“I think the most surprising thing is that you couldn’t find a better date than me,” Sunset said, smirking at Cadance. “Don’t get me wrong -- I know I look good in red, but you could have asked anypony and they’d say yes just to get a chance to spend time with you.”

Cadance smiled faintly. “That’s the problem, isn’t it?” She asked. Her voice was barely audible over the crowd. “You know the one thing I never wanted was to be a, a trophy for some stallion or mare to put on their shelf.”

“I know.” Sunset put a hoof on her shoulder. “But I am flattered. I don’t get invited to a lot of social events. Even if this is kind of, um, a depressing one.” She looked around. The castle garden was full of ponies, a mix of nobility and high-ranking military. It was one of the many events that had been organized out of a necessity to try and foster harmony in Equestria from the top down.

"Thank Ensign Alias. She suggested I bring you along."

Sunset shrugged. "Never heard of her. Guess it just means she's one of my loyal fans."

This event’s excuse was a memorial for Shining Armor, dedicating a military airship in his name. The vessel in question was anchored behind the palace, a sleek shape hanging under an armored gasbag. Gilded decor and alabaster armor plates couldn’t disguise the purely military lines of the vessel. Purple banners emblazoned with Shining Armor’s cutie mark hung from the deck just below the flag of Equestria.

There was a sound like ringing glass as a pony in an elaborate military dress uniform stepped onto the platform at the bow of the ship. The crowd quieted as he stepped up to the podium. Cadance nodded to Sunset and walked up to take her place at the podium, shaking the aging admiral's hoof before turning to the crowd, glancing down at the notes that had been left for her.

"Everypony, thank you for coming. There have been many ships launched without ceremony in this time of war, and many brave heroes serve on ships whose only official name is a number written in a ledger. This ship's keep was laid down on the day my own hero, a stallion who guarded me for years, lost his life."

Cadance took a deep, shuddering breath, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Over the last five years we've all lost somepony or something to the war. Maybe it was a home, or a family member, or a friend. The important thing for all of us is to remember the things we cherish and gain strength from them. I won't get to see my love again, but his bravery lives on in everypony who knew him"

Cadance stepped away from the podium and accepted a bottle of champaign from the senior admiral.

“I dedicate this ship as the Shining Armor. May it continue to inspire us with his honor, his sacrifice, and the legacy he left behind in those he protected.” Cadance broke the bottle on the bow of the ship.

The crowd applauded, and Cadance took her bows before returning to where Sunset stood, most of the crowd giving her a wide berth.

“Do you think we could go for a walk?” she asked, weakly. Cadance’s hoof shook slightly when she took a glass from a passing waiter, the smile she gave him not reaching her eyes. “I didn’t think I’d still be this fragile about…”

“Yeah,” Sunset said. She grabbed Cadance’s glass with her magic and, after a moment, a tray of the bite-sized pastries she’d been nibbling at, then led her away from the crowd. Some of the hangers-on that tried to follow found themselves walking into a wall of teal magic as Sunset cut off the pursuit.

The two spent a few minutes walking in silence. Mostly silence. Sunset took a few more bites of the pastries.

“What are in those?” Cadance asked.

“I think it’s smoked salmon and herb cream cheese,” Sunset said. “It’s funny, I didn’t like this stuff before. I don’t know when my palette changed.”

“Most ponies don’t,” Cadance sighed. “My parents were fisherponies. We mostly sold to griffons and pegasi.”

“That probably explains it. Or… well, it’s not like I can order a hamburger and find out about that.” She shrugged.

“A hamburger? Like eating pigs?”

“There’s no ham in--” Sunset sighed. “It’s not important. You just miss things when you travel.” She offered one of them to Cadance. “Here. Try one. They’re good.”

“I don’t feel much like eating, but thank you.” Cadance stopped, looking up as the Shining Armor passed between them and the morning sun. “Celestia told me you did some terrible things.”

“Trying to kill my appetite?” Sunset asked. Cadance started to apologize, and Sunset waved her off. “She’s right. I have done awful things. I could make a list of them. All the way from being petty and stupid to getting ponies killed.”

“Have you hurt ponies?” Cadance asked, quietly.

“Yes,” Sunset said, without hesitation. “I’ve even had to kill one or two. Some of them didn’t deserve it. But I had to do it, and I’d do it again. I’ve been fighting for survival.”

“Even in Manehattan? That was survival?”

Sunset put the tray down on a bench and drank her glass of wine, tossing the empty glass into the bushes and not caring if it broke. “Celestia has the keys to immortality and she refuses to share them. That’s the same as killing ponies, as far as I’m concerned.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do!” Sunset snapped. “I saw it, before I was--” She took a deep breath. “Before I left. You weren’t born an alicorn. I don’t think Celestia was, either. She could have turned me into an alicorn and she didn’t. She refused.”

“She didn’t turn me into an alicorn. It happened after I defeated--”

“I know. I studied it extensively,” Sunset said. “What happened to you was luck. Beautiful luck.” Sunset smiled. “One pony in… how long? A thousand years? More?” Her smiled faded. “Think about what the world would be like if Star Swirl was still around, or General Hurricane.” She looked up at the hovering airship as it slowly circled the palace. “Or Shining Armor.”

“That’s not fair,” Cadance whispered, rubbing her eyes.

“No, it isn’t,” Sunset sighed. “Sorry.”

“If you keep apologizing ponies are going to say you’re going soft,” Cadance joked, her eyes still teary.

“Maybe I am,” Sunset said. “I think I’m even starting to get friends, even if they are jerks.” She laughed. “I’m not going to stop. I’ll get what I deserve, one way or the other.”

“How are the readings?” Doctor Sparkle asked, looking through the armored glass at the dark casing inside the test chamber. A knot of technology and magic sat there, curled up in a spiked ring somewhere between a twisted donut and a sea urchin. It was precise and hideous in equal measure.

“The Lunar Titanium chassis is holding,” Sunburst said. His horn lit up as he cast a monitoring spell through the array of crystals. “The vector trap is showing as stable. No spikes like we were getting with the number three heart.”

“That’s good,” Sparkle muttered. “The new booster array will increase power dramatically. The last thing we need is a meltdown.”

“I’ve got green across the board. Harmonics are strong.” Sunburst reported.

“We’re getting better at making these,” Sparkle noted. “We’ll run some shakedown tests over the next few days and see if we can replace Miss Pie’s current Heart with this one.” She glanced at Sunburst and smiled. “I think I’m starting to come around on your argument about it being too unstable to keep using.”

“Thank you,” Sunburst said, quietly.

“Doctor?” Moondancer asked, from the doorway. “I’ve been knocking for a few minutes. You’ve got a meeting with the Princess.”

“I don’t remember scheduling anything,” Sparkle frowned.

“You didn’t,” Moondancer said. She glanced behind herself. “She’s, ah--”

“Right behind you,” Sparkle guessed. “Fine. Let her in.”

“Are you sure--?” Sunburst asked quietly.

“I believe I have any security clearances needed,” Celestia said, as the door swung open the rest of the way, outlined in her golden magic. “I wanted to discuss next steps with you.”

“I’m a bit busy at the moment,” Sparkle said. “I'm in the middle of--”

“I am aware,” Celestia said, cutting her off. Sparkle frowned at that. “I’m your patron, Doctor. I do try to keep tabs on what you’re doing, though you have made a concerted effort to make that difficult for me. I’ve decided on your next candidate.”

Doctor Sparkle had to take a moment to adjust to the change in topic. “This is a planned upgrade for--”

“I’ll be giving it to a decorated war hero. Your choices of test subjects have been lacking in the most vital thing to the war effort. Loyalty.” Celestia completely ignored Sparkle, walking over to the shielded test chamber to look at the Engine Heart. She shuddered slightly, closing her eyes and turning away.

“My choices have saved Equestria,” Doctor Sparkle stated firmly.

“At a very high price,” Celestia said. “Captain Spitfire will be an asset to you.”

“Spitfire,” Sparkle said. “Formerly of the Wonderbolts. Won the best young flyer’s competition when she was a filly. Awarded the Sol Shield for Bravery.”

“You’re familiar with her, then? Good.” Celestia smiled and turned to the door, starting to walk out. “She’s already agreed. I’ll let her know you’ll be ready for her.”

“I refuse,” Sparkle spat out. Celestia stopped, not turning, her left ear twitching back to focus on the unicorn. “I already reviewed her file extensively. She isn’t an acceptable candidate.”

“And why is that?” Celestia asked.

“There are too many questions about what happened during the Stalliongrad Offensive, for one thing.”

“She was cleared of all charges. Lightning Dust was not. If you have an objection about one, you should have it of both. Spitfire is more experienced and capable than any other candidate you can name.”

“There are more considerations than just her military file!” Doctor Sparkle objected.

“So you have other sources of information?” Celestia asked, turning her head. “I’d be curious where you were getting some of your dossiers. I believe you have sources even the Equestiran Intelligence Service can’t match. Would you like to discuss them?”

Sparkle growled.

“I thought not,” Celestia sighed. “This is why I decided to choose for you. Equestria is bigger than whatever game you’re playing. There are millions of lives at stake. I will take your objection under consideration, but if you’re refusing-”

“I am,” Sparkle said, her voice low and dangerous.

“I see. Flim? Flam?” Celestia stepped aside, and the two unicorn brothers stepped into the room. “Can you perform the operation?”

“Well of course, Princess,” Flim said, bowing.

“It’ll be as easy as turning pears into cider!” Flam noted, proudly.

“Except with less juice,” Flim corrected.

“And more sutures,” Flam agreed.

“You can’t be serious,” Sparkle said, flatly.

Sunset touched her ear, crystal radio earpiece buzzing. “Right. I got it. Canterlot General.” She sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Cadance asked. The party, such as it was, had officially ended, the last few guests just making their way out of the garden as servants began the task of cleaning the huge mess left behind.

“Celestia just stole the fourth Engine Heart from the Doc,” Sunset said. “I warned her that Sunbutt would put her hoof down if she pushed too hard. If there’s anything she likes more than cake it’s getting her own way on things.”

“But what if she’s right? You don’t know how much Twilight has changed. She used to be such a happy foal, but…” Cadance looked down. “She’s gotten so bitter and hurt over the years. I keep trying to help her, but it seems like she just keeps withdrawing into herself.”

Sunset shrugged. “Maybe. But she’s also trying her best. I don’t say this about many ponies, but I respect her.”

“So where are we going?” Cadance asked.

“We?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to go to Canterlot General to watch this disaster explode in everypony’s faces.”

Sparkle folded her hooves and watched as Flim and Flam worked on Spitfire below, in the hospital’s old operating theatre. It was of a design that had fallen out of favor, with seats above the room itself, behind windows. It was kept in use only for the benefit of medical students. Twilight herself had spent weeks here as part of her study of thaumobiology.

“I can’t believe they picked her, of all ponies,” Dust muttered.

“She’s a war hero though, isn’t she?” Marble asked. “Even I’ve heard of her.”

“Hero,” Dust spat. “You have no idea. She’s just a figurehead. Spitfire was fine as long as she was on top of things and didn’t have to put her own flank on the line, but she wasn’t a soldier. The second things went bad she folded like Neighponese origami.”

“What did happen?” Doctor Sparkle asked. “I looked into it, but the records were sealed. No, more than that. They were removed. Like they’d never existed.”

“That’s because they never did exist,” Dust said. “They wouldn’t even listen to me when I tried to tell them what happened. I even went to the press once. I got halfway there before EIS pulled me off the street, put a ticket to Neigh Orleans in my hooves, and told me not to come back. They didn’t want anypony tarnishing Spitfire’s record.”

“We’ve got time to listen now,” Sparkle shrugged.

“Well, it was during a big offensive push…”

Admittedly, we didn’t handle the war well, at first. We didn’t mobilize quickly enough. Nopony knew that Sombra was gaining strength with every battle. At the start we thought he’d just have whatever army was around from a thousand years ago and he’d run out of steam, but instead, every time he rolled over a town, he gained more troops.

That was bad, but what was worse was our morale. The EUP forces haven’t fought other ponies in a real war for close to a thousand years. Asking them to fight against innocent, mind-controlled ponies was a disaster.

We’d had a defensive line, but once we started taking real losses, it collapsed around us. We tried to hold firm but I don’t know if that made us better than the deserters or just stupider. There were a dozen of us, then six, then three, and then Soarin took a hit and it was just me and Spitfire on that hill, dug into a trench. It was the worst way for a pegasus to die, in some stupid hole in the middle of nowhere.

“Can you see their commander?” I asked, counting the bolts left in my crossbow again. It didn’t matter. I could have had a thousand bolts stuffed into the magazine and it wouldn’t have really been enough.

“No,” Spitfire said. “And we need to get out of here or Soarin is…” she looked at the fallen stallion. One wing was burned black, and we’d given him all our whiskey to knock him out until we could get him real first aid.

“Well if we can get the leader then they’ll all freak out for a few minutes,” I said. “It’s the only way.”

“It’s not the only way,” Spitfire said, eyes narrowing. “We have to surrender.”

“Surrender--” I balked. I almost fainted when she said that. Surrender was the absolute worst option. “They mind-control everypony they take alive!”

“We might be able to negotiate for medical care for Soarin and… it’s better than just dying here! If we’re taken prisoner, maybe they’ll find some spell to free us.”

“You’re insane,” I said. I figured I was gonna have to knock some sense into her, so I got closer. She flared her wings the second I started moving. “No way am I going to give up!”

“Soarin means a heck of a lot more to me than you do,” Spitfire said, raising her crossbow, pointing it at me instead of the enemy.

“You’re going to get all of us killed,” I said. With how close I was, I just had to dodge the first shot and I’d be able to take her out. Hoof-to-hoof I was probably at least her match, and the way her grip was shaking I had a good chance.

“Don’t do it,” croaked a voice from the ground. Spitfire looked down when Soarin grabbed her rear hoof. I don’t know how much of our conversation her heard, but it was the distraction I needed. Before she could properly react, I bucked her in the chin, and Spitfire went down for the count.

“Thanks,” I said, kicking Spitfire’s crossbow away. Soarin picked it up and tried to stand, collapsing in a heap when he started to stumble and found he couldn’t keep himself steady with one wing.

“You get her out of here. I’ll give you girls some cover,” Soarin said, coughing. “I’ve got one last surprise.” He picked something out of his uniform. A squat metal sphere with a pressure-triggered detonator.

“That what I think it is?” I asked.

“Yep. I saved a little something in case we needed to breach a door or put a hole in a wall. It should keep them busy."

“Maybe,” I said. “But I can’t carry both of you out of here.”

“I’m not getting out,” Soarin said. “My wing is shredded. I’m never going to fly again. All I’m good for now is being a wild goose for them to chase. You just promise me you’ll keep Spitfire safe.”

“I promise,” I said. He nodded and forced himself to his hooves, hobbling to the edge and standing up.

“I’m the last one left,” Soarin yelled, loudly, standing up and showing his weapon before putting it down. “I want to surrender!” He looked back at us for a second, then started down the hill.

When I heard the explosion, I flew out of there with Spitfire in my hooves and never looked back.

“If I’d known the bucking mule was going to bring me up on charges for saving her life, I never would have bothered,” Dust said.

“Hmph,” Doctor Sparkle smiled. “I have a feeling you would have done it anyway.”

“Why, do I have the word ‘sucker’ tattooed on my flank over my cutie mark?” Dust asked. “Then again I’ve started to trust Sunset Shimmer, and she’s a feathering monster. Maybe I really have terrible taste in friends.”

“Don’t ask me for an objective analysis. I picked you because you had a strong will, not because you were good at making friends and influencing ponies,” Doctor Sparkle said.

“Where is Sunset?” Marble asked, quietly. “Isn’t this something she’d be interested in?”

“She’ll join us soon. She was on another mission,” Sparkle said. “I’m hoping she can keep something like this from happening again.”

“Once is bad enough,” Dust agreed.

“Flim,” Flam said. “Pass me the Filet-o-Matic.”

“Of course, brother mine,” Flim said, passing over the blade. “I must say, convincing the hospital to buy our products for the surgery was a stroke of genius. Another ten thousand bits added to our tally.”

“Not nearly as important as the fact we’re getting one up on that Doctor Sparkle,” Flam said. “After that product demonstration went awry I was nearly so upset as to take the matter to a court of law!”

“You did copy down the schematics for the, ah, device?” Flim whispered, nodding to the Engine Heart.

“Of course. We’ll be mass-producing them in a month’s time,” Flam assured him. “I didn’t learn Lefthoof’s Reverse Engineering Diagrammatic for nothing.”

Flim nodded and smirked, watching as the device anchored itself into Spitfire. His smile faded as he watched. “Flam, is it just me or is the device in question moving on its own?”

“It’s probably supposed to do that,” Flam said. “This one was built by the expert, after all. We should assume whatever it’s doing is normal.”

“That’s fair,” Flim said. “Let’s close up these incisions.” He reached for the Quik-Close Staple Gun SE (Surgical Edition), but just as his hoof closed on it, Spitfire’s eyes opened, and the very expensive Machine That Goes Beep started making very alarming non-beeping noises.

“Something’s wrong!” Flam yelled. He stepped back to look at the readings on the devices arrayed around Spitfire. It saved his life.

Spitfire’s entire body was cloaked in a black aura like a roiling cloud of darkness, and her eyes burned with purple fire as she started to scream. Flim froze as Spitfire stood, tearing free from the surgical bed, her chest still open, the dark heart beating within. Her wings lashed out, feathers coated in a layer of black crystal, and Flim’s blood sprayed into the air, the unicorn stumbling back, clutching at his ruined throat.

“Flim!” Flam screamed.

Spitfire roared. An explosion of dark magic sent the surgical equipment flying in a chaotic storm of energy, and Flam went along with it, slamming into the brick wall and blacking out.

“Oh flying feathers,” Dust gasped, watching Spitfire storm out of the surgical theatre, glowing with an aura of dark menace.

“I should have known those two would screw this up,” Sparkle said. “There’s no time to get the Unity suits. We need to stop her--”

Dust flashed into action, hitting the glass observation window and rebounding.

“Don’t be stupid!” Sparkle yelled. “Those windows are armored! We need to go around through surgical prep.”

“Lead the way,” Dust said. She and the Doctor started out the door. A moment later, Dust opened it back up and looked back at the last pony in the room. “Marble, come on! We need to catch up to her!”

“But it’s another pony!” Marble said. “I can’t--”

“This whole war we’ve been fighting ponies Sombra controlled,” Dust said. “I’ve seen what happens if we don’t stop them. Trust me, if there’s anything left of Spitfire in there, she’d want us to take her down.”

Marble looked down, hiding her face with her mane and mumbling something incoherent.

“There’s no time to debate this!” Dust yelled. “Come on!” She grabbed Marble’s hoof and dragged her into the hallway.

“We need to get through here,” Doctor Sparkle said, stopped in front of a door. She kicked it, and winced, almost falling over. “Endless Night!” She winced. “I think I broke my ankle.”

“That happens when you buck a steel door wrong,” Lightning Dust said. She let go of Marble’s hoof and squared up with the door, kicking it just under the lock. The doorfame squealed as it popped out of shape, the locked door opening up.

“You two go and stop Spitfire,” Sparkle said, nursing her ankle. “I’ll try and provide some support over the radio.”

“Don’t worry, Doc, I wouldn’t ask you to fight anyway,” Dust said. “Come on, Mumbles.”

“M-maybe I should stay with--” Marble started.

“Go,” Sparkle ordered. “You wanted to save ponies? There’s a whole hospital of sick civilians here. The longer you delay the more of them are going to get hurt.”

“Right,” Marble said, unsure, following Dust through the side corridor.

“Then take the next left and you’ll be in the main corridor,” Sparkle said, over the radio. Dust followed, charging through the halls. She wasn’t sure exactly what path she was on, but the Doc had assured her it was the best way to go. She was more impressed that the unicorn had memorized the hospital layout.

She was, in fact, going to compliment her on it until she took the turn and skidded into the opposite wall, hydroplaning in a pool of warm blood.

“Oh buck,” Dust muttered. A dozen ponies in golden armor were scattered through the corridor, none of them moving. At least she assumed it was a dozen. Some of them were in pieces, so it was really anywhere from ten to fourteen and things were only getting worse by the minute if she couldn’t even count the bodies.

“Tell me what you’re seeing,” Sparkle said.

“Dead royal guards,” Dust reported.

“That’s what I was afraid of. They were providing security. They were supposed to be watching for spies and threats from outside. Nopony told them the attack might come from the thing they were guarding.”

“I think I hear her ahead of me,” Dust said. “Got any advice?”

“Try to ambush her,” Sparkle said. “The Engine Heart she has is optimzied for Unicorn magic. Without a horn she’s going to be very limited. If you can get in close, you can use your Earth Pony strength to disable her. Not having the armor is a liability, but it’s a much bigger one for her than it is for you. This should be relatively easy.”

“That’s some good news-- and that’s the bad news,” Dust said, her eyes going wide as she saw the sign at the next corridor. “Sparkle, she’s heading towards the maternity ward!”

“Stop her at all costs!” Sparkle yelled.

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Dust agreed, charging forwards. She burst through a set of double-doors, the color of paint changing as she moved from one hospital ward to another.

Spitfire was just ahead of her, the bladed edges of her wings digging into the gap between the next set of doors, trying to force the locked doors apart. They squealed as the latch started to give under the force.

“Hey, featherbrain!” Dust yelled, throwing the first thing at hoof at the corrupted pegasus. Spitfire turned and slashed with her wing, pulling it free of the door. There was a dull explosive thud as the tank of oxygen ruptured, shattering the obsidian encrusting her primaries.

Spitfire roared, stumbling back, bleeding from shrapnel wounds.

“You never did have good instincts,” Dust said.

Spitfire looked up at her, glaring with eyes poisoned a hateful red and green. She started to growl, sounding like an angry dragon.

“Not much for conversation?” Dust guessed. “Just like Shining Armor. I’ll try and make this quick, because--”

“LIGHTNING DUST!” Spitfire screeched.

“You remember me, then?” Dust asked, before Spitfire leapt at her.

“Oh no,” Cadance gasped, as she saw the blood pooling in the corridor.

“Things are getting bad,” Sunset agreed. “Sparkle, you there?” She touched her ear, toggling her radio.

“You’re at the hospital?” Sparkle guessed. “Things have gone awry.”

“I can tell,” Sunset said. “Where’s the enemy?”

“Don’t worry about that for now,” Sparkle said. “You need to focus on evacuation. There are a lot of ponies who need to be moved. Even if it’s dangerous, it’s probably better than staying here.”

“What’s Twilight saying?” Cadance asked.

“Is that Princess Cadance?” Doctor Sparkle asked. “Good. She’ll be able to convince them to move. Work with her, as planned.”

“Don’t tell me ‘as planned’,” Sunset said. “This is not as planned and you know it.”

“Just get it done!” Sparkle snapped.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Ordering me around…” She grumbled. “Sparkle wants us on evacuation duty. Something bad’s in the hospital… which should be obvious at this point,” Sunset gestured to the fallen guards. “She wants us getting the civilians out of the way.”

“I’m glad she has her priorities in order,” Cadance sighed.

“I’ve waited months for this,” Dust said, as she circled Spitfire. It might have just been her imagination, but Spitfire seemed larger somehow, like something was growing in her skin. It could have just been the aura of dark magic that was pouring out of her, though. If nothing else, her rage had made it easy to lead her away from the fleeing patients. Phones were ringing off the hook around them in the ruined nurses’ station, ignored as the two soldiers focused on each other.

“Kill you…” Spitfire growled. The obsidian blades on her wings were already regrowing.

“You can take your best shot, but better ponies than you have tried and failed. Better monsters, too.”

Like a matador, Dust ducked to the side when Spitfire pounced, dodging by inches. The wonderbolt slammed into the wall and rebounded, leaving hoof-prints in the plaster as she used the surface to turn.

Dust spun and kicked a fallen chair into Spitfire’s path, her former commander batting it aside, leaving her guard down for just long enough that Dust could hit her in the face.

“Hah!” Dust crowed, as Spitfire stumbled back, her momentum gone. “I bet you weren’t expecting--”

Spitfire’s wings flapped, and the air filled with razors. Obsidian shards filled the air like a storm of black butterflies. Dust tried to batter the wind currents away from her body, but even her best efforts couldn’t clear enough space, the blades opening up cuts along her wings and legs that left her bleeding freely.

“Okay I admit you have a few new tricks,” Dust hissed, the thin cuts incredibly painful.

“You ruined me…” Spitfire rumbled.

“Ruined you?!” Dust yelled. “I got discharged! I lost everything!”

“You’re the reason he’s dead,” Spitfire continued, eyes burning with hate. “He’d still be alive if you didn’t let him die.”

“Who? Soarin? He died saving your stupid life!”

“He was supposed to stay with me!” Spitfire yelled. “I was having his foal!”

“You were--” Dust froze at that. Spitfire charged, head down, and put her through the weakened wall behind them, some of the embedded blades slicing into her back as they tumbled through.

“Annoying,” Sparkle mumbled, as she walked into the operating room, listening over the radio. “I suppose that explains why it was sealed. They couldn’t let ponies know the real face of their war heroes.”

“H-help me…” croaked Flam, from where he was lying, his back right leg broken.

“You’ve caused me no end of trouble,” Doctor Sparkle said, turning her radio off so she wouldn’t be overheard. “You tried to steal my funding, you stole one of my greatest creations, and you’ve all been so incompetent that-”

Something moaned behind her, and Sparkle turned to see Flim standing up.

“Brother?” Flam asked. Flim responded only with a keening moan, stumbling forwards, his throat ruined, black crystals encrusting the wound. He bared his teeth, showing growing fangs, and lunged for Flam, mindless and hungry.

“This again,” Sparkle mumbled. She looked around, then grabbed the electric knife they’d been using on Spitfire.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Flam demanded, trying to stand, as Sparkle trotted over to his brother, not even hesitating as she stabbed the corrupted unicorn.

Blood sprayed over her white jacket, and she stabbed again, the whirling edge of the blade cutting tendons and bone. Flim fell, and Twilight adjusted her aim.

“Stop it!” Flam screamed.

Sparkle drove the edge into what was left of his neck, sawing the blade back and forth, the unicorn going limp as his spine was severed.

“You have to be very detailed in this business,” Sparkle said. She kept cutting until the knife made it through the other end, then gave the tool a closer look. “Not bad. Maybe you do have some natural talent at artifice.”

She kicked Flim’s head towards Flam, tossing the knife aside.

“I got advance warning about Celestia’s little visit. I couldn’t let her just take this project from me. I think my after-action report is going to call into question her choice of candidate, her choice of doctors, and her failure to listen to the project director.”

“You knew?” Flam whispered. “You sabotaged it, didn’t you? This was all--”

Sparkle walked over to him. “Never interfere in my work again,” She warned, leaning down to look him in the eyes. He flinched. She stood and walked away, turning her radio back on.

“Dust, are you finished yet? We need to wrap this up.”

“I’m busy!” Dust groaned. One eye was swollen shut from where Spitfire had hit her, and every time she moved or breathed or thought too hard about moving or breathing her back felt like she was being stabbed in half a dozen places, mostly because she had blades of glass stabbing her in, well, half a dozen places.

“Marble, get in there and help her!” Sparkle ordered.

“I-- I can’t--” Marble whispered. Dust looked around, trying to spot the earth pony.

“If you don’t, a lot of ponies are going to die!” Sparkle retorted. “Get out there and do something!”

“Forget it, she’s useless,” Dust said. “This is how it’s supposed to be. Me and Spitfire, one on one. It’s destiny!”

“Destiny has never applied to me,” Doctor Sparkle said.

“We have a problem,” Sunset said. “The wounded and dead are starting to come back.” She watched as one of the golden-armored royal guards staggered to his feet, eyes burning with the purple light of dark magic. Crystals were already starting to grow through the skin along his spine.

“I--I heard that’s what happened with Shining Armor, but I never thought…” Cadance whispered.

“It happened to some of my--” She thought back to Manehattan. Friends was too generous a term for the bunch of crooks she’d been using as minions. “Co-workers. There’s no cure.”

“I can’t--” Cadance looked at Sunset, her eyes wet with tears.

“Yeah, that’s because you’re a good pony,” Sunset said. “Stay behind me and try to keep those nurses covered.” She nodded towards a knot of nurses trying to move bedridden patients. “You know shield spells, right?”

“Of course. Shining Armor taught me everything there is to know about them.”

“Thank the stars. I already had to give remedial lessons on that once.” Sunset cracked her neck. “This shouldn’t take long.” Her horn swirled with firey energy.

Marble squeaked as the wall above her head was punctured from the other side by stray crystal blades, ducking even further, curling into a ball.

“Lightning Dust is going to lose and die,” Sparkle said. “Why aren’t you fighting?”

“I can’t fight another pony,” Marbe gasped, shaking.

“I see. I’m sorry about this, but there’s more at stake than you know. Unity Project Command Code: The Black Moon Howls.”

The yoke around Marble’s neck beeped, and darkness consumed her vision.

“This has not gone as planned,” Dust said, struggling to free her wing. It was pinned to the wall like she was a giant butterfly by a thin, impossibly strong needle of black glass.

Spitfire’s wing swept at her neck like a scythe, and Dust caught it with her hooves, the edge sinking in, blood running down her legs as she fought to keep it from her jugular.

“She’ll never get to know her father, all because of you!” Spitfire growled. “I hate you!”

“I feel sorry for her,” Dust said, gasping as she lost her grip for a moment, the jagged edge starting to press against her neck. “Her mom’s a total bitch!”

Spitfire reared up, bringing her other wing around. Dust didn’t have a way to stop it. She braced herself for pain.

Spitfire’s motion stopped suddenly, jerking to a halt as something ensnared her like a blue web.

“Sombra,” purred a voice from behind Spitfire. “What crude work.” Spitfire’s eyes went wide with surprised as she was tossed to the side effortlessly. Marble’s mane was billowing like a cloud of stars around her as she watched the pegasus slam into pipes, ice-cold water spraying into the air from the ruptured main.

“Marble?” Lightning Dust asked. Marble looked at her, her eyes glowing from within. When she smiled, Dust thought she saw fangs.

“Why don’t you just… hang around while I finish this?” Marble said, her voice full of cruel confidence. It didn’t sound like her at all.

“What happened to you?” Dust asked. Marble ignored her and walked - no, stalked towards Spitfire, the earth pony light on her hooves, menacing and larger than life, her mane making her look like she stood at the center of a storm.

“Sombra, I’m sure you can see through your little crystal slaves,” Marble said. Dust tried to warn her, seeing the attack coming. Spitfire rolled to her hooves and swept her wing in an arc, throwing a scattered storm of black darts.

Marble raised her hoof, and the darts stopped in midair, surrounded in a flickering blue and green aura.

“Pathetic,” Marble said, sounding bored. The blades shattered into dust and fell to the ground as she stalked forward.

“I’m not a slave!” Spitfire growled, her voice changing, going deeper with the last word.

Marble smiled. “Of course not.” She reared up, and Spitfire tripped, her hooves entangled with Marble’s animated mane. “I think I see the problem. And I know just how to cure it!”

Spitfire struggled, unable to escape the net.

Marble grabbed her wings, one in each forehoof, twisting them until something snapped. Dust winced in sympathetic pain as they went limp, tendons and bone torn out of place. Spitfire screamed and slammed her head forward, cracking her skull against Marble’s.

Marble didn’t even flinch, just grinning, even as blood ran down both of their faces.

Still holding the broken wings, she lifted Spitfire up and slammed her down onto the floor, back-first, the broken bones in her wings cutting through her skin.

“Hold still,” Marble said, planting her rear hoof on Spitfire’s stomach. The pegasus’ chest was still open, the dark metal gleaming and glowing in her chest, Flim and Flam never having a chance to close it properly.

Spitfire screamed as Marble grabbed for the edges of that wound and pulled, tearing her open, reaching inside and grabbing the Engine Heart, ripping it free, blood spraying over Marble’s coat, surges of green light making her look like she’d turned almost black.

Spitfire sputtered, reaching for the beating heart weakly.

Marble crushed it, motes of light surging out like an arterial spray of magic, sparks that died before they hit the ground.

Spitfire gasped and went still.

Marble took a deep breath, as if savoring the destruction, then turned to where Dust was pinned. Her eyes gleamed in the darkness, pupils slitted like a dragon’s. “Next, I think I’ll--”

She took a step and the yoke around her neck lit up. Marble gasped, and the air suddenly became lighter, lifting an oppressive aura that Dust hadn’t even noticed until it was gone. Marble stumbled towards a wall, her mane’s movement slowing and stopping. She slammed her forehead into the brick, screaming, hitting it hard enough to leave a crack.

When she opened her eyes again, still leaning against the wall, they looked normal. Marble panted for breath, looking around confused. Her eyes met Dust’s, then she looked down at herself, seeing the gore coating her body, the mutilated body of Spitfire.

She screamed.

The heat was incredible. Even Celestia was sweating in the inferno as she worked at her personal forge, a place of closely-guarded secrets, kept half because few other ponies would survive even a few seconds where she stood, and half because of the knowledge needed to use it. Molten rock flowed underneath the metal platform she stood upon, the steel glowing with heat despite the talismans glowing along it and trying to keep it cool. Celestia had abandoned her regalia before entering. It would never have survived, and so she was left working naked in the blaze, her hide repelling splatters of magma like they were raindrops.

Eight mirrors, even more heavily enchanted than the platform, reflected golden sunlight from above into the crucible she worked with. The air was thick with magical flux, dense enough to be toxic to ponies and collapse common spells.

All of it was focused in one spot, on a pool of molten gold, changing the nature of the metal itself. Shifting from mere glitter into something greater.

Celestia waited for the right moment, and started working the metal, shaping it with her magic even as it was still molten. It was a complex shape, one she’d had to study for long hours to ensure she could hold every detail in her mind.

Hours passed as she formed it, and when she was satisfied, she plunged the metal into the lava, holding it there, tempering it for a few seconds more before retrieving it.

Despite how much effort she’d had to put into it, Celestia knew this had been the easy part of her task. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She'd made a mistake with Spitfire. The wrong pony. The wrong tools. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Part of her wanted to stop here, to abandon what she was doing or put it off for another day or at least think about what she was about to do. She had to go through with it, though. It was practical, but it was penance, too, for not being there when she was needed.

Celestia opened her mouth, focusing on magic she had been forced to learn simply to defend herself against, and her living magic flowed out of her mouth like a slow stream of white-hot fire. Her horn flared, and with a violent twist that brought tears to her eyes, a tiny portion was pinched off, a mote burning like a star, singing faintly with the sound of her soul. She could still feel it. It was like being in two places at once.

Princess Celestia stared at it for a few long seconds, thinking of Twilight Sparkle. What the mare must have done.

Before she could second-guess herself she forced the light into the golden thing she’d formed. The plasma sank inside, and the Orichalcum Heart beat for the first time, ringing with a pure, bright sound.