The first thing Sevilin registered was the fantastic pressure and sting of his slowly-healing wounds. Keeping a scream of agony in check, he instead let out a defeated whimper and strained his neck to watch the PMU unit dubbed BoBo do its job.

Sevilin frowned while he watched his skin pull taught around his abdomen, where BoBo was using a mitotic procedure to replicate human cells and use them to slowly but surely replace the untouched tissue being relocated to the wound. Sevilin looked past his torso and gave a start.

His right leg had already been patched up, but the location and size of the injury was obvious just from observing the patterns of stretched skin. He disregarded his own wishes to move and laid still, allowing BoBo to complete the rather strenuous repair.

AMA hovered menacingly behind BoBo, her weapons sheathed but clearly still on high alert. A downed Conquistador was an understandable cause for alarm. Jacobs hoped that the two hadn't injured anybody on entry or during repair processes. That would be… rather unfortunate.

Instead of a hospital or a makeshift medical tent, the human realized he was being treated at the scene where he first lost consciousness. "Was it really that dangerous to transport my body?"

He hadn't felt a major blow dealt to any important organs, and he most certainly had not suffered from any internal hemorrhaging or trauma. The only significant reason would be an unprecedented amount of external damage.

"Gooooood morning, Sevilin!" the human heard BoBo call loudly. Sevilin winced and let the throbbing in his head subside before he gave a weak, brief smile. "Nice to see you're awake, sir. You took a lot of big-bad mojo on the outside, you know, you really should have worn the Conquistador Imperium."

The drop in volume meant that BoBo had been scanning his brainwaves, also a topic for conversation.

"BoBo, did you detect any fluctuations in my brain activity while I was unconscious?" The little robot hummed thoughtfully, then blinked.

"Yeah! Your readings were off the charts, and sometimes they were below average. You were all over the place, sir." Sevilin nodded and laid his head back down. If Luna had managed to see more than what he wanted…

"Let's not assume the worst case scenario just yet," he resolved. If she had truly accessed more than what they just experienced in that vivid dream, precautions would have to be taken during night time hours.

"BoBo, ETA until full recovery."

The little robot spoke happily. "Twenty minutes sir, and then you can go straight to Princess Luna and have a stern talk with that backwards primitive." He paused and examined the healing process. "This planet is child's play for the Legion, you know this, Sevilin. They wouldn't last more than a day against us."

Even with all of the extensive programming and culturing, BoBo, and all of his mechanical comrades, had it deeply ingrained within them that the Legion still thrived.

Sevilin sighed and let the conflicting emotions subside within him. "Sad, sad little robot…"

"…and they have the most fantastic weaponry! They use the stars to travel from one end of the cosmos to the other! But they use stars even I do not recognize, sister!"

Celestia calmly listened to the intriguing and slightly-disconcerting information while she kept her horn alight, powering the shield around the city. If what her beloved sister said was true, Sevilin was indeed hiding something substantial. Celestia then blinked. "You said they?"

Luna stopped and smiled yet again. "Yes! They! Millions, no, billions! There are so many out there. By now, possibly even more. I do not yet know how old our friend in the suit is, but I will discover his age!"

"Luna. While you were in the Dreamscape, you muttered some things I believe you should know about," Celestia gave her sister a concerned look. "You always were the one to talk in your sleep."

Luna gave a miffed expression, but let it fall for curiosity. "This concern, of what does it stem from?"

Celestia grimaced. "And I quote: 'While others bathe worlds in fire, we bathe entire systems in darkness. For the power of the sun is nothing compared to the anti-star.' You said exactly that while you were inside of Sevilin's mind."

Luna quirked an eyebrow. "I do not remember such a thing being said."

"I'm not finished, Luna. 'I am the anti-star. I am the sun. I am the harbinger of life for one, and death for another. I am the Spear of the Emperor, the Lance of Pluto. I am a monster and a savior. I am the man behind the mask that slaughters and saves. I am Conquest. I am the Conquistador Imperium.'"

Luna stood quietly on the dusty floor of the throne room, deep in thought. Her reflection shone back at her from thousands of shattered crystals. "Sister, I do not remember such a thing. It is possible that I had replicated the auditory information on reflex, but failed to retain the memory itself."

Celestia nodded and bowed her head. "I apologize, it is just… disconcerting to hear such things coming from your lips." Her expression hardened. "But once you spoke of such foreign terms, it became frightfully clear."

Luna blinked, suddenly understanding her sister's worrisome stance. "You fear what he hides, don't you?" The Princess of the Night calmly observed her sister as she tried to find the words to explain herself.

"Yes, Luna. While he has certainly been helpful ever since his rather hasty and violent introduction, he has not revealed very much. For example, two machines of unknown origin began defending and tending to Mr. Jacobs' body two and a half hours ago. Where did these machines come from, and where exactly is he obtaining this powerful armor?" Celestia gave her younger sister a hard stare.

"In three days, we have seen him subdue foes with his will, challenge and defeat King Sombra, and now he has come back from the brink of death as if it were a casual occurrence." The Solar Princess gazed out a stained glass window with a single crack running across it. "He clearly hails from another world, and the technology he possesses has proven to be fearsome and efficient."

Luna stayed silent while Celestia's horn began to glow with more ferocity, the window bathing in the same golden aura as the dome beyond it. "And if our cultures and opinions clashed…" The window began to strain and cracks webbed out from their original. "Could we truly pose a threat against those that annihilate the stars?"

The window splintered, and piece by piece the glass fell out onto the floor; the pieces shattering further on contact with the tarnished stone.

"Bodily repairs complete, sir! Please feel free to partake in an ice-cold beverage provided by our lovely maiden of death, AMA!" BoBo hovered away whilst AMA did exactly as the machine said and approached Sevilin.

A panel slid open and a port revealed itself in her hull. A tray extended itself, a fizzing emerald drink secured on it safely. "Nanomite-infused beverage." The tray halted its extension. "With a minty-fresh taste to tingle your taste buds," AMA droned with a flat, even tone.

Sevilin smiled, grasping the drink in his right hand. Wincing, he lifted himself up and leaned against the stone behind him. He felt a pain in his stomach and grasped it firmly with his left hand. "Grrr." He downed the slurry quickly and sighed. "Ah, thank you AMA."

The massive drone hummed its reply and floated away lazily. The pain in Sevilin's stomach faded immediately as the nanomites went to work repairing his organs fully, working their mandibles on the cells of his body to rearrange and replicate them just as BoBo had done to close his external wounds.

In a few minutes, he would be prepared to take account of how many brave souls had been lost on the battlefield, and promptly mourn them. Afterwards, Jacobs would need to discuss Luna's pervasive actions having to do with his memories.

Finally, the human would need to bring everyone back home. Sevilin looked up at the sky, now an alluring blue dome with a yellowed tint  from which flakes of snow fell from. The flakes melted on contact with the field around the city. It had taken a bright golden color, much the same color as Celestia's aura.

He immediately assumed that Celestia had taken over for both Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, and felt more at ease. He leaned back, but he did not close his eyes. He would need to move quickly once the pain had faded completely.

Certain protocols needed to be put into action and executed immediately.

"Huh… that was…" Rainbow Dash lost her train of thought just looking at the simple door in front of herself and her friends.

"Easy?" Applejack finished for her. She was surprised by the entry as well. The all thought that the entrance to the Crystal Heart's chambers would be more heavily guarded, but instead they had found this simple doorway.

Fluttershy hid behind Rarity in fearful apprehension. "Um… it looks… s- spooky…" she chattered out, much to the disdain of Rainbow Dash. The speedster flew down to her buttery friend and smirked.

"What's to be afraid of, it's just a little door!" The pegasus made her way to said door and placed a hoof on the knob. "Look, I'll prove it to you guys," she declared nonchalantly.

"Rainbow Dash, wait. We don't know-"

Twilight was cut off by an exhausted sigh from her prismatic friend. "Look, Twi, it's just a door." Slowly, she turned the knob and swung the cheap wooden door to the side. "Y'see? Nothing to be afraid of!"

Her hooves hit the floor, and the dark room behind her pulsed. Pinkie Pie leapt forward in a vain effort to warn the Element of Loyalty, much as her compatriots did.

Rainbow might have been the fastest flier in Equestria, but she was nowhere near the most cautious.

She paid for it with a massive bolt of dark magic to the back, just between her wings. Letting out a strangled, fearful cry, she hit the floor and convulsed. The glow in the room died down to focus on the Crystal Heart, safe on a pillow of satin and velvet.

The Heart, however, was a secondary objective as Rainbow Dash twitched and heaved on the floor. Fluttershy elevated her head while Twilight scanned over her body, desperate to find the cause for the spasms.

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie stood back, letting the other two handle the situation while they silently begged some unforeseen power to rescue their friend and companion.

Twilight put her ear to Rainbow Dash's chest and her ears fell. "Her heart…"

The room went silent, and the temperature dropped. The quiet lasted for only a moment, however, before Rainbow Dash was thrown over Applejack's barrel. "I'm not losin' a friend, no way, no how."

She took off up the stairs, Rainbow Dash secured by an intricately-tied knot. Rarity looked on sadly, watching Applejack ascend at unbelievable speeds. The others watched, dumbfounded and awestruck, at the determination of a friend and her conviction to save a friend in need.

"Everypony move! Move now, get back!"

Silk Shot perked his ears at the sudden commotion that now permeated the grandiose halls in the palace. Wounded civilians and soldiers shuffled out of the way as Applejack, the Element of Honesty, carried a limp Rainbow Dash.

Carried, however, would be putting it mildly, as Applejack was bolting into a room with awaiting medical staff as if Tartarus was on her tail. Confused, Silk Shot moved to a mare with an alabaster mane and tail and a deep orange-hued coat. Her left foreleg was wrapped in medical gauze and her right eye remained covered by a small white patch.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Shot said to gather the mare's attention. Once she gave it to him, he continued, saying, "May I ask what that was about?"

His question brought confusion unto her as well. "I haven't the slightest clue, except that that blue pony wasn't moving at all." She frowned and stared at the door. "Whoever it was must've been somepony important, but I just can't for the life of me think of who it is."

Shot immediately remembered that these Crystal Ponies had been locked away for centuries, and as such weren't current with recent events. He cleared his throat and pointed to the doors with his left hoof.

"The mare that was draped over the orange pony's back is Rainbow Dash, the holder of the Element of Loyalty. The orange mare carrying her is Applejack, owner of the Element of Honesty. They're kind of a big deal, though I am happy that they stayed out of this mess." He glanced about him, his eyes wandering to injured beings left and right.

"The Elements of Harmony belong to individual ponies?" The mare put her wrapped hoof to her head. "So much has changed…" She winced once the hoof made contact, and Shot made quick to catch her weight once she began to tip over from the shift of balance.

"Ooh, thank you. That was silly of me," the mare said, blushing profusely. Shot shook his head vigorously.

"Don't worry about it, miss." He righted her with a gentle push of his wing and smiled at her. "If you'd like, I could bring you up to speed."

The mare cocked her head to the right.

"With the goings-on of the world and such," he elaborated for her. Her befuddled expression shifted to one of elation.

"I'd love to," she responded.

Sevilin stood from his previous position, stretching his muscles beneath the newly-formed skin. Popping his joints, he exhaled and let a wave of phantom pain wash over him, causing him to shiver.

He quickly retrieved an officer's uniform from AMA, pulling the white shirt over his torso. Next, he fit the light-weight chest plate and gauntlets on, moving for the shoulder pads next.

Once they were secured, he slipped his feet into the awaiting boots, its bronze-painted toes shining in the sun. He decided to forego the helm and instead swiped a golden sash from AMA's storage deck and fit it around his waist.

Feeling sufficiently clothed, Sevilin made his way to the palace, where he could see dozens of differing races working together to clear the rubble and debris. As he walked past, the soldiers saluted him or simply stared.

The doors, which he had blasted off with the Ares rocket pods. The remnants of the doors were still smoking, pushed into a corner to the left of the entrance. What remained were two boards only a few inches taller than Sevilin, both blackened and giving off an acrid stench.

Sevilin moved farther into the palace, observing the wounded and the medical staff moving to and fro, securing beds and tending to patients. No doubt had Lightning Dust already sent a detachment to Sanctuary for medical personnel.

Sevilin began to feel guilty for partaking in his exclusive treatment, even though it was an automatic procedure initiated by the Library itself. He consoled himself with the fact that the action the Library had taken was an emergency operation carried out for high-ranking soldiers in the field, namely Conquistadors.

The only upper-rank soldier that received no outside medical attention was the Caligula. Sevilin had often pondered what the operators of a Caligula had witnessed while inside the suit.

"Caligulas," he thought with a shudder, "the true monsters of war." He had only seen a Caligula in action once, albeit from miles away on a distant moon.

The way it had simply kept slugging away at the already-desecrated corpse had haunted Sevilin's visions for days afterwards. The mindless soldiers completely under the control of the Legion Centurions. Like rabid dogs they would hunt down and utterly annihilate their target, with no subtlety or tact.

When missions required no precision or airship support, the Caligulas were chosen to execute the mission. Who was inside the suit, no one ever knew.

And they were glad to keep it that way.

During his mental tangent, Sevilin had reached the massive doors to the throne room. Thanking his feet, he quietly joked about royalty and large doors, then pushed his way inside and locked gazes with Princesses Celestia and Luna.

"Princesses, we have some things to discuss." He continued to move closer to them. "And when I say 'things'…" He stopped his speech to cross his arms and glare fully. "I mean my memories and the illicit viewing of them." Next Chapter: Chapter 13- Puncture Estimated time remaining: 43 Minutes