Luna paced in her room, tension in her body; her eyes jumped from one thing to another without focusing on anything in particular. Just a few minutes had passed since the train Andromalius stole left Canterlot, and it would be at least an hour before he approached the bridge Celestia set to destroy. The hell stallion proved to be resilient judging by the reports the lunar alicorn received: he broke spears by ramming them with his body, even dulling the tips that struck him; he also quickly recovered from spells that would incapacitate most others. However, Luna feared he wouldn't survive what her sister was planning. As resilient as he was, he had his limit somewhere, and the alicorn had no desire to find out where it lay.

As helpful as his presence was to uncovering the conspiracy, he didn't deserve to die for it. It wasn't his battle, it wasn't his war. Luna refused to allow him to die a pointless death in the name of power struggles, and so she must act quickly before it was too late. There was a small chance even the explosion wouldn't kill him, but the alicorn wasn't about to take it as fact.

Soon, a few thestral guards entered her office, dressed in camouflaged cloaks, which covered them from head to hooves. The viper-like eyes of the ponies looked at their princess, waiting for her command. She stopped in her tracks and looked at them.

"A friend of mine is in great danger," Luna spoke in a strained voice, "He was falsely accused, trapped by the conspirators who seek to bring an end to me. Right now, he's on the way to the Everfree Bridge, and my sister plans to demolish it as he passeth. Your task is to undermine her efforts, weaken the explosive charges and do your best to save Andromalius from certain death. Do not let yourself be seen or captured, but kill no one, for they are unaware of the insidious plot against Equestria. They, like my sister, are unknowing participants, and they mean well by their actions, however misguided they may be. Take this to prove to Andromalius that you're from me, tap it when he asketh."

She handed each of them a crescent-shaped necklace. They accepted the necklaces and locked them around their necks. Princess Luna proceeded to explain the details of her plan to them, making sure each of them memorized the whole list perfectly. Once it was done, she stood before them to offer assuring words before their departure.

"Good luck, and may you succeed."

The ponies simultaneously bowed to her and silently exited the room, hurrying to obey their princess. Luna turned around and looked out the window, a deep frown and a look of uncertainty on her face. Her plan could fail, and the chances of failure were high; however, this plan was better than none at all, and she refused to accept what her sister was doing. In time, Celestia would see how she was fooled, but for now, all Luna could do was prevent her sister from doing something she would later regret deeply, even if it meant Luna had to go against her in secret.

"And what do we do now?" Andromalius asked as the train took a turn, following the railroad around the mountain. The wheels of the locomotive made a steady beat against the rails, and a cloud of smoke rose above. The coals burned hot, making water boil and propel the engine with steam.

"You should jump off the train when you can," Inanna suggested, her form lying in the coal, "I think they won't just let you travel all the way along the road. They will stop you somewhere, and I think you'd rather not be there."

"Where do I jump off, then?" the hell stallion asked, looking to the side. The edge of the railroad was protected by a sturdy-looking rail, for a cliff was right after it. The land was still way below, and Andromalius estimated it was at least a kilometer or two away. He, unfortunately, had no wings, so he had no desire to abandon the train just yet.

"I don't know," Inanna sighed, "I know, like... some things, but... I have no idea where the closest jump off point could be."

"Wait, what is that?" Andromalius gestured at an interesting dark spot on the ground far away. It was certainly a forest, but it was much darker in comparison to the surrounding land, looking somewhat sickly as well. He could also see some buildings in the center; towers of a castle. Even from such distance, it reminded him of something, but he couldn't place his mind on it just yet.

"That? The Everfree Forest," the succubus narrowed her eyes as she looked in the direction the hell stallion pointed to, "You know... that's not a bad idea."

"What is not a bad idea?"

"Going to the Everfree Forest," Inanna elaborated, "Ponies don't go there unless they absolutely need to. If you manage to sneak in there... no one will go looking for you."

"I bet there's a reason no one goes there," Andromalius pointed out, "What's in that forest?"

"Hm... lemme think..." Inanna tapped her chin before listing off what she knew about the inhabitants of the strange forest, "Timberwolves, manticores, hydras, serpents, snakes, spiders..."

"O-okay, I get it," the hell stallion shivered, "A lot of things that would want to eat you. You sure I should go there?"

"Well, do we have any other choice?"

For a moment, the two were silent. Andromalius could admit he had no choice in his next actions: he didn't know the land, didn't know whom to turn to, and he had no money with him to as much as pay someone off. For all he knew, he was a dangerous criminal, and Princess Celestia wouldn't stop until he was caught.

The train went into a tunnel and immediately light almost entirely disappeared. Andromalius seemingly didn't notice, wondering what his next steps would be. He couldn't return, this was certain; however, he didn't have anything to look forward to. No one was waiting to help him, he was all on his own now, not counting the ever-present Inanna the Succubus, the only aide he had left. Now, he understood he couldn't go anywhere near a pony settlement – his looks would immediately arise suspicion, and Celestia would be on him shortly after. Luna might help him, but he couldn't count on it – she had more important matters to attend to.

The train emerged from darkness back into the light as the tunnel ended. It swayed slightly as the railroad went downwards at a rather steep angle. The locomotive picked up speed, almost making the hell stallion fall. He awkwardly stepped from hoof to hoof and managed to remain standing. Soon, the train reached the bottom and then the railroad went mostly flat again. However, soon it turned around the mountain and entered yet another tunnel, but this one was winding like a spiral, and the train went deeper and deeper downwards.

"I've never seen a railroad like this..." Andromalius commented in the nearly complete darkness of the tunnel as only the light from the burning coal illuminated the cab.

"What did you expect? Mountains make everything weird," Inanna shrugged, "If you didn't notice, Canterlot stands on the side of the mountain. Side. Of. The. Mountain."

"You have a point," the hell stallion nodded in agreement, "Anyway, do you know how long it is until we reach the ground level?"

"Not sure, maybe around half an hour," she replied, "If I were you, I'd take a nap. Or, at the very least, try to think of... calming things. We're going to be here for a while."

The Everfree Forest. Crooked trees made gloomy thickets, strange and dangerous creatures roamed, even the air was filled with something unusual. Few dared to go inside, much less explore it thoroughly. For centuries, it remained a mystery. However, the needs of Equestria grew, and so did the web of roads that went through the country. A railroad went along the edge of the forest, and a bridge was built over a wide chasm at one point. At the moment, a few unicorns were carefully setting up charges underneath the supports of the bridge. Wires were carefully connected to a single detonator that would allow the bridge to be destroyed in a controlled manner with the possibility of being rebuilt after the demon was gotten rid of.

However, the ponies didn't notice one of the rocks shift. When they looked away, it carefully moved from one shadow to the other, closer to one of the charges. Similar movements happened with other bits of the environment. The time was ticking down, but they had to be slow, otherwise they would be discovered and the entire plan would fail. The rock made its way underneath one of the charges and readied for tampering.

A howl sounded from the forest, making the workers and the guards around them turn their attention towards the Everfree. Another howl joined, and the infiltrators began doing their work while the workers and the guards got together and armed themselves, preparing for the beasts to attack. The first charge was disabled entirely as the thestral nudged the detonator wire out of its socket ever so slightly, making it seem as if the workers didn't put it in correctly. The second charge was weakened as another thestral pulled out around half of the explosive and replaced it with a similar-looking bag of sand. After the explosion, no one would be able to tell the difference.

The howls continued and the rustle from the forest came closer to its edge. The guards loaded their crossbows, aimed, and waited. Meanwhile, a thestral planted a few Poison Joke flowers near the support that was yet to be set to explode. The flowers were placed in such a way as to make it seem like they grew from the damp soil surrounding the support.

Half of the work was done, another half was yet to be complete.

Meanwhile, the train finally exited the winding tunnel and rode down the railroad to the very bottom of the ground. From then on, it would be mostly flat terrain. Andromalius had to narrow his eyes when the light appeared, for he had already adapted to the darkness of the tunnel. He stepped closer to the edge of the locomotive, intending to jump at that very moment. It would be painful, certainly, but he needed to do it.

"Wait, it's too early!" Inanna quickly warned him, "They'd expect something like this, don't you think? Besides, where are you going to hide? This forest isn't big, and there are only fields for kilometers around. Gonna hide in the grass?"

"You have a point..." Andromalius admitted with a sigh, stepping away, "I've not thought of that..."

"I mean, you can try to run away from the guards that will eventually show up, but unicorns can teleport, and pegasi can fly way faster than you can gallop," she offered another point.

"I guess we don't have any other options, do we?" he deflated and sat down.

For quite some time, the locomotive went along the railroad in peace. The wind harshly whipped by, but the cab and the windows inside it protected the hell stallion. The furnace was burning hot, and it had no intention of slowing down, especially not with Andromalius throwing coal into it from time to time, anxious about the possible pursuit.

As the hell stallion rode further away from the mountains, he could see Canterlot again. The spires, the towers, and even lower, technical levels of the city were visible; small dots flew around it, moving clouds. As if his escape didn't happen. However, Andromalius knew he would be unable to return to it anytime soon. A trap was set and he fell right into it, and now it was for Princess Luna to clear his name... if she could. After all, what was he to her?

The hell stallion sighed, for his future was uncertain. For all he knew, the train rode into nothing as no destination was set. He remembered what Inanna told him about the prophecy, but it seemed ridiculous... but at the same time, it made sense. Should fulfilling the prohecy become his goal? If not, then what else was there for him to achieve?

A small voice appeared in his head, and it reminded him of his name. Andromalius. It was not a name of a common being, it was not a name of a baker or a cobbler. It was a name that belonged to someone who was destined for greatness. It was not to be forgotten, it must not be left at the background of history.

A plan formed in his head. His training in both magic and combat was incomplete, and he must seek someone who would teach him. For some reason, he felt the Everfree Forest would be the right place to search for such knowledge. He didn't know much about it, but there was something familiar about the name and the view he got from above. Was it the same place he appeared at when he first gained his new body? If so, there was a castle deep inside the forest, and he had a sneaking suspicion it held many secrets just waiting for the right person to discover.

The train jerked slightly at the intersection and changed its course to the left.

"Hm, didn't remember this intersection..." Inanna commented, "Anyway, this way should lead to the Everfree Forest. I think. I don't know much about the surface, sorry..."

"But how do you even know anything about it?" Andromalius asked with interest.

"Well... you see, ponies often dream of things, and we the succubi get in some wet dreams to feed on lust," she explained casually, almost throwing off the hell stallion. However, he managed to gain control of himself and not display much externally. Inanna chuckled silently to herself, knowing that her explanation didn't fail to tease him, "Sometimes, ponies dream of real places, and I distinctly remember this railroad... at least partially. There was only a straight road, no intersections. So, uh... I guess I know a bit?"

"But you're present here right now as an astral projection, don't you see everything around me?"

"Well... the closer to you things are, the easier they are to see," Inanna replied, "The mountains behind us are already pretty blurry. Canterlot? A weird spot of mixed colors."

The train jerked again. It groaned as one of its sides rose by a few centimeters above the rail on a turn. Feeling the disbalance, Andromalius shifted his body, allowing the locomotive to return to its normal position.

"Maybe we should slow down a bit," Inanna suggested, "But I've no idea how to do that."

"I don't know a thing about steam engines either," Andromalius shook his head and then looked at a variety of valves, levers, and dials on the dashboard of the locomotive. Some dials clearly displayed pressure and temperature, but the purpose of most controls remained unknown, and there were no instructions nor ponies around to provide any helpful information.

A magical solution, however, could be used. If he understood it correctly, all he needed to do was to lower the temperature of the furnace so that less water boils. Sounded good in his mind, so he got to it. His horn ignited, and he willed the flames in the furnace to go down. However, his first try barely did anything, for his grasp on the flames was weak. He closed his eyes, concentrating, feeling the heat using his magic, and not his vision or his body. He reached out, and there it was, heat. But to make it go away, he had to find a way for the energy to dissipate.

Energy could not be created from nothing or made into nothing, it could only be transformed. Magic was also energy, one that could manipulate other forms of energy if the user had enough skill and knowledge.

Andromalius felt something and used the magic to amplify it. However, the flames surged, licking the doors. Instead of extinguishing them, he accidentally opened a way for more oxygen to feed the flames. Trying to keep himself under control, he willed things to return to how they were before. In a few moments, the flames lowered, and now they weren't as high as before. It worked, but he needed a better solution lest the locomotive blow up.

He reached out with his magic again. This time, he drew the hot air from inside the furnace and directed it outside and past him to dissipate into the air. The colder air entered from below, heat up, and he siphoned it out, cooling the furnace. The temperature dial showed the progress as the arm slowly made a counter-clockwise motion. After dropping the temperature by a quarter, Andromalius stopped and shut the doors. In a few more minutes, the steel surrounding the furnace also cooled, and the train finally slowed down to acceptable speed. From then on, it was a smooth ride.

Andromalius sighed in relief and opened his eyes, the glow of his horn disappearing. By the time he completed his spell, the train had covered a huge distance, and the crooked trees of the Everfree Forest were within sight. Behind the next turn, the bridge was placed. Charges were placed and, although tampered with by Luna's thestrals, they would still work, and no one knew if the bridge would remain intact long-enough for Andromalius to pass.

"We're nearing the destination," Inanna commented, narrowing her eyes to look at the dark foliage ahead, "That for sure is the Everfree, even I can see that."

"Alright, then I should prepare to jump," Andromalius sighed deeply, walking to the edge and looking past it. The railroad was on an enbankment, which raised above the ground for at least two meters. However, it lowered closer to the forest, as far as the hell stallion could see, so he had chosen to wait until the best moment to abandon the locomotive. However, a thought stung him, "Wait, we can't just let the train go on, what if it crashes into something?"

"Just extinguish the coals," Inanna shrugged, "It should come to a stop eventually, and the road ahead is still long before any settlement.

Andromalius nodded and opened the fire doors once again, channeling his magic. It would take a few minutes if he hurried, but unbeknownst to him, he might not have enough time to finish before the bridge. Alas, even the existence of the bridge was unknown to him, and so it was left for the fate to decide what would happen next.

Back in the Canterlot Castle, Celestia and Luna stood before a communicator – a long-range radio, one of the very few in the world. Taking almost an entire room with antennae sticking out of the top of the tower, it was a technological marvel, the peak of radiotechnology in Equestria at the time.

"Sergeant Bright, report. Over," Celestia spoke into the microphone after pressing a button. She released it immediately after, allowing the static to take hold. Soon, a beep sounded, and a voice spoke from the speakers.

"The preparations are complete, although we were delayed by a pack of timberwolves," the pony replied, some static muffling his voice, "The scouts report the estimated arrival of the train is fifteen minutes. Do we proceed as planned? Over."

"Proceed as planned and report the results immediately," the solar alicorn replied, "I wish you good luck, sergeant. Over and out."

Luna almost smiled to herself – her plan, at least partially, worked. The thestrals managed to distract the workers, possibly long-enough to sabotage the charges. However, it was too early to celebrate – she needed to know whether Andromalius would survive or not. In under half an hour, she would receive her answers; until then, all she could do was hope.

Hope, as irrational as it often was, saved her from thinking too much about what would happen if her plan failed. And yet, hope made people do things they would've never done otherwise, and Luna did her best to ensure the best survival chances for Andromalius. As strange and mysterious as he was, he was just another person, and like many before him, caught between the hammer and the anvil of power struggles of the nobility and royalty. Hopefully, he would escape the gruesome fate prepared to him by the conspirators. However, there were other things Luna had to attend to, those that concerned the future of the country as a whole.

"Sister..." she turned to Celestia, "I think we should investigate into how Andromalius found the way to the Archives. I believe he could have allies inside the castle."

For a moment, the solar alicorn was silent, wondering about the suggestion Luna posed.

"You... did not tell him about the Archives?" she asked quietly, a frown forming on her face.

"No, I did not," Luna shook her head, "Why?"

"I... assumed you did..." Celestia replied awkwardly, but then seriousness returned to her voice, "Very well, then this raises the question of how exactly he found out about it if you haven't told him. I was under the impression that he asked you a lot of questions about magic, and I thought the Archives would come up."

"We talked plenty about the arcane, that is true, but not a word was spoken about the Archives," the lunar alicorn shook her head and then reasoned, "Thou and I both know how dangerous it is to reveal the existence of the Archives to anyone. I... I wanted to test him first to see if he could be the candidate. However, as the recent events have proven to me, I was wrong in my judgement," she bit his lip. Yet another lie she had to tell her sister, "I seek to rectify what I have done, sister. This is my mistake, and I believe I can make things right. Allow me to investigate the security breech, and I shall make sure all conspirators are brought to light."

Celestia was silent again. Her sister was, in a way, still young and inexperienced. Rash, although thoughtful; determined, although naive. She had trusted a demon, a being known for trickery and deceit; but now, with her error exposed, she accepted the fault and wanted to fix it.

A possibility opened in the back of her mind – maybe Andromalius was innocent and was simply tricked. However, this possibility quickly closed – there was no one else that knew about the Archives and what was stored inside, for Celestia made sure even the guards remained unaware of what they were guarding. They were picked with the help of her advisors, and she had no reason to doubt them, for they ensured the safety, security, and prosperity of Equestria for many years. Her ponies grew happy and enjoyed their lives to the fullest, just what she always wanted for them.

So, another possibility remained open – Andromalius had external help in figuring out what door to pick. Of course, this assistance couldn't have possibly been entirely external, for the plans of the castle were kept secret and were stored nowhere outside of the building itself. However, it wouldn't stop anyone from drawing their own map of the place, and some information could have leaked out when Celestia's previous student left the city to pursue the knowledge that was denied to her. Could this be a revenge plot against Celestia? If so, she had to find out what it was exactly and, hopefully, have a talk with her former student if she could be found and reasoned with.

"Very well," the solar alicorn nodded, "Anything you require, the guards will provide. Make sure you root them all out, for their presence is detrimental to the safety of knowledge and, most importantly, the safety of our subjects."

"I shall do what I must," Luna nodded, preparing to leave, "Thank thee, sister, I... I very much appreciate thy faith in me."

The lunar alicorn had to leave swiftly; tears welled up in her eyes and her ears folded against her head. All the lies, and yet Celestia saw nothing and believed in her sister unconditionally. One day, lies would be gone away with, but until then, Luna would have to carry the guilt and the shame.

Hopefully, not much longer.