Spiritus Khayyam

by Jerry Peet

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Sad, Adventure
Length: 7536

Disloyalty with vengeance.

When the Val'Kyr return to finally enact the job they were born for, Twilight finds herself faced with the brutality of the outside galaxy. For how can you ever hope to know the threat one faces when you have never walked in the dark places of the universe? Faced war and death on such a scale.

Map Displayed at start of every chapter designed by DarkDoomer.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-07-02 02:38:54 UTC

Disloyalty

Princess Twilight received a great surprise when one of the royal guards burst into her chambers, panting and covered in minor burns.

“Captain! What's the matter?” Twilight asked, getting up immediately and looking over his wounds. Despite her outer demeanour, she felt a course of panic and confusion; her mind reeling with questions about the situation. Something about it didn't seem like a mere accident or a dispute.

Whatever it was, she felt a stabbing pain in her gut. She couldn't just pass this off, and had to assess the situation.

“In the street,” he panted, “Big... sword... hooded... not your friend... attacking...”

He collapsed onto the carpet and passed out. Twilight wasted no time in darting out the door and flying as fast as she could to the gates of Canterlot Castle. While assured that it wasn't a repeated event of before, it sounded much worse. Whatever was going on, she was sure it would not end well. Once more her mind reeled with even more questions, none of which she had an answer to, and would have to address later on.

'I can't let this go on... But I can't doubt her, either... What's going on here? Why are they doing this?' Was all Twilight could think as she flew fast, keeping her eye out for anything. 'What in the world is happening?!'

Sure enough, the Captain's fragmented information proved correct. A Val'Kyr was attacking Canterlot, and it was most certainly not her friend.

Twilight flew directly toward it, launching a flurry of magenta-colored bolts, and rolling to the side to avoid them when they were deflected back toward her. Skirting around it, she zapped it's leg and blasted it's wrist, knocking the sword from it's hand. Landing and skidding around on her hooves, she blasted it again between the eyes, and the tall creature was down for the count.

Galloping toward it, she kicked it over onto it's back. The Val'Kyr was male, dressed in the typical black-brown robes that most of them wore. She wanted to question him, but she couldn't. She had killed him.

It was rare for Val'Kyr to travel alone, particularly one that looked so young. Now that she had time to think, this Val'Kyr had gone down too easily. She had killed him in less than 6 seconds.

This was an apprentice.

Where was his Master?

Twilight turned to the guards that had intercepted him, “There's at least one more around here. Be careful! If you see an old woman in green robes, she's friendly. Don't attack her.”

“Yes Your Highness!” they saluted her and ran off to locate the Master.

Twilight looked back down at the body of the apprentice. Why was he here? And why was he hostile? Nothing about this made any sense. She'd had no warning, no speculation, not a thing. Not that the first time made any more sense, but regardless, it still raised so many questions. Not least of which being why they were sent here and who had authorized it.

She took a few breaths, taking a look all around her. Wherever the Master was, they were clearly planning an attack. As she considered, she was beginning to realize that the apprentice was a decoy. A distraction. Whoever was out there was counting on her or anypony else not to realize this, to take focus on the smaller threat while the actual threat was at large.

Without them even knowing it.

Twilight shuddered, realizing just how much trouble they were in. They had to find the Master, and fast. All she could hope was that her worst fears would not be confirmed.

'I have to figure this out. I have to find his Master and ask him why. Okay, subdue first, ask questions after. Now, if I were sending a decoy to distract everyone... where would I go?'

Striding back into the castle, she was intercepted by Princess Luna, who looked livid.

“Twilight! What is this I hear about Canterlot being under attack?” she demanded.

“I just killed a Val'Kyr in the courtyard,” she replied, “I have no idea what's going on.”

This did not help Luna's anger. Neither her nor Celestia particularly liked the Val'Kyr, and even saying that was an understatement. Luna's eyes flared a bright white as her voice began to boom in it's traditional fashion.

“Twilight Sparkle, we have warned you about fraternization with the Outlander. If your actions have brought us to war, may the Matriarch have mercy upon your soul,” she bellowed before turning to inspect the courtyard.

However, Luna didn't get two yards from Twilight before the door was blown open and three Val'Kyr stepped through the threshhold.

Coughing through the dust and dirt, Twilight ignited her horn, ready to cast magic if forced to, “What are you doing here?”

The one in the middle, hood over it's face, drawled slowly, “Our job.”

Twilight's eyes widened as she turned to face Luna, “RUN!”

The two Alicorns took off into a sprint down the nearest hall, wheeling around a corner and leaping through an open window to fly away. As they took to the skies, they looked back and saw something that made their hearts stop.

For miles, the colorful hills of Equestria were specked by thousands of Val'Kyr, all clad in uniform black-brown robes, moving in squads to the outlying towns and outposts. This was not an isolated attack. This was a full out invasion and extermination.

This was war.

Twilight had wasted no time in tracking down her friends. She had found the three of them off the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, tending to Fluttershy's animals in her absence. There was a brief pang of sadness in Twilight's heart, as she realized exactly what they were trying to do, and wanted nothing more than to join in. But now was not the time of mourning as they'd done in the first place. It was time to get things going into action, no matter how jarring.

'Priorities first. Assess the situation.' Twilight thought.

When the two Alicorns landed down beside them, they had jumped in surprise.

“Wha... Twilight, is something wrong?” Rarity asked.

“We have to leave, NOW!” Twilight shouted, “We're under attack by Val'Kyr!”

Rainbow perked up and looked around at the surrounding hills, “How many?”

“All of them. We have to get out of here!”

They took off into the sky, Twilight and Luna carrying Rarity and Applejack on their backs while Rainbow trailed underneath them, the wind roaring past them as they streaked off into the north.

“Where are we headed?” Rainbow called out.

“Twilight Sparkle, we must look for our sister,” Luna spoke softly, “We cannot leave her to those things...”

“We have to get word to the other kingdoms,” Twilight replied, “If they're coming for the reason I think they are, we need everyone's help to fight them off. We're going to the Crystal Empire. From there we can inform Princess Cadance and Shining Armor what happened. Then we can co-ordinate a rescue attempt.”

Luna seemed taken aback by Twilight's sudden surge in leadership. She had once held her doubts about Celestia's choice to ascend her, but they vanished on the spot after she took the proverbial reigns. At that moment, Luna would've smiled, bestowing her proud blessing on Twilight's leadership skills. It wasn't the time, nor could she truly formulate the words to do so. It would have to wait. The thought may have counted, she only hoped that Twilight would soon now.

Dwelling on that would not do her good, and decided to focus on Twilight's next command.

“You guys are going to have to do that without me,” she continued.

Now Luna was even more surprised, “What?!”

“I have a visit to make,” Twilight replied coldly, “I want answers.”

Cadance let out a strained sigh. Not two hours had passed since Luna and Twilight landed with the remaining Elements of Harmony and her and her husband were bombarded with explanations regarding an invasion. Twilight had left almost as soon as she had arrived, not even sparing time for their little childhood rhyme, vanishing in such a brilliant flash of light that Cadance knew she had teleported off-world.

As unimportant as it may have been, she knew it was more for a reassurance, taking a moment to feel the edge off everything. She felt a sting of overall worry, knowing this was far more serious.

Even when she herself was able to muster it while trying to keep the love spread throughout the Crystal Empire; while weakened from strenuous use of her magic, she couldn't see Twilight doing the same right now.

Cadance sighed, feeling dejected and worried. She had faith in Twilight's abilities, but it still didn't shake off that she hoped for the best, even if it didn't sound like the realistic outcome. Twilight was more than just her favourite filly to ever foalsit, she was more than just a powerful unicorn, but her equal as a Princess and an Alicorn.

But in moments like this, the Crystal Princess couldn't help but feel as if she were a foalsitter again, worrying over her favourite charge falling down off of her scooter.

A worried tremble settled in her stomach, to which Cadance bit her lip. What could she do to help? That was the next question on her mind, how would she be able to help prevent the loss of innocent ponies?

Twilight's young apprentice, Pumpkin Cake, had arrived with her brother via a teleportation rune. Both had been shaken by the invasion, but were otherwise unharmed.

“Princess Cadance?” Pumpkin Cake asked, snapping Cadance out of her thoughts.

“Oh, Pumpkin,” Cadance sighed, “What can I do for you?”

“Princess Luna said that Val'Kyr were the ones who had attacked Equestria,” Pumpkin replied softly, “Is this true?”

“Yes, it is true,” Cadance replied, not looking Pumpkin in the eye. She knew what was on her mind. It was on her's as well.

“Does this mean...” Pumpkin struggled to get the words out, “Is... she going to kill us?”

Cadance finally looked Pumpkin in the eye, “I don't know, Pumpkin. I would hope her love for Twilight would lead her to stay out of it, maybe even help us... but I don't know if Ascentia is part of this or not.”

“Princess Luna said that she is.”

“My aunts have never trusted Ascentia,” Cadance replied, “And for good reason. Nobody can readily trust a creature that powerful and that morally ambiguous.”

“What about you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you think she'd be with them?” Pumpkin asked.

This was a harder question to answer. Cadance was always the kind of pony who wanted to be fair, to hear both sides of a story and give the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes though, she had to rely on certain things to make a proper judgement, and sometimes, that wasn't easy. Especially when family and friends were involved. But as a Princess herself, she knew all too well of having to think with logical reasoning, and not just what she wanted to see.

She trusted Twilight's judgement, she knew fairly well it was in good faith. Despite her own doubts and worries from time to time, she was more cautiously optimistic than anything. It was the best she could do, by far because she knew Twilight was a grown mare, alicorn or not, and could make her own decisions.

Facing the young unicorn, Cadance decided to just answer it was best she possibly could.

“Pumpkin... I never spoke to Ascentia in great detail,” Cadance explained, “But I do know that she loves Twilight very much. Two years ago, she put herself through great risk to ensure her safety. She would never do anything to hurt her, at least not intentionally. But I could be wrong.”

'I really hope that I'm not.' Cadance thought, her gaze returning to the window for a brief moment. Nothing more she could say or do about this was going to help, but she hoped something could be done.

What Twilight was going to do was obvious, and she could only hope for the best.

The saronite gates of Grand Lord Megan's chambers had certainly seen better days. Being over a billion years old and subject to the effects of several wars with both the mortal and immortal realms, the scratches, warps, and wears were highly visible up close. Despite all of this, the door had never been repaired. Megan preferred to keep it that way, as a reminder of the past. It was her view that history would only be made irrelevant unless the damage lingered on.

The health of the gates was only put under more strain when a shockwave blasted them wide open and Master Ascentia Kortai came storming into the massive audience chamber, absolutely furious. A lavender Alicorn at her heels.

“Ascentia,” she said calmly, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Ascentia ignored her and fixated her featureless eyes upon her former Master.

“I have received word that Equestria is under a full assault by Shadow Company,” she snapped, “Explain yourself, NOW!”

Twilight cringed at her anger. It was rare that Ascentia showed an extreme emotion or reaction to something. But when it came to anger, she could feel it inside, as if it were cutting through her like sub-zero temperature water. Deeply nervous as she was, Twilight kept her composure as best she could.

“Ascentia, despite your best efforts, the damage that planet has sustained has become problematic,” Ryder replied, his back to the both of them, “Shockwaves, chaotic reality warping, and even a shadow beast being exorcized into oblivion has damaged the ecosystem beyond any theoretical repair. You have bought them time, but that time has run out.”

Ascentia whipped him around and slammed him into a wall, “That planet is under my personal guard. You are under no authority to destroy it!”

“I am the Master of the Val'Kyr,” Ryder replied gently, “My authority is only overruled by the Grand Lord and the Solar.”

“I'm sure the Matriarch wouldn't take too kindly to an entire squad of warriors bearing down on her planet and slaughtering her people,” Ascentia snarled.

Twilight realized that she had a point. The Matriarch, or “Queen Faust” as she was known among ponykind, was a powerful being with a knowledge of magic that stretched beyond even the scope of the Princesses, and being a Solar made her strength all the more fearsome. She had attacked Ascentia two years ago on Neptune, simply because she was under the impression she was holding ponies against their will, and had tossed the Val'Kyr around like a toy.

Though, Twilight recalled that Ascentia had been critically wounded at the time after a brush with an Old God. She rubbed a scar on the side of her forehead where several Val'Kyr had cut the skin away to repair her own injuries at the hands of Athena: a shattered skull.

That did, of course beg the question. How in the world did that get past The Matriarch with them getting out of it seemingly scott-free? Twilight could easily tell that it must not have sat well with her, either.

“Ascentia, despite her maternal instinct, the Matriarch must still answer to the other Solar,” Ryder replied, “And they agree that the planet is in too poor a condition to remain alive. She protested, but they silenced her.”

“She will not be silent for long,” Ascentia smirked, dropping her former Master to his feet, “She is a stubborn one.”

“Not unlike you, my young apprentice.”

“Master, you cannot senselessly slaughter these people,” Ascentia replied, “Surely there must be another way.”

“The Equestrians lack the technology to colonize another world,” Ryder explained, “And we do not uplift races past their technological milestones.”

Twilight opened her mouth to say something in protest, only for Ascentia to signal to her as a way to quiet her down. Obediently, the Alicorn did so and said nothing. What could she say, anyway?

It was about as pointless as telling Discord-before his reformation-that he was not being fair, or telling her parents that they were mean for not letting her have a cookie before dinner.

Despite her front, all Twilight wanted to do was hide away in a corner. It hurt her to think that they would do this, and yet she could not escape the reality of it. There wasn't any evil intent, so she couldn't even dispute against that, either.

“Very well, my Master,” Ascentia replied, “You leave me no choice.”

She turned and strode away from him, Twilight following behind.

“Ascentia, you are not so foolish as to turn your back on the Val'Kyr,” Ryder called out, “This is not a fight you can win.”

Ascentia stopped, turning to look at him.

“No... it is not,” she said.

At those words, she brushed aside her cloak to reveal a long, lavender feather woven into her belt. A feather from an Alicorn wing that had been given to her almost two years previously.

“But I will fight you to the death, nonetheless.”

Ascentia slammed her palms into the stone railing of the outside balcony, looking out over the multi-levelled city beneath her. At her side, Twilight came up, lifting her own forelegs onto the stone railing. Neither spoke a word for some time, but it was clear about what was going through their minds. The very situation at hoof was already causing immense damage, and they had to do something. But what?

That too was the question, how they would be dealing with this.

“I guess the Val'Kyr don't really respect other people's opinions, do they?” Twilight asked.

“Nobody does,” Ascentia replied, “It is the nature of sentient life. If you have ever met another person who claimed to respect an opinion they disagreed with, you have met a liar.”

“Regardless, what do you suggest that we do?” Twilight asked.

Ascentia turned to look at her, “Are you asking me to help you, Twilight?”

“Didn't you say you would back there?”

“Twilight, you and I both know that you took a great risk coming here. If it weren't for the fact that most of the guard deeply respect me, it is likely you would have been imprisoned here. And now there are Val'Kyr tearing about your home. Do you honestly trust me?”

“You haven't killed me yet,” Twilight replied, “And I don't think you would, either.”

“Nevertheless, you are asking me to kill my own kin for you.”

Twilight paused for a moment. She hadn't thought of that. She had assumed Ascentia would help her like she did with Xebre. She hadn't expected that Ascentia carried ethical qualms about killing her own kind to save hers.

Hey wait a second, she thought, They're down tearing apart my home right now!. But then it dawned upon her that Ascentia had likely seen the rise and fall of over a thousand civilizations in her lifetime. What was she hoping would happen? That Ascentia would switch sides and start killing the people who were like family to her? Just to save her kind? Wasn't that a little selfish?

Hurt, guilt, and sorrow entered her heart. She could not believe that it was even a question. How would she have felt, if the situation was somehow reversed? What possible right did she have? The Val'Kyr may have been morally ambiguous, even somewhat detestable at times, but she knew that they weren't the same kind of evil she'd dealt with in the past. They were beings who had a different outlook on the universe and even life in general.

It was true. They were doing their job. That was why they did what they did. With the very few exceptions, it was done not to be evil and laugh about like mustache-twirling Con Mane villains.

And here she was, practically demanding that Ascentia go against her own kind, just to help her own. For what? There was no way she wanted to see the extinction of her own kind, no matter how anyone thought that it was a good idea.

Looking away, Twilight decided to just go home. There was no way she could ever let this happen. She was not about to ask, no, demand to her own friend to do the impossible for her sake. This was her own problem, and she was going to deal with it alone if she had to. Not ask her own friend to betray her kind.

Tears began to pool in her eyes, but she held them back. There was no use crying, and the last thing she wanted to do was make Ascentia feel as if she were being guilt-tripped.

“I'm sorry... I should go...”

Twilight turned to leave, but she did not get two feet away before...

“Twilight, wait.”

She stopped and turned back to look her in the eye. As much as Twilight didn't want to face this now, she was not about to back down from hearing Ascentia out. That was the least she could do.

“I can keep you and your close friends safe on a lush, fertile planet,” Ascentia explained, “You could stake out a new home there for the rest of your days. Possibly rebuild your species.”

Twilight thought for a moment, before rejecting the idea, “I won't abandon ponykind to extinction just to save myself.”

“Then neither will I,” Ascentia replied, “What do you need of me?”

Twilight froze for a moment, a feeling of immense affection for the Val'Kyr washing over her.

“I know Princess Celestia is still trapped in Canterlot, which got hit the hardest. We need to get her out and safely to the Crystal Empire. But there's also Ponyville. There are a lot of survivors that won't make it out if we don't get there soon enough.”

“Very well,” Ascentia nodded, “But I cannot promise that everyone will get out alive. You need to decide which distress is more important.”

Betrayal

Twilight looked up to Ascentia and took a steadying breath before saying the hardest thing she would ever have to utter. Something she knew to be certain, despite that it was graving to think of it. But there was no ignoring the reality of the situation at hoof. Mind made up, the alicorn knew that there was no turning back.

“As a Princess of Equestra, the safety of the other ponies is my first priority,” she said, her voice shaking a little, “I need to have faith that Celestia can take care of herself.”

Twilight looked away from her, and Ascentia clearly knew why. Taking action away from Canterlot for even a moment was condemning her friend and mentor to death. A fact Ascentia clearly knew, based on the comforting grip she laid on her shoulder.

“We must hurry,” she said soothingly, “There is battle on the horizon.”

Twilight took a deep, steadying breath and nodded, before following Ascentia to the balcony to return to Equestria.

“Aiden and Dimeura will be meeting us there,” she said calmly, “They were posted there as sentries on my command. They will help you if you wish it.”

“Who are they?”

“Aiden is a skilled warrior, who recently passed his trial,” Ascentia replied, “Dimeura has only been among the order for a few years. She is my apprentice, and she has shown a remarkable aptitude for healing and medical care. She would be a valuable asset to you.”

Without waiting for a response, Ascentia gathered her energy and before Twilight knew it, they rocketed off into a swirling blue mass, streaking across thousands of light years in the space of a few seconds, before they found themselves on the Outskirts of Ponyville.

Twilight gaped at what she saw. The town was under heavy siege, a few buildings already having been knocked over as a party of Val'Kyr were setting up a large device in the town square. A feeling of pure dread and fear overtook her, to which she felt the heartbreak of seeing what was once repaired now crumble. Her heart sank, it felt hard to focus and take it all in, but she had to press on. She trembled ever slightly, though managed to keep her composure as best she could.

“What is that thing?” Twilight asked as she and Ascentia took cover behind a destroyed building. She tensed, looking around her, before relaxing ever slightly.

“The destruction of a planet it not a simple concept,” Ascentia explained, “If one were to simply destroy it with a shockwave or telekinesis, the resulting debris could fly off and damage other worlds.”

“How is that possible?”

“One of the laws of physics is that an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an opposing force,” Ascentia explained.

“Yes, I know this,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes.

“In the vacuum of space, there is no friction or drag of any kind since there is no gravity or air to speak of,” Ascentia continued, “So if a planet explodes, it's debris will fly out until it hits something. That could be another planet in the system, and asteroid, the star, or a spaceborn vessel thousands of light years away a hundred years from now. When you recklessly blow up a planet, you are ruining someone's day somewhere at sometime.”

“Dear sweet Celestia...” Twilight gaped at the revelation.

“Yes, Sir Issac Newton is the deadliest bastard in space,” Ascentia remarked as she took count of the Val'Kyr attending to the device.

“So what does that machine do?” Twilight asked.

“When networked with others across the planet, it with cause tremors to the very core, causing the planet to implode in on itself rather than explode outward. This way the lifeless rock that remains will stay within it's solar orbit,” Ascentia explained, “It takes a month to calibrate everything properly, so we have some time to end this war.”

Ascentia drew her blade with a flash of light. Twilight watched intently, awaiting to see what she might do to assess this situation.

“Twilight, you will have to search for survivors,” she said as she readied her weapon, “I will buy you time to do so.”

Without a word from the lavender alicorn, Ascentia crept out from her cover and up to the Val'Kyr tending to the device, slamming her blade into the back of one and grabbing the neck of the other in her arm and snapping it with a jerk of her shoulder. Spinning on her heel, she drove her boot into the chest of the third, pulling her sword from the first and spinning again to cut along the throat of the last, before finally killing the one kicked to the ground.

“Well buck me, we don't need an army. We just need couple dozen of you,” Twilight said in surprise as she looked over the carnage.

“There will be time for flattery later,” Ascentia replied dismissively, “Find your friends.”

Twilight nodded eagerly before running off into Ponyville.

“And now, let us see what you are up to...” Ascentia murmured as she started adjusting the machine in front of her.

Many of the ponies of Ponyville were overjoyed to see Princess Twilight ease them out of their hiding places, telling them that she would take them to the Crystal Empire, where it was safe. Some even began to cry and throw themselves at Twilight's feet in adoration, something she found both flattering and unsettling.

What in Equestria happened here?, she thought as she gathered more and more ponies from their hiding places to tell them it was safe to leave. It dreaded her to think of what had happened and what could later happen if this continued. She swallowed, hard, a cold shiver running up her spine.

This was not turning out well.

Not everyone was safe. Twilight had discovered the body of Cheerilee in the schoolhouse, alongside Sweetie Belle and Pipsqueak. Twilight's best guess was blunt force trauma to the skull. It took all of her self control to leave their bodies there, for fear of the added weight putting the survivors in danger.

Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Applebloom were unwilling to leave their farm, but when they saw Ascentia fry two Val'Kyr in the distance Twilight had managed to convince them to come with her. As well, the news that Applejack was safe in the Crystal Empire was a heartwarming thought.

I can't save everypony... I have to remember that... I can save only who I can... Just because I couldn't doesn't mean I should give up... Twilight told herself, despite her trembling body.

It was almost too much to take, considering the past events. She took a breath, knowing she had to move along. It took a lot to get her body to keep moving, but the process felt like it took no time at all. She continued forward, knowing she had to. With her resolve in mind, she trekked along.

I'll help who I can, I won't let anything else happen to them! Never. I'm not going to back down or fail them. Not before, not this time!

Before long, Twilight had recovered everypony she could find, and was leading them out of Ponyville under the cover of Ascentia's battle with her fellow Val'Kyr. However, the escape was only met with disaster when Princess Luna dropped down in front of her, and incredulous look on her face.

“Twilight Sparkle... you lied to us!” she snarled, tears brimming into her eyes.

“Princess, please,” Twilight begged, “I had to come here to look for survivors. It's our duty as-”

“Do not speak to me of duty, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna snarled, advancing upon her, “Would you have done the same if it was Captain Armor? Would you have left him to die?”

Before Twilight could respond, Ascentia approached from behind, “You and I both know she would not.”

Luna whipped around, enraged at the sight of a Val'Kyr, and launched a powerful blast of dark energy from her horn directly at Ascentia's chest... which she deflected off the blade of her sword and shoved Luna aside.

“Is this everyone, Twilight?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Take them and Luna back to the Crystal Empire,” she replied, “I will go to Canterlot alone and search for Celestia.”

“I'm going with you!” Twilight demanded, furious at the idea of letting her go alone.

“Your ponies will need their Princess,” Ascentia replied, turning away, “They cannot afford to lose you.”

Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but conceded. Ascentia was right. She was a leader, not a warrior. She couldn't do everything nor be everywhere at once. Leading was not the same as fighting; most especially since her duty was to lead her friends to safety above all else.

She looked all around her, determination rising within her heart. If she couldn't fight to save them, she could at least lead to protect them.

Ascentia's boots landed with a crunch onto the rubble of Canterlot. It was a grisly sight with many of the structures destroyed beyond all reason. The very air itself seemed to freeze still in shock, as every footstep she took echoed into the distance.

It was not long before she happened upon a sight she wished she would not have to find. Celestia's body, pinned under a metric ton of rubble.

It was not much effort to lift the rubble off of her, and before long, she had dragged the body into the open. Looking over the wounds, Ascentia noticed that a sword had been plunged into her upper neck, severing the brain stem. An instant and otherwise painless death. It seemed that Ryder kept to his personal policy of not allowing those exterminated to suffer.

Twilight will be heartbroken, to be certain. Ascentia thought, stilling her movements however briefly. But she will need to know the truth.

“Laurie Laurie Laurie...” came a slithering voice behind her.

Ascentia whipped around to see a woman of Eastern Earthen appearance clad in black, bladed armor. She groaned as she realized that this was Riko, a sadistic Val'Kyr who was rarely called to battle. She had been one of Athena's creations after Ryder had gone rogue and was well known for her bloodlust. When she was called to battle, it was never a good sign.

Calm as she was, it didn't stop a stab of dread from pursuing her gut. Regardless, she didn't let it overtake her. Now was not the time. It was nothing she couldn't handle.

“I never thought the Grand Lord would let you off your leash after what happened on Earth,” Ascentia taunted.

“Good behavior,” Riko drawled, casually twirling her swords between her fingers, “But hanging a few Marines by their necks in front of an elementary school is hardly as deplorable as betrayal.”

“Tough talk, coming from one who begged for her life the moment Athena was killed.”

“Oooh, the stick in the mud actually has some wit on her bones,” Riko cackled, “And here I thought you were naught but a big old bore.”

The two began to walk in a circle around eachother, waiting for the other to strike.

“Getting nostalgic, are we?” Riko slithered, examining the wreckage around her with a sadistic grin.

“Somewhat, but it is not my nostalgia,” Ascentia snapped back.

“You're quite detached for someone who betrayed her Master and her brethren simply for the memories of an old woman.”

“Do not speak to me of-”

“SURPRISE!”

Ascentia whipped around, her sword flashing into her grip in time to catch two curved blades against her own with a loud crack. As they fell to the gravel, she whipped around and threw her sword toward Riko, who leapt over the incoming weapon, catching her own in her hands, flipping around to bring them down onto Ascentia's shoulder plates.

The sound of metal slicing into other metal was like music to the demented Val'Kyr's ears as she whipped her left hand up, cutting into Ascentia's neck along her jawline and whipping around to drive her right sword into her lower abdomen.

“You're getting slow,” she chuckled as she ripped her sword from her torso with a sickening squelch.

Ascentia fell back against the rubble of a statue of Princess Celestia, panting as she clutched the bleeding wounds. A cackling Riko advancing upon her, the demented Val'Kyr loving to play with her food before she ate it.

Throwing her palm out, a jolt of orange lightning struck the corpse of Celestia, and it shakily got to it's hooves, locking eyes with Riko and charging full force, horn lowered to gore it's target. Riko shunted her blade, catching the alicorn by the horn and driving her second weapon into it's side, slicing deep into the shoulder and severing the tendons, bringing it down permanently.

“Really, Laurie?” Riko asked, “Reanimating bodies as puppets? How cliché.”

She turned around to see that Ascentia was gone. She quizzically looked around, then back down at the dead alicorn at her feet.

“Aw, I fell for it again,” Riko grumbled, kicking the dirt, “I'm a bad little butterfly, yes I am!”

Twilight and Cadance were sitting in the Crystal Throne Room, Twilight's hooves in her face as Cadance tried to comfort her. Two Val'Kyr were standing to their side, having convinced the Princesses they were friendly when they surrendered their weapons. The fact that Ascentia had warned Twilight she had more friends among the Val'Kyr had been a major help as well.

“You can't blame yourself for what happened, Twiley,” Cadance said softly, her motherly tone a great comfort to her, “It's something you need to learn to accept. I don't like it either, I hate it. But we won't survive this if we agonize over everyone we lose.”

“So, I'm just supposed to stand back and say 'Oh well, lost another one!' just like that?!” Twilight yelled, tears in her eyes. “I thought were supposed to respect the dead, not brush it off!”

Not the least bit fazed, Cadance brought a foreleg around her body, “No. Not at all. Of course mourning and grieving the loss of a loved one is understandable. But what I meant is that we have to focus on what's really important, which is survival. We'll have all the time in the world to give those who lost their lives an important memorial later. Right now, we can't afford to let anything bring us down. We have to keep going.”

Twilight wanted to yell again, but found she didn't have the strength to do so. All she could muster was leaning against her former foalsitter and trembling. Once more she felt less like a leader and Princess and more like a scared filly. This was her childhood all over again, with the fear and uncertainty of “big adult stuff” raining down on her faster than she could register.

“I know this is hard,” Cadance soothed, holding her closer, “But the best we can do is to make sure their deaths were not in vain. A lot lost their lives, and maybe they didn't die as heroes. But that doesn't mean we can't honor the sacrifices that were made.”

“I-I know,” Twilight uttered in a rare moment of stuttering, “I just don't know what to do anymore...” She sought Cadance's warm, comforting scent, trying to calm her nerves.

“Hey, I don't know what to do sometimes, either. Nopony has all the answers,” said the Crystal Princess, soothing her former charge with a nuzzle. “There are times that we have to take things as they come and learn from there. We do what we can with what we do know.”

Unable to stop the tears in her eyes, Twilight shook with grief. All she could feel was numb, as if her legs were jello and her wings were clipped. Her mind flashed with all of the hardships faced, how it was going to affect everypony and herself. A sinking feeling overcame her stomach, to where she even felt aware of its movements.

“Sometimes I wish this never happened... None of it,” the lavender alicorn uttered in a broken voice.

Cadance stroked her mane, “I know, and I can understand. But there isn't much we can do about that. You just have to hang in there, Twiley....”

Sniffling loudly, Twilight closed her eyes as she nuzzled into the light pink coat of her sister-in-law, calming herself. “I just know how powerful they are and what they're capable of. I don't want to lose anything else, or anypony else. I want to be able to overcome this.”

“And we will. We might lose a lot in this, but that doesn't mean we should give up. Whatever happens in the long run, at least we'll have made it through and tried.”

“...Thanks, Cadance...”

Smiling, Cadance nuzzled her hair, “Hey, no need to thank me. Sometimes we do just need to remind each other of what we're fighting for.”

“Yeah... you're right,” Twilight murmured.

Cadance and Twilight's discussion was cut off when Shining Armor burst into the throne room, looking panicked.

“Twilight, Ascentia has arrived,” he said anxiously.

“Why are you so nervous?” Cadance asked, “Shouldn't that be a good sign?”

“She was mortally wounded when she arrived,” Shining explained, only for Twilight to bolt upright, shocked, “She was escorted to the infirmary.”

“What kind of injuries?” Twilight demanded, “Tell me, NOW!”

Cadance and Shining stepped back, surprised by Twilight's outburst, “Very bad bleeding, and it looks like she was impaled in the right kidney. Twilight... is something the matter?”

Twilight stormed down the hall, pausing only for a moment to turn back, “Ascentia has valuable knowledge about how the Val'Kyr fight, also she's an experienced tactician. She also wields more raw power in her pinky finger than the rest of us have in our whole bodies. In a game of chess, you don't sacrifice your Queen for the sake of a few Pawns.”

With that, Twilight stormed out, looking for the infirmary.

Meanwhile, Shining leaned in to Cadance, “So... Ascentia is our Queen now?”

“I think it was a metaphor, sweetheart,” Cadance replied, “In chess, the Queen is the most agile piece on the board. Losing it early can easily cost you the game.”

“Okay, follow up question.”

“Shoot.”

“When did Twilight start making cryptic metaphors?”

“Since she became buddy-buddy with a harbinger of death.”

Twilight burst into the Crystal Infirmary, her eyes catching several ponies and Princess Luna surrounding the tall form of Ascentia, who was seated back in a chair while a doctor examined her. As Twilight got closer, she saw a sharp cut in her shoulderplate and her chestplate, and a deep gash in her neck. The nurses seemed confused as to what they were supposed to do to treat her.

“Ascentia!” Twilight snapped, approaching her, “What happened?!”

Grunting as she clutched her bleeding torso, “I was ambushed by one of Ryder's commanders. A demented Val'Kyr named Riko.”

“What about Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked, hopefully.

“I regret to say that I was forced to defile her corpse to make my escape,” Ascentia replied, blinking around for a moment.

Stricken, it took all of Twilight's strength not to keel over in broken grief. She felt a numbing feeling overcoming her heart, knowing that she'd lost her beloved teacher. Her second mother. Her equal... All of the memories of the past flooded her thoughts, reminding her of the good and bad times.

She held back her tears, trembling ever slightly. No. She could mourn later. Right now, they had to focus on the tasks at hoof.

“So my sister is...” Luna began, but choked up as she turned away.

“Are you going to be okay?” Twilight asked as a nurse pony examined the wound in her neck.

“I should be,” Ascentia replied, “But I am suffering a particularly annoying headache, and I am not sure to the cause.”

“What kind of headache?” Twilight asked.

“Outward, as if there is a pulsing energy nearby that contains the properties of strong ultraviolet radiation.”

“It might be the Crystal Heart,” Cadance spoke up as she entered the Infirmary, “It pulsates with a powerful magic fueled by the love of all Crystal Ponies. If you're expecting me to disable it, it is out of the question.”

“I will adapt,” Ascentia replied, nodding to Cadance, “But if it affects me, it would likely affect the other Val'Kyr.”

“Your apprentices mentioned having headaches when they got here.”

“Then that settles it,” Ascentia replied, shifting her weight to put less strain on her torso as the nurse stitched her neck, “We will lure them here.”

“What?!” Cadance, Luna and Twilight all shouted in unison.

“You did not expect to hide from the Val'Kyr until they left, did you?” Ascentia asked, “No, they will come here eventually to set a shock point. They will need to. We must gather what allies you have, and bring them here for the fight.”

“But why here?” Twilight asked.

“This Crystal Heart has afflicted myself and my apprentices. It will afflict the others as well, which will give us the advantage.”

Twilight, Luna and Cadance nodded in agreement. It did make the most sense to fight on higher ground.

Ascentia reached up and slammed the heel of her hand into the wall, watching the crystal crack only slightly, “Also the structure is durable, which will give cover for magical support. Now, onto important matters. What forces does Equestria have?”

Twilight spoke up quickly, “Most unicorns have strength in magic, though many are limited to only certain schools that coincide with their special talent. However, the students of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns were powerful in all schools of magic, both offensive and defensive.”

“Did any survive the assault on Canterlot?”

“Most got out in time, but they're scattered across different towns in Equestria.”

“They will need to be tracked down before the Val'Kyr hit those towns. What else is there?” Ascentia asked.

“The dragons are particularly powerful, but their packs are not very large. If you're thinking of enlisting them to help, you'd need to find and appease the Dragon Lord. And he's not very fond of ponykind.” Cadance explained.

“I'm sure extinction will get his attention,” Ascentia smirked, making a note of their options, “What about the Changelings? They were particularly helpful two years ago.”

“We're in luck!” Twilight replied, “Queen Chrysalis' new hive is in the Badlands, so it should be easy to track down. Plus she likes you, so that should be an easy call.”

“And the Matriarch is still nowhere to be found,” Ascentia made a note of all this new information, when something struck her mind, “Princess Cadance, you mentioned that disabling the Crystal Heart was out of the question. Why?”

“It is the only force that keeps King Sombra at bay. Without it, he would have access to the Empire,” Cadance explained, “You're not thinking of turning him loose, are you?”

“Any reinforcements are good reinforcements, providing he can be reasoned with,” Ascentia replied, “But I will not press the issue unless we absolutely need to.”

“So, the only question that remains is... where to first?” Luna asked.