The Frost Chronicles: Book 2: Shadow of the Storm

Chapters

Chapter 1: A New Mission
Chapter 2: Manehatten
Chapter 3: Returning Home
Chapter 4: Glimpse into the Past
Chapter 5: Seeking Help
Chapter 6: Hidden Truth's
Chapter 7: Setting Out
Chapter 8: City of Dragon's
Chapter 9: Time of Rest
Chapter 10: The Dragon Council
Chapter 11: Secret's Unfold
Chapter 12: Darkest Hour

Chapter 1: A New Mission

CHAPTER 1
A New Mission

For those of you who don’t know who I am, allow me to tell you my journey so far:

Six months ago, I received a very strange and enchanted gift, a gift that changed my life forever, I didn’t know it yet, but I had become a part of a greater destiny. After being forced to leave my home, along with my friend Vapor Cloud, we befriended a young Pegasus thief by the name of Dust wind. Along with his help, we managed to escape and flee into the forest, where we encountered a small group of rebels known as the Night Ranger’s.

After striking a deal with the rebels second-in-command, a Pegasus stallion by the name of Iron Star, we had arranged to go back home. But we soon came to find that our town had been occupied by one of the army’s top General’s. After a series of conflicts, we managed to defeat the soldiers and force them to retreat, but with any victory, it came with a heavy cost.

After we had left the town behind, my friends and I traveled to an abandoned monastery that served as the Night Ranger’s HQ. There, we met their leader, the former Princess of the Night herself, Luna. Five months of training past, before we found ourselves fully inducted members of their order.

My name is Frost Fall, and I…am a Night Ranger.
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In my dreams, I dreamed of Ashen.

I couldn’t help but imagine what my life would have been like if I had never encountered that Medallion. Would my mother still be alive? Would Ashen have been spared the onslaught from the royal soldiers? But I had no answers to those questions. Instead, I had the life I had been so forcefully pushed into, at first I had come to hate this new life, the life of a Rebel. But, a pony I knew, gave me some helpful advice, by saying this:

“…no matter how bad things may get, something good can always come out of it”

A month had passed since my friends and I had rescued the crew of the NRS Night Sky, and life had returned to a more peaceful time. After River had fully recovered from the injuries she had sustained in the battle, with the group of royal soldiers, Luna held a private ceremony for us, in which she fully inducted us into the Night Ranger Order.

To say we were happy, would have been an understatement. Knowing that our first mission had been traumatizing for us, Luna allowed us to stay in the Monastery while we all recuperate from our injuries, both physical and mental. But that did not stop her from putting us through more relentless combat and magic drills, but by that point, we had stopped our complaining. But what we didn't know, is that our lives were about to get even stranger.
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I awoke to the steady beeping of my alarm, my eyes slowly opened as I focused on the ticking of the clock. I groaned and fumbled to hit the snooze button, and then rolled on to my back, putting my hoof over my eyes, but before I could fall asleep again, I heard a loud squawk come from above me. I removed my hoof to see my black-feathered friend, sitting on the top of the bed frame, staring down at me with her big eyes.

I groaned again and sighed heavily, “good morning to you too, Winter…” I said in a sleepy voice. She squawked at me again and glided over to the foot of the bed, and chirped at me. “Alright, alright I’m up” I said as I pushed myself out of bed and walked over to the window, she happily glided over and sat on the sill, pecking at the glass. I lazily dragged my hooves over and slid away the curtains, and opened the window. I smiled as she hopped outside and fluttered her wings out.

“Alright, I’ll see you later” I said as she took off into the air, and flew off into the distance.

After I had told my friends about Winter, I knew it would be hard to convince Luna to let me keep her, but much to my surprise, she seemed to be pretty open to the idea, and allowed me to keep her as a companion.

After making myself proper for the day, which consisted of showering, teeth brushing, and mane combing, I made my way down to the mess hall.
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The hall was filled with the other initiates, all trying to get their food and sit with their friends.

As I carried my tray across the room, I smiled as I saw my friends Vapor and Dust sitting at our usual table, and much to my surprise, Aurora was sitting with them. By this time, Aurora had pretty much become the fifth member of our group, and she had opened up to the others of her Alicorn heritage, which they had welcomed with open hooves.

They saw me coming and waved to me, “well, looks like you finally got up, I know yesterday’s training was tough, but come on” Vapor said with a chuckle. I smiled and sat across from them, Vapor’s wing injury had fully healed a week ago, but she was still undergoing therapy, to make sure her wing could still function properly. “Yeah, well thank Winter for that, she wouldn't let me sleep, I’m still tired” I said with a chuckle.

But before either of them could speak up, we heard another chuckle from beside me, “ah, too sleepy to come down and have breakfast with your friends…or your marefriend” came a softer voice, that greatly peaked my interest. I turned to see River smiling at me as she scooted in next to me and gave me a loving peck on the cheek, one that was heartfelt and sincere.

I smiled and nuzzled her slightly, but Dust gave off a disgusted sigh, “jeez you two, get a room” Dust said with a cheeky smile, which only made us blush more, but he was met with a playful shove from Vapor. “What’s the matter tough guy, you jealous of them?” she teased him, he reared back in shock, “not a chance, I have had plenty of marefriends before I met you guys, it’s just that…nopony here has really caught my eye” he said with a pouting face as he looked at Vapor.

She smiled and rubbed his mane roughly. “Ah, poor you, I’m sure there’s somepony here who likes you…” she said as they trailed off. While they did, Aurora leaned forward and whispered, “wow…could those two be any more obvious, I should know, daughter of the princess of love here” she said with a short chuckle, both River and chuckled as I wrapped a hoof around her shoulder, and scooted her closer to me.

Just as our conversation continued, we heard another pony clear their throat quite loudly, we all turned to see the Lieutenant standing at the end of the table, a frown on his face. “Well, good morning Lieutenant Arrow, what brings you here” Aurora said with as pleasant smile as she could muster, but we could all tell she couldn't stand him. The lieutenant smiled back at her, but it wasn't a friendly smile, more like a rude and arrogant smile. “Well it’s nice to see you as well Aurora, I just came by to tell you that Luna wants to speak to you four in her study, so I would hurry up and eat” he said as he began to walk away, but not before I spoke up.

“You need to lighten up lieutenant, I think you take this job a little too seriously, you should join us for lunch sometime, let off some steam” I said and every pony chuckled lightly, he topped and walked over to me, cutting through River and placing his hoof on the table, and leaning in to me. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Just so were clear on one thing, you may have that fancy medallion of yours, but that doesn't make you better than others, one day you will see that, that stupid medallion won’t save you” he said as he pushed away and stormed down the rows.

I sat there completely shocked, while the others just stared at me, I finally looked at the others and sighed, “Well…that was mildly unpleasant” I said as River scooted back to me. The others chuckled lightly, “yeah, and what was that whole look he was giving you Aurora?” Dust asked, she nearly spit out her drink, but managed to control herself, and look at us, a deep blush on her face. We could all tell she was trying to find something to say, but groaned and hid her face in her hooves.

“Oh fine…there was a time…when Arrow and I…dated” she said and we all burst out laughing, she blushed harder and growled at us. “But that was before I found out just how rude and arrogant he was, that….and the fact that I am a few decades older than him.” She said, but we kept laughing, but then she smiled. “Yeah, keep laughing it up, but remember, I’ll outlive all of you” she said with a smug look, while we all stopped laughing, and stared at her.
She smiled happily and finished her food.
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After we had finished our meals, we made our way up to Luna’s quarters on the top floor, where we would find out what she wanted to talk to us about. Along the way up, we met Iron Star who was also on his way up there as well.

Not long after, we made our way to the top and stood in front of the doors, we all looked at each other and walked inside. As we did, we saw Luna walking around the main room, multiple books levitated in her magical grasp. She turned to us and smiled, “ah there you are, glad you can make it” she said as she placed all the books on her desk, and walked over to us.

We all gave a slight bow, but quickly stood up and waited. “Now, I hope you have all finished recuperating from your last mission, because it’s time I give you your first mission as true Night ranger’s” she said with a smile. We all looked at each other, but Dust spoke up, “awesome, is it some sort of rescue mission, or and infiltration?” he asked with an excited look.

Luna chuckled lightly, “no, this mission will be much simpler, you’re going to be doing a simple undercover mission” she said with a smile, and Dust’s face fell immediately. But I stepped forward, “I think we’ll do fine, what’s the mission?” I asked her, she nodded and continued, “in Manehatten, there is a pony who serves as an informant for the Night Ranger’s, his name is Silver Wing, he owns a very popular nightclub in the city. Many army officer’s visit there when they are off duty and…shall we say he has a special way of getting information out of them. He recently contacted me about some pony who might be able to help us stop the king” she said as she turned back to her desk.

We stood there exchanging confused looks, but as I turned back to look at Dust, I was surprised to see shocked look on his face. “Dust? You okay?” I asked him nudging his shoulder, he stumbled and shook his head, and then smiled at me, “oh me? I’m fine, just spaced for a little bit” he said with a nervous smile, but we all looked at him with suspicious glances, but we quickly dismissed that and turned back to Luna. “Anyway…your mission is to go to his club, get the information he has, and bring it back here” she said with a calm look on her face.

We all looked at each other, it seemed like a simple mission but one question still lingered in my mind. “That sounds great…but how are we going to get there?’ I asked her, but she seemed to be a step ahead. She smiled and walked past us slightly, “I thought you might bring that up. About 20 years ago we acquired a royal cargo ship, we haven’t made much use of it, but we believe you can use it to make it into the royal airfield not far from the city. We’ll supply you with some uniforms and formal attire, and of course, you’ll have to go without your weapons. And now we come to your role’s” she said as she turned to us with a smile.

We all looked at each other with concern, but she smiled, “Frost, it will be your job to find Silver Wing, he’s frequently seen at the bar, but I will warn you, he can be rather…unpredictable. Vapor and Dust, it will be your job to make sure nopony interrupts them while they are talking, and River….how’s your singing?’ she asked with a sly smile, we all turned to see River’s eyes widen, as she looked at all of us.

“Well…I guess you can say I’m good, my dad used to buy me old collections of Sweetie Bell, and I would practice, why?” she asked with an interested look, Luna smiled wider at that. “Excellent, because you’ll be the distraction. While Frost is talking with Silver Wing, you’ll be performing on stage” she said with a smile. I turned back to see River’s eyes widen and her mouth drop, and she started rambling, “but…but, I can’t…I've never. Frost, help me out here!” she said with a panicked look on her face.

I walked up and smiled at her, “hey…it’s going to be fine, you’ll be great, we all think it, and we’ll all be there” I said in a comforting tone. Soon her eyes returned to their normal beautiful look, and she smiled at me and nuzzled under my chin, but then she looked up at Luna and nodded her head.

“very well, but there is one more thing…he is very fond of code, so when you meet him, tell him that ‘North Star need some advice’, tell him that, and he’ll know I sent you. Now, head down to the airfield, we’ll have that airship ready to go” she said, and we all smiled and made our way out of the room. Luna nodded at Iron Star, who nodded back and followed us out.

Chapter 2: Manehatten

CHAPTER 2
Manehatten

The ship engines hummed in the distance, as the airship we borrowed from the Night Ranger’s flew gently towards the large metropolis of Manehatten. Said to be one of the oldest in the kingdom, Manehatten has seen much change in the centuries of its existence, but now it served as bustling social and economic city. It remained as living proof that not everything under Red Spear’s rule was terrible, the kingdom had seen much growth in many ways, and Manehatten was the heart of it all.

The airship we used was an older model used from 20 years ago, an old cargo ship that the Night Ranger’s had gained after a successful raid on one of the army warehouses. Luna was also kind enough to give us a pair of recent military uniforms, as well as formal attire that would help us into the club.

Based on what we knew of our informant, he owned a club known as the Soaring Heights Night Club. It was said to be the most popular and classiest of them all in the city. Many military officers of all ranks, come to visit the night club for a night of pleasure and drinking.
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I looked out the window of the ship as the tall buildings of the city grew closer. I shifted uncomfortably in my outfit, which was layered upon my tuxedo. River walked up to me and smiled, adjusting my outfit with her magic, “this uniform is killing me, how do these guys stand it?” I asked as I continued to shift.

“Stop your complaining, you won’t have to wear it for long” Dust said as he walked into the room, a heavy frown on his face, we all turned to look at him. I stopped shifting and walked up to him, “hey, you okay?” I asked him, with a concerned look on my face, he huffed and walked past me, “I just don’t see why I have to be on this mission, you three can handle it fine without me. Aurora already got to stay behind” he said with a frustrated look on his face.

I walked over to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I can understand that you may not want to be here, but we each have a role to play, we need you on this, we’re a team” I said in the most comforting tone I could make. River walked up to me and nuzzled my chin, Dust sighed sadly just as the Captain of a small crew walked up to us. “Alright, we’ll be landing soon, you might want to wait down by the bay doors” he said and we all nodded. Dust cleared his throat and stood up, “let’s just get this mission over with” he grumbled to himself, as he walked past us.

I glanced at River, who merely shrugged her shoulders, and walked after him.
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The loud hiss rang in our ears as the large lamp lowered to the ground, we had landed the ship in a more secluded part of the field, where we would draw the least attention. As we walked down the ramp, we saw a solider walk up to us with a bored expression on his face. “Okay, follow my lead” I whispered back to my friends as he came up to us.

“Halt! You’ll have to show your papers and the manifest of your cargo” he said with a dull tone. I did my best to smile and levitated the papers to him, he took them and shuffled through them. We all waited silently as he skimmed through, but he suddenly stopped and his eyes widen. I could feel my body tense up as he looked up at me with a confused expression.

“Hmm…these papers are dated back 20 years…” he said with a suspicious glance. I swallowed nervously and glanced back at my friends as I thought of something to say, but then it came to me. I chuckled lightly and smiled, “is it? My apologies sir, my assistant here is terrible at filing, I’ll go get the right ones” I said as I turned around, but instead of walking, I quickly leaned forward and bucked the pony in the chest. He cried out in shock as he crashed into a pile of boxes and stopped moving, I turned to see the shocked look of my friends, “okay…that was uncalled for!” Vapor said as she looked around. I sighed and picked the pony on to my back, “he would have reported us, he’s only unconscious, let’s just get him on to the ship, and then let’s get out of these” I said as I carried him up the ramp, while my friends kept an eye out for other guards.
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After making sure the coast was clear, we had changed out of our military uniforms and made our way off the field, where we managed to catch a cab that would take us to the club, luckily he didn't seem to question four nicely dressed ponies walking off a military base.

As we rode along, we couldn't help but gaze at the wondrous lights of the grand city, it was truly a marvel to behold. The city lights shined brightly as we passed multiple shops and restaurants, all bustling with the local nightlife. Having grown up in such a small town, I was amazed at the technology of the city, flashing neon lights, automobile’s sped past us as we moved along, but we quickly found ourselves pulling up to the club.

After paying the driver, he sped off and I turned to my friends. “Okay, we all know the plan, I’ll try and find Silver Wing, Dust and Vapor will scout out the building and make sure we aren't seen as suspicious, and River…you’ll have to make sure you keep every ponies attention on you, shouldn't be hard, you look beautiful” I said with a sly smile. She blushed and pecked me on the lips quickly, “I’ll be sure to do that, I’m on soon, I have to go in from the back, I’ll see you soon” she said as she nodded and Dust and Vapor, and trotted off to the back.

I smiled as I watched her go, but I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the slightest bit nervous, but before my mind could start rushing to the worst case scenario Dust spoke up. “Alright, let’s just get this over with” he said as he made his way to the door, Vapor and I exchanged concerned looks, but we shrugged and made our way inside.
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To say that the Soaring Heights was the classiest place I had ever seen, would be a complete understatement. The place had everything one could hope for in a respected establishment, many tables for ponies to sit and relax, a large stage where the club would have performers entertain the audience, and an especially a large bar filled to the top with a wide variety of alcoholic beverages. There was a faint smell of cigar’s and perfume in the air, and we noticed a large amount of guards posted around the exits, mostly for control of the room, should a wild stallion or mare get to crazy.

As we entered an older pony came up to us with a warming smile, “good evening good sirs and lady, might I take your coats?” he asked in a friendly and respectable manner. We all smiled and gave them to him, he smiled back and motioned for us to enter the club, “very good, welcome to the Soaring Heights, I hope you enjoy your time” he said as we walked in and looked around, marveling at the decor and design.

After a moment of looking, I turned to my friends and nodded, they nodded back and went off the other way, while I took a deep breath and made my way to the bar, where Luna said I would find Silver Wing. The club was relatively crowded, but that would make it easier to remain anonymous.

As I made my way there, I hoped into a seat and turned to face the room, many ponies were sitting at the tables, calmly sipping wine, smoking their cigars, and chatting about their daily lives, and just as Luna said, I also saw multiple uniformed officers of the army around, but none of them seemed to be here to do more than drink their hard day’s work away.

Other ponies sat along the bar, but they were many seats down, leaving me alone to admire the room around me, but before I could fully settle myself in, I heard a voice call from behind me. “Excuse me, mind if I have a seat?” I heard a voice ask, I turned to see an older male Pegasus stallion smiling at me, his coat was a dull grey, which was accompanied by a silverfish mane, which looked like it lost its original sheen many years earlier. A few quick moments passed before I shrugged and smiled, “not at all” I said with a smile.

He chuckled and took the seat next to the one I offered, leaving a small gap between us, he raised his hoof to catch the bartender’s attention. “Ash, give me a brandy” he said, the pony nodded and turned to the alcohol, while I turned and began to examine the room. A few awkward moments of silence passed when the bartender came back, levitating a small glass with a brownish texture to it. “Here you go, Mr. Wing” he said as he turned away and walked back to the others, and my ears immediately perked up and looked at him, he simply cleared his throat and took a sip of his drink, I slowly turned to him and leaned on the counter.

“Mr. Wing? As in Silver Wing?” I asked him, partially in shock that I had found him so easily. He sighed and glanced at me, “maybe, maybe not” he said as he looked at the glass of alcohol, “sorry, I didn't mean to be so…surprised, it’s just that…” I said, but I had a hard time trying to act as classy as I could, but he simply chuckled, “son, a bit of advice, if you’re trying to get a free drink, it’s isn't going to work, I know all the tricks in the book” he said as he sipped his drink again.

I deadpanned as I sighed and cleared my throat, “sorry about that, and I can assure you, I’m not here for a drink, my name is Frost Fall, I was sent here by a friend of yours” I said as I regained my composure. He chuckled again and gave me the same glance, “well…I have a lot of those” he said with another swig of his drink.

The entire time the club went on as we talked, but nopony seemed to be interested in our conversation. “Yes sir, your friend said you could help me” I said as I readied for the big moment, I cleared my throat and said the words. “yes, North Star needs advice” I said in a calm tone, I watched as he raised his glass up, but as soon as I said it, his eyes widened slightly and he stopped for a moment, but he quickly tilted his head back and downed his drink, and as he tilted his head back down and chuckled. “Does she now? Well…that is interesting. Well Frost Fall, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ash! Get my friend here a drink on the house, a brandy” he said. The bartender nodded and poured my drink.

But before we could do much, a loud feedback ringed through the room, forcing every pony’s eyes to the stage, where a young stallion was addressing the audience. “Attention mares and gentlecolts, we have a special guest star tonight, right here to sooth you with her lovely voice. She hails all the way from a small mountain town, please welcome, Miss River Blue! Singing a Sweetie Bell classic” he said as he stepped to the side, allowing the curtain to draw away.

One of the lights above flashed on, revealing a stunningly beautiful mare in a gorgeous blue dress, her mane in a nicely done braid, with just a few strands that sprung free and hung around her face. I would be lying if I said my face wasn’t on fire at that point. I swallowed nervously as the musicians started playing and she opened her mouth to sing.

“It doesn't matter is your rich or poor. I’ll give you my love, if you give me yours”

As her voice filled the room, all the eyes fell on her as she paced around the stage in a somewhat sultry manner. I heard a chuckle from beside me, “hmm? She’s very lovely, you know her?” he asked me, nudging my shoulder, but instead of turning to him, I smiled dumbly and nodded. “Yeah…she’s my marefriend” I said as she continued to sing as she glanced around the room, when her eyes finally rested on me, she gave a particular wink at me. But, I felt the slightest bit of jealousy rise in me at the fact that other stallions were looking at my marefriend in such a manner, but I was too entranced by her performance to truly care.

“She’s your marefriend!? Well…I’m impressed, you’re a lucky stallion” he said as he sucked down his drink, and waved off the bartender. “Hold the drink Ash, watch the place while I’m gone” he said with a certain tone of voice I did not understand. I turned just in time to see Silver Wing wink at the bartender and him nod back before glancing over at one of the guards. Silver Wing turned to me and smiled, “alright then Mr. Fall, let’s go have a chat about our friend North Star” he said as he got off the chair and motioned for me to follow. I quickly hopped off and trotted after him.

I turned to the stage and saw River following me with her eyes, a nervous flash in them, I nodded in certainty as she moved back to the center stage. As we walked to the other side of the room, I scanned the room for Vapor and Dust, until I saw them walking around the area, they saw me and nodded in confirmation. With that, I turned and followed Silver Wing into a small side room, which he unlocked with a special key ring that he kept under his coat.

After unlocking the door, he motioned for me to enter with him. As we did he flipped on a light revealing a large room filled with multiple boxes of wine and beer. He quickly walked over to a small door on the other side, which I presumed led to another storage room, but he reached into a hidden coat pocket and pulled out a single key, he glanced back at me and unlocked the door.

I smiled and walked up to him, after walking in he closed the door behind us and flipped on another light, revealing a much smaller room with a table and map on it, as well as various file cabinets across the room. He turned to me and smiled, “I had a feeling Luna would send somepony my way soon, tell me, how is she?” he asked me, I was slightly taken off-guard by the question. “Well…she’s fine, she said you had some information for us, somepony that could help us in our fight against the king” I said in a calm tone, he simply smiled and nodded and made his way to the table.

But before he could talk, the door opened up and Vapor walked in cautiously, and I could tell Silver tensed up. But before he could say anything I turned to him, “it’s alright, this is Vapor, and she’s a part of my team. Wait where’s Dust?” I asked her, but I quickly heard Silver gasp. “Wait, who’s your other team member?” he asked, but before either of us could say anything, we heard Dust come in behind us. His gaze was fixed on Silver, who simply stared back with a shocked expression, Dust gave a small smile as he stood up fully.

“Hey…uncle Silver”
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Both Vapor and I stared in shock as the two Pegasus stallions looked at each other in shock and surprise. Silver slowly took a step forward, and we could all see Dust tense up. “Dust? Is that really you?” he asked in disbelief, Dust merely nodded in silence, neither of them moved until, Silver shot forward and wrapped his hooves around Dust in a tight hug. Dust’s eyes went wide for a moment, but he soon hugged back.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Silver pushed away, a confused look on his face. “But…how did you get mixed up with the Night Ranger’s?” he asked with a concerned tone, Dust sighed as he sat down, “It’s a long story…I met Frost and Vapor on an Army convoy, they were taking us to the New Canterlot mines. But, something happened and we managed to escape, we wondered in the forest for a while, but then…the Night Ranger’s found us. I wanted to come and stay with you, but I thought…well, after dad died…” he said as his eyes began to tear up slightly, Silver smiled and hugged him again.

“I know your father and I had our differences, and I never appreciated his change after your mother passed, but you should have known you’re always welcome with me. I wish you had never gotten mixed up in this madness” he said as he pushed away again, tears starting to form in his eyes. Dust sighed sadly, but a small smile formed on his lips, “I know, but if I did that, I would have never met such great friends as Frost and Vapor” he said smiling at us.

Before Silver could reply to that comment, I took a step forward, “I hate to intrude on your family reunion, but I think it’s best for us to get business done” I said with a concerned look. Silver nodded and cleared his throat, “yes…indeed” he said as he walked over to the table.

“After doing some research, I think I found somepony that might help. Although I don’t know their exact location or how they can help, I do know that they are hiding out here” he said marking a location on the map. We all gathered around and saw that he marked the location near the edge of the Everfree forest, as we looked it over, we recognized the location of the very famous town.

Ponyville.

He turned to us and sighed, “usually I get more information, but the army has been harassing me for months now, it’s been hard to get info to Luna with the army breathing down my neck, but I hope it helps” he said, I looked at the others and nodded. “It should do fine, I’m sure Luna can help us out more, but we should probably be leaving” I said nodding at Vapor.

Dust looked back at Silver with a sad expression, he simply smiled. “I’ll be fine, I survived this long without being caught. You have to go with your friends, better for you to be out there helping ponies then here” he said with a comforting tone, Dust sighed sadly and hugged him quickly and walked out with us.

Chapter 3: Returning Home

CHAPTER 3
Returning Home

After leaving the club, we were fortunate enough to make it back to the base, and on to the ship, without any troubles. The engines roared to life once more, as we took off into the sky, heading back to the Monastery. The entire ride from the club, Dust remained in silence, and as soon as we boarded the ship, he went over to the window and sat there, looking at the city in the distance. Much to our surprise, Vapor walked over to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder, he merely looked up at her, and then hugged her suddenly. She turned to us with a startled expression, River and I merely smiled, as we walked over to the captain, letting the two pegasi have their moment.
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The ride back to the Monastery seemed longer than usual, but we soon found ourselves approaching the large stone structure that dwarfed the small community around it. After we landed, we were surprised to find Iron Star waiting for us on the field, “glad to see you safely return, did you meet up with Silver Wing?” he asked in his usual calm demeanor. My friends all walked past me as I stopped to talk with him, “yes we did, we got the information. Sad to say, it was vague on the whereabouts of the pony who could help us, we need to speak with Luna” I said I a calm tone.

I was surprised to see Iron Star’s face shift to a small frown, “I’m…afraid that won’t be possible” he said with a concerned look. I immediately felt my calm face turn to a concerned one, “why not? Is she okay?” I asked him in a slightly panicked tone, but he quickly raised his hoof up. “Rest assured, she is fine, but…today is a difficult day for her…” he said with an uncertain look, but I merely stared at him with confusion. But he looked at me with a confused face as well, “you don’t know what day it is…do you?” he asked, I merely stood there with a confused face, as I shook my head.

He looked down for a moment, and I could tell he was trying to think of the right words to say. After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes.

“Today marks the anniversary of the day the Crystal Empire fell. It was 80 years ago today…that Equestria fell, to the hooves to Red Spear” he said with his face full of sadness.

I felt my breath catch up in my throat, my heart beat increased rapidly. I partly wanted stagger backwards, but I kept myself sturdy. I looked down for a moment, trying to find the rights words to reply to that statement, but I finally found them. “I…I had no idea” I said with a dark tone, Iron Star nodded as he turned and began walking towards the entrance, I quickly followed after him. “Every year on this day, Luna confides herself to her quarters, not many pones know why, but she requests that she isn't disturbed. My guess, is that she mourns the loss of her sister and niece” he said as we walked along the path to the Monastery.

I looked away sadly at the thought, but I looked over at Iron Star and saw the regretful look on his face. “I never thought that loss would still affect her” I said in a soft tone, he sighed and looked at me as we walked. “You would be surprised, when you grow up with one sibling for centuries, when you lose them…the affect can last a lifetime. Almost every pony here has lost a loved to this war, I lost my wife and daughter to those imperial bastards” he said with a venom in his voice, a look of regretful anger in his eyes.
We both remained in silent for another few minutes as crossed into the building, “I…I’m so sorry, I never thought…”I said as I looked for the most comforting words I could think of. He simple looked at me with a sad smile, “it was a long time ago, that moment inspired me to join the Night Ranger’s, I made a promise that I would help Luna end this war, and I would die trying” he said with a stoic look on his face as we made our way to the Mess Hall.
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After eating our breakfast, we all went our separate ways to relax and unwind from our mission, since Luna was busy for the day, we had to find ways to occupy ourselves. River and I had taken to the gardens for a nice relaxing walk, which thanks to the tranquil mood of the room, made it easy for us to relax. Despite them being indoors, the Monastery gardens were a relaxing and enjoyable spot for many ponies in the order to come and enjoy themselves.

River and I slowly walked along the path, closely snuggled together as we moved along, laughing as I told her some of my more embarrassing stories of being an older brother. But we finally came across a small bridge that crossed over a small creek, and we stopped and leaned up on it. “It’s really nice here, so…peaceful, I wish I could just fall asleep” she said leaning into my shoulder, I chuckled and she looked at me with an amused face. “Hey, what’s so funny?” she asked, I simply looked at her and smiled.

“Oh nothing…you just…you love to be all…inspirational” I said with an amused smile, which earned me a playful shove. But after a minute, we both looked down at the water, seeing it gently flow away, “oh hey, I forgot to ask, how’s Misty?” she asked me, I slightly frowned at that, and looked away for a moment.

“Misty? She’s fine, I haven’t seen her in a few days, but…I suppose she’s busy, from what she tells me, she really likes working as a trainee. She tells me she wants to be a radio operator” I said with a slight chuckle, but that quickly faded, as we both remained silent. “it’s so strange….our lives have changed so much in recent months, we've lost so much…” she said as she looked away, I tried my best to smile and turned to her. “True…but I know one good thing that came from all this…” I said, as she looked over at me.

I smiled and placed a hoof on her cheek, “if it weren't for all this…we never would have admitted our feelings. If it weren't for all the trials we've been through, I never would have realized how much I love you” I said with a kindly smile. A small tear trickled down her cheek as she smiled back, and in a quick movement, she pushed her lips to mine, and we stayed like that for a moment.

But before we could come to fully enjoy our moment, we heard hoof steps approaching from behind, we separated and turned to see one of Luna’s guards come up to us, a stoic look on his face. “Frost, glad I could find you, I apologize if I’m interrupting anything, but I came to tell you that Luna wishes’ to speak with you…soon” he said with a bit more of force. I turned to River with a confused space, which she equally shared, and I then turned to the guard.

“Why? I thought she doesn't want to see anypony today…given the circumstances” I said as I took a step forward. The guard remained firm, “she didn't specify why, she merely said she has something important to show you. It sounded urgent, so I would hurry” he said as he turned and walked away, I frowned as I looked at River, I could see the disappointment in her eyes, that our moment had been cut short, but she quickly smiled and looked up at me.

“Its fine, go and see what she wants. You can make it up to me later” she said with a sly smile. I couldn't help but smile back, as I kissed her horn and walked off after the guard.

Chapter 4: Glimpse into the Past

CHAPTER 4
Glimpse into the Past

Even though I had no idea as to why Luna wanted to speak with me, I knew it would be best to get up to see her. As I walked, I couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving River behind, and even though she understood the situation, I couldn't help but feel bad for missing out on our special moment.

As I made my way up to Luna’s quarters, I couldn't help but think of various scenarios that would happen. What did she want to show me? Even though I had no idea of the reason for her calling me, I knew it would be best to get there as quick as possible. Despite that, my mind drifted back to what Iron Star said about Luna confining herself to her quarters for the whole day, and not wanting to see anypony, which only made me wonder why she wanted to somepony, let along me.
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After making my way up, I stood in front of the large door that lead to the observatory. The guards who usually stood guard at the door, had gone off on a break, leaving me there alone. I took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open, only to be met with a loud creak. The room was lite with the usual candles all across the room, the evening light shining through the top window.

As I entered the room, I slowly made my way to the center, but I saw no sign of Luna anywhere. “Luna?” I called out, but there was no answer, but I quickly heard a door open, and I turned to see Luna emerge from her room, her mane was not as neatly combed as it usually was, and there was a small smile on her face. “Frost…I’m glad you could come” she said as she walked out to greet me, I watched her calmly walk up to me. I cleared my throat and spoke up, “yeah, one of the guards told me you wanted to speak with me. Are you alright?” I asked with a concerned tone, she smiled and nodded calmly, “yes of course, it’s just…” she said but stopped and looked away sadly, I looked away as well.

“Iron Star told me…it’s that day” I said with a sad look, she nodded and looked up at me again, and I saw it, the look that showed decades worth of pain and loss, but she smiled. “Indeed, but rest assured I am fine, it was many years ago, and although it was a difficult day to remember, I try not to let it affect me too much. But, that is why you are here” she said as she turned and made her way to one of the bookshelves.

After removing some of the books on one of the shelves, I watched as she reached into the back with her hoof and pressed the back panel. Much to my surprise, there was a loud click as a small chest slid out, Luna picked it up and brought it over to the desk, motioning for me to come over. I walked over to the desk and watched as she opened the small chest, revealing a set of small crystals, all lined up evenly.

I looked at them in awe, as Luna gently traced a hoof over to them, a somber look on her face. “What are these?” I asked looking them over, she didn't turn to face me, “these are memory crystals, they allow a pony to record a moment they remember with detail. If a pony wishes to relive a moment from their past, they merely have to focus and it takes them back, these are mine” she said turning to face me, I slowly turned to face her as well.

“I would like you to see them” she said in a calming tone, a stern look on her face. My eyes widened at her words, she actually wanted me to look into her memories, to see the memories of a princess, who not only watched her kingdom fall, but lost those closest to her. I stood there completely dumbfounded at her words, while she simply waited for my answer. After a moment I shook myself from my shocked state and looked at her, only able to form a few simple words.
“Why me?” I asked in a state of shock.

Luna simply smiled and stepped toward me, “because Frost, it is time you learn about the events that led to Equestria’s fall” she said in a calm yet stern tone. I looked at her in shock, but I looked down for a moment, but I took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes, and nodded. She simply smiled at me and turned to pick up one of the crystals and walked over to me, offering me the crystal.

“Remember, you must concentrate. It is different for you to travel into somepony’s else’s memories. This one will take you to the day the Crystal Empire fell, but you will only be in the place’s I was” she said with a confident look. I looked at her and nodded, levitating the crystal up, I looked into it and took a deep breath, and closed my eyes, letting the memory flood into my mind.
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I felt a strange sensation brush over me, it was like a gust of wind that blew through my coat and mane, but I kept my eyes closed regardless. After a moment, the sensation stopped and began to hear voices in the distance. I slowly opened my eyes and watched in awe as a large room made of a strange crystal like substance, slowly began to fade in, as if it was some extraordinary drawing. As the room continued to fade in, I looked down at my hooves, and saw that my normal greyish coat, was now tinted with a light blue aura, which almost allowed me to see through them, with a quick check of my body, I confirmed that my entire body had become transparent.

As the room faded in, I looked around and saw a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, bright lights shined from it. There was a low rumbling, that made the chandelier shake slightly, but after settling again, I heard a deep male voice come out.

“Captain! Captain! Come in! Tell me what’s going on out there, damn it!” the voice yelled, with a deep commanding tone, indicating that they were a pony of military status. I turned to see three ponies standing around a large circular table, with a map of a territory that I didn't recognize on it. Despite my initial shock, I instantly recognized one of the ponies standing around the table, a dark blue Alicorn, with a waving mane.

It was Luna, or at the time…Princess Luna.

Despite me recognizing her, she did look fairly different. She was a few inches shorter from how I know her, and she was dressed in her normal royal regalia, which made her look like the pictures I had seen of her. The other two were ponies I did not know myself, but from whom I have heard of in stories and seen in pictures. One was a strong looking white coated unicorn with a blue mane, while the other was another Alicorn with a pink coat and colorfully striped mane, their identities hit me like a heavy brick.

It was Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, Aurora’s mother and father.

It took me a moment to realize that it was Shining Armor who was yelling into the radio, but all he received at first was static. But soon a voice quickly replied back, their tone was filled with panic, “Prince Shining Armor, we've been overrun, the enemy forces are pushing us back towards the city, we can’t hold them off for much longer…we…Ne-need…rein-reinforcements” the voice said before static took over again, I watched the Prince’s expression turn somber as he looked toward his wife.

His wife shared his expression as they both turned toward the older Alicorn, “that was the last of our major defense’s…our soldiers are in retreat now.” He said as his face took on a more angry tone, as he slammed the table with his hoof. “How?! How did they break through, we had the advantage!” he yelled, as his wife came over and placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

As I watched the scene unfold before me, suddenly Luna spoke up, “Red Spear is an excellent tactician, our only hope now is Twilight and her friends” she said with a sad tone, but as if fate was waiting to drop another batch of disappointment on them, one of the Crystal guards burst into the room, his eyes filled with panic and fear. “Princess Cadence, Princes Shining Armor, we received a message from Canterlot…” he said with a sad look on his face.

At the mention of his younger sister, Shining’s head shot up and he slowly walked over to the guard, “what happened? Were Twilight and her friends able to stop Red Spear?” he asked, but the guard’s face told him he really wouldn't want to know the answer. “I…I’m sorry sir, but…Princess Twilight and her friends…failed your highness. Red Spear managed to stop them, we don’t know how…but…your sister, she’s…dead” he said with a pained expression on his face.

The look on Shining Armor’s face was the most terrified and heart-broken expression I had ever seen, his eyes widened in shock, and he stumbled back, almost falling over if his hoof had caught the table. His breaths were quick and heavy, his eyes filling with tears and darting all over the place. “No…no, it’s…it’s not possible, that can’t be true!” he shouted as tears spilled down his cheeks. Both Cadence’s and Luna’s eyes widened in horror at the news, with Cadence slowly tearing up and sitting down, the loss of her sister-in-law had a heavy effect on her. Luna simply looked away sadly as tears spilled down her cheeks.

The guard quickly left them, as Shining Armor wept at the loss of his little sister, but before long Luna cleared her throat and spoke up. “Then…all our hope is lost. We must make a final stand…we shall make it here…” she said with a saddened tone in her voice. But by this time, Shining Armor had slowly stopped crying and stood up, tear trails staining his cheeks, he sighed heavily and looked at his wife and Luna, “yes…we will make a stand…but not with you Princess Luna” he said with a form tone.

A shocked look appeared on Luna’s face, but before she could respond, Shining raised his hoof up, “just hear me out. We can hold off Red Spear’s forces for a little longer, it will give you enough time to escape with some troops” he said, but Luna frowned at him, “what? No! I will not run like a coward from Red Spear, I will stay and fight!” she said in a strong tone. But now it was Cadence’s turn to speak.

“Shining is right Aunt Luna, we have both prepared to go down with our kingdom if need be, while we hold them off, it will give you the chance to escape. If you survive, then there is hope for the future generations” she said in a confident tone that was laced with sadness. Luna’s expression softened as she stepped toward her niece, placing a hoof on her cheek, tears began to form in her eyes. Even though she may not have agreed with her, she knew it would be for the best.

As tears began to spill down her cheeks, “I don’t want to lose you as well. Please, come with me, I don’t want to lose you two as well, I already lost my sister” she said with a sad tone, Cadence smiled as tears filled her eyes as well. “I know…but I will not abandon my kingdom to hide. But with you…there is a chance for a better future, you can take our remaining soldiers, we’ll make a last stand with the castle guards. I know you’re afraid Auntie Luna, but everything we’ll be fine, just…promise to never stop fighting” she said as tears spilled down her cheeks.

Luna reacted in the best way she possibly could, pulling her niece into a tight hug, Cadence hugged back as well, and spoke into her ear, “ take Aurora with you, she’s the rightful heir, hopefully…she will one day return to take the throne. Take the passage into the mountains, Red Spear will never find it. If you ever make it back here, find the old bunker, it can help in winning the war” she said as they separated. Luna turned and hugged Shining Armor as well, giving an equally tearful goodbye. She quickly turned and ran out of the room.

I watched as the room around began to fade away, the same way as it had come in, the familiar sensation from before passed over me again, and with that…I closed my eyes, letting the scene fade from my vision.
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My eyes shot open as my magical grip on the crystal faded, and it clattered to the floor, the sensation passed over my body in a quick flash. I staggered backward, as I tried to find my footing, but I fell backwards and landed on my back. Heavy breaths left my lungs, as I placed a hoof to my chest, my eyes darted around, and I saw that I had returned to the observatory, I then turned to see Luna take a concerned step towards me.

After my breathing had calmed down, I pushed myself up, and turned toward her, her face filled with concern. “I know the first time using a memory crystal can be unpleasant, I am sorry” she said as she picked up the crystal with her magic and returned it to the chest. I looked at her as I noticed my cheeks had tear stains on them, indicating that my body was crying while my mind was gone, I swallowed nervously and looked at her.

“I…I’m so sorry…I never knew you've been through so much, but I still don’t understand…why me?” I asked her. She frowned slightly at me, “because Frost, if anypony should truly understand how Red Spear came to power, it should be you, you may not yet realize it, but we can’t do this without you. The medallion chose you as its host, and it is up to you to discover its virtue and unlock its power. Because…only you can defeat the king” she said in a calm yet determined tone.

I stared at her in shock for a moment, until I finally worked up the words to respond. “But why? I never asked to be a hero. I just wanted to live my life, why does it fall to me to save the kingdom, what if I don’t want to?” I asked her. She gave me a comforting smile, “if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that fate rarely calls on us when we want it to. But there was another pony I knew who thought like you did” she said with a smile as she turned back to the chest and closed it up.

I watched her with a confused look, “really? Who?” I asked with a frown on my face. She smiled and placed the chest where she found it, “you may remember her as the Princess of Friendship, Twilight was much like you when she was young, she never wanted to be a hero or a Princess, she merely wanted to study magic and live a normal life, but fate had a different plan for her, and she became one of our greatest heroes’, defeating many of the countless enemies Equestria faced” she said with a calm expression, but I could tell her mind was thinking back to her best memories with the young Princess.

I looked down with uncertainty, “but…she was an Element of Harmony, she was already special among other ponies, but…I don’t even know how to work my medallion, how am I supposed to help ponies if I can’t even help those I care about” I said with a frown, lowering my head in shame, my mind wandering back to the moment when River nearly died in battle.

After a minute, I felt a hoof bring up my face, only to meet Luna’s eyes, she smiled warmly at me and spoke up. “Believe me Frost, when I was young, I was not sure if I would be able to serve my subjects right, but I grew into the role, and through many hardships, I became wiser and more confident in my duties. I know you will discover your virtue soon enough, when the time comes, you will come to understand your role in Equestria, just as we all have here” she said with a smile that couldn't help but fill me with confidence.

Her smile faded slightly, “go now, the effects of memory crystals can be taxing, you will need your rest, go and be with your friends. Tomorrow will discuss your next mission, I’ll have Iron Star bring me the information you got from Silver Wing” she said as she motioned to the door, I smiled and nodded as I turned made my way to the door.

As I opened it with my magic, I turned back and smiled at her, she smiled back and nodded. And with that I turned and made my way back to my room, where I could get some sleep for our next mission.

Chapter 5: Seeking Help

CHAPTER 5
Seeking Help

Immediately after leaving Luna’s quarters, I did what she told me to do, and headed for my room to rest. She was right when she said the effects of memory crystals could be harsh, mainly because the second I entered my room, I felt the urge to simply collapse on my bed and sleep, and that is exactly what I did.
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Even through my sleep, the images I had witnessed in Luna’s memory’s kept flashing back to me, but I still managed to get the rest I needed. But I was awoken by the sound of knocking on my door, my eyes slowly opened as the knocking ringed in my ears.

“Frost…you in there, it’s River” a familiar voice said through the door. My eyes opened fully and I crawled out of bed, I quickly made my way over to the door. Winter sat on her perch in the corner of the room. I opened the door with my magic, and looked into the worried eyes of my marefriend, “there you are…we missed you all yesterday, what happened to you?” she asked as she walked past me into the room. I turned and walked in after her as she sat on the edge of the bed, I quickly sat next to her and did my best to act normally.

“Yeah, sorry about that, I wanted to come and meet you for dinner, but I just…loss track of time” I said with a smile, she simply frowned at me slightly, “are you okay, you seem…distant. You know you can talk to me, I’m always here for you” she said with a concerned look. I looked at her and cleared my throat, before smiling at her, “I know…and that’s why I love you. I promise you, I’m fine, I’m sorry for not meeting you guys” I said as I put my hoof to her cheek.

She smiled at me and we connected for a brief kiss, she sighed happily and smiled at me. “Alright fine, you can make it up to me later” she said as she stood up and turned to face me, a sly smile on her face. “But right now, you need to get fixed up, Luna wants to speak with us in the war room, I suspect it’s our next mission. Also, you might want to bring Winter with you, I think Luna wants to bring her along for the mission” she said with a smile as she left the room.

I sat there for a moment, just staring at the door, when I heard a small chirp from behind, I turned to see Winter looking at me curiously. “What? Don’t look at me like that” I said as I went into the bathroom to get ready, while winter just glared at me.
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After making myself proper, I quickly caught up with River, as we made our way to the war room. Winter followed us as she made our way through the halls. After a few minutes of walking, we finally entered the war room, where we saw Luna, Iron Star, and Aurora waiting for us, our friends had made it there as well, and they all turned and smiled as we walked in. “about time you two got here, I wonder what those two were doing alone in in Frost’s room…with nopony to disturb them” Dust said with a sly smile and wink at me, but he was quickly met with a shove in the side from Vapor.

I blushed slightly and turned to look at River, who simply winked at me and walked past, her tail brushing under my chin. After that Luna walked up to the large table with the map, “glad you two could join us, now down to business. The information we received from Silver Wing, tells us that that the pony who can help us resides somewhere in this part of the forest” she said pointing to a small area that she circled out.

“Problem is, that the only known habitable place with in the vicinity, is the old castle that my sister and I used to live in” she said looking around at all of us. My friends and all looked at each other in confusion, before I stepped up, “but…who in the right mind would live there, I thought all old equestrian ruins were destroyed by Red Spear after he took control” I said with a uncertain tone.

Luna looked at me and nodded, “yes…most of them were, but since that castle was already falling apart, it would have been pointless for him to waste his troops on demolishing it, when he was to busy fighting off resistance groups, and I suppose it just fell from his mind. After the empire fell, Red Spear left the ruins alone, believing it to be a sign to all those who resisted him, the ruins still stand today, but they are forbidden to all” she said with a sad expression.

Now it was Dust’s turn to step up and speak, “wait a minute…I’m not saying my uncle’s information was false, but what if this lead turns out to be a dead end, then we would have wasted our time” he said with a firm tone, we all turned to him, while Luna chuckled lightly. “I understand your concern, but your uncle’s information has yet to mislead us, but you have a valid point Dust. That is why…I am coming with you” she said in a confident tone.

We all looked at her with shocked expressions, even Iron Star and Aurora seemed to be caught off guard by the statement. Iron Star stepped closer to her, “Commander Luna, are you sure that is wise? Shouldn't you stay here in the Monastery?” he asked her, she turned to him and smiled. “while I am thankful for your concern Iron Star, if this pony does have a way to help us fight the king, then I want to meet them…face to face” she said with a confident tone. He looked away for a moment, but smiled at her and nodded.

She then turned to face us, “now that everything is settled, you should all report to the armory, and get your things together. Frost…Aurora has been working on a new piece for your armor, which will allow your feathered friend to come with you on your missions” she said with a smile, as Winter flew down and landed on the table. I smiled at her and followed the others to the armory.
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After making it to the armory, we all suited up in our armor sets, and gathered our things together. Luna had instructed us to make our way to the air field, after we had finished getting ready. While we were there, Aurora explained to me that she reinforced the plating on my back, which would allow Winter to land there, without tearing the flesh from my back away, and she also mentioned that she had reinforced the plating on my fore hooves so that she could land there as well. Another major thing I brought with me was my medallion, although I had no idea what use it would have, you never know when it could be useful.

After my friends and I had gotten fully dressed up, we all made our way to the field, where an airship was being prepared for launch. Winter chirped happily as she landed on my back, I was prepared to wince as she landed, but was relieved to hear her claws scrape along the plating, not causing me any pain, I sighed happily as we made our way to the field.
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As we walked across the field, we saw multiple ponies walk out of the ship that was being loaded. We saw Luna and Iron Star waiting by the ramp, both of them were dressed in armor. Iron Star’s wore the same armor he did when he helped us reclaim Ashen, but it was Luna’s armor that caught our attention. Her armor was greatly different from ours, it was a dark blue, matching her coat and mane, which was tied back behind her head. My gaze traveled to her side, where there was a large sword scabbard, with a crescent moon engraved on the hilt, which indicated that it was made specifically for her.

As we approached, they smiled at us. “Excellent, you’re here. How do you like your enhancements Frost?” she asked me with a calm smile. I smiled back and flexed my shoulders, “well, if it keeps Winter from tearing my back off, then it works fine” I said, and Winter squawked happily, making us all chuckle. Luna and Iron Star, then walked up the ramp and into the ship, which we all followed after them.
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The engines of the large airship hummed deeply, as our ship crossed over the Everfree forest, but by this time, I had gotten used to their sound. While the others were talking about the mission plan, I was gazing out the window at the passing horizon, but it wasn't the forest that caught my interest, it was the fact that we were flying close to Ponyville. I could see the town in the distance, but it looked nothing like I had read about in history books.

I heard hooves walk up next to me, I turned to see Luna standing beside me, her face was calm, but I could see a hint of worry in it. I sighed and looked out the window again, “Luna…what happened to Ponyville, after Red Spear took over?” I asked looking at the once small and peaceful town.

I heard her sigh and speak up, “after the Crystal Empire fell, Red Spear wanted to make sure nopony would be inspired to resist him. Ponyville was a symbol of peace and friendship in the kingdom, he sent his airships there, they destroyed Princess Twilight’s castle, and all those who were related to the Elements of Harmony, were taken in for questioning, but were released after swearing their loyalty to the King. Ponyville used to be a happy place, but…now it stands as a reminder to those who question the King’s rule, the citizens live in a constant state of fear. Many of our recruits come from Ponyville” she said with a sad expression.

I looked out at the town in the distance, and I could see what remained of Twilight’s castle, nothing more than a smoldering ruin. I sighed and turned to look at her, “how do you do it? How do you get used to all this death and misery?” I asked her with a curious tone. She sighed and looked away for a moment, but then her gaze fixed to the ruined town as well, “when one is exposed to something long enough, they become numb to it, while others are less successful. There have been many of us, who could not handle to horrors of war, and have fallen apart, resulting to suicide” she said with a sad look, but before I could say anything else, the captain walked over to us.

“My apologies if I was interrupting something important, but I wanted to inform you that we are closing in on our destination, what are your orders commander?” he said in a stern tone. Luna looked at me and nodded, and then turning to the captain, “very good Captain, we’ll start our search in the old castle, land the airship in the nearest clearing” she said in a formal tone. The Captain nodded and walked off to the other ponies operating in the front.
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After landing the ship, Luna led the way as we walked off the ramp and towards the large castle in the distance. It didn't take us very long, but we soon found ourselves standing in front of a large gorge, that seemed to go down forever, due to the layer of fog that covered it. There was an old bridge across the gorge, which continued up to the path, “why do I have the feeling this isn't going to end well” Dust said as we all turned to look at him, he chuckled nervously and rubbed his head. Winter screeched and flew over to the other side, just barely visible enough for us to see her, we all turned and looked at each other, deciding who goes first. Luna unfurled her wings and took off into the air and landed on the other side, quickly followed by Aurora, Iron Star turned to us and motioned for us to follow, as he made a careful first step.

The board groaned under his weight, but as he applied more pressure and continued walking, he smirked back at us. “Well…you know how that saying goes, don’t look down and you’ll be fine” he said as he continued walking. I turned to my friends and saw the smirk’s on Dust and Vapor’s face, “well…good luck you three, see you on the other side” vapor said as they took off and floated to the other side, leaving just the three of us, I turned to River who gave a disgusted sigh.

After a few careful steps, we found ourselves crossing the bridge at a relatively fast pace, with River in front of me, I kept an eye out for weak planks. But as we stepped, there was a loud snap, which caused River to cry out in shock as her hoof fell through, causing her to collapse down. I immediately sprung to her side and helped her up, but there was another loud groan and we both turned to see the ropes that held the bridge up on the side we crossed were snapping.

“Go! Go!” I shouted as we all rushed, but before we could get to edge, the ropes snapped completely, which made the bridge fall behind us. Just as that happened, Iron Star jumped to the other side, I cried out as I shoved River to safety, just as the bridge left my hooves, causing me to fall. “Frost!” I heard River cry out as I fell into the mists.

In the blink of an eye, I immediately pulled out my axe, and used the back end which had been equipped with a small pick to break things open with, I plunged the small end into the wall, and slowed to a stop. I cried out in shock s I grasped the axe handle with both hooves, I looked down to see small pieces of rubble fall beneath me, I looked up to see all my friends gather at the edge.

“Frost? Are you alright?” Luna called down.

I chuckled lightly and looked up at them, “well…I’m still alive. But…I’m having trouble pulling myself up, I think I might need some help” I yelled up. The next thing I heard was the flapping of wings, as Aurora appeared and hoisted me on to her back and we floated back up. My heart was still beating frantically as I rolled off of her with an exasperated sigh, I was then met with a tight hug and a kiss from River, who looked like she was ready to kill me.

She gave me a hard punch in the shoulder, “you idiot! You nearly gave me a heart attack” she yelled, scolding me for my actions, I chuckled lightly and stood up, “I’ll take that as a ‘thank you’ for pushing you out of the way” I said with a smug smile. She huffed at me and turned and walked away, but not without having her tail slap my chin.

After that little escapade, we returned to the path and eventually came up to the entrance. In a closer view, we could see why nopony would ever want to stay here, it was practically falling apart! The walls had been covered by moss, many of the towers looked like they were near collapsing, and to add to the creepiness, we heard a wolf’s howl in the distance.

Luna turned to us and stomped her hoof, “alright, listen up my friends, we don’t know what to expect in there, so be on your guard, it’s been so long that even I wouldn't recognize this place either. Watch each other’s backs, and stay close, we’ll only split up if we have to, let’s go” she said as we all made out way inside.
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Luna had told us the story of how her sister had tasked Princess Twilight and her friends with fixing the castle up, and restoring it to its original beauty. But as they had grown older, Twilight was drawn away with her royal duties, and her friends all went off to live their own lives, but still remaining in contact together, and having monthly meetings. But she also told us about the day she was banished, how she had nearly killed her own sister, but we all knew it was painful for her to talk about it, so we didn't push her.

As we entered the main hall of the castle, we saw the extent of Twilight’s work, much of the castle had been fixed up, but only to be ruined again after decades of neglect. Four separate halls extended off the main room, leading to other parts of the castle, while a large staircase lay in front of us, but the most surprising and creepy part of it, was the empty suits of pony armor that lined the walls in between the halls.

We all looked around to make sure the coast is clear, just as Luna turned to us and cleared her throat. “Alright every pony, we don’t know what we are looking for, so keep a sharp eye out for anything suspicious” she said as she walked over to us, reaching into her bag, she pulled out multiple small ear pieces, and levitated them to us. “Put these on, we’ll have to split up and cover more ground that way, so keep these set in case we get separated. Frost and Dust, you two stay here and watch for trouble. Vapor and River, you take the hall to the left. Aurora and Iron Star, you come with me and we’ll check a different hall, keep in contact and radio for help, good luck” she said with a firm tone. We all nodded and went our separate ways.

Dust and I sighed heavily as we sat back down, Winter chirped as she flew off and perched in one of the windows above us. “Well, I guess we just sit here” Dust said with a groan as he dropped his pole arm and sat down. I sat with him and looked at the ceiling, some of the stones had fallen loose, making it easy to see the night sky.

I sighed sadly, “You know…I’m happy to be here, making difference and all, but some days…I can’t help but miss my home. I miss my mother, my old job, my house…everything. But here we are…in the middle of a war” I said with a sad look as we stared up into the night sky. He sighed to and nodded his head, “yeah, I know what you mean. Speaking of which, what do you plan on doing after all this…after the war I mean?” he asked me. I was momentarily shocked by the question, I had never really put much thought to it.

“I never really thought much about it. I guess…I’ll go back home to Ashen, help rebuild the town and help it thrive. Maybe even…settle down with River…” I said drifting off into my thought. But before either of us could say anything more, there was a loud rumble from one of the halls, causing both of us to immediately jump to our hooves, and ready our weapons. When nothing emerged from the shadowy hallway, Dust slowly began to creep towards it, and then he vanished for a moment.

I waited in silence for him to return, but then I heard a loud screech, quickly followed by a blaze of light to fly past me and up to a window. Winter screeched and fluttered back down towards me, I turned to see Dust emerged from the hall, a surprised look on his face. We both turned to see the mysterious creature, but our eyes widened at the sight of a beautiful, majestic Phoenix.

Its brilliant colors shined in the light, but it quickly screeched and took off into another part of the castle. Dust whistled lightly, “damn, that was a Phoenix, not very common in the Everfree Forest” he said as we both returned to our spot. But before we could sit down and enjoy ourselves, our gaze’s fixated on a peculiar sight, standing at the far end of the room was a shadowy figure, although we couldn't see it very well, it appeared to be made of metal. Dust and I readied our weapons, “who’s there!?” Dust shouted, and the figure slowly emerged, only making us look at each other in confusion.

It was a full suite of pony armor, it was a much older model of armor, as this kind covered the whole body, while new armor went down to the waist.

Dust was the first to react, as he lowered his weapon and started laughing. “Come girls, really? You think that dressing up in a suit of armor is going to scare us?” he asked as he stepped towards it. I watched the suit of armor with a suspicious gaze, and then it hit me, if somepony were in the armor, we would be able to see their eyes, as well as small spots of their coat through the armor, but the eye holes were pitch black, and the armor looked like it was encasing nothing.

“Um Dust, I don’t think that’s the best idea…” I said lowering my weapon as well. Dust turned to me with a smile, “Come on Frost, you get fooled to easily, it’s clearly River or Vapor trying to mess with us” he said as he stepped closer, the suit of armor simply watched him as he stepped closer. My eyes widened as I watched the suit of armor reached behind and take out a small sword, “come on girls, if you want to be scary, at least make….an effort” Dust said as he turned to face the suit, only to see it raise a sword above him.

“WHOA!!” he shouted as he pushed back with his wings, landing back next to me as the sword hit the ground. He picked up his weapon and look at me with a confused gaze, I turned to the armor and readied my axe. I yelled out as I broke into a charge, just in time to see it raise the sword again, I swung my axe right into its neck, there was a sharp clang as my bade sunk into its neck, but I pulled the axe through the rest, and the armor simply clanged to the floor in pieces.

I sighed as I turned to see Dust pointing toward the wall, I followed his gaze only to have my jaw drop. The other suits of armor against the wall were rattling violently, we watched as some of them raised their hooves up, and stepped off their displays, and they all started walking towards us. Dust and I back up against each other as they began to surround us, “okay, so were surrounded by a bunch of haunted suits of armor, got any ideas?” Dust asked as he readied his weapon.

I looked around at our new, slightly creepy adversaries and then the thought hit me, the earpiece. I quickly reached up and pressed the button, “Iron Star? Aurora, River? Luna? Do you read me? We got a situation in the main hall, you might want to get back here” I said into the piece. The suits of armor simply closed in further, raising their weapons up. But before any of them could attack, he heard the flapping of wings, and suddenly two blasts of magic rained down and blew apart the suits of armor in front of us.

We looked up to see Luna and Aurora standing in front of us, “Come on! We’re meeting up in the throne room!” Aurora yelled as we bolted after them, as we climbed the stairs, I turned back to see the suits of armor walking after us, but what caught my eyes was the ones that were blown apart, were somehow piecing themselves back together. Before I could see much more, Dust pulled me and we continued running. Winter screeched as flew after us.
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After running through the castle’s various turns and halls, we finally came into the throne room. After we did, Iron Star and Vapor pushed the door closed, and braced up against it, both Dust and I quickly sat down and breathed deeply. River ran up to me and pulled me into a hug. After taking a few quick breath’s I turned to Luna, “what…in the name of Equestria…are those thing?” I said as my breathing returned to normal. Luna sighed and sat down slightly, bringing her hoof to her chin, “I can’t be sure, it must be some sort of defense mechanism. Whoever lives here, doesn't like visitors” she said as she stood up and began walking around.

I watched as she walked towards the center of the room, her gaze fixated on the two thrones on the other end of the room, then her gaze wandered up to the large hole above them. I walked up to her, she sighed sadly and looked down, “it’s strange, after all the years I had been back, I only ever came back here once, with Twilight and her friends…the memories here, are…to uncomfortable” she said with a sad look, I was about to say something comforting to her, but I was interrupted by a loud bang on the door.

We all immediately turned to see the door bang forward, indicating that the suits of armor were trying to break in. Iron Star, Aurora, Dust, and Vapor all piled against the door, trying to hold it back. “Luna, you used to live here, is there a secret exit or something?’ Dust yelled as another blow from there end almost knocked the door off its hinges. Luna began looking around the room, trying to remember the design of the castle.

While every pony else was busy doing something, I stood there completely useless. But before I could say or do anything, I heard the flap of wings, and I looked up to see a familiar brilliantly colored Phoenix land in the whole above the throne’s, the creature simply stared at me with interest as a large bang was heard.

The four of my friends cried out as the door was nearly pushed away, but then…it suddenly stopped.

The room fell completely silent, as the banging had ceased and they all looked around normally. My friends and I slowly backed away from the door, Luna took a step forward, and grabbed the handles with her magic, and in one fell swoop, pulled the doors all the way open. Much to our surprise, no scary suits of armor stood in the hall, I walked forward next to her and peeked into the hallway, not a single sign of any living or animated object in sight.

“Their…gone” I said as I turned back to my friends, while Luna slowly closed the door behind me, but before anypony could say anything, Luna cried out as she grasped her head. We all turned to her with a concerned look, but she quickly stood up, and turned towards us. “I don’t think were done yet, I sense a very powerful source of magic here, stay close” she said as we all bunched together.

We heard the flapping of wings, but they weren't any wings, they were the wings of a pony, a very fast pony. Before we could say or do anything, we heard a loud zapping sound, as a shadow passed over us, a small blast of concentrated magic heading for us. We all readied our weapons, but Luna was the first to act, bringing up a large shield around us, where the blast simply exploded around us, causing a brief puff of smoke.

Luna instantly lowered the shield, and stepped forward. We all looked up to see a shadowy form flying toward us again, Luna narrowed her eyes and shot multiple blasts of magic at the assailant. The figure swooped around all of them and charged at her, Luna simply spread her wings and fluttered back as the figure crashed to the ground, leaving a layer of dust and rubble to fly everywhere. Luna landed back toward us and unsheathed her sword, while we all readied our weapons to fight, the dust cleared to reveal a pony about Aurora’s height, dressed in sleek black armor.

The pony stood up and spread her majestic wings out, bringing out a long pole arm with an axes blade at the end. They were wearing a mask that prevented us from seeing their face, but we could still see their eyes, which were a sparkling violet.

“Who are you? And how did you find this place?!” a female voice shouted as she readied her weapon. Her voice seemed familiar to me, but then as I studied her features a bit more closely, and then I realized I recognized her eyes as well.

It was the pony who had attacked the imperial convoy that my friends and I were in.

But to make it even weirder, she seemed to recognize me as well. Her eyes widened as she glanced over my figure, but I could tell she recognized my face.

You? I recognize you!” she said lowering her weapon and pointing at me, causing all of my friends to look at me with confusion, I blushed a little bit, but I quickly stepped past Luna and stood in between us. I reached into my armor and pulled out the medallion and held it for her to see, her eyes widened even more. “Yes…I do remember you, you’re that stallion from the convoy, where did you get that medallion?” she asked in a threatening tone.

She readied her weapon, as well as my friends, but I quickly raised my hoof to stop them. “Its fine” I said as I turned to face her, “my name is Frost Fall, I am a member of the Night Ranger’s, and I was given this medallion, I didn't steal it from anypony” I said in a confident tone. The masked pony simply lowered her weapon and relaxed slightly, but tensed up again as Luna stepped next to me.

“My name is Luna, I am the commander of the Night Ranger’s, and who are you” she said as she removed her helmet. As soon as she did, the pony gasped again, her eyes widening and slightly tearing up, “L-Luna? It’s really you…your alive?” she asked in a shocked tone. Luna seemed confused by her question, “indeed I am, and who are you?” she asked with an impatient tone, but before the pony could answer, I spoke up instead.

“I think I know exactly who you are. All the evidence points towards it….it’s you isn't it…Princess Twilight Sparkle?” I asked in a confident yet serious tone. Despite all the collective gasps I heard from my friends, I turned to see Luna look at me with a shocked and confused look on her face, I cleared my throat and turned back toward the masked pony.

She was simply staring at me with a shocked look, her eyes wide with astonishment, but she sighed and lowered her weapon. We all watched in suspense as she bowed her head slightly, reaching up with her hoof, grabbing the lower part of her mask, she slowly pulled it over her head. All our eyes widened as we gazed at her brilliantly colored sapphire striped mane, with stripes of rose colored streaks that went along her mane and most likely to her tail as well. A unicorn’s horn graced her forehead, which greatly complimented her majestic wings, she slowly raised her head and we stared into the eyes of a pony that the kingdom had thought to be dead for many decades now, and we knew there was no denying it.

It was Princess Twilight Sparkle…in the flesh.

Chapter 6: Hidden Truth's

CHAPTER 6
Hidden Truth's

While the rest of my friends imply stared in awe, I couldn't help but feel proud at my successful assumption, as a smile graced my lips. I looked back to see all of my friends jaws had nearly dropped to the floor, all…except for Luna’s.

I turned to see Luna staring at Twilight, tears slowly forming in her eyes, we all watched as she slowly walked over to her, her hooves dragging behind her heavily. Twilight watched her approach but made no move to stop her, Luna stepped in front of her, and extended out her hoof, touching Twilight’s shoulder. At this point, Twilight had tears brimming in her eyes as well.

Luna did her best to form any word she could, but she eventually found her words. “You’re alive? I can’t believe it…all this time?” she asked, her eyes showed a storm of emotions. Anger, sadness, happiness, Twilight merely smiled as the tears poured down her cheeks. “I am, I have been all along, but…all this time, I thought you were dead…” the purple Alicorn said sadly. Then Luna did something we never thought we would see her do.

She hugged her.

Luna quickly pulled Twilight into a deep hug, wrapping her hooves and wings around her shoulders, Twilight was shocked at first, but she welcomed it, and hugged her back just as hard. By this point, my friends had closed their mouths, as tears of their own began to form, and I was sure I even saw Iron Star shed a tear, we all smiled at the two reunited Alicorn.

After a few moments, Luna and Twilight separated and wiped the tears away, but Luna was the first to speak. “But…we heard you were killed by the king, what happened? Where are the other Elements?” she asked, her expression a hopeful one, but the look on Twilight’s face, quickly dashed those hopes. “When we came to face Red Spear, we thought we had the advantage, but…he was waiting for us, he had it all planned out, we never knew what was coming. We tried using the Elements, but…he was too quick…i…I was the only one to make it out. My friends, the other Elements of Harmony…are dead” she said as more tears filled her eyes, as she silently wept.

Luna did the only thing she thought she could do, she pulled Twilight into another hug, trying her best to soothe the younger Alicorn. “Twilight…I’m so sorry about your friends. Shining Armor…he was so heartbroken when we got the news…he nearly feel apart” Luna said as she too shed more tears. Rather that interrupting their tearful reunion, my friends and I stayed quiet.

After another few minutes, they separated and looked into each other’s eyes and smiled happily. “The king took us out one by one, until it was just me. As much as it pained me to abandon them, they knew it was too late, they begged me to leave them and save myself. I took the Elements from them and fled, eventually after wandering for a long time, I found my way here, I knew it would be the best place to hide, right under the king’s nose, and from here I've been doing what I can to halt the king’s advances, everything from raiding outposts, to…disrupting convoys” she said looking over at me.

I sighed and stepped forward, just as Luna and Twilight separated fully and wiped the tears from their eyes. “But…why didn't you come to the Crystal Empire, you could have joined us in the fight.” Luna said with a confused tone. Twilight looked away sadly, “I would have, but I thought you had all perished in the defense of the Empire. I knew about the Night Ranger’s, but I had no idea you were leading them. I would have come to join you, but…I knew I would have to keep watch over the Elements” she said as she turned and motioned to the castle.

After a moment, she finally turned toward me and stepped closer, “my apologies for attacking you that day, but when I saw you had a medallion, I assumed you had stolen it from somewhere. How did you come across yours?” she asked me. I took a deep breath and turned to Luna, who simply motioned for me to tell her, “I…received it as a gift. But I’m not sure from who, after the attack on the convoy, we were taken into Night Ranger custody, and we arranged to meet their leader, and then we trained with them for the past few months. From what Luna tells me, this is actually a fifth medallion” I said, which caused her to look at me with a confused expression.

“A fifth? But I thought there was only four. One for each Princess” she said looking back at Luna, who sighed and walked next to her. “No, the maker truly made a fifth one, but my sister and I chose to keep it from you. Mainly because it was not useful to us, so we left it in the care of the maker, until such a time that a pony would be unable to unlock it’s virtue. That pony happens to be Frost” she said with a smile, I couldn't help but smile back as Twilight looked at me again.

Twilight then turned to Luna and sighed, “Do you have the others. I know Celestia’s was lost to Red Spear, but what about your and Cadence’s?” she asked, with a concerned face. Luna raised her hoof and smiled, reaching into her armor as well, lifting out her medallion, as the emblem flashed to a copy of Luna’s cutie mark. Twilight smiled and reached into her armor as well, lifting out hers, we both watched as hers changed into that of a large star, which represented her cutie mark.

As we tucked them back into our clothing, Twilight looked at us curiously. “That reminds me, how did you even found me?” she asked looking at us both. We both chuckled at that, “we received a tip, that a pony who lived here, would be able to help us stop the king. But we had no idea it was you” I said with a chuckle. It was at that point, that Twilight eyes drifted back at the others, but when her eyes moved to one particular pink Alicorn, her eyes lit up. “Aurora? Is that really you?” she asked as she pushed past us.

Aurora smiled and ran towards her, her eyes tearing up slightly, as they embraced in a big hug. “Auntie Twilight, I thought I’d never see you again” Aurora cried as tears trickled down her cheeks, Twilight sat there shushing her, “I know and I’m sorry. Wow…I can’t believe how big you've gotten, you were so much smaller the last time I saw you” she said with a loving smile. We all watched at the happy Aunt-Niece reunion, “yeah…a couple of decades can make a pony grow, even an Alicorn” she said and they both chuckled.

Luna and I both walked over and rejoined the group, I cleared my throat and spoke up. “Well, I suppose introductions are due. This is Iron Star, Luna’s second-in-command. These are my team members, Dust, Vapor, and this is my Marefriend River” I said as she stepped next to me and I draped my hoof around her shoulder. Twilight and Aurora separated and she smiled at all of us, “it’s a pleasure to meet you all. Since I suppose there’s no point in chasing you out, you’re all welcome to stay here. I have plenty of food and supplies for all” she said with a warming smile, but before we all walked off, Dust cleared his throat.

Whoa there, before we doing any relaxing, care to explain what’s with the army of walking scrap metal around here?” he said in a annoyed tone. Twilight looked at him with a confused look, “Walking scrap metal? Oh! You mean that, that wasn't my doing, which was Discord’s” she said in an amused tone. We all gave each other confused looks, except for Luna who just groaned and hung her head low. Twilight turned and yelled out, “Discord! You can come out now! Coast is clear, they’re friends!” she shouted, her words echoing off through the castle.

At first the large room remained still and silent, but then, a bright light appeared which made all of us raise our hooves to block the light in our eyes. We heard a light chuckle as the light dimmed, we all turned to see, what could be described as the most hideous sight we had ever seen.

Standing in front of us, was a all slender figure, whose limbs were not made of anything like us, but from a wide variety of animals. His legs and hands were made from various animal limbs, his beady eyes would be enough to scare the living daylights out of any living creature, and his head was topped off with two different types of antlers. Two separate wings flapped behind him, allowing him to hover a few feet in the air, he smiled at us as he landed and looked at each of us.

“Sorry about that Twilight, but I was sure my suits of armor would have them running off” he said with a mischievous chuckle. Twilight smiled and nodded, “well, let’s be thankful it didn't. This is Frost and his friends, they’ll be staying with us for now, and I’m sure you remember Luna” she said with a sly smile. Discord looked at the former Princess and smiled widely, “ah, this is certainly a treat. It’s a pleasure to see you again Luna” he said with a mischievous smile.

Luna groaned and looked at him, “hello Discord, it certainly is a surprise to see you here. How did you come to find Twilight?” she asked him. Twilight cleared her throat, “well, not long after I found my way here, Discord came along and offered to help me protect the Elements from harm. At first I was hesitant, but he proved to be helpful, he brings in supplies for us, helps watch the castle when I’m gone, and…he keeps me company” she smiled at him, he smiled back with a calmer look.

Twilight then turned to the rest of us, “well, I’m sure you must all be tired and hungry. Come, let us have dinner, then we can discuss our plans” she said as she left the room, Discord landed and walked after her. “Oh hurrah! I do love entertaining guests!” he shouted as we all made our way out of the room.
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After leaving the throne room, Twilight brought to the dining hall, which was one of the few rooms in the old castle that didn't seem to be ruined. The room was largely decorated with tapestries with images of the Royal Pony Sisters, with other showing images of the sun and moon.

Twilight invited us to have dinner with her, while Iron Star got in contact with the airship crew and told them to make their way to the castle. Even though Discord was the one who prepared our dinner, we all found it surprisingly delicious and well cooked. While we ate, Twilight saw fit to tell us of her more humorous time that she spent here with her friends.

“You know, based on the way Twilight's talks about you Discord, you don’t seem as…rambunctious as she describes” Vapor stated as she took a bit of her dinner. Discord smiled and waved his hand, “oh please, Twilight tends to exaggerate a lot, I’m still quite the practical joker, for example…” he said as the tea pot suddenly jumped to life and hopped over to her, Vapor looked at it with a confused look, only to be met with a splash of tea to the face. We all burst out laughing, as she groaned and dried her face, even Luna let out a chuckle.

After what seemed like an hour, we had finished up dinner, just as the crew had arrived with some more supplies, in which they set up camp in the old library, one of the very few places to be in near perfect condition, thanks to Twilight’s intense love of books. As we talked more, Luna asked a particularly interesting question, “Twilight, if you don’t mind my asking. Where are the Elements of Harmony?” she asked with a serious expression. Twilight looked at her and then the rest of us, an uncertain look on her face, she glanced over at Discord and nodded.

Discord stood up and cleared his throat, “well, it’s been fun getting to know all of you, but I must excuse myself. I must make sure the castle is secure, Ta for now!” he said as he disappeared in a bright flash. After he did so, Twilight stood up and cleared her throat to get our attention, we all turned to see her looking at us with a stern expression. “Come with me” she said as she got out of her seat and walked out of the room, we all quickly followed her.
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After making us walk along some of the more ruined halls in the castle, we came into another large room, this one had tall bookshelves lining both walls and nearly going up to the ceiling. There was a long table with two seats on each end, and a candle stick in the middle. We all watched as Twilight walked over to one of the chairs, she tipped the chair back with her hoof, but surprisingly, it didn't fall over, it merely went halfway, before we heard a loud click. A loud groan filled the room, as part of the bookshelves slid out towards us and away, revealing a dimly lit room.

We all watched in shock as twilight motioned for us to follow, we did as we piled up into the room. The room was filled with a large makeshift bed, various stacks of books, multiple candles, and other various items. Again, we watched as Twilight walked over to a makeshift bookshelf, she raised her hoof up and pushed on particular book in further, resulting in another loud click.

The wall next to the book shelf shook lightly, as part of the wall slid out and moved to the side, revealing a dark staircase down, only lit by torches. Twilight turned to us and saw the shocked expression’s on our face’s, “follow me, and be careful” she said as she started walking down the steps, we all looked at each other with confused looks, but I slowly walked forward and started down the steps, hearing my friends walk behind me.

Twilight continued walking down, and as we followed her, she remained silent the entire time. After a while the stairs stopped and the path came into a small hall, with a large door at the end. Twilight used her magic to push the door open, and we all stepped inside to see a dark room, but as we all stepped in, and the door began closing behind us, there was a loud whoosh as multiple torches all across the room began lighting up.

We found ourselves standing in a large circular room, made completely of stone, but the most surprising part about it was, the six stands that stood around us in a circle. Each of them held a large crystal of various colors, but each of them were bigger than any crystal had seen. But then the realization it us.

These were the Elements of Harmony!

We all gasped in shock as we stood in the presence of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history. But we couldn't understand why they were in that shape. “Wait…why do they look like that? I thought they take on the shape of their bearer’s cuties mark?” I asked, but Twilight simply hung her head low, as she stood in front of a large purple star shaped crystal, Luna sighed sadly and stepped towards her.

“I think I know why, you've lost your connection with your element, haven’t you?” Luna asked with a sad expression. Twilight sighed sadly as a small tear slipped down her cheek, she looked up at Luna and nodded. “The Elements were bound to us by our friendship, but since I am the only one left of the six, and my friends are dead, the connection became too weak, and mine was lost as well” she said as she looked around the room.

We all looked away sadly as we pondered the thought of what it must have felt like for her to lose her friends and family in one day. Luna stepped closer to her, “so…that’s why you've been here. You've been protecting them” Luna said as she passed each of them, Twilight nodded again and stood up straight. “yes…I would have come to help the rebellion, but I promised myself that I would watch over the Elements of Harmony, until such a time as they choose the next bearer” she said with a sad look.

I looked away for a moment and then spoke up, “so…you’re not going to be able to help us, are you?” I asked her, with a concerned look in my eyes. Twilight turned to e and sighed sadly, “no…I must remain here, it is a duty I have given myself, and I plan to see it through until the end” she said with a confident tone.

I stared at her for a moment, completely dumbstruck at her comment, “wait…you can come with us, bring the Elements with you, so you can watch over them…” I said with a desperate tone of voice. Twilight frowned at me and stood firm, “I said no…I have to stay here, I must protect the Elements!” she said with a louder voice, but soon my confusion turned to anger.

“You can’t really think that way. There are ponies out there who need you, whether or not you are recognized by the official government, you are still a Princess of Equestria, and your subjects need your help. What would your friends think, if they knew you were just hiding here, and not trying to make a dif-“ I said but was cut off by Twilight slamming her hooves into the ground, with enough force to make the stone crack, I instantly feel silent as all my friends turned to us.

“Don’t you dare talk about my friends that way? I tried to make a difference, my friends and I stood against the king, and I watched my friends die! One by one they fell before my eyes! I can’t leave here…and even if I did, I would be powerless to stop the king, I made a promise to myself…that I would carry on their legacy, by protecting the very thing that could help make a difference in the future” she said as her voice calmed down, I stared at her for a moment, all of my friends staring at me with jaws open, eve Luna was caught completely off guard by my outburst.

I took a deep breath and spoke up again, “fine then…while you worry about protecting their legacy for the future, there are ponies out there…now, in the present, that are suffering under the rule of a ruthless king. But is you feel so strongly about your position….stay here” I said as I stared into her shocked expression, when she didn't answer, I sighed and stormed out of the room.
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There was a mix of anger and confusion boiling through my system, my anger was directed at Twilight’s inability and unwillingness to act in a direct manner, but in truth, I could understand where she was coming from. If the Elements were to fall into the hoofs of a pony like the king, then nothing would be able to stop him.

After walking away from my friends, I made my way into a small courtyard of the castle. As I stepped outside, I felt the cool night air blow through my mane, which helped me calm down slightly. I looked up to see the bright moon shining down on me, the stars twinkling in the sky, my anger slowly began to recede and I grew calm.

Suddenly, I heard a whoosh behind me, and I immediately turned around in a fighting stance, but I saw nothing there, but then a voice spoke out. “Hello again Frost” I heard a familiar male voice say, I sighed and turned to see a familiar dark-coated unicorn standing behind me, a smug smile on his face. I groaned as I turned to face him, “oh…it’s just you. How did you know I was here?” I asked him, he smiled at me and chuckled, “Oh Frost, are you really so surprised that I found you? After all, I am the one gave you the medallion, I know your every move” he said in an eerie voice, one that sent a slight chill down my spine.

He was right, I shouldn't have been surprised to see him here. My mind flashed back to our conversation at my mother’s grave, which only made me shiver more. When I didn't answer, he looked around and sighed, “So…I see you and your friends have met a friend of Luna’s” he said with a straight face. I just stared at him with an annoyed look as I turned away and began scraping at the ground with my hoof.

“Hmm…something seems to be troubling you, Frost. What could it be?” he said with a fake smile, I just sighed and raised my head, “why should I bother telling you? You probably already know” I said, and was greeted by a low chuckle. “You see? You’re learning, but that’s not the only reason I am here.” He said with a slight frown. I turned to face him and sighed. “Let me guess. You’re here to tell me that there’s ‘more darkness ahead’ or some strange crap like that. But I’m pretty sure we’re already there, the one pony who could have helped us, is a coward” I said with a slight venom to my voice.

He frowned at me and sighed, “Don’t be so quick as to label her a coward, she’s been through more than you have. You may have lost your home and your mother, but she lost her friends, her home, and her entire family, the closest ponies she has now are Luna and Aurora. As she grew older, she had to dedicate more time to her royal duties, and her friends had started living their own lives. While they still remained friends, they slowly began drifting apart, running their own business’s, or living their dreams, it’s safe to say that their bond was weaker when they faced Red Spear” he said with a sad look on his face, the first time I had ever seen that.

I looked at him with a shocked look, I knew he was right, I sadly looked away for a moment and sighed, “Why are you telling me this?” I asked looking back at him. He frowned and sighed again, “because Frost…if anypony deserves to know the truth of how this all started…it’s you. Believe it or not, your destiny is closely related to that of the kingdom” he said with a somber tone. I looked at him with a confused look, “what is that supposed to mean?” I asked him, but before he could answer, I heard a branch snap behind me.

My head snapped in the direction of the noise, but I saw nothing, I calmly turned back to Midnight Star, but…he was gone. I looked in all directions, but I saw no sign of my mysterious friend, instead another voice spoke out.

“Frost? You okay?” I heard the familiar voice of my marefriend ask. I turned to see her walk over to me, a worried look on her face, I sighed and turned to face her. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing cold” she asked me with a concerned gaze, I did my bet to smile, “nothing important, I just…needed to clear my head. I’m sorry for the way I acted back there, I was just, so…never mind, what happening now?” I asked her with a gentle smile, as I placed a hoof on her cheek. “Well, every pony’s going to sleep. I just came to find you, we should be getting some sleep as well” she said as she grabbed my hoof and removed it from her cheek.

I smiled at her and kiss the top of her horn, and nuzzled her lightly, which she nuzzled me back, “your right, let’s go. All these…blasts from the past, have worn me out” I said with a light chuckle, she smiled as we walked back to the library, where we set up our makeshift camp.

Chapter 7: Setting Out

CHAPTER 7
Setting Out

After returning to our friends, I apologized for my behavior in the underground vault, and I was lucky enough that my friends forgave me, but I saw no sign of Twilight. Luna had told me that she too had gone to bed, and that it would be best for all of us to do the same. We all agreed and climbed into our sleeping bags, I sighed heavily as I settled in mine, using my magic to zip it up closer to me, so that I could get warmer. I lie there for a moment, Midnight Star’s words echoing in my mind, but I eventually closed my eyes and drifted off into sleep.
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When I opened my eyes, I didn't find myself in the castle library, but I did find myself staring up to the ceiling of my old bedroom. My eyes adjusted, as there was a constant haze to my vision, I looked around confused, until I felt something shift in the bed next to me.

I turned to see my mother smiling at me, she was wrapped up in the blankets, her cold gaze piercing into my eyes. “Mom?” I asked, but she raised a hoof and silenced me, she lowered her hoof and placed it on my cheek. “You didn't keep your promise. You abandoned me, and left me to die” she said in a distorted voice that sent a chill up my spine. I tried to speak up, but before I could, there was an ear-shattering bang that shook the room violently.

I launched out of the bed and looked around, the room stopped shaking and I turned to see that my mother had vanished from the bed. “Mom?” I asked in the dark, but I heard a strange voice calling to me from a place I could not tell. “Frost…Fall…” the voice whispered to me, it was a kind gentle voice, but not one I recognized. Despite my common sense, I felt my hooves drag me into the hall, down the steps, and into the foyer, where the voice called to me again.

“Frost…Fall…” the voice said, this time coming from the front door. As I walked to it, I felt the sudden rise of heat radiate from the door. My hoof grasped the knob, and slowly turned it, as I pulled it open and stepped out, I witnessed the worst sight I could.
Everything was on fire!

I found myself standing on the porch of my house, looking out into the burning carcass that was once my home. All the buildings had been engulfed in flames, ponies were running around, some on fire!

I got control of my body, and ran off the porch to try and help, but I heard an explosion ring behind me. I turned to see that my own house had caught fire, just like it had before, flames erupting from the windows, scorching my home. I heard explosions above me, and turned to see massive airships firing down on the town, killing innocent ponies and destroying countless buildings.

“Frost…Fall…” the voice said again only it took on a more malicious and evil tone, I turned around to see a horrible sight before me. My mother was standing there, only this time, instead of her loving, caring eyes, there was nothing but black holes, which stretched on forever. Some pieces of her flesh had rotted away, giving way to visible bone. I staggered backwards as my heart pounded through my chest.

The grotesque imitation of my mother began to advance towards me, “you didn't keep your promise. You deserted me, and left me to die. Now…it is your turn!” it said in a demonic and distorted tone, that sounded nothing like my mother did, she continued to step closer, I would have turn to run, but my hoof caught on something, which forced to tumble on my back. I cried out in pain as I looked up to see the creature standing above me, reaching down to grab me, with her rotting hoof.

But the, a strange bright light flashed from behind me, the creature looked up and shrieked in pain and terror, and the light eventually made it fade into a puff of black smoke. I cried out again as I placed a hoof on my heart and tried to settle it, after a moment, I calmed down and rolled on to my stomach to see my savior.

My eyes widened in shock. Before me stood a tall pony, a pony with a snow white coat, her mane was made of multiple colors that resembled a rainbow, and although there was no wind, her mane flowed much like Luna’s did. She smiled warmly at me, and tried to speak, but to my surprise, no words came out, but before I could say anything, there was a loud explosion that went off right next to me, and everything went black.
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I shot straight up in my bag, my chest heaving up and down, a cold sweat running down my face. My eyes darted around to see if anything was different, but I still found myself safe in the old castle library, my hoof went up to my chest to help relax. I looked to my side and saw my friends sleeping peacefully, River gently shifted her position in her bag, just seeing her sleep so calmly, helped me to calm down.

As my gaze turned to the other parts of the room, I sighed happily, not seeing any vision of Ashen in flames, or any gross rotting imitation of my dead mother, only the quietness of the castle greeted me.

I took a deep breath and got out of my bag, stretching my hooves I looked around one last time, I turned to see that the entrance to the secret room was still open from earlier, I slowly walked over there, careful not to wake any of them. As I poked my head inside, I saw that Twilight was not in her bed. Out of sheer curiosity, I walked into the dimly lit room, and looked around, but there was no sign of the purple Alicorn.

I turned and made my way outside, as I made my way out into the small courtyard I was in earlier, I froze in place, when I saw Twilight sitting in the middle, staring up into the open sky. My first thought was to shy away and leave her be, but I stopped myself, I knew I would have to apologize for my actions earlier, so I slowly walked over to her, her back facing me.

As I stepped closer, her ears perked and she turned her head to see me, she frowned and looked back, but to my surprise she didn't have a look of anger on her face, just a mere regretful one. I slowly stepped towards her, “I’m sorry…I didn't mean to interrupt you…” I said with a quiet tone, she simply sat there looking down at the ground, her eyes closed. I took a deep breath and looked at her again.

“Listen…I wanted to apologize for earlier, I had no right to explode like that. I never should have called you a coward, it…wasn't right of me.” I said in an honest tone. She simply kept the same position she did, only her eyes softened lightly, so I decided to continue. “When we first heard that there was somepony here who could help us, I just got excited, we finally had a chance in this war. I guess the reason I got so mad… was that fact that I knew that if this war would go on for much longer, I would lose somepony else I hold close to my heart. I couldn't handle thinking that way, I had already lost my home, and…my mother, I don’t think I could bear to face that kind of pain again.” I said with tears starting to form in my eyes.

After a moment, she stood up and turned to face me. I lowered my head at the thought of my mother and my home, but as she walked towards me, I half expected her to strike me. But to my surprise, I felt her hoof bring my chin up, our eyes met and I saw that she was smiling at me, tears starting to brim in her eyes as well.

“I know, and I understand what it feels like to think you’re powerless to stop those around you from dying. It wasn't entirely your fault, I exploded as well, it’s just that…when ponies say things about my friends in a bad way, I just sort of lose it. I loved my friends very much, but before they died, they made me promise not to give up, even if we defeat the king, the Elements can help bring peace back to Equestria, come with me…there is something I would like you to see” she said as she walked past me.
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Twilight lead me to her room, where she walked over to a small chest and opened it with her magic. Although I could not see the contents of the chest, I heard Twilight vigorously digging around inside. After a moment, she walked back over to me, a small tray levitating in her magic, the tray was filled with small crystals.

Memory Crystal’s.

I stared at them with a confused expression, Twilight smiled and took one of them out, placing the tray on her bed. “Luna already told me, that she let you look into her memories. She encouraged me, to let you look into mine” she said as she dropped one of the crystal in my hoof. I looked from it to her, a small smile on her face, I took a deep breath, and picked it up with my magic. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, as a familiar sensation washed over me.
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As the sensation brushed over my coat, I opened my eyes to find myself, standing in some sort of airfield. I looked at my hooves and saw that they were once again, light blue and transparent, I began looking around to see a large airship behind me, one that seemed like it was ready to launch. I looked off into the distance, and was surprised to see the Crystal Empire’s castle glimmering in the setting daylight.

“Are you sure about this Twilie?” I heard a familiar male voice call out, I immediately turned to see a familiar white stallion, with a blue mane, walking alongside a smaller purple Alicorn. It took me a moment to realize it was Twilight when she was younger, I watched as they walked up to a group of five other mares, whom I did not recognize, but they all had necklace’s on, that resembled their cutie marks. I gasped when I realized it was the Elements of Harmony, when they were alive.

The younger Twilight gave the stallion a determined smile, as she walked over to her friends, “I’m sure, if there’s one thing that can stop Red Spear, it’s the Elements” she said as her friends all confirmed her statement. But Shining Armor still frowned, “I wish there was another way…” he said with a sad look, but Twilight simply chuckled and lifted his chin up. “hey come on, have some faith in your little sister, we've taken on worse bad guys, this one’s no better than Tirek, just make sure to hold your own here” she said with a comforting smile, as she pulled him into a hug.

He sighed sadly and hugged her back, “just make sure you come back” he said into her ear, as tears began to well up in his eyes. Twilight nodded and spoke into his ear, “I will…just keep the others safe until we get back. I love you BBBFF” she said as tears began to form in her eyes. He sighed sadly, “I love you too Twilie” he as they separated and the younger Twilight turned to her friends and smiled, “alright ladies, you know the drill, we work together as a team, and nothing can beat us!” she said with a confident smile, and they all cheered in agreement, before heading up the ramp.

I watched in shock as Twilight waved back at her brother one last time, as the ramp hissed and began to close, but before it did, I watched as Twilight’s face fell to a frown as the ramp fully closed. The engines hummed to life, and the ship began to rise, I watched it go, as a familiar sensation washed over me and I closed my eyes.
________________________________________

As the sensation left me, I opened my eyes, and saw Twilight standing in front of me, a curious look on her face. This time I was better prepared for the after effects, as I only staggered back slightly, which she helped me to steady myself. I looked up at her with a sad look, “I never thought…that was the last time you saw your brother alive” I said with a concerned look. She nodded and picked up the crystal, placing it back in the tray, and returning it to the chest.

“Yes…every pony I held close to my heart is gone. Luna and Aurora are the closest this I have to family. I know that many ponies have lost their loved ones to this rebellion. But…I also know that it is better to fight for a better future, rather than hide and hope for it to get better” she said with a smile growing on her face.

I looked at her with a smile forming on my lips, “does this mean…you’re going to help us?” I asked her, but to my shock, she smiled at me and stepped forward. “I think my friends would want me to contribute what I can to the cause, you were right, I am a Princess of Equestria, and I should fight to help it. I will help you.” She said with a wide smile. I sat stood there completely taken aback, but I felt a wide smile cross my face. “Go now, get some sleep, I will discuss the new plan with your friends tomorrow” she said with a warming smile. I smiled at her, nodding my head as I turned to leave the room.
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The next morning, I awoke to the quiet chattering of my friends. I groaned as I pushed myself up and unzipped by bag, I turned to see my friends all eating their breakfast, making it so I was the last one up. As I walked over, they all smiled at me, as I took my spot next to River, who gave me a quick good morning kiss on the cheek, as I started eating my breakfast.

As we ate, I looked around to see Twilight wasn't with us, “where’s Twilight? She’s not eating with us?” I asked my friends, Iron Star was the first to answer, “She already ate, she said she was looking in to some information” he said as he ate his food. I shrugged and finished my food, just in time to see Twilight returning to us, Luna quickly walking beside her.

“Alright every pony, gather around, Twilight has a plan” Luna called out as we all finished up our breakfast, and formed around the table. Twilight set her hooves and the table and rolled out a large map of Equestria and its surrounding territories, she cleared her throat and spoke up. “Alright every pony, I have talked it over with Luna, and I agreed to help you guys, but not at first.” She said with a smile, but we merely looked at each other with confused glares.

We all waited for Twilight to continue, “Discord is more than capable of the Elements safe from harm, but I will be heading back to the Night Ranger’s Monastery. You ponies will be going to recruit another pony who can help us in our cause” she said looking at me and smiling, which I smiled back. But there was one pony who was still unsure of the plan.

“Wait a minute. Now what pony would be crazy enough to help us?” Dust said with a chuckle, but after sharp jab from Vapor, he stopped and rubbed his sore spot. “Well, when I say pony, I really mean…dragon” she said as she smiled at all of us, enjoying our looks of confusion and shock. “Wait! A dragon?” I asked her with a confused look. She smiled at me and pointed to a spot on the map, a region of territory to the south of Equestria. “My old assistant Spike. After the Crystal Empire fell, he left Equestria and traveled until he joined one of the many Dragon clans. While the rule themselves separately, they all share a strong alliance with the others. If you find him, he might be able to help you…either that, or he’ll kill you” she said with a sly smile.

We all looked at her with shocked and confused expressions, expect for Luna, who simply stared at the map with a solemn expression, but before any of us could ask her about it, Twilight continued. “a fair bit of warning, the Dragon Clans aren't very fond of us ponies, and that’s only gotten worse over the decades of Red Spear’s rule, so you’ll have to convince the Dragon council to help” she said as she pointed to a specific spot on the map.

We all looked to see her point at one of the clan’s territory borders, “every pony clear on the plan?” she asked looking around at us. I looked around at my friends, and they all turned to me and gave confident nods, I smiled and turned to Twilight and gave her a confident nod.

“I think it’s safe to say…were ready!” I said with a confident smile.
________________________________________

After packing up our camp, Twilight had packed up her own supplies and met us at our landing site, where Discord met up with us as well. “Discord…I hope you understand the weight of the trust I’m putting in you?” Twilight said with a concerned expression. The tall snake like creature smiled at his friend, “of course Twilight. They were my friends as well, I will guard this place with my life” he said, but was shocked as Twilight flew up and hugged him.

He smiled and hugged back, but rubbed her neck nervously, as we all grinned at him. Twilight smiled and turned back to us, watching us as we loaded the ship. “Best of luck to you all, but before we part ways, I have a favor to ask” she said as she walked up to my friends and I. “when you meet Spike. Don’t tell him about me “when you meet Spike. Don’t tell him about me yet, I want to be there when he learns the truth” she said in a quiet tone, we all exchanged looks and nodded.

She smiled and strapped on her saddle bag, and put on her hood, which covered her black armor. We all walked up the ramp, but as it hissed and began to rise, I looked back and waved to her, she waved back just as the ramp closed. By the time we made it up to the bridge, she ship had already roared to life, and we had begun ascending into the air.

I walked over to the window and saw Discord waving below, he disappeared in a flash, as Twilight made her way into the woods.
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As our ship moved closer and closer to Equestria’s southern border, we all gathered around and discussed our plan, for when we meet Spike and talk to the Clan’s leaders. As we discussed, I noticed Luna wasn't partaking in our conversation, I looked around to see her standing by the window, watching the passing landscape. I broke away from my friends and calmly walked over to her.

“Luna, are you alright?” I asked her as I stepped next to her, a worried look on my face. She took a deep breath and smiled at me, “yes…I’m fine. It’s just that…” she said as she turned to me, my expression remained the same. She sighed sadly and looked at the ground below, which had quickly changed from forest to desert. “Shortly after I fled the Crystal Empire, Spike came to me and blamed me for Twilight’s demise. He no longer felt he had any reason to stay in Equestria, so he left. He believed that I should have gone with them, that I might have saved them” she said with a sad look in her eyes.

I sighed and placed a hoof on her shoulder, and gave my most comforting smile. “When we arrive to confront him…I think it would be best for you to do most of the talking, I don’t know how he will react after seeing me again” she said with a somber tone. I smiled at her, “of course I will” I said with a warming smile.

But before either of us could say anything more, there was a loud bang that shook the entire ship, nearly throwing us off our hooves. As the rumbling stopped, we all stood up and the captain ran over to the radar system. “Private what’s going on!?” he shouted, but the pony shrugged his shoulders and pointed at the radar screen, which remained blank aside from our ship alone. “I don’t know sir, there’s no enemy ships around” he said, but just as he did, the intercom system started beeping as the radio pony clicked on, “captain, incoming call from engineering” he said as the captain returned to his post.

“Captain, this is engineering, something’s wrong with the engine sir, one of the fuels cells simply crashed, were losing power, we have to stop and make repairs” the voice said as we all walked up to the captain. The captain sighed and clicked it so he could respond, “copy that, we’ll set her down” he said before turning to us.

“Well…looks like we’ll be stopping early” he said with an exasperated sigh.
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After setting the ship down in a small field, we all exited the ship, and pitched a small camp next to it, while the engineers examined the damage. We all gathered around as Luna laid out the same map that Twilight had given us. “Okay, according to this map, we've landed somewhere on the border of the Silver Claw Clan, which is the one Spike supposedly lives in. my guess…is that they saw our ship land, and we’ll be arriving to investigate. Either that or will all have to walk the rest of the way” she said with a slight chuckle.

We all sighed as the lead engineer walked over to us, his face was covered in soot and dust, and he sighed sadly as he removed his goggles. “I don’t know what happened, somepony tampered with the fuel cells, but I checked with Lieutenant Arrow before we left, he said everything was in order. Problem is, we don’t have the supplies on the ship to fix it right now” he said with a concerned expression.

Iron Star looked at Luna with a concerned look, “thank you private, just…see what you can do” he said as the engineer nodded and walked off. Iron Star turned to Luna, “well, we should probably get in touch with Lieutenant Arrow, tell him that we will be delayed for a few days longer” he said as Luna nodded and stepped back slightly. We watched with interest as Luna’s horn started to glow, and a small window of magical aurora opened up in front of Iron Star.

We looked at each other with confusion, but we were quickly surprised to see Arrow appear on the other side. “You rang boss?” he said with his usual smile. Iron Star cleared his throat and began to speak, “Lieutenant Arrow, I’m calling to give you a status update. We encountered Twilight Sparkle, and she has agreed to meet us at the Monastery, she should be there in a few days. She also gave us the location of another who might be able to help us fight the king, but we've experienced some engine troubles, so we won’t be back for a few days” he said with a calm look.

On the other side, Arrow smiled and waved his hoof. “Sure thing, I’ll make sure she is welcome here, take your time, and return to us when you can, I’ll handle things here for now” he said with a smile, Iron Star nodded and the window slowly faded.

After that Luna stood up and rubbed her head slightly, “okay…what was that exactly?” Dust asked with a shocked expression. Iron Star turned to him and smiled, “Luna has the ability to open windows to other ponies, as a way to communicate. It’s actually very helpful, when we need to get in contact with ponies at great distances” he said with a smile, as Luna walked up and smiled as well.

Finally, I stepped up and spoke, “okay…so what now?” I asked with a concerned expression, I turned to see all my friends sharing similar thoughts. But before anypony could answer, we heard a loud flapping sound, but when we all looked around, we saw that none of our pegasi were in the air. We quickly heard the cocking of rifle’s and more wings flapping.

We all turned to see a group of shadow’s flying at us, when they finally came into view, we could finally make out what they were. We watched as they landed in front of us, some pointing rifles in our direction, while another stepped forward, and dressed in silver armor, which covered his scales, down to his waist.

“You are trespassing in Silver Claw territory! State your business ponies, or I’ll have you shot right now!” the leader barked at us, while the others raised rifle’s at us.

We just found our dragons.

Chapter 8: City of Dragon's

CHAPTER 8
City of Dragon's

My friends and I stood dumbfounded as the group of dragons surrounded us, pointing their rifle’s at us, I quickly turned to see Luna pull her hood over her head, and the other ponies drop what they were doing.

“Since you’re clearly deaf, I’ll repeat myself. This is Silver Claw territory, state your business! Or I’ll have my boys here shoot you dead!” he said in a threatening tone. I turned to look at my friends, and they all motioned for me to talk to them, I just groaned and stepped forward, clearing my throat and beginning to speak.

“My…my name is Frost Fall, there are my friends. We represent the Order of the Night Rangers. Our ship is having engine troubles, but we were on our way to speak with your clan leader, were looking for a friend, we have a reliable tip that says he’s a part of your clan” I said in the most confident tone I could muster. The leader of the dragon squad chuckled lightly, and lowered his rifle.

“Is that right? Well, I don’t know who gave you that tip, but they should have warned you, that our leader doesn't take to kindly to ponies” he said as the other dragons chuckled lightly. I cleared my throat, feeling the slightest amount of swear trickle down my face, “well…our ship is in need of repairs, surely dragons wouldn't turn down helpless travelers, especially if we are miles from your territory border” I said in hopes that they wouldn't shoot me on the spot.

I watched as the squad leader frowned at me slightly, he shrugged his shoulders and raised his arm. “Stand down boys, he has a point” he said as they all lowered my weapons. The leader took a few steps towards me and lowered down to my eyes level, an uneasy smile on his face, “very well then, I’ll take you to our leader. But I can’t guarantee that he will want to speak with you, and even if he does, I would watch what you say, or he might just roast you on the spot” he said with a sly smile, I could feel myself gulp nervously at the enormous dragon before me.

I cleared my throat and raised my hoof, “lead the way…” I said with a nervous smile. The squad leader smiled and began walking the other way, while Iron Star turned to the crew. “Alright boys, let’s get what we need and set out!” he yelled, as all my friends walked up to me. “Yeah…you guys were such a big help!” I said with a sarcastic tone, but River walked up and kissed me on the cheek, “why? You were doing fine on your own” she said with the flick of her tail, as she started walking away. I stood there for a moment, I groaned and followed her, mumbling what she said with an agitated tone.
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Not long after we set out with the small dragon squad, we saw what appeared to be a large crater in the distance, but we saw varying amounts of dragons flying into the crater. As we walked, I noticed Luna had been very quiet most of the time, I stepped back to see her looking down in sorrow, “hey, what happened back there? You just put your hood on and stayed quiet” I said to her.

She raised her head slightly to look at me, “dragons live for long periods of time, sometimes multiple centuries. Luckily these dragons are fairly young, but if they were to recognize me, then it would end badly. When we speak to their leader, I think it would be best if you start the talking” she said with a concerned look. I frowned slightly but I nodded as we started our ascension up the hillside, which slowly grew deeper as we neared the top.

The path began to twist and turn as we neared a large door, where two dragons stood guard, each dressed in heavy metallic armor. The squad leader stopped and pulled something out of his bag, “we need to speak with the chief, these ponies want to speak with him, they say it’s of the greatest importance” he said with a slight mocking tone, as he handed the guard a small card.

The guard looked at it and then at the young dragon, “very well then, I trust your scouting mission went well otherwise? Go right in, we’ll ring ahead to let him know their coming” he said and walked off. We waited as a loud screeching sound rang out, as the large metal door began to slide open, revealing a short tunnel that lead into the crater. The squad leader motioned for us to follow, and we quickly walked through the tunnel, we had to cover our eyes to shield the light away as we came out.

We all gasped as our eyes fell on to one of the most magnificent spots either of us had ever seen. Far in the past, this place must have been the sight of a large meteor crash, but now…it stood as a thriving city. The large crater had been turned into a city of dragons, makeshift stone buildings have been built into the sides of the crater. The center was filled with small shops where we could see all sorts of dragons of various sizes and colors walking around, going thought their daily lives.

All though the crater was not as big as we expected, but since ponies were naturally smaller than dragons, it seemed much bigger to us, but for them, it was a comfortable home for the large creatures. At the far end of the crater we saw a large house, which was carved into the side of the crater, where dragons constantly flew in and out of. In the sky above us, dragons came and went from the city, some of them that walked on two feet, or all fours.

My friends and I all stared in amazement, even Luna seemed surprised by the immense city around us. “Wow…this is amazing! I always thought that dragons merely lives in caves” I said as I looked across the crater. The squad leader chuckled and looked down at me, “many ponies like you used to think that, but our kind have thrived over the past century. Under our chief’s leadership, we have thrived, and spread our knowledge and wealth to the other clans, allowing them to share in the new age of our civilization. Our leader, although he is young by dragon standards, is very brave and wise” he said with a smile on his face.

He turned to the rest of us, “alright, we’ll be taking you to his palace, stay close and don’t stray from us, some dragons are more hostile to ponies than others” he said as we started along the path that lead into the city of Dragons.
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As we made our way through the small city, we noticed that the squad leader made it pretty clear that he wanted the other dragon’s to know that we were here. As we walked along the path, we noticed some dragons looked shocked and confused to see us, while others looked like they might have wanted to tear us apart. Young dragons, about as tall as us and shorter, watched us with great interest before being led off by their parents of teachers.

Despite all that, most of the dragon seemed content to go about their daily lives, and although they seemed curious as to why we were here, they knew better than to interfere. We walked after the young dragon as we made our way up to the chief’s stone palace, which was rather small compared to castle’s like the one in New Canterlot.

As we approached the large door, we saw two other dragon guards, standing outside the door, each of them holding pole arms, much bigger than Dusts. As we got closer to the door, they stepped in front, “Whiplash, what do you think you are doing!? Why did you bring them here?” one of the guards demanded, the squad leader, now known as Whiplash, stopped and said in a straight tone. “it’s alright boys, the gate keepers said they would ring ahead, I think the chief is expecting them” he said with a smile.

The two guards exchanged looks and nodded, they calmly stepped to the side and pushed the door open. Whiplash smiled and motioned for us to follow, what we saw next was amazing to all of us.

The entire main hall was decorated with beautiful rugs, paintings of vast landscapes hung from the walls, and a large chandelier hung from the ceiling. “Wow, this place looks nicer on the inside, but why does the chief have all the nicer things?” I asked the dragon. He looked back and chuckled, “as I said before, our clan is very wealthy, many of the more common dragons in our clan live very prosperous lives. The chief makes sure to evenly distribute the goods to the clan, keeping what remains for himself, but that doesn't stop him from purchasing fine decorations from the other clans” he said as we walked down the main hall, were another large door was waiting for us.

As we got closer to it, Whiplash stopped and turned to us, a serious look on his face. “Bit of advice, be honest with our chief. You all seem like nice ponies, it would be a shame for something…unfortunate to happen to you” he said with a slight grin. We all exchanged worried looks as he turned and pushed the doors open.

The main throne room looked much like the rest of the palace, large marble columns held the room up from collapse. But our interest was more on the tall dragon sitting on the throne, at the far end of the room. The majority of his scales were purple, but the scales on his chest, stomach, and lower were a greenish color, but the spikes on his head were a slightly darker green. He leaned forward and watched us enter, his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied our faces, sending a sense of unease though our bodies. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous or scared at the sight of the mighty dragon leader. We all noticed the female dragon at his side, who had blue scales and a concerned expression on her face.

As we got towards the middle of the room, Whiplash stopped and got down on one knee, giving the dragon a respectful bow. “Greetings Lord Spike, I brought our new…visitors with me, they wished to speak with you” he said, with a calm yet firm tone. We watched as the leader dragon stood up, his wings extending out behind him, he raised his claw and motioned to the squad leader.

“Thank you Whiplash, that will be all for now, leave us” he said in a surprisingly calm tone. Whiplash looked up at him and nodded, before standing up and making his way back to the door, but not before flashing us a worried glance. We all turned to see the dragon walked down the steps from his throne and stand before us, he calmly folded his arms behind his back.

“So…my officer’s tell me that you seek an audience with me. As you can see, normally ponies don’t come here very often. Tell me what your names are?” he said with a firm tone, but his voice came off as more gentle then any of us thought. I gulped as I stepped forward, his eyes immediately focused on me, I took a deep breath and cleared my throat, and gave a respectful bow. “My…my name is Frost Fall, your Lordship. I represent an organization known as the Night Ranger’s, as I’m sure you know, our ship has been having engine troubles, we wished to have an audience with you, but we were found by your scouting party” I said with as calm as a tone I could muster, hoping he wouldn't incinerate me on the spot.

I calmly stood up to see him smile slightly, “yes I have heard of your predicament. I have heard of your little organization, you intend to remove Red Spear from power and restore Equestria to it’s former glory. While I must admit it is a noble feat, but it is foolish and a waste of your time. But you see, most ponies don’t come here seeking an audience with me, so I will hear what you have to say, but I would keep it quick, my patience with ponies is…questionable” he said with the same calm tone, but with a hint of venom that made me shiver all over.

I cleared my throat and spoke as clear as I could. “With all due respect Lord Spike, it’s true that some may call it a hopeless effort, but we fight to save our kingdom and those we love, and restore balance to our home. I’m sure a leader such as yourself can understand the importance of bringing order?” I asked him. He eyes me suspiciously, and opened his mouth to speak. “Yes…while I do agree with your cause, what does it have to do with you walking into my hall?” he asked in a calm tone that hinted on irritation.

I looked back at my friends, but they simply looked at me with worried expressions, I turned to River who simply gave me an uncertain look, I sighed and turned to him. “While we have managed to outlast the king’s grip, we have never been able to deal a deadly blow to his regime. We have come here…seeking your help” I said in a slower tone, and I was half expecting for him to burn all of us…he didn't.

We watched as his feature’s tightened slightly, and a small frown appeared on his face. “So…you've come all this way, flying into my territory, and walking into my throne room…just to ask for my help?” he said with a frown on his face.

I stood my ground and nodded my head, a hopeful look on my face. After a moment he smiled and chuckled lightly, before folding his wings back down and pointing at me, which only made me feel more nervous. “Well…I must admit you are a rather brave, young unicorn. But if you've come this far, just to merely ask me a question, then you should know…I no longer hold an allegiance’s to Equestria” he said with a frown. I instantly felt my heart drop, as another hope that I had for stopping the king was dashed.

Since I didn't reply at first, he continued, “You should have known that the events leading to Equestria’s downfall, are what made me leave. While I respect your commitment to those you care about, I think we are done here…” he said as he lifted his claw up. But before I could say anything, I saw Luna step up and speak out, “maybe you do not remember those events as clearly as I do” said with a confident tone. Spike instantly froze and lowered his arm, “and you claim to know them better? Who are you to doubt my recollection of those events?” he demanded in a cold tone, anger starting to form in his eyes.

Luna stood there for a moment, “because I remember those events just as well as you do, as for who I am…I guess you could say I am a…old friend” she said the last part as she reached up and removed her hood. We all cringed and looked at Spike, who looked as if he had seen a ghost, his scales seemed to pale lightly, his eyes widened in shock. But after a moment, they returned to their normal angered look.

“Well…this is certainly a twist. I never thought I would see you of all ponies here…Princess Luna. Or maybe it’s just Luna now, last time I checked you’re no longer a leading figure in your own kingdom” he said in a mocking tone, but Luna kept her calm gaze on him. “You remember those events just as well as I do, and yet you still refuse to see the truth” she said in a confident tone. Spike narrowed his eyes at her, as he took a threatening step forward, but Luna remained strong and firm.

“You have a lot of nerve to claim that we are still friends. But you were the one that ruined that friendship” he said in a tone seething with anger. Much to our surprise, Luna smiled slightly, “maybe in your eyes. But we still have something in common. We were both close to Twilight Sparkle” she said with a smile, but that disappeared as Spike’s eyes filled with anger.

He spoke out, only this time, his voice was quivering slightly. “You come into my hall…and yet you dare speak her name as if nothing happened. Maybe you forgot, but it was you who sent her to her death!” he shouted, as she stared into his anger filled eyes, but I was pretty sure I could see the slightest hint of sorrow behind that anger. Luna lowered her head slightly, the look in her eyes said that she wanted to tell him that we had found her, which Twilight was alive, but something told me he wouldn't believe her.

“You and I both know…that is not what happened. We were friends once, Twilight was family to me as well, and I felt unimaginable sorrow when I learned of her untimely demise. But you are not the only one who lost a loved one. Tell me, would Twilight want you to keep this petty grudge of yours” she said in a calm tone, as all the memories of her past confrontation with Spike rushed back to her, and we could all see the pain it brought her.

Spike looked as if he was ready to explode, but he managed to control his voice to an angered hiss. “You dare claim to know what she would have wanted. Enough of this! Guards, escort these ponies to the border, and make sure they never come back!” he yelled as he turned his back on us. We all turned in panic to see the throne room door fly open, and multiple groups of armored guards walk in.

As they began to file us out, Luna broke past them and spoke up again. “Spike, I implore you to see reason! Twilight chose to go to Canterlot and fight the king, she and all her friends. All these years…you've let your blind hatred and sorrow keep you from thinking clearly. Ask yourself this, would I ever put Twilight into a condition that I thought she wouldn't succeed in? you weren't the only one to loose somepony you cared about. Shining Armor, Cadence, Aurora…and you. I just hope you can think about that” she said as two guards pushed towards us.

As we were pushed out of the room, I saw Spike look over at the dragoness that stood by his throne, a look of concern and disbelief on her face. Before we moved past the door, we heard him yell out.

“WAIT!”

The guards instantly stopped and turned to him. He quickly turned around and walked over to Luna, who looked back at him with an expression that none of us could read. He sighed sadly and looked at her, the faintest hint of anger still in his eyes. “I’ll allow you and your friends to stay here…until such a time as your ship is repaired” he said quietly to her, but he then looked towards his guards.

“Guards, escort them to the spare rooms upstairs, they are not to be treated as prisoners, and send out a repair team to repair their ship” he said with a stern look. We all looked to see Luna smile at him and stand up straight, as we were lead from the room. But as I glanced back, I was sure I saw a look of sorrow in Lord Spike’s eye.

Chapter 9: Time of Rest

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Chapter 10: The Dragon Council

Author's Note

Firstly, i would like to apologize for the long waiting period, but i had some family matters to sort out, and now that they are taken care of, i can finally go back to writing. so i hope you all enjoy this new chapter!!!!

Chapter 10: The Dragon Council

CHAPTER 10
The Dragon Council

As Lord Spike and I talked through the night, we discussed our new plan on how he would be able to help us. He would call a meeting with the other clan leaders and meet at the summit, they joined at the corners of each of the clans. After a long night, I returned to my room for some well-deserved rest, where I found River fast asleep, I smiled and did my best to snuggle in next to her without waking her.
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The next morning we were invited to breakfast with Lord Spike in his dining hall, where we would be able to discuss the plans further. One of the servants went to each of our room and told us to follow him, but we were all more interested with Dust and vapor’s arguing about his snoring last night, which only made us chuckle as we made our way downstairs.

After crossing the grand hall, we were taken down the first floor hall that supposedly lead to the large main dining hall. As we entered we saw that the room was filled with similar decorations as to the rest of the palace, but with a large table that stood taller than most of us. We saw Spike at the end, accompanied with a female dragon, approximately his age, and a familiar looking young dragon, who smiled at us as we entered.

When he saw us enter, Spike stood up and extended out his arms, “ah, our guests have arrived. Please come in, I hope you all rested well” he said as we each took a seat along the table. Spike nodded and gestured to the female dragon beside him, “I don’t believe any of you were formally introduced to the rest of my family. Allow me to introduce my wife, Sapphire” he said as she stood up and nodded at each of us, “it’s a pleasure to meet you, I trust my husband has been…pleasant to you all” she said as she glanced at him, as we all chuckled.

After we all sat down, some of the other butlers came over to the table, each of them carrying trays that held food that was more familiar to us. As we began to eat, Luna looked up from, her food and turned to Spike, “with respect, might I ask what you and Frost were speaking about last night?” she asked with a curious expression, which also caught the interest of our friends who glanced from me to Spike. He stopped and lowered the bite of food he was eating, and folded his hands on the table, “ah yes, as I was discussing with Frost, I told him that I will help you in your cause, but my help is only so flexible. In order to make my contribution more effective, I will need to approval of the Dragon Council” he said as his wife and son turned to him with curious expressions.

We all looked around at each other, exchanging confused looks. “What’s the Dragon Council?” Vapor asked as she looked at him, but I could see that the question was on every pony’s mind. Before Spike could answer, Sapphire cleared her throat, “the Dragon Council is the summit where all the dragon clan leaders meet to discuss the more political matters of the clans. After the Council was founded, it was declared that no one clan can perform any act that might have consequences on the others. With my husband’s agreement to help you, he must first ask the Council for their approval, so has been the Council law for many years now” she said with a solemn look. She looked over at Spike who stared at her for a moment and then sighed.

“What my wife says is true, I have already sent a message to the other clan leaders. If time is on our side, we shall meet with them later today.” He said with a hopeful gaze. My friends and I all turned to each other and nodded as we continued to eat our food.
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After we finished our breakfast, we were released to do what we pleased around the city, under orders from spike that we were to be welcomed as friends, and not treated as meals, like so many seemed like they wanted to make us.

My friends and I soon found ourselves walking through the city’s market place, where we all easily felt small and helpless. Luna, Iron Star, and Aurora were all back at the palace, discussing what we would say to the other clan leaders, in trying to convince them to help us. As we walked through the market, we were all easily impressed by the sights we had not been allowed to see previously.

We occasionally stopped at vendor stations to inspect their products, either sampling various food items, or pulling River and Vapor away from the jewelry stands. “Hey Frost, I've been meaning to ask you. Why haven’t you told Spike yet about Twilight? Do you really think it’s fair, leading him on like this?” Dust asked as we stopped, while Vapor and River had gone off to inspect some other booths.

I turned to him with a confused expression, but I quickly sighed and looked away, “I know what you mean. But Twilight made us promise not to tell him, if she wants to handle it on her own, then we should respect her wishes” I said to him as Vapor and River returned. As they walked up to us, we noticed some other dragon guards, making their way over to us, we all turned and watched as they walked over and stood in front of us. “Pardon our intrusion. But Lord Spike sent us to bring you back to the palace” one of them said as we all exchanged worried glances.
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As we left the market, the guards took us back on the path to the palace, where we saw a large amount of guards waiting. As we walked up, we noticed Spike and our other friends standing there, he smiled and waved to us as we walked up and they all turned to us.

“Glad you could make it. We will be departing for the Council meeting soon, but I must give you all a word of caution. Many of the other clan leaders do not share my desire to help you ponies, it will be hard to convince them. I will do what I can to speak on your behalf, but I think that if one of you were to speak with them, then it might just sway them enough to help.” He said with a concerned look. We all looked at each other with confused looks, trying to point out who the speaker would be, until Luna stepped forward.

“I was a friend to many of the clan leaders a century ago or so, but I will not be able to convince them myself. Frost…I would consider it an honor if you were to aid me” she said turning to me. I looked at my friends and they all smiled at me, River smiled and placed a reassuring hoof on my shoulder, I smiled and turned to Luna with a nod. She smiled at me as we heard a loud screech from above, we all turned to see our familiar feathered friend fly to us and land on the ground, and chirp at us.

We all smiled as Spike turned and made his way back into the palace, which we all followed briskly.
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Spike had told us that there was a small mountain that served as the Council’s meeting place, which was placed directly at the center of the clan’s boundaries. Spike informed us that our ship had been fully repaired and that we would be able to take it to the mountain, under the protection of his palace guard. Our crew had brought the ship to the palace and we all boarded calmly and the ship slowly carried us to the meeting place.

It didn't take long for us to see the small mountain that Spike was talking about, to us it didn't seem to be more than a simple mountain, but Spike had told us that the chamber had been built into the mountain, and that we would have to wait outside the chambers until Spike could bring us in.

After the ship landed, we came up to a large set of stone doors, which ultimately lead into the main chamber. Spike calmly turned to us and frowned slightly, “remember, you must all wait out here. I will call for you when the time comes for you to speak” he said as both he and Sapphire walked towards the door. There was a loud groan as the stone doors slowly slid open, and they walked in before the doors slowly closed behind them.
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My friends and I had been standing outside for nearly an hour, simply waiting for Spike to give us the signal, but we simply continued to wait.

“Ugh…how long are we going to simply stand here?” Dust whined as he sat on the side of the path that lead to the chamber. “Oh stop your whining!” Vapor said to him as they began to go at it, but before they could get too far into it, the large stone doors began to open, and the two guards who stood outside the door, calmly walked over to us. “You may enter the chamber, but you must show respect to the other clan leaders!” one of the guards said as they nudged us along to the door.

We simply followed in and looked at the sight before us. From our perspective as ponies, the mountain didn't seem to be that large, but the inside had made us think twice. The inside of the mountain had been carved in a large stone dome of sorts, at the top of the chamber, a large window shined light down into the middle of the room, while torches along the wall lite the stone seats that lined the walls of the chamber, aside from the path to the door.

Towards the middle of the room, we saw five large stone podiums, one for each clan leader. Standing by the podiums were various dragons of size, color, and age, but all seemed to share the shocked expression as we entered the chamber. Our gazes shifted to the middle of the room, where we saw Spike standing there, smiling at us as we entered.

Before we made it to the center of the room, one of the clan leaders spoke out. “Lord Spike, what is the meaning of this!? Why are these equine in the Council chambers, you know this is greatly unacceptable!” one of them yelled at us, while Spike simply turned to address the leaders. “Yes I’m well aware of our traditional customs, but as I said before, this is a more pressing matter” he said, as the guards escorted us into the stone seats around Spike’s podium.

As we sat down, it seemed like a heavy, heated debate broke out between the clan leaders, while Spike simply remained calm. “Lord Spike, are you suggesting that we waste our time listening to these…ponies?” one of them said in a more confused tone, while some of the clan leaders glared at us. Spike raised his claw and they all slowly fell silent, “I am suggesting that we hear them out on their purpose for being here. You all know as well as I do, that Equestrians wouldn't come here, to our home, unless it was truly a dire matter” he claimed to the others.

We watched with nervous looks as some of them glanced at the others, some of them nodding their heads in agreement, while one or two still glared at him. “Lord Spike, the mere idea that you brought these ponies here…could be written off as your own sentiment for the place you once called home, before you came here” one of the older ones said. Spike sighed and glanced briefly at us, but he quickly turned to the leader who said that.

“With all due respect, Lord Razor. I believe the commitment that I show to my duties as a father, a husband, and a clan leader; is more than enough to prove that I hold little sentiment for Equestria any longer. This is merely us helping out a neighboring kingdom” he said before turning to the others. Some of the other clan leaders, began to nod in approval, the one who had spoken out against us, sighed and motioned for Spike to continue.

Spike nodded and began pacing around the room, “as I’m sure you are all well aware of, the Equestria we had once come to call our neighbor, was taken from them and crushed under the rule of their new king. Many of our predecessors…were close friends with Princess Celestia, and we welcomed Equestrians into our clans with open arms. But that changed when they undertook the war against the Griffins, and to only add to their injuries, they suffered a revolt led by the now crowned King, Red Spear, and he has ruled Equestria for many decades now. In order to protect ourselves, we barred all further trade with their kingdom, and have shut out their cries of anguish for too long. My friends…it is time we act!” Spike shouted across the room.

The other Clan leaders remained silent, but the one who seemed more intent on throwing us out, softened his gaze. “If you are telling us this yourself, then what was the point of bringing them here?” the dragon known as Lord Razor asked him, as he gestured toward us. Spike glanced at u and took a deep breath, “If you so permit it, I brought them here so that you might hear their proposal from them” he said as he looked toward us.

The Clan leaders all exchanged various expressions, but they all began to nod, which only made Spike smile, and us breath with relief. Spike turned to us, “first, I would like to introduce a pony who has dedicated their life to the freedom of Equestria…Frost Fall” he said gesturing to me. The room fell silent as the other Clan leaders followed his gaze to me, I swallowed nervously as River gave my hoof a reassuring squeeze.

I calmly stood up and made my way to the center of the room, just as Spike stepped back up behind his podium, watching me with a calm smile. I looked back to see Luna give me a confident smile, which helped a little as I stepped into the center, and looked up at the tall dragons above me, I quickly cleared my throat and began.

“Honored members of the Council, I stand before you today…as a humble Equestrian citizen. For my entire life, I lived in fear of King Red Spear’s regime, like every pony else in my hometown. Then my life changed forever, I received something that not only changed my life, but inspired hope in others, and so the Night ranger’s found me. Along with them, they gave my friends and I a chance to fight back against the King, and try to renew the once peaceful land that Equestria once was under the rule of the four Princess’s.” I said taking a breather from my speech, and letting my words sink into their ears.

After a few moments of silence, I continued.

“Some might call our purpose foolish, and a waste of time, and they may be right. But after a life of living in fear, we have the chance to bring back the kingdom we once loved, to restore the true rulers to the throne. We fight so that nopony has to suffer…by living a life full of fear and cowardice. If we all had the chance to make the difference, then…I think that is something worth fighting, or even dying for” I said as my words echoed off the walls.

The room fell silent as many of the Clan leaders began to debate what I said in their minds. I turned to see Spike smiling at me as he fooled his arms on his chest and glancing at the others, but before they could speak up, I did so once more. “Before you all make your decision, I think it’s only fair that you hear these words come from the one of the only living members of the royal family. Princess Luna!” I said and many of them gasped, as the Midnight blue colored Alicorn stepped next to me and removed her hood, as multiple quiet questions filled the room, such as:

Princess Luna? She’s alive!?

I thought she perished in the war?

How is she here?

Luna spoke up as I backed away and went up to take my seat, receiving multiple pats on the back from my friends. “great leaders of the Dragon Clans, I am the one who leads the Night Rangers in our quest to fight Red Spear rule, but we have yet to make a true difference in the battle” she said as her words echoed across the room, only hers were laced with more certainty, indicating that this wasn't her first time making a speech.

“I know that I may no longer wear the crown on my head, but I am still the true ruler of Equestria. Many of you and your predecessors were close friends with my sister, and it think it’s only fair to remind you that she gave her life to protect her kingdom and those she cared about, and I believe we are honoring her name by doing what we can to stop the King. I understand that many of you would want to keep those you care about safe, but we would never be able to stop Red Spear without your help. I think that if my sister were here today, she would ask you the same thing. I am not here before you as a Princess, I am here as a humble pony, who wants nothing more than to rid the poison that pollutes her land” she said in a calm and controlled tone.

My gaze drifted to Spike as he looked at the other Clan leaders who seemed to be in deep thought, but Lord Razor quickly stood up and grasped the side of his podium. “The Council has heard enough for now, we shall now discuss our answer in private. Guards! Escort our equine friends out for now” he said in a much calmer voice. The guards appeared and slowly began to file us out, but as I glanced back, I saw Spike look around with a concerned face.

Chapter 11: Secret's Unfold

CHAPTER 11
Secret's Unfold

The dimming afternoon sun beat down on us as we waited at the chamber doors, for Spike to emerge and tell us their decision. Almost another full hour had passed, and we still had heard nothing.

“Damn…do they at least have a canopy to sit under or something? What is taking so long?” Dust whined again, I sighed and turned to him. “What do you expect? We’re asking them to pretty much declare war on Equestria. If we were to lose, I seriously doubt that Red Spear will be lenient on them” I said as Dust frowned and sighed sadly as he wiped his brow clean of sweat.

After another few minutes of waiting, we heard the heavy groan of the stone doors slowly push open, as a few pairs of guards slowly walked out. We watched as Spike walked out with a solemn expression on his face, indicating that he did indeed have news for us. He sighed and walked over to us, folding his arms behind his back, “the Council has reached a decision” he said in a calm tone, looking at each of us. I turned to see the anxious expression on Luna’s face, as well as all of our friends.

“I have good news and bad news. The good news is…the Council has agreed to aid you in your quest. The bad news…the Council has refused to allow you access to the full extent of our armies, instead a small portion of the most highly trained soldiers in our combined army will join you” he said with a calm expression. We all looked at each other, “but why?” River asked as she stepped forward, Spike looked at her and sighed.

“The Council believes that…should you fail in your mission, Red Spear will know of our part in the attack, and will see it as an act of war. A smart pony or dragon knows better than to cross Red Spear when it comes to military tactics. If we only send small pockets of troops, then we could deny our involvement and pass it off as rogue military deserters. I’m sorry but the Council has made up their mind” he said with a calm expression.

We all exchanged concerned looks, but Spike quickly caught our attention with a clearing of his throat. “Now…we must return to my palace. The other Clan leaders will return home as well and hand-pick their soldiers and send them to us, but it may take some time, I hope you have a plan on a place to hide them, until such a time as you plan on initiating your assault” he said as we began walking down the path to the airship.

But before we could get far, we heard the sound of approaching wings, and not dragon wings either. We all looked up to see a trio of armored pegasi approaching from the sky. It took us a moment to recognize the armor as royal soldier armor, each chest piece adorned Red Spear seal. Spike narrowed his eyes as they landed in front of us, blocking our path, but he remained calm and kept his arms folded behind his back.

“At last, we finally get to meet you face to face. I must say it is an honor to officially make your acquaintance, Lord Spike of the Silver Claw Clan. We are but humble messengers, sent by his royal majesty, King Red Spear of Equestria” the middle pony said as he removed his helmet, and they all gave a respectful bow to him.

We turned to see Luna staring intently at them, her features tightening up as she glared daggers at them. We turned back to see Spike watching them with a calm expression, “very well, you may deliver your message. What does the mighty King of Equestria want with my humble clan?’ he asked in a professional and diplomatic tone, but we could all tell, he wasn't very happy to see them.

The three ponies rose and the middle one smiled and cleared his throat, “it has come to his majesty’s attention, that you have wanted criminals among your clan, these ponies among you are wanted for crimes against the crown, and he humbly asks that you surrender them to us, so that they might face the full extent of their crimes and be punished for them” he said in a calm and collected tone, as he grinned at us.

I could feel my teeth clenching to the point of hurting as I glanced at my friends, who also seemed to be at that point as well. Spike glanced back at us, and then back to the trio of pegasi, “I assure you and your king, that the crimes they are accused of in Equestria, do not apply to them here, they are my guests. Exactly what crimes are they accused of?” he asked in a dignified tone, the three pegasi exchanged confused looks, but the leader stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“Crimes such as treason, resisting arrest, murder of a decorated general, and being associated with the rebel group known as the Night Ranger’s. The king merely asks that you give them over to us, so that they might be met with a swift and just death. Also, the king is willing to reward you and your fellow clans, with a prosperous trade deal that will benefit both worlds greatly” he said with a sinister smile on his face, as he occasionally glanced at us, a malicious twinkle in his eye.

I could see that some of my friends were ready to pounce on them, especially Dust, who looked as if he was about to lose it. Spike brought one of his claws to his chin and rubbed it, thinking deeply, “that…is a very interesting proposal. A prolonged trade deal with Equestria would prove very prosperous…” he said as is he was actually contemplating on giving us up.

What!? He’s actually thinking about doing it!?

I heard the question scream through my mind, as I felt the need to scream at him, for even considering it. But he answered my fears as he looked back and winked at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, I turned to my friends who noticed the look in his eye, and turned to me with a confused expression, I smiled slightly as I knew what he was planning. “So let me get this right. You come here…to my home, thinking you can bribe me into surrendering my guests to you and your false king, who has no business in calling himself royalty, all for a lousy trade deal?” he said as he solely stepped toward the leader, and leaned down to be eye level with him.

The leader pony began to sweat nervously, as the large dragon towered over him, the leader’s eyes widened in fear as he stared into the eyes of a dragon who could very well roast him alive. “The king…understand that you have…every right to refuse his request…but, think of all the good it can do for your clan” he said, trying to save his own hide.

Spike frowned at him and glared into his eyes, “then I think you already know my answer. Take your furry hides back to your king, before my dragon friends and I get a taste at how…cooked pony meat tastes like” he said with a angry stare, a menacing smile gracing his lips, at the thought of burning them alive.

The leader shrank back in fear, he nodded and turned to take off, almost leaving a crater behind as he raced off into the horizon, and the other two pegasi quickly flew after him. Spike smiled as he watched them go, he started chuckling as he turned to us, “I’ve always wanted to say that” he said as he crossed his arms and gave us a smug smile. We all breathed a sigh of relief as we wiped the nervous sweat from our brows, “I…have to admit…you had us going for a minute there” Dust said with a nervous chuckle, which only made Spike smile wider.

“Of course…this does mean a change of plans. Don’t take this the wrong way, but the dragons in our army, would feel…uncomfortable, taking orders from a pony. So, I decided…that I will go with you” he said in a wide smile. We all looked at each other with shocked expression, but we quickly smiled and cheered.
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After a short ride back, we returned to Spike’s palace where we would further discuss our next move. Luna argued that it would be best for us to return to the Monastery, to inform the others of the final plan, instead of waiting around for the dragon army to be ready. We all knew that if we didn't hurry, the King would block our entrance into Equestria, by use of his royal airships, so we would have to move by tomorrow.

Much to our surprise, Spike fully agreed and arranged for our ship to be moved to the outskirts of the city, where we would arrive the next day.

Both Luna and I knew that it would be difficult to explain to Spike about Twilight, but we both trusted her to do the right thing. Despite all that, we went about the rest of the day as we planned, eating dinner, and then heading up to our rooms for a night of rest.
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The next morning came with a surprise, as we were awoken at the crack of dawn and escorted to the outskirts of the city, where our ship was parked on the crater’s side. Spike and Luna had awoken early and made all the final preparations for our trip back to the monastery, which was on the other side of Equestria, indicating that we had a long journey ahead of us.

As we came over to them, Spike and Luna turned to us and smiled, chuckling lightly as we still rubbed our eyes from the sleep. “Jeez, is it really necessary for us to be up this early, the sun is barely rising in the distance” Dust complained as he looked up at the changing sky. Luna smiled warmly at him, “I assure you, it is important for us to be home as soon as possible. If we wait too long, our path will be blocked by airships” she said in a calm tone. Spike quickly chuckled, “yeah, and that’s why it’s great to be a dragon. You can be asleep for decades on end, and nopony would be stupid enough to come looking for you” he said as Luna chuckled and made her way up the ramp.

Before Spike turned, we saw as Sapphire and Whiplash walked over to him, he sighed sadly and walked up to them. We watched as his wife lowered her head in sadness, he smiled and lifted her eyes up to his, “I will come back, I always do, you know that. Watch over the Clan while I’m gone” he said as he kissed the top of her head and pulled her into a hug, and we saw her whisper something into his ear.

We watched for another few minutes as he said goodbye to his son as well, and made his way up the ramp, which we quickly followed after him.

As we made our way to the bridge, the Captain walked up to us and smiled, “everything’s checked off for lift, what are your order’s Commander Luna?” he as her in a formal tone. Luna turned to us and we all nodded, “take us home Captain” she said with a calm smile.
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As the ship came closer and closer to the Equestrian border, the entire atmosphere of the ship grew thick with anticipation. The ship’s radar operators gave careful watch to the systems, looking for any object that might pose a threat to us. Soon, the time came as we crossed Equestria’s southern border, and into the desert.

“Anything private?” the Captain asked as we slowly moved along, one of the radar operators turned to the Captain and shook his head, “nothing so far sir, the radar’s not picking up any signs of enemy movement” he said. The Captain frowned slightly and looked back at Luna who sighed and turned back to us. “I don’t like this, Red Spear had to have known we would be coming back this way, I don’t know what he’s planning, but I doubt it’s good” she said as she walked away.

After talking more with my friends, I noticed that Spike wasn't around with us. I looked around the bridge and saw that he was over by the window, looking out across the passing landscape. I excused myself from my friends and walked over next to him, he sighed sadly and folded his arms behind his back. “Are you okay?” I asked as I walked up next to him, he seemed briefly startled by my appearance and cleared his throat, “oh…um, yes! I’m fine, it’s just that…it’s been so long since I've been here…it’s almost hard to believe all that’s changed. This isn't the Equestria I used to know, that bastard Red Spear tore it apart” he said as I turned to look as we slowly came away from the desert, and began to come into the forest area.

“Hopefully…with your help, we can stop him, and bring peace back to our land” I said as I turned and walked back over to my friends. As I did, one of the radio operators spoke up, “Captain! We’re receiving an incoming transmission from the Monastery” he said as we ran up to the Captain and Luna. As the commotion grew, my friends and I all walked over calmly, eager to hear the news.

“What? I thought I told Arrow, that we would contact him, when we were near? Why is he calling us?” Iron Star asked as he walked up to Luna. She raised her hoof to her chin, “I’m not sure, but it could be something serious, answer the call” she told the operator, who nodded and flicked the switch, and soon a familiar voice filled the bridge.

“Commander Luna, Captain Iron Star, I’m glad to see you have returned to Equestria without any troubles” his voice said as it vibrated off the walls. But for some strange reason, I sensed a change in his tone, he never spoke in that tone when addressing Luna or Iron Star. Either way, I felt the growing worry, that something bad was going to happen. “Lieutenant Arrow, I thought I told you not to contact us until we were in range of the Monastery? This better be important” Iron Star spoke into the microphone.

We were all shocked to hear him chuckle on the other end, “oh indeed, but this has nothing to do with that. I just wanted to call and say…WELCOME HOME!” he shouted as the line cut off. Iron Star turned to us with a confused expression, but before any of us could say anything, there was a loud explosion from outside the ship, one that shook the entire ship, and threw us all off our hooves.

After the initial shaking stopped, I turned and helped my friends up, and then turned to the window, only to see a sight that made my blood run cold. Multiple ships on each of our sides were firing at us, causing explosion all across our vision. The radar operator pushed himself up and turned to the radar, his eyes widening in fear, “Captain, multiple royal airships! They just came out of nowhere, were completely surrounded, and were taking heavy da-“ he tried to say but was cut off by a particularly precise explosion that hit right where he was standing.

The force of the explosion, sent him flying to the wall with bone-shattering force, and he crumpled to the floor in a pile of broken limbs. After the shot was fired, the ship began to tilt forward, aiming right into the forest, the Captain raced to the radio and initiated a ship-wide broadcast. “Mayday! Mayday! We’re losing altitude, every pony brace for impact!” he yelled as the ship grazed the tree line.

My friends and I all huddled together, I gripped o to River and held her close to me as the sound of metal plates tearing filled the air.
Then…everything went black.
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The last thing I remember, was holding River close to me as the ship came crashing into the Everfree forest, and then everything around me going black.

My eyes slowly began to open, but I felt no control of my body, but despite my blurred vision, I could see piles of broken metal and fire littering the new clearing our ship had made in the forest. Every attempt I made at moving my body, only resulted in the same way…no response.

But to make matters worse, the crash had left me extremely weak, and I would have been defenseless to stop any attackers. I watched as a large group of shadowy figures entered the clearing and started scanning the wreckage for us. I watched as one of the shadows approached me and knelt down, despite not being able to move, I could feel the fear well up inside as he reached out and grabbed the medallion around my neck and examined it. The figure chuckled in a familiar voice, “it’s like I said before Frost, this medallion doesn't make you special” he said as he dropped and delivered a punch to my face.

Then everything returned to the encompassing black.
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I felt the intense pounding in my head, as I groaned and opened my eyes. There was a minor absence of my vision, but it was quickly restored, and I found myself looking up into the starry night sky. I groaned as I sat up and rubbed my head with my hooves, and after a few minutes, the pain began to fade away and I looked around.

My eyes widened in shock, as I looked around the familiar courtyard of the old Castle of the Two Sisters. I fully pushed myself up and looked around, I somehow managed to travel from the clearing in the forest, to the courtyard in the castle, which seemed very unlikely. “Luna? Dust? River!? Anypony here?!” I shouted into the ruins, which only echoed my words, but gave no real answer back. I sighed and rubbed the back of my head in confusion, but then I heard it once more:

“Frost Fall…”

The eerie and yet…strangely familiar whispered to me, the voice was calm and soothing, but also mysterious and possibly malevolent. I snapped around in all directions, looking for the speaker, “Who’s there!? Show yourself!” I shouted around me, but I received no answer. I heard a faint whooshing sound come from behind me, as a faint light shined behind. I readied myself into a fighting stance as I turned to face the newcomer, but I quickly stopped as I came face to face with a familiar white-coated Alicorn, she towered over me and what seemed like Luna. Her multi-colored mane flowed gently in the wind, and she gave me a kind smile, a faint light emanating from her, giving her an almost angelic appearance.

“Who are you? How did I get here?” I asked the mysterious pony, but she frowned at me and turned, making her way into the castle.

“Hey!” I yelled as I ran in after her, but as I turned the corner, I saw that she was already way at the end of the hall, still frowning at me. “Frost Fall…” the voice whispered in my head again, I looked to her and saw that her lips had not moved to form the words, but they still entranced me enough to follow her. I watched in awe as she slowly raised her hoof, and gestured for me to follow her.

Unable to control my own movements, my hooves began to slowly trail after her, as she disappeared around the next corner. This went on for longer than I expected it to, as I soon found myself following her into the castle’s old throne room, where I found her looking up at the hole that had been formed above the two thrones.

I regained control of my body, and stepped toward her. She looked back and turned to fully face me, a look of sorrow in her eyes, I took a nervous step forward, not sure of what to expect from her.

“Who are you?” I asked her again, but instead of answering me with words or silence, she raised her hoof and pointed at one of the long tapestries that hung above one of the thrones. The tapestries showed a young white-coated Alicorn, as she gracefully raised the sun. The design of the pony matched her figure almost exactly, except for the slightly older body.

The realization hit me like a pile of bricks. My eyes widened in shock as I looked from her to the tapestry, my heart rate increasing as I stepped back nervously. “You’re….you’re, that’s…not possible! You can’t be here!” I shouted, but she calmly turned back to me and lowered her hoof, and I knew she wanted me to say her name out loud.

“Princess…Celestia?” I asked her with a mixture of shock and confusion, my heart beating rapidly against my chest. She smiled warmly at me and nodded her head, which only made my shock grow and caused me to stagger backwards. I remained silent for a moment as I thought of something to say or ask, but I calmly fixed my posture and looked up at her.

“But…how is this possible?” I asked her in a confused tone, she frowned again and lifted her head slightly.

“My body may be dead, but if one’s spirit is strong enough, they can transcend death”

My eyes widened in shock, as I looked around for the voice, which was laced with concern and sorrow. I turned back to the deceased Princess, and saw that she was looking at me with the same amount of concern and sorrow that matched the voice, but I swore I didn't see her mouth move. I stood there for a moment in awe, “but…how are you talking to me now?” I asked her, even though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

“I have heard the cries of my kingdom in despair, but I have no power in this world anymore. My only hope was that one would come along and help my sister to free the kingdom from Red Spear’s tyranny.” She said as her ominous voice was quickly followed with the distant shrill screams of terror, that emanated around us. I felt a chill run down my spine as I heard the shrill screams of young fillies and colts, each dying with a haunting scream, that echoed off in my mind.

“Finally… after nearly a century of watching my ponies suffer in sorrow and despair, my prayers were answered…with you” she said as her voice trailed off in the distance. My eyes widened as I turned to her, my mind trying to find the right words to say, but so far coming up short.

“But…why me? I don’t understand!” I shouted, but she took a step towards me, “you are the one Frost, the one who is destined to save our kingdom, and fix the mistakes I made. The time will soon come, when you shall realize your destiny” she said as she stepped in front of me and raised her hoof up. I felt the need to back away, but I once again lost control of my body, and was forced to watch what she did.

Her hoof touched the tip of my horn, which caused a brief light to fill the area around us. I suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented as I swayed back and forth, Celestia had disappeared from my vision, as I crashed on to my side. The darkness began to crowd my vision once again, and my eyes drifted close, allowing the black to swallow me once again.

Chapter 12: Darkest Hour

CHAPTER 12
Darkest Hour

After the darkness had consumed my vision once more, I was half expecting to be pulled into another dream like event. But I was surprised to find that my mind had returned to the real world.

I awoke to a pounding pain in my head, as my eyes began to open, I found myself lying on my side. I groaned as I pushed myself up, and moved my hoof to rub my head, but I was surprised to hear the clanking of chains. My eyes widened as I tried several times to weaken the chains, but they were latched on to me. After a few attempts, I managed to push myself into a sitting position, and look around.

My eyes widened again, as I found that we were safely in the Monastery’s observatory. The candles on the wall were lit, as the evening sky swirled into the room from above. I heard more clanking, and I turned to see all my friends tied up beside me, with the exception of River, Dust, and Vapor, who were nowhere to be seen at the moment. Even Spike was chained up on the far side, only he was chained down with a stronger looking set of chains.

I waited for a moment as Luna began to stir and sit up, she shook herself awake and looked around the room, her eyes widening at the sight of her quarters. She turned to me and sighed sadly, “Frost? Are you alright?” she asked me in a concerned tone. I nodded and continued looking around, “I’m fine, but…how did we get here?” I asked as I looked around, to see if anypony else was in the room.

She shook her head as the others began to stir, “I’m not sure. The last thing I remember was being shot down from the sky, over the forest” she said as Iron Star and Aurora sat up and rubbed their heads. Spike groaned and sat up as well and we all looked around, but before any of us could question the situation further, the doors to the hall outside opened and multiple soldiers dressed in royal military armor walked in and began to circle us.

We all watched as another pony walked up to us, a sinister smile on his face. He was dressed in a General’s uniform, and was more decorated than General Brick. “Ah, glad to see you’re all finally awake, we were beginning to think you wouldn't wake up. Allow me to introduce myself, I am General Razor’s Edge, highest ranking General in the royal army…welcome home” he said with a sly smile. Luna struggled against her chains to stand up, but only managed to lean forward, a look of anger in her eyes.

“How did you find this place? Where the civilians!?” Luna shouted in his face, but he smiled and shushed her. “Now, there’s no need to act irrationally. There’s somepony here who can answer all of your questions” he said in a menacing tone as he turned to the door. We watched as it opened all the way, and our eyes fell on the menacing shadowy figure that stood in the doorway.

It took me a moment to recognize the strange shape on his head, but as he slowly started making his way into the room, I recognized it as a crown. I turned to look at Luna, only to be surprised to see a look of pure terror on her face, but it was laced underneath by anger and hate. The others shared similar expression as he walked up to us, I watched as General Razor smiled and gave a respectful bow, as his full form came into the light.

His coat was a dark grey, his mane was full of red and black stripes, and his eyes were a light crimson color, I felt my heart beat heavily against my chest, as he smiled at each of us. His smile widened as he cleared his throat, “well…this certainly stands as a blast from the past. It’s been so long since I've seen you all, and of course we have some new faces here” he said smiling at Iron Star and I, as he walked over to Luna and leaned down slightly.

Luna growled at him in a threatening tone, but he simply smiled at her and sighed, “So…the leader of the rebellion, turns out to be none other than the Princess of the night herself, big surprise there. Tell me, is hard to raise the sun and moon by yourself? After all…it’s not like you have Celestia here to help you” he said with a light chuckle. Luna lunged forward, making it so their faces were only a few inches away, a look of pure rage in her eyes at the mention of her deceased sister.

“How dare you even mention her name, you bastard!” she shouted in his face, he simply chuckled and stood back up. “Now Luna, the language isn't necessary” he said as he looked down at her medallion and took it in his hoof, and with a hard yank, he broke the chain and stood back up, handing the medallion to the general. “You can curse me all you like Luna, but you and I both know that harsh words won’t bring back the dead. Isn't that right…Aurora” he said turning and walking over to the young Alicorn, who seemed to squirm in fear.

He smiled and shushed her, he raised his hoof and brushed it along her cheek, a calm smile on his face. “Hmm, you have the beauty of your mother, and the bravery of your father. Both of which served as formidable opponents” he said as he stood up once again.

“And look what else I caught in my little trap, Lord Spike of the Silver Claw Clan, it’s been a long time, you surely have grown over the decades. I heard about what you said to my messengers, very…interesting” he said with a light chuckle.

I watched as Spike struggled against his chains, and puffed out smoke from his nostrils, a hateful rage burning in his eyes. “Oh…I wouldn't bother trying to roast me alive, each of your chains are magically augmented. Yours to prevent you from breathing, and your friends here from using magic” he said as he chuckled lightly again, this time causing the soldiers around us to chuckle as well.

Spike got as close as he could and growled, “What are you going to do Red Spear, you know you can’t kill me. Doing so will not only bring war from my clan, but all the others as well!” Spike said in a threatening tone. Red Spear frowned slightly and looked down for a moment, and then looked back up at him and sighed. We were all surprised to hear him laugh at Spike’s comment, which even made Spike confused, “oh Spike, still as naive as ever. Kill you? Do you think I’m a fool? I know better than to bring the wrath of the dragons upon myself, but a time will come, when you and your kind will no longer be able to resist me” he said in a slightly threatening tone as well, which made Spike shrink back and sigh sadly.

Red Spear stood tall above him and frowned, “no…I’m not going to kill you. But I think I’ll bargain with your clan, for a little…economic incentive, and then you’ll be free to go” he said a she smiled and walked away.

I felt myself sweat nervously as he walked towards me and smiled, a calm and understanding expression on his face, he smiled as he leaned down slightly and studied me briefly. “So…you’re the one I've heard so much about, Frost Fall…so I take it your Luna’s newest pet. I must say…you've caused me quite a bit of trouble, but…I’m a stallion of forgiveness, ruling a kingdom has that effect. After all…you've helped me to complete my collection” he said as he looked at my medallion and snatched it away from me in a quick swipe, and handed it to the General.

After doing so, he turned back to me and smiled in an innocent way. “You know, for the longest time, I had this impression that you were something…more. But I’m not one to judge based on a pony’s outside appearance, it’s about what lies on the inside…that truly matters” he said as he reached out and tried to place a hoof on my chest, only for me to shrink back and glare angrily at him.

The smile fell from his face and he sighed, “Tell me Frost…do you think of me as a tyrant?” he asked as he turned to walk away. I glanced at Luna and the others and then back to him, “what does it matter what I think?” I asked him, and he chuckled and turned to face me. “Oh it’s nothing. I just wanted to hear what you thought of me. Instead of what they might have told you” he said with a sneer in Luna’s direction. I looked at her and then back to him, and evil glare in my eyes, “you want to know what I think? I think you’re a cruel, selfish, evil son of a bitch, who cares nothing of the kingdom he rules over, and isn't even fit to wear the crown. I think your cruel enough to wipe out anypony that questions your rule, even the entire population of a town if need be…like Ashen” I said with a sad look in my eyes, which was quickly replaced as he cleared his throat.

“Ah yes, I forgot you lived there before…all this. I feel as if I should apologize for that. You see…my orders were strictly to secure the town, not to massacre all of them, if a few decided not to cooperate entirely. General Brick decided to go against what my orders, he’s become a bit of a wild one. I suppose I should thank you for…taking him out of the picture” he said with a sick smile.

“How did you find this place? There’s no way you could have possibly have done it yourself” Luna said to him, venom dripping in her voice. He turned to her and smiled once more, “well your right about one thing, I didn't do it on my own. But…let’s just say…I had a bit of inside help” he said as he gestured to the door behind us. We all heard it creak open and another small group of soldiers walk out, this time led by somepony that shocked us all.

Lieutenant Arrow.

Our eyes widened in shock, as he smiled and walked over to the king, we all noticed the golden medallion he was wearing. Luna’s eyes widened in shock as she struggled against the chain, “no! Where did you find that?” she shouted in a desperate tone. Arrow smiled as he walked over to the king and gave a slight bow, “your majesty, we found Princess Cadence’s medallion” he said as he handed it to the General.

Red Spear turned to us and smiled, “well now, that makes four out of five. The only one missing is Twilight Sparkle’s medallion” he said with a smile. We all heard Spike gasp at this, “what? But…I thought you already had hers?” Spike asked in a confused tone. Red Spear looked at him and then at us with a confused look, but a smile quickly spread on his face, as he began to laugh loudly, wiping a tear from his eye. “Ha! That is truly priceless! You mean you never actually told him the truth?” he asked us, I turned to Luna to see her lower her head in shame, Spike turned to me with a desperate look, his eyes full of sadness and pain. I tried my best to say something, but I couldn't find the right words, just as Red Spear beat me to it.

“Well…since you've been left in the dark for so long, I shall enlighten you. Twilight was the only one to survive the confrontation against me, in the peak of the battle, when she and her friends were battered and beaten, she gathered the Elements and disappeared into the night…along with her medallion” he said with a sinister smile.

I watched with guilty eyes as Spike shrank back in shock, Red Spear smiled and walked over to the General. “Well…I hate to cut our conversation short, but I have other matters to attend to. Take them to the prison holds” he said as the General nodded and ordered the guards to haul us off.

We were helpless to defend, as Red Spear soldiers dragged us off into the hall, but not before I sneaked a look back at Spike, who glared back with a hurt expression.
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It didn't take long for the soldiers to take us down to the holding cell, where we were quickly reunited with our other friends. Despite the previous moment of sadness, I felt my spirits life slightly as I saw that my friends were safe and sound. The soldiers walked us over to our cells, opened the doors and shoved us all roughly inside.

“Frost!” River cried out happily as she ran over and threw her hooves around my neck, tears of happiness spilling from her eyes. I turned to see Vapor and Dust smile at me as well, just as the General walked over to us. “Well now, I hope you enjoy your stay here, and don’t even think of magic, these cells were magically augmented like your cuffs, have fun” he said with a sinister smile, as he slammed the cages shut.

Just as he did so, our cuffs magically unhitched themselves and fell to the floor, which allowed me to hug River back. The General calmly turned and left the room, placing the keys to our cells on a table at the far end of the room, in an attempt to tease us. I pushed myself up and sighed sadly, placing my hoof on my chest where the medallion should be. “What happened to all of you? When we woke up here, you weren't around” Dust asked in a calm tone, I looked up at him as River pulled herself away, “we…we woke up in the observatory, where…we met the king himself” I said with a sad expression.

All of them gasped, as River gave me a concerned expression. “He…he didn't hurt you or anything?” she asked me, her voice filled with worry. I looked at her with a sorrowful expression, “no…but he took our medallions, and our weapons” I said with a hanging of my head. They all fell silent for a moment, until Vapor stepped forward, “well…what’s the plan then? Come on guys, we can’t just sit here and do nothing” she said with a tone of confidence that failed to carry on to us.

Finally, Luna spoke up from the other cell, “you don’t understand, the more of the medallion he owns, the more powerful he becomes, if he gets to Twilight’s…then I fear our cause will be useless” she said looking down in shame. I walked to the bars of our cell and looked at them, all three of them were sitting there with a sad look on their faces.

I sighed and was about to say something, but then I heard the faint sound of approaching wings, and I felt a small smile crossed my lips. “I don’t think were out of the game just yet, look who’s here” I said, as the room was filled with a familiar screech, as Winter appeared in the window, at the top of the room. All my friends turned to look and I could see the glimmer of hope return to their eyes, as our feathered landed in front of my cell.

“Winter, thank the stars you’re here girl, you see those keys on the table there, I need you to get them, please!” I said with an urgent tone. She simply stared at me for a moment and chirped, I looked at my friends with a confused look, and then back to her. “What? I promise I’ll feed you later, just get me the keys!” I said as I heard a stifled laugh from my friends. The hawk screeched at me again, then spread her wings and flew over to the table, grabbing the keys in her claws, she flew back over to my cell. She used her wings to float directly in front of the hawk as she aimed the key into the slot, with a chirped quizzically she inserted it and turned it to the right, and we all heard the lock come undone as well as the magical barrier.

Grabbing the keys before they fell and made any noise, and opened the cell to let my friends out, they quietly walked over to a large supply closet and opened it, “the soldiers put all our weapons and armor in here somewhere, let’s get suited up” Dust said with a smile as I ran over and unlocked the other cells.

Luna slowly walked out, giving me a kind smile as she walked over and began to put her armor on, while I walked over to Spike’s cell. He stood up and walked over to the door, a small smile on his face, but I could still see the look of betrayal in his eye. “If it weren't for our current situation, I would be very tempted to roast you alive right now” he said as I opened the cell, which he had to duck under to get out.

He walked over and picked out a weapon of his own as I suited up in my armor and holstered my axe, and then we all gathered up in a circle. “Okay, now that we have the element of surprise, what’s ur next move?” I asked as we all gathered around, Luna brought her hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. “well…our first priority is to get as many as we can out of here, and find a safe place to hide for now” she said as she looked at all of us. “but wait, the airfield is probably under close watch, if they even notice one of the ships taking off for launch without clearance, they’ll just blow us up before we can even get off the ground” Aurora said with a worried tone, but Luna quickly smiled.

“Not if we go to the secret bunker” she said with a smile, and we all looked at her with a confused expression, except for Aurora, who slowly began to smile. “Shortly after we came here, many decades ago. I had a secret launch bay built into the mountain, the entrance is camouflaged into the rocks. A large airship id held up there for emergencies. It was built to run with a minimal crew, so we can take a lot of ponies with us” she said with a confident smile.

We all looked at each other and smiled as I walked over to the door and peaked out. I saw that there were two guards standing by the door, I looked back at my friends and nodded. We all stuck to either side of the door as I quickly gave it a few knocks, and ducked back as the two guards quickly opened the door and walked in. “quiet in th-“ one of them was about to say and saw that the cells were open, they quickly ran in as we passed behind them.

With a quick swing of my axe, I knocked one of them unconscious as Luna blasted the other one to the wall, knocking him out as well. We then all quickly turned to each other, “alright every pony, I’ll go and find as many as possible, I’ll check the rest of the holding cells. Be careful though, watch out for Arrow, he’s working with the king, don’t trust anything he says. Alright every pony, let’s show these bastards why you don’t screw with the Night Ranger’s home” I said to them and they all nodded with wide smiles on their faces.

“Iron Star, River you’ll be with me. Vapor and Dust, you go with Aurora to find the airship. Luna and Spike, you go and find the medallions, that way we can cripple his power for a little longer” I said and we all put our hooves and smiled.
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While the others went off to finish their assigned duties, the three of us had begun moving through the other parts of the prison hold, where we hoped to find the others. After fighting off multiple sets of guards, we managed to make our way to another set of cells, where we were shocked to see all the younger foals of the Order, being held in those cells.

As I grabbed the keys off the table, I walked over and began unlocking the cells and letting the young foals out, luckily most of them were of an old enough age to understand the crucial mission we were on, but I was more preoccupied with finding one specific filly.

“FROST!” I heard a young voice yell in happiness, I turned just in time to be tackled to the ground by my younger sister. “Oh Frost! I though the soldiers had gotten to you” she said as light tears began to flow down her cheeks, I smiled and hugged her back as I stood up. “I’m glad to see you too, but we have more important business to attend to. Attention every pony, we need to get you all out of here, come on!” I yelled and we all quickly ran out of the room, the group of foals quickly following behind us.
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After making our way through the halls, we found ourselves walking through the main entry hall of the monastery. We kept a close eye out for soldiers as we quietly ran across the room, into the other hall, but before we could get far, I stopped and turned to River. “River, listen to me, I need to go back and find the others. You go with Iron Star and these foals to the airship” I said to her with a concerned look.

I could tell she wanted to protest, but she looked away sadly for a moment and then back to me with a confident expression. She nodded and leaned in for a kiss, which I quickly agreed to and then she turned and ran off into the hall.

I watched them go for a minute and then sighed as I turned around and made my way off in the other direction. But before I did so, I heard a rifle cocking and I turned to see none other than Arrow himself, smiling as he pointed his rifle at me. I looked shocked for a moment, but that shocked was quickly replaced by anger.

“You damn traitor! How could you betray the ponies you called friends? Iron Star trusted you, Luna trusted you, and this is how you pay them back!?” I yelled at him, as I stepped forward, but he kept his spot. He laughed at my outburst and lowered the rifles slightly, so I could fully see his face. “Oh Frost…still so naive and blind. I’m no traitor, I just finally came to my senses and joined the winning side. Did you honestly think we had a chance against the king, it would only have been a matter of time before they would have found us and wiped us out. But I plan on surviving this war, and if that means betrayal…so be it” he said as his smile grew, raising the rifle to me again.

I stayed there, simply staring daggers at him, “not if I have anything to say about it” I said and watched as his hoof tightened on the trigger, but not before I heard a familiar voice shout out in fear.

“Frost!” I heard a familiar voice shout out, time seemed to slow down as I turned to see Iron Star running at me, my eyes widened in shock as I heard the rifle go off, but a powerful force shove me to the side, as Iron Star collided with me and knocked me away. I heard the sound of the bullet tearing into flesh, but I did not feel any pain myself, but I did hear Iron Star cry out in pain.

Time resumed to its normal flow as Iron Star fell to the floor and rolled a few feet away, I pushed myself up and turned to him with a shocked expression. I could feel tears forming in my eyes as I stood up and ran over to him, I slid to a stop and rolled him on to his back and cradled his head. His eye were barely open and his breathing was shallow and labored.

I looked down to see the bloody wound in his chest, continuously spilling blood out. He looked over at me and tried to speak, but it came out very weak, “Frost…I’m sorry. It’s… Up t-to you now…you-you have to stop the king, and…bring peace back to Equestria. I know you can…do it…I-I believe in you” he said as his breathing slowed to a stop and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his hoof dropped from mine. I felt my eyes fill up with tears as they fell down my cheek and on to his shoulder.

I lifted my hoof up and closed his eyes in respect, and then gently let his body down, “I promise you…I’ll set things right” I said as I felt pure rage fill my body, as my gaze drifted up to Arrow, who seemed just as shocked by his own actions as I was. He slowly dropped the rifle, and staggered backwards, “it didn't have to be this way…you old fool” he said as his gaze drifted up to me and then narrowed.

I slowly unsheathed my axe and got into a fighting position, in which he did the same, drawing out his sword. “I’ll kill you for that…” I said in a low voice, as I charged forward, he did so to by extending out his wings and charging at me. We both yelled out as I swung my axe, he quickly evaded by doing a flip behind me and pouncing off the wall behind me, and charging with his sword out front.

I jumped back as he collided with the ground, I instinctively reached for my pistol and pointed it at him, but he charged and hit me in the chest, knocking both my axe and pistol out of my grip. I landed on my back as he jumped above and dropped his sword down, I quickly rolled to the side and watched as his sword struck the ground, I quickly reared up my back hoof and kicked it from his grip, watching it slide across the room.

He growled at me and unsheathed a large knife, as I reached over and picked up my axe with my magic. He cried out in rage as he charged at me swinging his blade wildly, not even making an attempt to have any finesse in his fighting. But I growled and clicked a small button on the handle of my axe, in which cause a small blade to stick out from the bottom of my handle, I yelled out as I quickly turned around and drive the blade back against him.

There was the sound of a blade tearing into flesh, but Arrow quickly stopped his flailing and yelling and gasped out loud. I opened my eyes and looked back to see the shocked look on his face, we both looked down to see the blade stuck into his chest, blood soon began pouring out around it and to the floor. In one quick move, I yanked the blade out and he staggered to the floor, coughing up blood as I turned to him.

He looked up at me with a shocked and angered expression, “damn…you…” he said before the life left his eyes and he dropped to the ground, no more life in his body.

I sighed and sheathed the handle blade back in, but just as I did, I heard the sound of clapping and turned to see none other than, Red Spear himself. He smiled at me and clapped his hooves to the ground, he stopped and stepped out from the shadows, “oh don’t mind me, I was just enjoying the show. It’s quite remarkable…you truly do have some skill with an axe, I must say I am impressed” he said as he smiled.

I once again felt my rage build up as I turned and faced him fully, “where re the others?” I demanded but he simply stood there and smiled at me, while readied my axe. “Such hostilities are unnecessary. I believe we can come to some mutual agreement” he said with a smile. I frowned at him and gestured to him with my axe, “If you think you can corrupt or threaten me into joining your side, forget it!” I yelled at him, but he simply stood there and smiled, chuckling lightly.

“Corrupt? Threaten? My dear boy you misunderstand. I am merely stating that we both have common goals that we want to achieve” he said with a calm smile that made me slightly nervous, but I stood firm and frowned again.

“Common goals? What could we possibly have in common?” I asked him, he simply gestured with his hoof around him. “Well…for one, we both want what we think is best for Equestria. Why fight amongst ourselves, when we could unite and make not just Equestria, but the whole world a better place?” he asked with an excited expression, but it slowly dropped as I chuckled lightly.

“You may think you can pull that little trick on me, but it’s not going to work! All you care about is tearing this kingdom apart, while we fight to return it to the peaceful land it once was. Our goals couldn’t be more different” I said as my horn started to glow. I cried out in anger, as I shot a blast of magic at him, but as it grew closer, he simply smiled and vanished in a puff of smoke, as my spell hit the wall and exploded, causing a small cloud to envelop where he was standing.

My eyes widened as I looked around in a panic, I lifted my axe and got ready to swing, and looked back as I heard a whoosh. I cried out as I swung the axe as hard as I could, but a strong force ripped it out of my magical grip, and threw it across the room, where it clattered to the floor. I felt a strange sensation come over my body as I couldn’t move, I looked up to see Red Spear appear from a black puff of smoke. He smiled and walked up to me, until our faces were a foot apart.

“impressive…you have quite the quick reflexes, I almost felt the breeze on that one” he said with a sinister smile as he lifted his hoof and placed it on my chest, and then with one swift motion, he delivered a push so powerful, it literally sent me across the room, slamming me into the wall a few feet above the ground.

I cried out in shock and pain as I crumbled to the floor and coughed deeply as I tried to stand up, but I was quickly frozen up again as he walked up to me. My body refused to move on its own, as I felt myself get lifted up into the air, I looked down to see a faint magical aura surrounding me, he smiled and threw me past him, to where I crashed to the floor and rolled a few feet away.

Pain racked my body as I felt blood trickle from my mouth, I felt the need to cough as blood began to trickle inside my throat as well. I was amazed at how fast he was able to subdue me, but I could only piece it together as his own magical abilities. But before I could think about it any longer, I felt the same sensation was over me once again, as I felt my battered body be lift up into the air, only this time I felt a magical grip tighten around my throat.

I looked down to see Red Spear walking towards me, a wide, sadistic smile on his face. “Hmm…I can sense the strength in you boy, and it’s a shame to for you o waste all your strength into one single act, but I still think you deserve a reward for your courage and strength” he said as his horn began to glow black as his eyes changed to purple, while his pupils became blood red, along with a faint lavender trail that flowed from his eyes.

I struggled as he reached toward my chest with his hoof and placed it in the center, he smiled as I felt an agonizing pain form in my chest. I began to feel the world around me fade away, but before he could finish his work, I heard the flapping of wings and an unsheathing of a sword. Red Spear gasped and looked to the side as a powerful blast of magic struck him and knocked him back across the room, his grip on me instantly lost as I fell to the floor and gasped for breath.

After a moment of catching my breath again, I looked up to see a familiar purple Alicorn land in front of me and sheathe her sword. She quickly turned to me with a concerned expression and helped me up, “are you alright?” she asked as I fully stood up and rubbed my throat, I took a deep breath and looked up into the eyes of Twilight Sparkle. I nodded my head and she quickly turned when we both heard Red Spear groan and stand up.

He rubbed his head and looked up at us, but when his eyes fell of Twilight, a wide smile formed on his lips and he started chuckling. “Well…this certainly is a twist. Here I thought you had run away like a coward, but now…after all these years, you finally have the guts to face me again” he said as he stood up fully and dusted his coat off from the dust. Twilight growled at him and unsheathed her sword, and pointed it at him.

“Last time my friends and I underestimated you. But I promise you this…I won’t be making that same mistake again” she said in a menacing tone, as she readied her sword. He did so as well, but before either of them could start, we heard hooves approaching from the hall, and we all turned to see our friends run into the room.

“FROST!” River shouted as she ran over and helped me up further, while Luna and Aurora stood beside Twilight and readied their weapons. Red Spear studied each of us and then looked down and sighed, but then started chuckling once more, “well now…I think this little blast from the past has gone on long enough. But I’ll see you all soon enough…that I promise!” he yelled as his horn glowed brightly and he was gone in a flash.

We all sighed and holstered our weapons, but before either of us could say anything, we heard Spike call out. “Twilight…is that…really you?” he said in a voice that was filled with sobs, Twilight cringed slightly and turned to face the tall purple dragon, who appeared to already have tears spilling down his cheeks. Twilight did her best to smile and walk up to him, “yes Spike…I’m here, it’s really me” she said as tears started to form in her eyes as well, but then Spike did something unexpected.

He quickly leaned down and picked her up and hugged her tightly, even to Twilight surprise, but she quickly hugged him back and began to cry as well. “All these years…I…I thought you were dead. I’ve missed you so much!” he cried into her smaller form. Twilight cried as well and smiled lightly, “I’ve missed you too Spike, things haven’t been the same without my #1 assistant” she said as they continued to hold each other.

We all watched with happy smiles, but soon Luna walked up to me and looked around with a worried expression. “Frost…where’s Iron Star?” she asked me with a concerned tone, the smile immediately feel from my face and I looked over across the room, her gaze followed mine and she gasped when she saw his lifeless body. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she quickly turned back to me and sighed sadly, “I see…we must hurry and leave, the soldiers will be on our location any minute now.

We all nodded and I began to walk after her, but I quickly felt the stabbing pain in my chest, which caused me to cry out in immense pain, as I clutched the spot where he touched with my hoof. The pain was too much to bear and I quickly fell to the floor, but not before Dust quickly slid to catch my head, and lift it so I could see. “Frost!” River cried out in fear as she loomed over me, but the searing pain was becoming too much.

I looked down to see a menacing black spot, forming on the spot where Red Spear placed his hoof. Luna pushed through them and kneeled beside me, and examined my body. When her eyes fell on the black spot, she gasped and lightly brushed it with her hoof, which only sent another jolt of pain through my body.

“What’s…happening to…me?” I asked in a weak tone, “Luna sighed and looked at the others, “this is Red Spear’s doing, he used a magic poison spell on him. It’s a very powerful dark magic spell, and its effects can be deadly. We need to get you out of here” she said, but by that point, by vision was beginning to fade. The voices around me became muffled as they tried to speak to me, but all I heard was garbled sounds.

Then the darkness took me, once again.

TO BE CONTINUED…