Bloody Conflictions

by OC Beats

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Adventure, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6
Length: 6597

After a terrorist from across the seas threatens the Crystal Empire with war and kidnaps Shinning Armor, Celestia sends the mane six on an adventure they won't soon forget. They will face many dangers that will put their friendship to the test.

The leader of a new empire called the Tailamento Empire, makes his way into the crystal castle and kidnaps Shining Armor. The only way to get him back is to either give up half of Equestria or fight for him. While Celestia stays to fight with the Crystal Empire, she sends Twilight and her friends on a dangerous journey they soon won't forget. The challenges will put their friendship to the test.
They thought they were prepared for anything....

but nothing could have prepared for this.

Published 2014-03-16 03:00:07 UTC
Last updated 2014-03-31 05:49:23 UTC

The Journey Begins

In the beginning, there were two sisters. The oldest who raised and lowered the sun, and the youngest who raised and lowered the moon. The two were very close and there was peace throughout Equestria. Until one day, the younger sister refused to lower the moon. She was tired of the sun and wanted eternal night. The oldest sibling tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen and soon began to fight one another. The oldest sister, heart broken, had no other choice than to banish her sister to the moon using the Elements of Harmony. After she banished her sister, the oldest had to take on the responsibility of raising and lowering the moon.It would be many years before the youngest would break free from her cold prison and try to take over Equestria once more. She was defeated one last time by six heroes who used the Elements of Harmony to free the young sister from the dark that had consumed her. The two sisters were reunited and peace was restored to Equestria. They thanked the six heroes for their bravery and for returning the lost sister home. Over time, the six heroes would face many more challenges that would bring them closer together. They used the elements of charity, compassion, devotion, integrity, optimism, and leadership to get through these challenges. They faced everything life threw at them, prepared and ready to fight. However, nothing could have prepared them for what came next...

"Princess Celestia!" a guard yelled, running into the room. The princess, who was sitting and writing a letter, looked up. She put the letter and quill down and turned to the guard. Guards never ran into the castle like this unless it was a dire emergency.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked with her strong, yet soothing, voice. He stopped in front of her and took off his helmet.

"We just got a letter from Princess Cadance from the Crystal Empire."

"Oh, and what did they have to say?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They need your help. A country over seas has declared war against them."

"I'm sure she and Shining Armor can find a way to stop them." she said with a slight smile and chuckle. The guard looked down. "That's the problem." Celestia's smile left her face.

The guard continued, "Shining Armor was kidnapped. The leader of the country somehow found a way into the crystal castle when she wasn't home and took him. They left a note saying that the only way to get him back is to either fight him or..." He trailed off.

"Yes, or what?" She asked, demanding for an answer.

He looked up. " Either fight him or give up half of Equestria. He also said if we don't give him an answer by the next six days, they will kill him." She closed her eyes and sat back. "What do we do?" the guard asked. She stayed silent for a minute before responding. She levitated a new piece of paper in front of her and began writing.

"Take this letter to Princess Twilight Sparkle and tell her to get here as fast as she can." She then levitated the letter to the guard. He put his helmet back on and left. Another guard spoke up,

"What's your plan on stopping the war and getting Shining Armor back?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. "For once," she started, "I'm not too sure."

There was a knock at the door to the library and Spike ran to answer it. When he opened the door, he was greeted by the royal guard standing in front of him. At first, it shocked him to see a royal guard at the door. For it wasn't everyday you get one of those at the library. He reached into his saddle bag and gave Spike the letter. "Give this letter to Princess Twilight at once!" he demanded. "It is very important that she gets this right away. Do you understand me?" Spike nodded. After the guard left, Spike closed the door and walked upstairs.

"Twilight," he called. "Twilight, where are you?" Twilight came out of the bathroom with a towel over her head. She began to dry her mane.

"Spike, you know I was taking a shower."

"Oh, right. Sorry." he apologized, looking to the floor.

"It's OK. What do you need?" She said, brushing her mane with a brush she picked up from her nightstand. Spike handed the letter to her.

"A royal guard came by and said you need to read this letter right away. He said it was important. He didn't really explain why though." She smiled at her assistant, levitated the letter in front of her and began reading. Soon her smile faded away and she slumped down to the ground. She dropped the letter and a single tear fell along with it.

"Spike," she said quietly, "go get the girls. Tell them to meet me at the train station right away." She stood up and walked to the bathroom. Spike was confused.

"Why? What did the letter say?"

She stopped at the doorway. "Just go do it Spike." she said quietly, not turning around to look at him. She then closed the door behind her and locked it. Spike walked over to the letter and read it. He now understood. He glared back at the door.

"Oh, Twilight." he said softly.

"Hold up sugar-cube," Applejack said, raising a hoof to silence the dragon. "I can barely understand a single word your sayin'." Spike took a deep breath to calm him self. "Now, tell me what's got ya so outa breath?" He took one last deep breath to calm himself before answering.

"OK, so this morning a royal guard from Celestia's castle stopped by the library and gave Twilight a letter." Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"Is that all? Spike, You interrupted my work for that!"

"NO! Just listen!" he yelled. "The letter said that some empire all the way across the seas had declared war against the Crystal Empire." Applejack's eyes widened. "On top of that, they somehow got Shining Armor. Celestia said he could be killed over there. That's why she wants to see us. We need to go to the train station to meet up with Twilight, like, now!" Applejack looked back at the farm, then to Spike. She thought for a moment.

"Ah right. I need to go tell the family. Have you told the others yet?"

"Only two of them."

"Who?" she asked.

"Rarity and Fluttershy. I told them that if they see Rainbow Dash, tell her whats going on."

"Well, Rainbow is usually flyin' 'round here this time a day. If I see her first I'll let her know. You go get Pinkie, and run." She began to laugh. "You know quick she is. If you see her, you better get her attention." They laughed and Spike went to get Pinkie. Applejack turned and began to walk to the house.

While walking through the town, Spike couldn't find Pinkie Pie anywhere. "Ugh, where is that crazy pony?" he said to himself. He looked over and saw her trotting out of an ice cream store. "Figures." He ran up to her to catch up. Probably not his best idea, but he was in a hurry. Out of breath, he finally caught up to her. "Pinkie... Pie... wait..." he said, gasping for air in between each breath.

"Oh, Spike! What are you doing out here?" she asked with her typical Pinkie Pie smile.

"Twilight... letter... train station... now!" He tried to get the words out, but they would come out. He was too tired.

"Well, spit it out Mr. Spikey Wikey Dragonikie!" she said laughing. He caught his breath and told her what had happened.

"... and that's why we need to go now!" She stared at him for a moment, processing what he just said. She then smiled and bounced her way to the train station. "Are you going to the station?" Spike yelled.

"Yep!" Pinkie yelled back.

He began to make his way there too. "I need a break from all of this non-sense." he sighed. When he got there, all of the ponies were on the train except Twilight. She was standing out side waiting for him.

"Good. You made it." she said, no emotion in her voice. She looked like she had been crying. She looked good. Her mane brushed all nice, but she had red puffs under eyes. She walked up to Spike and gave him a hug. "You stay here and look after the place. I'm not sure how long we'll be gone, so please be safe" She walked onto the train turned to him before closing the door. "...and Spike,"

"Yeah?"

She gave him a slight smile. "I love you."

He smiled back and ran to give her a hug. "I love you too, Twilight." He backed away and the door closed.

She watched the train station leave her. She turned and walked to her seat. The others were in the next car, but she wanted time to herself for a little bit. They were laughing and discussing what they might do when they get there. She sat down and looked out the window. The trees and land moving by at extreme speeds was soothing to her. She closed her eyes and an image of Shining Armor appeared. She now was starting to cry again. "Oh, Shining," she said softly, "please be OK." She sat there, saying nothing, letting her tears fall to the ground. "Please be OK."

Author's Note

Yes, I know this was a small chapter. This a small fanfic after all. Just some idea I've had in my head for a while. There will be more chapters and I plan on making them as soon as possible. Thank you.

The Path Not Taken

"Sister, sister!" Luna yelled walking into the room. She saw Celestia standing near a big window. She showed no emotion. Luna stood next to her older sister. "Sister, Twilight and her friends are here to see you. Also, all of the solders are outside waiting for your command." Celestia didn't answer. She just stood there. Saying nothing. She finally spoke up.

"Luna, I've been thinking."

"About what?" she asked.

"Well," she started, "I was thinking about the Crystal Empire. Without Shining Armor, there is no general to control the solders and tell them what to do or where to go." She walked away from the window and made her way to the door, with Luna following close behind. "I have invited Princess Cadance to stay here for two reasons. One, to relax and help calm her mind about the whole thing and two, to get her away from her kingdom. If she stays there, she has a better chance of getting kidnapped herself. The kingdom can't afford to lose both their prince and princess."

"Well, where is she?" Luna asked

"She's down the hall in the spare bedroom. She's not doing to good."

"What do you plan to do about the solders?"

Celestia smiled then answered. "Well, since Cadance can't manage a whole army by her self, I have taken the liberty to switch places with her. I will control the Crystal Empire's army." Luna's eyes shot wide open.

"No, you can't! Who will stay here and watch over Canterlot? Who will raise the sun? More importantly, who will watch over Cadance?" Celestia closed her eyes and let out a small chuckle.

"Well, I thought you would. You already help me with ruling Canterlot. I'm pretty sure you can take over for a while." Luna looked down. She wasn't sure what to say. This was a big decision to make. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that kind of responsibility.

"But sister, what if I can't do it? What if I do something wrong?" she asked in a worried tone.

"Don't worry. Cadance will be right by your side to help you when you need it. You will do fine." Celestia said smiling. Luna looked up and gave her sister a slight grin.

"OK, I will do it." She gave her sister a hug and Celestia returned the hug.

"Now I must meet with Twilight and her friends. You go and check on Cadance. See if she needs anything." Luna nodded and went to do what she was told. Celestia turned and walked down the stairs.

It wasn't long before she finally saw Twilight and the others walking towards her. "Celestia!" Twilight cried out. She ran up to her mentor and gave her a hug. "What is going on? Where's Shining? How will you..." She was interrupted by Celestia.

"Twilight, calm down." she said softly.

"Sorry. I'm just really worried." Twilight said, her ears drooping.

"I understand." she said softly. Celestia was a lot more calmer than Twilight would have expected. Rainbow Dash then cut into the conversation.

"So, can we start off with Twilight's first question? What is going on here?" Celestia's smile soon faded and she turned around and levitated a book from her chair. She opened the book and began reading.

"Long ago, there was a king of an empire called the Tailamento Empire. At first he was generous and loved by his subjects. His subjects would give their king gifts in show of their love. However, he became greedy and started making outrageous rules. He started taxing the citizens even more and the citizens got furious. They weren't sure what was happening to their beloved king. His subjects were worried and talked to his solders. His solders discussed these problems with him and he became violent, lashing out on his solders both physically and verbally. His solders then contacted me and asked if I could help. I agreed to help them and try to reason with their king. I got there as fast as I could, but he got even madder than before when he saw me. He tried to fight me and I had no other choice but to banish him to the dark world underneath.The spell was supposed to keep him down there for the rest of eternity. He must have found a way out. His country was a free country now. I have kept an eye out for them over the years. I never thought he would return to reclaim his place as king." All of the ponies looked at her with wide eyes. Twilight then spoke up.

"Well if he wants his kingdom, then why did he go after my brother?" Celestia flipped through a couple of pages in the book.. She levitated the book to them. The ponies gasped in shock.

"Is that?" Rarity asked.

"No, it can't be." Applejack stated.

"Yes, it is." Celestia said. "King Sombra." She put the book down before continuing. "He was alive during this time. The two hated each other very much. They tried relentlessly to take over each others kingdom. We think he took Shining so he put a scare into the Crystal Empire. Taking his anger out on him, as well." Twilight's legs felt limp and weak.

"So... does this mean he's gonna... kill him?" She said with tears forming in her eyes. Celestia didn't want to answer that question, but she had to.

"If we don't get him in time then... yes." With those words, Twilight fell to the floor and broke out into tears. Fluttershy flew over and put an arm around her neck and tried to comfort her.

"Shh, there, there. Everything will be OK." she said in her usual small, yet soothing, voice. Celestia held her head up with her hoof.

"Twilight, this is why I called for you." Twilight wiped her tears away with a foreleg. "You see, you have a very special bond with him that forms a special type of magic. You can find out where he is by using this magic." Twilight looked at her with tears still blurring her vision. "Twilight, you are the only one who can save him. You have to go to the Tailamento Empire with your friends and bring him back. You have six days to get him. It is a one day trip to get there so you can relax and stay here tonight, but in the morning you must leave at once." Twilight stood up, wiping her eyes one last time.

"OK. I'll do it." She turned to her friends. "You girls get ready for bed. It's getting late and we need all of the rest we can get." They agreed and went off to their rooms. Twilight was about to make her way to her room, until she heard a familiar voice call from behind.

"Twilight?"

She turned around and saw Princess Cadance standing behind her. Her mane was messed up and she had red puffs under her eyes. It was obvious that she had been crying for hours.

"Oh, Cadance. How are you doing?" she said hugging her.

"I've been better, but most importantly, how are you?" she asked.

"Same, I could be better." They let out a slight nervous chuckle and headed for Twilight's room. They wanted to laugh and be happy, but how could they. One of the most important things in their lives has been taken from them, and they aren't 100% sure that they will even get him back. They finally reached Twilight's room, when Cadance spoke up.

"Twilight," she said, stopping at the door, "I'm scared. What if we don't get him in time? What if they kill him before you get there?" Twilight could see that Cadance was hurting pretty bad.

"Don't say that. We will get him and bring him back home safely. OK?" Cadance nodded in agreement. "OK. Now, I should get some rest. I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow." Twilight said, giving her one last hug before closing the bedroom door behind her. She was exhausted and she didn't know why. Her crying must have taken her energy out of her. She climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

She was woken up by a guard. "Princess... princess... oh princess..." he said in a quiet voice. "Princess Twilight, Time to get up. Come on. Everyone is already up and are waiting for you." She sat up and looked around. It was still dark outside.

"Huh, what?" She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms and legs. "What time is it?" she asked, letting out a big yawn while doing so. The guard looked at her with a big grin.

"3 am, your highness." Her eyes shot open.

"3 am!" she yelled. "Why the heck are we getting up this early?"

"Well, it is kind of a long trip. might as well get an early head start." he said walking out of the room. She got out of bed, brushed her mane and made her way to the kitchen. Everyone was already eating. She took a seat next to Pinkie, who was stuffing her face with muffins. She slid a plate to Twilight.

"Hungry?" she asked, smiling.

"A little. Thanks, Pinkie."

"Sure thing!" she said before stuffing her face once more. After breakfast, they gathered some supplies and then set out for their long trip. Twilight saw Luna walking inside and ran up to her.

"Um, Luna?"

"Yes, Twilight, What is it?"

"Do you know where Celestia is? I would like to say goodbye before leaving."

"I'm sorry Twilight, but she left three hours ago to help the Crystal Empire. I will give her the message though." She smiled then hugged Twilight. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Tell Cadance I said goodbye as well!" she yelled back. Twilight and her friends finally made it to the train station. The train wouldn't come for another thirty minutes. She turned to everyone and tried to get their attention. "Girls, look. I know your tired, but I really need to talk to you."

"Oh can't this wait until we get some sleep, darling." Rarity asked rubbing her eyes. "We can barley pay attention." It was true everyone was so tired that they could barley hear what Twilight was saying. The only pony who was awake was Pinkie Pie.

"No, it can't. Look, I just want to say that I'm glad that I get to do this with you guys, my best friends. No matter what happens, we will always have each other. OK?" They all got into a group hug and laughed. The train finally showed up and they got aboard. As soon as all the ponies got in their seats, they went straight back to sleep. Applejack was the first to wake up. She was use to waking up early in morning after all. She looked and saw that everyone was still sleeping. She saw a waitress walk by and stopped her.

"Excuse me ma'am, but how much longer do we have 'til we get to the Tailamento Empire?"

"About an hour." she said, handing Applejack a cup of hot coco. The smell of the coco must have been pretty strong, because the next pony to wake up was Rarity.

"Is that coco I smell?" she asked rubbing her eyes.

"Yep. Just got it, too." she said laughing. "Man Rarity, this must have some magic in it."

"Oh, and why do you say that dear?" Applejack laughed before answering.

"Because it got you awake before 7:30!" Rarity started laughing at this joke. Pretty soon the others started waking up.

"Oh my. Did I miss something?" squeaked Fluttershy.

"Do I smell coco! I loooooove coco!" yelled Pinkie.

"What's got all of you in a good mood?" asked Twilight. the only pony who stayed asleep was Rainbow Dash. She woke up for a moment to tell everyone to be quiet so she can sleep. Twilight looked out the window. The view was gorgeous. Land for as far as the eye can see. A river flowed next to the train tracks. All of the ponies were speechless by the beautiful scenery. Another waiter came by and spoke up. He was a rather skinny pegasus. He had a black, spiked mane and his fur was a light gray color.

"Enjoy this sight while you can. In about three minutes, all of it will be gone. Once we get to the Tailamento Empire, it's nothing darkness and dirt." He put cups of coco on a plate and set them in front of the ponies. "After their leader supposedly 'rose from his ashes', it all started to die. Hey, tell me. Why are you going there anyway?" he asked. Twilight spoke up.

"You see, we are going there for a family reunion." she lied. The waiter bought the lie and went off with his business. Twilight looked at the others. "I don't want everypony knowing our business." They nodded in agreement and enjoyed their coco. Twilight turned her attention back to the window. Rarity saw this and sat next to her, puting an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry darling. We will find him." she said with an encouraging tone in her voice. Twilight gave her a small grin.

"Oh, I know we will find him. I was just thinking about what Cadance said to me last night." Rarity looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Princess Cadance? I don't recall her being there." She looked at the others, who were sipping their delectable drinks. "Did any of you see her?"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't see her at all. Why, I didn't even know she was there." said Fluttershy.

"I sure as hay didn't see her." said Applejack. Pinkie simply nodded and kept drinking. Rainbow Dash let out a quiet snore as her answer. Twilight was confused. She tried to think if Cadance came out of her room last night before they got there.

"Huh, well that's weird. Did she come down for breakfast this morning?" she asked.

"Darling, it was three in the morning. I'm pretty sure she would still be asleep." said Rarity, who was drinking her coco. "Anyway, what did she say to you last night?"

"Well, before I went to bed, Cadance and I had a little heart to heart. She was really nervous and scared. She has full confidence in us that we will find him, but..." Looked at the ground and let her ears drop as well. "She wasn't sure if he would still be alive when we find him. How do we know that the leader won't kill him before we get to him?" All of the ponies stayed silent. Rainbow Dash sat up. She had heard the whole conversation.

"Twilight," she said jumping to her feet. Twilight looked up at her friend with tears forming. "I know your scared, but we need to think positively. We WILL find him and he WILL be alive when we do. Got that?" She gave her a stern look. Twilight looked into her rose eyes and smiled. She jumped up and gave her a hug.

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash." she said through her tears.

The train came to a halt and the conductor informed them that they have reached their destination. Twilight was the last to get off. Before she got off, the waiter who asked them why they were going stopped her.

"You be careful, got it?" the pegasus said with a smile. "This place is weird." She gave him a friendly smile and then walked off. Her friends were ahead of her. Out of nowhere, two big looking guards walked up to her. One was a unicorn and the other was an earth pony. They walked in front of her, blocking her view of her friends. She looked up at them.

"Oh, can I help you?" she said in a pleasant tone. The waiter looked over and saw this.

"Are you Princess Twilight Sparkle?" the unicorn asked.

"Why yes I am. Can I help you?" They two looked at each other and nodded. The earth pony walked behind her. The waiter watched more intently now.

"We just need you to come with us." said the unicorn. She tried to get a view of her friends, but couldn't. The earth pony then pulled out a knife. The waiter saw this and flew as fast as he could, landing a punch across the earth pony's muzzle. He then grabbed the knife and stabbed him in the leg. The earth pony screamed. Twilight's friends saw this and ran back to get her. The unicorn grabbed her and put a knife near her neck.

"You make one more move and I kill her." he said backing away slowly. The waiter picked up the knife from the earth pony's leg and threw it. It hit the unicorn in the face, making him drop his knife and Twilight as well. He then punched both of them until they were unconscious. Twilight's friends ran up to her and grabbed her. The pegasus waiter flew next to them.

"You need to come with me now!" he said, turning to guide them away.

"Why should we trust you?" screamed Twilight, who was still in shock from what she just experienced. He turned back to her and gave her a stern look.

"Well I did just save your life, Princess!" he said with an attitude. She thought for a moment. Applejack spoke up.

"You ain't thinking of goin' with him are ya'?"

"I don't mean to interrupt, but if we don't leave those two will get up and kill you." Said the pegasus. They looked back to the two goons and back to the pegasus. They had no other option but to go with him. They followed him, away from the two that tried to kill Twilight.

They ran for almost thirty minutes before he flew down and landed next to a little cottage.

"Care to come in?" he said, opening the door for the others. They walked in and he guided them to a couch. "Please have a seat." He walked into the kitchen and pulled out some cups with a jug of water. Twilight was the first to speak up.

"Thank you for saving me... I guess." she said quietly.

"No problem. It's my job." he said pouring the water in all the glasses.

"What exactly do you do?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well first of all, who are you and why did you save me?" asked Twilight. He sat down and chuckled to himself.

"Well," he started, "that might take some time to explain."

Wake Up Call

"Please, do tell. We have the time." Rarity said in a pleasant tone. The pegasus took a sip of his drink and sat down in a chair in front of them.

"OK, but it's kind of a brutal tale." He cleared his throat and began. "First off, the name is Maroon Comet. The reason that's my name is because my parents said when I was born, a maroon colored comet flew across the sky." He stopped and looked out the window. It was dark outside and there were stars everywhere. He smiled, then continued. "You see, I came from a rather rich family. I lived with my mother, father and my sister. My father and mother were very successful. Until... it happened. The king of this once glorious land, turned on us and began to tax the citizens. He stole almost all of our money. We were loosing a lot. So, my father put me and my sister to work. We worked at a local store as cashiers. We were eating dinner one night when there was a knock at the door. It was the royal guards. They wanted tax money, but we couldn't afford it. My father told us to hide in our room. He said no matter what we hear, don't come out. We could hear talking from downstairs. We heard a loud yelp and we heard our mother scream. Her scream was cut short, and that's when we knew she was..." He stopped and took a deep breath. "The guards walked up to our room and grabbed us. I was just about their size, so I held them off while my sister escaped. I was fighting one of the guards when I looked over and saw the other trying to hit my sister. She struggled to escape his grip. I punched the guard I was fighting and went to help her. He pushed me back to the ground. My sister tried to hit him, but when she did that he hit her up side the head causing her to collapse. I was scared and had no other option. I grabbed the lamp and..." He started to cry. "I had to do it to save my sister. Both of them had to be stopped. I closed my eyes and swung. When I opened them, they were dead. I ran to my sister and check if she was OK. We had to leave, for I knew that there would be more guards. Ever since then, we've been on the run." All of the ponies stayed quiet. They all had tears in there eyes. Twilight spoke up.

"So, where is your sister now?" He looked down and then to the back of the room.

"You see those curtains?" he asked pointing to the red drapes in the back of the room.

"Yeah."

"Well, just go look." he said with a frown. Twilight got up and walked over to the drapes. She took a peek and saw her laying on a bed with candles around her.

"Is she..."

"Dead? No. She's in a deep coma." He said, walking over to his sister. He grabbed a rag and put it over her forehead. "I've been taking care of her for all of these years. I can't afford to put her in a hospital. Plus, the police will find me and throw me in prison. You see Twilight, I steal because I have to. No one believes me that those guards tried to kill us. When they see me, all they see is a thief and crook. She's all I got left. She's the only reason I stay sane." Twilight looked down.

"I know how you feel." She didn't look up. "I have an older brother. He was kidnapped by your king, and now we need to find him before something bad happens." Maroon's ears perked up.

"What did you just say?" She looked up. Maroon's face showed no emotion as he stared at Twilight.

"Your king. He kidnapped my brother so I know how..." She interrupted by Maroon.

"He's back? No. This can't be." He walked over to a book that was sitting on a coffee table. "We got rid of him. There's no way." he said quietly. Twilight looked at him in confusion.

"You didn't know about this? I thought those guards..."

"Those weren't guards." he said sternly. He didn't look at her. He kept flipping pages and starring into the book. "Those were imposters. They trick the new comers into following them and kill them. That's why I had to kill those two earlier."

"Wait, you told us that those guards were unconscious." Rainbow Dash said raising an eyebrow. Maroon let out a slight grunt and looked back at her.

"Well if I told you that I just killed those two, would you have come with me?" Rainbow Dash was going to respond, but didn't. "I thought so." He turned his attention back to the book. "Crap! The page is missing." he said slamming his hooves on the table in frustration. Twilight walked over to him.

"Um... are you OK?" He said nothing and stayed silent for a few moments. He then broke the silence by throwing the book across the room. It hit the wall with a loud thwack, and all the papers flew out. All of the ponies jumped at the sound. He turned to them.

"No, I'm not OK. That pony shouldn't be here. He was defeated years ago. He shouldn't be alive!" He walked over to a closet and opened it. Without looking back, he spoke up. "Twilight, you said he has your brother?"

"Huh, yeah."

"Tell me. Would you kill to save his life?" She stayed silent. He turned his head back to her. "Would you kill to save his life? Yes or no?" He was very short with her. She looked to her friends, who were sitting down and looking at the ground. She took a deep breathe and answered.

"Yes." All of her friends gasped and stared at her. Maroon then let out a small grin.

"Good. Take this." He threw a sword type object to her. "It's an old family weapon." Fluttershy was the first to realize what he was getting at.

"Oh my. You can't be serious. Twilight would never do such a horrible thing." Twilight just looked at the weapon with wide eyes.

"You want to get her brother back? Well, this is the only way. If you don't want to go, by all means, stay here."

"Hold up, sugarcube," Applejack spoke up. "This turned very quickly. Can we have ah' moment to talk this over with Twilight?"

"Sure, but make it quick." he said before leaving the room. They walked over to Twilight, who was still looking at the sword.

"Twilight, are you OK?" Asked Rainbow Dash. She looked up at her friends.

"I... I... I..." She tried to get the words out. "I don't want to do this, but it looks like I have to." She started to cry. Pinkie walked over to her and gave her a hug. She didn't smile. She had a straight face. Twilight looked into her eyes and saw that she was serious.

"Twilight. If you REALLY need to do this, then do it. You need to save Shining Armor at any cost. Even if that means you have to kill. We won't judge you and we will keep this as our little secret." She then did her Pinkie promise.

"Darling if you do this, you may regret some things." Rarity said putting a hoof on her shoulder. "But if you don't, you will regret it. Either way, you can't win. I would go with this crazy pegasus and fight for Shining." She gave her an encourageing smile before giving her a hug.

"OK. I'll do it, but I want you to stay here. I don't want you to get hurt. Plus, you you can watch over his sister to make sure she's OK."

"So you came to an agreement?" Maroon said walking into the room with yet another large weapon.

"Yep. I'm going."

"Wait, where are you going? How will you find him?" asked Rainbow Dash. Twilight thought for a minute before she remembered what Celestia said to her.

"I have a certain magic that will help me find him. I will know where to go, don't worry." Maroon walked over to her and handed her a bag full of supplies.

"Don't worry. I know this place like the back of my hand. We will find him." Twilight smiled and they set off to find her brother. They looked back to give one last wave goodbye to her friends.

"You guys stay safe. We will be back soon!" Twilight yelled back.

"You take care of my sister as well." Maroon yelled back. "Help yourselves to anything in the house." They waved back and closed the door behind them. As they were walking, Maroon looked at Twilight. He could see that she was scared and sad. "Hey." She looked up to him. They stopped walking and looked into each others eyes. "Everything will be OK. Your friends will be fine and we will find your brother. When we find him, I will put that no good king out of his misery for what he did to us, once and for all" He let out a small chuckle. They kept walking walking, until Twilight asked her next question.

"So, do you know how he returned?" Maroon stopped walking and scratched the back of his head.

"Well," he started, "I have read that he could not escape the underworld. I never thought he would return. I mean, we got rid of him years ago..."

"We? What do you mean we?" Twilight said interupting him.

"Huh? I meant we as in the subjects and Celestia." He shook his head. "Look, I don't really know about the past. Let's just go find your brother and get home. OK?" She nodded in agreement. She couldn't help but think that he was hiding something. He didn't seem to be hiding something, but she just had that weird feeling. In fact, she had a even weirder feeling. Her horn started to glow bright. Maroon looked back to her with wide eyes. She couldn't really see anything. Her eyes were filled with a bright blueish light. This only lasted about a minute before her eyes went back to their purple color. Maroon looked at her.

"What was that?" he asked. Twilight rubbed her eyes.

"I know where my brother is!" She said with wide eyes.

Author's Note

WOW. This turned kind of dark real quickly. So this story turned out longer than I wanted it to be. Hehe. I would also like to give a big thank you and shout out to PinkiePegasus for helping me figure out how to continue on with this story. Also, thank you to anyone who reads this story. Means a lot.