The portal opened into the dimly lit room as a mare stepped through it, letting out a sigh of relief as she smelted the familiar scent of her room.

“Need anything else, Nova?” Balgore asked as he threw a bag through the portal for her, smiling at her as she turned to face him.

“That will be everything,” she said in her Received Pronunciation accent, and gave a small bow. “Till next time, my friend?”

Balgore chuckled and gave her a salute, “you know it! I’ll see you the next time I need a partner.”

The portal snapped shut, leaving her alone in the room.

She flexed her wings as she eyed her bed longingly, as it’d been a couple weeks since she’d had a comfortable night's rest. She’d been sleeping outside on makeshift beds for the last week or so, so her body would appreciate a real bed.

Looking around the room, something felt off, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it.

Her stomach growled, as it seemed to realize they were home now and wanted some real food, not that stuff Balgore liked to stock up on.

So instead of stripping out of her adventuring clothes and swapping into something more formal, she decided to just head straight for the Royal Kitchen to see if the cooks had anything laying around she could snack on. Her mother and aunt didn’t like her walking around in her adventuring attire, as they said a Princess must always look regal. But honestly, she could care less about that.

It’s not like she was going to take over the throne after all. That’s why she’s spent the last ten or so years traveling to and from the Eternal Plains with Balgore, much to her mothers anguish.

But she enjoyed it, and planned to keep doing it till the day she decides on either doing it full time or staying here in Equestria. The only reason she hasn’t made that decision yet is because she wants to be here for her family, especially with the way Star Chaser has been acting these past few years. Her mother was at wits end with trying to help him get back on track, and Nova wasn’t sure she could.

Star Chaser would have to figure this all out on his own, and they’d all just have to sit back and let him. She’s already tried talking to him in the past about his behavior, but he’s in denial about it.

All of this went through her head as she walked down the halls of the Palace, her hoof steps sounding off of the large walls around her, echoing down the empty halls.

It took her a bit to realize that she hadn’t seen another pony since she’d stepped out of her room. Not a servant, guard, or even any of her family members. This was abnormal, as this place usually at least had roving guard patrols.

As strange as it was, she kept making her way to the kitchen, knowing the cooks would at least be in there, since they spent the entire day preparing food and cleaning.

Yet as she stepped into the large kitchen, she found it empty and void of anything that signaled that anyone had been in there for a few days.

“Odd…” she muttered, this entire situation not setting well with her. She’d been traveling through Dimensions for years, and she’d learned how to tell when something was wrong. And this was clearly wrong.

Leaving the kitchen she moved to her mothers room, knowing she’d be in bed since it was the afternoon.

On the way there, she still saw no one, nor heard anyone. To make things stranger, the moment she entered the hall that led to her mothers room, she saw all kinds of cleaning supplies that’d been left out.

Her pace picked up as she rushed down the hallway and burst through her mothers doors, entering her room in a mild panic.

The room was bare, as it'd been completely cleaned out. Not a trace of her mother was left.

With a shaky breath, she stepped out of the room, head swimming with questions and worries.

Had something happened? Why was her mother’s room bare? Had she just simply moved to another room?

All these questions and more rushed through her head as she quickly made her way for her aunt's room, hoping there were answers in there.

Yet just as her mothers room, her aunt's room was cleaned out too, leaving nothing but a bare floor and bare walls.

“What the bloody hell is going on here…?” she muttered, deciding the only place left to check was the throne room.

She all but ran down the halls, her hoof falls echoing all around her as she galloped.

The moment she reached the large throne room doors she used her magic to throw them open, sprinting through them and into the massive room.

Just as the rest of the palace she saw no one. At first.

But as she looked around in a panic, she realized there was someone in the room, on the other side and behind the thrones.

Teleporting over, she appeared right next to the thrones, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she saw the back of her mother as she stared at a family portrait on the wall of the entire Royal Family.

“Mother!” she exclaimed as her body relaxed and she looked around the throne room. “Where is everyone?”

Yet her mother did not respond as she just stood there, swaying slightly as she kept looking at the family portrait.

Nova looked at her mother, a dull feeling appearing deep inside of her as she felt something was wrong. “Mother? Are you okay?”

She took a few steps towards the Alicorn Princess, watching as she kept swaying side to side.

Then her eyes caught the glint of something attached to her mother, causing her to stop. That dull feeling turned into a cold pit in her stomach as she realized there were almost invisible strings attached to her mother, all of them running straight up to the ceiling, but it was too dark up there to see what they were attached to.

Taking a step back, she spoke again in a shaky voice, “M-Mom?”

With a jerk her mother turned to face her, her body moving unnaturally, as if the strings were the only thing controlling her body.

Nova let out a shriek of horror as she saw the melted face of her mother staring back at her.

She stumbled back and fell down the stairs, rolling all the way down them till she hit the bottom. But she was in too much shock to feel the pain as she stood up, looking to the top of the stairs where her mother’s body now stood.

Sinister laughing began to sound all around her, causing her already panicked breathing to get worse.

From above, holding onto the strings attached to her mother, a very skinny and horrifyingly disfigured unicorn floated down. A wide smile on their face that extended all the way down to their chest.

On her left another demonic creature stepped out from the shadows, this one looking like a brutish Pegagsus with horns, a wicked smile on their face as they laughed crazily.

To her right stepped out a familiar creature, this one being the Nightmare. He was in a large fox form, a wide smile on his face just like the others.

“Nova, little princess of Equestria,” another said as they stepped around the thrones and stepped up next to her mother’s body. This one was just a buff human male in a suit, a cocky smile on his face as he stared down at her. “Welcome home.”

She trembled as she looked at the assorted creatures before her, barely recognizing any of them. They looked like villains from the past, but with a new paint job and obviously new powers.

Finding her voice, she stomped her hoof and stood up tall. “What have you done?!” she bellowed in an authoritative voice, trying to ignore her mother as she was forced to stay upright by the Demonic Unicorn above them. “Where is Star Chaser? My Aunt?”

This just caused all of them to laugh even harder, seeming to enjoy her attempt at taking charge of the situation.

“Cute,” the man said as he looked behind her. “Oh, here’s your dear brother now.”

The sound of someone moving behind her caused her to whip around, seeing her brother standing there with a confident smile on his face.

“Star Chaser!” she yelled as she ran towards him and threw her legs around his neck. But he didn’t return the hug as she held onto him, which she noticed instantly. Taking a step back, she noticed he had a large crown on his head and had replaced his old cloak with a more Royal looking one. “Star?”

His confident smile never left his face as he reached out and roughly gripped her shoulder. “Sister, you return home.”

This interaction did not sit well with her, as he was not acting like she’d expected him to. Then, as she looked into his eyes, it hit her.

“Star… what have you done?!” she asked, her fear clear in her voice.

“What had to be done,” he said as he tightened his grip on her shoulder. “You should have stayed away, sister.”

Sensing something was about to happen she teleported a few feet back, getting out of his grip.

“Please,” she began, her voice shaking. “Tell me you didn’t do that to our mother?”

“I did,” he admitted with a chuckle. “I did it all, sister. I’m the King now, and I have my Queen by my side.”

At the mention of his Queen, a mare stepped through the doors to the throne room and stood there. This caused Nova’s eyes to go wide as she recognized the mare. “Azure Moon?!”

“Yes, my Queen,” he laughed. “Now, I’m sorry it came to this, sister.”

He flew towards her, but she had already teleported behind him, having expected him to try that.

“Star Chaser, stop!” she yelled, but he just laughed as he stood up straight and turned to face her.

“It’s unfortunate that you’re an heir to the throne as well, otherwise I’d let you live,” he said as he smiled at her.

“You know I don’t want the bloody throne!” she yelled, causing his smile to fade and be replaced with an emotionless stare.

“I’ve always hated how you talk,” he said in a low voice. “Always acting like you’re better than me. More proper.”

“That’s nonsense!” she snapped back, teleporting just as he thought about dashing towards her. “I’ve never thought of myself better than you!”

“Bullshit,” he growled as he side eyed her. “Goodbye now.”

But she’d already teleported far away from there, already knowing what would happen if she stayed.

Nova reappeared on the train tracks far outside of Canterlot, her body trembling as she tried to hold herself together.

“Running will not work,” Champion said from behind her, having caught up to her in an instant.

In response she teleported again, this time appearing in the middle of New Ponyville.

But the sight of the destroyed buildings caught her off guard as Champion exploded out of the air and landed before her.

“Stop,” he said simply as he swiped his hoof into her, attempting to kill her in one hit. But her Ego Rapier appeared between them and took most of the blow, which still sent her flying through the air. Her horn flashed again as she teleported to a random location out in the middle of the Everfree forest.

She knew he was following her based on where she’d likely go next, so she hoped by choosing a spot at random would buy her more time.

But as she took a step, she let out a cough as blood spewed out of her mouth. Apparently more force got through her block than she thought, as now it felt like a few ribs were broken. She coughed a few times, stumbling as she fell against a tree.

Deciding to move before he found her again, she teleported to a few random locations, hoping to lose him somehow.

Yet she finally had had enough as she did one last teleport, appearing on the Apple Family Farm and collapsing in a pile of hay in the middle of the barn.

Doing her best to control her breathing, she tried to make as little noise as possible, knowing her brother could sense even the smallest of sounds at a distance. Which basically meant it was only a matter of time before he found her.

Hopefully by then her horn would be ready for another teleportation spell.

As she lay there, she heard a small sound off to the side, causing her to jump up and point her Ego Rapier in that direction.

“Nova?” someone unseen asked.

“Who’s there?!” she snapped, waving her blade around as she looked for the owner of the voice.

“You’re alive!” Louie exclaimed as he suddenly ran into view, wearing some strange get up. “Oh my God, we thought you were dead!”

“What?” she asked, looking around but seeing no one else. “What’s happened here?!”

“It’s a long story,” the little dog said as he looked her over. “Wait, you’re hurt!”

“I am,” she said, breathing hard as she lowered her rapier finally. “I need a doctor.”

“Calypso is all we have right now,” Louie said as he ran over to her and looked up at her. “Doc got got.”

“He’s dead?” she asked with a pained expression on her face.

“Oh no, just got taken by Champion’s anti-brony squad,” Louie said as he sniffed the air.

She blinked at him, as this just raised so many questions. “Louie, tell me exactly what has happened since I’ve been gone.”

“Sure!” he exclaimed, clearly happy to have an audience. “So it all began-”

“This is not the kind of game I wish to play in your final moments, sister,” Champion growled as he appeared in the doorway of the barn.

“Champion!” Louie yelped, grabbing a little blade on his side and flinging it towards the costumed stallion. The little dagger hit Champion in the face and bounced off harmlessly.

“Do not run anymore,” Champion said in a cold voice, completely ignoring Louie and his pathetic attack.

Yet Nova had already forced herself and Louie to teleport, much to the anger of Champion as he let loose a scream of absolute rage.

They could still hear his scream clearly all the way out in the Everfree forest.

“Oh fuck, we’re screwed if he’s the one chasing us,” Louie whimpered, pacing around in front of Nova.

“Stop, Lou,” she said as she stumbled to a tree and leaned against it, no longer feeling like she could use magic. All this teleporting, and the broken ribs, had left her completely exhausted. Luckily for them Champion was trying to gloat and show off before killing her, otherwise she's sure they'd already have died.

“Can you do one more teleport?” he asked in a panicked voice.

“No,” she said, breathing heavily as she tried to focus on anything but the pain in her chest and horn. “I’m spent, my little friend.”

“Come on, Nova!” he pressed, prancing before her frantically. “One more teleport, then we’re home free! We need to get back to our base!”

“Nowhere is safe from him,” she gasped out, losing all hope in the situation. She knew exactly how his abilities worked, and knew there was not a single place they could hide that he wouldn’t eventually find them in.

“Well we have a place, we just have to get to one of the safe houses to make the jump!” he exclaimed, grabbing her metal shoe with his mouth and yanking on her.

She took a deep breath, willing herself to do just one more jump. “Alright, Louie. Where are we going?”

He let out a happy bark and pointed in a direction. “Take us to New Ponyville! Right on top of the ruins of the Mellowed Pie! They’ll know we’re there once we arrive!”

All she could do was nod as she held a hoof out to him. He jumped onto her leg as her horn sparked and they teleported.

With a pained grunt she fell to the floor of the ruined restaurant, the roof gone with just a few walls standing.

“Sweet!” Louie exclaimed as he ran over to a little symbol on the ground and began to scratch at it.

Nova wondered what he was doing as she laid on the floor watching him. But she didn’t have to wait long as a portal opened before them.

“Louie? Why are you using this…” someone began but stopped as they stepped through the portal and saw Nova on the ground.

“Princess Nova?!” they exclaimed as they rushed over and began to try and get her up.

“Yeah! She’s actually alive!” Louie barked as he jumped through the portal and waved for them to hurry.

Nova struggled to walk along with the pony helping her as they stepped through the portal, followed by it snapping shut behind them.

She let out a pained gasp as the pony slowly sat her down on the ground. Now that she had a moment she looked at them, a smile appearing on her face as she recognized them.

“Nightstreak,” she said, getting a confident smile from him.

“Yo, Princess,” he laughed, giving her a little salute.

She groaned again as she looked around, taking note they were in some strange dimension. “Where are we?”

“Oh this place?” he asked as he looked at Louie. “Go get Calypso.” Louie gave a little salute and sprinted off. He then turned his attention back to Nova, “this place is apparently the place Lance and the others hid in while Bronwyn hunted for that one guy. We’re using it as a pretty sweet hideout.”

“Nice,” she said, the pain now flaring to extreme levels.

“Nova!” Calypso yelled as she and a few others sprinted over to her side. “Thank Celestia that you’re alive!”

She didn’t respond as she just grimaced up at the older mare.

“I got you, don’t worry,” Calypso said as she injected something into Nova’s side. “We don’t have Doc, but Summer Breeze is learning. She can reset all this damage once she gets back.”

Giving a little nod, she let out a relieved sigh as the pain slowly resided, thanks to whatever she was given.

Now that she wasn’t in as much pain, she glanced around, looking at the relieved and happy faces of the ponies around her. “I need to know; what happened?”

“Champion happened,” Roxxy muttered, getting a few sour looks from the others around her. “He killed the Princesses, then declared Bronies were the ones who did it. Now anyone who’s associated with them is being hunted down and sent somewhere.”

“That’s the basics of it,” Calypso said as she looked the mare over some more. “We’re losing people left and right to that damn sorceress they have.”

Nova blinked at them, sitting up with a grunt. “Start from the beginning. Tell me every little detail.”

Louie smiled widely as he jumped forward. “Gladly! Our story begins at the beginning, when I was born!”

“I’ll tell it,” Roxxy said as she shoved the little dog back and sat down before Nova. “Just, it’s not a happy story.”

Nova gave a nod as she focused on the young mare before her. “Proceed, please.”

Next Chapter: About that time Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 57 Minutes