The Chronicle of The Hunter

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Return
Chapter 2: Arrival
Chapter 3: New Beginnings
Chapter 5: Memories
Chapter 6: It's Only Just Begun
Chapter 7: First Steps (The Adventure Begins)
Chapter 8: The Monsters in our Minds
Chapter 9: Rewind
Chapter 10: Tribes
Chapter 4: The Trial (Revelations)

Chapter 1: The Return

Chapter 1: The Return

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for the good men to do nothing.

Edmund Burke

I slowly trotted along the dirt path just outside the border of Equestria, saddlebags only very slightly weighing me down. It's times like these that give me an opportunity to reflect on past experiences. The manticore. The hydra. The dragons. All the mythical beasts I have slain, in the name of a kingdom who doesn't even know of my existence! But alas, that is the way things are to be.

I am The Hunter. The Fighter, The Silent One, as long as it doesn't invoke my true name you can call me whatever you want. I hate who I am. Or who I was, for this matter. I could have protected this entire world, no, the universe, from destruction and death. However, in my cowardice, I chose not to, and am now suffering the consequences. But a punishment is a punishment, and I am not allowed to enter Equestria.

Legally, that is. It seems that more recently the magical protection that she created has been broken and I can enter the country at my own free will. I sure hope Celestia doesn't find out...

If you were to meet me on the streets, I would be the pony that all ignore, or thereby choose to. Long, crimson, dragon-like wings. Body similarly colored, tall and thin, with very little visible meat or muscle on my body. Eyes black, darker than the night itself, narrow, ready and alert for any signs of danger. Mane, electric blue, thick, long. Identically designed tail, except neatly shortened for battle purposes. Cutie mark, almost invisible, a small image of a bow and arrow.

I choose to be silent during my walks. It allows for focus and understanding, along with patience and relaxation. I am constantly fighting the demons of the outlands, and these minute opportunities are incredible, and I take them by the neck and choke them until I get nothing more from them.

So lost in thought I was that I did not even notice my surroundings. Without realization on my part, a bright pink pony with a darker pink tail and mane jumps out of the woods screaming at the top of her lungs, "WATCH OUT, WE GOT AN EMERGENCY PARTY COMING UP!" At the last second I see her, and try to dive out of the way, but to no avail. We collide and roll into a nearby ditch. Within seconds I've recovered, swiped up my saddlebags, leaped into the cool morning air, and literally stared at this hyper pony. It's not normal for anypony, except me, to be outside the borders if you're an Equestrian.

"Who are you and what is your purpose here?" I quickly, but precisely, demand. "Answers. NOW."

"Woah mister, calm down." This pink pony is already getting on my nerves. First crashing into me, now telling me to calm down?!?! And my patience level was never high in the first place. "I'mPinkiePieI'venevermetyoubeforewhoareyouwowIreallylike-" Diving down, I stop her short with one hoof over her mouth.

"Ok, first off, slow down. I can't understand a word you're saying. Secondly, I would like to know what an Equestrian is doing outside the border of Equestria." Slowly I lower my hoof from her never ending diarrhea stream that is her mouth.

"Ok, ok. You're such an emergency party pooper!" She exclaimed this with such a high-pitched tone I had to drop my ears "I'm Pinkie Pie! I....kinda.....sorta....gotlostandwoundupouthere. But who are you? I've never seen you around here. But I've never been to these parts. And I know everypony!"

I start slowly, having to think quickly to cover myself up and also try to stifle a laugh. There has got to be something wrong with her. However, I do have an alias that I always go under, so I was prepared. "My name is Midnight Blade! I'm actually from Las Pegasus, and was trying to hike to Ponyville, but got lost along the way. Apologies for the confusion."

She gives me a sly grin. What is up with this pony? I cannot figure her out, and it's very peculiar.

"So...Pinkie Pie....where's a good place to get food around here. I'm starving." At this point there is no way I'm lying. Eating grass every day is really tiring, and I almost always have an empty stomach. Part of all the energy I use to defend myself, I guess.

"OH-OH-OH! I know an AMAZING place, called Sugarcube corner, where we can have cakes, and cupcakes, and muffins, and donuts, and just everything delicious and amazing!"

"I was thinking more along the lines of actual food, but ok, let's try it out." I'm now enthralled by her. As she speaks, she'll jump up and down at a phenomenal rate, almost jittering in place. I can't tell if she's extremely hyper or I'm seeing things.

"YAY! I can't wait to tell my friends about you and have them meet you! You're so nice, unlike that Cranky Doodle Donkey when I first met him, he was all like-"

Wait. A. Minute. There are more like her? This will be an interesting experience, to say in the least. I block out her rapid fire voice as I think. Can I chance entering Equestria again? Possibly, however risky. Let's try it.

"Um, hello? Mister Blade? You awake?"

I'm jolted back to my senses as the pony waves her hooves in front of face rapidly. I swear on my very wingfeathers, if I have to spend another hour with her, I will go insane.

"Yes, Pinkie, was it? (she nods her head) I am awake, but not fully understanding. You never actually answered my question as to where are you from. So, where are you from?"

"Oh, but that's easy! I'm from a rock farm, but I live in Ponyville now."

This sends any hopes I had for peace into the trash. Ponyville. So that's what they call it now. The place where my hopes were shattered and crushed by my beloved sisters. But, it's time to get moving. The sun is setting, and the night is when the monsters will fright.

"I think it would be best if we continued our journey, Madame Pinkie. I do not know what creatures live here, and I'm honestly afraid to find out."

Still bouncing, she yet again nods with a massive grin on her face, and starts bouncing away, at a ridiculous rate. Sweet mother of all things good and peaceful, does she never get tired of being happy? "Can I tell you the names of all my friends? Can I can I can I please?"

I begin galloping at a fast pace. "Yes, but I would like to be there before nightfall, so let's go as fast as possible please!"

"OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Chapter 2: Arrival

Chapter 2: Arrival Pt. 1

"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win."

- Steven King

Finally. Many, many hours with THAT pony has driven me to half madness, only holding on to sanity through the belief that her friends can't ALL be like this. Surely there must be some difference between it all.

Thank my lucky stars I was right.

When we arrived in Ponyville, I was immediately escorted to the Ponyville Library by Pinkie to make formal introductions with (whom I assume to be) the leader of these ponies, named Twilight Sparkle.

Analysis: Twilight Sparkle.

Appearance: Light purple coat, mane and tail three different shades of coat color. Cutie mark a star with smaller stars surrounding.

Personality: N/A

Relation: Neutral

"Well it's nice to meet you, Mister Blade."

"Likewise, Twilight Sparkle. You know, from what Pinkie Pie told me, you are an extremely powerful pony. Is magic a forte of yours?" Calling the bluff. If she nor Pinkie takes the bait, then I know that all I heard about her is a lie.

"Well, I don't mean to exaggerate, but-" She's cut off suddenly by Pinkie, who's somehow still bouncing, but now my comment has almost gotten her to start battering the walls, the way she's moving and talking.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? TWILIGHT IS THE BEST MAGICIAN AROUND OH MY GOSH DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HOW SHE BEAT THAT URSA MINOR COOLEST THING EVER AND SHE BEAT NIGHTMARE MOON AND DISCORD and yeah she's AWESOME!!! Even PRINCESS CELESTIA accepted her as her STAR PUPIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Well then. I was right, she is very powerful indeed. And to be the best pupil of my sister is a challenging feat. But there was some other details in what Pinkie said that's bothering me...

"Twilight, you defeated my sis-I mean, Nightmare Moon? AND Discord? Please explain, I'm very interested." Thank goodness I caught myself. Twilight gives me a surreptitious glance before answering me,

"Well, Mr. Blade, (Me: "Please, call me Midnight") Midnight, as you may have seen and heard, both Nightmare Moon and Discord returned, both at different periods of time though (and thank goodness for that, otherwise Equestria would've been history.) But, we, and by we I mean myself, Pinkie, and the friends you have yet to meet, are the current wielders of the Elements of Harmony, and used them in both occasions to defeat the villains before their plans got out-of-hoof."

My jaw dropped. To the floor, almost. I was standing next to the wielders of the only things powerful enough to actually keep me out of Equestria, besides my siblings, and they weren't being used for their original purposes to actually keep me out. It completely baffled me how well Celestia actually covered up my presence in this country.

After thinking about this for a long time, I realized I was still staring at Twilight, and had been completely silent for a solid minute. I quickly focused my gaze elsewhere and politely coughed, turning a brilliant shade of red. What is it about this pony that confuses me so much? She clearly has knowledge, and lots of it. She is the bearer of the Element of Magic, right?

"Excuse me Twilight, but if you don't mind my asking, which Element is it that you possess?"

"Oh, it's quite alright. I actually possess the Element of Magic." Knew it. But if she holds that element, then I have even more reason to fear her, because it means that she herself can contain me. Suddenly feeling nauseous, I take a step back, a bit dizzy.

"Midnight? You feeling alright?" That was from Pinkie Pie.

"Huh? What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just so honored to meet the bearer of what I believe is the most powerful Element." Twilight gave me another look. I think I'm revealing too much. Oh duh, pegasi don't generally think well of unicorns. Horsefeathers.

"Well, keep in mind that without my friends, Pinkie included, the Elements wouldn't work in my favor."

Quite quickly afterward I looked around for Pinkie Pie, who's returned to lounging on the couch, then back at Twilight. "And I assume that Pinkie Pie is the Element of-"

Pinkie Pie suddenly jumped out of one of the bookshelves. When did she...never mind. "LAUGHTER!!!! hehehe, that's me! It's my job to make people smile." She looked closer at me. "I just realized, OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!! I HAVEN'T MADE YOU LAUGH YET?!?!?!"

Oh boy. Lets see how I get out of this one. "Well, um, that's because there hasn't been anything funny yet to laugh at."

Mistake. Mine. The mare's eyes practically popped out her head "Well sure there has! You can laugh at anything! Watch!" She rather quickly jumps into her own version of the Pony Pokey. It's very challenging not to suppress a grin, but I fight it off anyway.

"As Canterlot roya-I mean, as a very respectable pony, I don't think I should be laughing at this, but I still find it funny either way."

Twilight gives me a third quizzical look. I'm getting into the danger zone now. She then asks, "Pinkie, can I have some alone time with Midnight, please?"

"Sure Twilight! Just don't do anything funny to him! Not without me, anyway!" She bounces out of the room, and I turn to watch her exit. Finally, some peace and quiet with-

As I turn around, I see Twilight, horn practically about to explode with purple magic.

Oh wait. Crap.

I get blasted across the room and crash into a bookshelf, landing in a heap of books. I slowly stand up, but a look from the mare sits me back down again.

"I'll say this once, Midnight." Her voice was cracked and broken. I could see she was confused and angry. "WHO ARE YOU?" I should've thought ahead.

"I don't want any smart-alec answers either, because I have a sneaking suspicion as to who you are, whether it is you or not, and if it turns out I'm right, I will hit you with my most powerful magic. So powerful, in fact, that you will most likely be missing your wings. And your horn. (WAIT HOW'D SHE-) A true-seeing spell given to me by my mentor, Princess Celestia."

I shudder at my sister's name being invoked in the conversation, and clearly that was the reaction the purple mare was hoping for. Time for another coverup.

"I, I, ok, fine!" I exclaim, flopping onto the couch beside me. "My real name is Midnight Blade. But I, uh, uh, um..."

I couldn't think of my usual coverup, and too many um's. Without another word, she fired a very singular, very powerful bolt of bright purple magic. Quickly, I dived out of the way, unfolding my bat-like wings and pushing off another bookcase, rolling with the punches.

The mare's eyes widen. At this point there was little room for negotiation. I pulled out Basilisk and prepared for a fight of a lifetime. But then something surprised me. Her anger practically evaporated, and slowly I realized what she was staring at. My wings. My bat-like, totally un-pegasus like wings. She and I both paled. I tried to cover my wings and perform a erase-thoughts spell, but in my panic I totally forgot that in my Blade state I can't use magic. Twilight lowered her head and whispered, "So the stories are true."

I blacked out from the panic that rushed into my mind.

Dreams. Twisted, demented. Horrible faces loom out of the darkness, scaring the eight year old Sunstriker. After a couple minutes of screaming, his entire family entered the room.

"Daddy, will Big Brother be okay?" Asked a crying Celestia.

"I don't know, dearest. I just don't know." A stoic stallion sat in the corner, waiting for the convulsions to cease.

Cut to years later. Celestia, Luna, and Sunstriker are playing in the fields. All of a sudden, something snaps in the teenaged Sunstriker. He cries a bloodcurdling shriek and lands onto the ground, convulsing madly. Luna and Celestia looked once, screamed, and ran away.

About half an hour goes by, and the convulsions cease. Dusting himself off and repreparing for takeoff, Suntriker notices something before launching. A little bottle, with the words For when you need it the most. He looks at the bottle, picks it up and stores it in his saddlebags, and takes off.

I'm awake. Finally. I'd forgotten about the nightmares my damn sister Luna sent me. I do a quick mental check, running through times, historical knowledge, mathematical facts, everything. I check my wings and the rest of my stallion body for cuts and bruises, of which there were minimal. I can worry about them later. I should be worried about-

Twilight entered from what seemed to be her kitchen, looked up from the book she was reading, and froze. There I was, awake again. I tried to sit up, but something was holding me back. I look at my hooves. Shackled to the very table using a spell I had never seen, much less heard of. I'm going to look that up later, if I get the chance. Big IF.

"So good you're awake." Those were words I never wished to hear from her mouth again, at least not in that tone. It was dull and unpleasant. "I have alerted Princess Celestia to your presence in Ponyville. She will arriving shortly to take care of you."

Five other mares step out from behind Twilight. One orange Earth Pony, two Pegasi (one blue and the other yellow,) a dazzling white unicorn, and...PINKIE PIE?!?!?!

To top it all off, they were all wearing the Elements of Harmony. Oh, just what I wanted to see on this wonderful day.

"Um, do I get introductions to these other ponies, or am I just gonna lay here wondering WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON!" I practically yelled it to the stars, gesturing from Twilight to the others.

"Oh, shut up, you dimwit." This from the blue pegasus. I've at least heard of this one. What was it again? Raindance Flash? No. Flash Raindance? No. Buck it all! Oh wait. Rainbow Dash! Duh. I cringed at my own foolishness, but Rainbow Dash took it to be cowardice and stepped right up to me.

"You have every right to be scared." The mare hissed at me. We were breathing down each others throats at this point.

I feign being cowardly, albeit very poorly. "Oh no, what ever shall I do? The mighty Rainbow Dash has me shackled against a table, and I have no escape." I practically whinnied with laughter. The stupidity of these creatures was ridiculous.

"Rainbow, back it off." The orange Earth Pony has finally spoken up. Do I sense a Southern lilt in her voice? "Don't want'cha to be scaring nopony, now you hear?"

"Yep, hear you loud and clear, AJ." Rainbow Dash backs up slowly, while the other, AJ, trotted straight up to me and poked me in the nose.

"How dare you run rampant in our town!"

"Excuse me?"

She falters. "You know, barging inta town and attacking Twi! Or at least, that's what she says. But anywho, I'm Applejack. And you are?"

I didn't even bother with the false names. "Hunter. Or my true name, Midnight Blade."

"Sure ya are, sugarcube. Just as soon as my name is Spitifre." Applejack sneered at me with that last sentence, and steps back, allowing the white unicorn to step forward. Judging from the Element around her neck, I'm going to guess Generosity. Focus. I need focus. I focused on my left foreleg. And waited. And waited. Until....

The white unicorn slapped me in the face. Ow. That wasn't generous at all! "How dare you be SO disrespectful to my friends. Whatever in Chrysalis's name is wrong with you?"

Twilight took this opportunity to jump in. "That's just it, Rarity. He's a Changeling." They all quickly get into a defensive position. "There's no way his magic would have been that powerful without him, or actually her, being Queen Chrysalis!"

Wow. I thought I was going to get some intelligence from the smart pony, but nope. She has officially gone off the deep end.

I quickly gave them what I hoped to be a pleasant smile. In turn I received a light zap on the shoulders from Twilight.

"Hey! Watch where you blast that! It could be lethal!" I am still focusing of my left foreleg, when suddenly...

POPPOPPOPPOP The shackles fell off. All the ponies jump back, the yellow pegasus actually giving out a little screech.

"Stop right there!" Twilight was faltering, and I needed to come off as friendly, did I not?

"Ok Twilight. Sure. I don't mean anypony any harm. And nor am I Queen Chrysalis, I wish to have no affiliation with that beast of a queen!" I slowly back off, loosening my shoulders and my wings while I stepped. It would be bad for me to cause them to hurt me. Elsewise they themselves would be getting hurt. Very, very painfully. Think spikes.

All six ponies were immediately confused. "Wait, so you don't want to kill us very slowly with your weapons of mass destru-eep!" This was from the final mare whose name I still didn't know. A pegasus. All of them would be valuable allies. Just give them, give me, time to convert to new society.

"Of course not." I assured her. "I only hurt things when they actually deserve. And looking at all of you, I'd say nopony deserves to be hurt."

All faces then turn to Twilight, who is silently laughing.

"Hunter, did you really think we were that foolish? Your stuff is gone. When I realized who you were and you passed out, I took the opportunity to make sure you had nothing dangerous on you."

Gears in my head turned, and time slowed, almost as if I did that without thinking. Finally, during this slow-time movement within myself, I decided to get a good look at the mares around me, starting with Twilight.

Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn. Protege of Celestia. My goodness, this mare had a lot going for her. A shortly cut mane, one that was primarily dark purple with two streaks of lighter shades of purple going down the front. Same color scheme applied to the tail. Her cutie mark was a large purple star with several smaller white stars surrounding it, obviously representing magic. She was attractive, in her own way. Not likely that if they were to meet in normal life they would ever be more than friends. But she seemed caring, and from her magic I could tell that she was one pony I wasn't going to mess with.

Secondly, the blue pony, Rainbow Dash. Athletic. Powerful. Probably headstrong, too. But there were two things that kept sticking out in my mind about this pony. One, her mane and tail. Yes, true to her name, Rainbow Dash had a rainbow mane and tail. The one thing I noticed, though, was that at the base of her head, her mane changed color completely, going from primary to secondary colors. The tail was different, with all the colors on there at once. Secondly, her cutie mark. Yes, I know it's generally impolite to stare, but there was something about this one. It was a white cloud shooting a rainbow bolt of lightning. Where have I seen it before? I'll think more about it later.

"Gosh, everything sure is quiet!" Pinkie Pie. The most excitable pony I have ever met. It's almost like her poofy pink mane and tail are actually made of sugar and supply the rest of her with sugar and happiness. Walking back to the town with her was a chore, because although I didn't want to talk, she didn't want to STOP talking. Her cutie mark was three balloons, with which came the general assumption that she was the party pony of the bunch.

"Yes, well sugar, it's not like this 'ere stallion was just gonna gallop on in and be all 'Ah'm here! Time to party!'" This orange mare seems to be the levelheaded one, aside for Twilight. Applejack was clearly very strong. It wasn't very evident through the visual effects of her muscles, but the way she acted and the way everypony was very careful to stay away from her hind legs made me think of two options. Either she is a racer or...

Question answered. As you see the three apples on her hindquarters when she turns around I recognize her as a farmer. The hat should've given it away, but still, better safe than sorry.

That left two ponies. I probably should focus on the yellow pegasus, but the white unicorn named Rarity is throwing me for a loop. Her perfectly coiffed mane and tail. Her way of speaking, her way of walking. It was all very pompous and bothering. Yes, she was indeed pretty, but no need to show it off. Her cutie mark helped in no way. Three diamonds. Of course. I stifled another laugh as she dusted the area within 5 feet of her so as to make sure she didn't sit on anything dirty. Germophobes. They're always funny to prank.

Heartbeats. The only sound as the blood rushes through Sunstriker's ears. Currently, he's teetering over the edge of a cliff. Was it such a good idea to pull a prank on Luna like that?

Five minutes before. Luna enters her room, book in face, and then looks up and screams in panic. Dust. Dirt. Muck. Everywhere, in her precious bedroom! "STRIKER I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" She shrieked as Sunstriker blasted out of the house, laughing his flank off.

Never piss off a princess, thought Sunstriker as he slowly saw Luna walking up the path in front of him. But this time, it wasn't Luna. Or at least the Luna Sunstriker knew. She was wearing a mask. And a breastplate. And leggings. Even boots. It was kind of cute, seeing his little sister like that.

"Lulu?" It was a name he only used when he was trying to be sincere. Luna was past that.

"Sunstriker. A disgrace to the family." She spat in the dirt. "I was hoping for an older brother who actually might be interesting."

Striker dug in his heels, and charged at Luna. A blast of white light suddenly filled the air, and both Sunstriker and Luna dive for cover. Luna escapes unharmed, but Striker smashes his head against a rock and blacks out.

"Darling? Are you ok?" I jump what feels like 50 feet into the air before recognizing my surroundings."Um, yeah, I'm fine, Rarity." When was I ever fine? I think that's gotta be the biggest lie I've ever told.

I then look at the yellow pegasus. "You were brave enough to ask me whether or not I was going to attack you. That takes nerve. I'd love to know who you are."

"I, um, am, um, um, eep!"

"Allow me, Shy." Rainbow Dash took the lead on this one. "This is Fluttershy. We went to flight academy together, although she's always been a bit more of a ground pony. She loves animals, which explains her cutie mark. She runs the animal hatcheries and homes for animals."

I take a closer look at this extremely shy pony. She eep'ed one more time before I smiled and said, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Oh, okay. I was scared there because you're really scary and-" One look from Twilight silences her.

Fluttershy was a very interesting pony, to say in the least. She's very thin, seemingly frail at that. Her coat is a bright yellow while her mane and tail is pink. Her cutie mark is butterflies. It seems almost as if I know the least about Fluttershy.

Hell, I'm going to need some allies when Tia shows up, and if she recognizes me there is no way it's gonna be a lovey-dovey reunion. I'm thinking more along the lines of get-out-of-my-kingdom-before-I-have-you-arrested-or-killed.

Twilight walked up to me. "Knowing the Princess, she's going to have questions upon questions for you, so I hope you're prepared."

Joy. Let's play catch up and kill. But one nagging detail caught up to me right before Twilight Sparkle turned around and went to go rejoin the other five, who were now circled up discussing privately.

"Twilight Sparkle?"

"Please, call me Twilight."

"Ok then, Twilight. How did you know I am who I am?"

She took a deep breath. I sensed that she had been mentally preparing for this question. Over the course of the next half an hour, she explained to me how she knew that I am The Hunter. Firstly, she owns a library, and is always capable of reading every book she has in inventory and memorizing it fully. Almost a week before today, she was reading a book entitled "Ye Elder Destroyers of Equestria" written by Cordis, which was a bad anagram for Discord, as (surprisingly) Rainbow Dash later figured out. So she had been reading a book written by Discord about those ponies whom were responsible for the Wars Before the Solar Empire. Surprisingly, everything he wrote matched up. Except for one slight detail. There was one page missing, and according to the Glossary, the one page was the one describing The Hunter. In place was a single riddle, which was relatively easy for Discords standards.

The location was easy enough. The next clue was, somehow, on the Ponyville town flag, which then led them to the schoolhouse, and from there to Sweet Apple Acres, which is apparently Applejack's farm. Discord was keeping this short and sweet, and the final location was actually in what appears to be the foundation of the Sugar Cube Corner place Pinkie Pie had been telling me about. Here was the entry about me, or The Hunter, in this case. Or at least the part Twlight showed me:

"The Hunter is the original anarchist of pre-Equestria. Although Nightmare Moon led the Lunar Rebellion, Hunter was the leader of Project Archon, a completely different rebel group focused more on survival as their primary goal rather than world domination. Or so it was thought. For as soon as Nightmare Moon had been banished by Celestia into the moon, Project Archon struck at a time when the Empire was weakest. War was always following this mysterious pony. Nopony knows where The Hunter got his name, what country he originates from, and whether or not he has relation to the royalty in Canterlot.

The Hunter is a alicorn, through and through. However, his magical ability is also unknown. He was a pony of war, and oftentimes did not use magic where he could use his weapons. His weapons were..." It goes on and on like that.

Well, Discord got it on the dot. Except for one part. I used magic all right. Key word used. I'm a pegasus still.

"Now than, Hunter, y'all gonna tell us ponies if that stuff's true?" Applejack slowly trotted up to me, and was giving me the staredown of a lifetime.

"Well," I say, pushing away Applejack a little bit, "Most of the excerpt I read is true."

Rarity steps up as well, goes around me once, taking in every detail, then mentions: "Well then, I guess the most precious question on our list, darling, is why are your wings so intricately detailed like that?"

Everypony stops in the room. Even Pinkie Pie shuts up and stops bouncing, but not before she shouts, "WHAT!" Twilight gives me a quizzical look, Rainbow Dash and Applejack just stare at me, jaws dropped, and Fluttershy kind of does a combination of diving under a chair while still trying to look at me. She just ended up slamming her head against the seat, and then dives into the kitchen, and just peeks around a corner, looking at me.

I don't smile. I don't frown. This is the story I didn't want to tell. It haunted me since day one, and I didn't appreciate having to go through the story again...

Project Archon Headquarters. In flames. Sunstriker watches as the main base for his rebellion burns down, then faces the 100 Canterlot Royal Guard who slowly circle him, spears in hand. Sunstriker's eyes, a blood red, rolling inside their sockets. Slowly turning in circles, and with a bloodcurdling battlecry, he charged at them, magic explosively destroying the surrounding terrain. He had lost everything. Scienceponies. Guards. Soldiers. Some were his very loyal friends. He had lost everything, and now was giving up his own life to a cause that almost seemed nonexistent.

Minutes later. Battle over. Sunstriker drops from the air, exhausted from fighting all the Guard, who have been torn to shreds, only to have Princess Celestia step right up to him, filled to the brim with energy.

"Brother, you have made a poor choice. Very poor." she begins, with an almost pleasant smile on her face.

He snarled, fury running white hot in his veins. "You wouldn't know anything about poor. You inherited a kingdom with Luna, but she abused her power. I tried to make something great of myself and keep out of your mane, but that was destroyed just now." He's screaming now, no control over himself. "AND NOW I TRY TO GET REVENGE AGAINST MY OWN SISTERS, AND I STILL LOSE! MONTHS OF PLANNING, GONE TO WASTE. MY FRIENDS, MY SCIENTISTS, MY WORK! ALL DEAD!"

Now Celestia is laughing, manically, disgustingly. "Brother, you expected to win? My royal guard have been training for battle since we defeated Discord! I have magic beyond possible belief! And now I have one more advantage over you. After all the years of pranks, jokes, and just plain old mean tricks against Luna and I, this is SO going to be worth it." With that, she points her horn at Sunstriker's flank, tip glowing. A beam of light echoes out of her horn and directly at Sunstriker's horn. After the beam disappears, so does his own horn. It's gone. And soon also transforms Sunstriker's mane, it turns a light blue, while his coat turns a deep red, and wings become dragon-like...

All six ponies have been sitting down since I started the story, making sure not to use my real name. When I finish, even Pinkie Pie looks like she wants to cry. She gives me a giant hug, practically crushing my ribs. Applejack is the complete opposite. Along with Rainbow Dash, they lock hooves and quickly discuss. They both turn around and Rainbow Dash says, "And just how do we know you aren't lying?"

"When a pony becomes an alicorn, Rainbow Dash, it becomes physically impossible for them to lie. They may be able to bend the truth, but whatever they say is always technically true. Oftentimes we alicorns will speak loosely, allowing for misinterpretation, but we never told any lies." I step forward to her, wings up.

"So what? You're still weird. And dangerous."

A new voice echoes through the house. I try to leap out the window when I recognize it, only to have it slam shut into my face with a blast of white magic.. "That is correct Rainbow Dash, but you forget that we can use magic to amplify our abilities."

All six mares get up, turn around, and bow to Princess Celestia as she enters the room. I simply try to hide my face. "And just which alicorn do you have in your house, Twilight Sparkle?"

The six get up, Twilight turns around. "Well Princess, we're not sure but we think we have The Hunt-"

Celestia moves like lighting to silence Twilight. "We do not mention his name here. However, I understand who you speak of, but how did you know of him."

Twilight tries to launch into a lengthy explanation, but a look from the other five stop her. I could sense they wanted me out as soon as possible. "A book written by Discord." She says sheepishly.

Princess Celestia turns around. "And you used a True Seeing spell. That always leaves the smell of mint in the air." I hadn't noticed the mint. Note to self: resharpen senses

Celestia continues, "Also, it is very lucky that I also decided to bring Princess Luna with me. She could be helpful in discovering who this stallion really is. Oh Luna! Please come up to the study!"

It's just been one of those weeks.

Chapter 3: New Beginnings

Chapter 3: New Beginnings

"We stopped checking for monsters under the bed when we realized they were inside of us."

- Heath Ledger as The Joker, The Dark Knight

Even though we were siblings, I was never on the friendliest of terms with Luna, especially after I started Project Archon. So when she walked into the room and saw me, going ballistic is an understatement. She was so mad, she turned herself back into Nightmare Moon and used the traditional Canterlot voice to scream, "YOU!" She then proceeded to leap forward, tackle me, and keep me pinned down onto the ground. She then barks out in the general direction of my other sister, "Celestia! Help me pin him down so we can blast him back to whence he came!"

"Enough, Luna."

What? I thought for sure Celestia would be all for sure about getting me out A-S-A-P. But no, something tells me she has bigger plans. Although Celestia and I weren't surprised by her actions, the other six ponies were confused, giving all three of us searching glances.

I then realized something. She hadn't told them, had they. "Tia?"

"Yes?"

"You haven't told them, have you?"

Based on her glances downward and shifty movement, I'd say not.

"Somepony puh-lease tell me what in the hay is goin on here!" Applejack exclaimed. The other five nodded their heads in agreement.

I realized something else. Something really, really bad was about to happen. "Celestia and Luna? Remember that thing? It's back." As everything fades to black, I see images of fires burning, ponies slain, blood trickling down their heads, and worst of all, the rainbow beam of light that got rid of my pride and joy and banished me to the hell that was the borders of Equestria. Even then, the laughing head of Discord slowly rises up from the chaos and says, "Checkmate, Sunstriker."

A crying filly in held in her mothers arms while two other ponies wait patiently nearby. Sunstriker looks up to his father and says, "Dad, why me?"

His fathers bows his head. "I never wanted to explain this to you, but you have me in a position where if I say I can't, then you'll find out on your own.

You were a, special, case. Your magic originally nearby destroyed the house on it's own, but it stopped beforehand because you had seen the pain in your mother and my faces. We were ready to die. It afflicted you with guilt and shame for the next few years. That burden is one you carry even now.

Magic comes at a terrible price. Especially in colts like you, who are very, very powerful, and untrained. It requires a sheer amount of energy that nopony has. When drained, magic uses up your thoughts and replaces them with nightmares. At that point you will go unconscious because of the searing pain going through you as your very thoughts are replaced. Like I said before, it's terrible, but hopefully you will not be that badly burdened."

The young colt nods his head and continues to watch the screaming Celestia as she is being calmed by her mother.

..............

Suddenly, Sunstriker is a colt no more. At least 10 years of age, he is clearly practicing magic with his father, and looks absolutely exhausted. He fires a concentrated burst of energy at a water bottle almost 50 yards away. The water bottle glows bright orange then shatters. Very soon after, Sunstriker screams and drops to the ground as a white hot pain sears through his head. His father shakes his head and murmurs, "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this...."

I jolt out of a bed, more shocked than anything else. I hadn't seen that memory before. The others were more commonplace, but this. This was new. I have not seen anything like it, much less remembered it. I look around, still startled and adrenaline rushing through my veins. Only Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight sit next to me.

I groan, rub my head with my hooves, and moan, "Where are we?"

Twilight looks up from the book she was reading. "Welcome back to the real world. I was hoping to get answers, but no, you just had to pass out and have both Princesses freak out. What is your damn problem, you stupid stallion?" With that she bursts into tears.

What? What is something I said? Fluttershy leans over and gives Twilight a nuzzle, reminding her of her place. Quickly recovering, Twilight gets up and says, "Hunter, we are in Canterlot. You are in Bridesmane Psychiatric Hospital, put under observation until your trial."

Trial. What trial? I try to walk up to Twilight and Fluttershy, but bump into something solid and invisible. Magic? No, a plexiglass shield. What for? I want answers!

Twilight notices my confusion and mentions, "We are in a PSYCHIATRIC hospital. It's to make sure the patients don't attack their visitors. And as for your trial, it's for breaking into the country you were banished from."

Oh, so now Celestia tells them. Shit.

She continues, "Celestia and Luna seem very on-edge around you. What aren't you, and them, telling us?"

Really? An interview? "I cannot and will not tell you that, Twilight Sparkle."

Applejack jumps in. "Darn tootin you will, and if you ain't gonna tell her, then Celestia only knows what ah'm gonna do to y'all"

"Um, Applejack?" This was Fluttershy. Is she scared of what happened? "Can I go? I don't like him and I'm really scared."

Applejack smiles and looks at the other pony. "Of course you can, sugarcube. Twi and I can geddit from here."

"Oh, thank you Applejack." And then she dashed out of the room. Wow, her name really says it all. FlutterSHY.

Applejack turns around and glares at me. "Ah'm not the first to say this, but what in the HAY is up with you?"

I shudder, my mind returning to what had just happened. I never wanted to see that again. "You don't want to know, and if I told, I would have to kill you."

She falters. Something tells me she wasn't expecting that. "You know," I offer, backing away from the plexiglass, "I could tell you. But I think that you'd probably be better off finding out from Celestia and Luna. They know more than me, I was never able to retain memories."

Twilight snorted, clearly mad. "That's Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Give them some respect."

A nurse entered the room. "Twilight? Applejack? The others want to talk with you outside. Plus, visiting hours are over, so I was going to have to ask you to leave anyway."

Both mares stand up and exit without saying another word. The nurse then turns to me and says, "And you, filth," she spits out the word like it's a curse, "don't expect any special treatment because Celestia all told us who you are. And don't try any more rebellions, either. Lights out as well, because I don't trust nor like you enough to do anything stupid. Your trial is tomorrow morning, and I seriously hope that you are convicted and sent out of Equestria. Again."

So they were told. My shame is clearly visible as I hang my head and slowly go over to the bed. I never wanted to hurt anypony. I never wanted to hurt anypony. I just wanted to win. These thoughts cloud my mind as I step into bed and let the grief, pain, and suffering take over...

Discord. This creature was power enough on it's on, but now even he has his own group. The three royalty defeated all of his mutated minions (Celestia decided to call them Changelings) and now he faced them, chaos in his wake.

"Give up?" He says gleefully as all three ponies stagger up to him, completely broken. They'd seen enough war. But one of the three alicorns still stood above the two, power and thoughts rushing through his mind. He'd had enough of the smiling draconian, and it was payback time.

It was Sunstriker.

"Oh, a challenge? And for a minute there I thought you had given up." Discord, still smiling, chortles. "Well then, Rule Number 1: There are *no** rules." With that, he picks up Celestia and Luna, and slowly pulls a sharp stone out of the ground.*

"You see," He continued, stone and ponies rising to meet each other, "I'm tired of joking around. You three and your little rebellion was problem enough on it's own, while having my own people defy me. That wasn't fun. You've made me actually mad. And a mad Discord means anypony in his wake is going to DIE." The stone suddenly breaks into two pieces, which sharpen themselves against each other. They rise against the wings of the two captured alicorns and slice off one feather on each wing by slightly touching it.

"Perfect." Discord was truly smiling now, an evil grin setting across his face like nopony had seen before. The stones backed up slightly, then rushed at Celestia and Luna.

But they explode, as a brilliant red flash of light engulfs them. Discord looks down and sees Sunstriker. The one pony he should have been paying attention to, but didn't. His mistake. Sunstriker rose from the ground, eyes turning blood red, coat a black so dark it practically absorbed the air around him, mane and tail a blinding, brilliant white. His cutie mark dissipated. Little did anypony know at the time was that Sunstriker was destined to look like this in the future when his fury was at it's maximum.

Discord was actually scared. His anger melted away as Sunstriker rose, facing away from the sun, completely blotting it out. And when the moon rose 5 seconds later, he blotted that out too.

"You have made a huge mistake, Discord" Suntriker spoke as if possessed. His voice took on a deeper tone, and his horn started to gleam red, as bright red lines spiraled around his horn and settled into them. "I am nopony to be reckoned with."

With that, a blast of black magic engulfed Discord. "Black as day," The magic surrounding discord took on a white form, "White as night," and finally turned blood red "YOU WILL SUFFER, DISCORD, AS WE RELEASE OURSELVES FROM OUR PLIGHT!" And as Discord turned to stone, Celestia and Luna fell, being caught by a cushion of white magic and slowly lowered to the ground. Sunstriker slowly returned to normal, his coat blue, mane and tail alternating stars and solar imagery.

Before being completely turned, Discord said four words. "Maledictus eris in perpetuum." Green magic swirled around Sunstriker, eventually settling down to reveal a perfectly normal Sunstriker. "Have fun with your dreams, little Sunstriker." Discord laughed as maliciously as possible, then was finally and completely turned to stone.

Sunstriker collapsed on the ground, weak from his experience. "What happened?" He asked before passing out on the ground, almost dead to the world.

Celestia walked up to the stallion, smiling. "You saved us all, older brother." But still there was sadness in her voice. She knew what Discord had said, and nothing was ever going to be the same.

The daylight shone through the bars in my hospital room. I'm awake. The nurse entered the room. "Your trial starts in an hour. The Princess will be judging you in front of all of Equestria. Everypony knows who you are, Hunter. Now get out of the hospital and find your way to the castle or else we'll kick you out." She hits a button with her hoof and the plexiglass drops.

I exit the hospital to find nothing happy about this town. Everypony was looking at me with disgust and hatred. One pony threw an apple at me and smacked me in the face with it. I looked around and recieved shouts of "Stay out of our beautiful country!" and "Scum!" Fillies and colts were pulled from outside and doors by their mothers to keep the "monster" away from them.

I can only imagine what Celestia told them to scare them off. A sadness overwhelms me as I realize something. Even if I was able to come back, I wouldn't be able to walk the streets without being heckled and arrested. I am a survivalist, but even those types of ponies need some sort of company to keep them from breaking. I myself am surprised I haven't myself broken. I've been alone for almost 1,000 years, only to come back to a society that hates me.

I walk to the edge of the city, where there was a 2 mile drop to the bottom. I wanted to jump off and never use my wings. Just plummet to the bottom. Watch the ground slowly come closer only to impact with my speeding body and crush my body. Why not? My spirit was crushed anyway, I may as well. But no. There would never have been a fix. Nothing will have changed. I step away from the edge and continue walking. Soon I'm singing quietly to myself:

I walk a lonely road

The only one I have ever known

Don't know where it goes

But it's only me, and I walk alone

I walk this empty street

On the boulevard of broken dreams

Where the city sleeps

And I'm the only one, and I walk alone

I walk alone, I walk alone

I walk alone, I walk a-

Another voice joins mine. What? I look around and see...Twilight Sparkle?!?!

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me

My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating

Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me

Till then I walk alone

We continue, oblivious to those around us, heads and hearts down

I'm walking down the line

That divides me somewhere in my mind

On the border line of the edge

And where I walk alone

Read between the lines

What's fucked up and everything's alright

Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive

And I walk alone

I walk alone, I walk alone

I walk alone, I walk a-

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me

My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating

Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me

Till then I walk alone...

We finished our trek. I looked at Twilight. "Why?"

She smiles. "Just because we hate you doesn't mean you have to be alone, Sunstriker. As much as I dislike you, sadness and disappointment are things I can't see on anypony."

I freeze. How'd she know my real name? Suddenly, I spin around and tackle her. "Where did you learn that name?" I hiss at her, paling, while her face turns red."

"P-p-princess Celestia told me. Don't worry, I haven't told anypony. I'm not allowed to." She gives me a weak smile.

I get off of her and look around, making sure nobody heard or saw what happened. "Good. For others to know wold be a problem. We're here. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle."

"You're welcome. I would have done that for anypony. Besides, I like Green Hay. Good band. I have to meet the princess inside, and I'm late as is. See you at your trial." She teleports inside

As we stand before the castle, I wonder if Celestia will be patient with me, or let her emotions get the best of her. Well, there's only one way to find out. I slowly walk into the castle, ready for the worst.

Chapter 5: Memories

Chapter 5: Memories

"War does not determine who is right- only who is left"

- Bertrand Russell

I wake up to the rustling of branches. I'm in a forest somewhere on the outskirts of Equestria. After the fireball, I feel completely devoid of energy, magically and physically. I look down at my wound, only to see a bloody tear. I must have used another healing spell to repair most major damages and keep myself from dying. I've still lost a lot of blood, and I need food. But as I try to stand, I become light-headed and collapse, concentration on my primary goal lost.

Chaos. Everywhere. Ponies a greyer version of their original coat color, succumbed to Discord's magic and trickery. Bison doing ballet. Large craters in the dirt and fires burning down most houses accompanied many of the sights the three siblings were used to. Soon, they arrived at their own home, a little shack with no purpose other than for sleeping and eating in. There's a difference with the shack this time. It's a mess. The outer walls have collapsed inward, and the roof was on fire. It looked identical to the other homes along that very street.

The three ponies dash for the entrance, calling out at various times, "Mom! Dad! Where are you!" Finally, the eldest, an eighteen year old Sunstriker, noticed a hoof hanging out of the main bedroom. He uses magic to lift the wreckage and gasps at what he sees.

Both parents are collapsed on the ground, dead. The mare has a piece of timber stabbed through her midsection, while the stallion is bleeding in various locations, mostly from the head. The house had finally collapsed, and they were unfortunate enough to be caught in the wreckage. Or there was another possibility. One that created itself evident when Discord appeared, surprising Sunstriker. He opens one yellow eye and says, "Oh look, a pony that isn't happy? I thought I was making you all happy!" He looked down at wreckage and exclaimed, "Oh, even better! Now that your parents aren't here to tell you otherwise, you can do whatever you want!"

Sunstriker pawed the ground with one hoof. "What did you do to them, you beast!" a fourteen year old Celestia and a seven year old Luna are clearly visible in the background, shaking as their brother faces the draconequus.

Discord is still smiling, and it gets even bigger. "Why, I did you a favor and got rid of them! Who needs parents anyway?" He shrugged, a stormcloud popping out of his shoulder...

Sunstriker. At twenty eight years old, he was fit in every sense of the word. But this time, he's back in the castle. In bed. A nurse is attending to him, and seeing him awake, calls out through, "Code Green in room 177!" Several doctors rush in, along with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both looking very haggard.

"Brother!" Both alicorn mares shriek as they rush forward to hug him. He returns the embrace and then they back up. "You look like crap" the now seventeen year old Luna commented.

"Duh, that's kind of what happens," Sunstriker commented. He runs a hoof through his white mane. "I remember trying to relax on a bench in the castle gardens, trying to focus my magic on a parasprite to transform it into an apple. After all, I was hungry."

After the Discord event, most of Sunstriker's magic had been permanently drained. Even with the boost he received from being an alicorn, there wasn't much left. Sunstriker gets out of the hospital bed and says, "I feel well enough to leave. I'm going up to my room."

Luna looks concerned. "But Striker-"

He whirled and faced her, eyes flashing. Danger Zone Level 1. "I'm going, and that's *FINAL!*" he barks. Luna shies off, but now Celestia is mad.

"Hey! You can't do that to your little sister! That's just plain rude!"

Sunstriker turns around, now at Danger Zone Level 2. But when he sees Luna, he softens. "I'm sorry Luna. You know how I am with these events. I'm really sorry."

His sister smiles again, cheering him up thoroughly. "It's fine. Wanna go get something to eat?"

Now Sunstriker is grinning. He tackles his sister and play wrestles with her. "Hoovever wins doesn't have to pay!"

Luna giggles. "No fair! No fair!"

Celestia steps forward, "Enough of this childishness!" Sunstriker and Luna back off. Then Celestia grins. "No bets without me being involved in them!" And proceeds to tackle Sunstriker...

The light is soft against my face. I can hear noises in the distance. Hoofbeats hit the solid ground. Is this it? Am I about to be picked up by some foreign peoples who want to kill me? I slowly stand up, better than before. But one step puts me on the ground again, my heart practically jumping out of my sliced open chest...

Sunstriker watches the moon rise as Luna puts her talent to good use. With a little assistance from him of course. Both his sisters insisted that he help them with their duties, even as his magic was drained quickly. It was a practice exercise to keep them fully functional, but still...

The stallion pulls a piece of timber out of his saddlebags. His house had finished burning down ages ago, but he had kept this piece as a memory.

Leaves fall, representing the passing of autumn. Fall had always been his least favorite time of the year since the Discord incident.

A sense of loneliness overwhelms the Prince.

With those final thoughts of the past, the young stallion looked at the moon one last time and headed back into the castle, head hung low as though the past is never forgotten.

The breeze feels cool on my face. I've never felt anything like it. I see a purple-hued figure standing above me, sobbing. How did they find me? She sees my eyes open and gives me a massive hug. I wince and she pulls away, embarrassed. She says something I can't comprehend, and five other ponies suddenly flock over. But the breeze feels so good. Just so good...so good....

Sunstriker. Aged 108, mane glistening as he sweated trying to fix some sort of massive device with many other ponies. There is no roof on the facility, and the prince hears a whistling noise. He looks up and his eyes widen. Firebombs. How did she-???

They drop, almost as if in a dream, slowly. His sense of time is slowed as he uses his magic to create a shield around the base. It's too late though, as the bombs are already below the barrier. He only has time to readjust the shield to protect himself as they drop, creating a shockwave so large he is thrown out as the shield shatters. The entire facility glows bright orange, then *explodes,** corpses and pieces of the building flying up into the air. One piece hits the fallen prince and he goes unconscious, bright fires burning in front of him.*

Time goes by. The fires still burn. It was a singular attack, as Celestia expected him to fall. All had gone according to plan for the Solar Empire. After many hours, Sunstriker wakes up and sees his best friend at the facility, Night Wing, staring straight at him, eyes glazed over. However, it's only the pony's head that remains, as the ashes of his body slowly blow away and get absorbed back into the fire. This is the last straw. Sunstriker looks at the moon. Nightmare Moon had been successful so far at keeping the moon up permanently. But he'd had enough. He shoots the most powerful bolt of magic across the wreckage of Project Archon, and into the Solar Empire. But this was no violent magic. Just a message. As it reaches the halls of Princess Celestia, a ethereal clone of the Prince appears, saying these words:

"Sister. I gave you the opportunity to give up the fight. You did not take the chance, instead choosing to attack me. I will admit, we were unprepared. And you have destroyed all of my allies. But not me. I await your Guard and as they used to say, 'War is a necessary evil.'" And as the image disappears, the halls of the castle become quiet when the Princess speaks. And when she speaks, hatred drips from her voice. "Then let there be war."

I feel sand against my back. A beach? I shake my head, causing starbursts of pain to go through my mind. What's going on? I look down at my chest. Almost completely healed. There was only a deep scar there now. How?

As my eyes come back into focus, I see Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash watching me with a sense of concern. When I finally fully stand up, I mutter, "Where are we?"

Rainbow Dash works up the nerve to say, "We don't know. After Twilight found you in the woods, we got lost on the way back and found this beach. We've been here for the past week or so."

A week? Wow, that was an unexpected length of time. "And how long have I been gone?"

Applejack steps in. They all look saddened. "Two months. We've also heard nothing from either of the Princesses. By the time we left all of Equestria was plunged into chaos."

Two. Months. I've been knocked out before, but not like this. And just who had the nerve to break into the kingdom while we were away? I look at Fluttershy for an explanation.

The pegasus looks down, pure fear in her eyes. "After you removed the barrier, your sisters fought for a week straight. Then, just before leaving, Princess Luna transformed herself into Nightmare Moon and left Equestria in a state of permanent darkness. Nopony knows where she went."

I see Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity return to the camp. As they see me, Twilight rushes over and gives me another giant hug. "I'm so glad you're ok!" she gushed, tears streaming down her face. "When we first saw you on the path, we thought you were-" she can't stop crying now, it's an endless torrent.

"Wait. A. Minute. When we were in Canterlot you were ready to begone with me. What's up with the change of heart?" All six ponies hand their heads in shame. Rainbow Dash speaks first, her voice strained. "We let our anger at you get the best of us. You hurt our friends, our leaders. And we didn't, we couldn't forgive you for that. Not then, at least. But when you jumped off the edge of Canterlot, we realized that although you hurt them, we had hurt you more. And I'm sorry. So sorry."

"Sugarcube, ah'm really sorry."

"I'm sorry, Sunstriker."

"Me too"

"I, I, I cannot forgive myself for my actions. Will you ever forgive us, Prince?"

I turn my head to face the ponies. I could see the pain, the suffering, in each one's eyes. Was that truly what I had looked like? "I am willing for forgive you. There have been worse experiences that haunt me, even to today. But what happened there had been the last straw. Now, there's only one way we can fix this." Twilight had a fixated, almost reminiscent look while listening to me. "We need to find my sister. And fast. I know Celestia, and it's going to take a lot out of her to try and lower the moon without Luna there."

I noticed one pony hadn't said a word. Pinkie. I look at the normally happy Earth Pony. There was something very, very wrong with the mare. Her mane and tail were deflated, her eyes bloodshot, coat grey. "Pinkie," I call to her very softly. She stands up straight and gives me a weak smile, with a salute to boot. "Sergeant Pinkie reporting for duty, SIR!"

I look her straight in the eyes. "You need rest." As I look around, I notice all of them have that same exact look. "You all do. And food. Let me guard tonight." Against all protests, I stand firm. "I'm guarding tonight. No questions asked, no complaints. You all look terrible." They look at each other and nod consent.

"Fine, but the minute you get tired you wake us up." This was Twilight's very final demand before she fell over, sound asleep. Soon after goes Rarity, then Fluttershy, then Pinkie, until Rainbow Dash and Applejack remain. They stay wide awake, staring at me. I finally notice them.

"Something somepony wants to tell me?" I ask.

Applejack steps forward. "Um, yes, sorta. We, or ah, want ta know how y'all have stayed, ya know, un-loopy all these years."

"I haven't. Now, go to sleep. I'll explain in the morning, I promise."

Most of their question answered, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash fall backwards, asleep before they hit the ground.

I start a small fire next to me to keep warm, and wait. This was going to be a long night.

Chapter 6: It's Only Just Begun

Chapter 6: It's Only Just Begun

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

- Apple, Inc

As I watch the campfire settle down with the daylight only just rising, I continue my thought process from all that night. What magic compels the sun and moon to rise and fall? I knew not of what spell it was, only that when necessary, I could use it. How far away is the sun and moon? Where in the stars are they? These questions have bothered me all night. I don't like not knowing. It sends fear coursing through my veins and panic through my very being.

I look over to the six sleeping mares. They're so young, but been through much. Certainly not as much as me, but a lot. After scanning over the other five ponies, I see Twilight Sparkle ready and wake. She gets up and yawns. After a few seconds, she notices me solemnly standing by the campfire and grins at me. "I thought we told you not to stay up all night."

"I'm fine. Next time you have to stay up ten nights in a row defending a cave from a dragon, in mountains above the sky, you let me know." Yes, that did happen. And it was worth every night. I got a very excellent set of dragon scales out of that Until it was accidentally destroyed. But that's alright, I can still cast magic shields. But now I'm smiling. "That was a least worth every minute." I look at the purple unicorn. She is still exhausted. I missed something, I'm sure of it. Then I think about it, going back to even pre-trial for a minute. I almost immediately notice something. "Twilight, back when I was at the library with you and Pinkie, I remember addressing the fact that you defeated Nightmare Moon. But when did Discord come back?" I knew then that I was right. Discord had been back. She grimaces, and says something to herself I can't make out. Looking up, she mutters, "It's nothing."

Now I'm concerned. "Discord is never nothing. What'd he do?"

She seems really pained, like I just hit her in the stomach. "When the Elements of Harmony got transferred between the Princess and the six of us, it broke the casing Discord was in, and he returned."

"But, no! That doesn't make sense! It wasn't the Elements that defeated Discord!" She shoots up, ramrod straight, and stares at me.

"What? But the Princess-???"

I remind her, "I didn't exist, remember?"

Red floods her face. Clearly she had forgotten. Eh, I supposed that would happen. "Oh yeah, sorry. But anyway, when he came back, it was terrible. He hypnotized everypony and made them be their complete opposites. Fluttershy was mean, Applejack kept lying, Rarity became greedy over a boulder (noticing my 'what the hay?' look she says "long story") Pinkie Pie didn't want to laugh anymore, and Rainbow Dash ditched us for Cloudsdale, which was perfectly fine at the time."

"You didn't include yourself in this. What did he do to you?" Now I'm worried. This Discord sounds different than the one I faced that millennium ago.

She's facing the ground now, and a single tear runs down her face. I walk over to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Memories hurt, Twilight. I know that personally. But you need to talk, or you end up like this," I point my other hoof down at the scar through my chest, "and this," now pointing to my blank flank.

The purple mare tries to look up and talk, but sighs. "It hurts too much to talk about." The protege of my sister was cracking. I saw that. It takes extreme skill to hold this much weight on your shoulders without talking. She had friends she could talk to, but it wasn't enough. She needed someone knew, someone she could relate to, who had seen and felt these experiences in a different time. She needed me.

I gaze at her for a minute, taking in as much detail as possible, before deciding to reveal another secret. It's only fair, she's explained a little, now I have to explain some things. "Would you like to hear something else about my past?" Twilight nods, and I open and close my mouth numerous times, trying to decide how to formulate this. Finally, I settle on the following:

"Twilight, I'm not much for magic. Not at all. I can barely use normal magic. It weakens me extremely."

Startled by this revelation, she exclaims, "What? But at Canterlot? You? HUH?"

I stop for a moment. "Actually, this is something everypony needs to hear. But I'll tell you first.

When I first fought Discord back when my sisters and I were really young, I used magic in a way you aren't supposed to. It changes the magic core for the worse, shrinking it to a point where the most magic I could've used was turning a parasprite into an apple. But when I was much younger, I had found a bottle with the words, "For when you need it the most." It contained something more powerful than all the magic in Equestria combined. It contained dragonfire, a rare magic that not only repairs and fully heals the magic core, but increases its capacity to a point where the bearer can do whatever they want with magic, above that power of the sun and moon themselves."

I've lost her in a world of convoluted thought. She needs a few seconds to process this, as a revelation as large as this can be extremely stunning. "But, isn't dragonfire the stuff Princess Celestia uses to send messages?"

"Yes, but there's a difference. My sister never thought to actually consume the stuff. Oh, it hurts more than anything else, your insides get completely burned. There's a survival rate of a tenth of a percent and those who survive are usually in critical condition for a year or so, and it generally doesn't work for even those, so their mistake."

Annnnd shes gone. "Huh? But how are you fine?"

This I don't know. I never knew, just accepted and rejoiced that I got extreme magic without extreme consequence. I voice that, and Twilight nods. "So, dragonfire may not affect alicorns. That's worth studying. When I get back to the library...." all of a sudden her head drops again, "if I get back to the library. If we even get back to Equestria. None of us have any idea as to where we are." She drops to the soft sand of the beach, and begins drawing. I step into the woods behind the beach, so we aren't heard and to provoke her into following me. She takes the bait and slowly totters over.

"Would it feel better to know a little more about me, Twilight?"

Twilight looks up, joy overcoming the fear in her eyes. "Yes, it would. I've always been curious about your and the Princesses pasts. What was it like, defeating Discord? The Great War before the rise of the Solar Empire? Your family?" She's hit several sore subjects, and can see that when I wince at the last one. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

No. I need to do this. It may be the only chance I get to tell anypony the entire truth. Starting slowly so I don't loose her again, I begin reading from my memory. "Let's start with my family. I had myself, my parents, and my two sisters. I was born just before the Discord years, and Celestia and Luna were born during them. I am three years older than Celestia, and eleven years older than Luna, so I am indeed the oldest.

My mother's name was Solar Flare, my father's Lunar Eclipse. They lived until the year after my eighteenth birthday, when Discord destroyed the little shack we called a home and crushed them under the wreckage. I don't know what was the precursor to those events, my sisters and I had been out foraging for food most of that day. I could have saved them, if only I'd been a bit faster. After we found what remained of my parents in the wreckage, Discord appeared before me, mocking our every attempt to save them and attack him. It would take much longer for us to form the original Solar Empire, then called The Empire of The Solstice, in honor of my mother, about five years later. It was my sisters and I who defeated Discord, and I remember that day thoroughly. He enthralled my sisters with magic and nearly killed them. It was only through my anger that we actually would have lived. I had waited long enough for revenge on the draconequus, and there was my opportunity, combined with the fact that he was about to murder my sisters."

Deep breath. I do want to burst out into anger, unless I can channel it into going back to Prince Sunstriker. I still look like The Hunter, and right now it's too dangerous for that pegasus.

"That was also when I discovered my true form. I had been in The Hunter form as an alicorn until that day, and it's only when war cries for anger that I was able to change back and forth after that. Until I master the full power of dragonfire. Right now I'm technically still an apprentice, learning my way around the specific powers and trying not to overload my horn. How The Hunter, or me now, lost his horn is a different story. After taking that first bottle of dragonfire, I could change at will using the performance you saw at Canterlot. It takes the speed of five, um, what do you call them, Rainbooms, to work, and is permanent unless I change it back by myself, with no other magic affecting me. Once I master it, I can change back and forth at will."

I'd lost her. I'd hoped it to be otherwise, but apparently not so. "Then how can Princess Luna change back and forth from Nightmare Moon to normal her without trying?"

She makes a point, but I'm ready to answer. I've been around long enough to partially understand the magic of my sisters.

"Good question. But I am not tied to moon or sun, so I do not receive the magical benefits of either. My sisters receive a magic boost from their celestial bodies, like my dragonfire, and it is enough to be more powerful than normal me. That's why I need dragonfire to boost me, so that I can also receive magical benefits. As is, I'm still strong. If both my sisters took ill, I would be able to take over their responsibilities without trouble. Their magic benefits appear differently. Luna is transforming into Nightmare Moon, and Celestia..." I falter. What is her benefit? She lost the elements. Sending messages is normal for Canterlot royalty. "I don't know about my solar sister. She has been a mystery to me. But back to your questions, what was next?"

Quickly glancing behind her, Twilight and I notice the other ponies starting to wake up. Pinkie is already bouncing up and down at a ridiculous rate, and Rainbow Dash is stretching her legs with Applejack. Rarity is grooming her mane, and Fluttershy is still asleep, though her eyes are fluttering as she starts to awaken. The purple unicorn turns back to me. "It can wait. I think we should head back."

"Agreed. I would also suggest we get moving soon, I would prefer to not stay in one place for more than we have to. With the magical borders of Equestria down, I don't know what could wander its way in."

We step out of the woods and head back to camp. When they see us, Rainbow Dash's eyes practically popped out of her head, before she crash lands on the ground, laughing. "Twilight! I never took you for the royalty type!"

Rarity grins slightly. "Neither did I. What have you two been doing while we weren't looking?"

Pinkie jumps in. Literally. "Do I get to plan a wedding party? It'd be awesome!"

Applejack is smiling as Fluttershy wakes up. "Hey Shy, guess what two lovebirds we caught a-heading out of the woods?"

"Oh, really Applejack? That is sooo cute, Twilight, I mean, I never expected your special somepony to be royalty! Angel would be so happy for you if he was here."

Both Twilight and I are scarlet with embarrassment. I try to redirect their thoughts. "No, no, no, nothing like that. It's something a lot different."

Poor choice of words, yet again. Now all five of the other ponies are laughing their flanks off. I don't understand mares, but whatever. "A lot different, huh? So ponies with benefits?" Rainbow Dash is trying to contain a smile, but it isn't working.

"Girls, please. You know I'm better than that." Twilight is even brighter before, if possible. With those words Pinkie Pie becomes ecstatic. "So I do get to plan a wedding party? YAY!"

Ok, enough is enough. I can take a joke, but this is getting a bit extreme "Enough! We were talking about my past." Laughing dies down immediately. "The only reason we stepped into the woods was to not disturb you all sleeping."

"Well that's mighty kind of y'all, but now Ah want ta hear about it too. Please tell us." Applejack is surprisingly interested. Why do all of these mares know nothing? Does Celestia not publish...duh. I facehoof. "Yeah, I will."

I slowly recount the past ten minutes, before ending with, "and that's where we left off. Any other questions before I get moving to try and find the way back?" All ponies shake their heads. "Good. Then I will return." And with that, I jump straight into the air and takeoff. "I'll be back later! Wait here!" I call out behind me, making sure they hear so that there's no confusion.

I love flying, without a single question in my mind. The wind in my mane, the cool clouds passing by. It's one of the most relaxing experiences a pony can have, whether stallion or mare. You're free to sway any way you want, restricted by only your imagination. I send a burst of wind in one direction, a cloud in the other. It's your own miniature world, and I love it so much. Soon, I see a spire and the outline of a town after about ten miles travel, a lazy journey of around half an hour. I can't tell if it's Equestria, but at least there's some sort of civilization. Time to turn back and alert the others.

I kick off of a cloud and speed back, seeing what levels I could reach. Doing some mental calculations, I note that my max speed is fifty wingpower, and that's flying normally. I could do this in no time by myself. Lost in translation, I'm descending at a rapid rate, more than I should be, and I'm not noticing. Pretty soon I'm only five feet above the ground. Finally, I catch myself, and looking down, I try to slow down, but it's too late. My wing catches on a tree and sends me spinning and tumbling to the ground, landing back on the beach. At least I make it back before my crash landing. Pretty soon, I'm slowing down. Sliding to a stop in front of the empty campsite, I come face to face with a saddlebag. The mark on the side of it is a pink butterfly. Fluttershy. I shoot up. The campsite is truly empty. Devoid of even ponies. Where the hay did they go?

An ear splitting screech breaks through the silence. "HUNTER! HELP US! DRAGON!"

Dragon. Of course. Why would it be anything else!

Running into dark woods is no easy task. Especially when the high chance of a dragon is evident. Screeching to a halt, I see two unicorns, two pegasi, and one Earth pony staring down a...thing. Whatever it is, it isn't a dragon. Almost half dragon, half hydra, the six-headed beast towered above us, flames belching from all mouths. And there's not one. No, not one, but two of the damn things. They travel in pairs, apparently. Shocking.

Rarity is still screaming. I hiss at her, "Rarity, there is no need for this, be silent!" She turns, sees me, and tackles me in a giant bear hug. "Oh, thank goodness you're here! We were looking for food and these beasts attacked us!" Next shocker. These things can talk. "You intruded upon our territory, ponies. We are simply defending it."

I do a head count. I see Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Only one pony missing. I face the creatures again. "Creatures of the forest, I ask you, where is the orange Earth Pony?" They do not like being called creatures, I can say that much. The smaller one shoots fire straight at me. "We are not creatures! We are dragini, the keepers of the forest."

The larger one continues for it, remarking "Your orange friend was quite brave, pegasus. She stood up to us until idiot over there decided to have a go at her. Swallowed her in one gulp." The little one nods consent. "She was tastyyyy"

No. This is not how Applejack is going to go. My eyes blare bright green as I explode. "Do you know who I am, dragini? I could kill you both with one fell swoop!"

The dragini look at each other and bust out laughing. After a couple of minutes, the bigger one looks at me and says "I like this one. We should keep him as a slave and teach him a few manners while we gobble his friends."

"Or we could smack him into the atmosphere, tenderize him a little, then continue with your idea." the younger one suggests.

"I like that even better," the giant dragini picks me up in one claw and throws me with all his might. I'm going too fast to even recognize my surroundings.

A couple minutes pass by before I start thinking. Could I, from here? Maybe? Where are my friends? Are they even still alive? They'd better be, or I'm gonna go start a war and destroy the forest. Wait. Did I just refer to those mares as friends? No way. I can't make friends. It will hurt too much to see them go. I'm not friends with them, it's decided. I'm just doing them a favor by saving their lives. Right? At this point, I'm feeling a bit light headed from the height. I can't see the ground. Or make out details. Where am I? I can see the edge of the world at this point.

Whatever. Those things aren't going to have a pony. Or any other snack. Ever. Again. And they will NOT. KILL. ME. I've slowed down enough. Time to turn around and fight these beasts. Swiveling on the air using my wings, I now face downwards, back towards the earth. Tucking my wings back in, I plummet for the surface of the world.

~~~~~

Facing down Nightmare Moon was hard. Facing Discord was hard. Facing the Changelings was difficult. But for all of those experiences, we had the Elements of Harmony on our side. I look at my friends. Are they ready to die? The giant dragini had thrown Sunstriker somewhere into the atmosphere, and the little one ate Applejack like she was an Applesnack. I sure hope she's still alive. I saw a quick swallow. Do they not chew? I hope so.

Fire swirls around our heads as the dragini's prepare to swoop in and kill us. They're creating a cloud of smoke and it becomes hard to breathe. I'm choking now, eyes watering. This hurts. Would it be quick or prolonged? The way to kill us? I don't want to die. I don't want anypony to die. Not now. Not ever. And this was certainly not the way I had expected to go. Looking at my friends, I can see the pain in their eyes. None were ready to accept the evident fate that we were going to die. Why did it have to be like this. I close my eyes and prepare for the worst. A tear runs down my cheek. My family. Shining Armor. Cadence. My parents. All will miss me. But it was a worthy cause. "Girls, before we go? One last hug? It's a bit cheesy, I know, but if it's the last thing we ever see, I really love you guys." We crowd around each other, trying to drown the roar of the monsters and the eye-watering smoke.

And quietly, as if my last words couldn't contain anymore of my emotion and need to explode, I whisper, just loud enough for only myself to hear, "Goodbye, Sunstriker. I...I...love you..."

A single tear is left on my face, running down my cheek. It's time.

~~~~~

My want to get to the ground has never been greater. I need to save them. I will fail everypony if I don't. My sisters. The people. An entire country is in my hooves as my plummet becomes faster and faster. Come on, I need more speed! So close! The whiteness of the sound barrier is reaching me. I can feel the heat on my mane and coat. So close. Just a few more seconds...

My mane finally catches on fire. So does my coat. But as always, in the good way. My horn is growing on top of my head, pre-ringed with red spirals. The scar on my chest is slowly disappearing, and at the same pace my correct cutie mark is returning to my flank. The charcoal that is my coat is complete. Soon after, my white mane and tail are too. I close my eyes, feeling the final magic taking place. Moments later, I snap them open, now glowing red, red with the blood that will be the dragini. They will die.

A full fireball is engulfing me now, but I'm not burned. This is who I am. I am the shooting star. I. Am. The Prince of Eclipse.

~~~~~

An explosion rocks the night. Looking up, I can see light, even through all the smoke. We're safe. They didn't kill him. I face the dragini one last time. "One more thing? Never fight a prince who has the power of dragons, moon, and sun on his side."

More roaring. The larger one takes swipes at me. Jumping back, I'm now back-to-back with my friends. Move faster, Sunstriker. Please...

The fireball that is the Prince slams into the back of the younger monster, completely and instantaneously knocking the life out of the dragini. Yes! We're safe! But Applejack...hobbles out of the dust, supported by Sunstriker. She had been eaten whole, as expected. He tosses the weakened farmer at us, and turns to face the dragini. Even his stance reflects his anger. I've never seen a fury like it.

The final recognition is his voice. Not a normal voice, but a true Canterlot leader voice. Deep and authoritative, commanding and taking control of a situation. He shouts out "Creature of the forest! You have injured allies of the Solar Princess, the Lunar Princess, and myself, the Prince of the Eclipse. Do not expect forgiveness! I warned you, and you refused. What happens next is nopony's fault but YOUR OWN!"

And with that, a quadruple beam of light leaps out of Sunstriker's horn, two a pure white, and two a pitch black, striking at the center of the remaining dragini. It looks down, and his scales glow. Then explode into a mountain of dust. All that is left of it is the head, which promptly disintegrates.

Cooled down, Sunstriker looks exhausted. I hope that didn't hurt him. After all that energy he will be weakened.

~~~~~

That hurt. A lot. But saving people was worth it. After blowing up the dragini I feel exhausted and drained. That must have used up all of my energy. I need rest. I'm also hobbling, and when reaching the other mares, gasp out, "Well that was fun." and pass out, completely drained. But just before the complete darkness, Twilight gazes over me and murmurs, "But it's only just begun..."

Chapter 7: First Steps (The Adventure Begins)

Chapter 7: First Steps (The Adventure Begins)

"I will forgive, but not forget. And I hope you know you've lost my respect."

- Anonymous

Passing out sucks. Plain and simple. Not only does it bring back lost memories, but it brings back useless ones. Like the time I ate all that chocolate cake and nearly threw up. Or the other time I got so drunk off of cider I was hitting on my own sisters. Best part is it's always in third person, but I still receive emotions and physical feelings the past me has. So, nausea for both examples, and then the obvious drunken love you have for everypony. Humiliation is an understatement when looking back. I've done some pretty stupid stuff. Or, in some cases, you'll recall every single moment of your life, then wake up to discover it's only been five minutes real world time. That's the second worst, because everything moves so fast-paced, lives flashing before your very eyes, and nothing can be done. The past is the past, and nothing can be done to fix it.

But that leads to the final example of how my subconsciousness runs on overdrive: it will bring back every painful memory I've ever had. Losing family. Losing friends. Going crazy and/or experimenting with things that would have killed me if I had not been an alicorn. One thousand years of solitude isn't fun, and going through each and every bad experience you've had is a killer. Literally. I'll wake up and try to jump off a cliff or something stupid like that, then remember I have wings and just fly back up. Sure, memories hurt, but I've dealt with pain this long. Only a few more years before my final plan comes into play. I only hope it works...

Ow, I think, rubbing my hoof against my head. My head hurts. And my legs. And just everything. It's like actually being burned while being stung by a ton of bees. No fun, no fair. I kill a couple of monsters and this is my reward? The little voice in my head starts nagging. Maybe this wasn't worth it.

"No, it definitely was," I mutter. Talking to myself requires some quiet murmuring so that other ponies don't think I'm completely crazy. Even if I am. Slightly.

Nopony is going to forgive you for what happened all those years ago. Saving your sister isn't going to make a difference. They'll always hate you. No matter what.

"No," I'm shaking my head now. Why is this little voice so bucking persistent!

It's still going. What about Twilight Sparkle? She's been very forgiving, surprisingly. It's obvious you like her...it would be worth a shot, even it means giving her immortality...

"Nononono. Celestia would kill me. Me and her protege? I think not."

You'd still think it a good idea though. Images of the magenta mare shoot through my brain. Her trying to get help when I originally was knocked out after leaping off of Canterlot. The talk we had in the woods. I wanted to make a move, but couldn't. The last time I had courted anypony ended in disaster.

Looking into her bright green eyes one last time, Sunstriker ran a hoof through the mare's mane. In the chaos after the facility's explosion, he had forgotten to try and save his one true love, the pegasus Cloud Mane. She had been directly hit with a poison arrow from one of the guards after he was killed. Rigor mortis had taken in and his hoof smacked the trigger of the crossbow he was wielding, firing one round into her flank, right above her cutie mark.

Cloud Mane had been quite a looker, being hit on by almost every stallion in the Project Archon facility. She had only had eyes for Sunstriker from the very beginning. Her mane was as blue as the sky on a summer day, while her coat was white, like the clouds. She was named for her coat, after all. Her cutie mark was the complete opposite, a solar eclipse. She special talent was science, but not some specific science. All sciences. She was intelligent and pretty, and adored him. They were perfect. Life had destined the two ponies to be together. And then be apart forever after...

Sunstriker walked through the facility, head high, hooves smacking against the ground. This project needed to be completed very soon. His sisters had taken the wrong impression when he told them that he was creating a facility to house a ray. They thought he meant a death ray. And so the Project was thrown, rather violently, into the Great War when Princess Celestia sent a platoon of sentry pegasi, armed with spears, to take an initial assessment of the facility and attack weak points. Some of the interns were killed, but most of the scientists were completely fine, while others suffered some mental breakdowns. They were removed from the loop almost immediately. He wanted no weak links in this chain.

Looking down at some papers his assistant had sent him, he ran into another pony. One with a white coat. Except it was a lab coat. One of the scientists.

"Excuse me," she fumbled as she bent over to pick up the papers with her wings and hooves, "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there...Project Leader Striker?"

He smiles cautiously. He already liked this one. She was good-looking, for a scientist, and clearly had the brains to boot. Plus, she was a pegasus. She could fly. "It's quite alright. What's your name, researcher? I'd like to do a quick update with you. There's some specifications I'd like to add to the ray."

She returns the smile, also very cautious. Never a wise idea to upset Sunstriker. Many a pony had heard about his temper. "I am Chief Researcher Cloud Mane. I'd love to be the recipient of an update, sir."

"Good. Follow me to my office."

His "office" was at the roof of the building, a 50x50 space with glass walls and ceiling. He noticed the mare's confused look and asked, "Something wrong?"

Looking up and blushing, she says quickly, "No offense, but I thought somepony as...important as you would be more careful with security, even in your own office."

Observant. Sunstriker added this quality to her list of perks. "Yes, well this glass is different." His horn lights up as a red bolt of explosive magic raced towards the window. On impact, the bolt exploded, sending papers flurrying around the room, and a small cloud of smoke slowly appeared near the impact site. When the smoke dissipated, however, the glass was scotch clean. Not a mark on it.

Cloud Mane took a deep breath. She hadn't been expecting this. "You enchanted your office? Or reinforced glass? Or both? I'm impressed, sir. I've done a little work with unicorns, and they say using a protection spell really drains a pony."

Almost noticeably, he looked at a small bottle on his desk, filled with a reddish green mixture. Still labeled after all those years. Coyly smirking, he proposes this notion: "I'm an alicorn? I'm not as lacking in magical resources as your average unicorn. This barely takes any skill. Now, want to be really impressed?" Almost jittery, the mare shakes her head rapidly. Quickly, the alicorn's horn is glowing, and a magic shield appears in front of him, covered in spikes. Her jaw drops. "But that's...not...possible...not unless you are a unicorn with defenses as your special talent." And she looks at the jacket Sunstriker is wearing, completely covering his flank. "Come to think of it, I've never seen your cutie mark. What is it, if you don't mind me asking, sir?"

"You're right, Chief Researcher Cloud Mane. You haven't. Nopony has. Not since pre-project. When did we hire you?"

"About halfway through, sir."

"Understood. Well, then, prepare yourself." He rips off the jacket with his mouth to reveal the cutie mark. A bright gold sword with a leather hilt and the sun set in as the hiltpiece crossing with a staff, at which the tip held the moon. "Surprised?"

She stammered out an apology. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to underestimate you. I knew you were one of the Celestial Triumvirate, but just wanted some proof."

Staring into her bright green eyes, he relaxed. It just felt so comfortable to be around this mare. A small smile escapes his lips as he nods. "It's alright. As a scientist, it is natural to feel inclined to ask questions. I'm quite glad you asked."

He looks her up and down. Damn, was she gorgeous. The fact that she was his Chief Researcher was the only thing stopping him from pushing her against a wall and doing nopony-knows-what to her. And the fact that he was immortal and she was going to die long before him. She also thought that the project was devoted to good. Lying never felt good, except for now.

A secret chamber lay below the facility, one that nopony except him and a select few researchers knew about, Cloud Mane excluded. Inside lay the key to master power: The alicorn amulet, harnessing the power of sun, moon, and stars. It made the bearer wield the power that even the alicorns themselves only dream of. Glad he would be when it's development was complete and he would be the bearer of a revolution. One that would overthrow his sister and help him ascend to the Solar and Lunar throne. The Celestial Triumvirate would become the Eclipse Empire. And it would be successful.

But, this was his one chance, and the pain he will experience from her passing on would be worth every second of their togetherness. Fate, however, had other plans.

Stopping to take a deep breath and focus, he continues, "I'm sure you've heard this from every other stallion on base, but you are quite pretty."

Blushing, Cloud Mane replies "Yes. But it's nice hearing it from the one who started my dream. I never liked war, and your idea is going to prevent it. And not only are you a very intelligent alicorn, but I find you quite handsome."

Scarlet streaks both ponies faces as they admit the truth of the matter to each other. "May I treat you to some of the finest cuisine our cafeteria has to offer? Or perhaps," Sunstriker had a gleam in his eye, like none other, "we should escape this wretched place and find a more secluded spot to dine."

Feigning deep thought, Cloud Mane put a hoof to her chin and considered both. "Well, I must say, the cafeteria sounds tempting, but I've always preferred seclusion. Plus, it keeps any ideas from the other researchers heads." And so their romance began. They never did get around to that briefing....

A tear rolled down Sunstriker's cheek as he laid his head against Cloud Mane's chest, listening for a pulse, and as he remembered the first time they had courted. There was none other like her. And now she was gone.

Throwing his head high, looking directly into the sun, he howled, "NOOOOOO"

The poison was taking effect, slowly disintegrating the blue and white mare, right down to the bone. Red flesh was clearly visible, and blood oozed slowly from what was left, and then even that disintegrated. White bones replaced skin as all life was sucked from her eyes, replaced with a glassy glow. Magic glowed from the horn as he tried to stop the poison, but to no avail. Soon, it spread over her muzzle, with the final bits of green flowing from her eyes. Only a skeleton was left...and it made him sick. He threw up all over the corpse, and staggered off.

What his sister had done...was more than gruesome. It was hideous and disgusting. Fire, everywhere, bodies burning. Several shrieks as many of the scientists burned alive, skin melting off of their faces to become half-alive creatures that would haunt the nightmares of even the bravest of ponies. Blood gushed from the sane side of their faces, drowning the surrounding grass in the iron-rich mix. Looking down, Sunstriker saw a pony's heart and lungs. Still functioning. Falling backwards, his eyes glaze over, favoring unconsciousness to all other states of mind...

"Striker? STRIKER! It's been almast two days. Please wake up. Ah...Ah mean we, don't want y'all to have died just tah save us. Please. Please!" Sobbing. Coming from a pony. My eyes snap open. "What? Where? Who?" A massive embrace surrounds me as Applejack throws her arms around me, followed by Rarity and Twilight. Rarity exclaims "Oh, thank Celestia you're ok! I would have never pardoned myself had you succumbed to Death's clutches due to us! It would have been such a tragedy!"

"Ugh. My head. And my torso. Would you girls be so kind as to stop strangling me please?" They release, muzzles turning bright red. "Do you know how embarrassing would it be to survive an almost one hundred mile dive from the atmosphere only to be crushed to death by three mares who are beyond glad to see me?" I'm only teasing now, and they quickly realize that, grins spreading across their faces.

"I'm just glad you're alive. I still have to race you." said Rainbow Dash, appearing out of the woods with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Noticing my confused expression, she explains, "we ran out of food yesterday. I was just scrounging when I found these really cool looking things," pulling some black blueberry-shaped berries from her saddlebags, "well, bottoms up." She tosses one up into the air. Wait. Black? Oh buck it all. Nightlock.

A massive splat echoes as I explode the berry using magic. "DON'T EAT THOSE!" I practically shout, right as Pinkie Pie was about to put another into her mouth. She spat it out almost immediately. Now the other mares are debating saying something, looking at one another as if to say, go on, you first. Rarity steps forward with a pitying smile, explaining, "But darling, we've been eating blueberries this entire time. Why not these ones?"

I stand stock still. I can hear the blood pumping through my ears. Thank the stars I recovered when and as quickly as I did, otherwise there'd be another body to bury. "Those monstrosities are certainly not blueberries."

"Huh? But yeah they are, Fluttershy even said so! Blueberries look exactly like that! There's nothing else that looks like blueberries that we'd ever heard of!" Pinkie clamors, looking to her friends for support. "Right, girls?" The other five nod consent.

I start shaking my head. Clearly none of these ponies had ever left Equestria, where the grass was red with blood of those who died in the wild. "Blueberries are delicious, I concur with that. But I promise, they are not blueberries."

Twilight finally speaks, voice shaking slightly. "Then what were they?" I turn to Rainbow Dash, temporarily ignoring Twilight's question. "Firstly, get them out of your saddlebag. Then clean it. We don't any residue left that could harm us?"

Twilight whirls me around with her hooves so I directly face her. "Tell. Me. What. Those. Were." Is she panicking? Does she think they ate some already? "No worries Twilight, if you had eaten these before you guys would've been dead already." I assure her. She visibly relaxes, then glances at Fluttershy. Poor girl, had no idea what she'd done. "I...I...I didn't want anypony to get hurt. Just tell us what those are so I know what not to look for. I'm...so, so, so, sorry."

Walking close, I give Fluttershy a hug. The second embrace I've given a pony in almost one thousand years now belonged to her. "It's ok, Fluttershy. Nopony got hurt, and we'll remember to bring me along next time so I can help out with the plants." I release, and pivot to confront the rest of the gang. "That was nightlock, a deadly berry that's juice is kind of like swallowing poison. An extremely deadly poison that would kill you before the berries even reach your stomach. There's no mess, and many of the smarter creatures that live out here will use nightlock berries or juice to create traps. It's, not fun, to say in the least." A memory surfaces. Myself, eating nightlock. The poison taking effect. Using magic and physically hurting myself to throw up the berries, shaking after the torturous methods of the plant. Nearly dying. Fun times.

Twilight dives into her saddlebag. "I almost forget about this!" She cries, voice a bit muffled with her head inside the bag. She pulls out a beaten old book. "The World Beyond Equestria! Zecora wrote this herself, and she gave it to me before we left. I probably should start consulting this before we eat anything out here."

Skimming through pages, she mumbles out loud, "Nightlock, nightlock, nightlock, oh here it is! Right after narcissus." Scanning the entry, her eyes widen to a point where they almost pop out of the purple mare's head. She looks up, a bit frightened from the entry. Rapidly she bursts out "Sunstriker's right we shouldn't eat nightlock lets try and stay away from it oh well time to put away the book," slams the book shut and tosses it into her saddlebags. I can only imagine what this Zecora character wrote to describe the effects of nightlock, and it was clearly effective to the point where nopony would ever go near the stuff.

"Uh, gals? I think we should get a'movin, we're wasting daylight." Applejack interrupts our conversation about nightlock. Looking up, I agree. We had about half a day left of sun, and we needed to find Luna before she did something stupid.

"I want to try something," and with that my horn lights up, all others jumping back as a solid bolt of magic shoots directly upward, finally racing to the south. "The Trecks. Of course she would go there."

"The trek? What trek? We ain't going nowheres Princess Luna ain't, right?" Applejack was confident in her ability to find Luna, I could tell. No sidetracking, always get there and get it done. Good attitude, plus she's one of the Elements. But, all ponies make mistakes, and it was time to correct her. "No, Applejack, although we are going on a trek to find my sister," she seems somewhat relieved at this, allowing her constantly stiff, muscular shoulders to loosen slightly.

Twilight steps in before I can continue. "The Trecks are mountains, Applejack. Big mountains. Like, around the distance from Manehatten to Fillydelphia if that was a height." Applejack takes a step back to sturdy herself, then looks around. "Gals, that's quite a height. And y'all sure we can do this, right Strike?" My pet name. Nopony is allowed to use that, except for...Cloud Mane. But she was gone, and I can address that later. "No, not necessarily. It would be wise for all those who aren't pegasi to start forging a path back to Equestria. And if I'm correct as to where we are, that would be in the opposite direction, north."

"But darling, surely you'll need magical help!" Rarity states, utter horror in her voice. "Plus, last time we all split up, it was absolute chaos, and I dare not even mention what happened to myself."

I nod my head. "Of course I'll need magical help, Rarity. That's why I'm temporarily promoting Twilight to alicorn."

"WHAT!" This from all six mares. "You can do that! Cool!" Rainbow happily shouts. "I get to race another pony!"

Twilight smirks. "Of course it's possible, Rainbow Dash. But something tells me he's bluffing. There's no way he could-" and in that instant, a red flash illuminates the area. When it cleared up, Twilight had wings. That's right, wings. "-do that. Huh?"

Now I'm the one who's smirking. "Hello? Eldest of the Celestial Triumvirate? Most powerful alicorn in existence? Wielding the power of dragonfire?" She blushes slightly. "Right. I kinda forgot about all that."

"It's all good. But this also means I won't be able to perform any major magic. You will because you are a temporary alicorn, but most of my energy will be spent on keeping you this way. I'm still more powerful than the unicorn you ('hey!' she protests) but I won't be able to do a lot of the more important stuff we need. That'll be up to you. I'm performing basic things, like shields and protection spells, and keeping you an alicorn. All you need to do is keep the sky clear. Easy enough?"

Cautiously, she noted, "I haven't studied that much weather magic. Are you sure I can do this?"

I pull a small bottle out of my bag. "I haven't got much left, but please, drink this." Hastily, she swallows a minute portion of the firey drink. It was, of course, dragonfire, but she didn't know that. Her eyes almost popped out of her head, and I could see tiny flames licking her muzzle. After a few minutes of sheer pain, it went away.

"You could have told me you were going to give me dragonfire!" She exclaimed, the others rolling on the ground laughing.

"Of course I could. But I didn't, mostly because I wanted to see your reaction." At this she huffs. I snort a little, and refocus my attention. This needs to get done. "Now that you've taken some dragonfire, you have dragon magic inside you. Not much, but it's certainly more than what you had. All you need are four words to keep the sky clear. This is used by dragons who want to simply keep the sky clear for a little while when they go for a fly or something like that. One of their most basic tricks. Now say it with me. Et."

"Et"

"Sic"

"Patet"

"Caelum"

"Got it?"

Nervous, she nods. "I think so." Pointing her horn at the cloudy sky, she states, "Et sic patet caelum!" Purple magic explodes from her horn and emits another beam, quite like mine, but aiming and striking all clouds, clearing them instantly.

"Now, this will put a constant drain on your magic until you silence the spell with the word satis. Otherwise the beam keeps bouncing back and forth from cloud to cloud. Always remember to silence dragon magic. It will also remove any other effects that might be secretly sapping your energy. Try it now."

Looking down, she murmurs, "Satis" and the purple magic disentegrates, putting her horn at rest. Wobbling slightly, she grins. "Dragon magic is amazing! I've never felt this light, almost like there has been something else cutting my supply."

Returning the smile, I declare, "Then this quick test was a success. But we need to get moving, effective immediately. It's almost mid-afternoon as is. So, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity, you all start heading back. Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, with me. Let's go!"

"Goodbye everypony. I hope to see you guys when you get back." Rarity calls out as we flap our wings, gaining some ascendance. Twilight is still a bit shaky, but is a quick learner and is soon zipping around.

"And the same to you!" Twilight calls out. We turn around, and head into the southern sky, moving slowly to keep pace with Twilight and Fluttershy, who are having a bit of trouble keeping up with the speeds Rainbow Dash and I go at...

Later. Much later. The sun is just above the horizon, about to enter nighttime. I can only imagine how Celestia is holding up, as even the sun seems shaky. Twilight is still trying to get a hold of wings, as she follows Rainbow Dash in some wings strengthening exercises. Even Fluttershy joins in, and I just sit around the campfire as all three try to lift a log with their wings. Eventually, Rainbow notices my silent stare into the campfire we have made and tries to aggravate me into exercising with them. "Come on, you too weak for lifting? Bet I could beat you in an Iron Wing competition with my eyes closed!"

I'm not so easily goaded. "I'd bet."

Now she's offended. "Oh yeah? I bet you don't train your wings cause you are afraid to look like a dolt colt!"

Nope. Not gonna fall for it. "No, I don't train because it comes naturally to me to fly. I don't need training."

"Yeah, sure. And I'm the Queen of Saddle Arabia. You sure are a tough one. But I bet you aren't so tough once you get off the ground. In fact," she starts with a fake southern accent, "I bet y'all ain't an alicorn. Just. Some. Fake. With glass wings to boot."

Enough. I may have control, but not enough to sustain my aggravation. "I'll admit, you're good at this, Rainbow Dash. But would you like me to prove that I'm better?"

Now she's interested more than anypony. Not like her. "Yes! I'd love to learn from the expert."

Oh, it's so on. I walk over to the log they've been trying to lift this entire time and pick it up. With one wing. "You happy?"

Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash snorts. "No, you probably just used some sort of super-secret magic. I won't be happy until we race. What say fifty miles to the east and back? First one back doesn't have to scout ahead tomorrow morning?"

I pick up my hoof and spit on it, offering a handshake. "Deal. But you better not be all sad when I beat you."

"Yeah right. Threetwoone GO!" And she leaps off into the east. Dammit, now not only did she have a head start, but she had been completing a warmup. Buck it all. I make a mental note to not underestimate the rainbow-maned pegasus again, and leap into the sky, ready for a real competition.

Speeding through the air, I slowly begin to see a rainbow streak about five hundred lengths ahead. I push myself even more to catch up. Current speed: Ten wingpower and rising. Rainbow Dash's estimated speed: Eight wingpower and rising. She doesn't look tired, and nor do I. I barely feel the speed, it's almost like trotting.

Finally catching up to Rainbow Dash, I call out "That wasn't necessarily fair, but I'll be nice, considering you'll need all the leads you can get!"

Looking over, her jaw drops. Quickly she closes it and in her most snarky voice she exclaims "Well I'll be! In two minutes flat you've caught up to me! That's gotta be some sort of record. Think you can still keep up?" And with that she explodes through the sky. I'm starting to see the outline of a mach cone form around her. I do likewise, pushing off a cloud with my hind legs and closing my wings, becoming an aerodynamic missile.

Ten seconds later, I've again caught up with the pegasus. Both of us have the slightest outline of a mach cone forming in front of us. Estimated speed: Twenty five wingpower. I'm starting to see Rainbow Dash tire out. Should I let her win?

No. In that moment I decide to give her the challenge of her life. I completely fold my wings against my side and drop, the mach cone instantly forming. She sees what I'm doing, recognizes the idea, and does the same. But my idea is different.

Just before I break the sound barrier, I jerk up, now shooting straight ahead at an unrelentless speed. Her mistake was to keep going. But she saw my pullaway and tries to do the same. I can literally see the strain on her wings as she tries to pull up, but ends in a twisted mix of a corkscrew and a loop. Got some style. "Match that if you can!" She yells out, gaining speed.

The little voice in my head is back. Should I let her win? Perhaps. But I want to test her abilities first. "I've heard you got a couple tricks up your sleeve! Let's see what you got!" She grins and drops, this time for real. The mach cone reappears and implodes as a burst of a rainbow colored shockwave heads towards me. But I was prepared for this.

Each pegasus, when breaking the sound barrier, have a specific explosion color that can be either really cool or really disgusting. Rainbow Dash and I are lucky to have such beautiful designs. Hers is the patented Sonic Rainboom. I haven't thought of a name for my firey ball of death yet. But there's one other part to mine that nopony generally gets to see.

Back to the Rainboom. I tuck into a corkscrew and roll through the shockwave, sending beams of rainbow light behind me, almost as if I just broke through the surface of a pool or ocean. Light glistened over each and every drop of rainbow. I go to taste some and spit it out immediately. Spicy. I'd forgotten the spicy taste rainbows had. They're really deceiving that way. I rise to above the clouds. I'm going to need some height for my routine.

Rainbow Dash drops back into speed with me after performing a ridiculous amount of loops and tricks. "Thought about trying out for the Wonderbolts?" I call out. She nods. "Yep. That's been my lifelong goal. When we get back, I have tryouts to go to."

"I might consider trying out for them myself."

Scoffing, the pegasus replies, "You need skill along with speed, and so far, I haven't seen either from you. This is easy." Although she's clearly struggling to keep up, she'd never admit it, I could tell. "Fine," I call out, "I didn't want to have to do this, but I shall." Dropping out of our own personal orbit around the landscape, I fold my wings to my back and drop, just as she did. Rainbow Dash is so interested in what I have to offer she actually slows down to watch. Combing through the air, I perform a corkscrew so tight that bottle openers would be jealous. I let a bit of magic slide, and light my wings on fire, allowing a trail of firey smoke to leak behind me. Now I have the mare's full attention, as she comes to an almost stop, following me with her entire body. Leading out of the corkscrew into a backflip, I release the magic, extinguishing the fire, and continue diving. The mach cone is about to break, I can feel it on the tip of my tongue. Almost there...

Instead of the normal BOOM most sonic explosions create, this one is loud. Very loud. More like BOOOOOM. Behind me, a sonic explosion of fire shoots out in a perfect circle. Blasting it with a bit of magic, I transform the fire into fireworks that explode into a bright red and blue version of my cutie mark. This time, my mane, wings, and tail actually do catch, and I return to the original corkscrew effect, creating a fireball.

Final step. I use my final bit of magic to create an enhancement spell, turning the fireball into the brightness of a solar flare. Then it becomes pitch black, as dark as a starless night. My eyes are practically glowing red from the amount of magic used to create this effect, and then I get a really good idea. Continuing the pitch black fireball, I turn around and shoot straight up...towards Rainbow Dash. She completely panics, but is frozen is place, fear striking into her eyes. I imagine that I look like some sort of beast, a cloud of black with bright red eyes in the center, racing directly at her.

At the very last second, my black fire turns blue, the hottest fire in existence. Now I can feel it against my coat, superheating me to the very last second. I cut all effects, including the fire, and change my flight path, shooting right past Rainbow Dash...and towards our ultimate goal. She shakes her head in exasperation and jump kicks herself into motion. When she does catch up, she calls out, "That was very impressive!"

"Thank you!" I return. I knew that was the best compliment Rainbow Dash would ever give out, and I took it to heart. "Now, enough with the theatrics, lets return to the original concept: racing!" And I continue forth, my wings beating at a precise rhythm. Beat beat, beat beat. My wings, pitch black, with inner feathers of a brilliant red, are at the speed of a hummingbird now. If I were to just stop moving, I'm sure that instead of dropping, I would just stay in place, wings buzzing.

A rainbow streak jumps past and I blink. I've slowed down since starting to think about my wings. Back to the pace. I need a minimum of fifty wingpower to keep up with this pegasus.

As we reach the twenty five mile mark, I look back, and she's stopped. I slow down and turn around. "Something the matter?"

She was very pale, almost green in the face. "We never checked with Twilight and Fluttershy to see if they'd be ok without us."

"Shit, you're right." She gives me a weird look. "What, never seen royalty curse? I'm surprised, Celestia has the mouth of a sailpony. Anyways, we should turn around. Why don't we both do patrol tomorrow?"

She holds out a hoof. I take it and we shake. "Agreed. You are a very talented pony, Sunstriker."

"As are you, Rainbow Dash. Let's get back there before they freak out anymore than they probably have."

"Oh yeah. Fluttershy is gonna be so pissed. She might even actually yell." We both laugh at that one. According to Rainbow, Fluttershy was always very quiet, but when she got mad, she exploded. Kind of like me, but I'm always loud.

We both break into a bolt of speed, hers rainbow colored, mine laced with trails of fire. And then suddenly a change developed in my speed trail. I burst through a flash of bright white magic and my trail changed from fire to...nothing? No, not nothing. Night. My trail is now the color of my sister Luna's mane and tail. But the magic was the color of Celestia's. What's going on? Seconds later it goes back to the original fire and we continue on into the night.

Needless to say, Fluttershy wasn't happy. Not. At. All. We spent about twenty minutes hearing about how "dangerous it was" and how "you left us defenseless and alone" before I walked straight up to the yellow pegasus, horn glowing, and used a mute spell. "We get it," I say, after getting a death stare from Fluttershy. She really is not happy at all. "We did something reckless, but that's us. Naturally Rainbow Dash was just being herself, and after one thousand years of being stuck without a flying partner, you kind of want to fly as much as possible. I'm sorry for ditching you guys, but one simple teleportation spell would have gotten Rainbow and me back in no time at all."

Twilight walks up behind Fluttershy and puts a hoof around the pegasus's shoulder. Looking into each other's eyes, Twilight said "I think it would be best if we all just went to bed. Tensions are high, and somepony is going to get hurt if we keep scuffling." Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and I all nod consent. Twilight reaches into her saddlebag and pulls out four sleeping bags. "Never full storage?" I guess.

"Yep."

Well I'm impressed. She's already putting some of her alicorn talents to good use. I feel faint, but need to get one last thing off my shoulders before sleep. I release the mute spell and stand next to Fluttershy. "I truly am sorry, Fluttershy. My actions got the better of me, and I really needed something to release the tension of the past few days."

She smiles at me, and warmth returns to my heart. She's forgiven me. "It's ok. I'm sorry for getting mad at you. It was unnecessary, and besides, you've saved us a lot. We kind of owe you, and in my anger I forgot."

"Good, now that apology time is over, can someponies allow me some sleep please?" Rainbow Dash sarcastically mutters from her sleeping bag. Twilight, Fluttershy, and I look at one another and crack up, rolling on the ground. Eventually, we all cool down and get into our sleeping bags. I look over at the three mares as they close their eyes. "I'll take watch for the night," I offer. Several grunts from the three bundles confirm my statement.

I stand next to the fire pit and close my eyes, horn glowing softly. A small fire starts in the pit, and I lean against a tree, staring into the heated, entrancing dance the fire dances. Some nights, fire is peaceful, its slow dance enough to warm the creator. Othertimes, it's restless and fast paced, warming all of its surroundings before finally catching something else and starting a problem. Tonight, the dance was slow and peaceful, and I allowed it to be, occasionally tossing a few branches on, levitated from the area around us. Staring into the fire, I see many faces. My parents. A concerned sister, tired from the constant push and pull of the stars and sun and moon. One who has been leading her people for a millenia. And in another part of the world, an angry sister. One who wants nothing to do with those people, who caused her suffering for those same millenia. Her hatred for the world is evident, but she loves her beautiful night all the same. And it's that exact feeling that frustrates her so much and causes all the arguments between the three of us. If she could leave forever, return to the solitary confinement known as the moon, she would. But at the same time, something is calling her back.

It's me.

Chapter 8: The Monsters in our Minds

Chapter 8: The Monsters in our Minds

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth."

- Oscar Wilde

She steps forward, out of the darkness and into the light of the campfire. A weak smile crosses my face, only to be quickly replaced with a frown. This was not my sister. This was the mare I fought, the one who took my sister's mind. This is Nightmare Moon. Her eyes are a deep turquoise, mane and tail illuminated with the colors of the night sky. A bright blue they are, with twinkling stars here and there. Her body is black, almost as black as my. Whereas my seemed to absorb the very color from around it, hers is simply and beautifully black. Blue armor covers her body and horn, and she seems taller, leaner, more powerful. Refusing to look up, Nightmare Moon snaps at me "Why did you bring me here?"

Not budging, I throw a blast of red magic at her. She jumps back. "Celestia, I swear to you...Striker?"

Nodding, I reply, although shakily, "I just want my sister back. The one who galloped through the fields with me when we were foals. The one who stood by my side as we fought Discord. The one, who through the Great War, although fought me, always loved me. I want that sister back. Not Nightmare Moon. She's the one who caused the War, the one who nearly killed Equestria before it was even made. And I have to use all of my magic to get Nightmare Moon out of my sister's head, I will. I would die for you, little sister. I don't want to have to hurt you." The last sentence was almost a whisper. Shame racks my mind and soul. I truly would never purposely hurt myself or my youngest sibling, but if need be to remove the sickness, I will.

She turns and faces away from me. "I am your sister. Nightmare Moon has full control." But that is clearly not so. She's shaking all over, slowly falling to her knees. "No. Nightmare Moon doesn't have full control," I'm ever persistent. I will get her back. "Nightmare Moon doesn't even have the slightest control. Not after what I do to you, you won't." Bright red magic surges out of my horn, like a tsunami about to crash onto the innocent city. Striking Nightmare Moon, her eyes bulge, and she shrieks. Never again will anypony feel the need to destroy Equestria. And those who do will be struck down. However, my ideas are ever growing, and they modify quickly for what happens next.

A powerful buck slams into my midsection, forcing me back. It will not be like this. More magic pours out as I concentrate all of my energy on the evil mare. Slowly, but steadily, it crushes the wicked creature until....my sister reappears as herself. Transformation complete, I allow myself a moments rest before reaching out with one tentative hoof to my sobbing sibling. "Lulu?"

"Don't call me that! You aren't my brother! *I HATE YOU!***" I'm shocked. Hurt, my ego more than anything else. I'd always considered myself the hero figure to my siblings, but now I know the truth. She changes even further, truly becoming my baby sister. She's a filly now, looking up at me with a deep hatred in her knowledgeable eyes. "You aren't my brother. Where's Stwika?" My heart shatters in two. My magic. What have I done?

She jumps onto my back. "We will go on an adwenture! To find my big bwotha!" Suddenly, another transformation. A teenage Luna, just after the passing of my parents. She does a double take, looks at me, and snaps, "Who are you? Where is my brother and sister? Why do you look like some sort of evil creature? You were the one who killed my parents weren't you?" More transforming. After many minutes of transformations and different Lunas of different times demanding that the real Sunstriker show himself, I give a shout and throw myself to the ground. My mind was not prepared for this, and as this verbal barrage takes effect, I snap. Looking down at my hooves, I start questioning my sanity. And my very person. Closing my eyes, I wonder: Who is the real Sunstriker? Am I just some beast covering for him while he's gone? Was I not doing a fair enough job? Who am I? Why am I so alone?

Eventually, the white flashes of magic stop. I open my eyes, and a current version of Luna is standing here. She stares at me in shock and awe. All of me is gray. My mane, wings, tail. Something doesn't feel right. I don't want to live. I don't want to breathe. I'm alone. As usual. And it's all my fault. I never wanted anypony to get hurt. I never wanted anypony to get hurt....

~~~~~

My head is ringing extremely. I know I'm in a dream, but whose? And why was I a filly? All these questions and more are running through my head as I turn around, assessing my surroundings. Stopping, I see a stallion with a completely gray body at my feet, quaking and shivering to the point of exhaustion. He keeps muttering over and over "I never wanted anypony to get hurt."

"Hey, hey, it's ok. Everything is going to be ok." I'm concerned. Never have I seen anything like this. One pony having a mental breakdown. He needs calm, and fast. Perhaps I could recognize him by his cutie mark? Looking to his flank, I see...nothing. A blank flank? At this stage in life? Not possible. Unless....looking closer, I see the last bit of red disappear from the pony's irises. I gasp. "Brother!" His dream sequence was slowly turning into a nightmare, and if I didn't do something, he might start harming himself in the real world.

Now groaning, Sunstriker changes his words to "I'm all alone....always alone....never to return to my people again..." To finish the effect of a mental case having a breakdown, he starts rolling from side to side, curling his legs into a ball and covering his eyes with his hooves. Something was terribly wrong with my brother, and I have to figure out what before he turns into a complete psycho pony. Reaching a hoof over, I pat his back. "You aren't alone. I'm here, right?"

"My sisters...hate me...alone...NO!" He shrieks and throws himself against a tree. This was what I was afraid of. If I am correct, his real world person is doing the same exact thing, and if he tries something radical like killing himself, he will end up doing the same thing in the real world. I didn't leave only for him to nearly die again. "I don't hate you," I say soothingly, "Celestia doesn't hate you. We forgive you."

"Liar," he spits out, "you just want me to come back so I can humiliate myself. Well I'm not coming back. Not now, not ever!" He throws himself against the tree again, hard enough to break bones on a normal pony. It becomes repetitive, and soon blood is trickling from his dry mouth. Paranoia and fear have completely taken over his mind, and looking at him, I realize that this is what his truly is. After being banished, my mind was faulty, still trying to comprehend all the events of the past. It must have been the same for him, however, his transformation was the complete opposite. Where as I started as Nightmare Moon and was much more powerful, his other form, Hunter, was weaker and couldn't stand the mental pressure. He snapped somewhere over those thousand years. If I can just isolate where. Throwing caution to the wind, I throw myself at my brother, restraining him with my hooves. "NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE ME ALIVE!" He's definitely insane. Lowering my head so that our horns touch, a wave of dark blue magic rolled from my horn onto his. I see his thoughts now...

~~~~~

Cloud Mane. My friends. My parents.

Cloud Mane, lying in the wake of the fire, poison spreading through her veins. Blood running from her eyes, organs becoming visible as flesh melts. Soon, even the organs are gone, and only a skeleton remains.

My parents. Crushed under a giant piece of timber, bodies bent awkwardly, bones sticking through skin. I can see half of my father. He jumped in front of the wood to save my mother, but to no avail. He was cut in half, a clean kill. More blood, shaped like a misshapen skull. The contents of his stomach are clearly visible. Bile seeps from his liver. I want to vomit, but can't. His ribs, destroyed to tiny bits. He couldn't be saved, was long gone. And my mother...

My mother. Simply being crushed by the timber wasn't enough for Discord. No, there was more. Her ribs sliced through her skin, turned red from blood. One eye was torn out, the other stabbed by a chunk of wood. Her hind legs, left one completely gone, the right crushed. Forelegs. Elbow bone jutted out of them, and torn muscle was visible. Even more blood pooled from her mouth and nose. She, too, was not savable.

The facility. Burned bodies, littered everywhere. Looking around, most ponies had half of their faces melted off. Their manes and tails were gone, so bad that they looked like donkeys. Some gas canisters for the containment of the amulet were broken, some mysterious chemical leaking everywhere. One more turn around, and stuff goes from bad to worse. Ponies get up, moaning. Some were missing legs, others their very heads. Holes through all of them. What are they? They're still ponies, but they're changed. Extremely. Horn raised, I try to fight them off, but the horde becomes too much and I slip, falling back. Scrambling away, I fire one last explosive beam at them, hit the other chemical canisters. They explode, wrecking the rest of the facility and killing the things in the process. A mushroom cloud rises above the ruins. I trip over a root, turn, and gallop into the forest.

~~~~~

Oh. My. Buck. He was worse than Sister and I had predicted. His mental processes had snapped even before banishment. Seen so much. Seen the chaos and destruction of everything he knew and loved. But he still fought for the people. Why? Cowering back, he curls up into another ball, this time murmuring "So now you know. Welcome to my world." An evil grin spreads across his face.

Facing him, I begin talking. This time, I talk from the heart. My voice is quaking, and I myself am shivering, but I'm strong enough to say it. "From the time I was born, I looked up to you. You were the defender, the pretender, the joker, everything I loved. I never wanted to leave your side. That hasn't changed. I, and Celestia, love you more than anything. We had thought you were dead, and that has been our primary thought for these past few years. Sure, there was still hatred for what you had done, but deep down, we loved you."

He's healing now, I can see it. Head writhing in agony as his thought processes returned to normal. I continue. "I had no idea about Mom and Dad. You told us they died peacefully. I guess you didn't want us to get hurt. But now knowing the truth hurts more than anything. You lied to us, broke our trust, but in turn, we broke you. I'm so sorry. I never wanted anypony to get hurt. Jealousy took over my mind, as hatred took yours. I have no idea as to what you've been dealing with this past millennium, but my experiences can't compare to yours. I just wish-" A hoof covers my mouth. Looking down, I see him, a smile on his face.

Rising, he turns around and says, "Where are we? And how did you get me here?"

"Dream," I slowly say, as if that explains everything. Which it does. Although he has the age advantage, he was the last of the three of us to get his true form and cutie mark. Gaining it from Discord does do that to a pony.

"Ok, but what just happened? My memories feel invaded..." He's stumbling, and I catch him in my hooves before he hits the ground. "You had a mental breakdown. I needed to go through your memories to see what the problem was. You didn't tell us about Mom and Dad!" I accuse.

He winces slightly. "Sis, I didn't tell you to protect you. I'm not sure how well you would've dealt with it at seven. Not well. I'd rather have had it haunt just my memory than also torture my sisters. But now you know." Rubbing his head with one hoof, he demands "What else did you see?"

"The facility. And the pegasus."

Suddenly I'm slammed to the ground. He tackled me. "SHE WASN'T JUST A PEGASUS!" He yells at me. I smack him in the face, a solid right hook to the jaw, and he rolls off. "Pull yourself together! You just had a mental breakdown, and you're yelling at me over a pegasus!"

Embarrassment floods his face, and his cheeks turn red. "I, I, I'm sorry." Sunstriker hangs his head, now ashamed. "She was my marefriend at the Project site. I loved her a lot. I would've died for her." Taken aback, I exclaim, "You did what!" Alicorns are not supposed to date regular ponies, for fear of exactly what just happened.

"Yes. I know it was wrong, but I had to. I loved her."

"Then it should be I who is apologizing. I underestimated you, brother. Never thought you'd have the guts to actually try and get a marefriend." Teasing now, I have the widest grin on my face possible. If only I could see that in him...

~~~~~

Luna looks at me. "Then it should be I who is apologizing. I underestimated you, brother. Never thought you'd have the guts to actually try and get a marefriend." A wide grin is stretched across her face. Why is she so happy? I just went completely insane and she is laughing? "You are THE Luna, correct?" I ask, suspicious. I don't want another 'Where's my brother?' Luna. Just my baby sister.

"Yes, it is indeed me."

"Prove it." Although I sense belief, just checking never hurt a pony. She glares at me, annoyed by my sense of paranoia. "Just minutes ago, you were on a mental rampage. I checked your memories, and saw imagery of my parents dead, your marefriend dead, and your Project's facility in shatters. Plus, I know the true reason behind the project. Don't think for a second we don't know where the Alicorn Amulet came from."

Scoffing, I exclaim, "You thought that was us?! No way! I'd bet my left hoof it wasn't us!" But deep down, I'm panicking. My last, and most deadly, secret had been revealed. Luna points down with her right hoof. I look down to discover that my left hoof was already gone. She smirked. "You lost the bet. Now, why did you make it?"

"I, I, I..." stuttering off, I facehoof. May as well give it up, it's too late for them to do anything anyways. "The laser part I mentioned at Canterlot was true, I will not deny that. I created it for my own personal gain, hoping to defeat you and Tia so I could become the ultimate alicorn. Just being in its presence did horrible things to me. I was changed, it made ponies act so evily to each other. Thank the stars I had the power to control the science ponies who were working on it, or else there would have been a mini revolution within my own facility."

"But, you were powerful already. Why else?"

This is it. "I wished to harness the power of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Then I would remember dragonfire every time I left that area, and wished to destroy the amulet. Instead, after the base got wrecked by Celestia's firebombs, I went back to try and save it...my biggest mistake yet."

Looking back, I can see those final moments before the base collapsed in my mind.

"The explosive power of the canisters was ridiculous," Thought Sunstriker as he climbed past the mountain of bodies. "Next time, when designing the most powerful weapon in all of Equestria, don't use explosive chemicals to power and contain it."

Refocusing his attention on the job at hoof, the stallion continues galloping past the facilities remains until he reaches the other end of the plains, next to a massive boulder, split in half from the chaos. Pressing one hoof against the side, he slowly shoves the secret entrance into the underground facilities open, and stepped inside. Almost immediately, he begins gagging and coughing. A foul smell echoed from the interior. Rotting flesh, the stench of death. As he exited the main entranceway, Sunstriker gasped. It was a mess. Somepony had gotten here before him. Science ponies lay dead on the floor, poison flowing through their blood. One pony had a gash against his head, and as the alicorn leaned closer, he noticed something wrong. The scientist's blood was not the usual red, but rather a deep green, like the color of the forest.

"Is there something wrong? Your little experiment not go as planned?" A voice chuckled, coming from an unknown location. As Sunstriker spun around to confront the pony in question, there was nothing around him. Just blank space. "Who are you?" He demands.

"Confused? Let's keep it simple," the voice continues, "I'm here to keep your project from succeeding. I'm taking the amulet and putting it somewhere safe, where nopony will ever be able to use it again. Oh, and if you want to see me, look up." And as Prince Sunstiker did so, a black shadow leapt from the ceiling, bashing his forehooves against Sunstriker's head, nearly knocking him unconscious, and leaped off his head. Racing away, the shadow tosses a small black device behind him. An explosive.

"Time to go!" Sunstriker grunts, and hurls himself out of the base as the bomb detonates, leaving the only piece left of the original project wrecked and in shatters...

Turning to my sister, I ask "Do you know who that pony was?"

She shakes her head. "No, I don't. And I know for a fact that Tia never sent any rogue ponies after you. Just the firebombs and the initial pegasus wave. Perhaps he was a true rogue, and wanted to end the madness."

That could just be it. But then I remember everything else from the last few minutes. "Lulu, how much longer do I have before I wake up?"

Panic envelops my sister's face. "Not much longer. Which means what I have to tell I have to say quickly. I'm still in the Trecks, but more specifically, Mount Revolution. Don't forget that!" And as she fades away, I hear one last "I hope to see you soon," and I awaken, with a confused Rainbow Dash looking over me.

"You ok, Striker?" Genuine concern is on her face. "You're bleeding."

I put a hoof to my forehead, feeling a damp patch. I tried pressing down, but tears sprung up as extreme pain rushed through the side of my head. I begin to stand, but stagger and fall over again, Rainbow Dash catching me. "Twi, I need help over here!" She calls out. The temporary alicorn steps out of the woods, sees me, and rushes over.

"Holy buck, he needs medical attention!" Twilight exclaims. "That gash looks really bad. I just wish I had spent more time learning medical magic for wilderness conditions! We need to get a book-"

I interject. "Girls. This looks bad, but the fact that there's a lot of blood is a good thing." Confused looks stare at me through blank eyes as I struggle to explain. "Being out in wilderness for hundreds of years made me a self-taught expert on medical practices. Oftentimes I desperately needed them to keep myself from bleeding out."

Looking around, I see a pink maned pegasus slowly descend from the air. "Rainbow, I didn't see anything ahead, but- oh, you're awake. But where'd you get that gash? Oh, I know what to do. Be right back."

"Fluttershy," I calmly say. She turns around, and I can tell that she's afraid of me. Afraid of what I could do to her. "Come here. I want to see something." Stepping forward, she quakes in terror and throws her hooves over her head as I descend my head.

"Oh, please don't hurt me, I didn't mean any, I mean, eep!" and with that she dives back into her sleeping bag. "Perhaps you could go on without me?"

I grab the end of her sleeping bag with my teeth, tug, and she pops out. "This is what I thought. You're afraid of me, aren't you? After what happened with the dragini?"

"Well...I...." she hangs her head in shame, nodding slightly. "Yes. I thought you were going to explode after I yelled at you all last night. But you were so caring, I felt like I was being deceived. I don't know what to think of you."

Considerable thought goes into what she just said. I've saved these ponies lives. Can I consider them my friends? But when they pass on...no, wait. If we can find the amulet, I might be able to use it's power to preserve them indefinitely. I mean, It's the power of the sun, moon, and stars, right? Plus dragonfire would just add to the mix. But would it make it lethal or even more powerful? I'm afraid to experiment, but that's what science ponies do, right? Well, I have to make a decision. Taking a risk (and a deep breath,) I proclaim, "Consider me a friend. I've saved your lives, raced Rainbow Dash, turned Twilight into an alicorn, and taken your anger with considerable calm for a member of royalty." They turn to each other, concern crossing through their faces. "Excuse us a moment," Twilight mutters, and they turn to form a circle. They discuss for a little bit, then Rainbow flies off, seemingly furious. When they break up, I see Twilight and Fluttershy, seriously concerned. "Well, there's a problem with that. And that problem is-"

I hear a high pitched whistling coming from the sky. Spinning on my back hooves, I see Rainbow Dash speeding down from the sky, mach cone already gone as the rainbow ascends higher and higher behind her. Her entire body slams into me and we roll onto the ground. She leaps off, lands daintily next to Twilight and Fluttershy. I'm covered head to hoof in dirt and gunk. They look me over once and start laughing, Rainbow Dash the most. She exclaims, "That was the funniest thing I've ever seen! You looked so sad, and then I, I tackled you, and hahahahahaha"

Looking at these ponies, I can see it was a big joke. They'd been willing to consider me that since the beginning. It was such a stupid question, and I begin to blush. I then give them a surprise grin, leap up into the air, and spin, covering them in muck and leaving myself perfectly clean. Three sets of eyes look at me through three layers of dirt. Now I'm the one who's roaring with laughter. "Revenge is a dish best served hot-or cold!" I manage to choke out.

"Oh, it's on!" Twilight flaps her wings, manages to get about fifty feet up, looks down, squeaks, and crashes back into the ground. We're all back to laughing.

"Glad to...hahaha...see that....we're all in good humor." I conclude. "But I think it's time we get moving. I got a dream sequence from Luna. I'll tell you about it on the way."

Rainbow Dash stands. "Oh, but that would've been the perfect time for Pinkie to break out into song. Damn, I wish she was here. We could use her instruments and-" A rainbow guitar, hued red, lands on her back.

I grin. "Late is better than never."

"Yes! Everything just got forty percent cooler!" She leaps into the air, sun at her back, and breaks into an extreme riff, almost reminding me of...no way. Rainbow Dash likes Revolution Ponysquad? Incredulous, I shake my head and facehoof. The fact that the band's music has survived almost a century didn't shock me. There aren't many rock and roll ponies out there, but where there are, they are completely hardcore about it. Ponyforce, the band's name, was no exception.

She suddenly bursts into lyrics, which then furthered my point. She actually does! Amazing!

Flying into darkened skies the battle will call

Distant angels crying in the eye of the storm

And the world falls under the starlight

Shining from heavens below

I create another guitar, this one a dark red with sunbursts and moons etched into the design, and become the lead guitarist, shredding like never before. It's ridiculous, the amount of magic going into this one song. But it's so much FUN. Joining Rainbow Dash, we sing, back-to-back:

Ride the wings of pain and sorrow searching for more

Gliding on the tracks of pain, just like never before

And the stars fall on the horizon

Onwards and up through the pain

Ride the wind and fight the demo, steel shining bright

Standing together forever onwards, flames burning strong

I live in the hell of pain and sorrow now and never onwards

We stare into the dawn of a new world

Now practically hissing, we both screech, causing Twilight to cover her ears with both hooves and sit on her haunches.

Cry out for the fallen heroes lost some time ago

In our minds they still live on when the sands of time are gone.

Looking down, I see a yellow pegasus suddenly snap. Her mane and tail were in disarray, her eyes dark, she gives both Rainbow Dash and I a wicked smile, along with a sudden hoofclap. We look at each other, barely holding the song together through various riffs, shrug, and a microphone descends from the heavens. She snags it in one hoof, and continues us into the chorus.

Rise over the shadow mountains blazing with power!

Crossing valleys, endless tears, in unity we stand

Far and wide across the land, the victory is ours

On towards the gates of reason

Fight for the truth and the freedom, Gloria!

Searching through the memories to open the door

Living on the edge of life like never before

When the crowd chants under the moonlight

Facing their fears all the same

Hell is spilling open wide enough for the core

All this time we're allied to the angels before

And the world cries out from the silence

Lost in the voices unknown

I deny the force of evil, cries into the night

Living before in the seas of darkness, now they're all gone

Out from the shadows storming on the wings of revelations

Your soul will feel no mercy behind the door

Hold on for the morning after never to let go

When the fire's burning strong

And the time to try and hold on

Rise over the shadow mountains blazing with power!

Crossing valleys, endless tears, in unity we stand

Far and wide across the land, the victory is ours

On towards the gates of reason

Fight for the truth and the freedom, Gloria!

Cry out for the fallen heroes lost some time ago

In our minds they still live on when the sands of time are gone

Rainbow Dash, face red with focus, blares into another solo, this one expected. Fluttershy and I wait patiently until she's done, then I toss up my guitar and do another. After about four minutes, we're both done, and Fluttershy jumps in with the final chorus:

Rise over the shadow mountains blazing with power!

Crossing valleys, endless tears, in unity we stand

Far and wide across the land, the victory is ours

On towards the gates of reason

Fight for the truth and the freedom, Gloria! Gloria! Gloria!

As we finish, all three of us flop onto our bellies. Playing as fast as we needed is ridiculous and tiring, and that is a seven minute song. So worth every second, though. Looking to each other, we realize how ridiculous we are. Rainbow Dash isn't wearing her guitar anymore, but her wings are tuned to the shape and are still twitching. Fluttershy is still wielding the evil smirk, and she quickly wipes it off of her face, replacing it with your average run-of-the-farm slight grin. And as for myself? I was fine, no change. "With practice comes perfection." I quote. We burst out into laughter while Twilight looks on dissaprovingly.

Twilight scoffs. "Ponyforce? Really? Have some decency, Rainbow Dash!"

"You're the one who likes Green Hay!" I remind her. She blushes thoroughly as Rainbow Dash stretches her wings, rubbing them with one hoof to make sure atrophy didn't set in.

Twilight. I look at the purple unicorn, and she looks at herself. I'm not sure if she's comfortable with her new look. Because my spell was temporary, it was a permanent drain effect, marring my total possible amount of usable magic. Turning deadly serious, I blurt out. "Twilight, I need you to say something for me. It will provide an energy transfer just enough for me to do a lot more to help, and barely effect you."

She nods vigorously, and I continue, more calmly. "Again, we're speaking in dragon here. Say it with me. De industria translatio me ad vos" adding a hurried 'satis' after to prevent any actual transfers.

She stands up straight and looks to the sun, horn glowing purple, and calls out in a commanding tone, "De industria translatio me ad vos!"

Pure magic flows out of her horn and onto mine. Pure magic is different than most. It is a completely chromish color and cannot be used. The last time somepony tried to wield pure magic, it blew them up. Literally. They exploded into little tiny ponybits, shreds of flesh and bone disintegratimg before they even hit the ground. Spontaneous combustion is fun for nopony. The chrome light traveled through my entire body, settling in my magic core. Warmth spreads through my body and I shiver. After another minute of transfer, she calls out again "Satis!" The magic subsides.

She grins. "You're right, that didn't affect me at all. I even feel a bit refreshed!" She jumps up into the air and does a flip. Landing, she's still smiling. Another warm feeling spreads through my body, but this time it isn't from magic. I enjoy watching her be happy. And I never want it to be otherwise. Suddenly I realize I've been staring at her. A slow blush crawls across my face. "Sorry," I manage, "I was, uh, lost in thought."

Rainbow Dash smirks, "About what? Celestia only knows how stallions think!"

I turn even redder. Now all three mares are smirking. "No-nothing like that! Of, of course not!" I'm stammering now, nervous. "I was thinking about my past." Recovering through a deadpan manner seems to have worked. They calm up and shut up. "But anyways, we need to go. We're wasting daylight again!"

"Or what little daylight there actually is," Rainbow Dash observed. Resolution 1: Start calling Rainbow Dash just Rainbow. Makes things easier.

"Oh, that's right!" Twilight exclaimed. Pointing her horn at the sky, she murmurs "Et sic patet caelum..." and the area above us clears almost instantly.

I put in a reminder. "Just remember that your magic won't be as powerful as before, what with the spell being a damper on it and all. That means no stupid stuff, like trying to defeat Discord on your own." Big mistake. She recoils as if slapped by my words. Rainbow instantly turns on me.

"Hey! Don't make jokes like that. She had to go through a lot when Discord came back! That's not funny!"

Shame trickles through the holes in my mind. "Of course. I forgot. Sorry, Twilight." Stupid, stupid, STUPID. Rage screams through my entire body. Why did I ever say that?

She perks up again. "It's alright. I never really did tell you what he did..."

"You don't have to if you don't want to" I offer.

"It's ok." Deep breathes. Then she continues, "Discord had turned everything, and every pony, upside down. Fluttershy was mean, Rainbow Dash was willing to ditch her friends and home for her wings and the place she grew up, Rarity fell in love with a boulder (don't ask,) Applejack was lying all the time, and Pinkie Pie was angry. But me? I got to watch my world get shred to pieces. No changes to me. Just destroyed friendships. The only thing I had that I could truly treasure besides my family had been crushed. Just. Like. That." With each word she stamps a hoof.

The mare had truly been through a lot. But I think we need a bit more story time. "Twilight-" I begin, but am cut off by Rainbow.

"Don't give us excuses. Just answers. Why did you say that?"

"I didn't, I never, I, I, GAH!" Throwing myself to the ground, I begin sobbing uncontrollably. My parents. My friends. Cloud Mane. Gone. My sisters. Killed two of the previous four. Discord killed the other two.

The three mares share confused looks. "Was it something I said?" Rainbow offered.

I need to pull myself together. Now. I shakily stand, and wipe the tears from my face. "No, but you did trigger certain memories. Ones that I'd rather never have to see again."

Twilight shakes her head. "Sunstriker, the only way you'll be able to be fully rid of the memories is by sharing them. Please, tell us your troubles."

"Fine. But we must keep moving at the same time."

They agree, and as we begin walking, I tell them. I tell them about the death of my parents, sparing no detail. Their bitter end, Discord's laughing face, chaos reigning true. I tell them about the facility. The zomponies. My friends, lying on the cold hard ground, blood seeping from all parts of the body. Cloud Mane, a shattered skeleton after the poison took effect. Heavens above, I told them everything. From my birth as a foal to today. My gaining of a cutie mark, and what horrible events transpired there for my reception of. My true form also goes along with that story, and the slaying of Discord. My sister's trap in the fields, my banishment to the outskirts of my own nation. My transformation into Hunter. My gaining of my sword, armor, and crossbow. The various monsters I fought, the friends I tried to make, only to see them wither away and die as I lived on forever. My near-suicidal attempts during bits of insanity, jumping off of cliffs, smashing into jagged rocks, slicing my legs wide open to let myself bleed out and die. By the end of my tale, all three had shocked expressions on their faces.

Rainbow Dash took my foreleg in hers, looked for scars. "They won't be on me. Just Hunter." I begin the fast process of switching between Sunstriker and Hunter. Soon, my black flank is replaced by a blue blank flank, marred and ruined with passing years. Rainbow Dash takes my foreleg again, sees the deep scars inset on it, turns, and vomits. Green bile is retched up as she coughs and spits and chokes. When through, she turns around. "Sorry," she mutters, "I haven't been feeling well since the dragini."

I stand up as Hunter, to reveal more scars. Scars every which way, up and down my sides and legs, even one deep slice through my left eye, glassed over and dead. I've been one eyed for almost five hundred years, and just a few months back with two has really redefined what depth perception is for me. I explain where each scar is from. Scars from fighting the hydra. The dragons. The manticores. The greatest beast of them all, the Eternity Snake, in the infamous Mount Revolution Luna mentioned, a fight which I, of all ponies, lost, retreating to safe distance to fly away and never return. The Eternity Cave held great riches, but none worth fighting that damned beast.

Fluttershy's face has turned paler and paler with each given sentence. Finally, she shrieks, "Stop! I can't take any more of this! It's so, so, sad and disappointing. I cannot imagine how you've endured without telling anypony." Rainbow and Twilight nod agreements.

She made a valid point. How have I survived this long? A certain toughness had overwhelmed my body and mind, but my spirit was the strongest, and that was what truly endured. I had occasional mental breakdowns, which caused physical trauma, but never anything major. "I really haven't endured," I begin slowly, not sure how to phrase it, "but more survived on a thread. Back in Canterlot, when it felt like everypony was against me, I was done. I didn't feel the need to be in this society, or any society anymore. Nopony needed me. I work better alone anyways." I turn away quickly enough to avoid them seeing a single, solitary tear run down my face.

Twilight stepped forward. "Everypony needs a leader. Yes, the Princess is a just, fair leader, but one who gets down in the dirt to defend their people. One who is willing to take risks, who shrugs off hits. You are that pony. Everypony needs you, whether they realize it or not. I-I mean we-need you. Or else your sister is going to be furious at us."

"True." It was beginning to become dark. The sun was slowly fading, being replaced with stars and soon to be the moon. "I think it's time to make camp."

"Agreed." Rainbow Dash said sullenly. I look over to her to see her ears laid back, wings folded tightly against her.

Twilight sees the same thing, and as the two of us exchange glances, she says softly, "RD, I think you need rest. Let's all go to bed, no watch this time. Satis" And as the magic faded away, the clouds reappeared, a consistent reminder of the journey ahead. Twilight pulls the sleeping bags out of her saddlebags and tosses them on the ground, purple magic imbued within them to straighten out and provide maximum comfort.

We all laid down, but nopony fell asleep faster than Rainbow. As soon as her head hit the sleeping bag, she was passed out, snoring away. Fluttershy went next, and it was down to Twilight and I. We look at each other, and I'm compelled to say something. "Twilight-" I begin, but am cut off by a hoof over my muzzle.

"There's no need for words. I've known. You're too obvious." And as she gets closer, I can feel her breath on the nape of my neck. She nuzzles me gently, and I turn red. "I like you too. And I'm not too sure your sisters will be happy about this, but nothing doing." I return the nuzzle, and embrace her. "But for now, we can talk about this in the morning." Another gentle nuzzle, and she returns to her sleeping bag.

Every nerve, every bone in my body is screaming for me to get up and just kiss her fully across the mouth, but I'm too tired. Just...so....tired...and as everything turns to black in the darkness of the night, I see a white moon give a glimmer of hope before blinking out behind the clouds of regret.

Chapter 9: Rewind

Chapter 9: Rewind

"A good friend knows all of your stories, good or bad. A best friend has lived both of them with you."

- Anonymous

I would give anything to be back at the boutique right now, designing a new fashion line. I enjoy the presence of Applejack and Pinkie Pie, but they get a bit, rambunctious, for my taste. If I have to hear another burping contest, I will go crazy. My thoughts go back to Sunstriker, Rainbow, Twilight, and Fluttershy. I hope they're alright. I hope that-

Rain slowly starts to descend from the sky. Oh no, my gorgeous mane will be ruined! "Girls, we need to find shelter!" I snap.

"Alright Rarity, we will, calm your hooves," Applejack replies almost casually.

Calm my hooves? I'm wandering through some Celestia-forsaken woods, with no cover, and my perfectly coiffed mane is about to be destroyed by the tears of the sky. How am I supposed to calm my hooves? A glance at Pinkie Pie explains everything. That girl sure knows how to throw a party, but when it comes to fashion, neither the farm mare nor the party girl have any idea. If we were to suddenly arrive back in Ponyville in the condition I am now, I would never hear the end of it from my superiors. Photo Finish would never buy my designs again, or Chic Trend, or even Canterlot royalty. Oh, the humiliation! I magic in my trademark couch to flop down on, but it gets soaked in the sudden downpour. This will require a complete makeover when we return. And so will I. Several trips to the spa might suffice.

"Hurry up Rarity! We're not gonna find shelter if you don't move faster!" Applejack calls out behind her. Honestly, I don't know how that pony does it. I certainly keep myself trimmed down with enough jogs around town and lifting boxes with my latest works, but she is a complete powerhouse. Her physique is marvelous, and she is rather fast to boot. I guess working on a farm does that to a pony. I would consider doing more exercises, but muscles are so unstylish on mares such as myself.

A sudden change in my altitude makes me shriek. Applejack had turned around and tossed me onto her back. "Think y'all can try that fancy spell Strika was talking about with Twi?" She asks me.

"Darling, I can try, but I don't know if my magic is strong enough!" I reply. It's true. Although I use much levitation in my profession, that's mostly it in terms of magic. I've never had the time, or patience, to try and become proficient in that area, always leaving it to Twilight. Gathering all of my strength, I call out "Et sic patet caelum!" My beautiful horn glowed a pleasant light blue, much more in style than these drab colors of the woods, and a beam soared out, striking the clouds with a blue shockwave that cleared them up. I feel drained, but was worth not having to get my mane all messy and dirty.

Pinkie Pie is still bouncing along, her usual marvelous smile in place. I really do enjoy the company of the pink mare, but she gets a tad rambunctious for my tastes. Last party she hosted was another birthday party for her cute little alligator Gummy in the park, and was an atrocious mess afterwards. Most ponies were either drunk from cider or close to. I had almost everypony try to make a pass at courting me, mares and stallions both. Rainbow Dash actually approached me several times until she was finally escorted out by Applejack, who could hold her cider better than most ponies. I was asked to bring Pinkie Pie home, who was so emotionally tattered from her twenty two mugs of cider that when I asked if she was ok, she screamed and exclaimed that I was applying too much pressure and she needed time to think. Pinkie Pie doesn't ever need time to think.

"Now, didn't Sunstriker say something about my magic having a temporary cork in the system until I say the release?" I ask, trying to remember what he had said two days ago.

Applejack, with her improved memory and skill of honesty, jumped in with her reminder, "He did say something about that. Like how y'all can't do big magical stuff while you're doing that there spell."

"Thank you, Applejack. We might have run into a bit of trouble had you not reminded us. But it will make carrying my luggage a lot more difficult." Looking towards my pile of things, I realize how little of it I needed.

She's laughing. "Sugarcube, Ah'll take care of those things if you can levimetate 'em" Blushing slightly at her verbal blunder, she provides a harsh kick right into the bags and they fly through the air onto her back.

"Hey Applejack! You want help with those?" Pinkie Pie is already bouncing back. "I think I found our campsite for tonight already!"

A deep, throaty laugh echoes from Applejack. "Of course Ah want your help."

The pink mares head suddenly pops out of the bags. "Ok!"

Applejack jumped about twenty feet into the air, my bags, and Pinkie, flying everywhere. "Holy buck! Where in Tartarus did you come from?"

Pinkie grins slyly. "I'd tell you, but this story is rated teen!"

"Pinkie, dearest, are you sure you're alright?" I ask her nervously. She's being normal Pinkie, but it still confuses me how she does such things. It simply defies what I know about physics, and that isn't much. "And please be careful around my bags."

She looks at the mess of things around her. "Oh yeah! Sorry Rarity! Here, I'll help take some." She lifts four bags with one hoof and tosses them into the air and onto her bag. "Think you can get the rest, Applejack?"

Still a bit stunned from her little experience just now, Applejack shakes her head and nods. "Yep. Thanks Pinkie, y'all are mighty helpful. Let's all just keep on moving. Rarity, think you could take a bag?"

"Oh, of course Applejack. I do not wish to be too overbearing." I take a bag, filled to the brim with clothing. "Besides, you never know when inspiration might strike for my next fashion line."

We continue on silently, or as silent as a group of ponies can be when traveling with Pinkie Pie. She would occasionally test her party cannon, and her bouncing was somehow able to change noises every time she landed, but that was about it. She talked very little, for Pinkie Pie at least, and when she did, it was with some very strange topics, such as "the audience." Both Applejack and I looked around, but there's clearly nopony around besides us. I would also be able to sense if we were being watched. It works kind of like Pinkie Sense, but with more...sense, I guess is the best word.

"Ooh! Here we are!" Pinkie called out, as we reached a relatively flat area long the path. "I think we're about to get into Equestria!"

"Darling, you may be right," but as we step into the area, there's definitely something wrong. A look closer allows more understanding.

We could see Canterlot Castle, but there was no possible explanation for its looks. The normal white, gold, and blue color scheme was replaced by black, silver, and red. A green tinge surrounds it. The sky is a deep orange. The trees around us are burned to the ground, and only blackened trunks remained. Changelings patrolled the skies, and the howls of Timberwolves were clear with a full moon above. A giant shadow covered the clouds, shaped in-

"Well, well, well. Look who has finally decided to return." Discord. The draconequus steps out from a tree. There's something different with him. His normally yellow and red eyes are now just red. He's taller, more filled out, with thick muscles along his arms and torso. The air around him shimmered with bright green magic, signifying the presence of a Changeling. Applejack digs her hooves into the ground. "Discord, what in the hay do you want?" She demands.

"Well, Honest Applejack, I'll be blunt. I'd like Equestria. But wait, I already have it," he pulls out a notepad and crosses something off. "Step two was make allies. I've done that." He snaps his claws, and Queen Chrysalis suddenly appears next to him. Pinkie Pie becomes ferocious, teeth bared, hooves dug into the ground.

She suddenly jumps at Discord. He snaps his claws again, and a green bubble surrounds my pink friend, also solidifying her in solid casing. A green light surrounds the case, and she disappears. He looks to Applejack and I. We both drop the bags, and dig in. "Do I need to do the same to you, or will you come quietly?" He says simply.

"If y'all are thinking we're gonna come with ya, you're wrong! We'll never come with ya!" Applejack growls.

Suddenly Queen Chrysalis's horn glows green, and another shell appears. But this one is holding...Applebloom. My sole surviving friend backs off as two green hooves pretend to rip the case in half, taking her sister with it. Hanging her head in shame, she says, "I'll come. But ya better not touch my sister, or Ah swear to Celestia, Ah'll kill you both!"

Bravery was not a strong point for myself, unless there is some sort of reward. But the Changeling queen's horn is still glowing, and a third casing appears. Sweetie Bell. My dearest sister, captured by the Changelings. No. "This is not acceptable!" I declare, furious. "When Sunstriker gets back with Twilight and the others-"

Discord mutes me with a wave of his hand. "Enough, you little filly." Turning to Chrysalis, he says "My dearest marefriend, we may have a problem."

The queen steps forward, hoof sliding down Discord's back. "And just what would that be, baby?"

"Wait. Y'all are in a relationship!" Applejack exclaims, beating me to the punch. Ew, just ew. I enjoy seeing couples, but these two beasts are my exception.

"Yes. And a very successful one at that. Discord, my handsome coltfriend, captures ponies for me, and they join my hive. In return, I use my Changelings to patrol Equestria, and we rule together." Chrysalis nuzzles Discord, and he blushes slightly.

Suddenly his gaze turns fierce, and snapping his fingers again, both Applejack and I are in chains. SO unfashionable. "Where. Is. The Prince?" He hisses, claw sliding along my face. "Tell me, or I kill you both, and your precious little sisters, no questions asked."

I don't want to die. Covering my face with my hooves, I shriek "He's headed for the Trecks, looking for his sister!"

Turning to the Queen, Discord snaps "Baby, send two squadrons of Changelings, direction due south of this location. Tell them to leave none alive. The Eclipse Prince is back, with the power of dragonfire." She nods, recognition assaulting her face, and a massive group of Changelings ascends into the sky, clearly more than what Discord asked for. They slowly fly away, towards Sunstriker and the others. Seeing our faces, she shrugs. "He said none alive."

Looking back around, Discord smiles dangerously. This isn't the Discord we knew, who was attacking last time for fun. He's for real this time. No joking. "Well, my little ponies, you all will be slaves in the new revolution. Welcome to the Chaos Empire. Oh, and don't forget to say hi to King Sombra for me."

And so this is what Equestria has come to. He encases both Applejack and I, and as we are teleported away, I see a tear run down Applejack's face. And when Applejack is gone, I realize there's no turning back. We've lost. The only chance we have is about to be destroyed by a swarm of Changelings, and even if they survive that, the three most powerful enemies we have ever faced are teamed up. And the Elements of Harmony are nowhere to be found. As depression, sadness, and shame rack my mind, I recognize one last fact.

Princess Celestia couldn't beat them, and we've never seen her full power. And unless Sunstriker finds Princess Luna, defeats the Changelings, and makes it back, the Celestial Triumvirate cannot be together to defeat them. And if the power of Discord, the Queen, and King Sombra is shared, then it will take the three of them and the Elements to defeat them. If we lose even one pony, we have no chance of winning.

Welcome to the Chaos Empire. Population: Everypony.

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Now, before we begin with this section of Chapter 9, I'd like to thank the (as of now) 121 people who have viewed this story, and the others who have stuck with the story and favorited it. This is my first time writing a story, any kind of story, and it feels good to know that it's getting at least some popularity. This story will go on, and even I am interested to see how Future DarkestStar will wrap it up. But, until then, enjoy the second half of Chapter 9!

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Hoofsteps echo through the passageway as I dash up to the balcony. To think that these fiends would have the gall to attack my country directly. I'm not sure whether it's the fact that they were besting me or that I was about to lose my own people that was scaring me.

Probably both.

A bolt of bright green magic rebounds up the spiral staircase, nearly shearing off my mane. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Called out Chrysalis. That bitch. I've hated Changelings, their very presence annoying me. The simple fact that Discord had created them bothered me even more. Yes, Discord.

During the Great Wars, Discord's magic affected the minds of some ponies, causing them to go through severe changes. They would almost become pony zombies in a way, feeding off of love and other emotions of ponies, learning to disguise themselves without the help of magic. But the biggest bother was their queen, Chrysalis. There is something about the Changeling queen that messes with my mind, making me feel like there's more to her than meets the eye.

Another blast echoes through the passageway, returning me to my situation. Almost as soon as Sunstriker lowered the protection surrounding the kingdom, Changelings returned en masse, swarming towns all across the land. Their path? Straight through the Everfree Forest. Should've seen that one coming, probably. Ponyville was taken out of action within minutes, and it doesn't help that my most trusted student, Twilight Sparkle, and her companions, who wield the Elements of Harmony, are off looking for my brother, who may even be dead. And if he is...

Discord leers out in front of me after that last burst of green magic brought him here. "Hi Tia," he says almost casually, leaning against the wall, "thought you could escape us, huh?" Snapping a claw, Chrysalis and King Sombra appear next to him, slowly surrounding me.

My horn glows white, and I fire magic bolts at all three. They dodge and laugh. "My dearest surrogate sister," Chrysalis began, but I cut her off.

"I am in no way your sister, you featherbrained bucker!"

She looms above me. "Oh, but you are." While smirking, bright green light surrounds the Changeling, and she transforms into a pegasus. "I was Cloud Mane, Sunstriker's one and only marefriend back during the war."

"NO!" I yell, and fire more magic. All are blocked by a recognizable shield. "Sunstriker tried to teach me what magic he could...but to no avail. I was a pegasus, after all. But once becoming a Changeling queen, it made things easier. Right, dearest?" She says, nuzzling Discord. "Yes, very easy to teach," He finishes, returning the nuzzle. She transforms back and blasts me with magic, surrounding me with a green casing.

No. I am Princess Celestia, and I will not go without a fight. I melt the casing, and she pales. "But, that's fireproof!"

Smiling, I step forward. "Not to the heat level of the sun. Stupid Changeling."

King Sombra tries to lock my hooves with black magic. I simply step over the magic, and continue on my path towards Chrysalis, or Cloud Mane, or whatever the hell she's named.

Discord snaps a claw again, and the ground below me disappears. I quickly recover, fly back up, and pin the Queen against a wall. "You lied to my brother. I cannot forgive you for that." I hiss.

"Oh, but you killed me. And I won't forgive you, either." She whistles, and several Changelings appear behind me, restraining my hooves. One even slaps a magic blocker over my horn. They've gotten smarter, I will admit. But not smart enough. I backflip through the air with my wings, slapping away the five Changelings, and throw the blocker off of my horn. Leveling it at Chrysalis, I say "Game over, queenie."

Discord chuckles. "Remember us? The other two you have to defeat? And I can see you're already starting to falter, Tia. One thousand years as a softie must have made you lose your touch." A bubble appears. I see my brother. Alive. With Twilight. But she has wings. Was he so stupid that he....yes, an alicorn spell. Of course. And Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are with them. They cannot see us, but we can see them. The draconequus continues, "As you can see, your brother is fine. But I plan to fix that." The bubble pops, and little bits of chocolate rain descend from above. At least Discord partially has his sense of humor.

More Changelings arrive, this time taking the opportunity to also restrain my wings. Discord walks right up to me and strokes my cheek with a claw. "Oh, it will be good ruling with you."

What is he talking....shit. But, there's no way. How did they? No. No. NO.

King Sombra steps in. "I can take her from here, Discord." Black magic snakes around me, slowly ascending around my feet. As it reaches me, I can feel a change taking effect. My normally white coat slowly turns to a burnt reddish color, hooves white. I recognize what he's doing. A transformation spell, similar to what Luna went through. But my transformed version is much more lethal. I tend not to use it. It causes...problems, to say in the least.

The smoke continues to rise, constantly changing my coat. I struggle against the Changelings, suddenly weak. I beg to him "Sombra, you don't know what you're doing! Stop now! You're going to regret this!"

The stallion chuckles deeply, throaty and loud. Discord and Chrysalis join him. "Oh, but I do know, Princess. More than you would think." As he reveals my other form, I close my eyes, expecting the worst. My tail and mane change last, I can feel it. They turn bright orange, like the color of the sun, this I know.

Deep thoughts rack my mind. It's time. Oh, I've been waiting for this day for so long. To be released and take what is rightfully mine. Thank you, Sombra. You will be rewarded thoroughly, my dear ally.

Wait. That's not...me. Or is it?

Get out, you stupid filly. It's time for the true Princess to show her face.

No, I can't let you! Don't you remember what happened last time? Stop NOW!

Too late. Silly Princess, tricks are for foals.

My eyes snap open, and I feel power coursing through my veins like I haven't felt in the longest time. The other three step back, admiring my true beauty. Facing Sombra, I nod. "You've made a wise choice, King Sombra." He kneels respectfully. Facing Discord and Chrysalis, I offer a red hoof to each. They take it, and we hoofbump. "May the Chaos Empire live on." I say.

Discord smiles. He knows whats going on. "Welcome back, Princess Corona Flame. May our reign be lasting forever."

It's time for someponies to learn a lesson about their true leaders.

Chapter 10: Tribes

Chapter 10: Tribes

"Our separation of each other is an optical illusion of our consciousness."

- Albert Einstein

A pleasant warmth is against my face. The sun has risen again. The clouds are gone. I sit up to see Twilight building a campfire, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy devoid of presence, obviously off gathering firewood. We could use magic to sustain the fire, but we chose not to, just to keep things at least a bit natural. Oftentimes natural is more fun. She notices me getting up and smiles. "Hey, how was last night? Better than before?"

I nod. The night before last had been interesting, to say in the least. My little escapade with Luna had caused a headache for the rest of the day. "Yeah. But I want to talk. What you said last night, were you...ya know, serious?" I'm totally bad at this. When it had been Cloud Mane, it was more natural, but that was a controlled environment. We're in the middle of nowhere, going nowhere, coming from nowhere. Ridiculous.

She blushes. Wow, she's really cute when she does that, I just noticed. But then again, I've been 'just noticing' a lot of things recently about the purple mare. "Well, lets think logically for a second. You confessed to me, after being in a mental state of complete disarray, that you have feelings for me."

I saw where she was going with this. Well, horsefeathers.

"I concurred with a similar statement, but both of us could have been under the influence of sleep, and for you, not capable of logic and reasoning. So, in conclusion, yes, I was serious." She finishes with a wide grin.

I start stammering. "You, but, I, and, mental, but, what, and, WHAT THE BUCK? You had me so going there! Why'd you do that?"

Now she's smirking. "I guess you could say," she puts on an invisible pair of sunglasses, "this was a serious matter."

"No! Bad puns, my only weakness!" I joke, throwing myself to the ground in a dramatic death. We just look at each other and start laughing. A couple minutes later, we stop, and she shyly asks, "Have there been others?"

I sigh deeply. "There was one. There has only been one in all of these years. Her name was Cloud Mane. She was a pegasus, the Chief Researcher during the years of my project. We courted for quite some time. I had started to consider asking her hand in marriage, but something devastating happened. We got attacked, and one of my own custom-designed poison arrows got lodged into her flank. It was a slow death, final time around an hour after she was struck."

"I'm so sorry. She sounded like she was perfect." Twilight's concern pierces my heart. I don't want her to feel bad.

I wrap around her in a tight embrace. "I don't want you to feel bad. It was technically my fault, considering we were building the ali-" I jump away and slam a hoof over my mouth.

"The what?" She asks me, something playing over her face. Was it distrust?

I stiffly reply "The laser. I guess Celestia didn't know what it's true purpose was. I probably should've told her." I cringe when I realize how formal my tone is. I don't want to sound like a prick, but that's how it came out.

"Yeah..." Dammit, I've lost her. "But anyways, I'm just confirming. What you said last night was not from some mental stupor or tiredness. You actually like me?" She's interested, I could tell. Not so much the I-hate-this-pony attitude anymore, but more like I'd-let-this-pony-date-me attitude.

I confirm with a swift "Yes" and continue gazing into her eyes. The solid purple made it easy for me to become lost in thought. I suddenly realize I'm leaning in, almost as if to kiss her. She's stepping back slightly, confusion crossing her face, but quickly replaced with knowledge, and she also started to lean in. Our lips touched and-

A fake cough echoed from behind me. We both jump back and I spin around. Rainbow Dash had returned with a massive stack of firewood. She snickers "You want me to leave you two ponies be? Or should I call the doctor? I think someponies have a bad case of loving each other!" Now cackling, she leaps away, leaving the firewood behind her.

Turning to Twilight, I feel flushed. "Perhaps another time." I suggest. She nods, and I leap into the air. "For now, I have a pegasus to go beat up on!" Kicking on a cloud, I blast off, leaving Twilight behind and speeding towards Rainbow Dash.

Very soon I see a rainbow trail and pick up the pace. Catching up to Rainbow Dash, I call out "Really thought you were gonna get away with that, huh?"

"Well it's been kinda obvious!" She returns, still laughing. "I figured I'd make a couple jokes then leave you two be until Fluttershy comes back. I'll bet by the time she got back you two would've been doing things that decent mares like me can't mention!"

I grin, that image quickly flashing through my head. I'd be a-okay with that, but for now, I'm getting distracted. "I have an idea! Lets finish our race from before! Loser has to apologize!"

"Agreed. Threetwoonego!" And she zooms off again, power coursing through her wings. But I have a little advantage. A pair of black wing guards, tinged red with magic, appears on my wings. According to the spell (learned from a powerful magician who's name I used to know until he wiped it from my mind,) they were designed to increase aerodynamics, thereby increasing top speed and acceleration. So far, it was working. The wind literally howled into my ears as I zipped along. Clouds that would normally slow me down were torn into little tiny bits as I blasted through them in nanoseconds. I see Rainbow Dash look behind her, see the speeding red blur that was me, and completely panic, increasing her speed to Mach One, the rainbow trail dissipating as she goes into speeds far faster than what can create a trail. I continue on breezily, having a right fun time, and slowly pick up my pace, matching hers and then some, going to Mach Two.

Now I'm traveling past the speed of sound, and that is really scary. Finally catching back up to the rainbow mare, I yell again "Now really, Rainbow Dash, what makes you think you're going to win? Remember last time?"

She's still grinning. Why? "Perhaps it's because..." she comes to a complete turnaround, using her momentum to gain a boost, and start speeding back. "...we've made it to the halfway already!"

Horsefeathers. I slow down, turn, and start dashing back, completely forgetting my wing guards. I don't want any extra speed, from here on out will be a fair fly.

She's getting tired, her wings slightly drooping more and more with each flap. Looking to me, they perk back up again, and she continues to pick up the pace. Mach Four.

I'm not tired. Not at all. My wing muscles bulge as I flap harder and faster, matching and doubling her speed. Mach Eight. There's a problem though. My wings are on fire. And not the usual dragonfire, or the stuff I can control. I'm actually on fire. And if I don't do something about it, there's a chance I'll combust. Ponies aren't supposed to travel above Mach Six without protective equipment. I kind of had forgotten about that. "Dash! Problem here!" I call back.

She's too into the spirit of the competition to notice that there's an actual problem. "Yeah right! I'm gonna slow down, and you're just gonna pick back up again and make the fire disappear!" Cocky as ever.

I need a water source, and fast. Spotting a lake below, I dive straight down, in enough pain and too distracted to not notice that I need to slow up. I'm going Mach Eight into a body of water maybe a hundred feet deep at most. That thought reaches my mind just before I hit the water, and as I crash in, I pull my wings up. Little tiny pinpricks of pain and snapping noises can be heard as my wing bones break from the terrible landing I just performed. At least I can swim. Teleporting back to shore, I shake off all water, and Rainbow Dash lands next to me. "You all right?" She asks, concern finally breaking through her bravado.

I try to leap back into the air, but wince as thousands of needles jab into my wings and land again. Rubbing my wings with a hoof, I mention, "I think so, but for now I'm grounded." This was going to be a problem. If I couldn't fly, it would take much longer to get to the mountain. Even though Fluttershy flies really slowly, it's still faster than the walking speed of your average pony. And although I'm a fast flier and can do a lot of acrobatic stuff, I'm not fast walking.

"Your feathers are burnt. And you probably have a couple of broken wings bones." Rainbow observes.

"Well, no bucking duh. Was it the burn marks or the fact that I can't fly giving it away?" I sarcastically reply. Holy Tartarus, some ponies just aren't meant to use logic and reason. I'm also peeved at the fact that I'm grounded. Pegasi, alicorns included, live in the air. Their home is the clouds, their travel routes the sky. The only reason pegasi ever land on solid ground is to either buy goods or hang out with any of their Earth Pony or unicorn friends. Or, in my case, sleep. Trees are surprisingly comfy, but nowhere near as good as clouds. Oftentimes I use trees for catnaps. But I'm digressing.

The rainbow maned mare looks shocked. "Hey, I've been grounded before, too, you know!" She's not happy that I crashed, I can tell. She just wants to go back to her normal routine of life. "It's not fun. I crash landed, straight into the ground, at Mach Three! I was in the hospital for three whole days!"

Oh, we're getting competitive about injuries now. "Ok, good to know." I reply, snark cutting through my voice. "Before you try doing something as amateur as that again, let me remind you that I was just going five times the speed of sound into water, which is not a naturally breakable surface at speeds past fifty wingpower, and I was trying to slow down at the very last second, which means my wings were stuck out like pins. I should be lucky that I even still have my wings and got away with burned feathers and broken bones. Plus, there aren't any hospitals nearby, which means natural remedies will have to do. And that means that the healing process is going to be much slower, and we won't find Luna, and who knows what the hay is going on back in Equestria, and I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Snickering, she replies "Yep. Cool story, though. Not as cool as me, but cool nonetheless."

An idea courses through my mind. Letting my magic flow freely, I gently guide it towards my wounds. Serious pain shoots through my head now, and I realize that the magic is too potent to be using while trying to use other spells. I end the alicorn spell, seriously hoping Twilight didn't need it, and fix my wings. I love magic.

A spear appears suddenly in the air, missing Rainbow Dash by a foot. She jumps back, and as more spears rain down from above, I see eyes staring at us through the brush. Jumping up, I fire random magic bolts at the eyes, but miss every time. Eventually, all the eyes have disappeared, but have been replaced by an entire group of ponies, unicorns, pegasi, and Earth Ponies, wielding swords, spears, even halberds. One of them, an Earth Pony steps forward, and I can tell immediately that he is the leader of the group.

Coat a dark green, mane blue, this pony stands out from the others. His eyes are a deep purple, and thick leather protects his chest and legs. His mane and tail are cut short, even for a stallion, and he has a long, deep scar over an open right eye. Or what's left, as the eye is glassed over and clearly unusable. Twirling a mace over his head, he demands, "Who are you? And what are you doing here? Speak quickly or die!"

Throwing a blast of white magic around us, I change back to pegasus Hunter just to be recognized, but still keep my cool. I know this pony. When the light disappears, the ponies look up and gasp. The stallion breaks his spin, drops the mace, and swings me up in an embrace. "Hunter! How good to see you!"

"And it is good to see you, Chief Black Hawk." I reply, smoothing over my worried tone with one of calm and peace.

He drops me and looks to Rainbow Dash. "But who is this mare who travels with you? I thought you worked alone? Unless," a twinkle appears in his eye, "there are, other reasons you travel with this pegasus."

I pull Rainbow Dash back in time before she jumps into the air to attack Black Hawk, giving her a look that would melt mountains. She gets it, and cools off. "Chief Black Hawk, this is Rainbow Dash, one of my companions. She is the fastest flyer I know, of speeds comparing to that of the mystical Light Stag." To fit in with this society is to have powerful allies. And to fit in requires knowledge of their legends and myths, most of which are outright ridiculous, but fun to roll with. "And, I am no longer Hunter. But I will explain more of that later. For now, I need to retrieve my other companions."

"They wouldn't happen to be a purple alicorn and yellow pegasus, would they?" He inquires. Perfect, they've been introduced. With a wave of hoof, a large net appears, containing Twilight and Fluttershy. "We heard a loud explosion come from that area, and when we went to investigate, we found this alicorn and pegasus. They put up quite a struggle. I would be a proud ally of them."

Laughing, I exclaim, "Why Black Hawk, you've saved me quite some trouble! These are indeed my companions, and I am glad to hear you think highly of them. Unfortunately, I do need them, so I would sincerely appreciate it if you released them." The net drops, and both mares gallop towards us, Twilight embracing me so tightly I couldn't breathe. Black Hawk chuckles, and his next words drip from his tongue like honey. "It seems that the unicorn is fond of you. Would it be vice versa as well?"

I nod, and finally return Twilight's embrace just so she would let go. She does, and backs away, snarling at the various warriors. "Twilight, calm yourself. They're friends."

"They weren't so friendly when they netted us!" She snaps.

Black Hawk steps forward. "I am afraid I must take the blame for that, young one. And weren't you an alicorn earlier?" She shakes her head, and continuing on, he states "My sincerest apologies, but as a warring tribe, we must take precautions. And," turning back to me, "I know what you will ask, but this time it is not up to me. As you have much explaining, I do also. There will be much catching up to do, but first we feast, to celebrate the return of our savior from years past, Hunter!" The procession cheers, and as we slowly trot away towards the village, I mouth to Rainbow and Twilight "Told you so." They both blush, embarrassed to have been mistaken, and I snort, joy overcoming my sadness and helping me ignore my still healing injury, though on a different form now. Something tells me we will enjoy ourselves tonight.

~~~~~

After many hours of journeying, we arrive at the village, small cottages with smoking chimneys apparent. This is the town of Neighbrook. Thank Tartarus we arrived at Neighbrook. It was one of my favorite towns during my final years before arriving back in Equestria, and I fought many fights here. Tables are scattered all around, and many ponies rise to greet the Chief and I. We reach a much larger table, more accommodated for Black Hawk, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Hawk's family, consisting of one pegasus mare, two colts, one an Earth Pony and the other a pegasus and a unicorn filly. Raising an eyebrow, I look at Black Hawk. He shrugs. Chieftains are allowed to have affairs, but I never thought I'd see Black Hawk with a unicorn.

As we sit, I mention "We have much catching up to do. My story is simple, and so I wish to speak first." He gestures for me to continue, and I do so. "I do not wish for there to be trouble, and so I will mention this again at the next town meeting. I am not Hunter. I never was. There is no Hunter. He is my second personality. I am Prince Sunstriker of the Celestial Triumvirate. My sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, rule the kingdom of Equestria. I simply protected it. The story becomes long and complicated, but that is all that is needed for comprehension."

Everypony at the table, myself and my companions excluded, looks shocked. The filly, surprisingly, speaks first. "Prove it," earning a reproaching glance from Black Hawk.

He sweeps her up and quickly says to me "I apologize for my daughters words, she means well."

"But she has a point. As far as you know, I could be a Changeling, and you still haven't questioned it." I state. His jaw drops. "But I'm not, lucky for you. And," staring straight at the unicorn, "you are wise for your years. I shall indeed prove it to you." Dropping the theatrics, I begin the fast process of transforming back to my original state. Now her jaw drops, but she quickly closes it.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your kindness." She certainly knows her manners, I can say that much.

I realize one of my mistakes. Black Hawk is kneeling to me, and I quickly change back to Hunter. "Stand up, Hawk." I order. He stands, and I reproach him. "I need subtlety until the meeting. No kneeling. Besides, we're not in Equestria, so my title holds little importance. I am powerful, but will not abuse it. Expect nothing, if anything, I should be kneeling to you. But I appreciate the thought."

"Of course, Hunter. I will respect your wishes. Now for my end of the story.

After you left, we had peace for quite some time, our town being the self-sustaining wonderland it is. This was not to last. The pegasus leaders of Manechester showed up within months, demanding either we join their kingdom or suffer the consequences. I bluntly refused, and it was the largest mistake anypony could've made. We suffered badly, homes burning to the ground, ponies in critical care, thank the Solar Prince none died."

Hold it. Solar Prince? "Black Hawk, who is this Solar Prince you speak of?"

"He is the daytime leader of Manechestser. Nopony knows his real name, but he is a very powerful alicorn, claiming to raise the sun every morning. His brother, the Lunar Prince, raises the moon every night, according to their myths. We know it is not true, but," he shifts uncomfortably. This is clearly a sore subject, "they demand we call them that. They've also placed restrictions on travelers, especially you. Your companions, had they not arrived with you, would have been able to travel through the kingdom safely, but everypony has been given your description, and all outside of Neighbrook want you captured for questioning."

I rise, stool falling from behind me. "Then we go to them, save them some time. Besides, we need passage through Manechester to get to the Trecks. My dear sister Luna had a bit of a breakdown and escaped to Mount Revolution, which is where we head before returning to Equestria."

"I beg of you, wait until morning to begin your travels there. It should take less than a day, and the Prince of the Sun is weakest at the dawn or twilight." He pleads with me now, clearly wishing that I did not have to do this.

I nod, relief swiping across his face. "Then we shall travel to Manechester early tomorrow. Do not expect to see us in the morn, I wish to get an early start. I care not whether this fool of a stallion is powerful or not, he does not, and can not, compare to me or my sisters. I wish to practice my flying. Will you girls be so kind as to join me so we may get there sooner rather than later?" I'm addressing the two pegasi and alicorn now. But then I make another realization. "Twilight, if I were to change you back to a unicorn, how much of your energy would be spent using a teleportation spell to get to Manechester? The trip is just under one hundred miles."

The purple mare puts on her 'thinking face' and considers this notion. "Well," she begins, "my average teleporting can take me up to ten miles, and it takes little to no energy. I will be slightly spent, maybe using a third of my power, but enough that I would be able to back you up if worst comes to worst. Why?"

My horn glows blue, and her wings disappear. The sudden increase in magic makes me dizzy, and I sit down again. I rasp "Then it's settled. While Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and I fly there, Twilight will teleport."

Black Hawk speaks from behind me. "I do not think that will be necessary." I hear a whistle, and a small carriage appears, pulled by two pegasi. They grab our saddlebags, toss them into the carriage, fly away, and the Chief nods to me. "This will be left next to your lodgings. If you and your rainbow maned companion can pull this carriage, then you should be there by mid day, if you leave at first light tomorrow. I hope to be awake in the morn to see your departure, but if not, I wish you the best of luck." He raises a hoof, and I bump it.

"Thank you, Hawk. I appreciate it. I hope your family goes unharmed and your beautiful home go untouched, even in the darkest hour. May the sun and stars bless you with their eternal joy." Turning back to the my three friends, I say, "Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, follow me, we have wing training to do. Twilight, think you can practice magic? And before you ask, yes, you can follow us." She jumps with glee and hugs me tightly. A sudden warmth spreads through myself and I start losing my train of thought, all mind focused on this one pony who was clearly enjoying every second of my presence. But what if she doesn't actually, and is using me to learn something about magic? No. Keep those troubled thoughts out of my mind. She releases, and all four of us turn to get to the excellent training grounds that Neighbrook have.

~~~~~

Ten benches greet us as we arrive at the training grounds, five of which are unoccupied. There are many ponies here, and, of course, it's mostly stallions. The mares that are here are either extremely muscular or slightly fit. Neighbrook has a reputation for not having overweight or underpowered ponies.

The rest of the training grounds are absolutely beautiful. There are personal instructor booths nearby, a magic range, a mile long dirt track, and even a hoofball field, next to a couple basketball courts. What amazed Rainbow Dash the most, though, was the fact that there was even a cloudbreaker course and a rock wall for climbing practice. She shoots over there with a hurried "I'll catch up with you guys later!" and immediately just breaks clouds to her hearts content. Fluttershy heads to a personal instructor booth, a kind looking mare greeting her. I simply stare ahead. The view of the Trecks is breathtaking, mountains looming up above, with clearly occasional spots of meadow and stream. A waterfall for bathing is also nearby.

One pony takes the time to approach us, a elder stallion who looks like he's been through Tartarus and back without taking a scratch. "Welcome to the training grounds." He greets us with. "Please, enjoy your time here, and try not to overexert yourself."

"Of course. Thank you, sir." I toss him a couple bits. He smiles and walks away, clearly not used to receiving gifts.

Twilight looks at me. "Can we go over to the magic range? I'd like to practice some dragon magic, and maybe learn something new?" Ah hah. There we go. Her reason for coming with us has been revealed.

"Yep. Let's see what we can-"

"Hey there, beautiful." Another stallion saunters towards us, muscles bulging. A pegasus, clearly so headstrong that he didn't even notice me, eyes only for Twilight. "What's a precious thing like you doing here?"

"Well, I was actually going to try and learn a couple of spells from my friend over here," She leans a head towards me. I'm no wimp myself, but the dude gives me a look of 'back off or I squish you.' What a stupid foal. He has no idea.

With sudden prowess, he shoots forward, picks up Twilight, and leans her back in some random fancy move. "I'm Sonic Comet, captain of the hoofball team. Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?" She's clearly uncomfortable, and some instinct triggers inside.

I give Sonic Comet the look of death. "Hey buddy, she's clearly uncomfortable. Put her down." He drops her, and Twilight lands gently, a magic cushion softening the blow. He gets up into my face and asks, breathing down my throat, "You wanna go, buddy?"

"It would be wise to get out of my face before I hurt you in ways not possible for the general public to perform." I say quietly, almost a whisper. He's not getting it, and tosses me into the air.

He smiles, wings smoothly gliding, and catches me over one hoof. He's got some skill. A small crowd gathers below us, including Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and now I know what his game plan is. Public humiliation. With the throwing skill of...well, a hoofball player, I'm sent speeding towards the ground. My horn flashes blue, and the ground transmutes into water. Splashdown, and I teleport out, returning the ground to it's normal state. Sonic Comet lands, and swings a hoof at me. I dodge, and he tips my horn, pain flowing through. Not enough to strike me down.

Several guards appear, but I say "Gentlemen, this colt needs to be taught a lesson. Let me handle this."

The hoofball player is so confused. "Who the buck are you to tell me what to do? I'm Sonic Comet! I listen to nopony!" He suddenly grabs Twilight and forces her mouth to his. Ok, no. Enough is enough.

With the voice of a thousand years, I utter five words. "You made a bad choice." And with that, I engulf myself in my own blue power, it turning gray as I slowly created pure magic, but it burned up as it turned to dragonfire. With a sudden burst of red, I'm back to Sunstriker, and almost all ponies throw themselves to the ground in fear.

Pure fear petrifies him. He drops Twilight and shouts, "Who the buck are you, bro?" An evil, more than ever before, consumes my soul. I glare at him, and smile like a madpony. "Your worst nightmare" I whisper, and send him flying with a small touch of my magic. Cooling down, I look around. Everypony is still afraid. Time to fix that. Greeting them with a much warmer smile, I proclaim, "And that's how to make a bully back off!"

But now the guards have their spears pointed at me. The leader steps forward. "Changeling, you are under arrest for attacking our hoofball team captain, and disturbing the peace here in Neighbrook."

"Excuse me? Did you just call me a Changeling?" I look down and around. No markings to indicate that I am indeed one. "Young man, do you know who I am?"

He laughs, a smirk crossing his face. "A Changeling could be anypony. Now, are you going to come quietly, or will we have to force you?"

Twilight, still recovering, but clearly strong enough to stick up for me, glares at the guard. "He's no Changeling!"

"Then explain his wonderful performance just now." He's so convinced. What's up with the ponies of Neighbrook and their extreme self confidence? But there's something wrong with these guards. All of their eyes...are a bright green. Just like the creatures they keep mentioning. And none of them have cutie marks. What? Wait. No cuties marks, bright green eyes....Changelings. But there's only one way to prove it. Glancing at Twilight, I motion for her to back off. She does, and I step forward.

Choosing my words carefully, I lean my head towards the guard. "Well, seeing as you do not believe me, I clearly have to come with you. I will not resist."

"Perfect. Thank you for your patience in this matter, everypony!" He calls to the crowd, as the others slap hoofcuffs onto my hooves.

"But one more thing." I offer, and he raises an ear, clearly listening but not looking. I snap the cuffs, leap onto him, and yell, "Never mess with royalty." Lowering my horn, I blast him with pure magic, forcing him to reveal his true form as a Changeling. My theories were correct, and now to finish the rest. Even as they fly away. More magic blasts disintegrate some of the Changelings, as most blow their cover and transform back. Clearly they had wanted to capture me, but for what reason. Instead of a usual death blast, I shoot one with a paralyzer, and it drops like a branch. Ignoring the rest and racing towards him, I release the effect, hooves on his shoulders, and bark "Who sent you?"

He works his teeth together, I hear a crunch, and it's mouth begins to foam. He croaks, "You'll never know," and as the nightlock capsule takes effect, his eyes glaze over, mouth foaming blue with red streaks of blood.

Well, that was successful. Now to do some repair work for my damages. More guards arrive, these ones clearly real, and as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy come stand next to me, the crowd is back, and angrier than before. The stallion who had greeted us before and points a hoof at me. "Changeling! Arrest him!" He shouts.

The guards split, and Black Hawk trots forward, giving me a severe look. I sense a reprimand will be evident later. "He is no Changeling, only a good friend of mine. Everypony, this is Hunter, or, as he truly is, Prince Sunstriker of Equestria."

Almost everypony kneels at this point, and I get a little embarrassed. "Please, my title holds no purpose outside of my kingdom. I am simply Sunstriker, but do not underestimate me because of that." I get straight backs after that. Eh, close enough. Twilight is staggering, still trying to regain her balance. Facing her, I inject concern into my voice. "You ok?"

I recieve a weak smile and a nod. Good. Facing Black Hawk, I figure it's time for an explanation. "My apologies, Chief. Things went a bit askew." He huffs in frustration, but is clearly still willing to listen. Even better. "One of my companions got, how should I say, picked up by the captain of your hoofball team. She didn't like it, and I had to intervene. Unfortunately, I overestimated, and if you would just give me one second-" horn glowing red, Sonic Comet appears right in front of us, "and some Changelings, probably a hunting party, disguised themselves as your guards and tried to arrest me. I was able to fend them off, but I don't know where the main swarm is. They've also discovered the tactics of the KGB, and are using nightlock capsules to prevent capture and interrogation. Again, my apologies, and I will fix this very quickly, right now."

Still huffing but clearly calmer, Black Hawk forces a grin. "Of course. Apology accepted. Now, if you would be so kind as to fix this mess, I would appreciate it."

"Of course. Twilight, want to help me?" She nods, and with a quick bark of De industria translatio me ad vos she's spry and ready to help. "This spell is using normal magic, so I expect you should know it. A mix of telekinesis and freeze?" Another nod, and together, the grounds are repaired within minutes.

Now completely back to normal, Black Hawk puts a hoof around my shoulders and whispers into my ear, "You ever do that again, and I promise that I will make your life here living Tartarus." I pale slightly. A select few ponies knew Black Hawk's true special talent, and it's pretty scary, myself happening to be one of those ponies.

"But for now, everything should be fine. However-" I look at Sonic Comet, his entire form shaking. "If I catch you ever doing that again to anypony, expect much worse than what I've just done." He completely loses it and dashes away. Time to work out. The crowd disperses and everypony goes back to whatever they were doing.

"Rainbow? Fluttershy? I think it's time for a little practice session." More nods, and we all disperse to where we were headed before. Upon approaching the magic range, several unicorns back out, even with open slots. Twilight and I share a slot, about ten feet wide by one hundred feet long, a magic proof dummy at the other end. "Before we begin, I figure I'll let you know that all of my magic does have names. Part of dragonfire is that although it's distinguishable, you needs special words of power or the exact phrase. I prefer the words, and have enough ability to just think the words, but I'm rambling. What would you like to learn first?"

She puts a hoof to her chin. Good gods, shes cute when she does that. At least it isn't the puppy eyes. Nopony but Cloud Mane knows that I'm a sucker for those. Finally reaching a decision, she says, "How did you do that transmutation spell? I've tried several times, and the best I can do I turn a sparrow into an orange."

"Simple. Again, it's all about the words of power. In this case, it's about what you're thinking of. Let's say you want to turn the dummy into a cake, right? So think of cake, and nothing but cake. Remove all other thoughts. And finally, the phrase is Reformabit cogitationes meae!" Warmth spreads through, and as the pinpoint precision of a red flash of magic reaches the target, it becomes cake. Or as close to cake as it can be. "Step two. Always remember to release the spell with satis" and as the dummy turns back, I reach the end of my little monolouge "I don't think that the special word will work in this case, but I specifically call this move the Trasformare. Now, your turn."

Clenching her eyes shut, I see slight muscle tension as she focuses, and calls out "Reformabit cogitationes meae." The blast of purple is sudden and fast, but does not quite reach the target, disappearing at around ninety feet. Disappointment racks through, but she's done well.

"Good work, Twilight. When I first did this, I couldn't even make it ten feet."

"Really? That's pretty funny. I thought alicorns were supposed to be strong."

"Yes, but for one thing, and I'll explain it on the way to Manechester. Try again."

Another burst of magic surrounds us, and this time it does reach, but doesn't take effect. She keeps trying, furious that it's not working. Eventually, she collapses, tired beyond exhaustion. I restock her magic and perform a healing spell. "Last chance. Then we move on."

This time I sense something. Determination grips the mare as she tries one last time. "Reformabit cogitationes meae!" And I literally hear the magic in her voice. This will work. Except for one slight problem.

I lose all though, and suddenly realize I feel...sweet. I try to move, but can't. Did she really? She looks at me and starts laughing uncontrollably. She did. Dammit.

I'm a cake.

"Turn me back!" I shout, but no words come out. She's still laughing, and I don't like being a solar flavored cake. Let's see, if I can tap into the right node of my mind...there we go. With a pop, I transform back. "That was certainly useful. But did you hit the target?" Quickly teleporting downrange, it's clear that the dummy is currently a chocolate cake. Taking a lick before coming back, I tell her "Now, release the spell."

With less concentration and more relaxed, she calmly speaks the word of power. The spell is released, and she quickly springs back, making sure that there's nothing else involved with it. "Phew. That was surprisingly tiring. I don't think I'll be able to learn much from you unless I can have some dragonfire or become an alicorn."

I'm shocked. Twilight Sparkle, giving up? That doesn't seem like her. "Ok, but understand that something like this takes practice. I'm a little surprised. Other ponies who have less patience than you have lasted longer and wanted to learn more."

"I know, and normally, I would. But something inside of me told me that it wouldn't work out for a little while." Offering no other explanation, she continues with a wide grin, "and I think somepony still owes me something from before we even got here." Leaning closer, she keeps the grin on her face, I follow suit, and-

Oh, horsefeathers. Do I really need to explain what happens next? Or can I not enjoy my time with Twilight in peace?

After a couple minutes of this, we realize we're probably taking someponies valuable practice time, and exit the slot, faces red. "I think I'm going to bed. See you in the morning?" She calls out behind her.

"I'll be sure to wake you up at first light so we can get moving!" I reply. Next stop, wing training. I should just check in with Fluttershy first, though.

Looking around for the yellow pegasus was not difficult. She was evidently not interested in improving her physique, and instead was taking care of and watching the animals in one of the nearby gardens. I tread lightly, trying not to scare away any, but end up doing so anyway. She turns, and sees me. "Oh, hello Striker. I was hoping that you wouldn't find me. You're not angry at me for not training, are you?"

It was evident that Fluttershy didn't feel the need to train. She's more of a ground pony anyways. Can't argue with logic. "Of course not. If you don't want to do something, just let me know beforehand, and I'll figure out something else for you to do in that time, or you can always think of it yourself. I don't get mad at ponies who don't want to do something, as long as it doesn't endanger my companions."

She's relieved. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were going to be mad." She yawned. "I'm actually surprised at how tired I am. I'm sorry to leave you so quickly, but I'd like to get some rest before tomorrow, so that I don't fall asleep in the Prince's court."

"Understood. I will wake you in the morning. I'll be up all night, making preparations." Noting her look, I mention "I'm used to pulling all nighters. I'll be fine."

"If you say so. Good night, Sunstriker."

"Good night, Fluttershy." We parted, herself headed for the lodgings, a pub in the center of town, and me headed to see what Rainbow Dash was up to. Not surprisingly, Rainbow Dash was still at the cloudbreaker course, and the high score board showed that she had destroyed all competition. I fly up to the bleachers, and as I sit, I see other pegasi grumbling, exchanging bets, bits passing through one hoof to the other. One pegasus, a blue stallion with a green mane, approached me and asked at a low whisper, "Sir, nopony has any idea who this rainbow maned mare is. I'm out on a limb here, so would you happen to know?"

I reply at an equal tone. "Yes, actually." Relief floods his face. "She arrived into Neighbrook with me. And don't call me sir. Like I said, my title doesn't count outside of Equestria."

Turning his back to me, he calls out to the audience, "We have a pony who recognizes her!"

Rainbow Dash stops mid-buck and sees me. She looks at the timer, and puts her hooves into a T symbol, asking for a time-out. The time pegasus nods and stops the massive timer. She wanders over to the bench, where a water bottle and a moist towel await her. She beckons me over, and the crowd listens in as we talk.

"Wow! I don't think I've ever had a better workout! I probably needed it, too. Every day it seemed like it was taking more effort to perform my Sonic Rainboom. You should give this a try. Or are you just gonna lift weights and such?" She's eager to see my performance at the course. Well, one test wouldn't hurt. I still need to stretch my wings anyway.

"What rules are in place against magic?" I need to know, so that I don't accidentally cheat and fail the course.

"As far as I know, none. Right, Time Stamp?" She looks back to the timer pony.

His light voice pierces through. "There is only one rule. You may use magic, but only to move around, not to break the clouds."

I nod. "Understood. I will set myself up in a suitable position and give you the go when I'm ready." I shoot straight up. Recognition floods Rainbow Dash's face when she realizes what I'm gonna do. Time for my specialty. That fireball I always talk about? My own specialty sonic boom? It's got a name. And that would be the Infuego.

Pretty soon I'm at the point where nopony can see me. I'm gonna need to use a little magic to get Time Stamp's attention. A red bolt of magic shoots from my horn, speeding to the ground. In my minds eye, I'm controlling the bolt, where it goes. Smashdown straight in front of Time Stamp, everypony jumping back at least ten feet. I force the magic to take my shape and say "Position found. Ready as of now."

He nods. "Go as soon as this...thing...dissipates."

Cutting off the magic, I go into a straight down dive, just like before. I'm going to need to time and execute this perfectly. The sonic cone almost immediately forms, and I slow down, albeit a small amount. I cannot break the cone before reaching the clouds. 5 seconds.

I can slowly see them. White puffy pieces of cloud candy, just waiting to be smashed. I will be able to do well, perhaps not beat Rainbow Dash, but very good. The only question is, do I want to beat her? Yes. No. Yes. No. No. I think that pride, although extreme, is important, and I'm not going to tarnish her reputation. 10 seconds.

Five hundred feet from cloud height, I propel myself forward, enough to break the supersonic cone, and presto! My specialty wave of fire disintegrates every single cloud in the arena. Total time fifteen seconds. I look to the scoreboard, wanting to know. Did I beat Rainbow Dash?

Rainbow Dash: 12 Seconds the sign reads. Good. "Fifteen seconds? That's gotta be some sort of record, especially from the height you were at. Almost two miles up. Holy stars!" Time Stamp is ecstatic.

"However, I do still believe that Rainbow Dash beat me, fair and square. Congratulations." The last comment offered at the cyan pegasus, hoof raised. She bumps it. "I think we need to try our hand at the weights. Come with?"

Looking around her, it's clear she doesn't want to leave. She's impressing everypony and attracting a crowd of pegasi. But, noticing my look, one of clear disapproval at her stunts, she nods. "I was getting bored here, anyway." She tosses the casual comment out like a dead bird.

Descending from the sky, we head for the weights. It's there that I see Sonic Comet again. The pegasus is benching almost three hundred pounds. Noticing my and Rainbow Dash's arrival, he sneers. "Bet you can't lift weights. I'm the strongest out there."

Shaking my head, I laugh inside at his pride. Although he has a reputation to keep up, that doesn't necessarily mean he has to be rude to other ponies. "I see you still haven't learned. Allow me to introduce you to Rainbow Dash, one of my other compatriots in my travels. She is the fastest pony I know, and the strongest."

"Try me. If your Rainbow Dash, or you, can lift more than me, I'll leave you alone. But otherwise, I am the most powerful pony, clearly better than anypony from your stupid Equestria. And no stupid magic either, these bars are magic proof." He steps away from the bench, adding another fifty pounds to the bench. He tilts his head to Rainbow. "Mares first."

She's taking the bait, and dives into the bench, sliding under into the perfect spot. Grabbing the bar with both wings, she lifts as hard as she can, and...nothing. Her wings strain and pop, but nothing budges. She couldn't lift it. "Rainbow," I ask hurriedly, "what's the max you've ever lifted with your wings?"

"Around two hundred fifty. Why?" She grunts, and stops trying, clearly unable. Sliding back out, she shamefully steps away, clearing the weights. It's time to show this stupid stallion how a real pony acts. "Add more than what Rainbow did." I instruct. He does as I say, adding another fifty pounds to the bar.

"More." Five hundred pounds.

"More." Five hundred fifty pounds.

"More." Six hundred pounds.

He looks at me, the smirk still there. "You've maxed out the bar. There's no way you'll be able to do this."

Oh, but there is. Under the bar, I stretch my wings, and push. Quickly, but steadily, the bar rises up to max point, and then lowered. Risen and lowered. Over and over again, until I've done almost twenty reps. I lower the bar back into it's resting point and stand up. Sonic Comet is staring at me, jaw dropped practically to the floor. His max was three hundred. Mine was double. The reason? "How did you...huh?" He's so confused, it's hilarious.

I roll my wings. "Let's just say that one thousand years spent in banishment wasn't spent wasted."

He stutters. "You're, you, one thousand, years, you, but-"

Now I get to smirk. Then it hits me. "Young colt, I may be from Equestria, but I also ruled it." Jaw hits floor again. "Eclipse Prince Sunstriker, ruler of Equestria with my sisters, Solar Princess Celestia and Lunar Princess Luna, together forming the Celestial Triumvirate, the true ponies to rise the sun, moon, and stars."

He throws himself to the ground, mouth chattering. "I'm so sorry, sir. I was a bit too hot headed, and-" He suddenly pales, and looks directly at me. "I kissed your marefriend, didn't I? Holy Tartarus, I'm so sorry."

"Marefriend, yes, but we actually haven't had the chance to go on a date yet." I correct him. "And it's quite alright. I'm in a very forgiving mood right now. But, Rainbow Dash, I think it's time we depart to our quarters. Would you agree?"

She nods, and we take our leave, walking directly out. The pegasus from when we arrived tried to approach us, but we ignored him and kept walking back to Neighbrook.

I really need a drink.

Chapter 4: The Trial (Revelations)

Chapter 4: The Trial (Revelations)

"What was done to me was monstrous. And they have created a monster."

- Hugo Weaving as V in V for Vendetta

As I step into the castle, a certain peace overwhelms my sadness. I haven't felt this calm in many centuries. I see now why Celestia chose this location for her castle. It allows for comfort in making hard decisions that will affect your people. The royal balcony was the chosen location for my trial, where all could see. I didn't know the exact location of it, but was soon to find out.

As I stepped out onto the balcony, the roar of the crowd changes to silence. They recognized me. Celestia had truly told them who I was. My sister was standing out there with Luna, Twilight, and the other 5 mares who wield the Elements. When Luna saw me, she growled, but a look from Celestia silenced her. Celestia stepped up to the podium and started her speech using a lighter version of the Canterlot voice so everypony could hear her:

"Citizens of Equestria, before we begin I'd like to make a confession. I was once a very bad pony, who used her magic to trick, deceive, and cheat against those who didn't meet my approval. My duties as princess went to my head. But everpony, and I do mean everypony, changes their heart and mind at some point. I hope to see that this pony who stands before you today has also done so. Therefore, I present The Hunter, who is guilty of breaking the sacred vow of never entering Equestria again."

She steps down and motions to me. I step up, completely unprepared. When was it decided that I was going to actually speak? Where is my law-pony? The crowd creates a "boo" so together that it seems like one pony. I bow my head in shame and say this:

"Firstly, Princess Celestia is right. My mind and heart were not in the right place during the time of the Great Equestrian War. I'd also like to provide a little backstory to the truth of the matter, perhaps also helping the two Princesses understand my logic behind the Project."

I take a deep breath. This was not something I had been willing to confess. There was truth to my actions that I'd never wanted to admit, even to myself. Oftentimes I'll find that I do not want to hear the truth because it hurts more than lies.

"Project Archon was designed to find a way to make new weapons. That much is true. But not weapons of destruction. Weapons that would end all war." Everypony gasps, including my sisters. Did I misspeak? I continue anyways.

"There was a weapon in the facility, that much is true. But it was designed to heal wounds, physical and mental, using magic." I face Princess Celestia and Luna. "I also have another confession to make. I am not The Hunter. That was never my true name." More gasps, this time also from the five ponies who Celestia didn't mention this to. "My name is Sunstriker. I am the eldest brother of the two Princesses who rule Canterlot. Technically, I am Prince Sunstriker, but I never felt that the name suited me. And I want to prove something to you." Facing the crowd, I summon a sword from it's sheath on a Royal Guard's side. Everypony gasps and cowers in fear. But instead of using it against them, I faced it towards me, and stabbed it into my chest. There was a shout of anguish from the crowd and the mares standing next to me as Celestia tried to stop me, but I continued to shove the weapon into myself until even the hilt had disappeared. Blood trickled down my legs as I smiled weakly and collapsed against the cold, solid flooring of the balcony. Sure, it had hurt, but it was going to be worth it. Although the floor is now stained with blood. The poor pony who has to come clean this up is going to be in for a quite a surprise.

"Brother, what have you done!" Celestia exclaims as I stand up, still facing the crowd.

"Something I should've done a while ago..." My wings glow, and suddenly with a burst of red magic a horn appears on my head. I have the attention of the entire crowd now. From there, I leap off the balcony, 500 feet to the crowd below, wings spread, and dive straight down. This better work.

It almost didn't. As I fall and my speed picks up, I create a bright white light to blind the crowd just to make sure that if I and don't make it, teleporting out and not looking dumb was an option. My primary concern was that I wasn't going to gain enough speed before having to break off. It was true, and I couldn't gain enough speed. So I tried something else. Turning my descent into a loop-de-loop, I used some of the magic I have left to create fireworks and distract the crowd.

At least that worked. While the crowd looked away I teleport up. Far up, near the height of the mountains. And this time don't use my magic wings when I drop. I also remove the white light so that everypony can see my true form. My descent is much faster now. I can now see Celestia gaping at me. Soon, my speed is equal, if not more, to that of rainbow creation speeds. I can literally see the sound barrier in front of me. One second later, I break the sound barrier.

A magnificent flash of flames explodes around me in a booming crash as I catch. Literally. I'm on fire now, a fire slowly burning up and around my body. My coat is now pitch black, almost all color from around it. Not blue like Luna's, but black. Like the darkness from the solar eclipses my sisters make every once in a while.

And now stage two: mane and tail. As the flame goes through both, I get a complete color reversal, with them turning a white so bright that it practically spits colors and light. Final stage: eyes and horn. The flame has completely engulfed me now, I must look like a fireball to those below. I close my eyes, feeling the magic rush through me. This. Is. Amazing!

I snap my eyes open. At this point they should be a brilliant red, like that of the blood that had dripped from my chest earlier. I look down to make sure it has healed. It did, as I predicted. My horn has red spirals circling around it, quickly settling into the design of the black horn.

Final stage. The fire has stopped and I only have a couple hundred feet left between the ground and myself. My back glows a royal blue. Transformation complete, I use my wings to slow down and land, extremely gracefully. The whole process took less than two minutes.

The entire crowd of ponies just stares. I look at my two sisters and Celestia's protege. All three are smiling. I hug both Celestia and Luna. It feels good just to be the true me again.

Princess Celestia goes and stands next to me, foreleg around my shoulder. "Everypony, welcome back Prince Sunstriker, the true leader of Equestria."

I look at Luna. She isn't smiling anymore. Nor is Twilight, or even Celestia. They all are agape, staring at my flank. Before, I was a simply designed bow as the Hunter. But as I looked, a cutie mark appeared. A gold sword crossing hilts with a staff is the design, with the moon as the staff's orb and the sun set into the sword's hilt.

I turn back to the crowd. "Citizens of Equestria, I owe you an explanation. There have always been three. I was The Hunter, yes, but I have always done my royal duty. I protected the borders of Equestria using a powerful magic that only I knew of. I created the barrier that prevented monsters from entering your country. Yes, some broke through, and I do apologize for that. But some were here already, Discord for instance. Please know in your minds that I am not a bad pony, but I have done bad things and made bad mistakes. I am a scarred pony, do not expect my ascendancy to come quickly. I have decided to not take back the throne yet." Celestia and Luna look at me like I'm crazy. I'm still going strong, though, words flowing off of my tongue like crazy. "I will be protecting the Elements of Harmony and their bearers. I did not come here expecting a warm welcome..." Something stops me. A slow clap. Coming from behind me. I turn around to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash staring me down. "Is there a problem?" I asked, genuinely concerned. I didn't want them to hate me.

Applejack walked straight up to me. "Yes, there is, PRINCE Sunstriker."

Rainbow Dash continues for her: "We don't need your help. I don't trust you not to take the Elements and force yourself onto the throne. So shove off. You've, you've...done something to these ponies. I just know it."

The crowd is watching this whole spectacle from below, with a mood swing similar to that of a baby. Rarity steps up to the crowd and points at me with her hoof. "How long have any of you known this pony? He could be a Changeling in disguise! A fake! And he just shows up and claims to be the true ruler of our fair country! Our country! Where has he been for the past 1,000 years! Hiding from the truth!" She faces me. "You are no ruler. You are not my ruler. I remain loyal to the Princesses, but never you, filth!" Again, that word. Like a slap in the face.

Then I receive the biggest surprise of all. Pinkie Pie walks up to me and it's almost as if all her, how should I put it, joy, is gone. Her mane and tail hang limp at her side, and her eyes didn't have the normal sparkle of laughter. She was even frowning. Twilight has the most confused look in the world on her face. Looking at the crowd, I realize I've lost them. They are agreeing with the ones who have been here longer, the bearers of my destruction. Makes sense, but still. Looking into the eyes of all of these ponies, I can see they all truly want me gone so that life can return to normal. Pinkie Pie's words startle me out of my stare.

"Sunstriker. Just leave. You hurt our royalty. It may have been a while ago, and they may be your family, but it still happened. I normally go with 'forgive and forget' but something as big as a rebellion and nearly destroying Equestria before it was even created? That cannot be forgiven. Just. Leave."

"Very well." I hang my head in shame. My form returns to that of The Hunter, this time hornless. I've lost my magic with this transformation. The damage the sword had done to my chest returns, including the sword itself. It's been so long since I was in my normal form that I forgot how powerful it felt. I feel feeble without the surge of alicorn magic flowing through my veins. Celestia goes to console me, but I shake her off with one wing. "I can see when I'm not wanted." But as I swing around to face the rest of the ponies, even my cutie mark changes again, and suddenly disappeared. This turned my sadness to fury. Something changed inside of me at that point. I didn't want to live anymore. I was done with this life. "Understand this, citizens of Equestria. From this point on, your safety is not my concern. I will not protect my people if they don't want me. Therefore..." I point my hoof up at the sky and as the crowd looks up, my magical border fades away, revealing the rest of the world to the people. A black world, one of despair. They will feel my pain. "Good luck surviving. May the best ponies live." With that, I step inside and gallop away to the edge of Canterlot. The entire crowd follows me.

When we reach the edge of Canterlot, the same place I was before, I face them for one last time. There were faces of concern, faces of worry, but anger outweighed them. One more breath. One final breath. And I pull the sword out of my chest and break it in two over my foreleg, throwing it over the edge of Canterlot, never to be seen again. My blood hits the ground one more time. My innards are visible, I recognize that. I must look like a demon sent straight from Tartarus itself. Everything is fading to black, rather slowly. I start to cry. I was not prepared for this. I had been prepared for a warmer welcome. But I had been thrown away, like trash. Harsh assumptions had been made against me, and this was my final punishment.

Turning away from the crowd, I jump. Hearing one last scream from one of my sisters, it makes me consider my decision. Had it been worth this? My final decision was yes. My plummet continues, but is interrupted. Rainbow Dash. Why? I roll off her back to relieve her of myself and continue to fall. I will go down like a true hero. With 50 feet of space left between me and the ground, I use my sonic explosion for the last time, creating a fireball as large as a mountain. It was my final goodbye to the world.

But this fireball was special. Unlike the previous one, this was dragonfire, The stuff used to teleport messages I had harnessed to teleport myself around. I am sent through the firey portal, towards one last location. The borders of Equestria. I was not destined to be a part of society, so I may as well leave. If I didn't survive the crash landing, then so be it.

~~~~~

As I watched my brother take his final descent, I screamed. This was not how it was to be. I looked at Rainbow Dash. She understood immediately, and dived after him. She caught him. Safe, I thought. Wrong. He rolled off, and I saw a new glow, one much different than the others. He exploded into one last fireball, a deep blueish-green fireball, then disappeared. I understood immediately and turned to my sister. "You saw that too, right?"

Luna nods, tears streaming down her face. "He mastered dragonfire. But how?"

I look at the place where he had been. "I don't know. We don't know, and now we never will. There's no way he'll be able to survive a 2 mile fall after stabbing himself with a sword."

She nods silently. "I was so hoping he wouldn't after that response. But I guess we forgot about his...ability."

I look over the edge one last time. Rainbow Dash flew back up and bowed her head in shame, along with all the other ponies. "I'm, I'm so sorry Princess. We didn't recognize-" I can see the pain in her eyes. Rainbow Dash didn't want him to die, I had seen that. But her hatred had taken control of her, and the same thing had happened with those other ponies.

"Rainbow Dash, look at me." She looks up. "I know what you are thinking. But this was not your fault. It never was." I face my people, tears now streaming down my own face. "My brother had been cursed many, many years ago when we faced Discord the first time. It was only through Sunstriker's magic that Equestria was born, and that Luna and I actually lived through that experience. But he was cursed, using a Draconian tongue none have used before. I only knew those words. Discord told my brother that he was forever cursed, and that he will 'have fun dreaming' I didn't realize until later that it meant something else."

I look at Luna, her understanding that I couldn't continue. I back up into the hooves of Twilight Sparkle, my prized pupil holding me while I quietly wept. Luna continued for me:

"Striker's magic always took a toll from him. If he overused his magic, it meant unconsciousness and nightmares of his horrid past. We had never been nice to him as children, and even during the Great War. What Discord had done was take that effect and apply it at times of extreme stress for Sunstriker. Something tells me that had Sunstriker not had a total sense of control, he would have gone insane. That is what happened today. After one thousand years of memories of extreme pain and torture going back and forth through your mind, you begin to lose it. My sister and I have held control over our emotions by keeping our minds busy. But being banished means you have a lot of time on your hooves, and neither Celestia or I knew of Sunstriker's actions after the war until today. He defended us. He has saved our people from beasts unheard of numerous times. To have him enter the one place he protected and discover the people he saved hate him was the final string to be snipped." She steps down, exhausted. I've recovered enough to continue the story.

"During the war, both Luna and I fought his Project to the very bone. His final rage occurred after I had my pegasi firebomb the Project's main base. He lost all of his scientists, his research burned before him, and his friends and allies all running out of the base while burning alive left deep scars in his mind. I'd surrounded him with all of my Royal Guard, unsure of what to do next. This was very soon after I had banished Luna to the moon, so she wouldn't remember this.

He was not himself. His mane and tail were literally on fire, but no other part of him burned. There were white markings all around his body, and his hooves and coat were coated red with the blood of his enemies and his friends, from him trying to save the latter of the two. The only way I was going to prevent him from winning and creating an empire of chaos was using the Elements of Harmony to keep him out of Equestria. I was able to get him out, but not keep him out. It was only recently that the spell broke, and that was because the Elements were handed down to a new generation." I'm almost shouting now, my voice hoarse. 'For him to come back and see what a world this is was not what I wanted. I wanted a peaceful resolution with his return. I'm disappointed that my predictions didn't come true, but I should have seen it coming." I face my sister. "Luna, we need to find him, if only to bury the body."

She nodded her head in agreement. My pupil and her friends stepped forward. "Princess?" Twilight asked me.

"Yes, Twilight Sparkle?" The day had caught up with me and I was tired. I needed rest. "I know what you are going to ask, and yes, this is yours and your friends adventure. You may go." And with those words, I collapse, the days focus and sadness final moments forcing me to succumb to black.

~~~~

I awoke through the portal. The fire was gone through my wings and my surrounding crash landing area was a wreck. Before everything turned to black, I saw myself, almost as if in a mirror, in a light red pool of liquid. Blood. This clone of me quietly stared for a moment then says this before disappearing in a explosion of black, blue, and white smoke:

"Judge if you want, we are all going to die. I intend to deserve it."