Lovers of the Night: The Emozian

Chapters

1 Seeking Help
2 The Elements of Harmony
3 Elements of Harmony Part: 2
4 Unlocking the Emozian
5 Training
6 Saving Canterlot
7 Safe n' Sound
8 Nothing

1 Seeking Help

Lance and Princess Luna had ended up at the Everfree Forest. Lance had carried Luna quite far. But suddenly, there was a howl. Lance turned and looked to spot nothing. He continued limping and carrying Luna on his back. She was still unconscious from the fight. Lance heard another howl and ignored it. He thought the timberwolves wouldn't get close. He put Luna down for a bit to catch his breath. But suddenly, a pack of timberwolves rose from behind the bushes. Though injured, he attempted to get up. He couldn't fly nor did he have the strength to fight. But he stood his ground. A timberwolf leaped towards Lance with his claws aiming at him. There was a yell.

It hasn't come from Lance, it had come from the timberwolf. It blew into bits. Something had hit it hard. Lance turned his head to see an orange pony. She had kicked a large boulder into the creature. The rest of the pack saw her and ran off. The pony looked at Lance not noticing the Princess. "Y'alright sugarcube?" the pony asked. "The names Applejack. What is a pony like you in that armor doing out-" "Please help," cut in Lance. "I have Princess Luna with me and we are both terribly injured."

"Hold on now sugarcube, y'said the Princess Luna? As in the Ruler of the Night?"

"Yes! Please help. It is hard for me to move. I have a few broken bones and I have traveled here from Canterlot."

"Wait here, I'm going to get some help!"

Applejack ran from the two of them. Lance and Luna were laying down on the dirt. Lance was extremely exhausted from the walk. He had lost a decent amount of blood. The blow he had received from Sparking blew off his helmet and put a huge gash on his head. He was lucky though. The helmet protected him well. His exhausted state got the better of him. He collapsed into a sleep.

"Is he awake?" asked Twilight. "I'm not sure, but if he came all the way down, he would be exhausted," said Applejack. Lance slowly opened his eyes. "Look! He's waking up," said Twilight. As Lance opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a hospital bed with bandages on him. Lance could feel one on his head. He was also surrounded by six ponies.

"Who are you? Where am I?" asked Lance. "Whoa slow down there partner. You look like you've been through a lot," said Applejack.

"Where is she?"

"If your referring to the Princess, she right over there."

Lance turned to see Luna still unconscious. Lance slowly got out of bed. Though the other ponies told him not to, he ignored them and walked over to Luna. He felt some pain, but still managed. He put a hoof by hers and sighed. That's when he remembered. Canterlot has still been taken and still nobody knows. He turned around and yelled out, "Canterlot! It's been taken under the control of Changelings!"

"Say what now?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"We'll first of all, I don't know any of you. But you have my thanks for rescuing us."

A purple alicorn stepped up. She said, "These are Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and you've already met Applejack. I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Silver Lance. I'd prefer Lance."

"So, how did you and the Princess end up like this?"

"It's quite a long story."

"We have time."

Lance sighed but still went on. He told them who Sparking Blade was. How he was arrogant and a bit evil. He also told them about the conflict between the two of them. Also how it eventually turned into this. But he left out one detail. It was about the love between him and Luna.

"So, this is basically because of this affair?" asked Twilight. "Yes..." responded Lance. "We need to take Canterlot back."

"Give it some time Lancey," said Pinkie.

"No. We need to go now-"

"She's right Lance, give it some time. You and the princess need to rest. Then we can think of what we can do," said Twilight.

Out of the corner of Rarity's eyes, she saw Luna open hers. "Look," exclaimed Rarity. "The princess is waking up!" The seven ponies stopped what they were doing and walked over to the princess. Lance was the one to step forward. "Luna?" he asked. She looked and Lance.

"Lance?" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, Lance! This is terrible!" She grabbed hold of Lance and hugged him. The others were surprised. They had never seen Princess Luna like this. She slowly sobbed and Lance was comforting her until she settled down.

"Maybe we could contact my brother, Shining Armor. He is the captain after all," said Twilight. Lance turned his head away from Twilight he had his face looking down. "What's wrong?" Lance's mouth became dry. But he still replied. "I'm sorry, Princess Twilight. But he didn't make it..." Her eyes widened and filled with tears. She ran out of the room. The others followed her. Lance gave a sigh. "Lance," said Luna. "None of this is thy's fault. If it hadn't been for me, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"None of this is for any of us to take blame for. What happens, happens. As long as we're together, nothing will break us apart. But, I hope that Alicorn, Princess Twilight, is fine. I didn't give her the news soon enough. I wasn't sure how she would take it."

"She will be alright. But, you're right. I love you too Lance."

As the two of them kiss, Applejack enters the room. "Princess how're you doing- Oh... Is this a bad time?"

"No. It's just two ponies kissing," said Lance. "I may have failed to mention that we are together."

"That's... Um... New? I didn't think the princess would be goin' out with a guard. I'd expect her to have gone out with more royalty. No offense."

"None taken. But anyways. What did you need?"

"Twi is still mourning over her brother, so I know that y'all need some help. But first, both of y'all rest up. We can talk more tomorrow."

2 The Elements of Harmony

It was a wonderful morning. Lance hasn't fully recovered, but believes he is able to get back on his feet. "How's Twilight doing?" asked Lance. "She's still quite depressed. How are you settling in?" replied Rarity.

"I'm settling in quite nice. Ponyville is quite nice. But, like I said, Canterlot is still under Changeling control."

"Oh, don't worry yourself Lance. For now, lets get you out of that torn up armor."

"Oh it's not that bad..."

Lance looked down to see his armor was completely ripped apart. His fur was showing. "Yeah... Okay," said Lance.

Lance and Rarity walked to her home. Rarity began rummaging through her mass amount of clothes. "No, not this," muttered Rarity. She started tossing clothing around. "Ah! There it is!" Rarity pulled out Olive Drab Miltary Fatigues. It was a bit tattered and had a few holes in it.

"Oh. There'll do. Thanks Rarity."

"Oh no, no, no. It's tattered! I mustn't let you walk around I. That! I shall fix it up."

Rarity took the clothing and brought it to the sewing machine. She began getting to work. "Gee Rarity, this um... Quite generous," said Lance. "Nonsense. I shall not have anyone walking around in such tattered clothing," replied Rarity. "In the mean time, you should get to know the others." Lance nodded and walked out of Rarity's house.

Lance looked around. That's when he saw Applejack struggling a bit with carrying a large amount of apples inside a cart. He ran over to her helping her lift it. "Oh hi there sugarcube," said Applejack. "I can see that you need some help," replied Lance.

"Aww, thanks sugarcube."

The two of them had reached a narrow pathway. "So where are we taking this anyways?" asked Lance.

"Oh, just up this mountain. A couple of my family's friends wanted these apples. Don't worry. We're almost there. Careful though, the path is narrow."

As they walked, Lance hit loose dirt which gave way. The dirt Lance was standing on broke apart and caused Lance to fall. Luckily, he was still attached to the carriage. He dangled for his life. "Hold on Lance," yelled Applejack. "Let's see what I can do." She looked around. She tried to find a stick or something to pull Lance over. She couldn't find anything. That was when she realized that there was a small platform under Lance. "Lance," she yelled out. "I want you to unbuckle yourself!" Lance responded in amazement. "Are you crazy! That's a too far of a fall! I can't use my wings remember?"

"Just trust me!" Applejack gave a smile.

"I must be crazy..."

Lance unbuckled himself. He screamed for a bit until he you he fell onto the platform. "Wait, I didn't see this. How did you see this?" asked Lance. "You were directly under it sugarcube. You wouldn't have been able to see it. It's best if y'all head back to Ponyville," responded Applejack. Lance nodded and began to find his way down the mountain.

He had finally reached Ponyville. He thought of going to Rarity's house to see if she was done. She was. His uniform was beautiful. He took off his armor and wore his new outfit. "Wow Rarity, this looks amazing! Thanks," said Lance. "Oh it's nothing," said Rarity. "It's always good to help a friend!"

"Have you heard from Princess Twilight?"

"You should talk to her yourself Lance. She lives in a tree-looking house. I doubt you would miss it."

"Alright. Thanks again."

Lance walked out. He looked around and took a stroll around Ponyville to find such a home. He looked from corner to corner. That was when he finally found it. He walked up to the door. He was a bit hesitant to knock. He was unsure if she would be mad at him. But he knocked anyways. That was when a small dragon knocked on the door. "Oh, you must be Lance right?" asked the small dragon. "Yes. How is she doing?" responded Lance.

"Well, she not doing that well. She's still taking that news hard. I'm Spike by the way."

"Nice to meet you. May I come in?"

"Sure. Twilight is upstairs if you want to talk to her."

Lance nodded and walked upstairs. He saw the Alicorn looking out the window. She was depressed. Lance near her. "Princess Twilight?" he called. She turned quickly wiping her eyes. "Oh hi Lance. Please, just call me Twilight."

"You know, your brother was a good man. He had been there. He loved to help me. Funny thing is, I was only there for a few weeks. But I'm guessing, he got his caring from you."

"Yeah..."

"My brother died in a fire not long ago. It was Sparking Blade who had set it. Or maybe one of his Changelings. But, I had looked up to him. He always helped me with my schoolwork. He also cared for me and helped me make these wings. Which, I might add are completely obliterated."

Twilight gave a small chuckle.

"You know Twilight, he even was there to support Princess Luna and our relationship."

"Wait, your going out with Princess Luna?"

"Mhm."

"Who else knows?"

"Just you, a few others and Applejack."

"I had never thought that the Princess would go out with a guard. I was leaning more on royalty."

"Yeah... I get that a lot. But what is a Princess like you doing out here in Ponyville? Shouldn't you be living in a castle or something?"

"Princess Celestia let me stay here with my friends."

"Your the Princess of...?"

"Magic. Or Friendship. Probably both."

Both of them laughed.

"Want to go for a stroll Twilight?"

"Sure, let's go to Pinkie Pie. You'll like her. She's quite the party pony."

Both of them left Twilight's home and headed over to Mr. And Mrs. Cake's bakery. "Here Princess, I got the door, said Lance. "Oh, your such a gentleman. I see why Princess Luna likes you," replied Twilight. As Lance opened the door, there was darkness. Suddenly, the lights turned on and there was a chorus of surprise! Then Pinkie stepped forward. "Surprised! We're you surprised? Because I was surprised! We through this party for you Twilight! To cheer you up because of what happened. This was oh, so fun to plan! Are you happy? Huh! Are ya'?" asked Pinkie.

Lance and Twilight looked at each other. Twilight laughed and said, "Of course I am Pinkie. Thanks, everyone!"

"We'll what are we waiting for? Let's party!"

3 Elements of Harmony Part: 2

Everyone was either sitting at a table or dancing around. Lance, on the other hand was looking out a window which pointed towards Canterlot. Princess Luna walked up to him. "Is thou alright?" she asked. Lance turned. "Oh, yes I'm fine. It's just that..."

"Hmm?"

"It's that your sister and Canterlot is still under control by the Changelings."

"Thy should not worry. Celestia and the others can take care of themselves. For now, you should enjoy."

"You're right."

Princess Luna leaned on Lance. They both looked at the window. "I do wonder Luna. I may have asked this before but, why do you like me?" asked Lance. Luna looked at Lance. "Lance, I've already told you. Thy doesn't brag. Also, thy cares for others. Also, you have a heart. Why does thy like me?"

"Well... You actually care about me. Other than my parents and brother, you are the only other person I care about. Of course I love you."

As both of them were about to kiss, until Pinkie jumped up from behind both of them startling both of them and yelling, "Cake time!" "Pinkie," said Twilight.

"No it's fine Twilight. I'd like to have some cake," replied Lance. The ponies walked over to grab some cake. As they grabbed some, Rarity opened the door. She was accompanied by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. "We're here," yelled Rarity.

Rainbow Dash flew in, grabbed some cake, and sat in a chair. Fluttershy walked in, very shy and timidly. "That's Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, she's a bit shy," said Rarity. "We'll, now that we're all here, let's enjoy!"

Rarity, Pinkie, Twilight, Luna and the others were dancing. All of them but Fluttershy. Lance noticed this and walked up to her. "Hey Fluttershy," said Lance. "Oh, hi. You must be Lance," said Fluttershy.

"Why aren't you to there with the others dancing?"

"Oh, I just don't feel like it."

"Oh come on, who doesn't like dancing? Come on, let's go."

"Oh, but um... Okay..."

Lance brought Fluttershy up. He brought her to the others and all of them started dancing. Lance tripped and the others laughed. "Yep, I'm not a good dancer myself," said Lance. They spent most of the day there. Then, it turned to night.

"It's best if we all go home," said Twilight. "Princess, you can stay with me for now Princess."

"And me?" asked Lance.

"You can stay with me, if it's fine with you," said Fluttershy.

"Sure. Where's your house?"

"Oh, it's not too far."

"Alright. I'll follow. Bye everypony."

Lance and Fluttershy walked. They finally arrived at Fluttershy's home. "Nice place you have Fluttershy," said Lance. "Oh. It's nothing," responded Fluttershy.

"I'll take the couch. I don't need too much room."

"Oh. Okay."

"Alright. Goodnight. Oh, and also,"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for you're kindness."

"Oh, it's no trouble."

Lance almost instantly fell asleep. He began dreaming. He was walking around Ponyville. He saw everyone. His parents, Princess Luna, and even his brother. Everyone was there. Lance was happy. He hugged his parents followed by his brother. He was glad to see everyone. They all celebrated. Everyone was dancing and eating. But suddenly, something struck Lance. It went straight through him. He looked down to see blood pouring out and a sword going through him. He looked up to see everyone looking at him. All their faces were terrified. He looked at Luna who had the most tears in her face. Lance's visioned blurred. He slowly collapsed. The last thing he saw was the Changelings swarming everyone. That was when he woke up with a gasp.

Fluttershy looked up. She was surprised. Lance continued to gasp air. "Lance are you okay? Little Angel here told me you were having a bad dream. I stayed here until you woke up-" Lance interrupted Fluttershy with hug. His dream hit him hard. Fluttershy could tell. "It's okay Lance," she said. He let go of her. "I-I'm sorry. My dream was... Terrible," said Lance.

"Everyone... Taken away... I was... Killed..."

"That's terrible!"

"I'm fine now, well, I'm going to go to Twilight's library... Or... Home."

"Oh, okay. Bye."

Lance walked through Ponyville and reached the library. He knocked on the door. This time, Twilight opened it. "Oh hi Lance! What's your visit here for?" asked Twilight.

"I was hoping that I could borrow some books about the Emozian."

"The Emozian? That sword is just a myth."

"No. I have the hilt. Well, it's back at the castle. I highly doubt any of us can get it."

"Where is it?"

"It's in a saddlebag in my room. It's at the far left of the castle. Why?"

Suddenly, Twilight teleported out of the room for a few seconds, then came back holding Lance's saddlebag.

"How did you..."

"Teleportation spell. Nothing much to it."

"Wow..."

"Okay so let's find that hilt..."

Twilight dumped out whatever was inside the saddlebag. There. The hilt was really there. "Whoa. You weren't kidding. You actually do have the hilt!"

"Yes. I'm going to look up more things about the Emozian. Hmm... It says here that there are six elements required to trigger something to show us the location of the rest of the sword. Hmm..."

"Elements... Elements of... The Elements of Harmony!"

"Elements of Harmony?"

"Yes. The six elements. Honestly, kindness, generosity, loyalty, laughter, and magic!"

"You sure about that?"

"Yes! Let's get the others."

4 Unlocking the Emozian

Everyone gathered inside Twilight's home. "So what are we all tryin' to do?" asked Applejack. "Yeah, Twilight, what's with the rush?" asked Pinkie.

"Lance owns a part of a sword that can possibly free Canterlot," said Twilight.

"What's so good about a rusty old sword?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It has enough power to stop Queen Chrysalis. She has been defeated before-" Lance cut in. "But, she is stronger than you can imagine."

"Well, as long as this doesn't take long, I need to polish my hooves and I must groom Opalescence. Her fur has grown quite," said Rarity. "Also Lance, why are you wearing that armor? It is almost completely destroyed!"

"I don't know. Thought it would look nice with the hilt," responded Lance.

"Alright everypony. Get to your positions," said Twilight,

The ponies made a circle around Lance. Luna stood in the corner watching them. Lance held the hilt and wore his torn armor. Each pony wore their element necklace. Twilight wore her crown. "Alright..." said Twilight. "I just need to cast this spell and something should happen." Twilight began to say the words of the spell. But nothing happened. "Nothing?" said Rainbow Dash. "This was a waste of time. Let's go-" Suddenly, beams shot out from everypony's necklace towards Lance. The beams hit the hilt. Luna stood up and walked towards them. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion that pushed everyone back. Once they all came to, everyone shout, "Where's Lance?!"

Luna ran around looking for him. So did the others. They called out his name but there was no response. They searched everywhere but he was nowhere to be found.

Lance opened his eyes. He discovered he was in deep space. But there were no planets. "Hello?" he called out. There was no response. All he could hear was his echo. He looked around. He saw a mist forming in front of him. It slowly began to form into a shape. The shape took of a pony. "Lance," it called out. The voice was all too familiar. Lance's eyes widened. "How are you son?"

"Dad! How are you..."

"How am I here? Well let me tell you something. After your brother picked up the hilt, it triggered something. When I was killed by the bandits, I was awoken by somepony. That somepony was the creator of the Emozian."

"What..?"

"He told me to keep it safe. To protect it from every evil."

"Where's mom and Logan?"

"They are safe. Do not worry. But for now, you must take the Emozian. It shall save Canterlot."

"How did you..."

"Know? I have been watching you. Your achievements. Everything. Also, great job on getting Princess Luna. Heh heh..."

"Dad..."

"Nevermind that, just go. Equestria needs you."

"How long does Canterlot have?"

"Princess Celestia and her subjects can last, but it's best to save them as fast as you can. Now go. Goodbye son. I hope to see you again. Take these gifts as a token of our thanks. For being a great son."

"Wait dad!"

It was too late. Lance was suddenly teleported back to Twilight's library. Everyone turned to see Lance. "Oh, Lance," yelled out Princess Luna who rushed to him. "I am so glad you are okay. The sword. It's fixed!"

"Wait! What the... Your... Wings..." said Twilight. "They've become... Actual wings!"

"Wait, I'm an Alicorn? Don't I have to be a mare?" asked Lance.

"I guess not..."

"Whoa! That's great Lance," exclaimed the others.

"Who knew what could happen in a couple of days," said Lance. "Hey, my armor is also fresh, new, and... Diamond?"

Rarity fell over by the beauty. Everyone stared in amazement. "What happened Lance?" asked Luna. "I saw deep space. Then suddenly a figure formed giving me the power of the sword and these gifts. Then I came back..." Lance wanted to keep seeing his father to himself. He wasn't sure how the others would react or if they would even care. Princess Luna hugged Lance. "Hmm... I might need help flying. These don't feel the same," said Lance.

"I could teach you," said Rainbow Dash. "I'm already helping Twilight. So you can tag along."

"Sure, what time?"

"In the afternoon be ready."

5 Training

"Okay Lance. Remember how to use your old wings" asked Rainbow Dash. "We'll, sorta, yeah," responded Lance.

"It's the same really. It's just that you can feel the wind rushing passed. Ya'"

"Alright, so when do I get to fly?"

"A little eager aren't you? Well, let me just say I'm the fastest flyer in Ponyville-"

Lance suddenly to flight into the air. He was fast. Rainbow Dash flew up trying to catch up to Lance. "Hey! No one leaves me in the dust," she yelled. She soon caught up to Lance. She tried to get ahead of him, but he kept the same speed as her. "Looks like your not the fastest Pegasus," said Lance.

"Oh yea?"

Rainbow Dash got ahead of Lance to show him her rainbow trail. Lance had a smirk on his face. He sped up and got ahead of Rainbow Dash. He was way faster than Rainbow Dash. She couldn't catch up. Eventually they both landed. Lance was panting a bit, but Rainbow Dash was panting faster than a dog who was thirsty. "See? Told you," said Lance. "Lucky shot," said Rainbow Dash.

"You'll get it next time. Heh heh."

Lance put an arm around Rainbow Dash. She rolled her eyes. "Hey, I haven't talked with Princess Luna since yesterday," said Lance.

"You can go ahead and talk to her. I'll be here if ya' wanna race again."

"Alright."

Lance walked away and began wandering the village. He searched everywhere. He asked around, he finally discovered Luna was sitting reading books and looking at the Emozian. "Luna," called Lance. She turned his head. "Oh, Lance, it's good to see the," she said.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh... Nothing. I am looking over some things..."

Lance walked over to the books. Luna tried to cover them. Lance raised an eyebrow. He moved the other books over to see they were about fighting and defending.

"Luna...?"

"O-okay... I want to learn how to fight."

Lance laughed. "Ya' know, you could've asked me. I mean, I am a Royal Guard."

"Yes, but I'm embarrassed."

"There's nothing wrong to fight. Even if your a female. Here I can teach you."

Lance grabbed the Emozian and gave it to Luna. He stood in front of Luna. "Alright, this is what you do..." Lance taught her simple moves. Everything he knew.

It had been a few hours since he had given her a few lessons. "This is what I know. Now, show me what you know," said Lance. She threw perfect swings. Lance was amazed. In a few hours she had managed to learn how to fight. "Good job Princess," said Lance. "Now you can defend yourself if I'm not there. Uh... I mean I will always be there but yeah..." Princess Luna giggled. "Thank you Lance," said Luna. She kissed him. Lance blushed.

"Well Princess, I'll be going. Tomorrow, we leave for Canterlot."

"I shall gather the others then."

"Yes. Tomorrow. Tell them to meet here."

It was the next day. Lance put on his new armor. He grabbed his sword and walked out of Fluttershy's house. He and Fluttershy walked together. "Oh, um Lance, where are we going?" she asked. "We are gathering at Twilight's. the princess and I are leaving for Canterlot," said Lance.

"But you two can't go alone..."

"We aren't..."

All of them gathered in front of Twilight's house. Everyone was there. "Ready Luna?" asked Lance.

"Yes. The others have agreed to come. Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy responded, "Oh, if the others are going. Yes."

"Then it's settled. Let's move out everyone. Canterlot is in need of our help!"

As they walked away, something was watching them. It suddenly teleported teleported away. The thing teleported back to the castle. "Oh, so they are coming here now?" Said Sparking Blade. "Prepare Canterlot for their arrival. They shall never get Celestia." She was wrapped in a green ooze. She looked around, looking at what happened. "Lance shall never defeat me," said Sparking Blade. My queen and I shall be in our quarters."

6 Saving Canterlot

The eight ponies were on the trail. As usual, Rarity had brought a lot of things. More than she needed technically. They had just cleared the mountains and were nearing Canterlot. "Alright, everypony," said Lance. "I know they are probably expecting us, so you have to ready up." "Is there a plan?" asked Twilight.

"Not really. We just need to push to the castle. Once we do, we'll be able to free Celestia and defeat the changelings."

"That sounds simple enough."

"It's simple, but it's going to be tough with all those changelings. As long as each of us have a way to get through them, we are fine. But the toughest part I think will be defeating Queen Chrysalis and King Sparking will be the hardest. They have grown strong over the few days."

"True. Look, we're almost there."

Twilight was right. They were getting close to Canterlot. One thing that everypony noticed was the missing shield. Ever since Shining Armor's death, the barrier had broken. They continued on and readied themselves. They had reached Canterlot. There was nopony in sight. They immediately hid in a building. "Alright. I need everypony to make a good distraction. I will go and find Princess Celestia," said Lance. "I'll go with thee," said Luna.

"No, it's too dangerous."

"Does thou not remember what we had done?"

"I do. But you don't have a-"

Luna pulled out a shortsword. She readied it and said, "I will come with thee, no matter what thou says." Lance sighed but nodded. Twilight and the other five ran outside hitting any changelings they could see. Twilight used her magic, Rainbow Dash used her speed, Pinkie her cannon, Rarity her punches, Applejack with her kicks, and Fluttershy hid. The plan worked. The changelings were to distracted with the six that they hadn't noticed Princess Luna and Lance slip away. They ran towards the castle. They took cover wherever they could.

They finally reached the castle. They knew going through the front would be a bad idea, so they went around to the garden. "Alright. Let's find your sister," said Lance. They roamed around slowly. They looked in rooms and other places they thought they'd find her. But there was nothing. They went to the throne room. There, they saw Princess Celestia inside a green goo shell. "We'll get you outta there Princess, Luna, guard the door." said Lance. Luna galloped to the door and held her blade out. Princess Celestia tried to talk, but her voice was muffled. Lance couldn't here anything. "What was the Princess?" Then he heard a trap! Lance turned around to see Sparking Blade hypnotizing Luna. Her eyes turned to a low green. Sparking Blade gave a slow laugh. "So, the 'amazing' Lance has returned to take back Canterlot?"

"Yes. You shall never defeat us."

"Oh really? Bring them in."

Lance's eyes widened to see the six ponies brought in. They were tied to one another. "Sorry Lance, we tried," said Twilight. "Yeah, sorry Lance," said Pinkie.

"Let them go," said Lance to Sparking.

"You're telling the King of Changelings to let them go? You really must be stupid."

"Them come and fight me." Lance drew the Emozian.

"What's this? A petty sword? Heh. But I am truly sorry to disappoint, but I will not be fighting you. She will. Isn't that right Luna?"

Her eyes glowed green. She nodded. Luna looked lifeless. It wasn't Luna, it was Sparking Blade. The others yelled at the Princess not to do it. She leaped towards Lance throwing the blade towards his face. He managed to dodge it. He readied his sword for the next attack. She threw another swing. Lance blocked it and pushed her back. "Luna! Snap out of it," yelled Lance. "He's controlling you!" She still threw her sword at him. She managed to cut him. Lance grunted. Lance brought his sword up and clashed it against Luna's. He pushed with all the force he had. His strength managed to disarm Luna, leaving her staring at Lance. He lowered his sword. He walked up to her and grabbed ahold of her. "Luna," he whispered. "It's me... Lance... Snap out of it. Sparking Blade is trying to control you. Please..." For a moment, he saw the real Luna. He smiled. "Lance?" she called out.

"Your back Luna... Thank god..."

Suddenly, Lance gave a small grunt. The sound of a blade hitting flesh made itself known. Luna's eyes widened. "No, no, no," she mumbled. Lance was still smiling but became wobbly. He fell over, blood pouring out of his chest. "No! No! No!" Luna yelled. The others were surprised. They all looked towards Sparking Blade, who had a smirk upon his face. Luna knelt beside Lance. She said, "Lance... Please don't go..." Lance felt weak but still managed to give his reply. "I won't... Leave you. You know I won't..." Luna began to sob. Luna slowly turned around. Her face full of anger and tears. She yelled out, "SPARKING BLADE!!"

"Oh, have I made someone angry?" he asked sarcastically.

She gave a slow growl. That was when her alternative form appeared. She had become Nightmare Moon. She dashed toward Sparking. The look on his face was the thought that he would win. He put up a small shield in front of him. Nightmare Moon dashed even faster. She hit the shield and broke through it. Sparking's face turned from smug to grim. Nightmare Moon pushed him with enough force that her slammed into the wall, unconscious. Nightmare Moon turned to the six ponies who looked terrified. Then she turned to Lance. She ran to him slowly changing back to Luna. She had forgotten about her sister. She had forgotten about everything. All she could think of was Lance. She knelt beside him. Crying. Lance was still breathing amazingly. Twilight managed to melt the goo off of everypony and all of them ran to Luna. Twilight sat down and tried a spell that would keep blood from flowing out of his body. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash. Help Princess Celestia get out of her prison," said Twilight. Both Princesses tried their best to keep the blood in. It was working for the time. Princess Celestia walked to them. "Sister," she said. "We must take him to the hospital. There may be nopony there, but there are medical supplies. We must move hastily, Sparking Blade could get up at any second. With the combined powers of the three princesses, they lifted Lance and ran through the city to find the hospital.

There they reached it. They hadn't noticed any of the medical crew who were hiding. But they saw them. Once they saw that they were carrying an injured man, they took whatever medical supplies they could find and followed behind them. The ponies still hadn't noticed them. But, they had reached a room where they laid him down. That was when they saw the hospital staff come in with the right medical supplies. Everypony, especially Luna was thankful to see them. "Please, wait out here. Be sure no Changelings come busting in," said a nurse. They closed the door and the others waited outside. They were all quite anxious.

7 Safe n' Sound

A few hours had passed. It was morning. no one had slept. There were no sign of any Changelings. They thought they had brought Sparking to safety. But that idea soon subsided as soon as the doctor stepped out into the hallway. His face showed no emotion. Everypony was u sure if there was good or bad news. That was when the doctor spoke. "We did what we could to Lance. He is fine now, but that stab wound did major damage to his stomach. He won't be able to eat some foods for a few months. But, his recovery should be at least two weeks, or if he's lucky, one." Luna was relieved. So were the others. "Lance is currently sleeping, but if you want to come in, go ahead. Im just going to need to make a few more observations then ill be on my way." The ponies nodded. The doctor then went back into the room. "I must tend to Canterlot and find a way to put up another barrier," said Princess Celestia. "For now, I will take my leave." The other ponies followed. All but Luna who went inside.

She opened the double doors to Lance's room. He was laying in bed, sleeping. The doctor was still making his last examinations. He made his final note and turned around. "Princess," he said before leaving the room. Luna walked over to Lance. She sat next to him. He had bandages and tubes of all kind on him. "Lance," she said. "I am unsure of thou can hear me, but... It's over. Everything is over. The Changelings have fled, and now, all we need to do is fix Canterlot. Thy must rest until thou is ready. I must also rest to get my energy." Luna put her head down on Lance's bed and slowly went to sleep.

Her dreams were about Canterlot. She imagined how bad the damages were. She had also just remembered Cadence. How would she react when she hears her husband died? There were many thoughts floating through her dream. She twitched and nudged. She then woke up. Lance looked sound asleep. She looked out the window to see the sun was setting. She turned to leave. "Leaving so soon?" asked Lance. She turned around to see Lance stretching. "Your awake?" she responded.

"Course I am. That wound may have kept me in bed, but that doesn't mean it'll keep me away from my girlfriend."

Luna blushed. "It's is good to see thou is fine."

"Well, if you forget about my injuries at the castle, I'm fine. Where are the Changelings?"

"They flew off. After I fatally wounded Sparking Blade."

"And Chrysalis?"

"There was no sight of her at all. She must have been away."

"Hopefully Canterlot can recover... This was worse than the marriage."

"That reminds me, how are we to tell Princess Cadence about Shining? We mustn't hide it from her."

"Yes... I guess I will have to tell her."

"We shall think about this. For now, rest."

Luna walked out of the room. Lance laid back and stared at the ceiling. He began to think of various things. He knew it wasn't over. Sparking Blade was still out there somewhere.

A week had passed. Twilight and her friends had traveled to the Crystal Empire to tell Cadence of what had happened. She mourned for him, but knew his death was not in vain. Lance had recovered enough to move out of the hospital and begin helping Canterlot fix buildings and tend to its streets. He helped put up walls and fix street posts. He also helped clean up the trash left from the Changelings. But, most of the things had already been done before Lance had left the hospital. He went back to the castle. He kept thinking, it wasn't safe without that barrier. He went to talk to the Princesses. "Princesses," he said and bowed. "Hello, Captain," said Princess Celestia. "What do you need?"

"I have to ask, what about the barrier protecting the Canterlot? With it down, we lose the upper hand."

"Non-sense. But, we will soon get it up. We just need the right pony who has the strength and endurance to cast this spell."

"I am willing to take the responsibility. I will hold the barrier for Canterlot and protect it."

"Do you believe you have the strength to hold it?"

"Yes ma'am. Yes I do."

"So be it. This spell you shall learn requires focus. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Close your eyes. Now imagine a large shield. You hold it strong and firm. Now, use this image as a large barrier."

Lance closed his eyes and his horn glowed. There was suddenly a barrier surrounding Canterlot. It was activated again. The Canterlot ponies cheered and yelled. There was a rejoice. Lance opened his eyes and exhaled. "Not as tough as I'd expected it to be." He turned and headed to his room. He sat in his bed. He thought to himself that it had been quite some time since he had sat on this bed. He laid down and stared at the ceiling. Next thing he knew, he passed out. He hadn't realized that he had exhausted himself from working and forming the barrier.

He woke up the next morning to see that Canterlot had been mostly rebuilt. He saw only a few torn-opened buildings. He got up, got into his armor, and walked out. He ventured through the halls. He then saw Twilight and her friends walking down the hall and waved at them. They waved back. He continued down the hall to see guards saluting as he passed. Lance still wasn't used to this.

He reached the training room to see more recruits. Though he couldn't run around for a few more days, he still could train. Though he saw trainers, he still joined in. He taught them several different moves. Parrying, blocking and more. The recruits at times weren't successful, but they got through the training. Eventually, Lance had successfully taught them great moves. Now they could actually fight. They were ready to defend in case. "Use these moves to defend Canterlot. Use them well recruits," said Lance.

8 Nothing

"Husband!" yelled Chrysalis. She rushed to him as the Changelings put him down. He was still weak from Luna's attack. Chrysalis helped him up. He growled and pushed forward, leaning against the rocky walls. "What is wrong husband?" He growled yet again slamming his hoof into the wall. "Luna dares attack me over that puny pony? We shall see who is puny," he muttered to himself as he walked further into the cave. Queen Chrysalis looked at the Changelings. They shrugged. Though she had already thought Canterlot had been returned to its rightful owners, she grew worried about Sparking. He seems to be putting revenge in front of him. She shrugged and followed behind him.

Twilight, her friends, Lance, Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadence stood in front of a grave. Other guards and family members attended Shining Armor;s funeral. His parents grieved. So did Twilight and Cadence. Twilight's friends comforted them. Lance stared at the grave. He then muttered to himself, "It was an honor serving under you sir. Rest in peace." Lance wore his armor and held Shining Armor's sword. He put it on his grave, saluted, turned and walked away. The others hadn't noticed him leave. He turned his head and looked back. He could not bear the sight of tears. He returned to the castle.

Days have passed since Queen Chrysalis and King Sparking had invaded Canterlot and Shining Armor's Funeral. Now, they are just sitting in a large cave waiting. Sparking had spent most of those days secluded in a room that he blocked off. He came out only once or twice to retrieve food. Chrysalis had been lonely. Even her Changelings could not cheer her up. For she knew the truth. Sparking Blade only wanted to become the Changeling King for power. The thought of this saddened Chrysalis even more. She decided it was time to talk to him. She got up and went to Sparking's room. Outside, she could hear him mumbling. He had gone crazy. "Sparking?" she called. He didn't turn around. So she walked forward. "STAY AWAY FROM ME," he yelled. Chrysalis was surprised. She backed up.

"What happened to you Sparking?"

"What happened to you? For these days that have passed, all you want to do is sit here in this desolate cave and do nothing. NOTHING."

"It's because I don't want you to get hurt anymore! Look what Luna has done to you! What Lance has done!"

"It has made me stronger. Heh heh heh. STRONGER! HA HA HA HA HA!"

"You've gone insane... I'm sorry Sparking... I'm leaving..."

"Go on ahead! I don't need you! I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOU!"

Chrysalis eyes widened. She turned around to hide her tears and ran. "Come children, we must leave," she said to her remaining Changelings. They were confused but followed anyways. Sparking Blade was left alone. King of nothing. "I don't need you... I don't need any of you..." he mumbled. "It isn't over Lance... IT... ISN'T... OVER!!! HA HA HA HA HA!!"

~To Be Continued~