She hoped that when she went to sleep, she'd dream about something that could remind her of who she was. She hoped that when she woke up she'd remember something, anything, about her past. But when she woke up she was saddened by the reality of her amnesia.

"My name is Diamond Tiara," she said, reviewing the information she remembered, "I'm nineteen years old. My mother's name is..." she honestly tried, but nothing came to mind. She couldn't remember her mother's name, or her father's.

She buried her face in her pillow, crying in sadness and frustration.

After a few minutes of sobbing, she stepped out of the room she was given by the nice earth pony. She needed to go for a walk around the ship. She walked over to Miss Applejack's room, where she saw the door was open a bit. She peaked in and saw Miss Applejack and Miss Rainbow Dash lying in bed together, the latter spooning the former.

"Are they lesbians?" Diamond Tiara asked, "Am I a lesbian?"

Suddenly she was depressed, not remembering her own sexual orientation. She walked off toward the bridge, where she saw the pilot resting in her seat in front of the controls. Diamond Tiara would have been worried except for the fact that she saw the ship was set to "auto".

"I wonder if she knows anything about me. Probably not," Diamond Tiara reasoned. She sat down in the copilot seat, wishing that the neon maned pilot was awake, that way she'd have someone to talk to.

"How do I know that these people are actually here to rescue me?" she asked herself, "As far as I know, they'll lock me up someplace too. But the earth pony seemed nice. The pretty pegasus seemed nice too, once she was done yelling."

Diamond Tiara looked on the radar, and saw a number of red marks coming closer to the center, which she assumed represented their location. Diamond Tiara lightly shook the pilot awake.

"Huh?" the pilot (Diamond Tiara was embarrassed that she forgot her name) slowly woke up and removed her headphones, "Diamond Tiara? What are you doing up?"

"Something is flying toward us," Diamond Tiara said pointing to the radar. The pilot (seriously, what was her name?!) looked at the radar, and immediately looked frantic.

"Shit! Shit! SHIT!!!" she ran over to the radio, "Applejack, Rainbow Dash, wake up!!! We have an emergency!!!"

A few seconds later, the two ponies ran in, Applejack looking really irritated.

"I told you I was going to spend the night with you," Rainbow Dash said shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't even..." Applejack said, trying to look upset but Diamond Tiara could tell she was blushing, "What's up Vinyl?" Applejack asked.

Finally, someone said her name!

"Multiple signals are approaching the ship!" Vinyl said, "They look hostile!"

"Our Archangels can hold them off," Rainbow Dash said, "But we probably don't have enough energy for a full on dog fight."

"If we stay on the roof of the ship we should be fine," Applejack said, "Let's go Dash!"

Rainbow Dash nodded and the two mare ran out of the bridge. Diamond Tiara watched them leave, and then galloped after them. When she reached the hanger, she saw Remiel and Michael activate and walk to the hatch of the ship, which was now opened.

"Miss Applejack! Miss Rainbow Dash!" Diamond Tiara said, apparently catching the attention of the two mares as the Archangels stopped and turned to her.

"Diamond Tiara, what are ya doin here?" Applejack asked, her voice coming from Michael.

"You don't have enough energy! You could get hurt!" Diamond Tiara said.

"You're actually worried about us?" Rainbow Dash asked as if it were odd.

"Of course! I don't want you to die!" Diamond Tiara said.

"This is getting too weird for words," Rainbow Dash said, "AJ, we need to move."

"Right, Diamond, it's mighty sweet of ya ta worry 'bout us, but we're trained soldiers. Jus' stay here where it's safe."

Michael and Remiel flew out of the ship, leaving Diamond Tiara to herself. When they left she saw another Archangel resting. It looked like a basic frame, probably mass produced. It must have belonged to the pilot, Vinyl.

Well, she wouldn't mind if she borrowed it, right?

Michael and Remiel landed on the roof of the ship, and saw a number of Judex flying toward the ship. Why were they chasing them?

"There's a lot of em," Applejack said.

"Damn it," Rainbow Dash said, "I'm all for late night action, but this is ridiculous!"

"So, what's the plan?" another voice called out, surprising the hell out of Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They looked and saw the Throne from the hanger walking over to them.

"Diamond Tiara?!" Applejack asked.

"That better not be you in there!" Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm not going to just sit around and do nothing while others get hurt for me," Diamond Tiara said, "If I can help, then I want to. Besides, otherwise I'm just sitting around being stressed out because of my amnesia. This way I can do something else with my time."

Remiel walked over to the Throne and poked it with its hoof, "This isn't a videogame, Diamond Tiara! This is serious, and you could die out here!"

"So could you!" Diamond Tiara shot back, "What's the difference?! We're both ponies with lives! If you're willing to give your life then why shouldn't I be allowed to do the same?!"

Hearing those words come out of Diamond Tiara's mouth was shocking. Did she have so little memory that she didn't even remember what kind of pony she was? Applejack looked out and saw the Judex approaching the ship.

"We can scold her fer it later!" Applejack reasoned, "Right now, she's in the robot, an' she insists on helpin us. Diamond, fer the time bein yer a soldier under mah command, alright?"

"Yes ma'am," Diamond Tiara saluted.

"Alright, we'll focus on the ones we can fight from the ship. If any land on the ship we'll take em on directly as a team."

"Got it!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Understood!" Diamond Tiara said.

The three Archangels galloped to the edge and activated their leg compartment weapons, lasers for Remiel, machine guns for Michael, and missiles for the Throne. The three of them fired at the army of bug monsters, shooting a few out of the sky, but a few beetles landed on the ship

The beetles, as big as the Archangels, started firing eye lasers at them.

"I'll take care of them!" Diamond Tiara shouted. The Throne turned around and ran over to the beetle Judex, impaling one, and kicking another. When Remiel turned to the fight, she saw the Throne actually taking all four of them alone.

"That girl is insane!" Rainbow Dash said, "AJ, I'll hold them off, you go and help her!"

"Got it," Applejack said. Michael ran over to join the fight while Remiel turned back to the group of Judex still hovering around the ship.

Michael tackled one of the beetles away, and the Throne knocked another down and stomped on it, destroying it. Unfortunately three more landed on the ship surrounding them.

"They keep coming!" Diamond Tiara cried.

"If this keeps up, we'll be in trouble!" Applejack stated, actually getting really worried herself.

Remiel knocked a few more Judex out of the sky, but a few of them flew to the back engines of the ship and started firing at them.

"That's not cool!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "AJ, the engines are being attacked!"

"Damn it! One thing after another with these guys!" Applejack said slamming her hoof on the dashboard of her machine.

"Miss Applejack, my Archangel has more fuel and can fly better than your model," Diamond Tiara stated, "Let me defend them."

She didn't want to leave Diamond Tiara by herself, but so far she seemed to be a pretty upstanding pilot, somehow. She didn't understand why, but she wasn't about to complain.

"Alright, be careful!" Applejack said. On her monitor, she saw Diamond Tiara nod and cut the link. Her Throne galloped over to the back of the ship and flew off, firing its missiles at the Judex, killing a few of them.

"Stay away from there!" Diamond Tiara screamed, charging at another Judex and impaling it with her Archangel's horn. She was fired on, and when she turned around she saw that she was surrounded by hornet shaped Judex.

The Throne flew straight up, leading some of the hornets away, but the rest of them continued to fire at the engines.

"No!" Diamond Tiara cried seeing one engine go out. She tired to go back and fire at them, but she had to dodge attacks from the Judex chasing her.

"Guys, we're going down!" Vinyl shouted on the three mares' radios, "I'm going to try and land someplace where we can lose them, so get back inside!"

"Ya'll hear that? Get back in the ship!" Applejack commanded.

"Fine!" Rainbow Dash said.

"But... okay, I understand. I'm coming back too," Diamond Tiara said, clearly disappointed with herself. The three Archangels retreated back into the ship as it descended into the trees underneath them. The Judex were forced to back away, watching as their prey fell out of their reach.

"This is Applejack ta Canterlot, come in," Applejack spoke into her radio, "Our ship landed in Serpenterra, dragon territory. We need a pick-up, over," all she heard on the other end was static, so she hung up and looked outside. For a country of dragons, it was quite a sight. Nothing but a lush forest all around her illuminated by the now morning sun.

"So, any luck?" Rainbow Dash asked walking outside next to Applejack.

"Fraid not," Applejack said with a sigh, "Ah think these trees 're causing some sort of interference."

"That's weird. You'd think in dragon territory, magic would be stronger out here," Rainbow Dash said looking up at the leaves above her.

"Raw magic, yeah," Vinyl said walking out with Diamond Tiara by her side, "However, the radios transmit magic through an electrical circuit that gets drowned out by the intense natural magic here."

"What about the Archangels?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Their Ether Cores are self sustaining, so they should work fine," Vinyl said walking forward a bit. Using a small machine held by her magic, she scanned the area and then gave a grave sigh, "But as long as we're stuck here, there's no way we're going to get a clear signal back to Canterlot."

"Can this thing still fly?" Rainbow Dash asked, kicking the ship's side.

"I'm afraid not," Vinyl said shaking her head, "I had to use energy meant for the ship to recharge the Archangels, and even without that the engines are fried."

"Ah say our best bet is ta take the Archangels an' start walkin outta this forest. This place is home ta fully grown dragons an' other monsters we might need the Archangels for, but hopefully we can find a clearin or somethin."

"I like that idea," Diamond Tiara said, catching Applejack and Rainbow Dash off guard, "I don't like leaving the ship here, but those monsters from earlier might still be searching for us too."

"Y-yeah, that's true," Applejack was still trying to get used to Diamond Tiara being reasonable, "Rainbow Dash, get Remiel ready while I get Michael. Diamond Tiara, Ah want you in the cockpit with me while Vinyl-"

"Actually Applejack, I need to talk to you about the Throne Diamond Tiara used," Vinyl scratch said, "Diamond, why don't you go with Rainbow Dash and take care of the thing we talked about, okay?"

"Um, okay then," Diamond Tiara said looking down a bit. Applejack turned to look at Rainbow Dash, who shrugged and walked over to the oddly depressed earth pony.

"Come on, kid. Let's let these two talk," Rainbow Dash said ushering Diamond Tiara back into the ship. Applejack immediately walked over to Vinyl.

"Alright, what's wrong? Ya ain't mad that she took it, are ya?" Applejack asked.

"Oh no, not even. She actually handled it better than me. Unfortunately, she made quite a few adjustments to it's OS, so-"

"Hold on, she did what?!"

"I was going to modify it's OS while it charged up, but when I logged in I barely even recognized it. It was as if a professional went in and completely rewrote it."

"Yer not thinkin..."

Vinyl shook her head in disbelief, "I couldn't believe it either, but I asked her about it, and she said that she had to adjust a few things so she could work it. Applejack, that girl claimed that she did a rush job on it, and completely changed the OS! Not even I can do that!"

This was getting weirder and weirder by the second. Not only did she know how to pilot an Archangel out of nowhere, but she could write a completely new OS for it?!

"How good is the OS?" Applejack asked.

"I'd say its handling is almost as good as Michael and Remiel, and that was with the "rush job" she gave it last night. I told her to finish it before we set out, so she's probably working on it right now."

"Well, as curious as Ah am 'bout how she was even able ta do that, Ah guess if yer Throne works better, you'll be able ta-"

"That's the thing I wanted to tell you, Applejack," Vinyl said slowly, "I can't pilot it anymore."

Applejack raised an eyebrow, "Um, come again?" Applejack said.

"The OS she made for it is too much for me to handle, and I don't think any normal pony could possibly control it anymore. However, Diamond Tiara was able to control it with ease last night."

"Vinyl, yer not sayin what Ah think yer sayin, are ya?"

Vinyl sighed before she spoke, "Look, I hate it too, believe me, but we're not going to make it very far here with only two Archangels, and I don't feel comfortable leaving one out here unattended. Thrones have a copilot seat, so I can watch over her, but-"

"Vinyl, Ah ain't puttin Diamond Tiara out there in battle."

"What would you do then? I told you before, I can't pilot it anymore, and since it's a completely new OS I can't readjust it back to the way it was. I know you don't like this, but as of now Diamond Tiara is the only pony who can pilot that machine."

Applejack groaned looking away. This was so frustrating.

"Besides, this will heighten our chances of survival out here," Vinyl explained further, "Better we have three ace pilots instead of two."

As much as Applejack hated to admit it, Vinyl was right. They wouldn't have lasted as long as they did out there without Diamond Tiara's help last night, and who knew what was waiting for them in dragon country. They did need three Archangels for this, that was the whole reason Applejack wanted a Throne with them in the first place.

A Throne that was supposed to be used by Vinyl Scratch, a professional pilot, not some random teenager. Sadly, they had no choice now. Diamond Tiara was their new pilot, whether Applejack or Rainbow Dash liked it or not.

"Alright then," Applejack relented, "Ah do hate this, but if she's got yer blessin, then Ah say it's fine as long as yer her copilot."

"Yes ma'am," Vinyl saluted trotting back into the ship. Applejack took one more look outside thinking about how things turned out.

"A simple rescue mission," Applejack said, wondering exactly how "simple" this was intended to be in the first place. When she walked back into the ship she saw Rainbow Dash standing in front of the Throne looking up at the cockpit, Diamond Tiara inside typing on the keyboard like a madmare, looking at the screen intently.

"Sheesh," Rainbow Dash said shaking her head as Applejack trotted next to her, "Since when did daddy's little princess become a super genius?"

"She's gonna be pilotin that Throne from now on," Applejack said.

"Yeah, Diamond told me about her talk with Vinyl," Rainbow Dash turned to Applejack, "Are you okay with that?"

"Honestly," Applejack sighed, "No Ah'm not, but we ain't got many options anymore."

Rainbow Dash nodded seriously as Diamond Tiara apparently finished. She looked down again and stepped out trotting over to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, now wearing a pink and white piloting suit.

"I'm really sorry about messing up the machine," Diamond Tiara said in shame, "I was only trying to help."

"Ahh, Ah ain't too mad 'bout it," Applejack said, "Ah ain't pleased, but ya did help us out earlier."

"As much good as I did," Diamond Tiara continued looking downcast, "It's my fault that we're stranded out here. I wasn't fast enough to save the ship's engines."

"It's also thanks to you that we're still alive," Rainbow Dash added patting Diamond Tiara on the back, "I was running out of energy fast out there. If you weren't covering us, I don't know what would have happened."

"So, it's okay for me to fight with you guys?" Diamond Tiara asked. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other slightly pained, but then smiled to Diamond Tiara.

"Yeah, it's cool," Rainbow Dash said, "Welcome to the team, Diamond."

Diamond Tiara smiled softly, and then saluted both of them, "I won't let you down again, I promise."

She then galloped over to the Throne, where Vinyl was waiting for her. Rainbow Dash and Applejack's smiles faded looking at her.

"Personally, I'm still going to try and stay in front," Rainbow Dash said, "I don't want that filly to have to fight anymore than she has to."

"Agreed," Applejack said. She and Rainbow Dash trotted over to their machines and activated them. All three Archangels activated, stood up, and walked out of the ship into the lush green forest ahead of them, Michael and Remiel in front, and the Throne a little behind them.

The following morning, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were called to the military base. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were talking to a few soldiers about the attack on the train earlier in the week while Sweetie Belle walked off by herself.

Ever since the attack, she hadn't felt like herself. Spike had called her last night and told her that Rarity was in fact the pilot of the Archangel, but apparently she was fighting for the griffins now. Why did she abandon her country and join the enemy? Was this the reason she didn't stop and talk to her? Did Rarity hate her now?

"Rarity... why?" Sweetie Belle asked, fighting back tears. She looked out a window at the wasteland ahead. After the war between Talia and Equestria, Talia's ecosystem was shot, resulting in the wastelands that made up their world now.

"Okay, now we just wait fer Luna," Apple Bloom said as she and Scootaloo trotted over to Sweetie Belle, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"You're still upset about what Spike told you, aren't you?" Scootaloo reasoned.

"It doesn't make any sense," Sweetie Belle said looking down, "I know Spike wouldn't lie, but Rarity with the griffins?"

"People change," Scootaloo said looking out the window herself, "She's been gone for a long time. Who knows what's going on in that head of hers."

"I have to find out," Sweetie Belle said looking up.

"How are ya goin ta do that?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I'll talk to her next time I see her."

"She's the enemy now, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said shaking her head, "What happens if she fires at-"

"She won't," Sweetie Belle said, "I'm her sister. Even if she hates me, she won't kill me."

"Sweetie Belle-" before Apple Bloom could finish, they saw Princess Luna striding over to them.

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, it's nice to see the three of you again," Luna said with a smile.

"Likewise, Princess," Scootaloo said as the three of them bowed. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all met Luna in their dreams at one time when they were children, and Apple Bloom met her through them shortly after. The four of them had become very close since then, and Luna secretly kept them in the same regard as Spike.

"I assume you have heard a bit about the current situation," Luna asked.

"We heard that ya'll were attacked by griffins last night, but that don't explain why ya need us here."

"Well, tell me, you two have Archangel training, correct?"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other, "I guess we know a little about controlling them, but Spike knows way more than we do," Scootaloo stated.

Luna nodded, "As I thought. We can still use you, even with only limited knowledge. Please, follow me."

Luna turned and walked deeper into the base. Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"What do ya'll think that's about?" Apple Bloom asked.

Her two friends shrugged and they galloped after the dark princess. She led them to the Archangel hanger, where they saw most of their Archangels totaled. One black and purple Archangel with a black mane and tail was still intact, but it looked like a custom model.

"Wow..." Scootaloo said looking at the gothic looking Archangel, "Most Archangels look majestic, but this guy looks almost... demonic."

"Think this is why the base was attacked?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Sister!" a voice called out, startling the hell out of the three teenage fillies. They saw Princess Celestia trotting over to them, and she did not look happy. Luna, for her part, remained perfectly calm and simply regarded Celestia with a serious glare.

"Tia, whatever seems to be the problem?" Luna asked feigning ignorance, but Sweetie Belle could tell she knew why Celestia was so upset.

"You went behind my back and instated Spike as Lucifer's official pilot!" Celestia said, "I told you that I had a pilot planned for-"

"And I'm aware of that. However, for this mission we need a powerful Archangel and Lucifer is the strongest one still combat ready. With that being said, Spike is currently the only one capable of piloting it."

Celestia narrowed her eyes before turning to Sweetie Belle and her friends, "And what's the meaning of this? These three are civilians, yet you brought them here!"

"Because our stallions are still injured from the fighting last night," Luna said, "Besides, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo work well with Spike and have a bit of military training. I am simply doing what's best for Equestria. Tell me sister, is there a reason why you don't want them involved?"

Whatever that meant to Celestia it shut her up, because she gave a small sigh and then returned to a more serene state, "Nothing beyond personal preference, but once again sister, you are right. Bring these three with us to the meeting room."

"That was my intention from the start," Luna said with a slight smirk. Celestia glared at her again before turning to leave.

"What was that about?" Sweetie Belle asked Luna.

"My sister and I have different methods when it comes to defending Equestria," Luna explained, "Come my friends."

The three fillies continued their trek to the meeting room, but Apple Bloom looked at the black Archangel one more time before running after her friends.

When they arrived, they saw Spike sitting at the large square desk by himself in deep thought. Seeing him made Sweetie Belle's heart leap out of her chest like always.

"Spike!" she called out. Spike opened his eyes and smiled to Sweetie Belle.

"Sweetie Belle, you came too?" he asked. Sweetie Belle ran over to him and kissed him deeply.

"I wanted to see you. Luna said it was okay," Sweetie Belle explained. Celestia cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Well, if this is the "team" my sister assembled then I suppose we should get started," Celestia said with the slightest disdain.

"Team?" Scootaloo asked sitting down, "You make it sound like we're being sent on a mission."

"That," Luna began walking over to the front of the room, "is exactly what's going on."

Luna pushed a button in front of her dimming the lights, and a holographic image of the country of Equestria turned on and hovered over the desk.

"You see, a few days ago Celestia and I sent Rainbow Dash and Applejack on a rescue mission. Two very important ponies were captured by the cult Yggdrasil and they along with Vinyl Scratch were dispatched to rescue them.

"However, we received a transmission in the middle of the night on their status. They were only able to find one of them, and at the time of the transmission they were here," Luna pushed a button, and a red arrow appeared over the holographic map, around the left edge.

"That's on the border between Equestria and Serpenterra," Spike said.

"Yes," Luna continued, "And this is also where we lost the signal of their ship shortly after."

"What?!" Apple Bloom shouted, "Mah sistur is there!"

"Dash... she can't be..." Scootaloo said looking down horrified.

"We don't know for certain, which is why we're sending you to investigate. You see, dragons are territorial as you know. If we send a full squad of knights it'll raise a red flag, and we have our hooves full dealing with the griffins. We don't need any other enemies, dragons worst of all."

"A fully grown dragon could even take on an Archangel..." Spike said to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Exactly," Luna continued, "Spike, you are the only one currently capable of piloting the Archangel. We were wondering if you would go into dragon territory and confirm their status."

"Of course," Spike said, "Applejack and Rainbow Dash are my friends too."

"Count me in too!" Apple Bloom said standing up, "Mah sistur is alive, an' Ah'm gonna find her!"

Sweetie Belle felt really dark when she heard the word "sister". Her's was fighting for an enemy nation.

"Well, I'm going too," Scootaloo said, "Dash is in trouble. If she's not enough, then I know you're going to need me."

"I... I want to go also," Sweetie Belle said, catching everyone's attention.

"Sweetie Belle, are you sure?" Spike asked.

"I don't have nearly as much training as everyone else," Sweetie Belle said, "But my magic could be of use. Besides..." she looked away, afraid of telling them her real reason for wanting to go.

Luna regarded her and nodded, "If you're sure, I won't stop you."

"Sweetie Belle, Ah don't know about this," Apple Bloom said.

"Spike, talk to her. She's not a fighter like us," Scootaloo said.

"So just because I can't use a gun or a sword I can't help?" Sweetie Belle said harshly, "I'm going with you guys, and that's final."

With that she stood up and walked out of the meeting room. She saw in the weapons room a staff she could probably use. Besides, she didn't want to be in the same room as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo for a bit. Hopefully Spike would-

"Sweetie Belle, wait up!" she heard behind her. She smiled to herself before turning to Spike and embracing him.

"Oh Spike!" she shouted, "I'm sorry for storming out like that."

"I'm more worried about you coming with us. Are you sure you want to-"

"Show me Lucifer," Sweetie Belle said cutting him off. Spike looked at her surprised.

"Um, excuse me?"

"I want to see the Archangel you're going to be piloting," she said.

"But didn't you see it on your way here?" Spike asked confused.

"I did, but I want you to show me," she urged, "Please Spike, can you show it to me personally?"

He looked to the side a bit before nodding, "Sure, I can show you. I already know everything Luna is telling Apple Bloom and Scootaloo."

Sweetie Belle smiled and let Spike lead her back to the hanger, silently letting her dark thoughts fester.

That's right Spike. You're mine now, so you do whatever I tell you to.

He led her back to the black and purple Archangel they looked at. She knew it, this was Lucifer. This was the machine the princesses wanted Spike to pilot. Currently there were ponies at the left flank of Lucifer painting something on it. Sweetie Belle looked and saw them painting a light purple six pointed star surrounded by six smaller white stars where the Cutie Mark would be.

"Hey, isn't that Twilight's?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"All pilots put their own Cutie Mark on the flank of their personal Archangel," Spike said, pulling out the Element of Magic, "I'm a dragon, so I don't have a Cutie Mark, but I was the closest person to Twilight, so in a way, her Cutie Mark is my Cutie Mark."

Sweetie Belle nodded looking back at the machine, "Do you plan on searching for her?"

"I do," Spike said looking at Lucifer now as well, "I didn't tell anyone about this, but right before I got in, I heard Twilight."

"You heard her?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"She told me to pilot Lucifer. Sweetie Belle, I think Twilight wants me to use this machine. So I'm going to use it and not only find her, but bring Rarity home too."

"Rarity..." Sweetie Belle said looking down in sadness, "What if she doesn't want to come back? What if she hates Equestria? Hates us?"

"She doesn't!" Spike said, "Deep down, I know that Rarity is still the kind, beautiful mare that loves her country and her family. I'll never lose faith in her, no matter what."

He made her sound so beautiful, so radiant. She was radiant, but she wasn't here right now, and there was one thing that Sweetie Belle had that Rarity would never have.

Sweetie Belle pushed Spike up agianst the leg of Lucifer and kissed him passionately, "Why don't we christen the machine Spike?" Sweetie Belle said, speaking directly into Spike's making sure to breathe every syllable, "That's a thing, right?"

"Um, I don't know how Luna would feel if we..."

"It's yours now Spike," Sweetie Belle said, "If we go into the cockpit and close it, no one will have to know. Just you, me, and Lucifer, and I doubt he's going to tell anyone."

Spike was trembling, but his clawed hand found the button needed to open the cockpit. Good boy, Sweetie Belle thought. As they made their way inside, Sweetie Belle got more serious in her attempts, forcing Spike to quickly close the cockpit before anyone saw them.

Spike is mine now Rarity. You can't have him anymore.

He'll protect me, even from you if you hate me now.

"Mother Magdalene, you've been summoned by Eos," a Yggdrasil soldier said to the white robed mare as she walked down the hall.

"Thank you," Mother Magdalene said softly. The soldier bowed and trotted away as Mother Magdalene continued her trek to the sanctuary. No one but she and her personal guard was allowed inside this room. When she approached the large golden door, her guard was waiting for her. Unlike everyone else there, this pony wore all white and pink knight's armor and a matching helmet. It was closed, but her blue eyes, straight pink mane and tail were visible through the armor.

"Messiah, did I keep you waiting?" Mother Magdalene asked.

"Never," Messiah said with a bow, "Eos just called. However, he sounds displeased."

"Eos has been cranky as of late," Mother Magdalene said looking down, "Come Messiah, let us see what is troubling him."

Messiah bowed to Mother Magdalene and ushered her into the sanctuary. They walked over to the altar, where a bright light shined from the ceiling. Both Messiah and Mother Magdalene bowed to the light.

"Eos, you have summoned us?" Mother Magdalene asked.

"Yes. Magdalene, there has been a change of plans."

"If I may ask Eos, what has changed? Surly "it" can still work," Mother Magdalene asked.

"I'm not sure. Honestly, the key is now in the hooves of another. Your top priority now is to destroy Unit 02 and get the key back from those fools in Equestria."

"Destroy Unit 02?" Mother Magdalene asked in shock, "But Eos, without it, the key won't-"

"Don't worry about that," Eos said stopping Mother Magdalene, "You still have Unit 01, correct?"

"Oh yes," Mother Magdalene said, "Under your guidance, we separated Units 01 and 02 upon their retrieval. Sadly I feel Unit 01 was more fragile. It still functions, but its auto function has been fried. It's nothing more than a doll now."

"We can salvage it. For now, focus on destroying Unit 02 and getting that key. Use the Judex if you have to."

"My lord," Messiah said catching Mother Magdalene's attention, "Unit 02 should be in Serpenterra right now. Shall I intercept them?"

"Yes, but be careful. Take Jophiel with you if you must, and do not do anything reckless. I can't afford to lose you."

As Mother Magdalene nuzzled Messiah, the latter closed her eyes in ecstasy, even though she was wearing her helmet still.

"I am counting on you, as is the one true god." Eos said as the light died out.

"I will depart immediately," Messiah said bowing to Mother Magdalene before walking to the door.

"Wait!" Mother Magdalene called out, stopping Messiah before she left, "Are you sure about doing this? You aren't as devoted to the cause as-"

"I'm devoted to you, my lord," Messiah said softly, "I'm already going to hell, but at least I can ensure you get to see heaven."

Messiah left, leaving Mother Magdalene to her thoughts. Thoughts that were filled with both purpose and regret. She knew that this was the right thing, but it still hurt knowing what she was doing. Still though, it was touching that she was so willing to help.

"Heaven is too good for one such as I," Messiah said to herself as she trotted to the heavily armored pink and white Archangel with the full dark pink mane and tail, "However, as long as I protect her I'll be just fine."

A soldier was tending to her Archangel as she approached it. When he saw Messiah he jumped down to her and saluted, "Commander, Jophiel is ready to launch."

"Good. I'm going out with only a few Judex. There's someone down there I need to see," Messiah said. The soldier nodded to her and stepped aside as she got in the cockpit of her Archangel.

I can't wait to see you again, my old friend...

Wait for me, Rainbow Dash...

Author's Note

Spike and his troop have been dispatched to search for Applejack's squad, who have been stranded in the dragon country of Serpenterra. But with Yggdrasil sending their top warrior, "Messiah" after them, will Spike get there in time?

And what is Messiah's relationship with Rainbow Dash?