A fiery magical projectile slammed into Twilight’s transparent shield, exploding in a flash that illuminated the surrounding road. The mare flinched, squinting her eyes reflectively, but nothing managed to pass through her defense.

“I don’t like doing that,” Midnight Star grumbled, wincing. “What if I hurt you?”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she dispelled the purple dome around her.

The two unicorns stood facing each other five minutes away from Canterlot’s outer walls. There was a wide patch of relatively flat land where the road made a turn around the mountain, so it was a good place to practice some dangerous magic without risking burning someone’s property.

“I think we’ve established by now that my shield can hold against low-level fire attacks,” she said. “In fact, I believe it’s time to up the stakes. I want to test its durability against kinetic forces. Throw that boulder at me, please,” the mare pointed at the massive rock the size of her body lying nearby.

Midnight widened his eyes.

As a part of her preparations for the expedition, Twilight had been mastering a potent defense spell among other things. Her brother had taught her to use it a while back, but she lacked practice. She was going to need it to be flawless to have any chance to survive in the caves, so Midnight had agreed to help.

But that was simply too much!

“Have you gone mad?” the stallion asked, eyeing the boulder. He imagined it crushing Twilight’s fragile body and shuddered. “I’m not going to do that!”

Twilight lowered her ears slightly.

“I know it’s risky, Mid, but it’s important for me to know the limits of my shield,” the mare said, “I need to be ready for anything down there.”

“I know, Twi, but what if your shield fails now? Let’s start with something small at least!”

Twilight looked at the boulder again, realizing that Midnight was right. She wouldn’t get away with a few broken bones if that thing managed to pass through. You’ve gotten overenthusiastic and forgotten about your own safety. Again, she scolded herself.

“Yeah, let’s change it a bit,” Twilight said out loud.

Charging her horn, the unicorn concentrated. The shield spell was designed to be cast around its user, but if she changed a few elements… With a low hum, the shield appeared around a lone tree. It was a little harder to power it at a distance, but at least she would be safe if it failed. Twilight grinned with pride.

“That’s really awesome,” Midnight said. He knew a fair bit about magic himself and changing the spell’s properties like that was something only very advanced unicorns could do. He certainly wouldn’t be able to do that himself. “Well, here we go then.”

Having said that, Midnight strained as he lifted a heavy boulder into the air. The heavier the object was, the more power was required to hold it, so the stallion felt his magic energy dwindling at an elevated rate. Without wasting any time, he hurled the rock at the tree with all the force he could muster.

Twilight groaned as the boulder bounced off her shield, almost losing control, but managed to hold it in the end. It had taken more energy than Twilight had expected, but now she had learned what to expect next time.

“Don’t ask me to do that on you, please.”

Twilight, who was just thinking about doing exactly that, twitched in surprise.

“Fine… I guess, I’ve got what I wanted anyway.”

“Good,” Midnight nodded. “Anyway, I’m pretty beat for today. Can we go back now?”

“Sure, we’re done here.”

The sun was about to set, but Canterlot’s gates were always open, even at night, so the two made their way back at a leisurely pace, discussing Twilight’s results. With the shield spell being the latest one, the mare had learned and practiced a number of both defensive and offensive spells since she had made her big discovery a week ago.

Good thing the library had everything she needed.

On top of that, Twilight had also read what she could find on the caves under Canterlot. The books didn’t specify what would wait for her deep down. In fact, nopony even knew how deeply they stretched. While their upper levels were mostly safe, a rare pony dared to venture deeper. Some had tried over time, hoping to find some treasures, and most of them had never returned. The ones who had, had told stories of terrible monsters living there.

“Do you still want to go?” Midnight asked as they trotted on a near empty street.

He was less than enthusiastic about the prospect of Twilight going to such a dangerous place, but the mare kept saying that there wasn’t any other choice. She just had to go. Not because Blueblood had told her to find the Amulet, but for the king himself.

While the old monarch was still alive, there was hope. It was a slim hope, Twilight knew that, but she didn’t want to give it up. Wielding the Alicorn Amulet may give her the power to rid the king of the poison’s aftermath. It was something that Twilight wished to achieve, though she would never admit it out loud — even in her own head it sounded desperate.

But the longer Everlight stayed in power, the more likely he was to finish the king off for good. His regency was based on the claim of King Hearth’s possible recovery, but once Everlight had solidified his hold over the country, it would no longer be necessary.

Even though Blueblood was supposed to ascend to the throne in case of the king’s death, Twilight doubted that it would change anything. He would simply be a puppet for Everlight. Sometimes, the mare wondered why he hadn’t done that in the first place. There were a lot of questions about Everlight’s motives in Twilight’s head. Like, for example, why he was so hellbent on waging a war.

“Yes,” Twilight answered Midnight’s question, pulling herself out of her thoughts. “Lord Moonlight went in and cane back again, didn’t he?”

“He had the Amulet’s power with him, Twi,” Midnight reminded. “Not to mention a bunch of mercenaries who all perished along the way. You have neither.”

Twilight grumbled, but didn’t refute his words. She was determined to go regardless.

The rest of the walk passed by in silence. They were getting close to the inn when Midnight overtook her, forcing her to stop as he stood in front of her with a serious expression. She looked at her friend in surprise.

“If you’re not changing your mind, Twilight, then I’m going with you,” Midnight announced. Twilight blinked.

“What? Why?”

“It’s too dangerous for you to go alone, obviously,” he explained, shaking his head. “I won’t be able to work at this damned library knowing that you’re risking your life down there. I just can’t.”

“Well… I appreciate your offer, Midnight, but…” Twilight went silent for a few moments, realizing the irony of what she wanted to say, “But it’s too dangerous for you.” Seeing a smirk forming on his lips, she hurried to explain. “I mean, I can protect myself with some success. I’ve been studying battle magic this whole week as you know, so—”

A sudden flash interrupted her midsentence. She shut her eyes, feeling a rush of hot air blow at her coat and then heard a loud bang. Opening them again, she found Midnight pointing at a smoking hole the size of a pony’s head on a nearest wall.

“I can do more than low-level fire magic, as you called it,” he said to the startled mare. “I went through the advanced course at the Academy just like you, remember?”

The window of the house he had just blown a hole into lit up. Midnight turned his attention to it, realizing what he had just done. He should have aimed at the ground… He saw a pony silhouette approaching, probably to see what in Tartarus was going on outside.

“We need to run,” he said and Twilight nodded.

Together they bolted before the owner of the damaged house would call the city guards on their heads. Thankfully, the inn was just a street away by now, so they broke into the lobby not a minute later, startling the poor mare behind the counter from her sweet slumber.

Twilight mumbled a sorry, smiling to the mare sheepishly. The mare followed the two with her eyes as they climbed up the stairs and resumed her nap when they had disappeared from her view.

Approaching the door to her room, Twilight opened it and invited Midnight inside.

“Do you live far from here?” she asked. Perhaps she should offer him to stay the night if he was.

“Oh, I… I live with my parents,” Midnight explained, his cheeks reddening slightly. “It’s on the other side of the city. I guess that’s far. I would have gotten a place of my own if we had the money, of course.”

“Don’t worry, Midnight,” Twilight waved her hoof. “I lived with my parents myself until the king took me to the palace.”

“I see,” he nodded, relaxing a little. Both ponies settled on a couch and Midnight continued, “So, you saw what I can do. I can protect myself just like you. Besides, two ponies have more of a chance to succeed than one, even if it’s somepony like you.”

Twilight fidgeted on the couch nervously. She had no qualms about risking her life, but she didn’t want to drag Midnight with her if she failed. He was a good stallion.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked. “You have a life here; nopony is looking for you. Why risk it all?”

“Pff, a life… I spend most of my day on a job that I’m starting to hate and I don’t really have any choice in the matter. Believe me, I’ve tried looking for something else. By coming with you, I’ll get a chance to do something useful for once. Not to mention that you’re my friend and what kind of pony would let his friend go into some deadly cave on her own?”

Twilight sighed heavily.

“Well, I can’t really afford to refuse help, can I? Sun knows I’ll need it there. But what about your job at the library?”

“I’ve been working there all alone for months, covering two shifts every day,” Midnight said. “I deserve a damn vacation.”

“Are you sure the rector would allow it? You said he couldn’t find anything else to help you with.”

“He would have to,” Midnight frowned. “I’m just so sick of it. I can’t continue like that forever anyway, so maybe that’ll make him finally do something.”

After that, they discussed the details of the upcoming expedition. It was due as soon as Rarity came through with her part. Twilight needed some special gear and the lady had promised to get her the best that money could buy.

Twilight had to give up most of the gold Blueblood had given her — without explaining its origin — because Rarity’s father had refused to sponsor her trip. Thankfully, the lady had some savings of her own that she had asked Lord Belle to send her, assuring Twilight that it would be enough to cover the expenses. Hopefully, she’d have enough left to get something for Midnight as well.

Twilight didn’t like the delay it would cause, however. She was planning to leave in a few days already, but she couldn’t let her friend go unequipped, could she? Oh well, perhaps she could skip the potions this time — getting them was what had taken so much time as the alchemists had to brew them from scratch. Rarity should have gotten her enough for two anyway.

Midnight agreed with Twilight. He also had a few useful things of his own that he thought would help in the caves, so it was a few items off the list. When they finally had gone through all they could, Midnight bid his farewell, deciding to go home, despite Twilight’s offer to stay.

Soon after that, Twilight went to bed herself.

“Had fun yesterday?” the receptionist asked as Twilight was making her way out.

Twilight turned to her, blinking in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing, miss,” the mare chuckled, giving Twilight a wink. “Have a good day.”

Shrugging, Twilight finally left the inn, casting the mare’s strange behavior aside. The only thing she really cared about right now was her morning coffee. Unfortunately, this place served nothing, so she had to go to the nearest cafe every day to have her desire fulfilled.

This cafe was also the meeting place for Twilight and Rarity. Of course, Rarity could go straight for the inn, but Twilight was usually gone most of the day, so instead they set a special time when Twilight was supposed to wait for her. Today, Twilight knew that Rarity would show up, since she had promised it on their last meeting a couple of days ago.

“The usual, please,” Twilight told the waitress as soon as she entered.

The waitress nodded. “Right away, Miss Glister.”

Twilight had been visiting this place for the last few weeks, so the staff knew her by name. A fake one, obviously, since she couldn’t just reveal her real one. While the waitress went to get her order, Twilight took her favorite spot by the window.

By the time the waitress had returned, the unicorn was going through her notes about the caves one more time, trying to think of any more spells she could learn to prepare for her dangerous quest.

Moving the notes out of the way just enough to let the mare put coffee with cupcakes onto the table, Twilight checked her checklist of preparations. According to it, Twilight had done almost everything she had planned for already. The only thing left unchecked was the equipment, but that was Rarity’s job. Though with Midnight joining the expedition, she would have to ask the lady to get some more.

Being so engrossed in her notes, Twilight missed when Rarity showed up.

“Greetings,” she said, startling Twilight as she took the place across from her. Her coat was slightly damp as she had just done some exercises. “How are you doing this lovely morning?”

“Just fine, thank you.”

The two engaged in their traditional small talk, discussing the current weather and such for a couple of minutes, until Twilight could finally get to the real business.

“Anyway, did you get what I need?”

“Of course I did, darling,” Rarity smiled. “Why do you think I came all this way?” She pointed at the large duffel bag near the table that Twilight hadn’t noticed before. “Though the bag is rather heavy, so beware of that.”

“That’s not a problem,” Twilight said, waving her hoof dismissively. “Though I was wondering if there’s a chance I could ask for something more? I need some equipment for one more pony.”

Rarity frowned.

“Well, I’d be happy to help, but I’m afraid I burned through almost all my savings to get you this much,” she explained. “Perhaps if I find something less expensive… Oh, but it won’t be the best quality.”

“That’s fine, Rarity. Just do what you can. And I don’t need the potions this time.”

“Of course,” she nodded. “So, I understand that you’ve got somepony to help you?”

Twilight confirmed Rarity’s guess without revealing Midnight’s identity. The two had discussed it beforehoof, deciding it would be the best option. It wasn’t that Twilight didn’t trust Rarity after everything she had done to help, but the fewer ponies knew about her friend’s involvement, the safer he would be.

“I see,” Rarity said, accepting her reasoning. “Anyway, I really don’t think I’ll be able to get much for the money I have left. At least not of the quality you need. And you’ll need only the best down there. Perhaps I can convince my father to lend me some money or at least tell him to sell some of my old stuff back at home…”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t want to delay it for too long, Rarity. Just get what you can.”

“But, darling, wouldn’t it be better to spend some time now to get ready, rather than rush in prematurely and perish?”

“You don’t understand…” Twilight sighed. “I’ve been here for more than two weeks already and every day Everlight’s power grows stronger. There’s no telling what he might do with the king.”

“I admit I didn’t know the king as well as you, but I think he was a good pony,” Rarity said, looking at Twilight with a hint of pity. “However, Everlight need not lift a hoof to do anything. I should point out that the poison the king has been given has an extremely low rate of recovery.”

“Well, I think you’re wrong,” Twilight retorted firmly. “Besides, didn’t you say that he may start a war against the griffons at any moment? Once he does, it would be almost impossible to stop. Equestria can’t afford it right now. We’re nowhere near ready. It’s going to be a disaster.”

Rarity sipped the tea she had ordered earlier and took a bite off her cupcake with blueberries, enjoying its magnificent flavor. This cafe turned out to be much better than the one near the library where they’d had their first meetings.

“Actually, my father believes that it may not be as bad as we feared,” Rarity said.

Twilight raised her eyebrows and the lady elaborated.

“Everlight presented his war strategy to the High Council at their last meeting. Obviously, the military has been preparing for another war since the last one ended. They have the weapons stored and the border fortified. All they needed were more soldiers and Everlight’s wide conscription solved that problem.”

“It’s not just a matter of military power, Rarity,” Twilight said as she recalled the king’s words on the matter. “Agritania may use this opportunity to strike Equestria in the back, especially if the war with the griffons goes badly. There has been a lot of tension between our countries in the last few years. In the Crystal Kingdom, they are speaking of independence more and more lately — it would be a good opportunity for them as well. Not to mention the issue of our inner stability, which would go to Tartarus as the war goes on. The king was ready to fight back if the griffons attacked again, but starting the war ourselves is a deadly risk.”

Rarity was taken aback at Twilight’s rebuke.

“I see,” she said, composing her feelings. “I guess when you put it like that, I can see why you’re in a hurry. My father didn’t mention all those issues, but I guess the king saw the bigger picture.”

“Obviously. That’s why I must do everything in power to get him back.”

In the other corner of the café, another unicorn was enjoying his tea in peace.

While he seemed to pay no mind to his surroundings, his eyes were actually at the two mares on the opposite side — the green one and the white one — who were chatting with each other. He tried to listen in, but unfortunately for him, he couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying because of the silence bubble the green one had put over their table.

But the pony observed them nonetheless.

“Well, I shall leave now,” Rarity said, getting off her chair. “It was nice talking to you, Twilight.”

The other mare stood up as well, levitating the duffel bag Rarity had brought with seeming ease. Rarity felt a pang of jealousy — she’d had to hire a random passer-by stallion to help her get the bag here, though she hadn’t mentioned that fact to Twilight.

“Thank you, Rarity,” the mare smiled warmly. “I’m glad you’re helping me. It would be so much harder without you.”

Rarity bowed her head slightly, returning a smile of her own.

“I’m happy to help, darling. After all, it’s in my House’s interests.”

“Even so, you’re the first noble pony I’ve met who’s not just some stuck-up moron or power-hungry maniac,” Twilight said and stopped to think for a second as Midnight came to mind. “Well, maybe the second, but still.”

“I appreciate the compliment, darling, but I’m sure that you simply haven’t had a lot of opportunity to meet good nobles. I know some who are quite lovely ponies despite their flaws.”

“If you say so,” Twilight said, unconvinced. “Well, I have to go now. Same time here tomorrow?”

“Yes, that works for me.”

Having said that, Rarity left. A lonely stallion that was watching their every move followed the lady outside. Twilight spared him a glance, but paid no mind otherwise. Levitating the heavy bag near herself, she went back to the inn.

Twilight had just finished sorting through her newly acquired stuff when somepony knocked. The mare tensed up for a moment, but relaxed when she heard the voice from behind the door.

“It’s Midnight.”

Twilight glanced in surprise at the bright sunlight still pouring into her room. No, she hadn’t spent much more time than she had thought, it was just Midnight who had gotten here early. He was supposed to be at the library for at least four more hours.

She opened the door with her magic without standing up, allowing the stallion inside. Midnight entered, carrying a long rod wrapped in fabric along with him.

“Whoa,” he said, gawking at a bunch of items carefully arranged on the floor. “That’s quite the setup you’ve got here. Wait… Is that what I think it is?”

He carefully levitated one of the potions and read the name written on the jar — Ironcoat.

“Yep,” Twilight confirmed. “A full-metal coat for about an hour from just a sip of that stuff. I’ll need to make some calculations to see how much time a drop would give me.”

Midnight nodded in appreciation, gingerly setting the potion back on the floor. He knew it cost a small fortune and was hard to produce, but it would give a pony almost impenetrable protection against pretty much any physical attack. It had dangerous side effects if used often, but it was worth it.

The rest of the items were more affordable, but no less useful. There was a light, enchanted barding that would fit Twilight’s body, guarding her vitals from injuries, a cloak to preserve the warmth in case the caves were cold, traveler’s saddlebags, some preserved food that would last a pony for at least a weak, even more potions of different properties... Midnight could see that Twilight was taking her preparations seriously.

“That’s everything on my checklist,” Twilight said. “Lady Rarity will get something for you too, if you’re still serious about coming with me.”

Midnight’s ears flopped as he dropped to his haunches. He chuckled, giving Twilight a shrug.

“I don’t really have anything else to do now — the rector fired me. So yeah, I’m coming with you.”

He quickly explained to Twilight what had happened.

Obviously, the conversation hadn’t gone according to plan. The rector was a hotheaded pony, so he hadn’t responded well to Midnight’s request. Maybe he was having a bad day, so instead of solving the problem like a reasonable adult, he had simply fired Midnight in a fit of rage.

“I’m really sorry to hear that, Midnight,” Twilight said, approaching the stallion to give him a comforting hug. “It will make visiting the closed section of the library so much harder…”

“Damn, Twilight, I’m sorry for letting you down,” he said, sighing deeply. “I’m such a failure…”

Where would he get the money to live now? It was the only good job Midnight had managed to find after finishing the Academy. Perhaps he would have to look for some menial jobs with low pay, like working in some shop or something, but that would be something to worry about later.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Twilight shook her head. “It’s the rector’s. But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find a much better job. Not that there is anything wrong with working at the library, of course, but you clearly weren’t happy there.”

“Yeah, hopefully,” the stallion shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. Let’s just go over your preparations again, okay?”

“Sure.”

A lone pony was standing a street away from the noble district, waiting for his comrades to arrive after the sun had just set. He could still see the entrance to it from here — the district was a compound of half a hundred cottages with its own gate, guarded by private mercenaries sponsored by those who owned those places. There was no way past them unless you had the key to one of the cottages inside.

A few minutes later five other ponies — all of them unicorns — approached the one who was waiting for them.

“Is the target in there?” the older one asked the lone one.

“Yes, Master Sorbet,” the pony in question nodded. “She was quite busy today, but she returned a few hours ago.”

“Good, good… We shall start immediately then. Does everypony remember what to do?”

After hearing the confirmations, Master Sorbet nodded in satisfaction.

“Perfect. Remember, do not use lethal spells in the cottage. Also, no fire magic. I don’t want you to kill off our target by stupid chance.”

Rarity jerked awake from a loud wailing coming from outside.

It took her a few seconds to recognize the sound of the alarm. The last bits of sleep were banished from her mind when realized that somepony was likely meddling with the spell defense network around the cottage.

With a sound of splintering wood, the whole house shook around her.

Rarity rolled off the bed, rushing to the window to see what the hell was going on. Before she could reach it though, the whole wall was torn off by some invisible force, leaving a large gaping hole to the outside.

The mare recoiled in shock, falling on her back as she stumbled at the floor. As Rarity jumped at her hooves, a figure leaped into the opening from below, its horn burning in a menacing green light. It lowered its head slightly, aiming it at the mare.

Rarity shrieked in panic, throwing herself to the side to avoid the spell. With her fear giving her strength, she launched the bed straight at the assailant.

He managed to catch it in his own magic at the last moment, but Rarity had already bolted out of the room, closing the door behind her. Though considering what the attacker had done with her outer wall, it wasn’t going to stop him.

Once in the corridor, Rarity stumbled into yet another figure. Before she could hurl a nearby shelf at him, she recognized her own guard Silver Armor. His horn was glowing brightly, illuminating the whole corridor. A relief washed over the mare.

“Oh, thank the Sun it’s you! There’s somepony—”

“I’ve got it,” Silver Armor interrupted her. “Go to the safe room now.”

Rarity nodded curtly and did just that, while her guard stayed behind her, waiting for the assailant to exit the room to catch him by surprise. But as she was running down the stairs, Rarity suddenly remembered Sweetie Belle. What if the attacker wasn’t alone?

A shriek of the filly sounded from upstairs as if answering her thoughts.

Fearing for her sister, Rarity rushed back to Sweetie’s room. It was dark in the corridor, but she remembered the place’s layout well enough to reach it quickly. Sounds of magical discharges were coming from the inside as she approached the door.

Rarity burst it and charged in.

She noticed Sweetie Belle and Aloe cowering near the wall right away, while Blazing Shield was engaging in a magical duel with another pony. Spells were being thrown and deflected all around the room, leaving scorched marks on the walls.

Rarity’s sudden arrival caused Blazing Shield to lose his concentration for just a moment. However, that was all it took for his opponent — a young unicorn — to hit him with a well-aimed spell. The stallion’s limbs froze as he fell to the floor with a thud.

The unicorn turned his attention at Rarity, getting another spell ready. Knowing what was coming, the mare dropped down, allowing the magic to pass over her head harmlessly, but the attacker was preparing yet another spell to finish her off.

He was sent flying through the hole in the wall before he could unleash it.

“I told you to go to the safe room!” Silver Armor yelled, biting at Rarity’s withers like a foal and putting her back on her hooves. “Take those two and let’s go.”

“Where’s Lotus?”

“Just do what I said, you little brat!”

Rarity was appalled for a brief moment, but it wasn’t the time to get offended. The situation seemed quite dire. There could be more attackers, so she did as Silver Armor had told her, while the guard took his fallen comrade on his back. After that, a small company followed him to the basement where the safe room was.

They didn’t manage to get far.

As soon as they got to the first floor, three new ponies assaulted them with a barrage of spells. Rarity froze for a second, but Silver Armor deflected the initial wave with a nearby table, which he hurled back at the enemy. Dropping his comrade to the floor, he ordered Rarity and the others to run, while rushing to meet the attackers. The mares bolted, leaving the fight behind.

By the time they reached the door to the basement, it got quiet.

Rarity had no time to question it. She rushed to open the door, turning around to tell the others to hurry up, when a flash of magic washed over the figures of her sister and Aloe. Rarity’s heart clenched, fearing the worst, but the ponies remained standing, petrified.

Desperately bucking the door open, Rarity grabbed Sweetie Belle’s rigid body in her magic embrace, but before she could get them both to safety, a new spell struck her square in the chest.

“Wake up, Lady Rarity, please, wake up!”

Rarity blinked a couple of times as she regained her consciousness. Her limbs were beginning to feel again, though she wished they didn’t. With a groan, she drew them closer to her body, wincing from thousands of tiny needles puncturing her skin.

“Thank the Moon you’re alright!” Lotus exclaimed.

The mare was on the floor near her lady, watching her with a worried expression.

“What… Where am I?”

“You’re in the safe room,” Lotus explained readily. “I dragged you inside when I saw you falling to the floor.”

Memories of what had happened returned to Rarity in a flash.

“How long was I out?”

“Just a couple of minutes.”

At first, Rarity was surprised at such a quick recovery, but then she remembered what kind of room she was in. The safe room was not only designed to hold against an outside attack — magical and physical alike — but it also dispelled any negative enchantments on those who were inside. Rarity didn’t know the exact mechanics of that, but it wasn’t important right now.

“They’ve got our sisters, Lotus,” Rarity said in a shaking voice. She looked at the sturdy metal door, feeling a pit in her stomach. “What should we do now?”

“I don’t know, Lady Rarity…”

Of course she doesn’t, she’s just a maid! Rarity scolded herself. You’re the lady here. Do something!

She glanced around the small room, hoping to find anything of use and sure enough there was a rack with some weapons. Not that it would help her where her guards had failed, but she grabbed a sword in her magic anyway. It made her feel a little more in control.

“So, they want to capture, not kill us,” Rarity said, calming herself with the fact. “That should give us an edge.”

Lotus widened her eyes. “Do you want us to fight them? But I’m not good with weapons, Lady Rarity…”

Rarity stopped, looking at the sword in her grip. What in the Sun was she doing? She wasn’t some damn berserker to rush into a fight that she couldn’t hope to win. As much as it pained her to admit it, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to save her sister right now.

The attackers had obviously been sent by Everlight, just like her father had warned could happen. She hadn’t been careful enough with her venturing through Canterlot. It was her own fault, she realized with stark clarity.

But it was not the time to fall into despair.

“You’re right, Lotus. We’re not going to fight them,” she told her maid, who looked at her with fearful eyes. Rarity pointed at the hatch in the corner of the room. “We need to run. There is a way out of here to the sewers. Hopefully, those guys don’t know about it.”

The expedition would begin soon.

As soon as Rarity got the equipment for Midnight, the two were going to head into the caves. It would be the most dangerous thing Twilight had ever done, but she calculated her chances of success as decent, especially since she would have somepony to watch her back.

The pony in question was sleeping in her room tonight because he had borrowed an old family heirloom from his house and didn’t want to explain to his parents why. It was an old-style magical staff — such things were in style a few centuries ago. It had a crystal at its top that was used to magnify the spell’s power by conducting more mana than a horn could. Wielding it required some training and could be dangerous for the unprepared, but Midnight assured her that he knew how to use it.

While Midnight was peacefully snoring on the floor nearby, Twilight was sitting on her chair, looking at the thick tome in front of her — Real Modern History by Elegant Lore. She had found the book in Lucky Moonlight’s basement a week ago, but had had no time to read it since then with all her preparations. But now was her last chance before she had to go.

Gingerly, Twilight opened the first page and began to read. It turned out to be more complicated than she had thought, since the book was not only hoof-written, but also used a lot of archaic words and sentence structures. It was truly an ancient book by all accounts. Thankfully, Twilight’s mind was adapting to the book’s style quickly, so the reading became increasingly easier the more she read.

As she understood from Elegant Lore’s note at the start, the book had been written about two centuries after Princess Celestia had left the throne. It didn’t take Twilight long to put two and two together to realize that it was what the Sun Goddess used to be called. For some reason, she hadn’t seen the name being mentioned in all the other modern history books she had read.

She found an explanation for that soon.

The author claimed that the Church of the Sun was purposely withholding a lot of information to create an image of Princess Celestia that suited them — a flawless Goddess. But Elegant Lore, being a church member herself, was of a faction that opposed that policy. With help of her fellow worshipers, the so-called Sun Society, she had created this book.

It focused on Equestrian history from its founding, following its ruler’s role in it. Right off the bat, Twilight got a shocking revelation — the Sun Goddess wasn’t the only Princess Equestria had back then. Apparently, she had a sister called Princess Luna, who was responsible for the moon, just like her sister was for the sun.

The time flew as Twilight poured over the book.

The night had long since settled outside, but Twilight felt no inclination to stop. It was exactly the kind of book she had hoped to find. Twilight was learning more from this tome about early Equestrian history than from all the history books she had read in the library put together!

A rapid knock at the door startled her.

Twilight turned her head sharply, frowning. A surprise visitor at such an hour? It was a reason to worry. She pushed Midnight with his magic to wake him up and quietly approached the door. The stallion jerked awake, looking at Twilight in confusion. She gestured for him to be quiet just as the door rattled again.

“It’s Rarity,” the mare’s voice sounded from behind the door.

Twilight relaxed slightly, but she was still on edge. It wasn’t natural for Rarity to come here personally, especially so late at night. Something was clearly wrong. What if it was some kind of trap? Twilight’s heart beat faster as she waited for Midnight to join her by the door, wielding his staff.

The two exchanged a glance and Twilight threw the door open with her magic, ready to face any danger. When she saw the pony behind it, however, Twilight recoiled in a mix of surprise and shock.

The elegant and beautiful Rarity was no more.

Her pristine white coat was now dirty and dripping wet, her purple mane was matted. There was a vile stench coming off her that made Twilight scrunch her muzzle in disgust. The lady was wielding a sword in her magic. Ignoring Twilight’s shock, she entered the room, leaving wet hoofprints on the floor. Another mare that Twilight hadn’t noticed at first followed Rarity behind.

“Hello, Twilight. Allow me to introduce my good maid Lotus,” Rarity said, pointing at the mare. “Lotus, meet Twilight Sparkle. She’s innocent of the crime she’s accused of, so don’t be afraid, please.”

Lotus nodded, looking at Twilight with equal fear and curiosity.

At that point, Rarity noticed Midnight.

“The librarian?” She raised her eyebrows. “You’re Twilight’s mysterious companion? I didn’t see that coming, though now it seems kind of obvious.”

Having said that, Rarity giggled with a hint of madness in her laugh.

Twilight watched her with a worried expression.

“Rarity, what happened to you?”

“Oh, Everlight’s ponies managed to find me after all,” she shrugged as her eye twitched. “They’ve got my sister and Lotus’s sister. I had nowhere else to go, so I hope you don’t mind me crushing here for some time until I figure out what to do next.”

Twilight shook her head. “Of course I don’t mind. Take a seat, please.” Twilight pointed at her chair. “I would offer you some tea, but I have none here.”

Rarity ignored the chair and sat right on the floor. Lotus followed her example, still eyeing Twilight strangely. Without wasting any more time, Rarity quickly explained what had happened to her tonight.

“…so that’s how we got here,” she concluded.

Twilight thought over her story for a bit.

“I’m sorry that your sister was captured, Rarity,” she threw a glance at Lotus, “Both of your sisters.”

“This bastard Everlight is behind it, I know it,” Rarity furrowed her brows, stomping her hoof in frustration. “Get this artifact you’re after and blast his wrinkly old flank, pardon my language. Sorry I couldn’t get you the equipment I promised.”

“It’s fine,” Twilight waved her hoof. “Luckily, Midnight brought some stuff of his own, so I don’t think that it would hinder us much. We were planning to head out tomorrow and I think we’ll do exactly that. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want — the room is paid for for a month in advance.”

Rarity flickered a smile.

“I appreciate that,” she said. “I’ll probably hide here for a few days until I try to contact my father. Sorry to ask, but do you have some bits you could lend me? I’m afraid I left my purse at home.”

“Sure,” Twilight answered without hesitation. “It’s the least I can do for all your help.”

“Thank you, dear” Rarity said absent-mindedly, rubbing a patch of dirt off her chest. “Thank you. Say, does this place have any facilities where I could wash this dirt off?”

Twilight explained where the bathroom was, so Rarity went there immediately, taking Lotus with her. It was a common bathroom, but Rarity was sure that nopony would interrupt them since it was so late. She still locked the door with a hinge though.

As Rarity and Lotus helped each other to wash the sewers off their coats and manes, the lady thought about what she would write to her father. There wasn’t really much she could say. By the time her message had reached Lord Belle, Everlight would likely already be using Sweetie Belle for blackmail. Rarity couldn’t even reveal her location in case the message got intercepted!

And the whole situation was her own fault, Rarity realized.

If she hadn’t been gallivanting around the city so carelessly, they wouldn’t have found her. Somepony had probably recognized her in one of the stores she had visited. But she’d had to do that to help Twilight, hadn’t she? Though the mare seemed to be doing rather well without Rarity’s help anyway.

It was too late for any regrets now. She would get in contact with her father and together they would come up with something.

Master Sorbet and four other unicorns were standing outside the inn where Rarity and her servant were hiding. They were able to track the mares all the way through the sewers following the trace of the safe room’s powerful magic. It was ironic that the place that had saved them at first would now lead to their capture.

Don’t get ahead of yourself, the unicorn scolded himself. Look where it got you.

Thanks to the Thermal Vision spell, he was able to see that Lady Rarity was in the company of two new ponies. He didn’t know who they were, but he had to assume they were Rarity’s allies. Their capabilities were unknown and his team was down one pony, who had suffered a serious injury dealing with the lady’s bodyguards, so he’d been left to guard the captives.

Sorbet considered those chances to be good.

“Remember, Rarity is the only pony we need,” he told the others. “Try to capture the rest if you can, but their life is not a priority.”

Twilight wasn’t going to sleep tonight.

She accepted that as a fact and was simply sitting on her chair, mulling over the situation. Rarity, having returned from the shower well-cleaned, was deep in her thoughts as well, while her maid and Midnight were chatting in the corner.

The serene atmosphere was rudely interrupted by a door getting ripped off its hinges. Before anypony could react, a spell flew into the room, blowing up into a thick black smoke that made seeing something near impossible.

Twilight panicked.

Without thinking about what she was doing, she fueled all she could into the first spell that came to her mind — the Shield. A purple dome sprung to life around her, rapidly expanding in size. Her friends were sent flying to the walls, almost flattened by her magic, but at least the smoke had dissipated.

Dismissing the spell, Twilight saw a pony in the corridor getting up to his hooves. It was the attacker! Picking up the door from the floor, she squashed him with it like some bug a couple of times, but the unicorn managed to wrestle it from her control, launching it straight back.

Twilight jumped to the side at the last moment, barely avoiding being hit.

She wasn’t given time to recover. Just as she recast her shield, waiting for the unicorn to rush inside, an explosion sounded behind her. Twilight snapped her attention to the new sound, her eyes widening as she saw a gaping hole where the wall used to be. Two new ponies appeared in the frame, unleashing their magical assault on her.

Her shield held, but she groaned, straining as the hostile magic was trying to break it. She felt her strength waning. Despite her training, Twilight wasn’t ready for such a powerful attack.

Thankfully, her struggle had given her friends some time to recover from her own mishap.

Midnight grabbed his staff, pointing it at the attacker that had just entered the room from the corridor, and unleashed a fiery ball of energy without holding back like he had with Twilight. It hit the pony with a small explosion, throwing his body crushing into the cupboard.

That drew the others’ attention to Midnight. Stopping his assault on Twilight’s blinking shield, one of the invaders tried to take him out with a lightning bolt. Midnight felt his coat stand on end as he rolled to the side, avoiding certain death by mere inches.

Before a follow-up spell could finish him off, Rarity entered the frame.

Shrieking in rage, she charged at the pony with her sword. He stumbled to the side from the first slash, but the second one cut into his side deeply. The injured stallion yelled in agony, taking a step back and falling out from the hole in the wall. The last attacker, seeing himself outnumbered, disappeared in a flash of light.

Dropping the shield, Twilight drew all the furniture in the room to the hole, creating a makeshift wall. She cast a wave of frost on it, reinforcing the wall with a thick layer of ice. It left her winded, since her mana reserves were almost empty.

“We need to run,” she told the others, trying to catch her breath. “There could be more of them. Take what you can and let’s go.”

The others rapidly nodded in agreement.

Grabbing her heavy saddlebags, she strapped them on herself. Her eyes fell on the Real Modern History book, lying on the floor, and she tucked it in her saddlebag as well. The last thing left was the barding, but Twilight had no time to put it on, so she simply threw it into the duffel bag that Midnight was holding. Together, the four ponies ran into the corridor.

There was only one staircase down, so Twilight was ready for another ambush. She stopped before going down and told her guess to the rest.

“We should try to take one of them with us,” Rarity said, her voice shaking from emotions. “Those are the same ponies who took Sweetie Belle! I bet they know where she is being held.”

“I think our priority is to get out in one piece,” Twilight shook her head. “We don’t know how many—”

An explosion from behind her interrupted her. She realized that her makeshift wall was gone and the attackers would be back at any second. Gesturing her companions to follow, Twilight rushed downstairs with her shield activated once again.

Sure enough, a nasty-looking spell was launched at her as soon as it showed up. The shield deflected the attack before being overloaded, with the magic recoil hitting Twilight’s horn. The mare winced in pain as she jumped behind the counter, with the others following right behind her.

Twilight landed on something soft. Throwing a glance down, she couldn’t suppress a scream as she saw a body of a mare below her. She was obviously dead, with her empty eyes staring into the ceiling. The cause of death was obvious — her throat had been slit, with blood staining her coat. It was the pony on the counter that Twilight had passed every day. And now she was dead because she had gotten in the way.

The others stared at the body in shock.

Seeing somepony she knew — even in passing — being killed that way, filled Twilight’s heart with rage.

Gathering every last bit of magic she could, the unicorn launched the heavy counter at their ambushers like a hammer of doom. It swept one of the ponies away like a fly, but his partner dropped to the floor, letting it pass over his head. Ignoring the weakness in her limbs, Twilight rushed forward before he could recover and she stomped both of her front hooves on his head.

They landed with a crunch, bringing Twilight back to her senses.

Her rage was replaced by horror as she looked at the bloody mess under her hooves, realizing what she had just done. She had killed this pony. Probably the one who was hit by the counter too. So she had killed two ponies in less than a minute like some kind of mass murderer.

“Twilight, let’s go!”

She looked at the source of that voice. Midnight was doubling down, unleashing one magic projectile after another through his staff, aiming at the doorframe on the top of the staircase.

“You did what you had to do, dear,” Rarity said, grabbing Twilight’s foreleg. “Now let’s run before any more come.”

Twilight nodded, a feeling of sickness in her throat.

Moving as quickly as they could, the four exited the inn and galloped as far away from the damn place as possible without looking back.

Nopony was following them as far as Twilight could see.

After running through the streets for ten minutes, she managed to pull herself back together, shoving the latest events to the back of her mind until they were relatively safe. Winded, they stopped for a short moment in one of the side streets to discuss their plan of action.

“I think we’ve lost them,” Twilight said, catching her breath.

Rarity sighed. “I thought so too when I came to you. I’m sorry for giving you trouble…”

“You couldn’t have known,” Twilight said. “But you’re right. We can’t relax for now. We need to find a place to hide.”

After a short discussion, Twilight came to the conclusion that going into the caves was their best option for now. There wasn’t really any other place in the city where they could safely go, so she decided that she may as well get on with her expedition.

“Have you gone mad, darling?” Rarity widened her eyes, appalled. “That place is more dangerous than those bastards.”

“Well, you’re welcome to stay and take them on,” Twilight snapped. She took a deep breath to calm down. “I’m sorry. I realize how dangerous the caves are, but I don’t see any other way. Those guys would catch up with us eventually; they’ve obviously found a way to track you. We’re not in any condition to fight them off again.”

“And how do you think we would fare in the caves if some monster attacks us?” Rarity retorted.

“I don’t know! But we can’t just stay here.”

Rarity winced, realizing the truth in Twilight’s words. She had no desire to dive into the caves, but waiting for Everlight’s ponies to find them was not an option either. She looked around as if expecting them to appear at any moment.

“Fine. Let’s go to your caves, Twilight Sparkle,” Rarity dipped her head in agreement. “We’ll decide what to do next once we’re there.”

And off they went.

There were some entries into the caves in the city itself, but they were locked by heavy gates and guarded by the soldiers. But outside of Canterlot it was a different matter. There were plenty of abandoned mines alongside the road that nopony bothered to guard. All of them led deep into the mountain, eventually connecting into the natural caves, which was Twilight’s goal.

Nopony stopped them at the gates out of the city despite the night time. The four ponies trotted on the road in a brisk pace, even though Twilight’s legs burned from exhaustion. They managed to reach the first mine quickly. It was as good as any other, so they entered with Midnight illuminating the way with his horn.

After going in a straight line for half an hour the group had finally decided to stop. They hurdled close to each other and sat around a dimly glowing crystal that Twilight had produced out of her saddlebag.

“Well, here we are,” the mare said, looking at the others’ faces. “We’re almost in the caves now. Midnight and I are going in.”

“And you’re expecting us to join you?” Rarity asked, looking into the glowing crystal.

“It’s your only way to avoid being captured,” Twilight nodded. “But it’s your choice. We may all die down there, but those ponies obviously want you alive. So at least you would survive for sure. I’m not sure about your maid though, but I think she can simply hide in the city on her own. It’s not her they’re looking for. So I guess that’s another option you have.”

Rarity seriously considered giving up. She was a valuable hostage and with them already having Sweetie Belle, it wasn’t like her capture would change much for her House in the long run. At least she would survive, as Twilight had said.

But what would she think of herself then? She was Rarity of House Belle, one of the most powerful noble Houses in the country. She couldn’t just give up without a fight, especially if there was a small chance to win. After all, once Everlight got what he wanted, he could simply dispose of them anyway.

Imagining Sweetie Belle dead shook her out of her trance.

“I’m coming with you, Twilight,” she simply said, making her decision.

Twilight nodded.

“Midnight, can you blow up the entrance?” she asked. “I don’t want them to follow us that way.”

Midnight concentrated on his staff, collecting as much magic as he could afford for the explosion. Once he was done, he unleashed a massive projectile, hitting the ceiling away from them, causing it to collapse.

There was no way out here anymore.

After that, the group went deeper into the mine. The upper levels of the caves weren’t dangerous, so Twilight simply wanted to get her group as far away from the entrance as possible so they could have some rest. She was barely standing on her hooves by now.

Lotus sighed deeply. Nopony had asked if she wanted to go. The caves were dark and likely full of terrors, so she would rather try her chances at Canterlot’s streets. She was a simple maid, so she doubted that anypony would hunt for her.

But that would mean never seeing her sister again, Lotus realized. Sticking with Lady Rarity was her only chance of seeing Aloe again.

I hope you liked my new chapter.