Canterlot Dungeon

Anthony and Luna sat in the cold dungeon, listening to the guards shuffle about. The two had been sleeping, the previous night having not been the most pleasant. They seemed to be at peace though as they lay together in each other’s loving embrace. But the peace was not to last as one of the guards came by with a tray of food.

“Rise and shine, traitors. Today’s the day that I don’t have to see one of you ever again,” the guard said, dropping the tray on the floor with a loud clatter.

Anthony was immediately awoken by this and glared at the source of the noise. Luna followed and looked around the cell to remember where she was. The guards just snorted and kicked the tray into the tiny cell, spilling the food off of it.

“Oops, my bad,” the guard said, smiling as he walked away. Anthony got up and grabbed the apples and eggs that were still salvageable. He brought them over to Luna and sat next to her, trying to get her to eat.

“I’m not hungry,” Luna said, protesting against her sister and her cruel treatment.

“Please, Luna, just eat. I know it’s not much, but at least it’s something. You still have to eat for someone else,” Anthony pleaded, his stomach growling from the lack of food he has gotten.

“Fine, but I want you to eat some too,” Luna proposed.

“Fine, but just one bite. I don’t need as much as you do,” Anthony proposed back. Luna just nodded, agreeing to the terms put before her. She wanted him to eat, but she also knew that she needed it more than him. Anthony took the smallest apple and took a small bite out of it, leaving ninety percent of the apple untouched. He then passed it to Luna and watched her eat the pathetic excuse for a meal.

“Hey, friend, here I don’t need this, give it to the princess,” a voice said next door, and then an apple rolled in front of the cell door.

“Same here,” another voice said from the other side, and another apple rolled to the front of the cell. Anthony moved to the front and took the apples before the jailer decided he wanted them. He brought the pair to Luna and set them next to her, tears growing in her eyes.

“Hey, are you all right?” Anthony asked, putting a soft hand on her shoulder.

“Why would these ponies wish to help me? They owe nothing to me or Celestia,” Luna asked.

“Because, you are still ‘Princess,’ while Celestia has taken ‘Queen.’ They have hope that the normal order of things will be put back together,” Anthony said, holding Luna as she started to cry more. “Shhh, it’s okay. You’ll be okay, I promise.”

“I know I’ll be okay, but what about our unborn foal? What will become of our child?” Luna asked, crying more and more.

“I promise, nothing bad will befall the two of you. Even if I must sell myself to Celestia and allow her to have her way with me, I shall guarantee your safety,” Anthony said, calming Luna down some.

“I want a name ready for our foal, so that in case you’re not…” Luna started, but unable to finish the sentence.

“I’ll be fine, and you’re right. We do need a name for our foal, it can never hurt to be ready,” Anthony said, trying hard to keep himself calm. “So do you have anything if it’s a boy?”

“I would want him named after you,” Luna said, her head resting on Anthony’s chest. Anthony was running his fingers through Luna vast, flowing mane.

“Anthony? I hadn’t thought about having my own Jr., but if that’s what you want I’m good with that,” Anthony said, feeling Luna relax in his arms.

“Yes, but I haven’t thought of a good filly name for our foal,” Luna admitted. Anthony knew that she was all he thought about too.

“What about Lily? I really like that name, and I think it’ll fit,” Anthony suggested.

“Yes, that does sound like an excellent name,” Luna agreed, her eyes closing as she drifted off to sleep.

“Sweet dreams, my love. I hope they are full of fields of flowers and hope, and not of death and pain,” Anthony said, putting his head back and he waited for the jailer to come and take him away.

Hours went by as Luna slept. Nothing happened, not a sound was heard. Everypony in the dungeon had turned quiet as they waited for the execution that was coming. They all knew that the time for their deaths was noon, but that seemed forever away. Eventually a whole squad of guard ponies came and took each prisoner from his cell. Three came over to the one Anthony and Luna shared.

The guards beat on the door, waking Luna up in a very disrespectful manner. Anthony just glared at them as they shackled his wrists to his ankles. They placed an inhibitor ring on Luna’s horn and tied her wings to her body, which they did by applying too much pressure to her abdomen.

“Hey, watch how tight you make that!” Anthony said, startling the guards.

“And why should we, she’s just another prisoner?” one of the guards asked.

“Because she’s pregnant you twat, and that is not healthy for her or the foal,” Anthony said, trying to make some sympathy for Luna.

“Fine, loosen the ropes a little. Queen Celestia would not be happy if the foal is injured,” a different guard said. One of the guards loosened the ropes and Luna looked at Anthony with a “Thank You” in her eyes.

“Now come on, we have an execution to bring you all to,” the guard said, pulling on the shackles.

Anthony looked at the line of ponies that he was chained to and found them all to be of Shining Armor’s squad. He didn’t see Shining, but heard him being chained behind him. Anthony looked and saw that Shining was in decent condition, considering he went from a warzone to a dungeon in no time. Shining saw him looking and only nodded, hoping Anthony had a plan. Anthony nodded back.

The line was pushed through the castle, no pony insight as they made their way to the parade grounds. Anthony tested the strength of his chains and was pleased to find that they were not magically enhanced. Part one of his plan was complete.

Once they exited to castle, they were temporarily blinded by the light of the sun. Anthony knew he should have adjusted faster, but the sun was brighter than normal. He felt the heat from the sun, but the cold of the wind as it was still winter. He guessed that Celestia had increased the brightness of the sun, so as to establish her dominance over the land. The line was quickly pushed to a podium that had Celestia standing on it, with Twilight and her friends behind the solar queen. All six gasped as they saw why they were there.

“Shining, why are you chained like a criminal?” Twilight Sparkle asked, trying to move to her brother.

“Do not go near him Twilight. He is a traitor to this land and will do anything to get out of his restraints. Do not believe anything he says,” Celestia told Twilight, making her start to cry at the lie. “Bring the leaders forward.”

Anthony and Shining were detached from the main group and pushed onstage. Anthony stood tall and defiant before Celestia, in essence telling her he didn’t care. Shining stood next to him, just as defiant as Anthony. One of the guards used his pole arm to push Shining into a kneel position, while another hit Anthony in the back of the knee. This guard was rewarded with a kick to the face.

The guard flew backwards, landing off the podium and into the dirt. His jaw was noticeable broken and he had blood flowing from his mouth. Anthony kept a stern face and looked Celestia directly in the eyes.

“So we still have defiance, do we? Well, that won’t matter for long,” Celestia said, allowing Anthony to stand. “As it should be observed, I shall tell you the charges you are brought up on, the conviction, and you may say one last word before the sentence is carried out.

“Anthony, you are charged with re-entering Equestria while serving out a sentence of banishment. You are also charged with leading an army of changelings into Equestria and starting a war. The sentence is death.

Shining Armor, you are charged with betraying your nation and assisting in the development of an army of changelings. The sentence is death. Do either of you have any last words?”

“Yeah, I do,” Anthony said, staring Celestia in the eyes. “You should have used better shackles.”

Celestia cocked her head to the side and was shocked when Anthony pulled the chains apart. The guards reacted in seconds, charging at him with their pole arms down. He grabbed the closest weapon and flung the guard holding it over his shoulder. The next three tried to run him through, but the pole arms were knocked aside and each one was hit into unconsciousness. He went to Shining and removed the magic inhibitor, allowing Shining to free himself. Anthony then moved to next to Luna.

“Told you everything was going to be fine,” Anthony said, placing a kiss on Luna’s cheek.

“You really are an ass sometimes,” Luna said, smiling a little. Anthony laughed and removed the magic inhibitor. Luna freed herself and followed Anthony as he moved to the center of the parade field. Twilight and her friends all moved over to try and help.

“Twilight, I want you and the rest of the Elements to hide. I don’t know if Blackwing is gone yet, so the Elements of Harmony might be necessary,” Anthony said sternly. “I don’t want any of you to get hurt, so please don’t argue.”

“No way, we’re going to help you because that’s what friends do,” Rainbow Dash said, trying to be tough.

“Yeah, we’re all in this together. Ain’t nothin’ going to stop us,” Applejack added.

“Of course we’ll help, darling. What type of ponies would we be if we didn’t?” Rarity said.

“Besides, we still need to throw your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party,” Pinkie said, popping up behind Anthony.

“We’re not going to let Princess Celestia hurt anypony anymore,” Twilight said, knowing that she was going against her mentor.

“Um…well…I’ll try to help too,” Fluttershy whispered, barely audible in the chaos that was around them.

“General, all are free, sir,” Shining Armor said, trotting up to Anthony. He and his squad had subdued the guards and Celestia was nowhere to be seen. Anthony only nodded.

“Shiny, what do you need us to do?” Twilight said, trotting up to her brother.

“I need you to be safe, this is no place for you and your friends,” Shining said, doing the brotherly thing.

“No. Like we told Anthony, we’re in this to win it,” Rainbow Dash said, her anxiousness getting the best of her.

“I know you want to help, but fighting on the level we are is not something I want to put you all through,” Anthony said. “You all are not ready for what might have to happen, no pony here is. I am willing to do this, because I know what it will take and I know how to handle it afterwards.”

Before they could argue, Anthony whistled out a high-pitched whistle. In return, a deep, bellowing roar was heard off in the distance. Everypony looked that way to find the source, and not long after the whistle shouts could be heard from the city of Canterlot. Fluttershy hid Rarity and Applejack, while the rest all stared over at the direction of the noise.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

“My pet,” Anthony said, standing proud.

From the gate that was locked came a crash. Everyone looked over at it, seeing the gate shake. Another crash came as the wood and locks on the gate shook, wood bending and the metal groaning from the effort of maintaining the gate. Eyes were wide as they waited for whatever was on the other side of the gate. A final crash was heard as the gate final crumbled. From the splinters and bent metal roared out a Spinosaurus. The massive dinosaur roared as it stampeded towards the group, stopping just a few feet away.

“Guys, I want you all to meet Fluffy,” Anthony said, placing a hand on the carnivorous animal.

“Ouh, he is so cute,” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and hugging the massive dinosaur. The Spinosaurus had no idea what to do.

“Um, sugar cube, not to be rainin’ on your parade, but he isn’t fluffy. At all,” Applejack told Anthony, only getting a smile in return.

“I know, I just chose it because he looks like a Fluffy,” Anthony said, putting no logic into his argument.

Uh, darling, what is it?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, right. In my world, we had creatures that went extinct centuries before humans. This one right here is a Spinosaurus, the largest carnivore to walk the Earth,” Anthony said, very proud of himself.

“But where did it come from?” Twilight chimed in.

“Probable from the past. We have no idea what came through them, so I’m not surprised one of these got through,” Anthony said, moving to the side of the creature. He whistled twice and the dinosaur got on its belly, allowing everyone to jump into the saddle on its back.

Anthony got near the top and grabbed a hold of the steel chains used to steer the beast. He waved everypony into the creature’s saddle, trying to get them to move as quickly as possible. The only issue was that Rarity didn’t like the smell of Fluffy, which Anthony just told her to get in and plug her nose. Once they were all in, Fluffy stood up and started towards the way it came in. The occupants in the back all looked over the sides as the hulking dinosaur moved through the city with ease. They had almost made it out the city when a roar was heard behind them, one that was answered by Fluffy.

Anthony didn’t hesitate as he spurred the Spinosaurus on, trying to get them to the Everfree Forest. He kept looking back, hoping it wasn’t what he thought it was. The dinosaur bellowed again to the roar behind them. It took all his strength to keep the dinosaur moving forward. He turned around to speak to the occupants.

“Shining, I want you to take the reins. I don’t think Tango Bravo is Delta,” Anthony said, earning confusion from everypony except Shining Armor.

“Yes sir,” Shining said, knowing immediately what he was talking about. Shining Armor got up and took the reins, Anthony moving to the back of the saddle. Luna stopped him before he did anything.

“What are you planning?” she asked, the same thought on the bearers of the elements minds too.

“To finish this,” Anthony said, opening a hidden compartment.

Inside the compartment were what appeared to be armor, but it wasn’t. Anthony quickly put the pieces on and it looked like a type of body armor, one that was designed to be strong but light. He then pulled out a pistol with extra mags, a shotgun, and a handle. He attached the shotgun to his back and handle to his hip, keeping the pistol out. Luna knew he was planning to go back to fighting and didn’t want him to.

“No, please, don’t. I don’t want to lose you,” Luna said, grabbing hold of Anthony.

“I don’t want to go either, but I have to,” Anthony said, lightly moving her back.

“No you don’t. We can find a place to hide and…” Luna tried to say.

“Yes, I do. I am the only one who can stop this. This is hard for me too,” Anthony told her, hugging her tightly. “I promise, today is the day that this ends.”

Anthony placed a kiss on her forehead and jumped off the back of the dinosaur, leaving everypony watching him go. Shining turned to the group and watched them all comfort Luna as she started to cry. He sighed and looked forward, commanding the dinosaur in the agreed direction that had been preplanned.

“Where are we going, Shiny?” Twilight asked, moving from the group.

“To get the Elements of Harmony,” Shining replied with, confusing Twilight.

“But how? The Elements are in the castle, which I don’t think Celestia is going to let us just walk into,” Twilight said.

“We have a way in. And Luna can open the safe, only one princess is needed to open it,” Shining Armor said.

“How long have you planned this?” Twilight asked her brother.

“Many months. Anthony and I knew that we needed contingencies for every situation. He is very good at coming up with every problem that might happen, and it was up to me to figure out how to handle each situation, and then for him train everypony in how to do the contingency,” Shining Armor answered, throwing Twilight off. “I suggest you and the others get ready to use the Elements, it might need to be a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

Twilight didn’t ask anything else as she just hugged her brother. She missed him and just wanted to hold him, to make sure she didn’t lose him. They made their way into the Everfree Forest, nothing following them. They didn’t know if it was a good thing or not, but they just took it as a sign to move fast. They moved until they found themselves in front of a cliff wall. Shining Armor jumped off the Spinosaurus and walked up to the wall, placing his hoof on the wall and pressing in.

A section of rock dented in and opened up, large enough for the group to move through. Fluffy had to remain outside, which it didn’t mind as it turned and moved back towards Anthony. Shining and the others moved into the cave, which closed behind them as they all made it through.

Anthony stood on the cold ground, the snow now falling. He didn’t look up as he watched the black figure fly through the air, aiming directly at him. Anthony just stared coldly at it, anger burning inside him. Blackwing landed just a few yards away, his form towering over the human. The anthromorph just laughed.

“So you have finally come to die,” Blackwing said, venom dripping from his words.

“No, I’m here to finish this. No matter what happens, this ends today,” Anthony replied, hate growing.

“Yes, it does. And after I’m finished with you, I think I’ll go after Luna. She should be easy considering she’s with child,” Blackwing said, a devilish smile growing on his face.

“You will not lay a claw on her,” Anthony growled at Blackwing.

“Oh, and what are you going to do? Kill me?” Blackwing mockingly said.

“I’ll do what I must,” Anthony answered back.

“No mortal, you will do what you can. You cannot end this, for no being can kill a god,” Blackwing taunted back, his arrogance growing.

Anthony did answer back with words, but instead aimed his pistol at the tyrant and fired off a trio of rounds. Each shot fired rang in the silence, destroying any piece that might have been found. The rounds made their way towards their target, each one intent on taking out the target. But none of the rounds had the power to stop the foe.

All three rounds impacted on the Blackwing, burying itself just a couple inches into him. Blackwing just smiled as not even blood came out. The lead then fell out, each round being pushed out by a growth of new flesh.

“As you see, I can’t be killed by such simple tools,” Blackwing said, arrogance once more in his voice.

“Then I’ll have to get something more personal,” Anthony replied, replacing the pistol with the handle on his hip.

Anthony pressed a button on the handle, igniting the weapon and a pronged sword exploded out of the handle. The blade was blue and as it hovered over the snow it melted it, heat radiating off the weapon. Blackwing still didn’t have any fear, believing himself to be fully immune to death. Anthony charged at the anthro, blade ready to slice him apart.

As the distance shrunk, Blackwing started to wonder if the human was stupid or certain. Blacking though didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, and moved to the side at the last second. That second though was enough for Anthony to slice off Blackwing’s right arm.

Blackwing howled as plasma removed and cauterized his arm. He turned to Anthony and roared, any form of common sense and logic lost in his rage. The anthromorph charged at Anthony, intending to crush the Spartan under his fist. As Blackwing crashed into Anthony, the plasma blade made itself home in Blackwing’s chest. The two fell to the ground, Anthony being covered by the body of Blackwing.

Anthony pushed Blackwing into the snow, leaving the sword in his chest. He got up and sighed, feeling he could finally go home. He got up and started to walk towards the Everfree Forest, knowing Fluffy would be on his way soon. Anthony then felt as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, life for the future looking bright. A smiled a little, joy for freedom the reason.

“Did you think something like this would kill me?” a voice asked behind Anthony.

Anthony quickly spun around and pointed his pistol at Blackwing, whom was now standing and had the plasma sword in his claws. Blackwing’s other arm had grown back, slime oozing off the new appendage. All of Anthony’s concerns left as he prepared himself to fight the menace.

“I was kind of hoping it would,” Anthony replied.

“Then you are a bigger fool then I thought,” Blackwing commented.

“No, just hopeful. I have other ways to stop you,” Anthony bluffed, knowing that he was out of options.

“Really? And do you actually think you can kill me with the pitiful weapon you have?” Blackwing asked.

“I didn’t say kill, I said stop. Killing you would be a bonus, but not required by me,” Anthony told Blackwing.

“And what could possibly be more powerful than me that you have?” Blackwing mockingly asked.

“Something that requires six being to use,” Anthony answered.

The blood in Blackwing’s face left as he realized what Anthony was talking about. A small smile grew on Anthony’s face as he saw fear for the first time in Blackwing. Fear was then replaced with anger, as he realized what the human was up. The anger then was removed and a smile took its place.

“And what makes you think they can get the Elements and use them before I kill you?” Blackwing asked.

“If I die, and the Elements of Harmony are able to remove you; then I’ve succeeded. If I live and the Elements don’t have enough time; then I’ve failed. I will not fail,” Anthony answered.

“Then you shall die in vain,” Blackwing replied, anger again in his voice.

Blackwing charged at Anthony, the intent of killing him solely on his mind. The anthromorph might have finished the charge, had a bellowing roar destroy any calm that was left in the snow. Out of the forest came crashing Fluffy, his massive body forcing the trees away in all directions. Blackwing froze at the sight of the animal, the size and ferocity of its roar confusing Blackwing. The Spinosaurus didn’t wait for Blackwing to continue moving, as the beast was able to determine that Blackwing meant harm for its master.

Fluffy charged forward, surprising Blackwing again with its speed. The dinosaur was able to close the distance to Blackwing and clamp its jaws on the powerful foe. Blackwing snapped out of his state in the between the teeth of the carnivore, and he then quickly fought back.

The Energy sword had been dropped, but Blackwing did not need it as he used his strength to prevent Fluffy from chowing down on him. The Spinosaurus got frustrated as he tried to devoir its prey and was unable to accomplish its task. To see why it was unable to, Fluffy opened his jaws to full size and threw Blackwing out of his mouth. The anthromorph was surprised at what happened and hit the ground hard.

While Blackwing was entertaining Fluffy, Anthony retrieved his energy sword and started to move towards Canterlot. Anthony knew that this was not going to be easy and he knew he was needed at Canterlot, if for nothing more than to be a distraction. He moved fast and didn’t look back, hoping the Fluffy would be able to distract Blackwing for a few more minutes.

Fluffy looked down at Blackwing, his tail moving from side to side in hopes of determining what was wrong with this food. Blackwing stood up and glared at the creature, thinking that it would submit to his will with just a glare. Fluffy was not swayed and roared at Blackwing, the force actually knocked Blackwing to the ground. Fluffy saw this as a submission of food and chomped down on Blackwing’s new arm.

But Blackwing wasn’t going to lose it again. With a force of magic, Blackwing knocked the dinosaur’s head away and off his arm. The anthromorph stood up and tried to speak to the creature, hoping it would be able to speak back.

“Why do you keep trying to fight me, creature? I am more powerful than you ever will be,” Blackwing said, his words falling in deft ears.

Fluffy didn’t care what Blackwing had to say, as the dinosaur didn’t understand the words. Instead, Fluffy roared again and tried to eat Blackwing for a third time. But this was the last as Blackwing had had enough of the dinosaur and wanted it to be gone. Blackwing channeled his magic and lifted up Fluffy, scaring the creature and making it squirm. The magic though was quickly losing its strength, Blackwing realizing that he wasn’t as powerful as he thought.

Why can I defeat whole armies, but a simple creature is able to fend off my power. How is this possible?!Blackwing thought, releasing the animal and taking a few steps back.

Fluffy hit the ground and fell down, not ready for the landing. The Spinosaurus was on its side, flailing around to try and get its bearings. Blackwing looked at the confused animal and walked over, using his physical strength, and held the creatures head down. This made Fluffy flail harder, trying to remove its head from the claws of Blacking.

“If you will not obey me, then you will not obey anyone,” Blackwing said, using what little magic he had left and created a spike out of the ground that pierced through the creatures head and ended its life.

The body flailed for a few more seconds, its body not able to register that it was dead. As the last energy left, Blackwing removed his hand from the dead creature’s head. He smiled as he finally killed something, and turned his body to Canterlot. He was looking for his next target.

Canterlot Castle, Vault Room

Shining Armor had led the group through the castle with minimal resistance. Most of the guards on duty were those loyal to Luna, so they just let them pass. Shining only had to incapacitate a few guards, and those were easy as they didn’t see Shining Armor at all. Twilight was surprised at how efficient Shining was at removing threats, and she mentally filed away to asked later how he was so good at it.

Luna was falling a little behind, not used to the level of excitement and walking around. Applejack and Rainbow Dash each stayed close to her, both of them ready to assist when needed. Fluttershy was keeping an eye on Luna, knowing that she was pregnant and needed to be watched closely. Rarity was admiring the walls and decorations, her inner stylist taking control. And for some reason Pinkie Pie was walking on the ceiling. No pony questioned it, it would have just hurt their brains too much.

Shining Armor opened the vault room door, allowing them access to the room. They all moved in quickly, knowing that time was of the essence. They moved to the vault door, a single hole in the middle for one of the princesses to open with. Luna moved forward and stuck her horn in the hole and pushed magic into the lock. As magic started to course through the lock she removed her horn and stepped back, knowing magical locks were being removed. The door moved open, revealing the pillar that held the box containing the Elements of Harmony.

Luna levitated the box over to Twilight; Luna looked physically drained from the simple task. Fluttershy moved next to the Lunar Princess.

“Oh, um…Princess. Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, I will be. It takes a lot more out of me now than it used to, I just need a moment to rest,” Luna replied, sitting down.

“Of course, Princess, take as long as you need. It must be difficult at times with having to fulfill your obligations of being a princess and an expected mother,” Rarity reassuringly said.

“Thank you, but we cannot wait long. My sister will know the vault was opened, we must hurry,” Luna said, knowing they needed to go.

“Why the rush, it’s not like you have anywhere to be,” a voice said behind them. The group looked and found Celestia standing at the entrance, Cadence being held in a bubble of magic emanating from Celestia’s horn.

“Let her go!” Shining Armor demanded, fearing what Celestia might do to her.

“That’s no way to talk to the Queen of Equestria, is it?” Celestia asked.

“You are no queen of mine,” Shining replied back, anger growing.

“Too bad, I thought you might have seen the error of your ways, but I see I was wrong. Maybe your wife will be more cooperative, with a little persuasion,” Celestia said, adding hints of evil and seduction at the end.

“Princess Celestia, what happened to you to make you like this?” Twilight asked, trying to get through to her former mentor.

“It is Queen, first off Twilight. Second, I have seen that it was a mistake to allow Luna back into power. She was never able to rule, and still unable to. So I have completely removed her from rule and took absolute control. Now corrupt politicians are no longer able to ruin this nation, and everypony will be equal. I am the true leader of Equestria, and none shall take it away from me!” Celestia monologue, her arrogance getting the better of her.

Celestia was so engrossed in her speech that she didn’t notice a whole contingency of Night Guards walking into the vault room. She also took her eyes off Shining and stared directly at Twilight, so Shining Armor moved around and released Cadence from the spell. He had a few of the guards quickly take her out and get her to safety. Once Celestia had finished, she finally took notice of the guards and lack of hostage.

“So I can see all the traitors; good, I can remove them without having to search for them. Although, where did you place my niece at?” Celestia inquired, already knowing they had removed her from the situation.

“On her way out of this place and away from you,” Shining said, glaring at the self-proclaimed Queen.

“Too bad, I could have done so much for her. I guess death will have to be all I can do for her,” Celestia said off-hoovingly.

“You will not be commanding this nation any longer after today. And it doesn’t matter who wins, you will lose either way,” Luna said, standing tall at her sister.

“And why should I be afraid of all of you? We have six mares that have never seen death, a pregnant former princess, and a cast out captain with a dozen weak Night Guards; against a being able to move the sun and moon all with a force of her will. Do you think I should be trembling?” Celestia asked, arrogance again rising in her.

“No, you should be afraid of me,” somepony said behind Celestia.

She looked behind herself and her eyes went wide at the realization she was looking at. Anthony stood in the doorway, glaring at the lunar alicorn. Behind him stood Blackwing, the demon’s wings cauterized and also missing one of his hands. A collar was around Blackwing’s neck, small spikes enter his skin. Anthony had blood on one side of his face, and one of his arms just hung down and the joint pointing in the wrong direction.

“Surprised to see me? Good, then it must surprise you that I have taken Blackwing down to a whole new level of low. Isn’t that right, fucker?” Anthony said. As he finished the last sentence, a shock jolted through Blackwing, bringing the once powerful overlord to his knees. “All I had to do was make it so he was too weak to regenerate his wounds and then start beating the ever living shit out of him. The collar I added to keep him fucked and unable to regain his strength. And I knew I would love the look on your face when I brought him in under my control.”

Celestia just stared in confusion, unable to comprehend what was literally staring her in the face. She had fully believed that Blackwing was going to be able to kill him, not lose and become a useless piece of living meat. The shock of the situation had everypony staring, most of them unable to process what was actually happening. Luna though was able to comprehend and moved quickly to Anthony, joy radiating from her.

Luna nuzzled Anthony on the cheek as he held her with his good arm, the troubles of the world temporarily forgotten in their love for each other. Blackwing groaned at the mush and was shocked again from the automated system. The two ignored the groan and remained oblivious to the rest of the world.

“I thought you weren’t going to make it,” Luna whispered to him, loud enough for only him to hear. “I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

“That doesn’t matter now, what does matter is that I’m here now,” Anthony whispered to her, his love pouring over the alicorn.

Luna didn’t say anything as she just enjoyed him holding her; she kept nuzzling him as he held her. Anthony kissed her, a kiss that showed his love and devotion to the alicorn in his arm. Luna returned the kiss, missing him and wishing they could remain in the position forever. Reluctantly, Anthony released his hold on Luna and stood at his full height, glaring daggers at Celestia.

“Guards, arrest Celestia. Escort her Highness to her room; we will deal with her at a later time,” Anthony said, all the Night Guards moving around Celestia.

“You have no authority over these guards, or any guards in my castle. What right do you have to have me arrested?” Celestia demanded.

“He has more right then you, Princess. He is the father of the next child from the Alicorn Sisters, and he has done nothing but try and defend Canterlot from threats,” one of the guards said.

“He brought the Changeling Army onto Canterlot,” Celestia tried to argue.

“He brought the changelings together and fought off Blackwing’s army with them. After the fighting, he even had the changelings surrender,” another guards said.

“He has defied my ruling of banishment,” Celestia made one final argument.

“And it was a bad ruling to begin with. You had no right to banish him,” a third guard said.

Celestia was speechless. Not only had some of the guards not obey her, but they spoke out against her. Her reality was falling apart around her and in a final bid for victory; Celestia blasted a wave of magic at Anthony and Luna. The wave never met its mark as it was blocked by the combined efforts of the unicorn Night Guards and Twilight Sparkle. In the instance, Celestia knew she would be unable to continue her rein of power.

Insanity took over her mind as she fell to the floor and started to wail. Anthony knew what it was, and instantly had the guards attempt to move her from the room. It took them a couple of minutes to finally levitate the screaming alicorn out of the room while placing her in a strait-jacket. As the wailed died down because of the distance and thickness of the walls, reality fell back down to the fact that Blackwing still had to be dealt with.

“Shining, do you know of any executioner’s blades that can be used?” Anthony asked, keeping Luna close to him.

“I don’t know, but if we do then I think I know why you need it,” Shining said, the facts crashing down on him.

“Darling, why would you ever need something like that? Can’t we just stick him somewhere far away from here?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, yes. That would be nice, at least he won’t be killed,” Fluttershy agreed.

“Yeah, what do you need to kill him for? We’ve already beat him,” Rainbow Dash argued.

“Enough!” a voice shouted. Everyone turned and saw that it was Blackwing that spoke. “I have had enough of this, and I will not listen as you all haggle over my life. I may be arrogant and demonic, but I know when I am defeated. This human has shown himself to be at a level of which I underestimated, and for that he has my respect. Now allow him to remove from this world, and when he finally leaves the land of the living he can join me in hell.”

The room was silent at the revelation put out by the tyrant. Anthony was the first to move forward and speak.

“Shining, retrieve the blade. Luna, could you please escort the girls somewhere else? They do not need to see this,” Anthony said.

“Of course, come girls. This is not a matter of which you need to see,” Luna said, trying to get the Elements to leave.

“No way, if you wish to kill him, then we will be present when you do so,” Rainbow Dash said, thinking she was right.

“Fine, if you wish to see Blackwing’s head roll onto the floor after it has been removed from his body, then so be it,” Anthony said, not letting anything stop the execution.

“Anthony, are you sure that they should be present?” Luna asked.

“They shouldn’t be here at all, but if they wish to see this than so be it,” Anthony said, knowing that it was wrong for the girls to be present.

“So, you are actually going to kill him?” Twilight asked, not certain in the beginning.

Before an answer could be vocalized, Shining Armor trotted in with a barricade. The sharp blade glimmered on the smooth pole that was its handle. Anthony walked over and took the handle in his good arm, half dragging the weapon. The girls all tried talk to him, each one not wanting to actually see the death. He moved next to Blackwing, placing his boot onto the anthromorph’s side.

“This is last chance to leave; I suggest you all take it. You do not need to see this, and I don’t want you to see it,” Anthony pleaded one last time. “Please leave.”

The girls all thought about it quickly, none of them not wanting to see the execution. The finally agreed to leave, all knowing the trauma from watching the life leave someone’s body. Luna moved over and escorted them out, Shining Armor closing the door behind them.

“Thank you for getting them out of here,” Shining said.

“Of course. Now Blackwing, you have spoken your final words earlier, it is time for your terror to no longer have the ability to infect this land,” Anthony said to Blackwing.

With his boot, Anthony pushed the creature lower. Blackwing had his head close to the ground, just inches away from the floor. Anthony took a few steps back, the blade needing a farther swing distance. As Anthony lifted the blade for its descent, Blackwing remained silent. Not a word was spoken as the blade made the fall, making contact with Blackwing’s neck and passing through it with little resistance.

Luna and the Elements of Harmony all waited in the throne room, each knowing what was happening, but none wanting to speak of it. All the normal Day Guards had been relieve, being replaced by Luna’s Night Guards. She felt that it was wrong to fully remove all the Day Guards, but she didn’t have a say as the Night Guards didn’t feel the Day Guards would be willing to protect Luna. She didn’t sit on the throne though, as she felt it was not her place to take the chair.

Twilight sat next to Luna, not knowing what to think about the whole situation. Execution hasn’t been used in Equestria for hundreds of years, and the thought of willingly taking the life of somepony horrified her. But she knew that Blackwing would find a way to continue causing trouble for Equestria until he was gone. She didn’t know why he wanted to kill Celestia and Luna, which made her more curious as to where he came from. She was also worried that the execution would have irreparable damage to Anthony mentally. She knew he had been going through a lot when he was in the hospital, and that a minor thing compared to this.

Rarity was on the other side of Luna, lost in thought at what she had been willing to do. She was going to watch as somepony was going to be killed, right in front of her. And she was willing to do it because she didn’t believe in killing. But if Blackwing was killed, there was going to be no way to defeat him. She thought for a few seconds until something happened upon her mind.

“Wait, why didn’t we just use the Elements on him?” Rarity said out loud. She snapped the others out of their thoughts, all of them thinking the same thing.

“Yeah, why didn’t we just use the Elements on him?” Applejack asked.

“Because the Elements remove evil, but it has to go somewhere. Nightmare Moon was removed from me, and found a hole to hide in until Blackwing brought her back. The evil in him was born, which means that evil cannot be removed. You will need to ask my sister who he is, as she has more information on it.” Luna informed them.

“Why don’t you know anything? Didn’t Celestia tell you everything after you got back from being Nightmare Moon?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Not everything. She told me that there was somepony who was not fond of her, but never told me who or why. After she has calmed down, then I am sure that we will get the full answer to everything,” Luna replied, wishing to know the same thing.

“Oh, do you think they will be all right?” Fluttershy asked.

“Of course, darling. They’ll be fine. Anthony was able to defeat Blackwing, I’m sure that he can…um…,” Rarity started, not knowing how to continue.

“Finish the job,” Luna finished for her.

“Right, I he can be taken care of himself,” Applejack said, still not liking the mood of the conversation.

“Man, this conversation is so depressing. Why don’t we have a full welcome back party?!” Pinkie Pie suggested, getting looks from all present.

“I don’t this is a time for a party, Sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“She’s right; we need to get Canterlot fixed after the damage from Anthony’s pet and the battle outside the gates. And we need someone to take Celestia’s place,” Twilight agreed.

“Luna can raise and lower both the sun and moon, and I’ll take the day shift to take some of the strain off Luna,” Anthony said, walking in through the throne room doors.

The group all trotted over to him and Shining Armor, all wondering if they were okay. Anthony raised his hand to silence them when they all started to speak at once.

“The execution is finished and the remains being taken and burned. The vault room will be locked as it is cleaned up; there was a lot of blood. And I think now would be a good time for me to fix this arm,” Anthony said; now appearing visible exhausted.

He slumped down to the floor, his legs giving out from under him. Luna tried to keep him from falling, but he waved her off. A couple of emergency transportation ponies had been waiting outside the room, possibly summoned by Shining Armor. The ponies moved right in and placed Anthony onto a large stretcher, and quickly took him to the hospital located inside the castle. Luna started to follow, but was quickly stopped by Shining Armor.

“Princess Luna, I am sorry, but you are needed here. Diplomats are coming to find out what has happened, and since Celestia is unable to do anything, so the responsibility has fallen onto you. Is there anypony who you would like by your side while you tell them what happened?” Shining informed.

“I don’t care about any diplomats, I just want to be with Anthony right now,” Luna said.

“Princess, I know this can be difficult, but it needs to be done. If you do not tell what happened, then rumors will spread and Equestria may be without its biggest allies,” Shining Armor argued, knowing it had to be done.

Luna sighed as she knew that it was her responsibility to protect Equestria and the interests of the ponies who live there. She only nodded in agreement, not wanting her heart to betray her head.

“I’ll set up the meeting room; I suggest going and getting cleaned up some, Princess. I’ll have Twilight and her friends, and Cadence there to help you,” Shining Armor said. “The meeting is in an hour.”

With that Shining left the throne room and got to work getting the guards to their positions. Luna ignored everypony as she walked to her room, her mind full focused on the love of her life. She didn’t want to talk to speak with some diplomats, she wanted Anthony. But she knew he job, and moved to her room to clean up.

I just hope he’ll be okay.

Author's Notes:

Hey, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. this took me a while and got me a little emotional, I don't know about you. I also found out that I have spent a total of 8047 minutes working on this story. that is five and a half days of writing. I couldn't believe I worked for that long. just please leave your comments below, and wait for final chapter of this ark.