence paid back Luna's glare with one of her own. "You sound uncomfortably in favour of the death penalty."

"I was never against it. Ask Twilight if you don't believe me."

"Of course," Cadence deadpanned. "Look, we're surrounded by the remains of our ponies, so I don't think now is the best time for an argument. Deetra, we were hoping to talk to you to assess whether an alliance was now possible after the events of the last few days. What do you think?"

Deetra shrugged at Cadence, "That decision is ultimately the Emperor's, and I'm afraid that I haven't seen much of him lately to give you an accurate opinion. I'll dare say that saving his life, and his daughter's, and maintaining the integrity of the Empire while exposing its traitors, might give you a favourable chance."

"I sense a but coming," said Luna.

"You are asking much of the Empire, even with the other benefits that comes with the alliance. If you should fail to stop Faust, that price is unpayable."

"That price won't matter if we fail," Luna said harshly. "What Faust wants to do... that is something worth stopping at even a high cost, for the sake of the very future of this world."

"I'm afraid that is something you shall have to explain to the Emperor then." Deetra sat, taking a moment to scan over the bodies. "If there was a lesson to be learnt from Mareitania, it was that sometimes things are best left alone. I think it perfectly reasonable for the Emperor to apply that thinking to this situation, no matter how detrimental it might be in the long run."

"Then I shall take great pains to explain it all, carefully, and thoroughly."

Hours later, and the seven ponies and a foal found themselves sitting on a table with the Emperor, his daughter, Ambassador Deetra, and unfortunately Commander Lurin. Cadence, Twilight, and Trixie had been placed between the Commander and the others, them bearing the least ill will towards him, but the atmosphere had been made tense by his presence.

Still, the food was good, so long as it came from something that didn't go cluck or oink, the drink equally so, although not all of them drank, and while the company of griffons wasn't something the ponies sought, the majority of the griffons there knew what they'd done, and they received more than a few toasts for their efforts.

"So you mean to say that Faust wants to revert us back to the stone age?"

"Only for a starter," said Luna, her patience a little frayed at having to explain the situation with Faust in its entirety. "She wishes to return the world to its natural order, and intends to do so by removing our sapience. Basically, she aims to make us no better than animals."

"Is that even possible?"

Luna shrugged, "A credible source has said it is not, but even he admits that it might not be beyond one such as Faust, even if she has to alter the world one individual at a time. First though, before she can change the world, she has to conquer it."

"Hmmm..." The Emperor scratched his chin with a talon. "While I do find this story a little hard to swallow, what Faust has done so far indicates an ability to maybe achieve most of her goals."

"Faust may be a little distracted so soon after taking Equestria, but it cannot be long until she resumes her efforts to conquer the world. With her new allies in the yaks, that goal is now slightly easier to reach."

"And goodness knows what others might join her." The Emperor lapsed into a thoughtful silence, which Luna could only hope was a good sign, if only because he was really thinking about it. So much hinged on this moment, it was making Luna feel sick with nerves.

"Deetra, have you gone over the other proposals in this alliance?"

Deetra nodded in answer to the Emperor's question, having been caught with her mouth full. "Mngh, excuse me. Yes, your Majesty, I have."

"And what did you think? Does it really benefit us?"

"I believe it would. Apart from a significant raise in trade, we would be able to share intelligence, as well as request aid from other members of the alliance as part of the security pact. Something that could be advantageous considering the last few days. Yes we would have to also provide aid as part of that agreement, but the alliance's security would also be our security, and therefore worth it in my opinion. Other than that though, we would retain all autonomy as an independent nation."

"You aren't required to adhere to every part of the alliance," said Luna. "While the security pact would have to be pretty solid, if you wish to opt out of the trade, or open border agreements, then that shall be your right. We aren't trying to force anything other than to increase the safety of all members."

"What other countries do you hope to have join?"

"We will be approaching the zebras and Saddle Arabians at some point soon, and possibly Mareitania once the war is over, but all nations may request to join if they wish."

"And I get an equal say in all decisions made as part of the alliance?"

"You, or your chosen representative, yes." Luna smiled at the Emperor, "I promise you that Equestria won't be running the show. All members will have a voice in all decisions."

"I see." Once again the Emperor went quiet, and once again Luna felt giddy with anticipation. She was about to break the silence when he beat her to it, uttering a question that ruined her mood a bit.

"What of Griffonstone?"

Luna turned to give Twilight the eye, the purple princess pointedly looking the other way while appearing as innocent as possible. She sighed, and prepared to upset the Emperor.

"Absolutely not."

"Luna!" Cadence shouted over the dark alicorn, making most of the ponies around her jump in surprise. "Why are you so determined to keep Griffonstone?"

"I won that place fair and square," Luna huffed, folding her legs. "I don't see why I should have to give it back. It's also a vital strategic point between Eque-" Luna stopped that line of thought since saying it was a vital strategic point between Equestria and Griffonia would likely be counter-productive.

"Because giving up something we currently don't have anyway, to get back Equestria, is probably worth it," Cadence continued, pasting over Luna's slip of the tongue.

"But-"

"No buts!"

Luna pouted at Cadence, "So unfair."

The Emperor chuckled at Luna, "So we agree that Griffonstone is to be ruturned to Griffonia?"

"Not quite," said Cadence. Several of the beings around her raised an eyebrow in question as she said the two words. "There's more to it than that."

The Emperor gestured with a claw, "Let's hear it then."

"Griffonstone has always been treated as its own independent nation within Equestria. Normally that's worked well, up until recently at least. It may well be better off in your hooves... claws, ahem. However, it has been part of Equestria for some time, and its citizens shall retain the full rights of Equestrian citizenship. Additionally, if you decide to withdraw from the open border agreement, that decision does not extend to Griffonstone. As a final point, should any of the griffons living there not want to live under Griffonian rule, they will be granted the right to relocate to wherever they wish, without interference. Agreed?"

"Since it likely spares me problems, agreed, although you speak as though I've already agreed to join your alliance." The Emperor grinned as Cadence blushed. "Now there is one final thing to discuss before I make my decision. All member countries must maintain at least a minimal military. As it stands in this security pact, I can see my forces having to compensate for your lack thereof, and not just you."

"A reasonable request," Luna agreed. "After recent events, Equestria shall be never be without an army again. I'm not saying it will be large," Luna added as Cadence started to protest, "but I refuse to let Equestria be so defenceless again. I suppose it would also have to be required to enact our portion of the security pact. Saddle Arabia already has an army, so no problem there, and I find it hard to imagine Mareitania without one, should they decide to join after the war."

"What about Zebrica?" Cadence asked. "You can't be leaving out mentioning them for no reason."

"The Zebrican's would be a stick in the mud about this," the Emperor said before Luna could. "That is likely something to be agreed on over the negotiating table, although I could see them refusing to join because of it. I could also see them refusing to join the alliance because of Griffonia being part of it. We do seem to have a habit of alienating our neighbours."

"I'm afraid that is something I cannot comment on," said Luna. "That's something Celestia would know far more about. But, if they refuse to join, so be it. At the very least they should be willing to provide us with what we need to stop Faust."

"Oh?" the Emperor said questioningly. "And what might that be?"

"Something to help counter that which griffon numbers never could," Luna said with a teasing smirk. "Magic. The alchemists of Zebrica have long held knowledge on substances that provide significant resistance to magic, and which allow their weapons to pierce through it. We will need such things to fight Faust's army."

The Emperor nodded slowly, "Typically I would be full of bluster about griffons needing no such thing, but seeing firsthand how effective magic is in a fight, thanks to Princess Twilight, I'm inclined to agree. It seems like you've thought this through."

"We've tried," said Luna. "So does this mean that we're in agreement here? Do you wish to join the alliance?"

The Emperor turned to his daughter and to Deetra, both of which nodded at him, along with Lurin. "I do, although the finer points will have to be worked out at such a time where you have a nation to be rulers of. I'm also going to suggest you find a proper name for this union of nations."

"How about the Union of Nations?" Trixie suggested with a smile.

"A bit of a mouthful," the Emperor laughed. "But something along those lines would do. A shame that it had to be born out of a desperate necessity like stopping Faust, but if this is how we fight for the survival of our world, then it could be worse. Chamberlain, bring the good wine. I would like to toast our new alliance with the princesses."

The chamberlain bowed and hurried away, only to return less than a minute later with a bottle in his claw, from which he poured wine into the glasses of the Emperor, Luna, and Twilight. He was about to do the same for Cadence when she placed a hoof over her glass.

"Not when I have Flurry with me," she said with an embarrassed smile. "I'll just use water."

The Emperor raised his glass and waited as the others around him did the same. "To the birth of the Union of Nations, and the prosperity of its members. May its united strength strike fear into the hearts of those that would cause this world harm."

Author's Notes:

And an alliance is born. For once I went with not letting the worst happen.