"Ambassador please!" Princess Celestia pleaded as the tall well dressed Minotaur stamped his way from her throne chamber. Celestia herself in fast tow behind him, as she continued to try to calm the raging bovine. "I assure you we are doing all we can, to find your lost son and nephew."

   "And your efforts have come up with nothing!" The Ambassador yelled back, while not even looking in the Alicorn's direction, still in a heavy stride towards the doors. Celestia increased her trot to overtake the horned creature, blocking his path from the exit.

   "I have my very best investigating the disappearance of your family members. If you will just give us more time." The Minotaur pointed a very angry finger at the Princess, doing so with such speed, it caused the Royal Guardsmen in the room to start to move in his direction. They were quickly set back down by a simple gesture of their Princess's wing.

   "I was told time, and time again that this was a mistake coming here." He started while lowering his arm. "I was told that we didn't need a peace treaty with Canterlot, or any Equestrian city for that matter. Yet I came in any case. I came to hear your proposals, to hear your talks of peace, and commerce, and I was rewarded with lies, subterfuge." For a moment he stopped talking while his head lowered to the ground. "And possibly death." After he finished the thought, he quickly side stepped the Princess to continue his exit. Celestia just stood there, and watched him leave. His own heavily armoured guard standing ready to fall in time with him as he left the room. It was at that instant, that Celestia's captain of the guards came turning the corner.

   "Out of the way Pony!" One of the Ambassador's guards shouted, almost running into the golden armour clad white unicorn. Who in turn got a mean scowl on his face as he was about to say something back.

   "It's alright Shining." Celestia said as she beckoned the Unicorn to her. Shining Armour simply bowed his head as the group of Minotaurs passed him by, before moving quickly to address his Princess.

   "I take it things didn't go that well?" Shining said as he turned his head to watch the Minotaurs leave. Celestia shook her head while turning around to start a long slow walk back to her throne.

   "I had such high hopes for this alliance Shining. It would have eased so many tensions between our peoples." As she finished talking, the forlorn Pony Princess slumped in her tall pillowed throne.

   "Is there nothing we can do Princess?" Her captain said as he stopped at the bottom of the few stairs that led to the elaborate chair. Celestia let out a long sigh while looking at her hooves.

   "I can only pray for the best. I can only hope that this doesn't cause a complete separation of Equestria, and the Minotaur nations." She then swallowed hard as more intense thoughts came to her. "Or even worse, violence."

   "They wouldn't dare!" Shining exclaimed at the vision of the Minotaurs actually coming to blows with Equestria. Celestia looked down at her captain, making a nod with her head.

   "It was the reason I called for the talks in the first place. So many rumors of the outer Nations wanting more land, having no where to go but towards Equestria." Her over all demeanor became very dejected and defeated. "Perhaps I can try to repair any damage that was done. I will have to start from scratch. Begin again with the Griffon Skylords. Move to buy favors from the Dragon clans." She shook her head back and forth as her plans, tactics, and political movements washed through her ancient mind. "So much to do."

   Shining could do little, but just stand there and watch his Princess try her best to think of a way to salvage this seemingly desperate situation. He knew the Minotaurs, he had even scuffled with a couple in his years in the Guard. He knew how stubborn they were, and once they set their mind to it, an average Earth Pony would be able to move the Sun before they could change a Minotaur's mind. It made him really not want to report his findings to her, which were next to nothing. He also knew the Dark Guard were involved, more overly, Shannon Nyx. "I do hate to put more weight on your shoulders Princess." The Alicorn and the Unicorn looked at each other, and he knew she knew what he was going to say. "Light Step has finished her investigation, she has questioned dozens of Ponies. It all leads back to the last spot the Minotaurs, disappeared."

   "You say disappeared with such chagrin Shining." Celestia commented as she listened to her Captain.

   "That's just it Princess. They disappeared! All anypony knows is that they were in the bar, causing trouble. Then the Dark Guardsmen showed up, Ponies heard yelling. Then, then there was nothing. They just vanished." He knew what the nest question was going to be, and he truly hated having to answer it.

   "What Dark Guardsmen?" She said as her eyes narrowed

   "Shadow Vein was one. He is new to the Dark Guard, though Princess Luna had him join her own personal troop." He stopped talking for a moment to clear his throat. "The other, was Shannon Nyx." As soon as he said the name, Celestia stomped her hoof to the ground while the feathers of her wings ruffled.

   "I knew that he had something to do with this!" The normally very well composed Alicorn shouted out, causing Shining's eyes to pop open at the volume of her voice. The Princess calmed herself quickly after seeing Shining's reaction to her outburst. "Shining." She began with her normal soft tones. "I want you to find Shannon, and ask him if he would come and see me."

   "I will Princess. But." The stallion stopped to lean in a little closer while lowering the over all volume of his voice. "Wouldn't protocol dictate that any grievance be brought to Princess Luna first?" As he finished this, Princess Celestia's lips pursed inward, and became straight.

   "I ran the Dark Guard for a thousand years while my sister was in exile Shining. I think protocol can be wavered for the moment." Her straight lipped features then became on of a bright smile as she looked down at her captain.

   "Oh of course Princess!" Shining shouted as he realized that he may have in some way stepped over his boundaries. "I was just. I mean, I didn't."

   Celestia let out a heart warming chuckle as she gestured with her hoof. "It's quite alright Shining. Now please, have Shannon brought here as soon as you can. I am just hoping that he can shed a little more light on the subject."

   "Would you also like young Shadow Vein to come as well. He was there as well." Shining suggested. Celestia thought for only a second before shaking her head.

   "No, no I do not believe that will be necessary. Shannon will do just fine." The inflection of her voice became a little lower as she said this. Her eyes then narrowed un almost unnoticeable degree as she resided herself once again to her throne.

   "Right away Princess!" The unicorn stallion said while bowing his head, and backing away before turning, and making his way towards the door.

  *****

   Several hours had gone by since Shannon had left Chaotica standing there on her door step, and she still wasn't very happy about being tossed aside while he ran off to answer whatever it was that Luna had in store for him. Still, she wasn't tired at all as she decided to try once again to gain the Human's affections once and for all. She had gathered up quite a bit of vegetables, and fruits that was kept in her, and her sisters apartment, placed them all in a saddle bag, and was trotting nonchalantly down the halls of the castle, her goal to make her lovely veggie and fruit medley salad that she just knew Shannon would love.

   At first, she was horribly furious with Shannon. So much so that she decided to take it out on the Royal Guardsmen that arrived to deliver the message. As she thought about the event, she was very glad that the offending pony was a Pegasus, else tossing him out the window might have ended rather differently. All her rage and disappointment had faded now however, and her steps had more of a bounce to them as she moved through the corridors. She remembered her mother saying many times, that the way to a stallion's heart was through his stomach. While she herself had rather morbid images of the literal meaning of that phrase, she got the overall gist, and even though Shannon wasn't a stallion, he was a male, and she was sure the end result would be the same.

   Her own thoughts had completely consumed her mind during her trip from her home to Shannon's, and before long she found herself standing at the bland, and undecorated door to his home. She reached up with a hoof, and was about to gently knock, then the thought of him being asleep crossed her mind, causing her to instead put her hoof to her chin in thought. "What if he's asleep?" She thought out loud in a small whisper. The little black Unicorn knew that Shannon was grumpy when he was wide awake. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to see him being woken up by loud banging noises. The thought then entered her mind that he might be sleeping in his pajamas, which gave her an odd image of Shannon in some button up two piece sleep wear with little pictures of Luna arranged in a random pattern. The vision was so strong in fact, that she had to choke down a laugh as she shook her head to rattle the thought away. A new image came to her mind however, one of Shannon just wearing a pair of those light made pants he liked so well, and nothing else. "Worth it!" She silently exclaimed as she reached her hoof up again to rap at the door.

   "Pardon me?" A stallion's voice came from beside her. Making her take in a sharp breath as her eyes shot open while she got a clenched jaw expression of shock. She couldn't believe she let somepony sneak up on her like this, she didn't know how long she had been standing there staring blankly at the door in front of her, just wondering what Shannon looked like in his sleeping clothes.

   "What?" Chaotica whisper shouted, as her head snapped to look at the pony that had startled her. The Pony she saw changed her look to one of frightened, to one of confusion, as she took notice of the ice blue eyed white unicorn stallion standing there. "Shining Armor?" She asked as one of her eye ridges raised up, while the other lowered down.

   "Yes." Shining said as a long friendly smile stretched over his muzzle. "And you must be, umm." He knew for a fact that the mare in front of him was one of the twins that was in Princess Luna's personal guard. He just couldn't remember which one, and his chivalry stopped him from being rude, and making a stab in the dark.

   "Chaotica." the dark mare said, taking the burden from Shining as he wracked his brain to come up with the right name.

   "Ah yes, Chaotica! You will have to excuse me. You and your sister are twins after all." Shining thought that, that would be the end of it, however, Chaotica seemed to want to correct him more than she already had.

   "Our eyes are different. Our cutie marks are flipped too." As she stated the facts about how her and her sister varied from one another. Shining couldn't help but notice that during the small conversation, she had pushed him in ever so small amounts away from Shannon's door.

   "Well." He started as he maneuvered past the glaring mare, and more towards the door of his destination. "That is something I will have to keep in mind, for next time. Please excuse me." He gave her one last smile, then raised his hoof to knock at the door. An action that was brought to a halt as Chaotica slid quickly between the stallion and the door, standing up on her back legs, while her front legs spanned out the width of the closed portal.

   "What are you doing?" She snapped, causing Shining to recoil a step back.

   "Well, you see." Shining started before he was interrupted by another out burst.

   "Shannon doesn't like being woken up during the day. Go away!" Shining got another long smile on his face, one that was more of a grin than anything as he stepped forward to gain his ground back, while taking notice of the saddle bag that had the tops of carrots sticking out from it.

   "Mmmhmm, I see, I see. Then may I ask what you were doing here." This question made Chaotica look as if she was going to shout something. Her mouth however, popped open, yet no words came out as her eyes quickly looked upwards, as if she was searching the ceiling for an answer.

   "That's none of your business!" Was the only thing the dark mare could come up with.

   "Well, that may be true. I do however have business regarding Princess Celestia. So you will have to excuse me." With that, the stallion reached up, and quickly took hold of Chaotica under her front legs, moving her easily to the side, where she remained in her previous pose.

   "Hey, stop!" Chaotica protested as she was over powered by the Captain of the Guard. All Shining did to answer her was give her a small nod, before quickly reaching up, and pounding on the door several times. This action made Chaotica get a worried look on her muzzle as she took several steps forward before falling to all fours, then quickly ducking behind Shining to show that it was his idea to wake Shannon up in the first place. Several moments past with no reaction from the door, or any sounds of rousing from inside. Shining once again reached up and pounded his hoof on the door, quite a bit louder now, causing Chaotica to lower her head further behind the stallion's backside. Only peaking out for a moment with her one red eye.

   "Shannon Nyx!" Shining said with a loud commanding tone. "This is Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor." Still silence was the only thing that answered Shining's calls. The white unicorn turned his head to look behind at the mare using him as a shield. "Is he that heavy of a sleeper?" He asked as Chaotica started to come out from behind her barricade.

   "I don't think so. He's always on time for duty shifts." As Chaotica spoke, Shining knocked even harder still on the door, repeating his last sentence. After waiting just a bit longer, Shining let out a brief sigh, before looking to Shannon's troop mate. "You know. Any information you have that would help me out here would just be super." After asking this, Chaotica's mouth twisted to one side of her face while her eyes slowly moved from left, then to right. She honestly didn't care if this day time pony found Shannon or not, though she did know where Shannon had gone, and the thought of him all alone with Luna made her think it would be best to aide Shannon's persuer.

   "Well. Some guardpony did come and get him earlier. Saying something about how Princess Luna wanted to see him." After she said this, Shining let the weight of his frame drop, while he let out an even bigger sigh than before.

   "And this didn't seem important to you before?" He scalded, getting a straight browed gaze as he questioned her.

   "Well I don't know!" Chaotica shouted back, getting an almost identical look on her own face.

   "Fine!" Shining said as he turned away, and started walking down the hall. "At least I know where to go now."

   "Hey wait!" Chaotica called out as she caught up to the stallion. "I'm coming too!"

   "Do as you wish." Shining said with closed eyes, and an up turned nose. "Just remember. I am on official royal business. So don't get in the way."

   "Oooo scary." Chaotica said mockingly as the two started their journey.

*****

    "You smiled," Luna whispered into Shannon's ear, while her free hoof roamed a small area on his chest. Shannon's eyes were closed, and she had thought he had fallen into some kind of sex coma, due to the rather aggressive nature of their last coupling. His eyes did open to small slivers however, as they slowly tracked to find hers looking into them.

   "I did, did I?" He answered back, his voice, low, gravelly, almost just as quiet as hers.

   "Yes, you did." She continued as she placed her front hooves above each of his shoulders, lifting up to where the tip of her nose was just inches from his, her eyes narrow, and peaceful, showing off the large light blue area of her eyelids. "All this time, I wasn't sure if you could smile." She continued as her left front hoof collected a large gathering of his long black hair, letting it slide out of her grasp.

   "Most men smile when they are happy, my dear." He answered back his own arm reaching up to play with her mane, which was now flipped all to one side of her head, much as she was doing to his. This made the sleek black Alicorn get a truly loving expression on her face as she blinked slowly, her long full eye lashes appearing as small wings.

   "Shannon." She started, letting his hair go, and using her hoof to gently stroke at his angular cheek. "I make you happy?" He didn't smile as she had hoped he would, he did however, continue playing with her hair.

   "I am always happy in your presence." His hand moved from her mane, to ever so slightly trace the out line of her exposed ear. "Since the moment my eyes saw your Divinity for the first time. I knew I would be happy, forever, and all times past." She loved the words he spoke, they did make her get the smallest of worried looks on her face. a terrible thought raced into her mind as she raised up.

   "Shannon please. Please tell me you did this with me because you wanted to. Not just because I am your Goddess, and you thought it was what I wanted." After saying this, she swallowed hard, waiting for his answer.

   "It is what you wanted. Wasn't it, my dear?" As he said this, she found it hard to breathe. The thought of taking anyone by force, or even worse, because they thought they had to. The whole train of thought was getting ready to take her to a very large state of panic. Shannon was quick to pick up on the malleable air of tension that suddenly found it's way into the bed with them. His hand moved quick, placing just a single finger on her soft nose. "I didn't, not at first." His words came crashing down onto her like a glacier tipping over, and she truly thought she would pass out from the inability to take in a breath. "However." He continued. "As we explored each other, as I heard your voice, and as we became one. I knew it was an experience that I had wanted for quite some time, and I silently belittled myself for allowing my small Human prejudices to deny me something truly grand. You will have to forgive me for such sins."

   Luna after this let out a frustrated cry, mixed with a laugh, as she fell forward to the position she was at before. "Shannon!" She cried out. "Don't do that to me! I thought I would die of a heart attack!" Shannon himself let out something that she could only take as a genuine laugh, though she had never heard such a sound come from his throat before,

   "Worry not my Divine Luna. Should your heart dare attack you. I would crush it slowly with my own hands, then pass mine on to you, so you may not be without." The words that he spoke, that were supposed to be meant as a joke, struck Luna as a wave of deep feelings that made her have to fight off her eyes welling up with tears.

   "Oh Shannon." The Alicorn whimpered as she raised up, only to lower her head so that their lips met in a long soft kiss.

   "Excuse me Princess?" A voice came from the front room. "But the door was unlocked. Forgive the intrusion, but I." Shining Armour's voice cracked, and he came to a screeching halt as he stood there looking at the sight before him. The Moon Goddess herself, laying on top of the man he came to find. Both of them frozen with their own looks of wide eyed shock, their lips still pressed tightly together. "Oh Princess! I err, umm, I mean, uhh! I'll be outside" Shining stammered, his head fast as light pointing directly to the ground to avert his eyes of the compromising and lewd scene that he had walked into, while he darted back out into the hall.

   "Shannon! You in here?" Another voice rang out as Chaotica barged into the room, almost plowing into Shining as he blast past her. Chaotica felt cold, as she stared at the two on the bed, still not moving, just looking back at her with wide, unblinking eyes. She felt all the feeling run out of her body, her legs felt as if she were standing on a turbulent cloud, that eventually got the best of her. She made no effort at all as she fell to the ground, crashing into a solid wooden table that knocked all of it's contents to the floor with a loud series of bangs.

   "Chaotica! My dear, are you alright?" Luna said with concern, as she broke the kiss. She would have jumped to her hooves to offer help to the stumble struck Pony. She realized however, that she was the only thing covering Shannon, and that he himself was very much unclothed.

   "I just." Chaotica tried to speak, as she righted herself. She then looked at the pair again, she saw where Luna's rump was positioned on Shannon's hips, the way her back legs were spread on either side of him, the way the bed sheets and blankets were tossed about in fashions that only gave clues to what had transpired. Then, in that moment of realization of what Luna had done after she had summoned Shannon to her house, Chaotica actually felt her heart break. The tears that fell from both Chaotica's eyes were in no threat of being stopped, falling with such force from her cheeks, that the trio could even hear them tap onto the hard floor of Luna's front room. The feeling that she felt only became worse as she locked eyes with Shannon, whose own look seemed to be one of anger for being interrupted, and that lack of compassion made the little dark pony's crushing sensation in her chest become a thousand times worse, and tears fall harder in a breathless, silent weep.

   Luna only to quickly placed all the pieces together as she saw the pain filled expression on Chaotica's face, her quivering body was a storm of crippling sadness, combined with unknowable rage. "Oh Chaotica! Please, let me explain!" The sound of Luna's voice seemed to snap Chaotica out of her abysmal anguish. Her one red eye seemed to glow as her muzzle contorted into a look of unbridled hatred for the Alicorn she glared at.

   "How could you!" Chaotica screamed as her horn flared with such light, that it forced both Luna, and Shannon to quickly duck their heads away to stop the painful, blinding light from filling their eyes. Just as soon as the great light came to be, it was gone just as fast. Luna, and Shannon looked towards to where Chaotica was, only to see a massive, swirling black cloud. The couple in the bed sat there in awe as the cloud swirled, and fell into and out of itself. Luna herself rearing her head backwards as she saw a great red eye take form within the thick bubbling mist. Then, to much their surprise, several large streaks of lightning flashed out, striking and destroying objects of ancient origin, and design, even knocking pictures down from their hangings, that shattered the frames they were held in as they hit the floor.

   The blasts of lightning, and breaking sounds also alerted Shining Armour, who until this point was standing outside the door wondering how to explain what he had just seen to Princess Celestia. His own horn started to glow as he burst back into the room, then stood in astonishment of the sight before him. Not since Nightmare Moon herself had he seen such a abstract display of power, power that he was all to unaware that the slender twin mares even possessed. Even still, his training was quick to take a low stance, ready to deal with anything the now small, but raging storm had to offer.

   Shannon acted without thinking, as soon as he saw the first strike of Chaotica's cloud, he grabbed Luna by the side, and rolled her off of him as he in turn slid off the bed to where his clothes lay. He quickly took hold of the two axes that were still attached to his belt, and pants, yanking them hard enough to where they came apart from their holdings, while tossing the garments across the room. Shannon then leaped forward, taking a defensive position between the malice consumed cloud, and his Goddess. Almost as soon as he presented his naked body as a shield between Chaotica, and Luna. The lightning stopped, the deep glaring red eye vanished, and the size of the cloud began to diminish, the only sound coming from it was a small echo of something crying off in the distance. Just as Luna let out a deep breath she had been holding as she thought her personal guardsmen might have calmed herself, one single lightning strike jumped from the cloud, breaking the tinted glass window of the room Chaotica was in, followed by a vicious howl as the blackened fog raced outside into the bright day's light.

   "Wait, please!" Luna shouted as she leaped off the bed, taking to the air as her wings lashed open. She cleared Shannon's head by a good foot, before landing on the ground of the room that Chaotica had just unleashed her fury in. Stepping on broken shards of glass, Luna placed her hooves on the windowpane, trying to see which way Chaotica had flown to. "Chaotica!" Luna bellowed out, even adding her Equestrian voice to the cry, while she hastily scanned the skyline, tree line and everything in between for the angered and forlorn Pony. The Alicorn let out a defeated sigh as she dropped down to the ground, her face turning from concern to sadness as she looked back at the still naked, axe wielding Human. "Shannon!" She said as she raced over and placed the side of her head against his chest. Causing Shannon to immediately drop the weapons, and wrap his arms around her neck. "What have I done?"

   Shining paced back and forth while waiting outside Luna's door, still trying to take in the whole of the events that just happened so quickly before him. Never in his life had he seen an Alicorn Princess in such a revealing position, after this thought he quickly corrected himself as he remembered that he himself was in fact married to an Alicorn Princess. The Unicorn had to stop momentarily to shake out the thoughts of if that is what it looked like when he and Cadence were, intimate. Even still, the power display that Chaotica had shown in her time of anger was impressive enough. The Unicorn Guardsmen of his own troops never shown the abilities of such grand magics, his own special shielding spell seemed diminished to a degree when he compared it to the situations that Chaotica's spell could be used for. All his thoughts however, were brought to a sudden halt as the doors to Princess Luna's home came flying open, as a now fully clothed, and very ireful looking Shannon came at the Captain of the Guard in long, hard strides.

   "What do you want?" Shannon yelled at Shining through a clenched jaw, and bared teeth. The blue haired Unicorn was about to respond, Shannon did not give him the opportunity however. "I have dealt with the most vile, loathsome, villainous and insidious wastes of flesh the universe has had to offer! Both in my world, and here! And yet even they, knew how to knock, on a door!"

   "Well you will have to forgive me for that Shannon." Shining started, in a very collected, and calm voice. "It has always been that our Princess's had an open door policy when dealing with their subjects. I was simply not expecting to walk in on." He made a random waving gesture with one of his front hooves, as he did not allow himself to describe what he had seen. "That."

   "What, do you want?" Shannon repeated, this time in a low, much softer tone, but with an inflection that would seem he was talking to Shining as if the stallion were a child.

   "I have been sent to inform you that Princess Celestia has requested an audience with you. So if you will come with me, we are already very late." With this, Shining turned and started walking down the hallway. He only got a couple of steps however, as he turned his head to look behind him, and saw that Shannon was just standing there with his arms crossed, while he made a quick sucking noise through his teeth. "Shannon." Shining said with a small smile and a chuckle in his breath. "The requested is being used as a formality. Princess Celestia wants to see you, now."

   "Oh is that so?" Shannon said as he uncrossed his arms, letting them fall to his sides, while he rapped his fingers against the outside of his long coat. "Well as you can see. I have a situation to deal with here." He said as he pointed at the door with the hand that wasn't tapping his side. "My Goddess is in distress, and I plan to deal with her needs first, then I have to go and find my comrade to try to figure out what that dramatic display was for. Then I must try to fit some kind of sleep in there somewhere so that I may be rested for tonight's duties." With that, he stopped tapping his side, took a few steps forward, then kneeled down so that he and Shining were face to face. "I'm afraid your little Princess pony doesn't fit into the rather strict schedule."

   Shining absolutely could not believe the blatant disregard this Human was showing not only himself, but to the very ruler of Equestria. With a mild clearing of his throat to choke back the anger that was starting to build, Shining himself took a step forward, bringing the two Guardsmen's faces even closer together. "I'm afraid you don't understand, Human. See I was ordered to bring you in." After saying this, Shining took a step back, and got a very coy grin on his muzzle. "So I am bringing you in." As soon as he said this however, the smile was quickly turned to one of stupor as Shannon moved in a flash, gripping the front of Shining's lower jaw in a pain filled vice, then yanking the Unicorn forward so that the two were in a close quartered stare.

   "You, and what pathetic day loving army?" Shannon growled out through clinched teeth again. Shining was now unable to contain the frustrations that had been building inside him during the whole of this conversation. With a quick movement of his own, the Captain of the Guard lunged forward. His goal to knock the Human off balance while his own armoured hoof came up for a quick jab to his opponents jaw. He was more than surprised however, as Shannon simply readjusted his weight with a quick shuffle of his feet, then easily dodged the punch with ease by leaning backwards, still keeping his iron clawed grip on the Unicorn's jaw.

   As Shannon all to easily defused the, what he could only describe as an amateur attack, his own free hand reached down to his leg. Then in one smooth motion, he unlatched the axe that he had placed back after getting dressed, his aim to plant the pointed spike atop the weapon, straight through the white Unicorn's neck. The attack was deflected by a bright light that originated from Shining's horn, that then quickly manifested itself as a translucent pink, purple shield. Shannon let out a stifled bellow as a hot pain seared through his arm that was caught in the Unicorn's spell, forcing him to let go of his grasp, giving Shining the opportunity to jump backwards. A motion that Shannon himself mirrored, coming to stand upright, as his now free hand, still numb from Shining's attack, reached down an released his other cleaving weapon, which he brought to it's readied position with a fast twirl.

   "You lunatic!" Shining cried out, as the realization sunk in that Shannon just tried to kill him. The now completely enraged Unicorn started pumping as much magic as he could into his shielding spell, getting ready for Shannon's next move as he noticed the Human starting to shift his weight onto his front toes, as if he were going to jump. Though it wasn't the stance his attempted killer was taking that worried him. It was the long vicious grin that was creeping over his lips.

   "Hmm, lunatic." Shannon said. "I always liked that word. It has Luna in it." With that, Shining was sure of the oncoming attack that Shannon was going to unleash on his shield with those two wickedly sharp weapons. However, just as he saw Shannon make the motion to leap, he came to a sudden halt.

   "Stop!" Luna screamed, breathing just as heavy as the two combatants in front of her. Shining let his face slide into a look of odd fear as he saw the psycho that was more than ready to take his life, become as calm as steadied as if nothing had ever happened, all the while reattaching his weapons to where they were before the fight.

   "As you wish, My Worship." Was all Shannon said as he bowed his head, while turning to face his Alicorn Goddess. Shining just bounced his eyes from Luna, to Shannon, then back to Luna again as he still had a hard time believing that, that was that. He was about to interject, as he was still quite a bit fired up over the whole ordeal. Luna however, was quicker with her own words, and orders.

   "Shannon, you come in here!" She barked, rather displeased that he just tried to start a fight with her sister's right hand stallion. She was still rather impressed that through the heated emotions, Shannon was still able to remember that he would only call her Luna while inside her home. All Shannon did was bow lower still, while stepping through the doorway, not even giving Shining a second glance. "Shining. You go, tell my sister that Shannon will be there soon."

   "Yes, but Princess. I was supposed." Shining tried to object. He was quickly met with a louder, much shorter order.

   "Go!" Luna huffed out as she herself turned around, entering her home, while using her magic to slam the doors behind her. Then, just like that, it was all over. Shining was left standing there in a very empty hall, wondering how things escalated so quickly between himself and Shannon. More over, he wondered why there wasn't a single trace of other Ponies in the vast stretch of the corridor. Perhaps there had been at one point, only to be frightened away by the Human, Pony fight. He decided to let the matter go, as he turned back towards the series of halls and steps that would lead him back to Celestia's throne room. He did have quite the story to tell, and lots of information to give to his own Princess.

*****

   Deep in the darkest heart of the Everfree Forest, the bravest adventurer, Pony or otherwise would quickly turn tail and run as they heard the horrible wailing of what could only be described as a banshee. This was not the case however, the sounds that filled the thick canopy were ones of heart break itself. Chaotica sat upright, lurched up against a gnarled tree as she openly let her tears and pain filled cries flow freely from her. She made no effort to at all to wipe away the constant stream that now stained her cheeks, as her front legs were busy clenching at her own chest. "Ow!" She exclaimed in broken stutters, as she fell from her sitting position, down to her side. "It hurts!" The little mare bawled as she rubbed her hooves up and down where her heart was. She could feel it beating so fast, pounding against her ribs as if it were trying to rip itself from her body. Though it wasn't the speed or the intensity that was causing her pain, it was the horrible pressure, as if she was being crushed by an immeasurable boulder, that had been sat directly on top of her. The thoughts of Shannon with Luna, worse still, the vision of him pulling his axes to be used against her, making the pressure only multiply.

   "Chaotica!" A voice rang out from the deep brush. It itself had a ring of urgency as it called out her name several more times. Chaotica did not answer, all she could do was lay there, gripping her chest, while letting out a mourn filled sob. "Chaotica!" Chaosia yelled as she jumped over one of the taller bushes, landing just feet away from her crippled sister. She did not stop however, Chaosia quickly slid to where she was now sitting next to the tree, where she reached down and pulled her blubbering sibling up into her lap, where she immediately started stroking her mane. "Oh Chaotica. What happened?" Chaotica did not answer, all she could do was use what strength she had to right herself, only to fall forward so she could take her worried sister in a deep and powerful embrace, letting loose once again the full sorrow filled cries of her great lament. It was all Chaosia could do but just return the hug that she was given, rocking her sister back and forth while letting out small 'shh' noises every now and again.

   Almost an hour passed by for the twins as they laid there in the lightless depths of Everfree. Chaosia saying nothing, but just allowing her sister to get whatever horrid experience out of her system before trying to discern any kind of information. "Shannon." Chaotica moaned out in a soft mewl. As soon as the name of that wretched thing hit Chaosia's ears, a deep seeded malice began to grow in her own chest. That's when she broke free from the hard held grip that her sister had on her, so that she could look Chaotica in the eyes.

   "What did he do to you Chaotica?" Chaosia said in a hard demanding tone. Her sister took in several long breaths as she tried as hard as she could to compose herself.

   "Shannon. He was, with." Was all she could get out before driving her muzzle back over her sister's shoulder, only able to cry out the next single word with sobbing syllables. "Luna!" As soon as she gave the shortest description she could before breaking back into tears. Chaosia had to hold back a long sigh of relief as the thought of that murderer difiling her sister, then doing something unspeakable to put her in such a condition.

   "Oh, hey, hey." Chaosia said as she had no choice but to let a small smile come over her muzzle as she reached up to start stroking her heart shattered sister's mane once more. "I'm sorry sweetie." She said in a much softer tone. "But how were you to know that Shannon and Luna were together?"

   "They weren't!" Chaotica snapped as now a wave of anger washed over her, giving her the will to at least dim the flow of tears, and pull away from Chaosia. "Not until this morning. I know! He would have told me!" She screamed at nothing save the trees, before using her magic to pick up a very large boulder, then send it flying through the brushes, hearing it smash into another unknown object.

   "Come on sis. You know how secretive, and un-talkative he his. He barely tells his own troop of his actions. Let alone if he shacked up with a mare."

   "No!" Chaotica protested as yet another boulder was turned into a missile. "I know him! I was there for him! He should be mine, not hers!"

   "Chaotica, please calm down." Chaosia pleaded, as she knew that while her sister's temper was rare. It was extremely volatile when it came to the surface.

   "From the moment I saw him, I wanted him. But I just thought I would give him some time, let him get used to this new strange world. I watched time, and time again as every loose legged trollop mare tried to approach him. I watched as he turned each of them down!" This time it was an entire tree that was uprooted from the ground, and thrown like a wadded up piece of paper. "Because I knew, I knew he was just waiting for the right one to get him. That right one is me!" One inanimate object after another was torn from it's original resting place, only to be violently thrown into others, or simply ripped in half as Chaotica's rage started to build in stacks onto itself. It was then Chaosia saw her sister's mane start to let off small wisps of smoke, her red eye began to let off a deep firey glow. This set the consoling twin into a state of panic, as she felt her own mane begin to change, she could even see the the glow from her own crimson eye start to emit a light of it's own. The panic truly set in as she felt herself being taken hold by a force that did not belong to her sister, nor herself, a force that was drawing the two twins closer together.

   "Chaotica! Please stop!" Chaosia yelled on to deaf ears as Chaotica just sat there, staring into the vast black nothing of the deep woods. It was only when Chaosia felt a small rock start to get dragged with her that she knew she had to knock her sister out of her torment. With the ankle joint of her front leg, she grabbed a hold of the stone, then tossed it with medium strength at her sister. The jagged rock bounced off Chaotica's head, just below her horn, much to Chaosia's relief stopping her from continuing to slide towards her sister, whose own mane, and eye had begun to calm as well.

   "I hate her." Chaotica said in a new somber voice, her gaze now pointed to the ground. "I hate her so very much."

   "Don't say such things!" Chaosia scalded as she was pulling herself from the ground, so she could stand on all fours. She walked over to her now very statuesque sister, still glaring at the ground. All Chaosia could do was sit beside her, while placing a warm loving leg over Chaotica's shoulders.

   "I'm so sorry." A new voice came from the darkness, making the twins swing their heads in unison to see the newcomer, though it was Chaosia's heart that sank when she saw who it was. Princess Luna stepped slowly from the shadows, her mane and tail in their ethereal forms, wisping to and fro. Her eyes heavy with sadness, letting the other two dark mares that she had probably been there for time enough to hear most, if not all of Chaotica's rant. "I never meant to hurt you Chaotica. Please believe me when I say this. I didn't know how you felt."

   "Princess!" Chaosia said as she moved away from her still silent sister. "How did you find us?"

   Luna let the smallest of smiles come to her as she looked down at the more active of the two. "Oh. Well an old Alicorn like myself knows a spell or two to locate somepony they are very worried about."

   "Princess. I thank you for your concern, but please. I do not think it is safe here right now. Let me talk to her more." Chaosia was going to try to persuade Luna to leave more, and let her handle this. She stopped talking however, as she saw The Alicorn's face contort from one of sad concern, to one of a horrid shock. Just as Chaosia was about to ask what was wrong, a massive stone flew just past her head, smashing Luna perfectly in the center of her frame. The force of the blow sent Luna like a rag doll through the air, only to bounce hard off an unforgiving tree, then land in a thick thorn filled briar. "No!" Chaosia cried out as she reached out with a front hoof, making her jaw drop as she saw her solid form begin to fade, as she began to unwillingly turn to her cloud state.

   With a dread in her heart that she herself had not felt for the most of her life, she turned her head to see her worst of nightmares standing there. Chaotica, her red eye now fully ablaze with a frenzy of pure hate. Her mane and tail had turned to nothing but a billowing cloud a smoke that seemed to be pulled from her body by a malevolent wind. "Chaotica! We promised! Don't do it, please!" Chaosia cried as her form began to fade, as she was now being dragged across the forest floor, knowing nothing could stop it now.

   Luna pulled herself from the pain giving bush that she had landed in, her whole body on fire from the excruciating pain that seemed to fill her every bone, her coat and skin now filled with countless deep bleeding lacerations from the cruel, black thorns of the bush that broke her fall. However, all that went away as she saw the morbid scene many yards in front of her. Where Chaotica once stood was now a swirling dense portal of thick black smoke, letting out lightning strikes powerful enough to kick up dirt, and stone alike as they struck the ground. Worse than that still, was Chaosia was now half way consumed by the turbulent swirls of malice.

   "Luna!" Chaosia screamed her voice almost inaudible just before her head was taken into the black cloud. "I'm so sorry! Forgive her! Forgive us!" With that last desperate plea, Chaosia was completely taken in by her own sister's raging torrent of animosity. The lightning continued to strike, coming dangerously close to coming in contact with Luna as she used all her will to bring herself to a standing position. She looked on in terror as the cloud took on a new feature, two glowing red eyes took shape, followed by a laugh that chilled Luna's spine, for it was violent, vicious, and cruel. Stalks of lighting came forward, striking the ground, yet there they stayed, followed by two more that attached themselves to the ground behind the first pair. Now the once protean cloud started to take a new shape. Some of it following the arks of light that held firm to the ground, the rest taking a trianglular form where those fire filled red eyes sat hovering in mid air. All to quickly Luna saw the soon to be final outcome of a tall misshapen, hatred born Pony.

   With one final massive blast of electrical energy, a new creature stood where the twins once were, letting out a terrifying roar to allow the surrounding area of it's arrival. It's eyes were of pure flame, it's tail and mane all to reminiscent of the Alicorn's, save that while it lashed and swirled violently about, small arks of electricity would flow from the bottom to the top. It's body seemed to phase in and out as the whole of it's form consisted entirely of the now cold looking black smoke, sometimes, a shock of power would flow the whole of the beast, letting Luna see that there was a skeleton formed of pure lightning that flashed at random intervals. No wings adorned it's side, though it's flank did bear a bright glowing green eight pointed compass. Letting the terrified Princess know that this was now a combination of both Chaotica, and Chaosia alike, and at last, the final thing to fill Luna's wide shot eyes, was the horn that sat atop a deep furrowed brow, a horn that was nothing more than a static, constantly flowing bolt of blinding lightning. A sound then came from the monstrosity, one that almost made the Goddess's heart stop. "Luna." It sang out, it's voice the sound of both the twin's voices, yet as if they had been twisted, warped into a new third, that growled out the Moon Princess's name.

   "Oh Father Sun, and Mother Moon save us!" Luna whispered out to herself as her own mind tried to stop her from uttering the creature's name. "An Abyssal!" As soon as the name of the demon escaped Luna's bloodied lips, a long fear inducing cackle flowed from the newly formed Abyssal Pony's mouth. "That's impossible!" Luna screamed at the towering monster before her, this causing nothing more than another echoing laugh fit. "Your kind has been dead and gone for over four thousand years!" Just as Luna finished her decree, she felt a breath stealing invisible grip take hold of her, slamming her to the ground, then pulling her through the sticks, stones, and forest debris, only worsening her already torn and tattered body's wounds. The painful drag came to an end as Luna found herself on her back, with the Abyssal staring down at her with those flaming empty red eyes.

   "I am honored you remembered little Pony. We may be gone, but dead." Luna screamed out in pain as she felt herself being picked up by her mane, being held right to the face of her attacker. "Oh I am afraid you little Alicorns and your worthless magics could hardly complete such a task." When the Abyssal finished talking, Luna found herself once again being tossed through the air, landing hard on her side, knocking much of the breath from her. "You, in the few moments you have left in this world. May call me, Ataxia."

   "No." Luna responded as she pulled herself from the ground, using all she had to steady herself on shaky legs. "Your name is Chaosia. Your name is Chaotica. You are members of the Royal Dark Guard of Canterlot. You belong to my own personal troop. You are my friends!"  Luna then let out a scream of unknowable pain as it felt as something was picking her up by her rib cage. Only to be tossed hard enough so that the tree that stopped her flight, splintered bark from the force of the collision. "Why are you doing this?" Luna shouted as she was forced to cough up a large splatter of blood. "Please. Come back to me! Do not let this horrid thing do this to you!" The invisible force returned once again. this time grabbing the Dark goddess by the throat, pulling her up, then smashing her back to the tree, where it kept her, gasping for air.

   "You insufferable little mare!" Ataxia screamed as she rushed towards Luna, stopping only inches from impaling her chest with her lightning built horn. "You stole him from me!" She yelled as she once again slammed Luna into the unforgiving tree. "You knew I wanted him! You knew he was mine!" The new slam that followed the Abyssal's rage filled words now used Luna to split the tree in twain, before tossing the Alicorn over her head, where she landed limp in an unnatural state. "Well it matters not." The Demon Pony said as her tone became much quieter, yet no less threatening. "After I dispose of you. He will only have me to fall to." Ataxia turned around, and started walking slowly towards her beaten, and battered prey. "Then I will be there to console him! I will be there to offer him the life comforts some pathetic joke of a figure head like you could never give!" Then a vicious grin formed over the Abyssal's lips. "And then I will be able to show him what a true, loving, and very carnal embrace feels like from a young shapely mare. Not the dried wastes of some worthless nag relic like you!"

   "I will never let you hurt him! You will never get anywhere near him, you monster!" Luna cried out as she was trying so very painstakingly to bring herself up again to face the living Terror that mocked her. Her efforts were brought to a halt however, as she was picked up once again by the torture inducing magic of her kinds ancient enemy. It picking her up by the ethereal mane, causing yet another pain filled scream to be coaxed from her now freely bleeding mouth.

   "How very trite." Ataxia said as she slowly floated the completely blood stained pony to her. "It took three of your kind to even detain one of mine. Yet here you lay, powerless, motionless, unable to perform the smallest of magics against me. How do you plan to stop me?"

   "I am the living Moon. My own coat is the ever spanning blanket of Night. The Stars themselves owe each of their name to me, and me alone, and my very breath is the wind of Midnight." Luna's speech made Ataxia only let out a series of small laughs through her nose, while she shook her head.

   "Lovely words, my little pony. Though they hold no power, and I am afraid I have grown tired of you." As the Abyssal finished her own words, Luna was slung high into the air, giving Ataxia time to charge a violent glowing orb of energy at the tip of her horn, then letting it go to strike Luna hard in the air. Then she was tossed brutally to the ground, behind the same thorn filled bush she had landed in at first, only to have another, more powerful blast of energy strike her, causing a massive explosion filled with light, dirt and refuge from the surrounding area. "The Goddess is dead." Ataxia said as she watched the light display fade, leaving only a large dirt cloud in it's wake. "Long live the new Goddess." She let out another cackle before turning around, and making a slow stride to her new prize.

   The Abyssal's victory trot came to a stop however, as she heard the sound of distant thunder roll, and a cold wind picked up, causing the leaves of the still standing trees to lash on their branches. Another thunder strike sounded out, yet this time it was much closer, much more intense. It wasn't until the very ground underneath her started to rumble, slow at first, then picking up to the size of a small quake that Ataxia spun around, looking up to the once dim day sky, now only to see the blackest of storm clouds forming over head. Something electric started to fill the air around her, as yet another now deafening thunder blast roared out, one that seemed to rock the world itself. There was one thick lightning strike that emanated from the now sky encompassing cloud, crashing down to the area where Luna had been struck down. Then another that was so bright, it filled every darkened crack of the Everfree. It was then when Ataxia saw a dark whirlwind start to form in front of her, though it was the joyously evil long laugh that started low, only increasing in volume as the dark energy became a towering tornado, picking up all the damaged woodland that the previous battle had brought. This caused Ataxia to have to dodge several full sized trees, as it seemed the laughing energy vortex was purposely tossing them in her direction. The now roaring laughter turned into a diabolical primal scream as the the whirlwind exploded with such force, it caused Ataxia to have to lower her stance to keep from being knocked backwards.

   There much to the Abyssal Pony's surprise was a new Alicorn, rearing up on it's back armour plated legs as it finished it's ear shattering scream, that at this point had become more of a long note. The new dark pony wore a full metal helmet, one that was perfectly fitted for her long slender horn, and her pointed ears. She had no mane and tail to speak off, only a constantly flowing darkened energy that seemed to merge with one another. It was only until she noticed the form fitting metal chest plate, one that bore the same symbol as the fallen Moon Goddess. "Luna?" Ataxia asked with a cocky half grin on her muzzle.

   "Wretched fool!" The Alicorn yelled, her voice echoing several times onto itself. "I am Nightmare Moon!" The Dark Goddess proclaimed as her large powerful wings spread to their full length. "And I am your destroyer!" Ataxia while very surprised by this new addition, was very under whelmed by the power display, and empty threats. She was just about to voice this opinion, with a retort of her own. However, before she could even get a single sound from her mouth, Nightmare Moon took one step forward,then in a blink of an eye was standing directly in front of her, Causing the Abyssal's eyes to pop open unable to avoid the next move as Nightmare Moon smashed her metal clad head directly onto the long bridge of Ataxia's muzzle. A force that was so powerful, she could actually feel the lightning formed bone of her skull crack from the blunt blow.

   The onslaught did not stop there however, Nightmare Moon took full advantage of the now dazed Abyssal. She struck hard with one of her heavy armoured front hooves, connecting directly under the chin, rocking Ataxia back even harder. The steel clad Moon Goddess now planted both front hooves on the ground, as she spun in place, all the while cocking her back legs back as far as they could go before she had her back turned completely to her opponent, then letting loose the full force of her chambered legs. The double kick connected perfectly into Ataxia's chest, the power behind the strike causing an energy flux to ripple through the Abyssal's body as she took flight into the air her first scream of pain escaping out as she hit the ground with a hard thud. "I am going to gift to you anguish. I will bless unto you pain." Nightmare Moon growled out. "They are gifts that will last, eternal!" After saying her oath, Nightmare Moon's horn glowed bright as Ataxia's body lifted into the air, then was swung as if she was the head of a tremendous hammer, smashing like an unstoppable force through one tree, then another, three more still fell as she continued to pick up speed. It was only when The Alicorn let her go with a scream of joy that Ataxia came to a halt, by means of turning a rather large boulder in the distance to countless pebbles.

   The Abyssal Pony took in a pained gasp of air as she pulled herself from the rubble. Her teeth mashed together as she looked forward, expecting to see the Dark Pony setting for another attack. All was empty however, Nightmare Moon had vanished into thin air, the only thing present was a dense layer of dark fog, that creeped and flowed over the damp forest floor. "Where are you?" Ataxia screamed as she lifted herself to her hooves. "Coward Alicorn! Your avoidance mocks me!"

   "You!" The Abyssal heard a male voice come from behind her. With a blinding speed she turned about, letting out a short gasp as she saw who stood there before her.

   "Shannon!" Ataxia cried out, her voice now softer, and it seemed her overall form became smaller as the energy flow over her body, even her mane became calmer. With a quick dash, Ataxia raced to meet Shannon, who simply stood there with a narrow eyed stare. Only when the Abyssal Pony came near did he spring into action, pulling one of his axes, and pointing it directly ahead of him, almost causing Ataxia to rush head first into the long pike at the weapons's top.

   "Look at you." Shannon began. "Weakened and frail." Stepping forward while still pointing his axe at her face, causing her to scuttle backwards, losing her balance as she tripped on lose stones, making her fall to the ground.

   "Shannon wait! Why are you doing this?" She begged, as even more of her form seemed to wisp away, the same as her voice turning more into Chaotica's than the other two.

   "Because you are pathetic!" He growled at her, causing a large lump to come to her throat, making it impossible to swallow. "You have the power of the most feared, and respected Ponies in all of creation. Yet you still cannot kill one simple Alicorn?" A long loud laugh came from him as he marched closer still towards the now cowering menace.

   "I can defeat her!" Ataxia said in a now whimpered voice. "Help me! Together we can crush her. Then we can be together like it was meant to be!" Another long laugh echoed through the wood, as Shannon brought one of his axes up to his head, then banged the flat side of the blade several times against his forehead.

   "You must be joking!" He said as he made a mock swipe at her with the cleaver he was using to tap his head, causing her to duck as far as she could towards the ground, while covering her face with her hoof. "Me? Join with an insignificant worm like you? I have known the love, the utopian inducing intimate touches of a Goddess. Now you think I would lower myself be with some waste of power like you?"

   "Shannon please. You're hurting me." Ataxia said in a sobbing voice that now completely belonged to Chaotica.

   "Hurt you? I am going to do more than hurt you. I am going to do the world a favor and remove you from it!" As he finished the sentence, his axe came above his head, and with a pure evil grin, made an attack aimed directly for her head. All the Abyssal could do was tense her body while letting out a long blood curdling scream as she waited to feel the cold blade slice into her magic constructed body.

   No attack came however, just a slow starting laugh that increased in speed as it did in volume. Ataxia slowly pulled her hoof away from her eyes, only to see Nightmare Moon stepping up to her, a long toothed grin spread over her devious muzzle. "Aww poor little Abyssal can't seem to handle a bad dream?" The Dark Goddess said in a voice of pure insult. "Now what was it you said?" Nightmare Moon laughed as she put her face directly in the line of sight, of the now sniveling Abyssal. "The Goddess is dead. Long live the new Goddess." With that, Nightmare Moon's mane and tail plunged themselves into the ground only to emerge as great crystaline spike that pierced straight through Ataxia, one through her shoulder blades, just at the bottom of her neck, the other coming through her flanks, perfectly impaling the now faded green eight pointed compass. Ataxia let out a scream that could probably be heard all the way back to Canterlot as she was lifted many feet into the air. Nightmare Moon's horn glowed bright as she leaned backwards, all of her weight now on her back legs. Then with a magic fueled lunge, The Alicorn sped straight through Ataxia, completely severing her front half from her backside, the two spike dissapating as she flew the air, causing the two halves to be flung in different directions.

   Nightmare Moon landed and the ground with a series of high steps as she turned around to expect to see the ripped in half remains of the Abyssal. However, she was greeted with two Dark Unicorn forms laying lifeless on the ground. Lifeless save for Chaotica who was with just one barely mobile front leg, was pulling herself towards her sister's prone blood drenched form. Nightmare Moon made a quick leap through the air landing directly in Chaotica's path. The barely conscience Unicorn rolled onto her side as she looked up at the Goddess before her, her red eye swollen shut, while her green eye could barely stay open. Nightmare Moon let out a long grunt as she reared up on her hind legs, her intentions to crush the offending skull of the pony that tried to kill her. She held her pose for several seconds, while she glared between her risen legs down at the quivering Unicorn that didn't even have the strength to cover her face. A great echoing scream came from Nightmare Moon as she stomped her hooves to the ground, directly on either side of Chaotica's head. She then just started to walk away, as her armour began to fade, her size decreased, her hair returning to the now still blood crusted light blue. Soon there was no longer Nightmare Moon, just Princess Luna who felt her vision blur, forcing her to lean against a twisted and jagged stump that used to be a tree before this all started.

   "Forgive." Luna heard Chaotica whisper in a blood filled voice, as the little odd eyed pony laid her head down onto the ground, and closed her eyes.

Next Chapter:

Separation Next Chapter: Separation Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 36 Minutes