Three weeks passed as Celestia attempted to calm down the uproar that her sister's fate had caused. Canterlot had been simple enough to calm down after her promise of bringing us to justice.

The smaller locations on the other hand were not so easily satiated, protests and violence continued to spread across the west, they weren't simply angry about the death of a Diarch they were angry at the failure of those in power to protect one of the most important members of their race. After all if Luna could be killed then what of the common pony? This was what they fought for as Equestria finally began to start the reformation that Amica would never had allowed. Sadly for Celestia this would have to be a problem to solve later as she prepared for the assault on our cultists.

As we said that was three weeks ago.

The sun hung low in the sky as it made its slow and hesitant rise towards the opposite horizon only stopping when it had reached a quarter way up across the sky, and floating slowly over the ocean was a fleet of Equestrian airships carrying the soldiers weapons and supplies needed to attack our temple. It was around this time that we had decided to see what my favourite equines were up to. What we saw may have been the most adorably pathetic things that we have seen in ages.

Twilight Sparkle. Was wearing armour. We couldn't decide which was more amusing, that she had gone out of her way to have custom made armour built for herself or that she actually intended on fighting. Yes, it was true that she had participated in battles before but during one of them she was wielding the power of four minor goddesses and in the other she was being used as a minigun so our amusement at the idea of her fighting in her current condition was completely founded. When we had taken a closer look at the war room of the airship we noticed that they were in the middle of discussing how exactly they could develop a good plan when the area they were attacking was almost completely unmapped.

"Your majesty I can not condone a plan like this without scouting the area out first" the General, who's name we later found out was Storm Front insisted.

"And I keep telling you there's no time to scout, its either go in immediately or let him destroy everything!" a clearly agitated lavender princess yelled in reply. There was a lot of back and forth banter between them as they tried to decide on a proper course of action. As for Celestia and the other elements, they were staying quite so as to avoid drawing the ire of the two equines bickering before them.

"Now offense your majesty, but you are not qualified in the art of war,"

"How adorable, the ponies are playing at war," we walked towards the table as our vessel, once again bearing Luna's appearance faded into being. Two guards standing at the door leveled their spears and without an ounce of fear charged towards us. Too bad they never had a chance to show their love for Princess and country as we took the minute amount of effort necessary to cause a... communication problem between their brains and every non-vital component of their anatomy leaving two guards experiencing a particularly unpleasant seizure and us unscathed. By the time we had looked up from the pathetic display before us the others were in fighting stance waiting for a chance to strike, everyone but Fluttershy who we could not see. Where is that mare? we thought before we were struck to the floor and pinned down by none other than Fluttershy herself.

"Now listen here mister- or missy, I don't care, but what I do care about is the safety of others and you can't just go around bringing so much anguish just because you think you're above it all!" she yelled at us "you might have destroyed worlds devoured who knows how many souls but you. Will. Not. Hurt. My. Friends." we didn't reply "WELL?"

"Oh, we're sorry was that supposed to intimidate us?" we reached out to her with our right foreleg which now ended in a a crystal claw and threw her off of us. "Just because that rant worked on one of our children it does not mean it automatically works on us" we picked her up by her tale so that her eyes were level with our own eyes which had begun to glow white "So unless you want to know the literally soul-shattering fate that awaits the dead you will be a good little filly and whimper softly underneath that table," but she was not capable of even that as our tirade had left her passed out from fear. We turned towards the table snuffing out the spells that the Princesses had been charging and walked towards the table.

The glare that Celestia gave us would have crushed a weaker being. "I am not afraid of you, "

"If what you say is true then why did you offer us a peace agreement?" Twilight balked at the thought of her beloved mentor ever doing something so vile as trying to choose the option that didn't result in the deaths of six thousand unwitting guards.

"Celestia, why?" her voice saturated with a feeling of being betrayed. Celestia refused to meet her gaze as she began to explain what she had been told, the nature of the Ancient Lords, the fact that there were others and the sheer scale of our plans.

"And that brings us to why we are here" we stretched out a hoof and in it a small burning sphere bearing three blue gems on its face flickered into being. "We have come to present you with an offer," an offer which we knew she would refuse. "The return of you friend's soul in exchange for unimpeded access to the Everfree Forest and all it contains"

"B-but why?"

"We have our reasons," we replied. "Now then will you accept our deal?"

Twilight sat there in silence deliberating over if she should or shouldn't accept the deal, wondering why we would ever need to go there. After a few minutes of thought she came to her decision. She walked towards us her legs shaking and her breathing heavy with the weight of her choice. "N-no," she answered "I know... How much she means to us, all of us." she spoke hesitantly "B-but she wouldn't want this...For us to give up the fate of our home just to save her,"

"What a shame..." with one swift motion we brought our hoof down with a thunderous crash, crushing the flame into tiny shards which faded to a deep black colour. Twilight looked down at the shards brushing them together with her hooves her hooves stained with the tears that fell from her eyes as if hoping that she might have been able to put it back together if she tried. But she soon fell to the ground sobbing as she lifted the pieces up only for them to fall through her hooves.

"Don't worry my little spark," we said softly "You will join her in time," we turned our attention to Storm Front "And as for your six thousand guards..." a series of roars and crushed steel rung through the skies as every single other airship was struck from the sky by our dragons "We would advise contacting their next of kin." We walked away through the walls or the airship leaving five thousand-five hundred or so dead and a Princess who's spirit had been broken.

Author's Note

Much shorter than most of my recent chapters but it does its job, had to move the other half of it to the next one.