Present time:

Seven felt a twinge of guilt as he looked down at the lifeless body of Crackshot. Another had died, and this time they were sure it was not some random assault. To Seven, it meant that he had likely condemned the poor stallion to his death.

"Sir?" Shyvanna was giving him that concerned look again. He could not find the will to smile at her this time.

"The unicorns are sure of this?" He asked, eyes still fixed on the deceased stallion.

"Yes sir." She answered quickly. "They have confirmed that the same magical attack that killed Lucifer also killed this one." She said, pointing her hoof towards the stallion.

"And what has Swift to say? What is his version of events, since the dead can only tell oh-so-much?"

"He said that they were separated when it happened."

Seven got a glint in his eyes as Shyvanna finished that statement. "Shyv, you know this can't be a coincidence, right?" He asked, finally turning to meet her gaze.

She gulped in tension before nodding. "That means..."

"Somepony is targeting you. Or her." Seven said, more sternly than ever.

"That somepony would have to know about me. Know about Vinyl... know more than they should... Shyvanna." Seven snapped, to which, his bodyguard tensed. "Time to go hunting; and I think I know where to start."

"You needed to see me, sir?" Swift asked, trying his best to sound casual as he slowly trotted onto the observation platform. He knew this was Seven's personal viewing platform, and it was said he would use it to reflect on events that happened under his watch. The only ponies he knew that were allowed out here were Seven himself and his bodyguard. Being personally summoned here was not a common occurrence.

"Yes, I did. It's regarding what happened recently with your comrade." Swift visibly winced at the mention of the late Crackshot.

"I'm sorry, sir. It was stupid of us to separate, but he insisted that he saw something and told me to stay put in case something happened. I guess something did happen."

Seven raised an eye. "I didn't ask you a question." He turned to meet the colt, who faltered under the gaze of his blood red eyes. "But you felt you had to answer, didn't you?" The colt began to slowly back away in fear and bumped up into something soft. He turned to meet the draconic eyes of Seven's bodyguard, blocking the exit and gazing fiercely at him as well. "Have something to tell us, Swift?" Seven asked. "Come. Sit." He said, gesturing to a place before him. Before Swift could process the order, he found himself yanked from the ground by an unseen force and deposited in front of Seven, who glared down at him.

Swift fidgeted underneath his gaze. Sweat was dripping out of his every pore. Seven knew that Swift wasn’t telling him the truth, and Seven wouldn’t stop until he had heard it all. Hours seemed to pass before Swift finally cracked. "I didn't want to! They made-" He was cut out from the surprise of being yanked up off the ground, this time much more forcefully than before.

"Here's how this is going to work." Seven began, anger tinting his voice enough that Swift could almost see the venom dripping from his words. "I'm going to ask you a question. If you refuse to answer, or if the slightest tinge of doubt permeates my mind, I will personally clip your wings off with a searing white blade and throw you in the ocean. Have I made myself clear?" The colt nodded vigorously. "Good. First, why?"

Swift looked to the cloud floor, and sobbed as he spoke. "Wh- when I joined with you they sent me a letter saying they w- would k- kill my family if I d- didn't do what they w- wanted. I didn't believe them at first, b- but then a few years ago my great granddaughter and her husband died. They said that they killed her, and would kill her daughter as well if I didn't do what they told me to!" Swift said, holding his head in between his forehooves, crying loudly.

Seven loosened his grip, but only slightly. He couldn't be sure if this wasn't just a story he was telling to build sympathy. 'Mental note: Have Shyvanna check his story later.'

"Next question!” Seven said, shaking the stallion a bit. “Who are 'they' and how many of them are there?"

"I... I don't know." Seven's glare intensified. Swift felt himself being levitated off the balcony and began to squirm. "NO! I don't know, I swear! They've never contacted me directly except when I deliver them a report, and even then it's just one guy! I never talk to him! I don't know who they are! Please, don't-"

"Shut up!" Seven commanded the cowering Pegasus in a booming voice. 'Seems he's telling the truth... can't be sure though...' After letting him hang in place for a while, Seven levitated him back over the balcony. "I'll let that one slide. One more question. Why her?" Seven asked, tightening his grip. Swift's eyes widened.

"Why are they killing her guards?" Just as he muttered those words, Swift covered his mouth with his hooves. He knew he didn't have an answer to Seven’s question, so he just shut his eyes, waiting for Seven to lash out.

"Are they after her? What do they want?!" Seven’s patience was dangerously nearing an end, making even Shyvanna wince a bit. Swift didn't answer, still recoiled in fear.

Seven brought the stallion closer to him, so both were standing a few inches away from another. Seven looked into his eyes. "WHAT DO THEY WANT WITH MY DAUGHTER!?" Seven exploded, completely losing his pent-up rage on the unfortunate Pegasus. He shook violently in the air, nearly in tears.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Swift shouted back. "I just... I don't..." Swift hung his head, exhausted and defeated. Seven looked him over for a second before releasing his grip and allowing him to drop to the cloud floor.

"Your next appointment with them is when?"

"T- tomorrow... sir." Swift said with a cracked voice, still not feeling safe to raise himself from the cloud floor.

"Good. Tomorrow you are going to help us get your little...'contact'. Go back to your room, and be warned that Shyvanna will be standing outside your door tonight. If you try anything, I won't hold her back." Shyv gave the colt a wicked grin that made him stutter as he spoke.

"Y-y-y-y-yes sir!" He blurted out and rose to his four hooves before galloping back inside the cloud fortress.

Seven let loose a weary sigh. "He should have come to me with this. But no..." He began to shake his head. "He would've been afraid... afraid that we would go through what we just did."

"What are you going to do with him, sir?" Shyvanna asked.

"I... don't know. Yet. We'll see what happens after tomorrow."

Shyv nodded and turned around, trotting inside the cloud fortress. She stopped in mid-step, halfway through the giant door and turned to Seven. "Are you alright?" She asked him in a genuinely concerned tone.

Seven stared off into the ocean. "No. I am not alright. How did we miss this? How could we miss this? Whoever they are, they would’ve had been aware of us for a long time now. So how did we not notice?" Seven furrowed his brows in anger.

"Sir?"

"We know nothing about them! We don't even know if there is a 'them'! The only information we have is that the attacker had to have been a unicorn." Seven kept staring at the ocean. Shivanna noticed that the sea below seemed to agitate itself a little bit more.

"Sir-"

"We are supposed to know about these kind of things! A colt burns an ant to death with a magnifying glass and we know the exact time it died!" Seven said, raising his voice. Shivanna looked at the spot where Seven was looking. A giant maelstrom shook the ocean impetuously. Red lightning bolts flared from the sky, hitting it in its heart.

"Sir... you need to calm-"

"But we haven't even heard a whisper concerning 'them' before and we have the largest information network in all of Equestria! HOW DID WE NOT-"

"Seven!" Shivanna yelled at him, prompting Seven to turn and glare at her furiously. It was then that he saw his aura had spread to the entire balcony, threatening to tear it from the rest of the fortress. With effort, Seven calmed himself and the aura slowly receded.

Shyvanna turned to leave. "I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have asked, I-"

"Don't apologize." Seven cut her off. "You've done nothing wrong. I'm just... stressed." He sighed once more. "There are days I wonder if she would've been better off if I just ignored her completely. But how could I?" Seven hung his head and turned towards the sea again.

"You said it yourself. You couldn't have." Shyv said in the most comforting tone she could manage. This wasn't the first time they had talked about this subject, but it always seemed to leave Shyvanna in a lack of words.

"You've seen how strong she is. She didn't need me to push the odds in her favor. But I did it anyway." Shyvanna gave him a knowing look. "I know, I know. What if I had gone to the opposite extreme, though? She was still young... she had a lot of growing up left to do...  and she had done so much with her mother... gone..."

"And, again, you have already said it before. She had her own life then, was making progress on her own. It wouldn't have been right to disrupt all of that. It would have been... selfish."

Seven chuckled a bit at the irony of the situation. "Just a few hours ago I was the one telling you to lighten up... here I am now, drowning myself with my own grief, and here you, are pulling me back up to the surface."

"It is what friends do, sir." Shyvanna smiled weakly at him.

"Friends..." He looked back towards his bodyguard with a smile of his own. "Thank you." Her smile widened and she nodded, heading back inside of Haven to make sure Swift wasn't planning his escape.

Past times:

Seven awoke and the first thing he noticed was the pain. It was infernal, as if his body had gone through a windmill grinder twice. He opened his eyes slowly before groaning a bit at the invading light. He stared up at the ceiling for a while. He felt his legs being oddly numb. He tried to move them and smiled weakly when he found he could, even though they felt broken. But that feeling was nothing compared to what he felt right now.

Everything hurt. Seven felt as if his own soul and timeline were screaming at him with anguish.

Even thinking managed to cause some measure of pain. He slowly sat up on the bed- yes that was what he was on. It was a plain bed, no covers or anything in particularly defining. Just a regular bed. As he sat up he took in the features of the room; the walls were ivory white, and a single torch on the wall lit the room dimly. As his eyes focused, he could see a mirror hung on one wall. When the door caught his eye, he didn’t know if he should feel surprised to acknowledge that it was more or less a jail door. Bars ran horizontally along the door-frame.

'Seems like this room's stuck between a hospital and a cell.'

As he got to all fours, he looked into the mirror and saw his eyes had lost their usual glow, an indication that he was a shadow of his former self in terms of strength. He needed energy. Badly. Looking around his room, he noticed that nothing besides the bed or the burning torch were there to keep him company. He groaned and reached out for the torch when suddenly the door opened.

A white Alicorn stood in the door way, glancing at him for a moment with a mask of neutrality before walking in. She had two guards follow her inside and shut the door behind them.

"Who are you?" She asked sternly, wasting no time.

"The filly I came in with. Where is she?" Seven asked.

"Safe. Who are you?" She repeated.

Seven smiled at the mare and let out a weak chuckle. "I'm kind of surprised you'd care so much..." He was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit. His lungs weren't healing properly, he could feel that much.

"Are you alright?" The Alicorn asked. Seven notice a bit of concern in her voice that contrasted with her regal pose.

Seven gave her a confused look. "Fine. Thanks. Seven."

"Seven what?" She asked, raising one of her brows.

Seven smiled again. "That's my name. Exactly like the number."

She gazed at him warily. "I am Gaia: Queen and ruler of the Kingdom of Equestria."

"I already figured that..." Seven began coughing again. "Can... Can we go outside, please? This 'dungeon air' is killing me."

She said nothing but Seven could almost feel the green glow around him. Suddenly he felt grass under his hooves. He looked around and found they were in a garden. Seven felt some of the pain recede. He found that if he looked at the Queen's mane long enough, it almost seemed to be an extension of the grass he stood on, except that her mane seemed to be stuck in a perpetual breeze.

The royal guard's legendary composure faltered as they saw the grass browning beneath Seven's hooves and gasped. With a pained effort, Seven managed to stop himself from killing the plant-life. "Sorry." He said, giving Gaia a half-smile.

Gaia managed to hide her own surprise. "What are you?"

Seven smiled again. "I would tell you, if I knew myself." His voice was slightly less raspy. He could tell by the look in the Queen's eyes that she was genuinely afraid of him.

"Very well. What are you doing here?" She commanded, intent with continuing her interrogation.

"I'm here... to find you." Seven simply said and looked at her. The Queen tensed a bit, but remained calm despite the urge to call more of her guard.

"Why?"

"Because... I need your help... with a mutual problem." The weakness was returning. The agony he felt made him want to scream, but he managed to reduce any vocalizations of his pain to grunts and winces.

"And what problem is that?"

"You’ve already guessed it."

Her eyes visibly widened. "The... monster?"

Seven laughed, although it was a weak, rasping one. "You're calling him 'monster'? I call him 'brother'."

The Queen once again tensed, but her countless years of leading Equestria told her not to make assumptions. "You're here to help us with the monster?"

"Yes and no... I'm here to replace him." He said, his wry grin never leaving his face. "He's not doing a very good job, is he?"

The Queen refused the urge to call for more guards once again. "Quit playing games! You're going to tell me why you're here. Now!" Her voice boomed as she raised one of her hooves. She brought it down hard on the floor, cracking it.

Seven's grin dropped. He squeezed his eyes shut and took in a deep breath. "Apparently I wasn't clear enough. Let me put it in a way you can understand." A red aura shot out from where the earth pony was standing. It covered the entire garden, causing the plants to wilt and die. The Queen and her guards recoiled, waiting for something to happen to them.

"My name is Seven. My brother, Eight, is a problem, so I am here to kill him. Clear enough for you?" The aura receded and Seven opened his eyes. They were glowing brightly. The weakness from before was gone now. He wasn't at full strength, but he hadn't been for the majority of his stay in Equestria anyway.

"Why? Why would you help us?"

"Because I get to take his job when I do."

"And that would be?" She asked quizzically, fearing his answer a bit.

Seven looked up at the sky, frowning at the eclipse. "Well, one of them is supposed to be moving the sun and moon. Other things are a bit too complicated to explain, but he's obviously not doing his job, so here I am."

She looked at him with curiosity mixed with fear. "If you are like him, then why do you need my help?"

"Because he's been draining your world’s people of their energy. Think of it like raw magic, but more potent. I always was a better fighter, so I could probably take him..." Seven frowned and sighed. "But I won't stoop to his level to do it. At the same time, I can't get energy like we normally do. The sun and the stars are all blocked out under this eclipse. So, I was hoping you and your friends would help me?" She looked at him with a saddened expression at the mention of the word 'friends'.

"I'm sorry. Everypony else like me is dead. Killed by... him."

"Not quite." She looked at him, confused. "Don't try to hide it. I know for a fact that you're likely harboring at least two others. Her eyes widened with realization. She quickly shook her head.

"No! I'm not involving them in any of this!" She said in an angered tone, causing Seven to raise an eye out of curiosity.

"And why would that be?"

Her posture relaxed a bit. "I... believe the two you are suggesting are... family."

Seven took the hint immediately. "Too young to fight, then?"

She nodded. Seven shook his head. "We're going to need more than just us. I'm too weak, and you're strong but not in the same ways I am. And even if you were, you still wouldn't be strong enough..."

"You make it seem as though there is no choice. That there are no options that wouldn't result in-"

"Us dying with the rest of Equestria." Seven inhaled, the air was somewhat rotten due to the stench of death that now permeated the garden. He hated that smell. "There is always a choice. There is always another option. I just... can't see it yet." Seven reached into the pocket on his suit for the crystal, only to remember that Eight had destroyed it. There was no way he could get another. He was on his own. The Queen saw the earth pony furiously stamp his hooves on the ground. "There has to..."  His head sunk. "I can't... I..."

The Queen thought about what to do as well.  An idea came to mind that made her shudder, but she still considered it. 'The lives of the ponies of Equestria depend on me... my children depend on me...'

"Your brother... maintains his strength through draining other ponies?"

Seven nodded. "Usually we are almost always at full strength because of the suns or the stars. Radiant sources that keep us going. But he blocked out most of the sun, which means that is the only way to get any substantial amount of..." Seven realized what she was thinking. "No!"

"What other choice do we have?" The Queen said with a low voice. She knew the implications of their actions.

"Anything else is better than that. I already told you, I won't stoop to his level." He snarled at her.

"You have no other choice. You already know that."

Seven glared at the Queen as hatefully as he could. "And what would you have me do? Go out onto the streets of Canterlot and kill half the population, just to have a chance?"

She shook her head. "Not half the population. Just me."

"No." Seven remained adamant, but his anger subdued.

"You said it yourself, there are things you can do that I can't. You can fight him. You can save Equestria!"

"I will not willingly kill some random pony just for that!"

"What would you kill somepony for?" She asked, to which Seven scowled. "Very well then, either you do what I ask, or that filly that came with you dies."

Seven looked at her as though she were mad. "You can't be serious."

"I am willing to go to any length to save my people. She is not one of my people." The Queen glared back at him.

"I can't believe this! You... you're asking me to make an impossible choice! How do you even know if she means anything to me?"

"She means nothing to you? Fine then. Guards!" She said, prompting the two to come near her, awaiting for orders.

"No!" Seven cried out. "I... I still can't believe you. Fine."

The Queen loosed a breath she did not realize she was holding in. "Good. There are a few... things I need to take care of first. Things I have to say. The Guards will take you to that filly, if you wish to see her. I believe the care-takers have taken to calling her after some ancient dragonness lord. Something along the lines of Shyvanna I believe..."

Before Seven could raise her any questions, she disappeared in a green flash. Two guardsponies flanked him.

"We are to lead you to-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Lead on."

Present time - The Twins' Castle:

Shadow looked down at the forest from atop the stony building. It looked beautiful to him under the night sky; the night dew reflected the light, shaping a deformed orb of ivory on top of the tree’s canopy. Everything seemed to look better to him under the cover of night. Turning his gaze towards the night sky, Nightshadow smiled. The white full-moon in contrast with the many glimmering stars that adorned the vast blackness beyond them somehow brought him peace and comfort.

"Hello, Nightshadow." Shadow suddenly jumped, and reflexively unfurling his wings, turned to meet the intruder. When he saw the dark blue Alicorn sitting beside him, he relaxed and sighed.

"Luna. What a... surprise." He wasn't sure if the word pleasant applied here, especially concerning what he thought that they were likely to talk about next.

"How is she?" Luna cut to the point.

Shadow immediately knew whom she was talking about. "Dash is taking things... in stride, so to speak."

"So she's hiding her sorrow."

"Pretty much." Shadow said, looking down in a bit of frustration before both Alicorns sighed in unison. "I feel... responsible." Shadow said after a long period of silence.

"It is not your fault. Events were beyond your control-"

"No. They were well within my control. I didn't have to help her in the forest that day. I didn't have to give her wings back to her." Shadow let loose another sigh. "And now I've effectively murdered the Element of Loyalty."

"You knew that she wouldn’t be able to live without her wings. They were her pride. Her dreams. Her life." Luna said in her most comforting voice.

"You don't know that. I thought I did at the time, but now..." Shadow frowned before trailing off.

"Even so, you tried to make things right."

"And neither of us could do anything. It doesn't matter that I tried to make things right. In the end, I couldn't. I... failed." Shadow hung his head once more, his expression drooping.

"No. I failed." Luna said, to which Nightshadow turned and gave her a scolding look, one she wasn’t able to see with her head also hung low. "I wasn't strong enough. You came to me and hoped I could help, and yet I wasn't strong enough to help her. I'm sorry."

Silence became long, and drawn out. Nightshadow noticed that the forest had grown silent as well; as though it too were sharing in their sorrow. "I noticed soon after meeting you that there were stars in the sky I didn't remember putting there before my banishment." Shadow remained silent, which Luna took as a cue to continue. "When I asked my sister about whether or not she had changed the night in any way, she claimed that she did not want to tarnish my creation."

"I'm sorry if we did." Shadow said, looking up at the sky. "Shade found out we could do it by accident, and we ended up changing the sky every once in a while out of... boredom. I'm sorry if we changed something in a way you didn't like, it’s just... we didn't expect you to come back." He winced a slight bit at what he said, not knowing how to put it in a more polite way.

Shadow had expected her to be mad, but instead she let out a chuckle. "That's quite alright. Ponies need something new to look at every once in a while. And I can easily change anything back if I want to." She paused before adding. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about anyway." Nightshadow raised an eye, but allowed her to continue.

"I was wondering if you and your sister would like to visit Canterlot in a few days? Celestia is having a chariot sent to Ponyville for another matter, and you could use the opportunity to get to know the city."

"We already know the city quite well, thanks. Besides, Shade accrued a debt at the apple orchard for property damage and is working until she can repay it."

"How did she- Nevermind. You've never actually been in the city streets though. Barring... well... You've just never really been there before, from what you've told me. Why not use the opportunity?"

"I don't know... wait. Twilight was called to Canterlot to visit Celestia a few days from n-" Shadow's eyes widened. "No. That is her time with her teacher." He caught himself almost saying ‘Even though Tia and I don’t see eye to eye on everything...’

Luna smiled on the inside. "Celestia wouldn't mind-"

"No, but it wouldn't be right. She rarely sees Twilight anymore. I wouldn't want to potentially take away from that time. Thank you anyway."

Her response was a quick nod. "Just one more matter... it's about the earth pony that helped us..."

"Seven...?" Shadow asked, just barely remembering the pony's name.

"Yes. I know from a guardspony that he visited you earlier today..." Shadow visibly winced, causing Luna to smile wryly. "I do not keep spies around, if that is what you are thinking. Anything you do on your personal time is not under my watch. What I came to tell you is... well... be careful around him. He has been a companion of my sister and I for as long as we have been in power. He has been... manipulative in the past." She paused for a moment, lost in thought.

"So don't trust him?" Shadow asked, matter-of-factly.

"I'm not saying you can't trust him. I'm saying... be careful how much trust you give him." Luna’s gaze was stern one.

"What exactly is he, Luna? He can't possibly be the earth pony he looks like..."

Luna sighed and turned her gaze to the forest. "Physically, he is the earth pony he appears to be... but there's something else. He never explained it to my sister or I. He always managed to avoid the question one way or another."

Luna looked at the falling moon. It would soon be time to finish its descent. "Just... be careful, Shadow. I don't know why he took an interest in you or your sister... but I don't like the implications..."

She disappeared in a puff of smoke, likely gone back to Canterlot to lower the moon for her sister. Shadow had previously decided that tonight would not be a night he allowed sleep to take him. Instead, he pondered the new questions raised by Luna's visit as he watched the moon’s lazy descent.