Friendship is a Game of Thrones

Friendship is a Game of Thrones

'On The Horizon'

"No sign of the lost patrol sir! The outpost was discovered abandoned and there was nopony in sight!"

A team of crystal guards grouped up around Captain Mystic Shield and saluted him as he finished listening to the last of their reports. Taking in a deep breath, he turned his calm gaze to the vast frozen wasteland before them and went deep in thought. Earlier that day, a second patrol was dispatched from the Crystal Empire only to investigate as to why the previous patrol had failed to report in, and now both teams had yet to return. Believing something to be wrong, Princess Cadence had sent Captain Mystic Shield and a team of elite guards to find the lost patrols.

The gathered unit had split up in several directions to cover more ground to hopefully find any signs of the lost patrols; hoofprints, weapons, lost supplies, but so far, there were no results to be had. Though there was the possibility that the unending blizzard could have buried any of these things under several feet of snow, no guard felt like wasting their time digging around blindly, with little to no chance of actually finding something.

As his subordinates conversed among themselves, Mystic Shield's eyes narrowed as he gazed out into the whitewashed tundra, searching for any signs of movement, but despite his best efforts and brilliant eyesight, there was nothing to be seen past the veil of white.

"Sir?"

Mystic Shield snapped to attention as his focus shifted to one of the crystal guards who'd addressed him, the guard's head cocked to the side and a concerned look on his face. Mystic Shield hardened his expression and turned back to the frozen wasteland before them.

"Let's move!" He said in a loud, commanding tone as he unfurled his wings and took to the skies. The crystal guards exchanged confused looks before flying after their captain.

Flying through the blizzard was a bit of challenge, especially with the added weight of their armor, but being highly trained and experienced, the crystal guards were able to cope, flying through the snowstorm with relative ease. Each flew in tight formation, barely ten feet away from one another, their eyes drawn tight and squinting to prevent as few stray snowflakes from finding their way into their eyes as possible. This was precision flying in extreme conditions, so even the smallest error could be fatal, not just for one flier, but for the entire squad, as one mistake, however minor, could be all it took to throw them off course and send them careening into a mountain of snow.

Despite their hardened training, Mystic Shield and his fellow guards could feel their wings beginning to succumb to the freezing winds and frigid cold, as their feathers became icy and rigid, forcing their descent to the ground, or risk their wings icing over completely.

The guards landed, the sound of snow crunching under their armored hoof-shoes filling their ears over the heavy wind of the blizzard as they continued their trek, not willing to return until they found some sign of the lost patrols.

"Sir, we should be careful we don't venture too far." A crystal guard called out over the blizzard.

The guard Captain looked over his shoulder at his fellow guard. "There's a chance the other patrols may have come this far. We can't overlook any possibilities."

Despite their mixed feelings on the matter, the group of guards followed their captain nonetheless, as they continued to scan the area for any signs of their lost comrades. Unfortunately, thanks to the blizzard, the only thing they could see was snow, snow and more snow; everything within about ten meters from them, all snow. Some of the guards were starting to have doubts if the Captain even believed they would find anything in weather like this.

Brushing bits of snow off of his muzzle, Mystic Shield hardened his gaze as he once attempted to look through the blizzard once more, hoping to see something worth checking out, but snow was all he was given for his efforts.

At least twenty minutes passed in this fashion, as the group of crystal guards began to feel the effects of the cold, their stamina slowly bleeding away as their progress slowed with each passing minute.

Mystic Shield knew they had to turn back now, or risk becoming the third lost patrol, but just as Mystic Shield was about to call the order to return, something finally caught his attention through the wall of snow and ice.

Just up ahead, just inside his field of vision, a large lump rose up out of the snow-covered ground, the familiar design of crystal armor evident on the lump's form. Disregarding his own orders, Mystic Shield broke formation, rushing ahead to confirm his suspicions.

His troops weren't as quick to react, but once they noticed what he had done, they were hot on his trail. As he had reached the lump, Mystic Shield found his fears were true; the lump was a dead crystal guard, his body half buried beneath a growing mound of snow and ice.

"W-What did this?" A crystal guard asked as he caught sight of the dead guards corpse.

Mystic Shield and his guards looked around, the blizzard slowly began to die down as more and more of their surroundings were revealed to them. They'd rather have remained blind in the snowstorm than look upon the new sight that greeted them.

Corpses of the crystal guards littered the ground, streaks of red covering parts of the snow-capped earth around them, broken weapons, shields and armor scattered about. They had found the patrols they were looking for, just not the way they expected to find them.

One crystal guard vomited upon inspecting a headless body, others looked away; despite their experience, not even they were able to stomach such a sight.

"Captain..." A guard whimpered, pointing a shaky hoof into the distance.

Mystic Shield followed his guard's hoof, barely able to make out a large rocky structure up ahead, towering halfway up to the sky. The structure itself was intimidating to be certain, but it was what was at the bottom of the rocky wall that had them frozen.

A large hole with nothing but pitch blackness beyond, and on the ground in front of the large entrance, two massive black doors, cracked, broken, and ripped free of the hinges they once hung from.

"Tartarus..." Mystic Shield muttered, a sliver of fear creeping into his voice. "The gates have been broken..."

The blizzard started to pick up again, slowly building up until the entrance of Tartarus vanished from their sights. A loud roar echoed throughout the snowy wasteland, booming over the raging winds of the blizzard itself.

A crystal guard slowly backed away from the others and said, "W-We should return to the Crystal Empire immediately! Everypony needs to be warned about this!"

Mystic Shield turned to give the order, but a scream froze him in his tracks. The guard that had suggested they leave was no longer there, the rest of his guards all grouped together with their spears raised. "Let's move, we need to get out of here!"

Not willing to waste time, the crystal guards unfurled their wings and took to the air once more, each flying as fast as their wings would allow.

Luck was certainly not on their side, however, as the blizzard slowed them to a standstill, preventing them from escaping whatever was after them.

A loud screech, the cry of a guard, and the scrapping of shredding metal forced Mystic Shield to look over his shoulder, and before his eyes he could see guard after guard being dragged down into the whitewashed abyss behind them.  Those that remained were casting glances in every direction while trying to keep themselves on course towards the mountains, but despite their best efforts to avoid whatever was after them, they too were eventually picked off.

Mystic Shield could do nothing as he flew on, listening to the cries of his guards as they were all picked off one by one, until he was the last one left.

Refusing to go down without a fight, he tightened his grip on his spear, readying himself as he listened carefully for any sign of an attack. When the same screech filled the air to his right, he spun around, thrusting his spear out and up into the large, taloned hand of his assailant as it lunged at him through the snowy haze.

The unknown creature shrieked in pain and retreated, its severed talon being dragged away by the heavy snowstorm in the process as Mystic Shield turned to move on. A quick glimpse of a large rock towering in front of him was all he got, as he hurriedly tried to correct his flight-path, only to clip his wing on the earthen structure, sending him spiralling down to the icy ground below.

Mystic Shield hit the ground rolling, tumbling deftly in a crouch, spitting out a glob of half-thawed snow before thrusting his hooves into the snow dune he'd fallen on, frantically digging around for his spear. What bravery he had rapidly gave way to fear with every passing second, as he had yet to find his weapon, knowing he had little chance without it.

Finally he found it, and as he took hold of it, only then did he notice the large puddle of blood in front of him. His gaze slowly moved up from the puddle to the large silhouette a short distance away, its features hidden just behind the wall of snow.

Curiosity getting the better of him, the crystal guard closed the distance in slow, careful steps, as he started to identify the massive form that lay dead in the snow, and when the captain finally got close, the snow revealed an opening for quick moment, allowing Mystic Shield the glimpse of bared teeth.

Pulling back in surprise, he looked on in horror as the blizzard faded slightly, enough for him to make out the remains of Cerberus, the three-headed dog-like beast responsible for guarding the gates of Tartarus.

With Cerberus here, it only now made sense how the gates were destroyed, and he was no longer there to keep watch, which meant...

"Oh no..." Mystic Shield turned away from the dead guardian and looked back in an attempt to see any movement, nothing caught his sights however. He glanced back at Cerberus once more before tightening his grip around his spear.

"I...I have to warn them! Equestria must know!"

As the sun rose into the sky, marking the beginning of another day, rays of golden sunlight shone down on the Crystal Empire, giving it a beautiful, vibrant glow as the Crystal ponies within began their usual daily routines.

Among them, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, who were currently spending the day with Twilight Sparkle, her friends, and two special guests, both of whom Twilight and Shining were happy to see; Night Light and Twilight Velvet, their mother and father.

Back during the Dragon War, Night Light returned to the Royal Guard so he could do his part in helping to end the war, Shining Armor couldn't have been more happier back then to have had his own father leading the troops with him. It was through that war that many of the other Kingdoms had rallied together with Equestria to put an end to the Dragon Emperor and his forces. Lives were lost and towns were destroyed, but through it all, the alliance between Ponies, Griffons, Changelings, Wolves and Zebras was enough to triumph over the fierce Dragon forces.

It's been one year now since then, and two years since Tirek's attack, Equestria is in its state of peace once more with many new allies.

However, despite the trust between all of them, even now there is still a slight distrust among Ponies and Changelings. Princess Celestia herself had decreed that Changelings were indeed their allies, but some ponies still had their doubts, Shining Armor among them, while Cadence was just slightly less suspicious, hoping that they could indeed be trusted.

The rulers of the Crystal Empire sat outside the palace with Twilight Sparkle and her friends as they all conversed among themselves. Rainbow Dash was boasting about her latest feats of aerial acrobatics, as per usual, while Pinkie Pie was chatting away with Cadence, who, surprisingly enough, was able to keep up with the hyperactive mare and hold a conversation with her.

"Ah suggest ya come over ta Sweet Apple Acres whenever ya get the chance. Now that everything's finally grown back, we can start sellin' our products again!" Applejack said as she informed Shining Armor of the recovery of her families farm.

Shining merely nodded and said, "I'll be sure to stop by again sometime Applejack, I'm pretty sure everypony has missed your famous apple cider."

"Ah bet they have, Rainbow is proof enough of that; she wouldn't stop askin' when the cider would be ready again and all. Really, some ponies are jus' so impatient, but ah guess that's what ah'd expect from her." Applejack replied.

Twilight Sparkle trotted over to her mother and father and asked, "So, how long do you think you'll be staying?"

Night Light smiled at his daughter and nuzzled her. "We have plenty of free time for our family, we'll stay as long as we need to."

"Besides..." Twilight Velvet added. "With all of your new royal duties and all, it's not everyday we actually get the opportunity to spend time with you, Shiny, and Cadence."

Twilight Sparkle's ears drooped. "I know, I'm really sorry about that. I guess that's just one of the downsides of being a Princess; it takes away too much of my free time."

"It's alright dear." Velvet responded, giving her daughter a hug. "We completely understand. Let's just make good use of the time we have now. I'm sure you must have some really amazing stories to tell us, right? Like the one when you met that stallion and-"

Twilight gave a sheepish grin as she thought back on that one particular story and quickly interrupted her mother. "Ah well! I don't really have any interesting stories this time but, I'd sure like to know what you two have been up to the last few months. How have things been going back in Canterlot?"

Night Light shrugged slightly. "What hasn't been going on? The ponies there have been relying on Fancy Pants and Filthy Rich from funding, since most of them lost the majority of their bits and gold in the war. Fancy Pants has been providing the bits and gold to help repair any damaged towns or cities, while Filthy Rich has been supplying the crown with bits and gold to help make up for what was lost in the war. I have to say, those stallions sure have a lot of bits in their pockets, more so than the crown, I dare say."

Twilight giggled. "Well, it's good to know everything's going well over there."

"Your highness!"

The attention of every pony present was drawn to the entrance, as a crystal guard rushed over to the group, making sure to bow before Cadence and Shining. "Your highness! Captain Mystic Shield has returned from his patrol!"

Cadence's eyes widened slightly. "Did they find anything?"

"He's alone your highness! The others aren't with him!" The guard replied.

The ponies exchanged worried looks before following the guard down the crystal castle towards the foyer, where a large group of crystal guards awaited them.

Shining Armor and Cadence pushed through  the crowd to find Mystic Shield being tended to by a few medical guards. "Your highnesses..." He muttered, bowing his head slightly.

Shining immediately bombarded the guard with questions.

"What happened? Where are the rest of your guards? Did you find out what happened to the other patrols?"

"I-Is that...blood?" Cadence added as her eyes set on the blood that covered his hooves.

Mystic Shield nodded. "It is..."

Night Light stepped forward and asked, "Tell us, what happened? What did you find?"

"Dead..." Mystic Shield whispered loudly enough for them to hear. "The other patrols...they're all dead."

The ponies recoiled in shock, not expecting his reply. "And that's not even the worst of it your highness..." He added as he looked at Cadence with an empty look. "Tartarus...the gates...are broken...Cerberus is no more..."

Their expressions couldn't had been more shocked if they tried, as the mouths of everypony present fell agape, and eyes widened the size of dinner plates. Twilight Sparkle was about to speak, but Shining beat her to it. "Sergeant Everrich, rally a number of our best guards, we're heading out there."

Shining Armor and Night Light fought through the blizzard as they tried to locate the remains of Cerberus that Mystic Shield spoke of, accompanied by Flash Sentry, Loyal Wing, Sergeant Everrich, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, the latter wanting to see for herself if what Mystic Shield said was true.

Following the directions the crystal captain had given, the group eventually found what they were looking for, and Rainbow Dash found herself close to vomiting as she caught sight of the carnage, turning away at the last second.

Fluttershy merely stared in abject horror at the dead guardian beast and held onto her friend as she cried, unable to look any more than she wanted to. "This is so horrible! How could anypony do such a terrible thing!" She sobbed, Rainbow Dash tried to comfort her.

Night Light gently patted the dead guardian and whispered, "And so, his watch has ended...rest in peace."

Flash Sentry looked around for anything else, but found nothing of importance, and he wasn't willing to go any further than he had to, as he too was aware Tartarus itself was far in the frozen wasteland of the North.

Loyal Wing examined the gashes on Cerberus' corpse and wiped the blood off his hoof as he stood up to speak. "We should get back to the Crystal Empire, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna be informed of the situation immediately." The white Pegasus turned his attention to Fluttershy, who was still crying into her friends shoulder. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "We shouldn't have brought them with us, they'll be having nightmares about this for weeks, if not longer."

Shining Armor faced the armored Pegasus. "Princess Luna can help with that, so there's no need to worry on that front."

Loyal Wing shook his head and slowly walked over to the two mares, putting his wings around both of them. "Come on you two, let's go, we're leaving."

The two mares nodded and let him guide them away from the bloody mess as Shining finished examining the corpse of Cerberus. "Whatever did this, it sure didn't waste any time trying to kill him."

Night Light nodded in agreement. "You're right, a creature from inside Tartarus must have gotten loose and caught him by surprise; it's the only possible explanation."

Shining Armor turned his attention to Flash Sentry and Sergeant Everrich. "Did you two find anything nearby?"

"Nothing your highness, just more blood." Flash Sentry replied. "Whatever killed him must be long gone by now, considering he looks like he's been dead for several hours at least."

Everrich glanced around once more as he added, "I tried to find anything related to the lost patrols but...nothing. Mystic Shield said the gates were destroyed, but I didn't really believe it until seeing...this. If the patrols are dead like he stated, they must have been killed by the same thing that killed Cerberus, but with the snowstorm covering what tracks it might have left, we have no way of knowing where it went."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Lieutenant." Shining Armor replied, motioning for the guards to follow them. "As soon as we return to the Crystal Empire I want a letter sent to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna right away explaining the situation. They must be informed as soon as possible, and we need to prepare."

Night Light looked back at the frozen wasteland and said, "Let's just hope we aren't too late."

Canterlot, the capital of Equestria and home to all of the nobles of the Kingdom.

Among those nobles, Prince Blueblood.

Despite his own position, the Prince did very little work, always preferring to leave it in the hooves of his servants and underlings. The only contribution he had personally ever made to the Kingdom, in recent memory or otherwise, was keeping things in order in Canterlot during the Dragon War, when Celestia and Luna were away gathering allies to aid them in their struggle against the Dragon Emperor. Even then, he left most of the work to the guards while he hid away like the scared little colt he was.

Prince Blueblood walked along the castle hallway as he looked around for a certain mare. His walk didn't last long, as he found the pony he was looking for in the Castle Gardens.

"Fleur De Lis." Blueblood said with a smirk.

The Unicorn mare slowly looked over her shoulder to face the Prince and smiled slightly as he approached her. "Well, you certainly took your sweet time, your highness."

"Hm." Blueblood sat down next to her and brushed a forehoof through his mane. "Forgive me, I was...otherwise engaged. I'm sure you know the duties of a Prince can be quite...taxing...from time to time."

Fleur chuckled. "Last I checked, a Prince could have his bath at any time of the day, rather than keep his future Queen waiting. For all you know, anypony else could have come and spoken with me before you."

Blueblood gulped slightly as he looked around. "Have you been discreet?"

"But of course..." Fleur replied, gently placing a forehoof on her swollen belly. "Nopony knows except us and our...friends."

Calming down, Blueblood took in a deep breath and said, "Good, I would hate for everypony to find out and let all of our hard work go to waste."

"Speaking of hard work, weren't you with the Princess negotiating trade deals with the Wolves of Endrum recently?" Fleur asked, brow raised in curiosity.

Blueblood frowned. "I was. My aunt, to no surprise, came to an agreement with them."

"And?" Fleur said, waiting for him to continue.

"And they agreed to provide the Kingdom with their bits and gold in exchange for supplies, food being one of the most important, meat included." The Prince shivered as he said those last two words. "Those wolves are nothing but filthy, flea-bitten mongrels, savages that need to be put down, yet my aunt insists on continuously making deals with them."

Fleur raised a brow. "To be fair, the Kingdom does need the bits and gold after we lost so much during the war."

"Fancy Pants has made concessions for everything,” Blueblood scoffed, flicking his mane to the side. “He has more bits, gold and jewels than any single being on Equis, save Filthy Rich, and almost all of it is currently going towards the reconstruction of towns left in ruin during the war. If you ask me, those funds should be put to better use, rather than for catering to the whims of a few mudponies and featherheads. Honestly, I do not know how he managed to amass such wealth in such a short amount of time and it irks me that it is going to such waste."

"So..." Fleur started. "The bits and gold from Endrum will be going towards the crown, and Fancy Pants is providing all of the resources needed for the other towns, cities, and provinces. I see no problem with this; the Kingdom does need to repair the damages done by the Dragons, and the crown needs to keep up its supply of wealth."

Blueblood glared at her. "We could've just taken the resources from those beasts and rid the world of their ilk for good."

Fleur smiled as she placed a forehoof to his cheek. "You still underestimate the capabilities of others. Well, there's no need to worry; once all is said and done, you can be rid of whomever you like. After all, you'll be in the position to see it done."

A smirk made its way to the Prince's face as he processed her words.

Just as he was about to reply, a silver Pegasus landed next to them and bowed his head for a split second before giving them a rather unfriendly look. "Your highness..." The silver Pegasus spat the word in disgust. "Princess Celestia has received a message from the Crystal Empire."

Blueblood looked away. "I have no interest in matters that go on over there. If this is all you came to me for, then you've wasted both your time and mine, Blitz Bolt. Now if you'll excuse us..." He said as he began to walk away, motioning for Fleur to follow him.

Blitz Bolt scowled at the Prince. "Princess Celestia herself asked me to find you and tell you that she is preparing to head to the Crystal Empire immediately, and that she insists you to accompany her."

Groaning in frustration, the Prince turned and glared at the silver Pegasus. "…. I don't see where I have a choice in the matter, do I?"

"Not unless you want her to be disappointed with you." Blitz Bolt replied.

Sighing in frustration, Prince Blueblood turned and stomped his way out of the gardens.

Fleur De Lis smiled and walked by the Pegasus. "You should remember to keep that attitude of yours in check, Lieutenant. An ass though he may be, he is still the Prince."

"Not my Prince." Blitz Bolt shot back. "The only reason I'm stuck here in Equestria serving Celestia is because I was ordered to repay my debts. Make no mistake, once I'm done here, I'm returning to Dalkia to serve my true leader. I dislike the whole lot of you uptight Canterlot nobility, and Blueblood is the worst of them all."

Fleur giggled. "Oh, of course. I would never claim otherwise, but as you've said yourself, you serve us for the time being, and as such, you will watch your tongue, or the Prince may just have it removed."

The silver Pegasus glared at the mare as she walked away, leaving him alone in the gardens to process her words before he took off.

Twilight Velvet found her husband in the throne room of the Crystal Palace, issuing orders to several guards as everypony prepared for the arrival of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

After Shining Armor sent his letter to Canterlot, he had received a reply almost immediately from Celestia stating that she'd be there soon. Always one to arrange a nice welcome reception, Princess Cadence immediately took to preparing everything for Celestia and Luna's arrival, Twilight Sparkle and her friends more than willing to help.

Seeing that Night Light was done speaking with the guards, Twilight Velvet trotted over to his side and nuzzled him. "Everything going well?"

Night Light nodded. "Yes, I told the guards to prepare rooms for the Princesses, in the event that they will be staying the night, which I'm sure they will."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it. You should have seen our daughter though, when she found out the Princesses were on their way here, she was so worked up." Velvet replied with a giggle. "Sometimes that girl tends to be over-dramatic."

"Sometimes?" Night Light said with an amused look. "Try all the time!"

They shared a laugh as they walked out to the balcony where they could see the entire city. Just below, they could make out Shining Armor, issuing orders to several platoons of his guard, and Twilight as she continued conversing with her friends. Velvet's smile lowered into a sad frown as she looked back and forth between her son and daughter, remembering the reason the Princesses were coming in the first place.

"I'm really worried..." She said.

Night Light gave her a concerned look. "About what?"

Velvet hung her head and closed her eyes as she sighed. "If the gates of Tartarus really are broken and the evil creatures within are now able to run free and cause havoc, I...I fear our children will be asked to deal with them."

"Hey, don't worry, they've had to deal with dangerous foes before, and each time, they've managed to come out on top." Night Light comforted her. "If the Princesses ask them to help again, I'm sure they'll succeed, just like they always do."

The Unicorn mare faced him. "But there's a difference between what they've faced before, and what they may be asked to face now. The creatures in Tartarus were there because they were evil and truly dangerous. Do you remember Tirek? He was the most dangerous enemy Equestria ever faced, and he almost conquered Equestria, just like the Dragon Emperor. Only difference is that Tirek did so on his own, whereas the Dragon Emperor had an army backing him."

Night Light smiled. "And he was defeated by our daughter and her friends. They've shown that they are capable of standing firm against overwhelming odds, and have proven several times over that they have what it takes to succeed. That is why I have faith in them. You should too."

"But...Twilight...Shining...Cadence...Luster...they are still young and have so much to live for." Velvet argued, her sad frown not leaving her face.

The smile on Night Light's face wavered for a moment before it returned fully. "Twilight is a Princess now and it's her duty to do her part to help others. I worry about her too but as I said, she has proven she is capable. Shining Armor is a Prince, Luster Shield is a Magister Knight and Cadence, like Twilight, is a Princess. They fought alongside me in the Dragon War and they showed that they were more than capable of not only defending themselves, but leading their fellow Ponies to defend their Kingdom. Trust me Velvet, if there's one thing I know for certain about our children, it's that they will always stand firm in the face of danger and emerge victorious."

"Well..." After letting her husbands words sink in, Velvet finally managed a smile. "I suppose you're right. You'll be there with them, so I guess everything will be fine."

"Of course it will." Night Light said as he leaned in to give his wife a quick peck on the cheek. "Now, why don't you go and see if Cadence needs any help. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

Velvet returned his peck with one of her own and smiled at him before trotting off to help the Princess prepare for Celestia and Luna's arrival.

Velvet found her daughter-in-law in the palace dining room organizing all of the tables and chairs, and asking the chefs to prepare enough meals for their guests, knowing that the Princesses wouldn't be coming alone. Cadence herself wanted to make a good impression on any who would be accompanying them.

When she saw Twilight Velvet approaching her, she offered a kind smile and waved her over. "I'm really glad you'll be here for a while, it means we can all have some real family time together." Cadence said as she hugged her mother-in-law.

Velvet returned her hug and smiled. "I would very much like that, assuming my adopted son is also able to make it."

Cadence giggled. "Luster Shield is not the type to miss out on family get-togethers. Magister Knight or not, I'm sure he'll be by the Princesses' sides when they arrive. He loves us with all of his heart; there's no way he'd pass up a chance to visit."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Velvet said as she and Cadence made their way out of the dining room.

After dismissing a few crystal guards, Loyal Wing waited for them to pass by before following them. "All preparations are underway for the Princesses' arrival, and proceeding as scheduled."

Cadence nodded. "Did you make sure extra rooms were prepared? I heard sir Kickback prefers his privacy. Speaking of which, we need to make sure we have plenty of wine on-hand, I hear he rather enjoys his drinks."

"How much could he possibly drink?" Velvet asked. "An Earth Pony as short as him?"

Loyal Wing smirked. "You'd be surprised, my lady. When it comes to drinking, Kickback is probably the only living Pony who could outdrink Applejack, and that includes Zap Apple Cider."

Cadence raised a brow in surprise. "Wow, even that?"

"Yes, even that. Anyway, I'll make sure his room is stocked with the finest wines and alcoholic beverages available...within reason, of course." Loyal Wing replied, nipping Velvet's concern in the bud before she could even get the words out.

Blinking twice, Velvet smiled at the white Pegasus. "Please don't overwork yourself, sir Loyal Wing. Overdo it and you may need to rest early, and we don't want you to miss out on the festivities."

Loyal Wing returned her smile. "Thank you for your concern, my lady, but I'll be just fine." He kindly replied before increasing his pace and trotted on ahead.

Velvet shook her head and giggled. "You young ones, always so stubborn, always out to prove yourselves."

Cadence rolled her eyes. "Well, that's just one of the traits about being young; we'll always be stubborn to an extent."

"Oh come on! There's gotta be something I can do! Standing around all day watching everypony do all the work is so boring!"

Shining Armor rolled his eyes as he and Flash Sentry continued to listen to Rainbow Dash rant on about wanting to help with something, anything, but they had to tell her several times that her assistance wasn't needed.

"Why can't I help?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, crossing her forehooves over her chest as she glared daggers at the two.

Shining Armor sighed. "We told you already, Rainbow, everything has already been prepared, we don't need any assistance. We appreciate you wanting to help out and all, but really, we're fine, we don't need any more helping hooves."

Rainbow groaned. "Ugh, isn't there something I can do?"

"Unless you want to be on guard duty or something, no, there's nothing you can do." Flash Sentry replied with a smirk.

Shining chuckled and said, "Look, Twilight and the rest of your friends are all getting themselves ready for the Princesses' arrival, why don't you go and join them or something? I'm sure a quick trip to the spa would be of some help."

"Uh...I'd rather not." Rainbow replied, turning her back to the two stallions. "If you guys need me, you know where to find me." She added before flying off.

As she flew around to find the others, Fluttershy stood outside on the palace balcony, watching out for the Princesses and their escort. Catching a glimpse of something moving in the distance, she narrowed her eyes slightly for a better look. It wasn't until it got closer that Fluttershy was able to make out the golden armored Pegasi pulling a carriage behind them, which meant Celestia and Luna were finally arriving.

Deciding it would be best to inform the others, Fluttershy went back inside and trotted towards Cadence and Twilight Velvet. Seeing the Pegasus approaching at the corner of her eye, Twilight Velvet turned and acknowledged her with a smile. "Hello Fluttershy, is there something you need?"

Fluttershy returned the Unicorn mares smile and said, "Oh no, not really, I just thought I'd let you know that the Princesses are arriving, I figured you and the others would want to be outside waiting to welcome them."

Cadence smiled widely and turned away. "Well, we'd better not disappoint them, right? Come on, I'm sure everypony will have seen them by now, so they're probably already there." She said before trotting off, Twilight Velvet and Fluttershy followed suit, with Sergeant Everrich and Mystic Shield right behind them.

Guards stood lined up in front of the palace, and a crowd of Crystal Ponies gathered around as Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor stood at the palace entrance. Behind them, Flash Sentry, Mystic Shield and Sergeant Everrich stood still as statues, just like their fellow guards, and Loyal Wing exited the palace, escorting Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle to Princess Cadence's side.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light stood by Shining Armor's side, joined by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, the latter of whom was eager to return to her short training routine.

The Pegasus guards from Canterlot, all pulling the chariots and carriages behind them, flew overhead as they made their final descent to ground level, aiming right for the path left open for them.

The chariots landed first in the open path between the line of crystal guards. Among the guards were a few Changelings, who positioned themselves around one of the large carriages that landed afterwards. Shining Armor couldn't help but give them a hateful glare, but a comforting hoof from Cadence quickly calmed him down.

First to exit their carriage was one of the few pony's Rarity had the displeasure of knowing, as well as the only one she never wanted to see; Prince Blueblood.

The Prince gently brushed a forehoof through his tidy blonde mane, grinning arrogantly as some of the crystal ponies bowed to him. Shining Armor cast a quick glance over at Rarity after hearing her quietly scoff at the Prince. He returned his gaze to Blueblood and decided against bowing his own head in respect, not willing to feed his ego any more than the other ponies already were.

Twilight Sparkle moved to the side of the palace entrance to get a better view due to it being blocked out by the Changelings and was able to make out Blueblood walking by the crystal ponies, all whom bowed as he walked by them.

A number of gasps and murmurs among many crystal Ponies caught her attention and Twilight noticed a few crystal guards broke formation to back away from Blueblood's carriage. The source of the small commotion in the crowd appeared in the form of a large hulking figure that stepped free of the carriage, it was a wonder how nopony noticed it earlier.

A large white furred Wolf covered in dark grey armor towered over everypony, at his full height Twilight assumed he was a few inches taller than Celestia herself.

Moving his gaze around at everypony, the white Wolf let out a quiet snarl and followed Blueblood towards the palace. The crystal guards and crystal ponies all backed away upon seeing his bared teeth, and kept their distance as the wolf stalked by them.

As Blueblood and his company of royal guards reached Shining Armor and Cadence, he locked eyes with the both of them, most likely awaiting some form of acknowledgment.

It was clear just by their expressions that both Princes were not fond of each other, and it wasn't a surprise. Shining Armor, a former Captain of the Royal Guard, now a Prince. Only a pony like Blueblood would be against such a thing, so much so that he called it a stupid decision on Celestia's part, though he didn't have the gall nor the spine to say so to her directly, of course.

Knowing neither of the two were going to bow, Cadence decided to move in front of her husband and bowed her head only for a split second. "Welcome to the Crystal Empire, cousin."

Blueblood just stared at her for a long moment before responding with a nod. "Much...appreciated, cousin." He said before walking on, his head raised higher than absolutely necessary, as if he suddenly owned the place.

As the guards followed, Shining Armor and Cadence found themselves backing away slightly as the large white wolf walked by.

Twilight Sparkle kept her sights on the wolf as he followed Blueblood and his guards. As soon as the Prince and the guards had walked by her, the wolf was right there, just a few small steps away as he was walking by.

It seemed as if time slowed down as the wolf walked by, Twilight took a small step back as the wolf's head turned slightly and locked his eyes with hers. Twilight froze in place, every muscle locking as the wolf looked at her with hungry golden eyes, and despite knowing she was perfectly safe, she couldn't help but feel afraid. She wasn't the only one of course, her brother, Cadence, her parents, and her friends were all fazed by the wolf's appearance. Clearly, nopony was expecting him to be among the guests.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the wolf turned away and continued onwards to the palace.

Twilight placed a forehoof on her chest and felt her heart beating rapidly. She'd heard of the Wolves of Endrum before, but she'd never actually seen one up close before. This was the first time, and she had a hunch it wouldn't be the last.

Walking over to her parents, she asked, "Who was that?"

Night Light cast a quick glance at the wolf before replying, "Sotiris. Prince Blueblood's personal bodyguard, also known as The White Wolf of Endrum, one of the lands greatest Knights."

"...H-He's really scary..." Fluttershy muttered out.

Smiling, Night Light said, "Don't worry Fluttershy, he won't harm anypony as long as we leave him alone; wolves aren't exactly talkative."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Better tell that to Pinkie so she doesn't try and make friends with him then."

"Oh, but I love to make new friends! Maybe I should go after him and ask if he-" Pinkie was cut off by Applejack who put a forehoof to her mouth.

"No offense sugarcube, but that's one pony, err, wolf, that yer better off not makin' friends with." Applejack said.

The last few carriages had landed and everypony set their sights on the one in front. Stepping out was another Pony Rarity was familiar with, but one she was actually happy to see. "Miss Fleur!"

Fleur De Lis was helped down from the carriage by two royal guards, both of whom escorted her as she walked over to Rarity after seeing her waving.

"Miss Fleur, I didn't expect to see you here! This is quite a surprise!" Rarity said.

Fleur smiled at the mare's friendly greeting. "It's quite good to see you again as well, Miss Rarity. How have you been, dear?"

"Fabulous, thank you for asking." Rarity responded with a smile. Her eyes widened slightly upon noticing the mares swollen belly. "Oh my, umm...are...you..." She stuttered while pointing at her belly.

Giggling, Fleur said, "But of course dear."

"Oh my! Congratulations!" Rarity replied excitedly. "Who's the father? If you don't mind me asking."

Fleur closed her eyes and smiled. "Oh I think you already know him."

"Fancy Pants?" Rarity asked. A nod from Fleur caused her to gasp in surprise. "Oh this is wonderful! Where is he?! I must congratulate him too!"

Stifling another giggle, Fleur said, "Apologies, but due to being quite busy as of late, Fancy Pants was unable to make it. I'll be sure to let him know, though. Thank you again, Miss Rarity."

With that, the mare walked towards the palace, flanked on either side by her guards.

"With the amount of work on his desk lately, it doesn't surprise me that Fancy Pants couldn't be here." Night Light said.

Twilight Velvet raised a brow at him. "This coming from the current Grand Royal Advisor?"

Night Light nuzzled her in response. "Don't forget that I'm on break, dear."

Rolling her eyes at her parents, Twilight Sparkle looked back and finally saw Princess Celestia approaching after exiting the last carriage, escorted by several guards.

Everypony present bowed as Celestia approached Cadence and Shining Armor. "Rise, my little ponies."

Doing as she said, they all rose up and Shining Armor was the first to speak. "Welcome back to the Crystal Empire, Princess. We're-"

Celestia silenced him with a raised forehoof. "Please Shining Armor, I think it's best if we discuss this inside."

Shining was about to ask until Night Light interrupted him. "Don't forget the reason why she came here." He gestured towards the crowd of crystal ponies. "We don't want anypony to find out about this right away, or it'll cause a mass panic."

"Oh, yeah, I suppose you're right." Shining said, turning back to Celestia. "Let's talk inside then."

As Celestia followed Shining Armor, Cadence and Night Light into the palace, the royal guards and crystal guards all started moving the carriages and chariots while dispersing the crowd.

Twilight looked at her mother and asked, "Where's Princess Luna?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Probably couldn't make it?"

"Well well..." A voice called out.

Rainbow Dash grit her teeth and slowly turned to glare at an approaching silver Pegasus. "It's been a while since I last saw you. How have you been Dashie?"

"Been good, not that it's any of your business, Blitz Bolt." Rainbow Dash spat his name. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Blitz Bolt merely smirked at the cyan Pegasus. "Celestia asked me to accompany her, that's all."

Rainbow hardened her expression. "Yeah right, I find it hard to believe she would ask you of all Ponies to accompany her."

"Considering I'm one of the best fighters in Canterlot, it doesn't really surprise me." Blitz Bolt gave Rainbow a devious grin and said, "You know, you still owe me a race, too, Miss fastest-flier-in-Equestria."

Rainbow matched his grin with one of her own. "Anytime...any place."

Twilight Velvet stepped between the two and said, "That's enough now, both of you. If you both desire a race, then save it for later. We have more important things to take care of right now."

"Eh, whatever." Rainbow turned and flew off.

Blitz Bolt chuckled and was about to do the same until Applejack stopped him. "Hey Blitz Bolt, where's yer buddies Kickback and Air Break?"

"Air Break is back at Canterlot, said he didn't wanna be near any of you." Blitz Bolt said with a smirk.

Twilight narrowed her eyes at him. "Let me guess, he's still hates my brother for taking his eye?"

"Bingo." Blitz replied. "As for Kickback, well, he's here...somewhere." He said as he looked around for his friend. "...Ah great."

As the silver Pegasus flew off to find his friend, Twilight Velvet asked, "Friend of yours?"

Pinkie Pie opened her mouth to speak but Twilight Sparkle beat her to it. "Sort of. Back during the Dragon War he was one of the officers leading the Dalkian forces to support Equestria. Rainbow Dash saved him from a fatal fall when he injured his wing one day and...well, let's just say he wasn't too happy about being saved by a mare."

Twilight Velvet cast an annoyed glance in Blitz Bolt's direction. "Stallions and their pride."

Just now noticing a certain Pony was absent, Twilight Sparkle walked over to a couple of royal guards and asked, "Hey, do you know where my brother is?"

The guards exchanged confused looks, prompting Twilight to add, "You know, Luster Shield? Magister Knight?"

"Oh! Apologies your highness." The guards bowed their heads as one of them continued. "The Magister and a team of guards are currently scouting in the Frozen North and informed Princess Celestia that they will arrive later tonight."

Twilight's ears drooped. "Oh, ok." She walked back over to her mother who was giving her a comforting smile.

"Don't worry, he'll be okay." Velvet said as she gave her daughter a hug.

Twilight returned the hug and sighed. "I know, but I can't help but worry. The North is far more dangerous than ever now that the gates of Tartarus are broken."

Blitz Bolt flew over the city while keeping an eye out for his friend. He knew the Earth Pony was out and about somewhere and if there was one place he was sure he'd be, it was at the spa.

The Earth Pony was pretty well known for various things, one of which was his flirtatious personality. That particular attribute had often gotten them into different kinds of trouble, and Blitz Bolt himself was amazed that he was able to put up with it for so long, but thankfully, it made his friend very predictable.

Of course, the only reason he was able to put up with such stupidity for so long was because he was used to it. Had it been somepony like Rainbow Dash, his antics would have made her hit herself in the head repeatedly out frustration, so often in fact that she'd likely have a concussion or two to show for it.

Reaching the part of the city where the spa was located, Blitz Bolt couldn't help but roll his eyes when he spotted a small carriage at the side of the structure and two Changeling guards standing at the spa entrance.

"Great,” he growled, resisting the urge to facehoof. “in the Crystal Empire a few minutes and he's already at it."

Descending to ground level, Blitz Bolt landed on his hoofs and approached the spa entrance. After exchanging looks with the Changeling guards, he entered. He wasn't surprised the first sound he heard was mares giggling.

Up ahead, he could see the short red Earth Pony lying down on the spa bed surrounded by a few of the spa Ponies, all whom were mares.

"And if you think that one was funny, you should hear about the one when my friend nearly fainted when a mare offered to show him a good time!" The Earth Pony laughed, earning a few more giggles from the mares around him. "I guess not all stallions are that type."

One of the spa Ponies brushed a forehoof over his chest and said, "Oh they just tend to be shy at first, but they open up eventually." She giggled again. "It's good to meet you anyway, Sir Kickback. We hope we can make your stay here...really pleasant."

Kickback chuckled. "Oh I know it will be. Feel free to start anywhere you'd like, I got plenty of time."

"Not when there's business to be dealt with." Blitz Bolt responded as he approached the group.

The mares jumped at his unexpected arrival and stood aside, allowing the two stallions to lock eyes with each other. "Ah, Blitz Bolt, you decided to start your day off with a pleasant time at the spa too?" Kickback said with a smirk.

"No," Blitz Bolt replied flatly. "and I'm assuming everypony will be dining in the palace tonight, so your presence is needed. Princess Celestia would appreciate it if you were present, and I'd rather not be by myself tonight."

Kickback rolled his eyes. "Oh Blitz Bolt, while I would love nothing more than to hang out with one of my friends, I'll be dining right here tonight, so I'm afraid I won't be able to make it."

"Would it kill you to be serious about this." Blitz Bolt responded with a glare.

Again, Kickback rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is. Nopony will know I'm missing. Hey, did you see your fillyfriend Rainbow Dash?"

"SHE'S NOT MY FILLYFRIEND, YOU MORON!" Blitz Bolt shouted, a massive blush showing on his face.

Chuckling, Kickback said, "Wow...wow, you're in denial. You go ahead and keep all those feelings of yours bottled up buddy, but sooner or later, you gotta let 'em out."

"You know what? Buck you and have a nice day." Blitz Bolt spat as he turned to leave.

Kickback grinned as he put a foreleg around one of the mares. "Oh, don't worry; I will."

"So you're absolutely certain there are no survivors?"

Shining Armor and Night Light filled Celestia in on everything that recently transpired as they walked through the crystal halls of the palace. Cadence and the others had already helped everypony else get settled in, but there was a little bit of tension growing between some of the guards and the Changelings that were present. Thankfully, any possible conflict between them was avoided, as Cadence had each group stationed as far away from each other as possible.

"We're certain Princess. Mystic Shield had went out there with a team of guards and only he returned." Night Light informed her. "We went out ourselves after that to confirm his reports and he was indeed right. Cerberus is dead and while we didn't check the gates, we wouldn't doubt he's right about that too."

Celestia nodded. "I understand. If the gates are broken, then the evil creatures within will rally together and launch an attack on Equestria."

"Princess, how do you suggest we proceed?" Shining Armor asked.

Facing him, the white Alicorn said, "I've already spoken with several leading military commanders and your brother. They have agreed to rally their knights and set up positions at the abandoned castle a few miles away from Tartarus. Should any attack come, they will stop it, if only temporarily. I will speak with the rulers of the other kingdoms to decide a more permanent solution."

Night Light raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Celestia sighed. "The newly established unit is meant to hold the creatures of Tartarus off for a time, but it will only last so long, and based on your reports, repairing the gates is impossible, especially since we don't know how many have already escaped. I will be sending letters to the other rulers and call for a gathering so we may discuss how to put a stop to this permanently."

"I understand, Princess." Shining replied with a nod. "By the way, where is Princess Luna? Did she decide to stay in Canterlot?"

Celestia shook her head. "No. Luna is currently in Baltimare preparing to depart for the Kingdom of Dalkia."

Night Light's eyes widened slightly. "Dalkia? That's a long trip, Princess. Why is she going there?"

"We received a message from our old friend, the Iron King, that remnants of the Dragon Emperor's forces are stirring up trouble there." Celestia explained. "He requested our assistance and Luna was more than happy to oblige."

Shining Armor gave her a confused look. "Why does he need help? I thought Metal Wing was supposed to be a brilliant battle commander. He has many troops at his command too, so what could he possibly need help with?"

Celestia smiled. "He doesn't wish to resort to violence. He wants to negotiate a peaceful end with them, and unfortunately, since he isn't exactly the...diplomatic type, he sent a letter asking one of us to assist him."

"Umm, are you sure about this?" Night Light asked. "No offense, your highness, but Princess Luna isn't really...well..."

Giggling, Celestia said, "Don't worry my friend, Luna knows exactly what she is doing. I have complete faith in her."

Princess Luna stood at the docks of Horseshoe Bay as she patiently awaited the arrival of the Dalkian ships. When their old friend had sent a letter to them asking for diplomatic help, she more than happily agreed. Since it was one of her and Celestia's foalhood friends that was asking for help, and the fact that she'd never actually seen the Kingdom of Dalkia before, Luna jumped at the chance to go.

Celestia was a little reluctant to let her go at first, but Luna assured her that she was more than capable of carrying out the task. While the Iron King had his own advisors who could have taken up the diplomatic role, Luna knew it must have been really important if he was coming to her and Celestia for help instead. Of course, she knew that even if one of those advisors took up the role, it would only end in bloodshed, as one of them, who also happened to be an old friend, happened to be a rather aggressive individual. In truth, there was a higher possibility of him end up killing everything in sight in a fit of rage than successfully talking down those still loyal to the Dragon Emperor.

Luna looked around at the crowd of Ponies gathering near the docks. Most were there simply to look at her, curious as to why one of the Royal Pony Sisters was there, while others were still going about their daily business but casting a glance or two.

Ships were docking and departing nonstop, all carrying a mix of valuable resources, bits, gold and food. The Princess of the Night debated on just taking a carriage to the foreign Kingdom, but due to its long distance, a ship was the better option, as she knew her guards wouldn't be able to fly the entire distance on their own.

The Princess was too deep in thought to notice the sound of rattling armor and metal hoofsteps approaching. Only after did a voice speak to her, that she broke out of her thoughts and faced the armoured Unicorn mare who was smiling at her.

"Magister Snow Charm, is something wrong?" Luna asked.

The silver armored Magister shook her head. "No, I was merely checking on you. You were rather quiet, I was worried something may have been troubling you."

Luna smiled. "Rest assured, Magister, I am fine. Merely wondering when the ships will arrive. You wouldn't happen to know, would you?"

"Apologies, your highness, but no." Snow Charm replied with a chuckle. "But they should be here soon. Once they arrive, the crew will need to restock on supplies and resources, of course, but once that's taken care of, we will be on our way. That shouldn't take more than a couple of hours."

Nodding, Luna looked back at the departing ships and asked, "Tell me, how is my old friend doing? He always spoke about ruling a Kingdom back when we were all younger, but I never did take him for the ruling type. No offense to him, of course."

"None taken." Snow Charm chuckled. "But as for how he has been; he's doing just fine, given the circumstances. The Dragon War did do some damage to his land, so it'll take some time before the entire land recovers all of its greenery. Crops are slowly growing back, and the Kingdom will once again have great harvests. For now, his highness is keeping all of his subjects within the walls of the capital. Due to the remnants of the Dragon Emperor's forces causing trouble around the land, nopony can go out and tend to their fields without the risk of being seen and attacked. With so many moving to the capital, his highness has been rather stressed out with trying to provide food and shelter for those who are too afraid to tend to their fields near their homes."

Luna frowned slightly. "I can only imagine how difficult that must be. When we arrive, I swear I will do my best to put an end to it without bloodshed. After all, enough lives have been lost already."

Snow Charm nodded. "You're right Princess." She looked back and forth for a moment before asking, "By the way, where is the little dragon who was accompanying you? Is he not coming?"

"Oh but of course he is." Luna replied with a smile. "Spike is merely in the town at the moment, looking for a few books to keep himself occupied during the trip. He is so excited to be going to Dalkia, and he told me he has always wanted to see the Kingdom for himself."

A sad frown made its way onto Snow Charm's face. "I hope he's willing to overlook some of the ruins and barren parts. Considering it's his first time visiting the Kingdom, I'd hate for it to make a bad first impression."

"Don't worry Magister." Luna said, placing a forehoof on Snow Charm's armored shoulder. "I know the Kingdom is still beautiful, even with the minor damage done to it. You can rest assured, Spike will love it."

Snow Charm smiled in response and bowed her head. "Your generous words are appreciated, Princess."

"Now..." Luna added as she turned back to the docks. "Where are those ships?"

Night had come and everypony was currently in the palace dining hall feasting, with the exception of a certain few, such as Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who were just outside the palace entrance, conversing among each other, with the exception of Rainbow, who was busy practicing with a spear.

"If my father is going, then I'm going with him." Twilight Sparkle said to Rarity as she paced back and forth. "It won't be for long, I just want to spend some time with him, and maybe I can help out a little at the council."

Rarity sighed. "Well, if you're going then I'm going too. I was supposed to do a little shopping in Canterlot a few days ago anyway. Besides, I'm sure you could use somepony to talk to besides your father; I know you certainly don't want Blueblood to talk to."

Twilight looked at her friend and asked, "I have noticed the looks that he's given me before. What exactly does he have against me anyway?"

"Do you really even need to ask that, darling?" Rarity asked with a raised brow.

Before they could push the topic further, the flapping sound of wings caught their attention and they set their sights on an approaching group of royal guards.

The guards landed a short distance away and began approaching the three mares, Rainbow Dash stopped her little training session and flew down to her friends sides to see what was going on.

As they got closer, one Pony stood out from the rest, but the neither of the three could make him out due to being hidden by the shadows under the night sky.

The guards ceased walking and turned to the Pony, saluting him before trotting into the palace.

Twilight gave her friends a confused glance before staring back at the hidden Pony who continued approaching them. "I ordered them to go in and join the others, I didn't want to keep them."

Nearly gasping at the familiar voice, Twilight kept herself steady as she waited until the Pony stepped into the light, revealing his gleaming silver armor with a white blossom flower design on the breastplate and his cape. Only his cyan coloured wings and ears were visible from underneath all of the armour, but Twilight and her friends were already familiar with the Pegasus to know who was underneath the silver helmet.

The lavender mare immediately sprinted forward and jumped into the Pegasus, bringing them both to the ground as she hugged him tightly, ignoring the cold metal of his armour. "I'm so glad to see you again, OBBBFF! I was worried you weren't going to show up!"

Chuckling, the silver armored Pegasus returned the hug. "Come on now Twilight, you know I wouldn't pass up a chance to see my little sister."

As the two got back to their hoofs, Rarity approached and said, "It's nice to see you again Magister Luster Shield. It's been quite a while hasn't it?"

Luster Shield removed his helmet and smirked at the Unicorn mare. "Yes it has, and if memory serves, I recall telling you to just refer to me as Luster Shield and not address me by my title."

Rarity giggled. "This coming from the one who insisted he continue to call me lady Rarity? But of course, do forgive me, I am quite forgetful of these things sometimes."

Rainbow Dash trotted over to the three and said, "Hey Luster, how ya doin'?"

"Honestly?" Luster said with a sigh. "A little stressed out. Ever since Princess Celestia received that letter from Shining, she asked me to set up an elite unit and station them at the old abandoned castle up far in the North. As of now, The Armored Front is the new elite guard that will be tasked with protecting Equestria's borders from the threats of Tartarus. Princess Celestia has entrusted leadership of the Front to me and several others, who are currently up in the North right now organizing the unit."

He turned and smiled at Twilight. "We are small in number for the moment but that will change soon and we will be looking for more recruits, besides, we Knights are experienced fighters, whatever Tartarus throws at us, we'll send them back to where they belong."

It was no surprise to Twilight that Celestia had entrusted such a task to her adopted brother, given his recent history and experience in warfare. A few years after he was taken in by her parents, he disappeared after he and Shining Armor were out on one of their treks and ended up in the Kingdom of Dalkia where he spent the majority of his life growing up, which was how he got that foreign accent of his.

A few years after helping to save the Kingdom from a ruthless demon King and becoming a Royal Magister Knight, the events of the Dragon War brought him and the Dalkian army to Equestria where he was reunited with his adoptive family and met Twilight for the first time. There was a bit of hatred between him and Shining Armor because he believed Shining had abandoned him, but by the end of the war, Twilight was not only able to persuade him to give Shining another chance, but persuaded him to stay in Equestria where he became Princess Celestia's Royal Magister Knight.

Being a Chief advisor, the idea of an elite unit being established in the north may have been suggested by him, as he was highly protective of others. Being a Knight and all, he would battle a dragon just to protect her, he would face down an army if meant keeping his loved ones safe, he would brave Tartarus alone if it meant ensuring the tranquillity of the Kingdom.

Twilight smiled in return and hugged her adopted brother again. "With somepony like you protecting us, I know you won't let us down. I'm just glad you're here."

Luster nodded. "As am I. Let's go inside shall we?"

"Hold up!" Rainbow said as she raised a forehoof to stop him. "If you're gonna be up there dishing out the hurt and keeping the Kingdom safe then I want in! You said you'll be looking for more recruits right? Well sign me up!"

Luster Shield gave her a surprised look. "Um, Rainbow, it's not exactly your everyday job up there. This is serious, and it's far more dangerous than you can imagine. I know you, my sister and your friends have faced off against dangers before but...this entirely different from anything you have all faced off against."

"Aw come on!" She flew over to him and looked him in the eye. "I'm sure you've heard enough things about me to know that I'm qualified for this type of thing! Besides I can handle myself, I'm way more experienced than you probably think I am."

Eyeing her up and down, Luster took in a deep breath and merely said, "I'll think about it."

As the Magister followed Twilight and Rarity into the palace, Rainbow remained outside, a bit disappointed and angry that the Magister was hesitant to let her join the Front. It was understandable to an extent given that she wasn't really a guard or a Knight, but she had proven herself many times that she had what it took, if only the superiors in charge were willing to give her a chance. Then again, it could simply be due to the fact that she was a mare, and she knew that stallions were very prideful and believed that mares weren't suited for combat. Of course, that was just the jerks who thought they were better than everypony else, nowadays mares enter the royal guard or become Knights, mainly to protect their loved ones or if they can't find an appropriate job.

A chuckle broke her out of her thoughts and she looked over at the palace entrance where she saw Kickback smirking at her. "You know, just because you think you're capable, doesn't mean you are. An elite unit requires experienced warriors, not overconfident Ponies who can't back up their words."

Rainbow scowled at him. "What do you know?! You're not even a Knight!"

Kickback nodded, raising his brows slightly as he looked at one of his forehoofs. "You're right, I'm not a Knight. But at least I have the smarts to acknowledge it." He looked back at Rainbow as his smirk lowered. "Here's some advice, if you want to be a Knight, you have to take the job seriously, otherwise, they won't take you seriously."

As the red Pony turned back to the palace entrance, he looked over his shoulder at the cyan mare and smirked again before adding, "Oh, and if you do end up going North, make sure you're really careful. It'd be a shame if something happened to a pretty face like yours."

Rainbow was blushing madly at his comment and just scowled at him as he walked away from her.

As soon as he was out of sight, Rainbow looked at the spear she was still holding and sighed before returning to her training. She had to be truly ready if she was going to prove herself.

Inside the palace dining room, guards were lined up on each side of the room as everypony conversed with each other, some merely eating in silence like Prince Blueblood, who had a private table set up in the corner of the room so he didn't have eat with 'those who aren't royalty'.

The guards and Changelings would exchange glares from time to time, but thankfully neither dared to start a fight and stayed far away from each other.

Night Light was the first to notice the doors to the room open and see Twilight Sparkle and Rarity enter followed by Luster Shield. Twilight Velvet of course was the first to get out of her seat and run over to the silver armored Pegasus and hug him tightly while nuzzling his cyan face.

Smiling, Night Light got out of his seat and trotted over to his adopted son to exchange hugs also. "I'm glad you could make it."

Luster Shield returned his fathers smile and said, "Given that my whole family is here tonight, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Seeing everypony enjoying themselves, Night Light asked Twilight and Rarity to join their friends while he spoke to Luster in private, leading him over to one corner of the room while Velvet joined her daughter. "I heard you were up North." Night Light started as he cast a quick glance at Celestia.

Nodding, Luster said, "We scouted as far as we could and went no further than the abandoned castle. We found no signs of enemy movement so it's safe to assume they're merely biding their time and waiting to launch a surprise attack."

Night Light frowned. "A surprise attack...it wouldn't be the first."

"Indeed." Luster Shield replied. "Fortunately, thanks to the mountain terrain, the only way into the Kingdom is through the passageway that cuts through the mountains, and they'd have to go through the abandoned castle first to get there. And it won't be easy now that we're positioning the unit there. Of course, they can always go around the mountains, but that would take too long and from our side, we'd seem them coming."

The frown on Night Light's face wavered for a moment but returned in full when he brought up one of the other things that was bugging him. "How could Cerberus be killed? Even if there was a large number of prisoners that escaped, surely he must have managed to bring down a few of them before they brought him down, and yet there were no bodies or remains, none, except his."

Luster Shield shrugged. "Who knows. But remember, Tartarus is inhabited only by the most evil and dangerous creatures."

Night Light nodded. "Cerberus turns up dead. The Gates of Tartarus are broken. The Iron King of Dalkia requesting the Princesses help..." He looked at Luster Shield and smiled slightly. "And my son, now leading an elite unit to defend Equestria. A new era is on the horizon, I can see it now."

The two stallions chuckled and were brought out of their conversation by Shining Armor and Cadence who were approaching the two. "Luster." Shining said as he hugged the silver armored Pegasus.

"Shining." Luster returned the hug and smiled at Cadence before hugging her too. "Hey Cadence, you look nice tonight."

Cadence stifled a giggle. "Oh shut up." She said before nuzzling his neck. "I'm really glad you could make it."

Luster Shield nuzzled her in return before pulling away. "As am I." He looked between the married couple before asking, "Did the Princess inform you all of our plan?"

"I did indeed Magister."

The four Ponies turned to an approaching Celestia, who was flanked by Twilight Sparkle, her mother and her friends. "Everypony has been informed and I've already asked Princess Cadence and Shining Armor to help oversee everything when I return to Canterlot and meet with the leaders of the other Kingdoms so we can discuss a way to stop the inhabitants from within Tartarus permanently."

Cadence nodded. "Yes, it's now just a matter of who will show up and if they will show up. Knowing most of them, they will think that this is just Equestria's problem."

Night Light yawned. "Well, it's getting late so I think I'm going to get some sleep."

Twilight Velvet nodded. "Me too, I'll see you back at the room. Goodnight everypony." She said to the others before leaving.

As the others returned to their own things, Night Light had one last drink before making his way to the doors to leave. Unfortunately, he was stopped by a certain silver Pegasus. "Excuse me Blitz Bolt..." He said as he sidestepped to get around the silver Pegasus.

Blitz Bolt smirked at the Unicorn and sidestepped in front of him. "You know, I never really did get a chance to talk to you on a personal level."

"Oh?" Night Light raised a brow at him.

"Yeah." Blitz Bolt said. "I've really only ever heard about things you've done, and I have to say, I'm really impressed. Your deeds during the Dragon War are quite well known."

Night Light rolled his eyes. "So I've heard..."

Blitz Bolt smirked at him. "When I look at you though, I still find it very hard to believe that you led several attacks on the enemy forces as well as successfully defending Manehattan. You don't exactly look like you're cut out for that sort of thing, don't get me wrong of course, we all get older as time goes by."

Chuckling, Night Light said, "You know, you should never underestimate us old stallions, because you just might be surprised." He walked by the silver Pegasus and smiled to himself as he left the dining room.

After making his way to his and his wife's room, he retired to bed and finally relaxed as he let himself melt into the soft mattress underneath him. A pair of forelegs wrapped around him and he couldn't help but smile as he felt his lover nuzzle him in the neck.

"I hope this doesn't take too long, you know I hate it when our family is kept apart." Twilight Velvet said quietly as she rested her head against Night Light's chest.

Night Light sighed in response. "I know. I promise I'll do my best to help solve this as soon as possible, then we can all spend time together for as long as you want."

Velvet frowned sadly at him. "Do you have to go? Can't you just stay here in the Crystal Empire with me and the others? I understand the responsibilities that come with being the Grand Royal Advisor but, surely the Princess will have plenty of others advising her."

"Hehe, she asked for me to come with her personally, I couldn't exactly say no." Night Light replied. "Besides, we all have our duties, I can't shy away from mine."

Rolling her eyes, Velvet said, "You stallions and your duties." She snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

Night Light pulled her closer as he slowly let his head sink into the pillow. "With a little luck, I shouldn't be gone for too long. Of course, if something comes up, I may end being there longer than intended."

Smirking, Velvet gently poked his chest with her forehoof. "Well, it doesn't matter to me one way or the other. If you're gone for too long, I'll come and drag you back."

Chuckling, the Unicorn stallion gave his wife a quick nuzzle before closing his eyes and letting himself drift off to sleep.

To Luna's slight frustration, the Dalkian ships had not arrived and the Princess and her escort had to rent out a room at a nearby inn for the night.

After lowering the moon and watching the sun rise into the sky to begin a new day, the Princess of the Night was on the verge of returning to Canterlot, but thankfully, the ships had finally appeared in the distance and were sailing towards the docks of Horseshoe Bay at a rather slow pace.

When the ships had docked, the crew apologised for the late arrival and explained that the wind was against them and was the cause of their being late.

Luna forgave them of course, but she was really just trying to avoid a bad morning and had no desire to yell at the moment. Snow Charm was already overseeing the restocking of supplies and was encouraging the crew to speed up progress to make up for lost time. Despite assuring the Magister that she was fine with waiting a little longer, Snow Charm was intent on making up for the late arrival of the ships.

Hours went by as she waited and Luna kept herself entertained in a few books given to her by Spike, who was carried onto the ship by Snow Charm when the dragon fell asleep.

After putting the books away, she was relieved to see that the ships were finally ready to depart. The largest ship was the one that held all of the supplies and rooms for passengers. The other smaller ships had cannons at their sides, no doubt to provide protection for the passenger ship that Luna herself would be travelling on. Despite the lack of conflict near or in any of the other lands, one could never be too careful, especially when a passenger ship was carrying an important Pony like Luna.

As Luna made her way across the docks towards the passenger ship, her attention was dragged by two Knights who were bickering amongst each other, arguing over who gets the crows nest. She couldn't help but shake her head at the sight, hoping she wouldn't have to listen to it during her trip.

Things escalated a little when the two Knights drew their swords, and Luna herself was just about to intervene until a commanding voice halted the Knights in their tracks.

"If the both of you desire the crows nest so badly then take shifts, now cease this foolish bickering and return to your posts."

A Unicorn covered from head to hoof in metallic brown armour stepped off of the ship and received salutes from the two Knights before they ran back on board. He wore a horned helmet that covered his head completely minus his horn and ears and had a black cape draped over his back.

Luna recoiled slightly when the Unicorns head turned to face her. "Well, Princess Luna, I must say, it's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face." He said with a clear foreign accent much like Snow Charm.

"I am Magister Freed, I came here on the orders of his highness, the King of Dalkia, to personally escort you to the Kingdom and ensure all of your needs are tended to."

Recovering from her state, Luna walked over to the Magister and replied, "It's good to meet you too Magister Freed. I have most certainly heard of you, but you are right that this is indeed the first time we have actually met each other."

Freed chuckled behind his helmet. "Quite. The life of a Royal can be quite a time consuming one." His horn began to glow and he levitated a large book over to her. "This book contains everything you need to know about the Kingdom of Dalkia. Should you find yourself in need of information, this book will have what you're looking for. If you have any questions you'd like answered, I will always be available to offer my assistance." He stood aside and gestured towards the ship. "Shall we then?"

Luna smiled and took the book with her magic. "Of course, thank you."

The Princess of the Night boarded the ship with the Magister at her side and, after waiting for the crew to get to their posts, finally departed for the foreign Kingdom.

Kickback trotted alongside Sotiris as he explained his intentions of checking out the abandoned castle up in the Frozen North, with a slight eagerness to see the new elite unit with his own eyes.

Celestia was reluctant to let him go at first as she didn't want a 'civilian' near any danger, but Kickback insisted he would be fine as long as he had guards with him.

The large wolf himself made for rather poor company, barely replying to the stallion as they walked around the crystalized town. "Never took ya for the travelling type." The wolf said in a gruff tone.

Kickback chuckled. "Well, one has to get out from time to time to explore the wonders of the world. After all, I do need to have some stories ready for every time I come back from one of my trips."

Sotiris narrowed his eyes at him. "Ya better watch yourself, because you just might get eaten alive on one of those trips if ya ain't careful."

"Ooh...tempting." Kickback responded with a wide grin before trotting on ahead.

Growling at the stallions sarcastic reply, the wolf walked on in silence, ignoring the frightened looks he was getting from every single Pony he walked by.

As he neared the palace, he was halted in his tracks by a familiar yellow Pegasus he had seen just the other day. "O-Oh...um...e-excuse me..." She said quietly.

Sotiris raised a brow at the timid mare and said, "You're quite the example aren't ya?"

The yellow mare looked down at her hoofs and remained silent.

"Your name, Pony." The wolf growled.

Shaking, the mare slowly locked eyes with him for just a quick second before looking away again. "Um...I'm um...Fluttershy..." She said quietly.

Sotiris squinted at her. "Speak up!"

Recoiling at his dangerous tone, the mare repeated herself, louder this time. "F-F-Flutter...shy...m-my name is F-Fluttershy."

The white wolf continued to glare at her, almost as if he wasn't satisfied with her answer. Thankfully, his hardened expression wavered and he walked away.

Fluttershy didn't dare attempt to speak to him again and merely turned around to return to the palace. She was planning on meeting up with her friends for a day at the spa, but now thanks to the terrifying experience of giving her name to that wolf, she was too frightened to take another step away from the palace.

She decided to let her friends spend time without her and slowly unfurled her wings to return to the palace. Gently, she hovered in the air and slowly ascended up to the palace balcony above. It was still early in the morning so most of the palace was still asleep, with the exception of a few guards and Changelings that were roaming about in the palace corridors.

As the Pegasus landed down on the balcony, she heard a familiar voice coming from inside. "Do you think any of them are aware?"

Fluttershy hid behind the crystalized wall next to the open doorway and slowly peeked around to see Prince Blueblood and Fleur De Lis talking to each other.

"Remember, if they find out, it's all over and all of our hard work will have been for nothing." Blueblood said.

Fleur chuckled and brushed her forehoof along his face. "You worry too much. I already told them, they believe that Fancy Pants is the father."

Blueblood nodded. "That's fine, as long as none of them think it's me, that's perfectly fine. But Night Light has been rather persistent in investigating Cerberus' death lately, we need to make sure he doesn't find out what happened."

"Oh don't worry. He won't." Fleur replied, an evil smirk making its way onto her face. "And if he continues to make a pest of himself, we simply must wait until the right moment. Then, we can do what we wish with him."

Chuckling, Blueblood replied, "I am actually rather looking forward to that. For now though, keep an eye on him, I dislike repeating myself, but if he finds out we had a part in Cerberus' death then it's over for us."

Fluttershy gasped.

Unfortunately for her, Blueblood and Fleur had heard her and were already at the balcony entrance before she could make any escape attempt. "YOU!" Blueblood's horn flared up and held Fluttershy in the air. "You were spying on us?! Weren't you?! WHAT DID YOU HEAR?!"

Fluttershy shook with fear and tried to form a response but was too afraid to find the words she was looking for.

Blueblood glared daggers at her and looked ready to kill her until Fleur calmed him down. "It's ok, she's the only one here, nopony else knows."

"BUT SHE HEARD US! SHE KNOWS!" Blueblood shouted.

Fleur sighed. "Calm down dear. I know she heard us, but I don't see her going anywhere. Do you?"

Blueblood growled. "Only because I'm holding her!"

Fluttershy continued to shake in fear and once again tried to speak. "P-Please...don't hurt me..."

Fleur smiled at her. "Oh don't worry darling, we won't hurt you at all."

"What?" Blueblood glared at the Unicorn mare.

With her smile turning into a devious smirk, Fleur's horn slowly began to glow as she aimed it at Fluttershy. "Now don't you worry my little pony, you won't feel anything at all. I promise you."

With that, a beam of magic shot forth from Fleur's horn and struck Fluttershy in the head.

Fluttershy could suddenly feel her strength weakening and her eyes began to get heavy. As darkness began to take her, Blueblood smirked evilly at her dangling form before throwing her off the balcony.

Darkness was the last thing Fluttershy remembered as she fell.