The Quest Through Time

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 10

Chapter 2

“No major injuries to the head or body.”

“It’s a good thing you found her when you did, she would’ve only lasted another ten minutes.”

“Look, I think she’s waking up!”

Twilight slowly opened her eyes as she began to regain consciousness. The faces she saw were not familiar, nor was the room she was in.

“W…Where am I?” she said softly.

“You’re in the medical bay,” one of the doctors said. “You were found out in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold.”

“But… I was having a picnic and…” It was obviously she was still not 100% there. The two doctors glanced at each other.

“Do you have any idea where you are right now?” the second doctor asked.

Twilight looked around. “I’m not sure, did they put in a new hospital in Ponyville?”

Once again they shared a concerned look. “There is no Ponyville… at least not anymore.”

“What?” Twilight soon shot up. “What are you talking about? What happened?”

“You don’t know?”

“…Do you know who our current ruler is?”

“Of course, Princess Celestia,” Twilight responded.

“…Dear, Princess Celestia has been missing for over fifty years now.”

“F-Fifty years?” Twilight looked at herself. It wasn’t possible… could she have…? “You mean this is… the future?”

“I suppose it is,” the first doctor said. “If you are indeed Twilight Sparkle then somehow you have crossed time along with your friends.”

“My friends!” Twilight said, now remembering. “Are they alright?”

“They are just fine,” the second doctor said. “But don’t thank us, these three here are your saviors.” Twilight then saw she had more company. A white unicorn with a navy blue mane, a blue pegasus with red and black mane, and an earth pony who was brown with a black mane.

“I… thank you.” Twilight said softly.

“No problem at all,” the unicorn said, smiling. “The name’s Snowblind and this is Arwen and Dax. If you don’t mind doctors, we can fill her in from here.” The two doctors nodded and left. “If you really are from the past, then I have to warn you: a lot has changed in fifty years.”

“How so?” Twilight asked, paying close attention.

“Technology has advanced at a high level,” Arwen said. “So much now that we have new modes of transportation, entertainment, you name it.”

“But what happened to Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked.

“Ah… well we don’t know exactly what happened to her, but most likely she is somewhere in Equestria,” Snowblind replied.

“Equestria has a new leader now,” Dax said with disgust. “Or I should say, the Equestrian Empire.”

“Perhaps the boss can go into more detail,” Arwen said. “But we’re just glad you’re okay and we found you when we did.”

“I feel the same way.” Twilight soon got out of bed and saw she was able to balance herself. “Are my friends awake as well?”

“Yes,” Snowblind said, smiling. “In fact they’re waiting outside for you.” He nodded towards the door and Twilight went out.

There waiting for her were her friends. And upon seeing her, they all quickly reacted. “Twilight!” She was then greeted by a huge hug from all of them.

“Well I’m glad to see you all are alright as well,” Twilight said smiling. “I’m sure they told you as well.”

“They sure did!” Applejack said.

“Poor Ponyville is gone,” Rarity said.

“And an Empire, whatever that is!” Pinkie Pie said.

“And they have machines…” Fluttershy said.

“And Princess Celestia disappearing.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Well, I hate to say it, but somehow we got ourselves stuck in the future,” Twilight announced. She then looked to the other ponies. “Where did you find us exactly?”

“In the middle of nowhere up in the mountains around here,” Snowblind said. “Imperial soldiers almost had a hold of you but we got there just in time.”

“I remember there was some sorta earthquake and then the ground all broke up and we fell through the crevice,” Applejack said.

“Not just that but it was like something grabbed us,” Rarity continued. “No doubt some sort of magic was involved.”

“But the question is why, and how did we jump through time?” Rainbow asked.

“That I think I can explain.” The six of them looked over to a larger pony who had a green coat and blue mane.

“Sir!” Snowblind, Arwen, and Dax said at the same time, saluting.

“At ease you three,” the pony said with a small smile. “I’m Basil, (A/N: Pronounced with an a as in apple.) and I’m the leader of this resistance. Come, let us talk in the meeting room.”

Once they all found themselves a seat in the meeting room, Basil was quick to begin. “I’m sure you have any questions and I will do the best I can to explain. The world you are in now is no longer the Equestria you once knew. The government has become, in short, a dictatorship, one that we are currently fighting in civil war. The military now composes of machines that are able to use elemental magic, known as “Magitek.” Where Ponyville used to be now stands the new capital, Vector. To put it all short, the future has become a terrifying place.”

“And just who is this new ruler?” Rainbow asked.

“Emperor Ghidious, an alicorn just like Celestia,” Basil stated. “He has been around for as long as she has. I do not know how exactly he came to power. According to him, Celestia no longer felt fit to be ruler and therefore vanished, but I sense something else happened.”

“Not to mention he’s rotten to the core,” Arwen added.

“And what about Princess Luna?” Rarity asked.

“She too vanished, although there have been rumors she’s been seen around and about all over Equestria. We have been trying to get in contact with her, but it appears she wishes to stay in hiding.”

“Okay, I think I’m starting to understand it all,” Twilight said. “So we have a major bad guy, but if we can find Princess Celestia and Luna, then we can defeat him?”

“It’s really not that simple,” Dax said.

“Ghidious has… come up with a way for non-unicorns to use magic,” Basil said gravely.

“But that’s impossible!” Twilight said.

“Magic cannot be transferred to earth ponies or pegasi!” Rarity argued.

“I know, but he found a way, although we’re still trying to figure it out,” Basil replied. “But his entire new army consists of such ponies, which makes them deadly. Not to mention having all these mechs and airships. We are greatly outnumbered but only have been able to hold out as long as we have because of our terrain. This fortress is massive and it would take the entire army to eventually conquer it. At this rate, all we can hope to do is eventually have this become a war of attrition.”

“So in other words, guerilla tactics?” Applejack asked.

“Something like that,” Dax replied.

“However, before you ask, I may have an idea where Celestia could be,” Basil said. “We have a contact in Fillydelphia, which is not far from here. He has his way of listening in on things. If you can find him, then perhaps-”

Suddenly the ground shook as an explosion could be heard outside. “Damn it,” Basil cursed. “They’ve resumed the bombardment. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you three must leave now. Head to Fillydelphia and find Marcus. You three, you’ll be accompanying them there, but make sure they go down to the armory first.”

“Yes sir!” Snowblind said. “Alright ladies, follow us!”

Chapter 3

The fortress continued to rumble as the six ponies and their newest allies made their way down to the armory. As they hurried, they saw what appeared to be artillery in the distance as well as airships. “I know you’ve all never used or ever had to use weapons before,” Snowblind explained. “But times have changed, and you will need them to protect yourselves.”

Opening the door, the three of them looked around. “Ah, here we go,” Arwen said. She then gave a lance to Rainbow Dash. “As all pegasi are flyers, the lance is a deadly weapon, use it wisely.”

“Awesome,” Rainbow said, taking it.

“Now you seem the type who could handle one of these,” Dax said, handing a 16-gauge shotgun to Applejack.

“Heh, haven’t seen one of these in awhile,” Applejack replied, taking her boomstick.

“Now for you two,” Arwen said, giving two pairs of bows to Rarity and Fluttershy. “I understand too that you are a unicorn Rarity, but there’s nothing wrong with being too careful.”

“I will only use it if necessary,” Rarity said, nodding.

Fluttershy on the other hand, was not too sure. She certainly wasn’t the violent type, and she certainly did not want to even use a weapon, but she took it regardless, if not reluctantly.

Snowblind looked at Pinkie Pie for a moment. “Hmm… I got just the weapons for you!” He went through and found two small swords, and a pair of knives. “Stole these off of one of Ghidious’ Death Guard, they’ll certainly suit you well.”

Pinkie Pie took them honorably. “I will use them with great responsibility!” she said in a serious tone.

“Um…” Twilight then said. “You know, I don’t think I’ll need one, I mean I do have my magic and-”

“Don’t be silly Twilight,” Applejack said. “Magic won’t always work for us ya know. Besides even Fluttershy is willing to use one.”

“But I’m not really the fighting type.”

“Neither is Fluttershy but-”

“My point is,” Twilight said tensely. “I don’t need one.”

“Well, if you say so,” Dax said. “Alright, we better get moving then.”

They then started their way down the mountain. “The good news is that with the battle going on, the Imps will be too focused to notice us go around them,” Snowblind said. “Regardless, I’ll go out and do some scouting. I’ll let you know if it’s clear.” He then cloaked himself again and moved out.

“…Did he just turn invisible?” Twilight asked.

“Yep,” Arwen said. “That’s his special ability, or so he says. That’s why he’s called Snowblind.”

Twilight was silent for a moment. “I really want to learn that,” she muttered.

They then heard a whistle. “Alright, we’re clear,” Dax said.

“So how far is the city from here?” Applejack asked.

“Not far, once we get out of the mountains,” Arwen said. “Unfortunately the Empire most likely has that place on lockdown so it will be hard getting in.”

“It’s too bad Snowblind can’t use that invisible spell on all of us,” Rainbow said.

“I don’t think he’s ever tried it,” Dax said. “Not that I can blame him, I’d hate to be stuck invisible for the rest of my life.”

“Well at least you’ll be able to sneak into the mare barracks much easier,” Arwen said with a smirk, causing Dax to go red.

They soon regrouped with Snowblind who was looking through his pair of electrobinoculars again. “Looks like we have a patrol up ahead,” he said.

“Mechs?” Dax asked.

“It’s our lucky day Dax, no,” Snowblind said. “Still, too many to take out from a distance.”

“We could always surprise them and take em out guns a blazin’” Arwen suggested.

“…You six stay here,” Snowblind said. “If we all go and attack, they’ll send in regiments after us and we’ll never make it to Fillydelphia undetected.” Rainbow Dash looked disappointed.

(A/N: For this part, the song I’m using here is “The Man With the Machine Gun” from Final Fantasy VIII.)

There were about eight of them, which for the three rebels was not much of an issue. They could only hope there weren’t any around who could ring the alarm. *All of a sudden a shot rang out, hitting one of the soldiers in the head, causing all of them to become alert.

Snowblind then appeared before them. However, the soldiers eased slightly and surrounded him. “You, rebel,” one of them said. “In the name of the Equestrian Empire, you are under arrest for treason.” They assumed they could take him handily. That was their biggest mistake.

“Oh I’m not going anywhere,” Snowblind said and all of the sky came Arwen who crashed into three of them and, using his magic, Snowblind cast a Blizzard spell which froze them completely in ice.

“This is becoming too easy Snowblind,” Arwen said afterward.

“Don’t get cocky Wen,” Snowblind said. “Try saying that to the rest of the Imperial Army.”

After about another hour, they soon finally made it to Fillydelphia. A lot has changed in fifty years. The skyscrapers were larger, there was more transportation, and people as well; and imperial soldiers on every corner of the street.

“Well, this is as far as we go,” Snowblind said.

“You’re leaving us?” Twilight asked.

“We would, except we’re rather known to the Empire. Don’t worry, there are plenty of sympathizers in the city that you can always talk to,” Dax explained.

“Also, Marcus usually hangs out at a bar called “The Drunken Pony,” Arwen said. “…It has it’s reputations.”

“Well, we can’t thank you enough, even though this is all sinking in,” Twilight said.

“We’ll meet again soon, I’m sure,” Snowblind said. They soon said their farewells.

“Okay, so now how do we get in?” Rarity asked.

“Well, we could always try Fluttershy sweet-talking the guards?” Rainbow suggested.

Applejack took a look at these “Guards.” “Eh… they don’t look like the heart-melting type… and no Pinkie giving them cake won’t help either.”

“Aw man!” Pinkie said, frowning.

“Psst!” They looked over and saw there was a pony who was by the checkpoint on the inside of the city. “You’re all rebels right? Don’t worry, I got a way for you six to get in.”

He then went up to the guards groaning in pain and clenching his stomach. “Ugh, my stomach!” he said. “I knew I should’ve just thrown that food away.”

“Hey!” one of the Guards said. “This is a restricted area!”

“Sorry… I… blagh!” He then threw up right at the guard’s hooves.

“Gah! Get out of here!” Now the others were watching in interest, and that was the cue that Twilight got as she motioned to the others and quickly made their way through.

“Thanks for the help,” she thought, giving a quick nod to the pony who was still feigning his sickness.

“Wow, I guess they weren’t kidding about sympathizers after all,” Rainbow said afterward.

“So where are we gonna find this bar anyway?” Applejack asked. “Are we even allowed to go into bars?”

“Ugh…” Rarity said in disgust. “Whenever I think of a bar I see colts and stallions drinking, starting fights, and spilling drinks all over the place. Certainly not my cup of tea.”

“Okay, so you can stay outside then,” Twilight said. “In fact that’s a good idea. But for now girls, we need to blend in with the crowds. I don’t know if we’ll be recognizable but we certainly can’t cause attention to ourselves.”

“Okie dokie!” Pinkie said. “But if we happen to go by a bakery… I’m totally getting something.”

Chapter 4

The Drunken Pony was not a bad place on the outside, but it did have the reputation of attracting the wrong crowds, which would then lead to situations where at least one pony would be carried out in a body bag. Thankfully, it seemed that Twilight and the others managed to come on a good day.

“Okay,” Twilight said once they were at the entrance. “I have a feeling if we all go inside we’re going to attract too much attention.”

“I think we’re going to attract attention anyway since we’re kinda underage,” Applejack pointed out. “Then again maybe it’ll just be because we’re all mares.”

“Well, if something happens, we don’t want to get caught in the middle of it,” Twilight continued. “Plus we’ll need somepony outside to keep an eye in case any guards show up. Rainbow and Applejack, you’ll come with me, the rest of you stay out here and keep watch.”

“Oh thank Celestia,” Rarity sighed a breath of relief.

Once they went inside, they realized it wasn’t your typical bar. There was a small jazz band playing in the background while most ponies were sitting, enjoying their drinks. They got looks here and there but surprisingly they didn’t pay them much attention.

“So Twilight,” Rainbow said. “How are we gonna find this Marcus if we don’t even know what he looks like?”

“I can simply ask the bartender,” Twilight said matter-of-factly, knowing of course they probably should’ve gotten a description before. “Hello sir,” she said kindly to the bartender who was cleaning a pitcher with a rag. “Do you happen to know a pony by the name of Marcus?”

The bartender stopped and looked at her. “Friends of his or something?” he asked gruffly. “He’s over in the back by the window. There’s usually some lady friend he has with him.”

Twilight then spied him and nodded. “Thank you.” She then motioned Rainbow and Applejack to follow her to the back of the bar, where a white earth pony was enjoying his drink. “Marcus?” she asked.

“Who wants to know?” the earth pony replied. He then looked at them closely. “Well, you’re certainly a trio I’ve never met before. An earth pony with a cowboy hat, a rainbow-maned pegasus, and a unicorn who- well, I guess there’s nothing unique about you.”

“I hope you’re not getting any crazy ideas,” Applejack warned him. The tone in her voice was enough for most ponies to back off.

Marcus smirked. “Nah, too old for you all I’d reckon. Now, I assume you have a good reason for coming here of all places?”

“We heard you have an airship,” Twilight said. “And we need a pilot to take us to the capital city.”

“First of all, it’s not an airship,” Marcus said, who sounded almost offended. “Compared to the ships we have nowadays, an airship is pretty much a balloon and a propeller; and second of all, why in Celestia’s name would you want to go there?”

“We heard the Princess is being held in some research facility and we need to rescue her,” Rainbow said.

“Research…?” He then looked up and smiled. “Basil sent you three, didn’t he?”

“Well, actually there are six of us,” Applejack corrected him.

“Six? Huh… well anyway I had a feeling,” Marcus said. “That crazy coot owes me big time. I’d be asking a price for the trip but I doubt he sent you money, as usual. Alright fine, but I have to warn you, nowadays it isn’t so easy going from city to city. The Empire keeps a close eye on what comes in and what goes out.”

“Supplying the rebellion?” Twilight asked.

“I haven’t personally,” Marcus said. “But yes. Anyway, you three should get going. I have some things to take care of here but the shipyards are just south here. Hanger 18 is where I am so I’ll meet you there.”

Once they left, Marcus finished his drink and got up to leave. “Going somewhere?” a greenish-colored pony said, pointing a small weapon up at Marcus.

“Yes Nirva, I was about to go see your boss,” Marcus said, sitting back down. “Is this why you’re here?”

“Jenov wants his money and I’m here to collect,” Nirva said.

“I don’t have the money,” Marcus said. “It’s on my ship, which is why I’m heading there now, just tell Jenov that-”

“I think we both know that’s not true,” Nirva said.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right…” Marcus said. Suddenly there was a bang, and Nirva laid back in his seat dead. Marcus sighed and got up again, leaving the body there. “Sorry for the mess,” he said, tossing a bit to the bartender.

Once Twilight and the others reached the Shipyards, they saw it was bustling with activity. Ponies coming in and out and many who wanted to leave it seemed. “Things really have changed,” Fluttershy said.

“Tell me about it,” Rainbow said. “With all these ships for the military and such, who needs the Wonderbolts?” Little did they know somepony in the background was keeping an eye on them.

“Here, Hanger 18,” Twilight said. This hanger appeared to be empty except for one lone ship and seeing the design of it was enough for them to realize Marcus had not been joking. This ship has no balloon, but it did have a large engine, repulsorlifts, and four forward cannon batteries.

“This?” Rainbow said. “This is our transport? What a piece of junk!”

“Hey!” From behind the ship came another earth pony who had a welding helmet on. Lifting it up, they saw it was a mare. “This ‘piece of junk’ is the fastest ship in all of Equestria, thank you very much.”

“Doesn’t look that fast…” Rainbow muttered before Twilight gave her a glare.

“Ah, I see you’ve all met my co-pilot,” Marcus said, who appeared behind them. “Don’t mind them Jazz, they’re new to all this.”

“Jazz?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jazz sighed. “It’s short for Jasmine,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly. “Anyway, where we going this time Marc?”

“Oh you’re going to love this,” Marcus said. “We’re taking a one-way trip to Vector.”

Jazz stared back at him while taking her helmet off. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope!” Marcus said with a smile. “Apparently we’re helping free the Princess!”

“I’m starting to get the feeling they’re not taking this seriously,” Rarity said.

“…This is crazy,” Jazz said. “Why would you even accept such a thing?”

“Because Basil asked me too and he owes me money,” Marcus said simply.

“You realize if we get caught we’ll be charged with treason and possibly executed.”

“Oh what a way to go I guess.”

Jazz sighed. “Well… it’s not the craziest thing we’ve done… yet.” She then looked to the others. “By the way, you’re looking at the Blazin’ Mare. Don’t ask, Marcus named her not me.”

“Oh you’d be surprised,” Marcus said proudly. “Just wait til you get a feel of her. Alright Jazz, you go and get the ship fired up, I need to do a couple tweaks on the weapons system quick. As for you six, get in and get comfy, we’ll be leaving in ten minutes.”

The structure of the Imperial Army was distinguished by race. Most of the basic troops are unicorn, many of the pilots are pegasi; although that is not to say a non-pegasus cannot fly a ship, and the earth ponies made up Ghidious’s top elite force, the stormtroopers. While not as feared as the Death Guard, stormtroopers packed an arsenal that could put the resistance to its knees and that was scary enough. How unfortunate that they were headed towards the Shipyards.

Stormtroopers carried the most up-to-date weaponry, which in these standards were small assault rifles, although they could be seen as “old-fashioned.” The most skilled at recon got themselves a very powerful bolt-action rifle. Very deadly. All in all, you had to have a quick trigger to take on a platoon of them.

The biggest question was how could a pony even wield such a weapon? Truth was they had to use their front hooves to hold and aim, meaning they have to be quick to pull out their guns, which they had strapped to their backs.

As the troops made their way in, they were met quickly by the spy who had been spying on the six ponies who headed towards Hanger 18. “Where did they go?” one of the soldiers asked. The spy said nothing but pointed down the rows. “Hanger 18? Alright troops, check your weapons.”

Marcus was quickly doing a last-minute check on the ship when he heard them coming. “Oh you have got to be kidding me…”

“Stop that ship! Blast them!” Suddenly the entire hanger rang with gunfire as Marcus had to pull out his pistol and take quick shots, some aimed at the soldiers and the others aimed at the emergency override, causing the hanger doors behind them to close. “Jazz get this ship off ground and get us out of here!” He didn’t have to ask twice as the landing ramp closed and soon the ship lifted up and shot towards the sky.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked once he got to the cockpit area.

“Looks like you and your friends were being tagged,” Marcus said. “Seems the Empire has taken notice of you and want something from you.”

“I guess they put two and two together then,” Applejack said.

“I don’t think that’s the worst of our problems right now,” Jazz said. “We have Imperial cruisers coming in fast.”

Chapter 5

(A/N: For the beginning part, the song I’m using here is “Forever Fugitives” from Final Fantasy XIII.)

Chapter 5

*It did not take long before the Imperial cruisers were on their tails. “They’re within firing range,” Jazz said tensely.

“I thought you said this ship was fast?” Applejack said.

“Not against an Imperial assault ship!” Marcus almost snapped. Soon the assault ships started firing but thanks to the ship’s size and speed, it was able to dodge most of the attacks.

“We can’t afford to take many hits,” Jazz said. “This ship wasn’t made to withstand a large attack.”

“So what do we do now?” Twilight asked.

“Take the fight to them,” Marcus said smiling. “She may be small but we can certainly give them a bloody nose! Get ready Jazz and hold on tight everypony!” Marcus made a sharp turn to the right, turning the ship around right back towards the ships. He could certainly imagine the fleet commanders would be watching in shock and awe at this daring feat.

Locking on, Jazz pulled the trigger and the cannons on the sides of the ship rang out with a large BOOM as the enemy guns were suddenly taken down, as well part of the one’s bridge and the other’s starboard side. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Marcus said.

“One little problem,” Jazz replied. “They’re launching ships now.”

“Damn it,” Marcus groaned. “Okay, now’s the time to get out of here.” Going one-on-one with ships this size would be much more difficult. However, Marcus then got an idea. “Jazz, we still have some of that worthless cargo in the back?”

“Yeah, why?” Jazz asked.

“Let them lock on to us,” Marcus said. “And when I say the word, jettison the cargo.”

Jazz caught on quick. “Aye,” she said. It didn’t take long before one of the enemy ships locked on. “They’re locking on to us with rockets.”

“Perfect,” Marcus said. He waited a few seconds and said, “NOW!” The rocket was fired as soon as the cargo in the back was jettisoned, which was the first thing the rocket hit causing a small explosion and a cloud of smoke. To the enemy, it looked convincing enough as there was debris falling to the ground and soon they broke off, returning to their damaged motherships.

When the debris had been blown up, Marcus quickly landed inside the middle of a forest, finding a clearing big enough. “And that,” Marcus said. “Is how you outsmart the Empire.”

“Will they find us here?” Rarity asked.

“No,” Jazz said, sitting back in her seat. “The ship has a built-in jamming device that jams enemy radar. But, because of where we are, they’ll automatically assume it’s because of the forest being so dense.

“I don’t understand why they came after us in the first place,” Fluttershy said.

“It’s possible you were being followed,” Marcus stated. “Either that, or you’re more of a threat to them than you think you are.”

“But that’s impossible,” Twilight said. “We-” she then stopped, realizing what she was about to explain would most likely sound ludicrous. She then sighed. “We’re not fro around here, this time period I mean.”

Both pilots looked at her strangely. “You’re saying you’re from… another time?” Jazz asked. Twilight nodded.

Marcus laughed. “Man, Basil just knows how to pick ‘em doesn’t he?” He then turned serious. “But if what you say is true, then that means they already knew you’d be here.”

“Well, that’s why we gotta go find Princess Celestia!” Pinkie Pie said.

“If she’s still alive, then perhaps she can explain what’s been going on,” Rainbow said.

“I don’t know…” Marcus looked unsure of himself.

“Hey, I never met the princess personally,” Jazz said. “But she’s one tough mother if you ask me.”

“And yet she’s been missing for how long…” Marcus muttered. “Doesn’t help either when her sister and niece are missing too.”

“You mean… Cadence is missing too?” Twilight asked. She almost completely forgot about her former foalsitter. And now that she thought about it, fifty years later, who else could still be alive now? She would have to wait and find out later.

“It’s very strange,” Jazz said. “They said that Celestia just, ‘disappeared.’ Of course, that would mean that Princess Luna would have succeeded her duties as ruler. But she disappeared too as well as Princess Cadence.”

“In other words, it’s most likely when Ghidious took over the throne he did something with them,” Marcus said.

“Then we should give this Ghidious guy a visit,” Rainbow said, cracking her hooves.

“Pfft. Fat chance,” Marcus said. “You wouldn’t last long storming that castle. Maybe you could somehow avoid the guards, but the Death Squad… well, it’s just suicide.”

“Death Squad…?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“The creepiest sons of bitches you’ll ever meet,” Jazz said. “I don’t think they’re even of this world to be quite honest. Anyway, they’re Ghidious’ personal guard. They are very skilled at… well you can guess.”

“Killing the Empire’s enemies?” Twilight asked.

“You got it,” Marcus said. “And in Vector, they’re almost everywhere, except you may not notice them. They hide in the shadows very well. In other words, you do not want to meet up with these guys, because you won’t live long enough to do anything else.”

Twilight looked to the others. If what they said was true, Ghidious was no pushover. “So when do we leave?” she asked.

“We should wait til nightfall,” Marcus said. “We won’t be nearly as easy to spot then. For now, you all should get some rest. Jazz and I are going to see how bad the ship’s damaged.”

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using here is “The Gestahl Empire” from Final Fantasy VI.)

Once night fell, they started off towards Vector. *“Can you see it up ahead?” Marcus said. “That’s Vector, capital of the Empire.” They could see lights in the distance as well as what seemed to be searchlights. No doubt security was tight here.

“There’s no way we’re getting in there by ship,” Jazz said. “I can have us land just outside the city.”

“Won’t they see the ship though?” Applejack asked.

“We’ll hide it close to the Everfree Forest,” Marcus replied. “None of the soldiers ever go by there anyway. It’s much more dangerous than what it used to be.”

“Everfree Forest…?” Twilight asked. “Wait a minute… that means Ponyville is around here!”

Marcus’ look of confusion was evident. “Maybe they’re not making this all up…” “There… no longer is a Ponyville. What you see now used to be Ponyville.”

“Here?” Rarity asked. All of them almost looked appalled. “What about Canterlot?”

“Canterlot has been a ghost town for years now,” Jazz replied. “Perhaps Ghidious left it as a reminder that the old regime is gone for good.”

“So what are you planning to do once you get there?” Marcus asked.

“There’s apparently a research facility inside and it could be where Princess Celestia may be,” Twilight said.

“The Magitek Research Facility…” Marcus shook his head. “That place creeps me out just as much as the Death Squad. But if you’re certain she’s there then maybe there’s hope after all. Of course, it’s heavily guarded and it’s also where they make their mechs so-”

“We can certainly do some damage then,” Rainbow said, smirking.

Marcus laughed again. “I tell you Jazz, she reminds me of you when you were younger.” Jazz quickly turned red. “Alright, here we are.” The ship landed just outside of the forest. “We’ll be here waiting in case something comes up.”

“Wait,” Jazz said. “I’ll go with them.”

“You sure?” Marcus asked.

“Sure,” Jazz said, smiling. “After all, I was born here you know.”

Chapter 6

“By the time I was born, the Empire had already come around,” Jazz said as they headed towards the city. “At the time, most earth ponies were either farmers or businessmen. I, on the other hand, was obsessed with flying. Maybe I got it from my mother, she’s actually a pegasus. Anyway, as soon as I got old enough, I got my flying license. Didn’t think I’d be helping a rebellion at the time though.”

As they got closer, they saw, once again, that there were security checkpoints. No doubt if they were wanted in Fillydelphia, the soldiers by now had been notified. “So how do we get in this time?” Applejack asked.

“Lucky for you, I happen to know a shortcut,” Jazz said, smiling. She motioned them towards a manhole. “When the city was being developed they had to redo the sewer lines. Most of these lines go throughout the city and if we’re lucky we won’t end up in the Imperial garrison.”

“Ugh,” Rarity said, smelling the waste that was down below. “You can’t expect me to go down into a filthy dump like that.”

“Well unless you wanna sweet-talk security up there I don’t think ya got much of a choice,” Applejack replied.

Rarity would’ve loved to take her chances, but the odds were most likely not in her favor. “And to think I just went to the salon the other day…” she muttered.

The sewer lines were dark and certainly smelly, as Twilight and Rarity used their magic to light their way through. “I sure hope there aren’t any alligators or crocodiles down here…” Fluttershy said softly.

“Oh come on Fluttershy that’s just an urban myth,” Rainbow said.

“Myth or not, they’re the least of our worries,” Jazz said. “Soldiers used to come down here due to all the ponies that would use this way to sneak into the city but soon monsters started appearing and the soldiers cleared out, thinking anypony going down here would be out of their mind.”

“Oh… well…that’s certainly reassuring,” Fluttershy replied.

“Suddenly I don’t feel so good about this,” Twilight said. Little did they know behind them, the water started rippling.

“There should be a ladder up ahead,” Jazz said. “And I believe it leads to the main plaza so we’ll have to do this quick so we’re not spotted.”

“Uh… Miss Jazz?” Applejack said. “I don’t suppose we’re causing the water to bubble next to us, are we?” Suddenly, they were sprayed with water as a gator shot out of the water. But Jazz expected as much and quickly pulled out her weapon, sending it back with a shot to the head. It didn’t resurface.

“Never leave home without it,” Jazz said, blowing off the smoke from the barrel. Meanwhile, the rest of them were soaking wet.

“Lovely…” Rarity said testily.

Unknown to anypony who may have been outside in the main plaza, a manhole cover lifted up slightly as eyes peered out, looking around. It closed and then was lifted up as Jazz came out. “All clear,” she said.

As the six ponies came out and got used to their surroundings, they realized what they were seeing now had once been their home. “It really has changed,” Rainbow said.

Now stood large buildings where most of the houses used to be. Even City Hall had a new makeover, the old townhouse gone and a new dome-shaped capital building in its place. “So, still sure you want to go through with this?” Jazz asked.

“We’ve no other choice,” Twilight responded simply.

“Then I suppose you’re gonna need my help once more,” Jazz said. She pointed east. “That direction leads to the research facility but it’s guarded. However, the top of the building has a venting system that will lead you inside. But you’re gonna need to climb across the scaffolding to get there. I’ll do my best to distract the guards but you’ll have to be quick.”

Once the plan was set in motion, they got into their positions. Indeed the front part of the facility was guarded but it shouldn’t be too hard for Jazz.

“Guards, guards!” Jazz shouted, running towards them. “My foal, did you see him!?”

“Calm down ma’am, what appears to be the problem?” one of the guards asked.

“My foal ran away from home and he was heading in this direction, please tell me you saw him!?”

“We haven’t seen anypony,” the second guard said calmly. “But we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for him.”

As they diverted their attention towards her, the six ponies quickly made their way towards the venting system. Lucky for them the fans appeared to be off. Using her magic, Twilight quietly removed the grating and set it down. “Thank you Jazz,” she said quietly before crawling inside.

(A/N: For this part, the song I’m using is “Magitek Research Facility” from Final Fantasy VI.)

*As soon as they got inside, they could hear the sound of machinery. Back in their time, machines were almost nonexistent, making what they saw before them startling. A production line was operating as parts of the mechs that Basil and the others had mentioned were being created and put together. The question now was what was their source of magic?

“So where could they be holding the Princess?” Applejack asked.

“They must have some sort of detention cell around here somewhere,” Twilight said. She realized there was no other way out so… “Looks like we’ll have to take a trip on the conveyor belt.” Unfortunately, as they got on, they failed to realize until the only way to go was down. Fortunately, Twilight used a levitation spell before they then crashed into a junk pile of metal.

“Hey, did you hear something?” They all froze. Most likely this came from one of the workers or the guards.

“I didn’t hear anything.” They were about to get out when they heard a third voice.

“You there!”

“G-General Bellatrix!” one of the workers exclaimed. “We were not expecting you!” Twilight couldn’t see well but between the gaps she saw a pegasus with a red mane and white wings.

“Well, now that my presence is known,” Bellatrix said impatiently. “I am hoping you can give me a report for Emperor Ghidious.”

“Oh of course!” the other worker said. “Production is moving along perfectly, and we’ll have another thirty thousand units by this morning.”

“Thirty thousand units of what?” Twilight wondered.

“Perfect,” Bellatrix said with a smile. “I’ve just spoken to our prisoner down in the prison bloc, and she’s ‘more than capable’ of helping us continue our work. That is all.” And with that she teleported away.

“Did you just see that?” Rainbow asked quietly.

“Since when can pegasi use magic?” Applejack asked. “Unless she’s an alicorn or something.”

“No, I didn’t see a horn,” Twilight said. “Regardless, something strange is going on here. But from what it sounds like, the Princess can’t be far now.”

As soon as the coast was clear, they crept out and headed towards the detention bloc. It wasn’t hard to find but unfortunately they saw that the main cell was guarded by a soldier. “Oh come on, we can take him!” Rainbow said.

“No,” Twilight said. “If we go at once he may sound an alarm. I have an idea and Pinkie Pie, I’m gonna need your help.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Pinkie Pie said with a smile.

For the soldier standing guard, it was rather boring just standing there watching while all the others got all the action. He didn’t know how to feel. He felt slightly guilty that the prisoner he was guarding was his former ruler and that she said nothing to him made him feel worse. He dared not speak to her, worried she may somehow try to turn him against Ghidious’ orders and free her.

“If I didn’t need the pay, perhaps I’d join that rebellion after all.” He winced, realizing even in his mind he should not be saying such things. Perhaps it was wrong, but a job’s a job.

“HELLO THERE!” The pink pony who was suddenly in his face was enough for him to jump out of his skin.

“What the-!? Who are you!?” he said, grabbing his lance.

“I’m Pinkie Pie!” the pony said, moving all over the place around him. “What’s yours!? Huh? Huh!? HUH!?”

The soldier was a bright pony, but his brain could not even possibly register what was going on right now? “Am I hallucinating? Have I been inhaling too much of the fumes around here?” “Now hold it right there! I don’t know who you are but this is a restricted area and you will have to come with me!”

“Oh sorry I can’t!” Pinkie said sincerely. “By the way you might want to look behind you.”

“Huh?” He turned around and the last thing he saw was a smirking cyan pegasus bucking him in the face before his vision went black.

“Nice work Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said.

“What about me?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, and you too Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight peered inside the cell and she saw her, lying on the ground in the corner resting. “Princess Celestia!”

Perhaps the name or the voice startled her, but Celestia quickly opened her eyes and looked towards the door. The surprise on her face was evident. “Do my eyes deceive me?” she asked. “By sun and moon, is that you Twilight Sparkle?”

(A/N: Just wanted to let everyone know that next week during Memorial Day I’m going to Catalina Islands for a couple days so I may or may not have a chapter posted next week to give you all a heads up.)

Chapter 7

“Yes, it’s us!” Twilight said happily. “We’re here to rescue you!”

Celestia could only smile. “How you came to be here I do not know, but first you need to take care of this magic energy field.” She looked up. “There should be a small object on top of the cage, that’s the power source.” Twilight nodded and used her magic to send a lightning bolt on it, short-circuiting it.

Using her magic, Celestia then sent out a large wave of energy, slicing the bars to her cage in half before the cell collapsed around her. “Ah, much better,” she said pleasantly. Twilight then went up to her and hugged her, causing Celestia to chuckle. “My dear Twilight, I do not see why you are so happy to see me. After all, did you not see me yesterday?”

“You-” Twilight started. “You know what happened?”

“I can only guess but yes, it seems somehow you went forward in time to this period,” Celestia answered. “Right now it’s the only explanation considering you haven’t aged a day since I last saw you.”

“So… everyone thought we died?” Rainbow asked.

“We thought it was a tragic accident,” Celestia said. “But now I’m not so sure.”

“Princess,” Twilight said. “What has happened in the last fifty years?”

Celestia sighed. “Where do I even begin?” She looked around herself. “It’s a complicated story, one that begins centuries ago but it’ll make more sense if I start there.” The six ponies sat and listened to her story.

“Long ago after the defeat of Discord,” Celestia began, “Equestria was in need of a new ruler. At the time there were three royal families, mine included. Since Luna and I were able to defeat Discord, the ponies believed we were destined to rule Equestria. However, the other royals did not quite agree, including one in particular whose name was Ghidious.

“Ghidious believed he was the true heir because his father was the former king before Discord took over. Once the new Parliament was established, a vote was taken. Luna and I were chosen by Parliament and our citizens as rulers of Equestria. Ghidious, rather furious, left and wasn’t seen again for some time. Then the Golden Age, as they called it, began but it did not last long. There were some who wished for a new government to be formed and state after state began to secede. All of a sudden Equestria was plunged into a civil war. Later I found out that Ghidious had been behind everything. He of course summoned all sorts of terrible creatures for his army and he was very close in succeeding. Only at the final battle in Canterlot was I able to defeat him, ending the war completely.”

“Go princess!” Rainbow said.

“So what happened then?” Applejack asked.

“I then exiled Ghidious from the land and Equestria rebuilt itself,” Celestia continued. “Years passed and now we come to the present, or rather, your present. After you all disappeared, Ghidious returned, having changed much from the last two hundred years. He was remorseful and full of regret, and I, being kind and forgiving at the time, pardoned him and allowed him to return and join Parliament. He always did have a way of convincing others. Unfortunately, that would be my biggest mistake.”

Celestia took a deep breath. “To put it modestly, he played me. At the time, the issue of magical borders was on our minds. For years, there were magical barriers protecting cities from monster attacks, such as from the Everfree Forest. Ghidious came to me and suggested that the barriers expire, that we were being paranoid and at the same time forcing animals out of their habitat. I then decided the barriers expire to see what would happen. They were shocked, to say the least but I thought it was the best choice at the time. Then, that night, was when everything changed.”

Celestia was in her room reading over documents when the door burst open. There was Ghidious, accompanied by members of the Royal Guard. “Ghidious, what is going on?” she asked sharply, upset that she was being interrupted so rudely.

“I’m sorry it has come to this,” Ghidious said, who didn’t seem sorry one bit. “An emergency meeting of Parliament has just ended and the decision. In the name of Parliament of the Equestrian Republic, you are under arrest princess.”

“Under what charges!?” Celestia said, her eyes widening.

“Multiple charges of embezzling, unconstitutional vetoes against multiple bills,” Ghidious said. “The list is rather long.”

“Those charges are false and made up!” Celestia shouted. “This is treason Ghidious!”

“I’m afraid not,” Ghidious said, holding up a piece of paper. “This was signed by top members of Parliament.”

“…He played me completely,” Celestia said sadly. “He managed to influence Parliament against me and I was ousted from power.”

“They had no right to do that!” Rarity said.

“It does not matter now. Ghidious was then named ruler but he took control almost immediately. He dissolved Parliament and named himself Emperor, taking control and building up the army you see now,” Celestia said. “But there’s more to it than that. These soldiers are different. Somehow, Ghidious managed to find a way to give non-unicorns magic. I still cannot figure out how but in his exile he had been planning this for years. Even by the time he returned he had a sizeable army. But he didn’t stop there. He even created machines that were capable of using magic but he needed a new source. And as you can probably guess, I was that source.”

“So… you’re saying he has drained you of your magic?” Twilight asked.

“Not completely,” Celestia said, smiling. “For one such as I, it would take years and years to drain me completely. More to Ghidious’ delight though. But thanks to you, we can hopefully stop production.”

“There’s one thing I don’t get though,” Applejack said. “If you got booted outta power, what happened to Princess Luna?”

“Ah,” Celestia said, nodding. “Before you get upset, do not assume she fled because of cowardice. I was able to warn her in time before she came to my rescue. I told her to flee and wait until the time was right. Over the years, my sister has been successful starting a rebellion to at least keep the Empire busy at the moment.”

“So where is Princess Luna?” Fluttershy asked.

“I do not know,” Celestia said softly. “Ghidious himself asked me the same question, which means he wants us both out of the way. I also told her to keep Cadence safe, for I know he is targeting her as well.”

“So what do we do now?” Twilight asked.

“Well Twilight, I do think it’s about time we leave this wretched place,” Celestia said.

All of a sudden there came chatter from where the unconscious soldier was. Applejack, being the closest one to it, picked up a walkie-talkie. “Uh, everything’s fine here. We’re fine, we’re okay… how are you?”

“There was a power outage on the prisoner’s cell,” the caller said. “What happened?”

“Just a system malfunction,” Applejack said. “I have everything under control.”

“We’re going to send reinforcements in case the prisoner tries to-”

“No, that won’t be necessary; she’s sleeping, um…” Applejack then stepped on the device and broke it. “Boring conversation anyway, Twilight we’re about to have company!”

“I know a secret way out,” Celestia said. “Follow me.”

They quickly made their escape, heading towards the control room. Might as well trash the place before leaving. However, it didn’t take long before they were spotted by a platoon. “The prisoner has escaped! Take them down!”

(A/N: For this next part the song I’m using is “Battle 1” from Final Fantasy IX.)

*Although they were surrounded, they were forgetting just who Celestia was and that she had more power than they thought. Stomping her hoof, the magnitude knocked three of them back. Twilight and Rarity used their magic while Rainbow Dash attacked from above and Applejack was able to take a few out with her shotgun.

*cue FF7 Victory Fanfare*

“More will be coming soon,” Celestia said. “We must hurry.” After a couple more flights of stairs, they finally made it to the control room. “I guess we lucked out after all,” Celestia said, ready to fry the whole system.

(A/N: For this final part, the song I’m using here is “Suspicion” from Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy.)

“Oh, leaving so soon?” *A dark void appeared and then out of it came Ghidious.

“Ghidious…” Celestia said acidly. “Sorry but I feel like I may overstayed my welcome.”

“Now now Princess…” Ghidious said, smirking. “I only did what I did to keep you in line. Can’t have anyone ruining the party of course.”

“You’re gonna pay for what you did to the Princess!” Twilight shouted.

“Ah, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony,” Ghidious said, looking more intrigued. “So nice to meet you all finally. I was hoping it would be a… couple more years until we met but beggars can’t be choosers.”

“What?” Rainbow said.

“You mean you were behind that chasm?” Rarity said.

“Oh it was quite easy, if you must know,” Ghidious replied. “With her pets out of the way, taking care of the Princess turned out to be a lot easier for me.”

“I should’ve expected such foulness from you,” Celestia said. “But this is the beginning of the end Ghidious.”

“Is that right?” Ghidious asked. “You may still be all-powerful but I have an entire army at my side. Your rebellion is surviving on borrowed time. But it doesn’t matter, my search is almost complete. As you can remember Celestia, there was something I was looking for the last time we took arms.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “No… Ghidious you mustn’t! Their power is too great for this world!”

“Their power will be mine to use,” Ghidious said. “And then nothing, not even you or your sister, will be able to stop me!” Soon soldiers appeared and surrounded them, Bellatrix herself included.

“Shall I take care of them my lord?” she asked.

“Only if they don’t come willingly,” Ghidious replied.

“You forget one thing Ghidious,” Celestia said, her horn glowing suddenly. “You haven’t found where they’ve been hidden yet and if you have, you and I both know acquiring their power is next to impossible.” Her horn then sparked, causing the controls in the room to go haywire and explode, causing a large cloud of smoke and a large chain reaction.

Once the smoke cleared, Ghidious saw that Celestia and her companions were gone and offered a grudging smile.

“Clever girl…”

Chapter 8

Celestia had transported Twilight and the others outside of the city near where Marcus had landed his ship. Marcus was the first to notice them. “Hey you’re all back,” he said. He then stopped upon seeing Celestia. “Princess Celestia, it’s good to see you again.”

“I’m afraid I’ve been locked away for some time so I need to be reacquainted with everyone,” Celestia said. “Unfortunately, I cannot say I recognize you. But now’s not the time to talk, we must leave immediately.”

“Oh it’s no problem and-” Marcus was cut off as a large explosion took place inside the city of Vector. “Yeah… I think now’s a good time to go…”

The incident in Vector would alert most of the Imperial Army meaning they only had minutes to get out of there. On the flip side, it meant that returning back to HQ would not be so much of an issue. “Once we get back, Basil will get you up to date on what’s been going on, Princess,” Marcus said as they took off.

“Basil?” Celestia asked. “As in the Basil whose father served in Parliament? I have not seen him since he was a colt.”

“The same one,” Marcus replied. “I think he, along with everypony else, will be rather glad to see you.”

(A/N: For the next part here, the song I’m using is “The Gestahl Empire” from Final Fantasy VI.)

*Meanwhile, back at Vector, Ghidious stood on the balcony outside of his palace while his three generals stood behind him, waiting for him to speak. “Losing Celestia is unfortunate as well as the facility here,” he said softly. “But it does not matter now. Our army is as powerful as ever, and we’ve never been this close to our goal as we are now. General Leon, how goes our campaign in the north?”

General Leon, the large red earth with black mane, said, “We are moving closer and closer into the mountains my lord, but the enemy fortress is massive. It will take hours to breach their defenses, and even more trying to siege it.”

“I see…” Ghidious said. “General Raines, what is your report?”

“The little pests keep hoofing their noses at us my lord,” Raines said, sneering. He was a dark blue unicorn with red lensed eyes and a very cruel nature. “Hoofington’s landscape is very particular, allowing them to run and retreat into the alleyways if they must.” Personally he would’ve had the entire town reduced to rubble, but Ghidious would not have that.

“Hm. And you Bellatrix?”

“It seems there has been an uprising in Cloudsdale,” Bellatrix said. “The mayor we put in charge there apparently has ties to the rebellion and has been trying to kick out our troops.”

“Our beloved Dolores Keaton?” Ghidious asked. “Pity, she seemed like a pony I could trust, but I was wrong. Very well, we’ll have to apply more pressure if we’re going to get this rebellion out of our way, even if we have to take them out one by one. Bellatrix, you will be returning to Cloudsdale and see to it that Dolores be removed permanently.”

“It will be done,” Bellatrix said, bowing.

“Leon and Raines, your forces will work together to take care of Hoofington,” Ghidious said. He could easily sense the tension between the two ponies. Just because they worked together didn’t mean they had to like each other. However, the two nodded simultaneously. “And one other thing… if any of you or any of your troops happen to spot Princess Luna dwelling around someplace, I want to be notified immediately.”

“Yes my lord,” the three together said, bowing.

“This will be our most glorious hour,” Ghidious said. “Once the rebellion will be put down, the Equestrian Empire will finally be able to claim its dream and the world will be ours and ours only!”

“All hail Emperor Ghidious!” the three generals said at once, lifting up their hooves to salute.

“Princess Celestia,” Basil said, taking a bow soon after the group had returned back to the base. “It is good to see you again.”

“It is good to see you again as well Basil,” Celestia said, bowing her head. “How is your father?”

“I’m afraid he passed only a few months ago,” Basil said. “But it’s alright; I know he would want me to keep fighting on. And now that you’re here, we can certainly believe now that there is hope.”

“From what I hear, the Empire has its armies all over Equestria,” Celestia said.

“Indeed,” Basil nodded. “That is our one advantage. Keeping them spread thin will allow us to hold on a little longer.” He then sighed. “My worst fear is that they’ll change tactics. If the entire Imperial Army were to come storming here, we’d only last hours at best.”

“I know Ghidious well and I’m afraid that he’ll be more than willing to do that,” Celestia said grimly.

Basil then smiled. “Well, let them come then. It seems we’ll need to start going on the offensive if we want to end this war. But I do have an idea, and I will need your subjects if they’re willing to help.”

Celestia smiled.

“You want us to what!?” Rainbow said.

“The only way we’re going to get an upper hoof on the Empire is if we infiltrate and gather Intelligence,” Basil said. “Therefore, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy will infiltrate in Cloudsdale, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie will infiltrate in Hoofington. The Empire had installed a head of state for Cloudsdale but secretly she’s working with us. I do not know how long it will be before they figure it out but any news will be good for us.”

“It all sounds like a good plan and all but… won’t they recognize us?” Fluttershy asked.

“Not with these,” Basil said as soldiers brought in what appeared to be Imperial soldier armor. “We managed to recover some of these from the soldiers. Don’t worry, they won’t need it anymore.”

“It’s a little heavy for my taste,” Rainbow said. “But it will do. Also, even with this one somepony’s gonna notice my coloring.”

“Ah yes,” Basil said. “We already thought of that. Rarity?”

“Close your eyes dear,” Rarity said as she levitated a bottle of spray paint over.

“Hey what are you-? Stop, don’t-!” But it was too late as Rarity sprayed her over and when she was done, Rainbow’s mane and tail were now a navy blue. Surprisingly it suited her.

“Heh heh, guess we’ll need to start calling her Blue Dash now,” Applejack said.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Rainbow grumbled. But she had to admit, it wasn’t that bad.

“So what are Rarity and I going to do?” Twilight asked.

“I have a special mission for you two,” Basil said. “Do not worry, Snowblind, Arwen, and Dax will be accompanying you on this. In Manehattan the Empire has installed a large communications array. This is how the Empire is able to communicate across all fronts. Also, it is able to pick up on our communications as well, which is why it needs to be taken out. Destroying this will be a huge blow to the Empire.”

“But the place is heavily defended,” Celestia said. “However, there may be somepony on the inside who can help you get in.”

“It sounds dangerous but… we can handle it,” Twilight said.

“Good,” Basil said. “Now that we’ve all got the plan down, it’s time to make our move.”

At the small bar that was down in the basement of the base, Marcus and Jazz were sharing a couple of drinks. “Hey Marc, I’m gonna head back to the ship and do some quick calibrations,” Jazz said, getting up.

Marcus nodded as she left. However, he wasn’t left alone for long. “Ah Marcus, I figured I’d find you down here,” Basil said, taking a seat next to him.

Marcus took a sip of his drink. “Won’t be here for long; Jazz and I need to refuel and then we’re outta here.”

“Already?” Basil asked. “You can’t just leave, I need you to-”

Marcus quickly silenced him. “Oh no no. Don’t even do that Basil. You know I’m not part of your rebellion. I’m in this for the money, and only that. Not to mention you owe me pay now and before.”

“It’s not that easy to keep a rebellion in budget…” Basil muttered. “It doesn’t matter Marcus, the Empire by now has your ship in their files, you’re a wanted criminal to them now.”

“Not if I can provide my services,” Marcus said, taking another swig. “Being a smuggler, doing services like that can easily wipe away your record.”

“…You wouldn’t do that…” Basil replied.

“Like I said, I’m in it for the money,” Marcus stated.

Basil sighed and got up. “The choice is up to you, but I hope when you do choose you feel that it’s the right decision.” And with that, he got up and left.

For a couple moments Marcus sat there, looking at the bottom of his glass. He then sighed and took his last swig. “Wherever I’m going I hope there’s a cantina nearby,” he muttered.

Chapter 9

As it turned out, the armor was heavier than Rainbow imagined, making it harder to walk, much less to fly. “I don’t see why it has to be so heavy…” she muttered. “It completely defeats the purpose of flying really.”

“Um… maybe it’s because the other pegasi are bigger and stronger?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Yeah… that too I guess.” They were currently on a transport heading towards Cloudsdale, most likely reinforcements to deal with the rebel uprising there.

Poor Fluttershy, she was almost shaking in her hooves. She wasn’t the least bit comfortable being on a craft that could easily be shot down along with almost two dozen others watching them. “Hey you,” one of them said to Fluttershy. “Aren’t you a little short for a trooper?”

“Uh… we’re new!” Rainbow said. “Yeah, rookies!”

“Didn’t realize we were recruiting young ones too,” one of the other soldiers said. Luckily, they finally reached their destination onto one of the landing platforms in Cloudsdale. Once Rainbow and Fluttershy came out of the transport, they were surprised at how much was changed.

Back then, Cloudsdale was seen as a jewel to Equestria, the capital of those who were pegasi. Rainbow could remember her days working at the weather plant, where clouds of all kinds were made to be sent out all over Equestria. Now, the once blue sky was a thick cloud of black. There was no way to tell if it was smog or just stormy clouds, but as they suspected, Cloudsdale has changed.

The two of them followed the others, who then stopped and went to attention as a male black pegasus they didn’t recognize came up to them. “Well it’s about time you all showed up,” he said testily. “It seems Dolores has picked up on our suspicions and has locked herself up in City Hall, surrounded by rebels-”

“Who’s that guy?” Rainbow asked quietly to herself.

“That’s Captain Clash Nimbus,” one of the soldiers next to her muttered softly. “He’s the leader of the Darkbolts, the Empire’s elite flying division.”

“Darkbolts?” Fluttershy asked. “But… what happened to the Wonderbolts?”

“You been hiding under a rock or something?” the soldier said. “The Wonderbolts got disbanded after they refused to serve under Emperor Ghidious. As punishment, Spitfire was killed and soon the others fled and have been hiding ever since.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock. “Spitfire…killed?” she thought. Her eyes then narrowed. “They’ll pay for that…”

“I do not care what you do with the rest of them, but I want Dolores alive,” Clash said. He then noticed the two new recruits. “So… it seems we have some new blood.” He went up to them with a smirk on his face. “You,” he said. “Give me your name.” Rainbow said nothing, and stared back at him. Clash frowned slightly and then hit her on the side of her face with his hoof, knocking her to the ground. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. “That was an order, or are you deaf?”

Rainbow glared at him, and her mouth twitched as if she wanted to say something. “What was that?” he asked. “Please, speak up and say it out loud to all of us.”

Rainbow, no longer caring, got up slowly and got in his face. “You want to go toe to toe with me, pretty boy?” she said softly. There was stunned belief. Never had anypony, anypony stood up to the Captain like she did.

Instead of retaliating, Clash laughed. “You know what, I like you. You got guts kid, I’ll give you that. I’ll have to warn you though, I may be forgiving but General Bellatrix isn’t, so if I were you, I’d watch what I say around her or else you’ll get worse than what I can give you.” He then turned around. “Now then, I will not have to remind you all that Cloudsdale is an official war zone now, meaning the area will most definitely be hostile. So, it is time for us to move, prepare yourselves.”

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked as the two got back in line.

“I’m fine…” Rainbow said, glaring daggers at Clash’s back. Her cheek was cut from him hitting her and was bleeding slightly. “Bastard…”

The city of Cloudsdale was a smoldering ruin, all except for City Hall, which appeared to be the only structure standing. As Rainbow and Fluttershy could see, Imperial troops on the ground and in the air were having trouble breaching it. The occasional sound of gunfire could be heard as most of the rebels hid beneath and within the rubble, picking off soldiers here and there. It was a large sniping ground, one no one dared to step into.

“I want a report lieutenant,” Clash said, speaking to the first pony he saw.

“As far as we know Captain, the POI is bunkered down deep in City Hall,” the pony said. “Most of their forces are inside and we’re barely making any leeway. Even if we make it inside, we’ll be cornered in and have to fight them floor to floor, it could take hours before we reach her.”

“And I assume they have not answered our ultimatum?” Clash asked.

“They’re not taking the bait sir, meaning they understand we want her alive.”

“I see…” Clash said. Overhead, a ship suddenly was hit by a rocket and crashed down about a hundred feet away from them. “Then we will give them an hour. If they do not respond, we’ll just have to take down City Hall completely.” “Surely the general will understand…” he muttered.

“Heh, we should send in the newbies to negotiate terms,” one of the soldiers said, getting a couple of laughs in return.

Clash then smiled a wide smile. “That is an excellent idea,” he said. “You two.” He was pointing at Rainbow and Fluttershy. “I have a job for you. There’s a line that connects City Hall to other buildings in Cloudsdale. You two can sneak in and, if you’re not caught, perhaps you can take care of the mayor for us.”

“And if they are caught?” the lieutenant asked.

“They can at least warn them in advance,” Clash said. It was a win-win for him, although he preferred to take Dolores alive unless he had no other choice. “We will give them an hour; I want the order for a temporary cease-fire to be sent immediately.” He then grinned at the two pegasi. “No need to be nervous; either way you’ll at least be seen as heroes for the Empire.”

“I hope you have an idea Rainbow…” Fluttershy said as the two were crawling underground. The large circuit they were in was leading straight to the basement of City Hall.

“Are you kidding, this was my idea!” Rainbow said. “I knew it had to be us the whole time.”

“So… that’s why you did all that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, yeah…” Rainbow said. “Didn’t have a choice really, but I am going to beat him real good when I get the chance.” The act may have been staged, but she was still regardless. “Anyway, I’m glad we got rid of that armor, it was making my wings sore and all that. Not to mention it would be bad for us to go in looking like the bad guys.”

Soon they reached a ladder and both flew up, unlocking a latch and opening it slowly into a dark room, the basement most likely. “No ponies here…” Rainbow said.

“Maybe they all left…” Fluttershy said, inching away backwards.

Rainbow sighed. “Come on you,” she said, almost dragging the pegasus along. It was hard to see, but they managed to find a stairway that went up towards a large set of doors. Rainbow put an ear to the door. “I don’t hear anything but if something happens, just act calm.” She opened the door slowly and looked out. They were in a hallway, most likely on the main floor. Still no sign of anypony.

“So where do we go now?” Fluttershy asked.

“Guess we have no choice but to-”

“Freeze!” In an instant, how Rainbow did not see them, she did not know, but they were surrounded by troops, pointing lances at them.

“We surrender!” Fluttershy squeaked, putting her hooves up. Rainbow sighed and shook her head.

Chapter 11

Meanwhile, the town of Hoofington was getting shelled by artillery repeatedly. The Imperials had given up hope of reclaiming the city by small force and resorted to the big guns. What made Hoofington unique was how easy it was to go between alleyways, perfect for guerilla fighters. The Empire was not used to urban warfare.

Deep in town was a warehouse that was the base of operations. The battle had broken out after the Imperials heard word of the new consul, appointed by the Imperials himself, had been attacked and killed by rebel fighters. Soon after that, ponies took into the street and forced the Imperials out of the town, at least before reinforcements came.

“Status report,” the commander said, looking at a layout of the city.

“Sir, intel reports that enemy artillery is stationed at the front and side entrances of the city,” one of the soldiers said, drawing circles to show their location. “They’re trying to knock down our defenses but to no avail. However, compared to us, they have much more firepower and will bomb the town to pieces if they have to.”

“So if we put a stop to their artillery,” the commander said.

“It should halt their attack, at least momentarily,” the soldier said.

“You can sign me up then commander,” a white colt with blue mane said.

“Ah, Reks,” the commander said. “It’s good to see you in one piece still. I can see you want this mission and won’t take no for an answer?”

“That’s correct sir,” Reks said.

“Very well,” the commander said. “Take your troops towards the front entrance. If we can even take out some of their artillery at front, they’ll be forced to reposition, which will halt their attack.”

“Don’t worry sir,” Reks said. “I have just the plan in mind.”

(A/N: For this part, the song I’m using is “The Vile Peaks” from Final Fantasy XIII.)

*Sneaking around in the alleyways, Reks and his group slowly made their way towards the front entrance. Most of the buildings here have been demolished, meaning they had to find another way around without being seen. “Enemy patrol up ahead,” he whispered.

“How would you like to do this sir?” one of his troops, Gaz, asked.

Firearms were on the rise to be the standard-issued weapon of the military, but Reks disagreed. Unlike the sword he kept with him at all times, a gun could malfunction, leaving you or vulnerable, or in some cases, explode and cause critical injuries. Reks left that to the pros. “We do this quick and quietly,” he said. “Bane, you got a visual on them?”

“I do,” Bane said, who was hundreds of meters away looking through the scope of a sniper rifle. “Shall I do this quick or do you want to join in on the action?”

“Do what you do is best,” Reks replied.

Bane complied and took out the three soldiers in less than five seconds. “Ah, there’s nothing more beautiful than that.”

“Just keep an eye out for us,” Reks said. “Alright, let’s move.”

Managing to hide behind a small building that was still standing; they saw the artillery guns, which fired shell after shell after about every ten seconds. “Makes me wonder how long it takes to reload those things,” Gaz murmured.

“Gaz, you’re the demo expert here,” Reks said. “What do you think?”

“There’s no way we’re gonna sneak up to them,” Gaz replied. He smiled. “However, I think now’s a good time to try out something I created myself.” He brought out what looked like a metal Frisbee with green and red lights blinking. “New demo charges. Light but very destructive. You can throw them with ease and they’re magnetic, so they’ll stick to metal easily. I still need to find a way to make them stick to concrete or wood.”

“These will do just fine,” Reks said. “Quietly now.”

“Quiet is my middle name,” Gaz said. “After Kaboom that is.” Keeping himself out of sight, he flung the metal disks towards the batteries. Like he said, they stuck to them with a soft thunk! No pony would even hear it. After a couple minutes, he made his way back. “Ya might want to take cover. Enjoy the fireworks.” He then pushed the button on the detonator. The lights on the charges went red, blinked twice and suddenly there came multiple explosions as the batteries were silenced, and in pieces.

“Holy-!” Reks said. “Gaz, you’ve outdone yourself this time. Alright, time to head back to HQ.”

Meanwhile, at the Imperial garrison, Applejack and Pinkie Pie managed to sneak their way inside. Luckily for them, most of the soldiers were too busy focused on the battle that laid in front of them.

“Alright, they gotta have some written intel around here somewhere,” Applejack said, looking around the corner.

“Oooh! Are they having a party!?” Pinkie Pie yelled. Applejack panicked and put a hoof around her mouth and pulled her back.

“Pinkie!” she shushed her. “No they’re not having a party, no there’s no food and no there are no balloon animals.”

“Aw man…” Pinkie said, looking disappointed.

While she was looking around, Applejack spotted one of the mechs, standing in the corner offline. “Wouldn’t mind taking one of those for a spin,” she thought. She noticed a large tent ahead of them. “That looks like a good place to start.” Sneaking inside, they found a table with a detailed map of Hoofington, along with letters and other documents. “Doesn’t look like there’s much here after all,” Applejack said.

Pinkie Pie gasped. “Somepony’s coming!”

“Hide!” There were two barrels at the side that they both climbed into. Luckily they were empty.

“I am warning you Leon,” a voice said. “If you do not put more pressure on those rebels, they will run you out of resources.”

“And I am telling you Raines,” Leon said, coming into the tent. “I will not give in to impractical measures to achieve victory. I fight for peace and harmony, not the unjustified killings of thousands.”

“But what fun is it if ponies have to live?” Raines asked with a cruel smile.

“You are sick,” Leon said, glaring at him. “I do not see what Ghidious sees in you, but I can see why he had me come with you.”

Before another word was said, there came a massive explosion just west of them. “That seems to be your artillery blowing up,” Raines said, chuckling.

“General Leon,” a pony said, coming into the tent and holding a sheet of paper. “A message from the Emperor.”

Leon took it and read. “Hmm… it seems the Emperor asks for my immediate return. Very well. My orders still stand, and that is final.” It seemed he was talking to both Raines and the soldier. “I will return soon.” And with that, he left.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using is “Kefka’s Theme” from Final Fantasy VI.)

*After a couple moments, Raines cackled. “What a fool he is! No matter, I have a quicker, more efficient plan to end this. You! Dump the barrels into the river!”

“B-But General Leon said-”

“Are you questioning my orders!?” Raines snapped. “I am in charge now and you will do as I say, so do it!”

The barrels were dumped into the water, the stream that went straight into the heart of the town. Anypony around noticed a strange smell and a sudden burning sensation in their throats and chest as they coughed severely and collapsed to the ground. One pony managed to scream out, “P-POISON!”

“Ah, there’s nothing more soothing than the screams of thousands,” Raines said, chuckling once more. “I think we can consider this battle won now.” And with that, he left the tent in a fit of laughter.

Chapter 12

Reks and the others were on their way back when- “Sir, do you smell that?” Gaz asked.

Reks sniffed the air, and the smell he met was horrendous and horrifyingly familiar. “Poison!” he cried out. “Everypony, back to the base on the double!”

Poison had always been lethal only to consume, but Imperial scientists had developed a concoction that was just as deadly to breathe in, most likely to be used on rebel outposts such as this. What this meant was the Empire no longer gave a damn about casualties and reinstating peace.

Once they got back, it was too late. Ponies laid dead inside and out. They never had a chance. Fear crept into Reks as he panicked and realized… “Anna!” He turned around and even his own troops had fallen already to the poison. As quickly as he could, he rushed to the top floor where Anna, his wife and Annabelle, his daughter, were residing.

Once he got back to his room, his heart almost stopped. He saw Anna and Annabelle were on the bed, holding each other, their heads nodded off. “No!” He went up to them and shook them gently. “Anna! Annabelle! …No, not you two, please wake up!” But they were gone, and Reks’ solid nature crumbled immediately as he held them, weeping silently.

It was strange, the poison was not as potent as it was, meaning it was starting to dissipate slowly, which in turn meant he was spared, much to his dismay.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using is “The Unforgiven” from Final Fantasy VI.)

Quietly he laid them both down on the bed so they could rest peacefully. But before he could leave, he started shaking with rage. “Those… cowards…” he muttered. *“Those filthy cowards… I will make them pay for this!”

In a sudden rage, he ran, heading back to the front lines. He was the last one standing, but he wasn’t going down without a fight, not until he made every last one of them pay, including the one who gave that final order.

Upon seeing the first group of soldiers, he yelled and charged with his sword, startling them with fear. They didn’t stand a chance. Reks’ swordsmanship as well as his sudden rage made him all too powerful.

Meanwhile, once the coast was clear, Applejack and Pinkie Pie came out of hiding. “We gotta get out of here!” Applejack said. “The rebels here are doomed and we need to get back and explain what happened.”

Going outside, they quickly saw other Imperials were engaged with a lone pony, who was attacking with such ferocity that they’ve never seen before. “Looks like he needs our help!” Pinkie Pie said.

“May we provide some assistance?” Applejack called out to the pony.

“Most appreciated!” Reks said as more soldiers came. The three of them worked together and were able to take them down, but Reks sprinted ahead and attacked once more.

“If we’re going to get out of here, we need to work together!” Applejack said.

“My thoughts exactly!” Reks replied. After the second wave was defeated, the soldiers started retreating back.

“We need to find a way outta here!” Pinkie Pie said.

“No, not me,” Reks said. “I won’t be satisfied until they’re all dead!”

“Taking them all on is suicide!” Applejack said. “You won’t last forever against them!”

“Whatever it takes,” Reks said.

“Look, I know you lost some friends, but getting yourself killed won’t bring them back nor change anything,” Applejack said. “If you want to honor the fallen, you have to keep fighting for them, not cast away your life.”

“…You’re right,” Reks said, nodding. “Very well, how do you suppose we get out of here?”

Applejack smiled. “I think I might know just the thing…”

“You sure you know how to use one of these things?” Pinkie Pie asked, getting strapped into a mech.

“It can’t be that difficult,” Applejack said, switching the system online. “Just don’t blow me up okay?”

“I cannot believe I’d actually be using their own weapons against them,” Reks said.

“At least the controls are simple,” Applejack said as they started moving. It wasn’t long before they had company. “Okay, let’s see here…” The buttons had a small symbol for what magic the mechs could use, but the big black one she did not recognize. “I wonder what this does.” She pushed it and suddenly a missile launched from the mech’s right wrist, blowing up the three other mechs in front of them in the process. “Woo nelly! I think I might like using this thing after all!”

However, those mechs would not be a problem compared to what came next. A larger mech with thicker armor and bigger guns suddenly. “Uh oh it’s a bigger one!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Must be a prototype,” Reks said. “Ideas?”

“Yeah…” Applejack said as it’s gatling gun started rotating. “Eject!” She punched a red button and her seat suddenly shot into the air. The others did the same before the gun started firing, cutting the other mechs apart like Swiss cheese.

Luckily for them, they landed far away enough that they wouldn’t be spotted. “Phew, that was clooooooossse!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Sure was,” Applejack said.

“I have to thank you both,” Reks said, bowing his head slightly. “The loss of my wife and foal… was too much for me to bear and my rage took over. If you hadn’t come when you did, I would’ve met a similar fate. My name is Reks.”

“I’m Applejack and this is Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said. “Well Reks, you know this area better than we do, what should we do now?”

“If we head into the woods, we should lose them,” Reks said. “Hurry, I’m sure Imperial forces will be on us shortly.”

It wasn’t the Everfree Forest, but it was certainly just as thick. Regardless, the area seemed much calmer as nothing could be heard except for the sound of them walking. “What’s that up ahead?” Pinkie asked, pointing ahead.

They crossed into a valley and suddenly they found railroad tracks. “Tracks… still here?” Reks asked. “There hasn’t been a running railway here for almost ten years.” All of a sudden there came the sound of a whistle as a train started approaching.

“Apparently they got it starting again,” Applejack said as the train approached and soon stopped in front of them. “Well, I guess we better get on.”

“Wait!” Pinkie Pie said. “I’m getting weird vibes about this.” It was true, she was shaking slightly.

“Oh come now Pinkie, it’s just a train,” Applejack said impatiently.

“It could be a trap…” Reks said.

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Applejack said. “Let’s just get on and worry about all that later.” The other two nodded and they got onboard and headed into one of the passenger cars.

“Uh… nopony’s on,” Pinkie said, looking around. It was true, the entire car was empty, so where was it headed to?

“Oh, wait there’s somepony,” Applejack said, going over to the corner where a pony sat, his head staring down at the floor. “Uh, excuse me, sir?” The pony said nothing. “Sir?” She went to tap him on the shoulder… and her hoof went right through him. Applejack yelped back in surprise. “I-It’s a ghost!”

“This train is haunted!?” Pinkie cried.

“No…” Reks said calmly. “Now it all makes sense now. This train is no ordinary train and it only has one destination.”

“Where’s that?” Applejack asked fearfully.

“…On.”

(A/N: Sorry for the late update, I had this down awhile ago and I totally forgot about it. DX)

Chapter 13

(A/N: For this part, the song I’m using is “The Phantom Train” from Final Fantasy VI.)

Chapter 13

“On!?” Pinkie squealed. “I can’t go yet, I’m too young to die!” There suddenly came a click as the door behind them locked. The whistle then blew and the train started to move.

“Now what are we going to do!?” Applejack asked.

“The only thing we can do is head to the engine room and shut down the train there,” Reks said.

“Would that really work on a train like this?” Applejack asked.

“We can only hope,” Reks replied. “Be careful, there are most likely other spirits on this train, some friendly, others not so much. Best thing to do is avoid them.”

*They crossed into the next car, where more ghosts seemed to float around. They did not seem to be aware of their presence at all. However, one ghost did come up to them, but it did not seem menacing in the slightest. “It looks like he wants to come with us,” Pinkie said.

“I guess even among the dead you can find a friend,” Applejack stated. They continued on with their new ally through the next car and suddenly one of the other ghosts attacked without warning. “Wait a minute, they’re ghosts so they can’t actually hurt us.” A sudden flame singed the tip of her hat.

However, the ghost that was following them suddenly approached the other and seemed to melt into it, causing both to disappear. “Aw, where did he go?” Pinkie asked.

“He sacrificed himself to give us an opening, so let’s keep moving,” Reks said. They got outside and outside the car facing them, ghosts were starting to appear and converge on them. “No escape…” a disembodied voice moaned out.

“What’s going on?” Applejack asked.

“They’ve appeared to notice we’re not dead,” Reks said. “No one, living or dead, has been able to escape the trip to Tartarus.”

“Well I ain’t just gonna stay on this damn train,” Applejack said, aiming her gun and firing. Perhaps to no one’s surprise, the bullet went right through the first victim it could find. “Applesauce…”

“Up here, quick!” Reks said, going up the ladder to the top. They followed as the ghosts started surrounding them. “No escape…” “Follow my lead, on three. One… two… three!” He ran and jumped, barely making it across to the other car. Applejack and Pinkie Pie followed. “The engine isn’t far ahead now,” Reks said. “Better hurry before they catch up.”

Heading into the next car, they saw what looked like a dining room table with plates and silverware, which could only mean one thing. “Oooh! I’m starving!” Pinkie Pie said as she jumped straight into the chair. A ghost, perhaps once a butler, floated over and served Pinkie food, which she did not hesitate to start eating.

“Uh… are you sure it’s a good idea to be eating that Pinkie?” Applejack asked as Pinkie scarfed down.

“It’s delicious!” Pinkie said, spitting food everywhere. “Come on AJ, have some!”

“That’s okay, I lost my appetite…” Applejack said.

“Suit yourself!” Pinkie said happily. “One cannot go on on an empty stomach!”

“Words to live by,” Applejack mumbled, chuckling slightly.

“Ooh I’m stuffed!” Pinkie said. She then burped. “Okay, I’m ready to go now!”

They then crossed into the last car before the engine room and to their surprise found that they were not alone, but not with a ghost. “Halt thee, who goes there!?” It appeared to be a knight, wearing armor from a previous century. “You pretties have come on the train too, oh you poor lads!”

“Who are you exactly?” Applejack asked.

“Tis I, Sir Gangely, soldier of the Royal Family of Canterlot,” the knight said. “I have been stuck on this train for… who knows how long!? And not a day since then have I aged. Of course, this was not always a train, it appears to change every few centuries or so.”

“And why are you on this train exactly?” Reks asked.

“Aye, tis a sad tale indeed,” Sir Gangely said. “Marauders, thieves, murderers, came into the village where my family lived, killed everyone! I wanted to take revenge on them but my family came first! I tried to take them back before they were taken away but I was too late to save them. And in some cruel fate, I have been stuck here, forced to watch others live full lives while I stayed in limbo.”

“A cruel fate indeed,” Reks said, bowing his head. “My condolences to you, for my family met a similar fate. Come with us and we can free you from this.”

“You have my thanks fellow knight,” Sir Gangely said. “But I must stay here. By now everyone that I know is gone. This is my punishment for not realizing just how important and precious life really is. I was a fool for not knowing that.”

All of a sudden the sound of moaning came from outside. “Uh oh, they’re still coming!” Pinkie said.

“Go now, I will try to hold them off as best I can,” Sir Gangely said, drawing his sword. “One day perhaps we will meet again!”

The three of them hurried outside, reaching the engine room. Unfortunately, the inside was more complex than they imagined. “So how do we stop it?” Applejack asked.

“There has to be an emergency stop lever somewhere,” Reks said. He soon spotted it. “There it is!” He tried to pull on it but it wouldn’t budge. “Damn! I could use a hoof or two here!” The three of them pulled and finally the lever gave and pulled back, causing the train to squeal as the brakes kicked in, slowly bringing the train to a stop.

As it so happened, they ended up stopping at what looked like a train station. They quickly got out as soon as the doors opened, but something caught Rek’s eye. He saw that others were boarding the train; others that had met their end and began their journey on, including-

“Anna, Annabelle!” His wife and daughter were getting on and there was nothing he could do to stop them. “Please, don’t leave me! You’re all that I have left!”

Applejack and Pinkie Pie could only watch. They did not have to ask to know who Reks was speaking to. The whistle blew again and the train started to depart once more. “My love!” Anna suddenly said. “You have to stay strong for us!”

“Daddy!” Annabelle cried out. “We’ll always be in your heart, always!” The train soon was gone and Reks stood there, his head bowed in sadness and misery for his loved ones.

“We have to keep moving,” he then said somberly. “The Empire is probably still on our tails no doubt.” Realizing now was not the best time to ask questions, the two other ponies nodded and followed him out of the woods.

(A/N: For this upcoming part, the song I’m using here is “Battle 2” from Final Fantasy IV.)

Upon seeing light again for the first time, they suddenly realized they were surrounded by Imperial troops. “How? How did they find us?” Applejack asked.

“They were on our tails more than we thought,” Reks said.

“You three are under arrest,” one of the troops said. “If you come quietly, no harm will be inflicted on you.”

“Can we even take them on?” Pinkie asked.

“I think we have a fair chance,” Reks said. “Hey tinheads, you want us, you’re gonna have to take us down first!”

*“Get them!” the soldier yelled as they converged on them. Their flanks to one another, Pinkie attacked, throwing knives that pierced right into a couple soldiers’ throats; Applejack taking out three soldiers with a blast from her shotgun. But Reks was the most impressive, attacking quickly as lightning, taking out his foes with skill, elegance, and ease.

The rest of the soldiers hesitated, but attacked regardless. Applejack then pulled out a grenade, took off the pin, and rolled it towards them. The blast sent them flying back and they landed together in a crumpled heap.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using here is “Kefka’s Theme” from Final Fantasy VI.)

A laugh suddenly cried out. *“Splendid!” Out from the shadows came General Raines. “I suppose I should’ve brought more than one regiment to deal with you lot, but I suppose it’s always up to me to clean up the mess.”

“You!” Reks said. “I know who you are, and I can tell you were behind what happened at Hoofington!”

“Oh yes that,” Raines said. “What a tragedy indeed. I never truly wanted to kill all those ponies that way,”

“Liar!”

Raines laughed. “Oh ho ho! In war, it cannot be helped who lives or who dies. General Leon is too soft and would have wanted an honorable victory, but it would’ve been a waste of time.”

“Well he’s certainly three times the pony you’ll ever be,” Reks shot back. He then drew his sword. “Killing you won’t bring my family back, but it’ll certainly bring peace to my heart, and my loved ones.”

“Your bravery is admired, if not stupid,” Raines said. “But you’re out of my league, I’m afraid. A minor foot soldier. The magic I possess would you leave you burnt and crispy within seconds.”

“I am Captain Reks,” Reks said. “Meaning I am only one rank below yours, and I’ll be willing to put your rank as General on the line as well as mine. My sword against your magic.”

“Wait a minute Reks…” Applejack started to say.

“Please,” Reks said, looking back at them. “You’ve done enough. This is my fight, mine alone.”

(A/N: For this last part, the song I’m using is “The Final Battle” from Final Fantasy I.))

*“Very well,” Raines said. “I suppose I’m going to have to kill you anyway. Nothing personal.”

“You will pay for your war crimes!” Reks shouted, charging him sword forward. However, before he could land a blow, Raines teleported away.

“How sad…” Raines said behind him. He then attacked by launching a fireball at Reks, who managed to dodge it quickly enough. “Your speed is impressive, but dodge this!” A bolt of lightning came down and struck Reks, knocking him back as his sword flew out of his hoof. “See, you are powerless. What can a mere earth pony do against magic?”

“I don’t need magic…” Reks said, getting up slowly. “I only need determination.” With sudden speed, he attacked in a fury, and despite Raines using a shield spell, Reks managed to get a scrape on him.

“Gah!” Raines looked down and saw he got scratched along his chest. “I guess I underestimated you after all. I would kill you all now, but the job is done, and I am needed elsewhere. Pray we do not meet again.” And with that, he teleported away.

Reks let out a deep sigh, striking his sword into the ground. After everything, he let his family’s killer get away. But one day, they would probably meet again, that he would make sure of, unless somepony else got to him first. “Applejack, Pinkie Pie,” he said softly, turning to them. “Thank you, for everything. I would not be standing here right now if it were not for you two.”

“Aw shucks,” Applejack said, blushing slightly. “It were nothing really. Always willing to help a pony in need.”

“So… how do we get out of here?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Reks looked around and saw smoke not too far away. Getting a closer look, he saw what looked like a downed Imperial ship, still intact too. “I wouldn’t suppose either of you two know how to fly this?” he asked.

Chapter 14

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace, Ghidious was sitting on his throne, looking at a large map of Equestria. An aide soon came in and spoke softly, “My Lord, Generals Bellatrix and Leon are here to see you.”

“Splendid, let them in,” Ghidious said, nodding.

The doors opened and both Bellatrix and Leon entered. Both bowed before Bellatrix said, “I have a report from the Eastern front. Cloudsdale as of now ceases to exist.”

“Really?” Ghidious asked. “Hm, what a shame, I always did like that city, back in it’s prime days. Wasn’t that where you were born General?”

“…Yes my lord,” Bellatrix said. “But… it had to be done. Unfortunately, most of the rebels escaped.”

“Heading back to their last garrison in the north,” Ghidious said. “It’s just as well.”

“Sir, you wished to speak with me?” Leon asked.

“Ah yes,” Ghidious said. “My apologies for having you transfer so much, but I need you back with the Calvalry Unit, as our planned attack of the north will begin less than a week.”

“But… what about Hoofington?” Leon asked.

“As far as I know now, Hoofington has already fallen,” Ghidious said. “The media is already saying that hundreds, almost all of them are dead. Poison in the water.”

“…Raines,” Leon growled. “My lord, I did not authorize this. My orders were clear to him and the others.”

“Do not worry yourself Leon,” Ghidious said calmly. “As soon as General Raines returns he will be dealt with appropriately. Unfortunately, this may generate more sympathy for the rebellion.” He then looked back to his map, where he had pieces representing his forces on all parts of the map. “Now… if we combine our forces for one large attack, the end of this war could finally come to an end. Any suggestions?”

“Attacking from the air will be our best motive,” Bellatrix said. “Their fortress is strong, but even that could not hold forever against aerial strikes. Leon and his fleet could easily punch a hole through the top.”

“But they will have artillery along the perimeter,” Leon pointed out. “Artillery that was scavenged from other vehicles, which could easily punch a hole in our ships. The fleet will have to hold back until the defenses are nullified.”

“Very observant,” Ghidious said. “Then we shall attack from the air, and when necessary, our other forces will join in.”

“I can have the fleet assembled immediately,” Leon said.

“Not yet,” Ghidious said, putting up a hoof. “Our troops are tired, weary and a day or two’s rest should be enough for them. Leon had to admire Ghidious for not being hellbent on ending the war so quickly. “Besides, the Gala is tomorrow and I’ve already planned a speech that will be broadcast all over Equestria. Even the rebels will be able to take part in hearing it. And of course you two will be accompanying me.” The two of them looked at each other. It was no surprise, seeing as how only the rich and high-ranking members of the military were invited. “That shall be all then. You two are dismissed.”

“Kind of strange to hold a Gala days before an invasion,” Bellatrix said as they left the palace.

“Perhaps it’s to raise morale?” Leon suggested. “This war has gone on longer than any of us wanted it. Bella… I figured since we’re going to be at the Gala… would you like to come as my date?”

Bellatrix smiled, and for once it was a sincere smile. “Of course I would…but you do realize we do this every Gala?”

“…You’re right,” Leon said. “But this is for real this time, not just because we’re going to be there. I want you to come as my date, for real.”

“Well, in that case…” She then went up and kissed his cheek. “It’s a date then, but don’t get any ideas.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Leon said.

Soon after they left, Ghidious rose from his seat and headed to the top of the western tower. Time to pay somepony a visit. Reaching the top floor, he did not bother even knocking and opened the door. “What a beautiful day it is. A perfect day to go out for a stroll, wouldn’t you say so, Princess Cadance?”

Cadance stood by the window, looking out as she usually did, each day that she has been here. On the day that Celestia was stripped of her throne, Luna had taken Cadance to what had been thought as a safe haven for her. But, it did not take long for Ghidious to find her and since then she has been imprisoned in the castle. Since then, she had almost always refused food, except for times when hunger got the best of her. She was also given a shower and a clean bed, but despite these accommodations, she still felt like a prisoner, because she knew she was one.

“My dear…” Ghidious said, shaking his head. “Why must you always look so sad and depressed? I have given you everything that you could possibly want.” He walked up to her slowly and faced her. “Is that not enough? Is there… something more that you want?” He put a hoof to her face but turned away at his touch, refusing to look back at him. “You want to leave, to be free. You’ve always been given that option Cadance, but yet you refuse to do so.”

Suddenly Cadance responded with a short, mocking laugh. “I choose to stay because I know you well enough that you always have a trick up your sleeve.” Now she was staring at him. “Because you know if I leave you’ll never see me again.”

“That may be true…” Ghidious said. “But you are right, I always have a trick.” He paused slightly. “I wonder how your dear husband is nowadays. Captain Shining Armor, despite his true loyalties, had decided to stay loyal to the crown to protect what he cares about most: you. But I hear he is retired now, poor lad. It must be so sad for you Cadance… to know that you’re forced to outlive your one true love. Perhaps that’s why Celestia and Luna never found love… the heartbreak would be too much for them.”

“Your words will have no affect on me,” Cadance snapped.

“Oh… but perhaps these will,” Ghidious said, smiling. “If you were to leave now… and join the rebellion, why I’m afraid your poor husband may get involved in a terrible accident. Now wouldn’t that be a shame?”

Cadance’s face changed to a look of horror. “You wouldn’t…”

“Oh I would not harm him for no reason…” Ghidious said slyly. “If you catch my drift…”

“…Fine,” Cadance said. “If I have to, I will stay here. But realize this, I know Celestia is free of that prison you put her in, and soon she’ll find Luna, and then, you’ll be sorry you crossed any of us.”

Ghidious chuckled in amusement. “My dear… perhaps you are not aware of this, but Celestia’s power over the years has diminished quite substantially, even if she’s not willing to admit it. Her time is coming to an end, we all know this. We alicorns are not immortal; we all eventually die just like the others. I’m afraid draining her power has diminished her time left on this world. So believe me, I am not worried in the slightest, but I will look forward to meeting her again if I have to, it would be my pleasure to end her life permanently.” He then headed towards the door before turning back and saying, “It was good talking to you again Cadance. I hope you continue to enjoy your stay here.” He closed the door and was gone.

(A/N: For this last part, the song I’m using here is “Discovery in Sadness” from Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus.)

Cadance turned back to her window, looking the deep blue sky and the soft white clouds that covered it, like a constant moving picture. *“My dear Shining Armor…” she said softly. “I hope you are well… I’m afraid we’ll both have to wait a bit longer before we see each other again. I just wish you could send me a sign, any sign that you are okay and I do not need to worry.”

She continued looking out, feeling silly that she was hoping to hear from him. But suddenly, she saw a blue twinkle in the clouds and the light, whatever it was, zoomed off onto the horizon. Cadance smiled, tears coming to her eyes. “So you did hear me,” she said, laughing slightly. “And you’re okay… that’s all I need to know…” The tears slid down her cheeks and suddenly her smile disappeared as she lowered her head and broke down, sobbing quietly.

Chapter 15

Second to the capital Vector, Manehattan had always been one of the more populated areas in Equestria. Not only was it important for the Equestrian economy, it was also important to the Imperial army, for in the middle of the city was a large military base, which held a large communications relay, one that allowed messages to be sent over all of Equestria within seconds, no messengers needed. Of course, this did not include radio broadcasts, which were received from separate radio towers. Apparently the Empire was currently in the process of building another in Fillydelphia.

“That’s the target,” Snowblind said, looking through a pair of electronic binoculars. “No doubt it’s heavily guarded, and security is tight. Stealth is our only option but once that timer sets off, we’ll have to run like hell.” The mission was simple: get in, plant explosives on the relay, get out, and watch the fireworks. What would be difficult was getting in and out without being caught by the Imperials.

“You know, I should remind you all that we’re in restricted airspace right now,” Marcus said calmly. “And in about another thirty seconds the Imps are gonna notice and start tracking me. And if that happens, we’re all goners.”

“We’re heading out right now, so don’t get your tail twisted smuggler,” Dax said, opening the loading ramp.

“Alright, just as we planned it,” Snowblind said. “Twilight and Rarity, you hold onto Arwen, but make sure everypony stays close. When I give the signal, we go dark.” He slid on his goggles and leapt out into the rushing winds. Dax, Arwen, and the others soon followed.

“I tell you Jazz,” Marcus said as the ship took off. “When this is all over, we’re going to need a vacation. Trottingham is a nice place to go around this time of year I hear.”

“I didn’t know you were the country-type,” Jazz snickered.

“Yeah well, anything to get away from these crazy ponies.”

Snowblind had planned everything out carefully. In the next five hundred feet, their scanners would pick them up. In the short amount of time they had, Snowblind was able to teach Twilight and Rarity the basics of an invisibility spell. Not as powerful as his, but it would help support all of them from being detected. Luckily his spell prevented even radar to pick them up.

As soon as he saw everyone was close, he yelled, “Now!” and the three unicorns cast their spells quickly and suddenly they were gone. At best, there would’ve been a blip on the scanners but nothing any pony would be suspicious of.

Using two spells at once was difficult, even for older unicorns and Snowblind barely had enough magic to make a levitation spell that would prevent them from hitting the ground. Once they were down, they took a look around. “Interesting,” Snowblind said, noticing his companions. “It seems we can see one another, but not to anypony else. My magic has gotten better it seems.”

But just to make sure, they hid across a wall to prevent from being seen. “Okay, judging from the blueprints, there are two ways inside the base since going through the front door is not an option. One leads from the underground sewers and the other is through an exhaust shaft which, thankfully, hasn’t been used in awhile. They lead to different points, but they’re close enough that we shouldn’t have a hard time regrouping. So, Dax and I will go through the shaft and the rest of you will-”

“Oh no, no,” Rarity said, raising a hoof immediately. “There is no way I’m going down into the sewers.”

“…Okay then Dax and I will go that way,” Snowblind said, an annoyed look on his face. “And don’t worry, Arwen will look after you both.”

“I can hold myself well in a fight too,” Arwen said with a wink.

“Once we meet up inside, we’ll initiate phase two,” Snowblind said. “Now let’s move, the guards are about to rotate their shifts.”

Both he and Dax could now see why Rarity didn’t want to come down here. Ever since the Empire came around, plumbing and sanitation had not been kept up to date as well as it should have. “Ugh,” Dax said, walking through the sludge. “Normally I’m okay with walking around in a little dirt or mud, but this is ridiculous.”

“Complaining is not gonna make this go faster,” Snowblind grumbled. Soon however, they found the ladder that would lead to the main floor of the base. “I can keep the spell going on for as long as we need it, but we may need some uniforms.” They then made their way up.

After opening the hatch above them slightly and checking that was the coast was clear, they climbed their way out. After a second thought, Snowblind then used a rain spell. “Sorry,” Snowblind said, grinning sheepishly at a deeply unamused Dax. “Don’t want to leave a trail behind.”

(A/N: For this upcoming part, the song I’m using here is “On the Verge of the Assault” from Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.)

“So where do we go from here?” Dax asked.

Snowblind had memorized everything carefully down to a tee. “The relay should be in the southeast corner, so we should go left.”

“Or we could just follow the signs,” Dax pointed out. Snowblind looked behind him and there was a sign that read, “Comm. Relay -->”.

“Oh,” he said. “Yes, or we could do just that.”

“Shouldn’t we look for the others first?” Dax asked.

“We should be able to run into along the way,” Snowblind said. “Unless something goes wrong of course.” They then headed down towards the relay. They quickly had to hide though when a guard came around the corner. “I’ll handle him.” His horn then glowed and the guard stopped, as if in a stupor. “You are hungry,” Snowblind whispered. “You should get a bite to eat…”

“Hmm… I’m hungry,” the guard said. “I should get a bite to eat.”

“Go down to the cafeteria and stay awhile.”

“Maybe I’ll stay awhile in the cafeteria.” The guard then went the other direction, whistling slightly.

“For once I’m kind of jealous,” Dax said.

“Fun being a unicorn, isn’t it?” Snowblind said.

They continued on rounding about the corner when something triggered. All of a sudden, both Dax and Snowblind felt their hair rise as something seemed to go over them, like a hot breeze. Suddenly the alarm sounded. “What was that!?” Dax snapped.

“An invisible identification laser; which can read a pony’s ID through DNA, and a magic nullifier.”

“Meaning…”

“Yeah, we’re not invisible anymore.”

*The guards came quick, loaded to the teeth. Unfortunately, these guards just happened to be stormtroopers. “No choice now,” Snowblind said. “We’re gonna have to plow through all of them and make a run for it!”

Luckily, Dax was loaded as well. Taking two grenades, he rolled them down the hallway, exploding at their feet, causing limbs to fly in every direction. This gave them the gap they needed and they continued on. The sudden adrenaline boost was what Snowblind needed as his magic reserves were refilled.

However, they were quickly needed when Snowblind felt something hit him hard in the shoulder. Hurt like hell too. Without even looking he knew he had been shot and his magic was working to heal the blood vessels that had been ruptured. He then proceeded to use a thunder spell which was enough to put the new set of soldiers out. “Cause really, haven’t they learned by now they need rubber padding?” he thought.

“You okay?” Dax said as they took cover.

“Nothing serious, I’ll be fine,” Snowblind said. He winced greatly as he magically removed the lead ball out of his shoulder. In payback, he shot it around the corner, hoping it hit somepony.

“The closer we get, the more of them there’ll be,” Dax reminded him.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Snowblind said. Since they were on alert, there was no doubt reaching the relay would be impossible. Unless… “Is that a garbage chute?” he asked, pointing to one across the hall.

“I think so but I sure hope it’s not for garbage,” Dax said, groaning.

“Care for going for a dive?” Snowblind asked.

“…Why do I even do these missions with you?” Snowblind didn’t have time to laugh. He was already going across, avoiding fire and jumping up into the chute. “I’m never going to hear the end of this…” He then followed suit, jumping in. And much to his annoyance, he smelled garbage below.

The base has once been a factory plant but after the civil war broke out, it had been made into a military base. The exhaust shaft that Arwen, Twilight, and Rarity were walking through had been used to circulate fresh air for the hundreds of workers that worked away eight hours straight.

“So… why exactly were we needed for this again?” Twilight asked.

“This is a special mission,” Arwen said. “Even big for us, so we needed all the help we can get. Blowing up this relay won’t end the war but it will cripple the Empire completely. They’re working on another relay in Fillydelphia but it’s months away before it’s complete and operational.”

“Okay, but why us?” Rarity asked.

Arwen shrugged. “Personnel are low these days…” They then made their way past the large fan that was currently shut off. Soon they came to a room the size of an arena. “These were where the workers and machines were stationed,” Arwen explained. “All the metal that was mined from the mountains came here, and processed into just about anything. Looks like they haven’t found any use for this spot yet.”

“Unless they’re planning on building something else,” Twilight stated.

“Let’s hope not,” Arwen said as they hopped down. All of a sudden, the alarms started going off. “Hide!” The three of them quickly hide behind a machine that had been abandoned. Seconds went by but no pony came. “Hmm… if they’re not coming for us, then Snowblind and Dax must’ve tripped something.”

“Well, we’re going to help them right?” Twilight asked.

“The mission comes first,” Arwen said sternly. “Everything else is secondary. They know that just as much as I do.”

“Surely you’re not going to leave them behind?” Rarity asked.

“That was never an option,” Arwen said. “But first things first.”

Once the alarms finally shut off, they went through the closest set of doors into a web of interlocking hall ways. The three of them quickly made their way, following the signs. “Can you hear that vibration sound?” Arwen asked. “The relay’s close.” She paused slightly. “Underground… makes sense.”

“It’s underground?” Rarity asked.

“Most of it,” Arwen said. “If somepony destroyed the dish, it would still be operational, although communications would be lost for a time. No, taking the entire thing out is what we want. There should be an elevator nearby.”

They quickly found one, and headed down towards the bottom floor, deep underground. There must’ve been a security breach for as soon as the doors closed, there was a small bang as gas started to vent into the elevator. “Sleeping gas! Don’t…!” But it was too late, for the three had already inhaled it and instantaneously crumbled to the ground unconscious.

Chapter 16

The good news for Snowblind and Dax was they got away without a scratch. The bad news was now they found themselves at the bottom of a garbage chute, and from the smell itself, things had been accumulating here for years.

“What a lovely smell you found,” Dax said irritably. “You just had to pick the garbage chute didn’t you?”

“I picked the garbage chute because one, we had troops shooting at us and two, this will lead us out towards the communications array. It’s not that bad, could be worse.”

All of a sudden they heard what sounded like a roar close by. “It’s worse,” Dax said. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m getting out of here before I lose a leg in the process.”

Once they finally managed to get out, Dax let out a frustrated groan. “This smell is never gonna come out,” he said. “Should’ve stayed with Arwen.”

“And leave me alone?” Snowblind said, wiping sewage off his face. “I’m insulted.” He then looked around. “Where are we exactly?”

“Looks like a basement, if anything,” Dax said as they continued through the large room. “Almost seems abandoned, there’s practically nothing here.”

“Let’s just hope that’s the case.” All of a sudden they heard something clatter to the ground. “Did you hear that?”

“Guess we’re not alone after all,” Dax said, gripping his gun. There was only silence then. “Sheesh Snowblind, can’t you light the place up or something?”

Snowblind shot a flare spell from his horn which flew off across the room. For the most part machinery and parts, nothing out of the ordinary but- “Wait, what’s that?” There was something on the other side of the room, something big. “Is that a…?”

“A mech?” Dax finished. Indeed it was, but a much larger one than the ones they were used to seeing. But something else was odd.

“Wait a minute… I don’t see anywhere where a pony can drive this…” Snowblind said.

“You mean this thing runs on it’s own?” Dax asked.

“Could be remote-controlled,” Snowblind replied, looking it over. “Or… dare I say it, perhaps controlled via AI.”

“Oh wonderful,” Dax groaned. “This is just wonderful. Looks like Ghidious has some new toys for us.”

“It’s a good thing we found this, for others are probably being created as we speak,” Snowblind said. “But this could be a prototype. Why it’s here, I don’t know, but we need to get going, and then we’ll tell everypony else.”

All of a sudden, there came a small beep as lights started flashing on it. “Uh, I think it’s turning on…” Dax said, panic in his voice.

“Yes but it’s still in sleep mode,” Snowblind explained. “Even if it was, it hasn’t been used in awhile so it has to run diagnostics.”

“Oh yes, run diagnostics on the machine gun and rocket launcher it’s carrying!” Dax snapped.

“Hm, yes you’re right, we should go, but go slowly, if it picks up our movements it might wake up.” They tried backing up as slowly as they could but it was no good as a sensor suddenly activated.

“System reboot, main systems online. Main weapons online.”

“Okay buck it, let’s just run!”

“Threat detected, engaging hostiles.” The sound of a machine gun started firing and the bullets were close to nicking the back of their legs.

Snowblind set up a barrier, but with the rate of the gun firing and his stamina dropping, it wouldn’t last long. To make matters worse, the mech then fired off a missile that was aimed at the ceiling. It was trying to trap them inside.

“Move!” Dax said, as they ran as fast as they could. The ceiling was crumbling, but if they could make it out in time, at least the mech would be trapped, if not temporarily. “Damn it we’re not gonna make it!”

“Grab on to me!” Snowblind said. Dax did so and all of a sudden he felt as if his body was being ripped apart. The feeling did not last as suddenly they found themselves behind where the ceiling had collapsed.

“Teleportation spell,” Dax said. “Now why couldn’t you have done that before we were getting shot at?”

“It had its risks,” Snowblind said, panting and wiping dust off himself. “If I hadn’t stayed focused, you would’ve died because only half of your body would’ve been here right now, so I wouldn’t be complaining.”

Dax said nothing, keeping the horrible image out of his head.

“It won’t be long ‘til they figure out where we are,” Snowblind said. “We have to keep going.” He then put a hoof to his ear. “Arwen, do you copy? This is Snow… Arwen? Do you copy?” No response. “Damn it. If she’s not responding this is bad news.”

“She can’t be…” Dax started.

“No,” Snowblind said. “Even if she was captured, they wouldn’t kill her right away. We’re all high-valued targets. Alright, let’s plant those explosives and get those girls out of here.”

“I know it’s a large task, but I have faith in you Dawn, I know you can save the world from chaos…”

“That voice…” Twilight thought. “It’s Princess Celestia… but who is Dawn?”

It was as if she was in a dark room, but suddenly as if in a movie a scene appeared before her. Celestia, or what appeared to be a younger Celestia, was speaking to… “Me? Is this Dawn? But she almost looks exactly like me…”

Suddenly the scene disappeared in a flash of light!

(A/N: For this next part the song I’m using is “Follow Fi” from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

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Twilight woke up and, perhaps to no surprise, found herself in a cell. The last thing she remembered was being hit with knockout gas. Obviously she, Rarity, and Arwen have been captured by the enemy.

She went up front and looked around but saw and heard nothing. “Rarity? Arwen?” No answer. She saw the lock and used her magic. But it did not break off. She tried again but still nothing. “Magic-resistant no doubt,” she thought. She was going to need something else to break the lock.

Of all of a sudden the cell seemed to light up. Coming out of the wall was a small ball of light, like a mini sun. Twilight stared at it, not sure if this was some sort of trick or perhaps an interrogation device. It circled her once and then went to the corner where- “There’s a hole right there,” she noticed. Had it been there the whole time, or was this just created. It was small enough to crawl through and the ball of light seemed to be beckoning here. “Guess I don’t have a choice do I?” she said to no one in particular.

She then started crawling through. It was a bit tight but she could manage. A guard certainly could not fit through here if he tried to follow her. *Once she got through, she found herself outside of… wherever she was. It seemed the base had a separate prison cell.

The ball of light was still with here and started flying off slowly, still beckoning her. “What are you trying to show me?” Twilight asked. No response, which was not a surprise. She was now in a part of Manehattan that was unfamiliar to her. It seemed to be some sort of courtyard, but it hasn’t been maintained for quite some time. Then she noticed something glimmer in the distance. She continued forward, no longer just following. When she got closer, her eyes widened slightly.

There was a sword, a magnificent sword, stuck in a pedestal. It seemed to be the only thing that hadn’t withered away. “What is this…?”

“This is the sword known as Exacalibur,” a voice said, startling her. “Through many generations it has gone by different names, but it’s importance has always been the same. This sword is the key to defeating Chaos…”

“Chaos?” Twilight asked.

“You must take the sword Twilight Sparkle. It is your destiny…”

“But I’m not a swordsman,” Twilight argued. “I’m a mage, I have no-” She stopped, realizing the voice was not listening to her. She then sighed. “Fine… I’ll take it.”

(A/N: For this next part the song I’m using is “Blessing of the Goddess” from Skyward Sword.

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*She then walked over to the sword, grabbing the hilt with both her hooves. She pulled, feeling resistance but slowly the sword came and upon pulling it out, held it up, staring at its magnificence.

“Finally, took you long enough,” a voice said, directly in her head. Strangely it sounded similar to hers.

“W-Who are you?” Twilight asked.

“I am the guardian of this sword,” the voice said. “Once you pulled out the sword, we became one, which is why I am in your head. You may call me… Artemis.”

“Artemis?” Twilight asked, almost giggling. “But Artemis’ weapon was a bow.”

“…I know that,” Artemis said with annoyance in her voice. “Are you going to be smart with me the entire time?”

“I don’t even know what’s going on right now!” Twilight almost shouted. Thank Celestia no one was around. “But I do need this sword to free my friends.”

“I suppose I will have to get you up to speed with everything,” Artemis said. “But not now, it is probably best to- …Twilight, listen to me you have to get out of there, now! Run!”

(A/N: For this next part the song I’m using is “Silent Realm – Guardian Chase” from Skyward Sword.

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Twilight was not sure what was going on but the courtyard seemed to be getting darker, as if the sun was disappearing over the horizon. She also felt cold, almost freezing. She then ran for it, running back the way she came. *All of a sudden, a pony appeared before her, wearing what looked like a death mask, concealing his face.

She attacked with her magic and the figure retreated but others seemed to be following. “Meet the Death Squad, Ghidious’ Elite Guard. Summoned from Tartarus, they will not give up on a target unless ordered. You do not want to be captured by them,” Artemis warned her.

They kept following her, but strangely at a distance, as if toying with her. All of a sudden, one of the walls of a building next to her blew up as one of them tried to intercept her. She then used a teleportation spell to get away but soon she had nowhere else to go. She was cornered.

The Death Squad made their move but then suddenly stopped as someone appeared behind them. “That is quite enough,” the voice said. “I think we should let our guest live just a little bit longer.”

The Elite Guard then moved back and saw Twilight saw that it was their own master himself. “Pleasure to see you again Twilight Sparkle,” Ghidious said, smiling.

(A/N: So… I apologize for being gone so long. I spent the last month playing Mass Effect 3 and… getting lazy with my writing. I hope this makes up for everything. By the way I like the new YouTube thing on here.)

Chapter 17

(A/N: For this part, the song I’m using is “Lord Ghirahim” from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

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Chapter 17

*“Ghidious!” Twilight exclaimed. “What are you doing here!?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Ghidious said, smiling. “A message was sent to me claiming you and your friends were sneaking around trying to take out our communications relay.” He then shook his head. “I’m surprised you let yourself be caught so easily. Celestia always did speak highly of you.”

“Oh really? Twilight asked, her eyes narrowing. “And what did she tell you?”

“You’re her star pupil,” Ghidious said pleasantly. “Among other things of course. I truly am delighted that we can finally talk face-to-face.” Twilight kept the same face and Ghidious’ smile faltered slightly. “Huh, yes she gave me that same look too once. I didn’t realize how much alike you two are.”

Twilight suddenly noticed the sword she was carrying started to glow slightly, as if it was reacting to something. “So what are you going to do, kill me now?”

“Kill you?” Ghidious laughed. “No, not quite yet. All of you may still be of some use to me. But for now, I’ll savor the moment and see if you really do have what it takes to stop me. Leave us.” That was directed towards the masked figures surrounding them and silently they departed.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using is “Battle Ghirahim” from Skyward Sword.

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“That’s better,” Ghidious said. “Now then…” *All of a sudden Twilight was lifted off her feet and crashed into the wall behind her. “Tsk tsk, I would’ve thought Celestia taught you better than that. Now is the time to prove just worthy of an opponent you are.”

Twilight quickly got up and fired red pulses of energy from her horn. However, Ghidious was too quick, as he moved quicker than the eye could see, dodging her attacks. “Silly Twilight, simple attacks like that won’t defeat me. I am on a whole different level than Celestia.”

Twilight then felt as if a boulder was suddenly resting on her shoulders as she crumbled down to the ground. As much as she fought against it, the pressure she was feeling kept her down.

“Such a pity,” Ghidious said, walking up to her. “I really thought perhaps there was more to you than your name and title.”

Twilight then looked back at the sword and an idea crept into her head. “It’s all I have left.”

“Regretful actually,” Ghidious continued. “But I suppose getting rid of you would be a thorn out of my side.”

“You’ll find I’m full of surprises…” Twilight murmured, and using all the magic she could wield, caused the sword to strike at Ghidious. He managed to move away but the distraction was enough for the spell to dissipate as Twilight got to her feet.

Ghidious wiped away the blood on his cheek where she managed to scratch him. “Impressive, I did in fact underestimate you, twice now. If that’s the game you want…” A black saber then appeared before him. “…then I shall accept. En garde!”

Despite being unfamiliar using a sword, Twilight did what many amateur swordsmen do; she charged forward swinging with her magic but unfortunately Ghidious was quite the opposite. He blocked it easily and smacked her in the face with the end of his sword. Twilight suddenly felt dizzy but she had to keep going.

“Time your attacks, watch your opponent.” Artemis was speaking to her again but the helpful advice was her only way out of this.

“You may be many things but never a swordsman,” Ghidious taunted, circling her. Twilight stayed patient, tuning out his voice and when she saw him lower his guard slightly, she struck, getting him on the side. She doubted a flesh wound would do him in, but right now it was all about defending herself.

Ghidious winced at the strike. Clearly there was more to this mare than he thought. And that sword, it was the same one she carried years ago, he was certain of it. This all felt more than a coincidence. “Damn you,” he said. “I do not know how that sword still exists, but it doesn’t answer to just anyone. I’ve wasted enough time as it is. Go then and finish your quest here. Just realize I’m going easy on you this time because you’re still an interest to me, as well as your friends. Farewell for now, but we will see each other again very soon.” He then vanished and the area around her became quiet again.

Twilight then looked at the sword again and was awestruck by the sudden glow it possessed now. “What is this sword…?”

“This is no ordinary sword,” Artemis said. “It is a magical sword that had been forged centuries ago. It has different names such as Caledfwlch or Caliburnus, but it’s mostly known by the name of Excalibur.”

“Excalibur?” Twilight whispered in amazement. “The Excalibur? But I thought this sword was only a myth?”

“It is no myth and the fact that you are able to wield it is no small matter,” Artemis said. “As I’ve said, I am the Guardian of this sword and as my duty I will teach you the ways, to face the evil that lies before you.”

“Ghidious?” Twilight asked.

“Indeed, but now is not the time,” Artemis said. “I believe you have friends who are waiting for you.”

Arwen woke to the sound of her lock being cut off and she saw her cell door open. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she said, rubbing her head slightly. She then saw the sword. “Not sure where you found that but could be useful right about now.”

“Rarity is not in here?” Twilight asked.

“Probably one of the nearby cells,” Arwen said. “Just… make sure to look who’s inside before you open the door. Won’t do us any good having psychopaths roaming the halls.”

It didn’t take them long to find Rarity who was still passed out. “Ugh, excuse me but I was enjoying my beauty sleep…” Rarity mumbled. She then found out where she was. “Good heavens! This place is disgusting! Please Twilight; let us leave this awful place.”

The three of them managed to get out of the cell room but this area was entirely new to them. “Wait, where are the guards?” Twilight asked.

“Possibly there’s a transition between the guards’ shifts,” Arwen said. “Either that or something big is going on.”

They didn’t have to go much farther before forced to hide behind the gate that led into a large pit. On the upper level there were guards posted but an altercation was taking place. “What did you say!? Say that again!” one of the guards, possibly a captain, yelled.

“You heard me; we’re here to collect the mare.” A group of Diamond Dogs appeared to be the ones causing trouble and they obviously didn’t feel too threatened with the other guards around. “Rumor has it she and her group infiltrated this base and now you’re holding her prisoner.”

“She did but the other two are high-value to Emperor Ghidious and are to be interrogated.” The captain said. “And since this is an Imperial base they are in my possession.”

“Bah, I don’t care about the other two, but those other two are still on the loose and are worth quite a bit of money. But the mare, well,” The Diamond Dog then snickered. “We’d make sure to take good care of her, he he.”

Arwen looked repulsed. “Charming…”

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using is “Theme of the Empire” from Final Fantasy XII.

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“Well I can’t help you, bounty hunters,” the captain said. “You’ll have to speak to our CO about that.”

“Your commanding officer can piss off for all I care,” the Diamond Dog snapped.

*“I think you may wish to reword that last sentence.” The front doors had opened and a pony, cast entirely in armor and helmet stepped forward. The helmet completely hid away his face but his figure was enough to strike fear into anyone.

“Y-You!?” the Diamond Dog sputtered, his two companions cowering behind him.

“Who is that?” Rarity asked.

“Judge Victus,” Arwen whispered. “He’s one of Ghidious’ highest ranked officers and a fierce warrior. He commands the Imperial Fleet and the Death Squad. The pony is rotten to the core and a heart of stone. He makes Ghidious look like a gentlecolt. He’s the last remaining Judge of the Empire however.”

“What happened to the others?” Twilight asked.

“Killed by rebel forces,” Arwen said. “Snowblind, Dax and I actually killed the last one, Ghis.”

“I hope this is important Captain,” Victus said. Even behind the helmet, his voice sounded dangerous.

“It is,” the captain said. “We captured three rebels who infiltrated the base. There were two others but we lost them, presumed killed. Two of them are apparently needed alive.”

“Yes, the Emperor has informed me,” Victus said. “And you are sure they are secure?”

“Of course sir!” the captain said. “The locks are magic-resistant.”

“I see,” Victus said. “Then explain to me why the Emperor contacted me only moments ago telling me they escaped?”

“I…” the captain seemed lost for words. “We’ll look for them sir!” He saluted quickly and ordered his troops to do a sweep of the entire building.

“The three of them are not to be taken lightly,” Victus said. “When they are captured, bring them to my shuttle.”

“Wait a minute!” the Diamond Dog said.

“This affair does not concern you, bounty hunter,” Victus said, walking away. “Unless you would rather make yourself an enemy of the Empire.”

The dog growled in frustration. “Find them!” he snapped at his two accomplices.

“And now’s our time to leave,” Arwen said. “Stay close, the place is going to be crawling with them now.”

“But how are we supposed to get out of here?” Rarity asked.

“There should be an airfield nearby,” Arwen said. “Once we get there, we can snag a ride out of here.”

“But we can’t leave Snowblind and Dax behind!” Twilight said.

“They already know what needs to be done and… if they are dead, well, then that’s what they would want us to do.” She then went up and tore off the vent cover above them. “There’s no way we’re going to get there the usual route undetected. Hate to say it, but it’s back through the vents again.”

Unfortunately, the vents were a lot more cramped than before, meaning all they could do was slowly crawl, hopefully not making enough noise to bring attention to themselves. Arwen must have gotten the whole layout of the base before hand since she knew where she was going. Once the coast was clear, she kicked out the panel and dropped to the ground. “Come on, the airfield is just outside these doors.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.” Victus stood behind them, as if he appeared out of nowhere.

Arwen cursed silently. She looked at the two unicorns. “Go, I’ll hold him back as best I can.”

“No way!” Twilight said.

“We’re not leaving you-”

“Just do it!” She hit a button and the doors open. “I’ll be fine.” The two unicorns stared at her and then nodded and left. Arwen closed the door behind them.

“Your actions are noble,” Victus said. “If you were still with the Empire, I would find it inspiring instead of pathetic.”

“Like it or not Victus, you’ll have to get through me first,” Arwen said, grinning slightly despite her situation. “And don’t forget I was the one who killed Ghis.”

“Yes and I believe you needed your friends’ help,” Victus said, drawing a double-bladed spear. “Very well, if it is a fight you wish for, I will do it fairly and honorably. May the best pony win…”

Arwen clenched her teeth, drew her lance and launched herself at him.

Chapter 18

(A/N: For the beginning part here, the song I’m using is “Grunt” from Mass Effect 2.

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Chapter 18

*Twilight and Rarity were making their way towards the airfield when they heard a familiar voice. “Twilight, Rarity!” They looked behind them and saw Snowblind and Dax were catching up to them.

“You’re both alright!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Yes, barely,” Dax said. “Where’s Arwen?”

“She… stayed behind to keep the guards busy,” Rarity said regrettably.

Snowblind nodded. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Girl’s tough as nails.” They then noticed the guards pouring out of the base towards them. “But we gotta move now. We’ll snatch a transport and see if we can get Arwen out.” They kept going forward but there appeared to be soldiers coming from the airfield as well.

“I got this!” Dax said. He then took off his belt and rigged the grenades on there at the same time, throwing it as far as he could. The belt landed in front of the soldiers and exploded, taking out all of them. Luckily for them there was a transport still standing and Snowblind quickly hopped to it.

“I’ll get the ship warmed up and you three give me as much time as you can!” Snowblind jumped into the cockpit and started up the ship’s systems. It would’ve been an easy escape except for what came next.

There then came an explosion from the base and suddenly a large mech appeared. “You gotta be kidding me!” Dax said. “That thing’s still operating!?”

“What is that!?” Twilight asked.

“Mech, artificial intelligence. Armed and dangerous,” Dax said.

“We don’t have the firepower to take down that thing, so we have to move, now!” Snowblind said. The shuttle was their only means of escape, but somehow the mech was able to detect this as suddenly a missile flew past them and the shuttle in front of them blew up, cutting off their only means of escape. “Damn it,” Snowblind cursed. He then turned back on his radio earpiece. “Marcus, you still in the vicinity?”

“There you guys are, what the hell is going on?” Marcus asked. “I got Imperial radio chatter going crazy right now… something about a mech?”

“Yes, one that needs to be taken down immediately, can you provide support?”

“I’ll see what we can do,” Marcus said.

“I’m getting word of immediate evacuation,” Jazz chimed in. “Is there-” Suddenly a huge blast within the base erupted as the large comm. tower collapsed upon itself, taking out part of the base with it. “-Nevermind, we’ll follow the smoke,” she completed.

“Do hurry, since I imagine Imperial forces are on their way,” Snowblind said. Right now they were hunkering behind what was the shuttle. If there were any soldiers still left, they were staying out of the way until the mech was taken care of.

“That thing is headed right for us!” Rarity yelled.

“Hey Dax, if this thing is automatic,” Snowblind said. “Then that means it has an AI core.”

“Where? The thing sticking out of it’s head?” Dax asked.

“Yes, now shoot it!” Snowblind snapped.

Dax lined up his shot, took careful aim and fired. The “AI Core” completely shattered and the mech suddenly shut down. “…Is it dead?” Twilight asked.

“I think so, for now at least,” Snowblind said. “Marcus, Jazz, you’re clear for the moment.”

“Thanks, glad we don’t have to worry about being shot down for once,” Marcus chirped back.

“Hold on,” Dax said. “We are not leaving without Arwen and if I have to I’ll search that entire base for her.”

(A/N: For this next part the song I’m using is “To Hunt L’Cie” from Final Fantasy XIII.

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*“That won’t be necessary.” How they snuck up on them, Snowblind had no idea but there was Victus himself, escorted by a platoon of stormtroopers. “Destroying the comm. tower may have been a victory, but Imperial forces are already on their way. And I’m sure your friend would like to join you before you’re all arrested and… eventually executed.”

Two soldiers then drug and threw a torn up pegasus right at their feet. “Arwen!” Dax said. He glared at Victus. “You bastard…”

“I assure you she’s still alive,” Victus said pleasantly. “In fact she put up a pretty good fight, pity she was outmatched.” Snowblind held her close. She was unconscious but there was still a pulse and she was breathing lightly. “Now, if you all come willingly, I can at least grant you the small amount of time you have left in this world…”

Snowblind then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was a small red light blinking where the mech was now standing. He smiled slightly. “Sorry Victus, but I think you’re about to have bigger concerns on your plate at the moment.”

He couldn’t see Victus’ face under the helmet he wore, but he detected confusion as his horn started glowing and soon the whole area was covered in white light. He had unleashed what was similar to a flashbang grenade. While it did stun everyone, there was another purpose to it.

The flash had somehow woken up the mech, causing it’s systems to start up once again. The troopers were slow to react and then had to focus more on the giant hulk of destruction rather than their captives. Victus gave a small snort of displeasure and teleported himself away, leaving his troops behind.

“Cavalry is here!” Two missiles were suddenly fired, striking straight into the large mech, knocking it back and stunning it for a moment. The Outrider appeared and hovered down next to them. The loading ramp lowered and Marcus came out holding a high-powered rifle. “Come on I’ll cover you!” The troopers were already preoccupied as is, but Marcus shot at them nonetheless. Once they got inside, the ramp retracted and the ship took off.

Snowblind quickly took Arwen and laid her down in one of the seats in the back of the ship. “She needs medical attention right away,” Snowblind said.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get her home,” Marcus said. Suddenly the ship rocked dramatically. “And our Imperial friends are here, just in time.” He quickly made his way to the cockpit, where Twilight and Rarity now were. “How bad Jazz?”

“Two cruisers at 7 o’clock, closing fast,” Jazz said.

Marcus got into his seat. “Then it’s time for a test run. Unlike most ships I did some modifications and the engine drive has been completely revamped.”

“They’re closing in!” Rarity said.

“No problem, watch this!” Marcus said. He then pulled a lever. All of a sudden the ship’s engine sputtered and died.

“Watch what?” Twilight asked.

“…I think we might be trouble,” Marcus asked.

“I uh… forgot to mention that in the last flight the engine took a couple hits,” Jazz said. “I was working on it but didn’t have time to fix it all up before we took off.”

“Yep we’re in trouble,” Marcus said.

What then took place was something neither side could have predicted. The two cruisers were almost side by side but the cruiser on the left’s engines suddenly exploded, immobilizing the cruiser and causing the other to turn back around. “What was that?” Jazz asked.

“That came from our mechanical friend down there,” Marcus replied. “…Dear Celestia, a freaking rail gun! What in the world are those Imps up to?”

“Incoming call from Basil,” Jazz stated.

“Alright, bring him up,” Marcus said.

“Marcus, we just got word the communications relay has been taken out,” Basil said through the speakers. “I imagine everypony got out okay?”

“Arwen got wounded in the attack and we’re going to need a med team as soon as we get back,” Marcus said grimly.

“Arwen… I see,” Basil responded. “We’ll be ready to help her out as soon as you get back. And Marcus, I can’t say this enough: we’re really glad you came back.”

Marcus said nothing and ended the call. “Let’s just hope it’s all worth it.”

Chapter 19

“How bad is she?” Basil asked. He, along with Snowblind and Dax were in the same room where Arwen was resting and were keeping their voices down to prevent from disturbing her.

“Doc says she’s got some bruising but nothing too serious other than being shaken up a little,” Dax said.

“He went easy on her,” Snowblind said. “Probably trying to get to us.”

“It could’ve been a lot worse though,” Dax stated.

“And for that we should be grateful,” Basil said. “Let’s hope she can get back on her hooves soon. Now then…” He looked back to make sure they were alone. “You said they have a new weapon?”

“A mech with a complete AI,” Snowblind said. “It was a prototype and probably scrap metal by now.”

“Still, this is rather disturbing,” Basil said. “If Ghidious is resorting to using machines now, I fear we’re in more trouble than we thought.”

“Not everypony has returned back yet,” Dax said.

“Yes, I fear we may have lost contact,” Basil said. “But I have an idea how to get them out.”

“In all my years I thought I would never see this sword again…” Princess Celestia stated as she saw the sword Twilight now owned.

“Is this really the sword Excalibur?” Twilight asked.

“Indeed,” Celestia said, nodding. “Of course, it goes by many other names as well. And you said it was in a courtyard?” Twilight nodded. “It must have been moved since my imprisonment. But Ghidious would have at least hidden much more carefully than this.”

Twilight decided to opt out the part where the sword called out to her. “But why did I find it? Why me?”

“It cannot be accident nor coincidence,” Celestia stated. “If you found this sword and were able to pull it out, then it will be needed to save Equestria.” Celestia’s face then saddened. “Of course, seeing this sword brings back… sad memories. If you’ll excuse me Twilight, I need to return to my personal chambers.”

Twilight was confused by the princess’ sudden departure but said nothing and nodded, leaving her in her room.

“So ya really found Excalibur?” Applejack asked once Twilight came back.

“I guess so,” Twilight said, glancing back at it. “Too bad I’m not much of a professional swordspony.” Ever since coming back, “Artemis” hasn’t said a word, not that she really cared for all she know she was probably just hearing things.

“So what happens now?” Fluttershy asked.

“Sounds like it won’t be long before the Empire comes and rears its head at us,” Rainbow Dash said.

“You are right about that.” Basil suddenly showed up behind them. “But we’re still in the process of getting everypony back here. We lost contact with a group out in Hoofington. The place is under heavy Imperial control so it’ll be next to impossible to get them out. Rainbow Dash, seeing as how fast you are and how easy it is for you to fly out of danger, I was hoping to ask for your assistance.”

“Sure!” Rainbow said. “I’ve needed a good fly for awhile anyway.”

Basil nodded. “And perhaps I could ask for your help as well Fluttershy?”

“M-Me?” Fluttershy asked.

“I do need a Pegasus team for this and unfortunately most of the others are already out on assignment. Besides, I figured you would both be interested if it meant seeing an old friend of yours.”

“Old friend? Who?” Rainbow asked.

Basil smiled. “You’ll just have to go see her yourself.”

The deep evening sky, the warm air between her wings; this was what pegasi do. She could’ve sprinted all the way there but-

“Will you hurry up ‘Shy!? It’ll be nightfall by the time we get there at this rate.” Rainbow glared daggers at her friend, always reluctant to fly the speeds Rainbow liked.

“S-Sorry Rainbow,” Fluttershy mumbled. “How far are we?”

“Not far now, according to the coordinates given,” Rainbow said. “If the place is crawling with Imps then we’ll need to go in quietly.” Hoofington wasn’t much farther and they could see it was bordering a small forest, perfect for cover. “There, we’ll land in there and I can do some recon.” Fluttershy sighed sadly. She never was a fan of forests, big or small.

“Um… Rainbow… don’t you think a place like this would… be a good spot for an ambush?” she asked.

(A/N: For this part, the song I’m using here is “Black Water” from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete.

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“Ambush?” Rainbow snorted. “Please, if there was anypony here, I of all ponies would have noticed.” As if on cue, there was suddenly the rustling of tree branches. Three figures jumped out of nowhere and pinned both Rainbow and Fluttershy. Rainbow could instantly tell they were pegasi and they were strong. As much as she tried to fight, there was no way she was getting out of this one.

“Now, now guys that’s not how we treat our guests.” Rainbow glanced behind her and much to her displeasure saw Captain Nimbus Clash, who apparently was lying in wait for them.

“You!” Rainbow spat.

“Oh, I’ve see you two before in Cloudsdale,” Clash said. “Oh dear… what was your name again… oh yes, Rainbow Dash. How nice to see you again. And you brought your friend as well. Luckily for her she’s not my problem right now. You on the other hoof…” Clash walked right up to Rainbow and smacked her hard across the face with his wing. “Your little stunt at Cloudsdale almost cost me my position. Not to mention I don’t like ponies one-upping me.” He struck her again as the other two pegasi held her down.

Rainbow could taste blood; the last blow had split her lip. She smirked slightly and looked Clash straight in the eye defiantly. “That all you got?”

Normally such cockiness did not bother Clash, but he was still fuming about the past events and this Pegasus was getting on his nerves. She was a defiant one, and he had to put her in her place. Nodding slightly to his buddies, he flung another punch right into Rainbow’s face, knocking her off her hooves this time.

“Please!” Fluttershy cried, holding back tears. “Enough, stop!”

Clash paused. “Sorry Dash, I guess I had to let off some steam… But I’m not done with you yet, not at all.”

Rainbow could feel swelling near her right eye. She was probably going to have a black eye. She tried getting up but the pain was becoming too much.

“Still got some fight in you?” Clash asked. “You know, if you weren’t such a goody two-shoes you’d be an excellent addition to our team. But unfortunately, you’re just a waste of talent.”

(A/N: For this next part the song I’m using is “Locke’s Theme” from Final Fantasy VI.

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*All of a sudden, two yellow blurs came out of nowhere and tackled the two pegasi to the ground. A third came between Rainbow and Clash. “Hey Shadowdolts, pick on somepony your own size!” the young Pegasus mare said.

“You guys?” Clash spat, gritting his teeth. “Thought we already took care of you.”

“Sorry Clash, we don’t go down that easily,” the mare said as two more pegasi in uniform showed up. “And really? Three on one? Not a fair fight unless you wanna brawl with us too?”

Clash glanced at the group now before him. He snorted. “Fine, we’ll go. But you haven’t seen the last of us. We’ll see each other again soon, that includes you Rainbow Dash.” He and his two cronies then took off.

The young mare exhaled in relief and helped Rainbow to her hooves. “Sorry we didn’t get here sooner. You alright?”

“Yeah, just a bit beat up,” Rainbow said. “Nice to see some friendly pegasi for-” She stopped. “Wait, those uniforms… you guys are Wonderbolts!?”

“You could say that,” the mare stated. “The name’s Firefly. This is my brother Blazin’, and the other three guys are Quickstep, Featherweight, and FalconEye.” Each of them nodded hello. “And you are Rainbow Dash. It’s an honor to meet you ma’am. And of course you too Fluttershy.”

“You know who I am?” Rainbow asked.

“Of course,” Firefly said. “My parents talked about you all the time. Well, before you disappeared that is.”

“Your parents?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah, yeah,” Firefly chuckled. “My parents were Spitfire and Soarin’.”

“Spitfire and- wow, I… had no idea,” Rainbow said. “With that quickness I can believe it.”

“You bet. So what brings you two out here?” Firefly asked.

“We were sent to find a patrol that lost contact with rebel forces,” Rainbow explained. “I’m guessing that’s you guys?”

“After the Empire took over, radio contact was severed,” Blazin’ said. “We’re surprised anypony even came out to get us.”

“But we can’t leave yet,” Firefly said. “We have to let Mama Bird know what’s going on.”

“Mama Bird’s our leader, and she’s the one who made the new Wonderbolt team,” Blazin’ said. “Despite the fact the Wonderbolts are now listed as traitors.”

“This Mama Bird sounds like a brave pony,” Fluttershy said.

“The bravest pony we know,” Firefly said. “Come on, you need those wounds looked at. Our headquarters isn’t far from here.”

Chapter 20

(A/N: For this beginning part the song I’m using here is “Rosalina’s Comet Observatory 3” from Super Mario Galaxy.

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Chapter 20

The night of the Gala had finally arrived. Ponies from all across the capital as well as the major cities arrived in full force. Unfortunately, the price to attend such a Gala now was too expensive, meaning only those who were wealthy, as well as family, could only take part. The inside of the ballroom was indeed a breath-taking sight. As like every year, there was a full orchestra hired to play through the night and plenty of hors d'oeuvres for those who had quite the appetite.

Leon and Bellatrix were currently sitting together at one of the many tables throughout the ballroom, watching the festivities take place and sipping wine. “With all this going on, it doesn’t feel like there’s a war going on,” Bellatrix muttered.

“They’re confident of a full victory,” Leon said. “Unless they’ve already heard of the upcoming battle.”

“You really think we shouldn’t bring in the full fleet?” Bellatrix asked.

“Those AA guns that they have are devastating,” Leon said. “I would not send in my fleet until I know for sure the skies are clear.”

“Which is why Victus is leading the attack,” Bellatrix said. “Never really cared for him… he just knows how to make your skin crawl.”

“That we can agree on,” Leon said as they clinked their glasses together. *Suddenly the music changed and many ponies moved towards the center of the room with their dance partner. Leon noticed this and got up. “Care to dance?”

“You can’t be serious…” Bellatrix turned her head away slightly. “…I don’t dance.”

“Oh come on, you are a respected general and it’s only proper, right?” Leon said, grinning slightly.

Bellatrix sighed. “Very well, you win this time…” She got up and the two made their way to the dance floor. As the two started dancing, she automatically relaxed and rested her head on Leon’s shoulder, causing him to smile as they swayed with the other ponies. The music lasted for about another three minutes and once the song ended there was the sound of a small bell ringing.

“May I have your attention please?” Everyone looked and saw it was Ghidious who was addressing the crowd. “Sorry to interrupt you all from your festivities but there are some words that need to be said.

(A/N: For this part the song I’m using is “Theme of the Empire” from Final Fantasy XII.

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*“As you all know, tonight is a very special night but it is only a fraction of the celebrations yet to come,” Ghidious continued. “Many of you may not know, but we have the rebels on the run. They have fortified themselves in one last area, hoping to somehow hold out against us. Well, they can try and they may indeed hold out but eventually with the might of the Empire on their doors they will have only two choices: surrender, or fight to the death. Right now the rebels can hear all of this being broadcasted. They know what will happen tomorrow, but despite what they choose, the Empire will be victorious!”

The sound of applause came like a roar as all stood up and applauded their leader. Bellatrix and Leon were applauding as well, although Leon not as enthusiastically. Ghidious soon came down and approached. “Generals,” he said, nodding to both of them. “May I have a quick word with you Bellatrix?”

“Of course,” Bellatrix nodded and followed him into one of the empty hallways.

Once it was clear he turned back to her. “There is a large convoy that is heading out of Hoofington that will head out to the mountains tomorrow. We’ve heard nothing yet but there is always a chance the rebels may try to sabotage them. I need you to head out there immediately to keep a check on things.”

Bellatrix frowned. She wasn’t a huge fans of parties and such, but she loved the dress that she was wearing and it would be a shame to have to discard so soon. “Yes my lord,” she said, bowing. “If any trouble shows up, they’ll be taken care of…”

As it turned out, Hoofington was currently under a curfew. Guards were posted around each exit of the town. Luckily for Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and their new Wonderbolt allies, their headquarters was a house just north of the town close to the mountains. “The house was abandoned awhile ago and since it conceals itself in the hills Mama Bird found it perfect for our hideout,” Firefly said as they quietly flew into the hills.

“You didn’t think they’d find you eventually?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh we knew they would eventually, but as luck would have it we have to get out of dodge anyway,” Firefly replied. Soon they arrived and Firefly quietly knocked once. This was then answered by a knock as well. Firefly then responded with two and then three, continuing the pattern.

Soon the door was opened. The figure that stood there was concealed by the darkness in the room. “What is today?” the figure asked.

“A new dawn,” Firefly replied.

The light was then turned on as an older pegasus mare stood there, smiling slightly. “You had me worried since you didn’t report back in time.”

“We ran into some old friends of ours ma’am,” Firefly said. “And… you’re not going to believe who we found.”

“Ah, some new recruits I would imag-” She stopped suddenly once she saw Rainbow. “R-Rainbow Dash!?”

Rainbow suddenly recognized the mare’s coat and mane. “S-Scootaloo!?” Scootaloo’s hug was almost immediate and she almost knocked Rainbow over.

“I don’t believe this!” Scootaloo was laughing but there were also tears in her eyes. “I had heard what happened and thought you were gone and then I kept hearing rumors that you resurfaced somewhere but thought it was-”

“Same old Scootaloo…” Rainbow mused as she put a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Easy there girl, you’re not as young since last I saw you.”

Scootaloo chuckled. “Yeah… fifty years it has been, huh? It feels like it was just yesterday.” She then looked at Fluttershy before giving her a hug as well. “Nice to see you too Fluttershy.”

“You’re Mama Bird?” Fluttershy asked.

“Just a name these guys came up with,” Scootaloo said, smiling. “I guess I did kind of raise these guys…”

“So what exactly happened?” Rainbow asked.

Scootaloo glanced at both Firefly and Blazin’. “It’s okay, you can tell them,” Firefly said.

“Before the Shadowbolts came around, the original Wonderbolt squad was still recognized by the Empire,” Scootaloo explained. “Spitfire and the others went with it for awhile but soon they realized they no longer wanted any part in their doing. After having two foals, Spitfire and Soarin’ came to me to look after the two while they officially broke from the Empire and joined the rebellion. As expected, Ghidious didn’t take this gesture lightly and had his agents hunt them down. And… well, eventually they did find them, but they didn’t go down without a fight.”

“Mom and Dad helped take out an Empire-class cruiser which then took out a large portion of the Imperial Army,” Firefly said, smiling slightly. “They had been shot pretty bad but… they went out with a bang. I don’t know what happened to the others but if any of them are still around they’re not exactly in flying shape anymore.”

It was hard to believe that Rainbow’s two biggest idols were now gone. Of course, the fact that they were now officially heroes made her feel proud to have known them personally. “Spitfire always admired you Rainbow,” Scootaloo said. “She always reminded me a bit of myself when I was her age was what she always said. Of course, I always thought you were a bit better.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Rainbow said, dismissing it with a wave of her wing. “Anyway, we’re here because there was a message for all rebel forces to pull back to the mountains in preparation of a large Imperial assault.”

“Yes, unfortunately, we lost radio contact about a week ago,” Scootaloo said. “The Empire is cracking down hard around here so our activity has been limited.

“So what’s this mission that’s taking place?” Rainbow asked.

“There’s a large convoy that’s leaving Hoofington,” Scootaloo explained. “Something big, and now I think I know why.” She then brought out a large piece of parchment. “There’s a small forest along the trail that they’ll be traveling and once inside there’ll be a small clearing. That’s where we’ll be waiting. Of course, we’ll be expecting tight security, stormtroopers no doubt. But the trees should give us some cover. The mission is simple: if we can get the goods, we take them. If that becomes impossible, then we sabotage it. It could be artillery, which would be vital to us, but losing it completely would be a blow to the Empire and help our friends to the north. Once that’s taken care of, we’ll head back with you guys. One last mission.”

Rainbow was impressed. “You’ve really become quite the leader…”

Scootaloo chuckled. “There was a time I could do all of this too…” She then sighed. “Not getting any younger Dash, which kind of makes me envious of you, but it’s not your fault. I’ll have to stay here unfortunately.”

“Um… maybe I should stay with her too…” Fluttershy said. “Fighting’s not really my thing…”

“Same old Fluttershy,” Scootaloo mused. “Alright then. Firefly, Blazin, you know what to do. Would you care to lend a hoof Rainbow?”

“Would I ever!” Rainbow exclaimed with a confident smile.

Chapter 21

It didn’t take long to get into position. The trees gave them great cover and easily concealed them. With the camo they were wearing, Rainbow now knew these ponies have done missions like these countless times. Then again, she never saw an assault weapon before, let alone a pegasus carrying one.

FalconEye was the farthest from the group, and he got his name for a reason. The single-bolt he was carrying was deadly and his excellent sight and timing made him just the same. He wasn’t much of a talker, then again neither were Quickstep and Featherweight. Firefly had explained to Rainbow how the two were once captured by the Empire and had to kill their way out. “It changed them forever,” she had said. “Then again, this war has changed all of us.”

Rainbow was sitting in a tree that gave her a good view of the road, which the convoy was approaching. Firefly was with her, sitting in the brush.

“Target approaching.” It was the first time Rainbow had heard FalconEye speak but she guessed he was more comfortable in a battlefield environment.

“Got it Falcon,” Firefly said into her communicator. “Take the shot when you’re ready and we’ll move on your mark.” The muscles in Rainbow tensed. She had refused to carry a gun, preferring something more light but still as deadly. Now all she could do was wait, wait for that shot to be rung out and to see the first unfortunate victim fall to the ground.

Despite their toughness, stormtroopers did not carry very heavy armor, meaning it couldn’t hold out against a lot of firepower, which they currently had. Whatever was in that crate, if they couldn’t take it for their own, Firefly had brought a rocket launcher to the blow the thing sky high.

(A/N: For this next part the song I’m using is “Order and Chaos” from The Last Story.

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She then heard the low growl of a motorized vehicle as the convoy finally approached. Judging by the stillness, they hadn’t been discovered yet. The next few seconds all of a sudden went in slow motion as the sudden shot of a gun was heard and one of the stormtroopers took the bullet in the head, crumbling immediately.

*Once everything fast-forwarded back into real time, the other Wonderbolts made their move, quickly taking out two other soldiers. The rest were taking cover behind the large metal crate, which luckily for them was impervious to bullets. “I’ll take these guys, cover me!” Rainbow said as she charged forward and came down from above. The unfortunate soldier did not see her coming and the sudden force she possessed knocked him out as she struck the other one right in the helmet, making him crumble to the ground.

She then heard a rustle in the trees in front of her and saw more soldiers coming at her, and yet now she could see they had repulsors strapped to their boots. “Great…now they can fly.” But Rainbow was always up to a challenge and met the two head on and crashed into them both. The force was enough to make her dizzy but she couldn’t help but be impressed how much strength she had while her body made others assume otherwise.

“Nice work Dash,” Firefly said as the Wonderbolts formed up. “I’m surprised, I would’ve thought they’d have more troops than this.”

“Well apparently they can fly now…” Blazin’ muttered.

“I’d like to see them catch one of us though,” Firefly said with a wink. “Anyway, let’s crack this thing open.”

Quickstep and Featherweight both broke off the locks and opened the door in the back. They looked in and quickly shut the door, suddenly looked startled. “What is it guys?” Firefly asked. The two glanced at each other and opened the door again.

The compartment was rather spacious and they could see why now. It was indeed artillery, but standard Imperial artillery did not have the amount of firepower this mech contained. “Um… so what do we do with this?” Rainbow asked.

“Screw this, I don’t think any of us want to tinker around with this thing,” Firefly said. “Get back, I’m blowing this thing to kingdom come.” She got way back and lifted the RPG, which was not light in anyway. The rocket fired off and the crate exploded in flame. Surely nothing could survive that.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using is “Test of the L’Cie” from Final Fantasy XIII.

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That was until a piece of burning metal was launched at them. *“You have got to be kidding me!” Firefly shouted as they all dodged. Just what they all needed, a tank resistant to anti-tank missiles. The mech was now fully operational and was not hesitant to brandish all of its features.

“Don’t let it get a lock on you!” Firefly exclaimed. Of course to them it was rather obvious and luckily for them the mech wasn’t nearly as fast as they were.

“Alright, Delta formation!” Firefly called out. “Rainbow, just follow our lead!” The Wonderbolts formed a triangle formation around the mech, looking for a weak spot but also keeping the mech from focusing on one target.

However, bullets were not doing the job. “That armor is too thick!” Blazin’ exclaimed. Firefly frowned and thought back to an important lesson Scootaloo once taught them.

“Every living being, including machines, have weak points,” Scootaloo said. “Machines even more so as those points are more noticeable. And even when they don’t, a strong amount of force in one small location can cause pain or damage. Always remember this when you’re taking on foes much larger than you.”

All Firefly needed was to find a chink in the armor and hit with a force large enough to break through. And she knew just the pony to ask. “Rainbow, we need you to come in from above and crack this guy’s shell!”

Rainbow understood completely as she quickly took off into the air. She flew high, needing all the distance she could get to make this work. Once she was far up enough, she took a deep breath, looking down and marking her target. Without a second’s thought, she plunged downward, locking her wings together and starting to spin, the tip of her lance out before her. Faster and faster she went and despite slightly getting dizzy she kept her eyes on the mech.

All of a sudden she felt and heard the boom behind her as somehow she once again accomplished a Sonic Rainboom. Her speed suddenly increased and she hit the mech with such a loud force you could almost hear it in the mountains. The force tore a hole through the mech’s armor and exposed its AI core.

“Holy Celestia…” Firefly said, stunned. But she saw the core and quickly started shooting. The core sparked as the mech stopped firing. Firefly then remembered what happened to big hulking machines when they short-circuited. “Everypony, move and get to cover!”

No one had to ask, they quickly got the hell out of dodge; Firefly pulled the still dazed Rainbow out of the blast area as the mech exploded, taking about twenty feet worth of trees with it. Once they peeked out, they saw it was nothing more than a charred piece of scrap.

“I don’t believe it,” Blazin’ said. “She really can do a Sonic Rainboom.”

“Of course she can,” Firefly said. “And it was that that saved the day, right Rainbow?”

“Yeah…” Rainbow said woozily. “Hooray for me…” All of a sudden her eyes refocused and she saw smoke rising from the east, near Hoofington. It could’ve been nothing of course, but she saw it wasn’t coming from the town at all.

Rainbow sped off in that direction, ignoring the startled expressions on the Wonderbolts’ faces. Firefly called out to her but Rainbow didn’t listen. Only one thing was on her mind.

Scootaloo and Fluttershy are in trouble.

Prologue

(A/N: For this beginning part, the song I’m using here is “Opening” from Final Fantasy VI. And for all people who are unfamiliar with this, I use a * to show where I play it.)

My Little Pony

The Quest Through Time

Prologue

*Years ago, shortly after the two Princesses’ defeat of Discord, Equestria was once again in an age of peace and Harmony. But at first that was not the case. Equestria was in need of a new ruler and there were many quarrels between the Royal Families. It was then that Celestia and Luna, of the Pendragon family, would be chosen as the ruling members for their acts of bravery and bringing back forth democracy.

However, it did not please all of Equestria. Ghidious, an alicorn of a rival family and the grandson of the former king, demanded that he, by blood, deserved the title of ruler. But the newly reformed Parliament vetoed his claims, and Ghidious, angrily, departed from the kingdom completely.

Things did not improve, as talks of rebellion circled through the air and months later, cities and former nations that had unionized into Equestria seceded, starting a civil war. The Royal Guard, still licking it’s wounds from the years under Discord, was not fully prepared for such a war and as such, Equestria was losing territories and the Confederacy was gaining ground.

As it turned out, the leader of the Confederacy was none other than Ghidious himself, who had stirred the coals of rebellion, and had somehow lead over legions of terrible beasts and creatures, to which no one knew how he did such a thing.

Finally, there was but one place left standing, Canterlot, which would be Equestria’s last stand. Celestia and Luna, leading the defense, knew that to end this bloody war, was to either capture Ghidious and bring him to justice…or kill him…

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using here is “The Battle” from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.)

Almost four hundred years ago…

The land of Equestria, which had been known for its beautiful forests, rivers, oceans, and cities, lay in ruins, land that had witnessed the brutality and horror of war. And now, all held their breath for the final climatic battle that was about to begin.

A gryphon was quickly making its way back to Canterlot, where the last of the Royal Guard remained to make its final stand. Upon reaching the castle, it quickly made its way to a balcony where Celestia and Luna stood.

“Valefor,” Celestia said, nodding. “I am glad to see you made it back in one piece.”

“It was not too hard, Princess,” Valefor said. “But I have disturbing news. The Confederacy has decided to move earlier than we expected. They will be here within the hour.”

*“Then we have no time to lose,” Celestia said. “Valefor, ready your forces.” She then looked to one of the Guards. “And you, ready the troops along the outside walls.” The Guard saluted and left. “They will no doubt give everything they got to take this city. So we must be ready for them.”

“If it is true that Ghidious will partake in this battle,” Luna said. “Then this will be our only chance. We have an advantage over him, we can take him together-!”

“No,” Celestia said sternly. “Our troops will need you as a leader to protect our kingdom. As for Ghidious, I will deal with him myself if I need to.”

“…Very well,” Luna said. “Then let us hope luck is on our side today…”

It did not take long for the Guard to assemble along the outer walls of Canterlot. This was their only advantage in this fight. They could not fall back. Among the first group was Celestia, who was now clad in royal armor. No matter what, she would fight along her subjects. As for Luna, she stood with the archers in the second line.

A soldier came up to her. “They are coming my lady, in numbers far greater than ours.”

“Numbers do not determine a victory,” Celestia said calmly.

“No, but they would sure be nice right about now…” the soldier thought.

A horn soon filled the air as the sound of marching could be heard. Among the first that they saw was a Minotaur with a giant axe. A commander, no doubt. He raised his weapon with a savage-like roar and soon others joined his ranks. Goblins, orcs, trolls, the worst Equestria had to offer approached along with rebel soldiers.

But what caught Celestia’s eye was the carriage in the middle that approached. Ghidious arrived in full fashion, witness to what he hoped was the fall of Canterlot. And soon, they stopped in formation.

The Royal Guard, most of them now recruits, looked on worriedly, but even outnumbered, they still had their rulers on their side. In an almost defiant nature, Celestia stepped forward and her horn emitted a spark, almost like a firework, that shot out towards the enemy and exploded, causing a wall of fire to appear, separating the two armies. The Guard cheered, all of a sudden their morale boosting. Then came the signal, and soon out of the sky came the gryphons, carrying large boulders and rubble from past battles.

But the Minotaur was no fool. He looked up and saw them coming. “Look to the sky!” Their archers then shot into the air. They managed to hit some, but most of them evaded and dropped their loads, killing many on the spot. The flame wall soon disappeared, most likely due to Ghidious’ magic, and an order was given out to charge. They then stormed the field, heading towards the castle walls.

Luna, who had been watching closely soon then said to a commander, “Give them a volley.”

“VOLLEY!” Hundreds of arrows then shot across the field, hitting their targets. Things were looking up; if they could hold them back for a little while longer, then there could still be a chance for victory. At least until Ghidious decided whenever to join the battle.

Celestia flew up into the air and using her Royal Canterlot voice. “FOR CANTERLOT AND FOR EQUESTRIA!” The Equestrians charged, inspired more than ever before. Soon the two forces clashed, each holding to their own. Celestia never cared for war; so many deaths of her fellow Equestrians tore her heart open. But now it had to end, once and for all. She then took off, looking for the one pony to confront.

(A/N: For this last part, the song I’m using here is “Esper Battle” from Final Fantasy XII.)

A bolt of lightning was the next thing she met as she dodged it quickly. “So, you’ve decided to come out and die with your loyal subjects,” Ghidious said mockingly, who was above her. “I have to admit Celestia, you always did have that effect of unwavering loyalty on ponies.”

*“Your war of tyranny ends here Ghidious,” Celestia said, glaring at him. “As much as you don’t deserve it, I am willing to give you a chance to surrender, for if not I will no choice but to kill you.”

Ghidious laughed and then smirked. “You see, that is your weakness…You are too soft!” He then attacked, unleashing dark magic at her. Dodging, Celestia used a Holy spell which caused the area to light up in white. Ghidious then charged forward, unscathed, and collided into her, smashing her into a wall.

“It’s too late, Celestia,” Ghidious said, staring into her eyes. “Canterlot will be overrun in a matter of hours. Perhaps you should consider surrendering, and maybe I will spare your lives. If not, then you’ll have no choice but to watch your followers die.”

“You’ve forgotten one important thing Ghidious,” Celestia said with a smile. “The leader of an army is like the head of the snake. Once you cut it off, the rest of the body dies.” Her eyes then glowed white and suddenly Ghidious was shot back, as if he got fired from a cannon. “What… no!” The Elements of Harmony. “How could I have forgotten so easily!?” He did not have time to respond, as suddenly he was then surrounded and soon encased in a large stone of amber, his look of surprise frozen in place.

Her eyes returning to normal, Celestia took a breath of relief. She was lucky enough to have the Elements on her side, and especially to be able to use them again. The battle had not gone unnoticed and upon seeing their leader encased in amber, the Confederacy panicked and soon made a hasty retreat. You could not win a battle on your own against Princess Celestia.

And so, Ghidious had been defeated and the war finally came to an end. Despite her word, Celestia decided to spare the alicorn’s life. Enough bloodshed was already made. He was then banished from Equestria, forced to live out in the Everfree Forest, stripped of his magic.

Equestria then prospered in a Golden Era, rebuilding and becoming the peaceful land that Celestia and Luna dreamed of.

But this story does not take place in the past, but in the future. The new bearers of the Elements of Harmony will be thrust into a new adventure, one unlike any they’ve been on before, *a quest through time*.

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful spring day in the town of Ponyville, so perfect that Twilight and her friends decided on a picnic, far enough away from the town for peace and quiet but not too close to the edge of the Everfree Forest.

“I must say,” Rarity stated. “You could not ask for a more perfect day such as this. Simply marvelous.”

“It certainly is nice that there is finally some peace and quiet around here,” Fluttershy said.

“Yep, for an entire month at that,” Twilight said. “That doesn’t happen too often.”

“Meh…” The other ponies looked at Rainbow Dash, who made the comment.

“What’s wrong Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.

“Sure peace is nice, especially since it gives me time to practice my moves,” Rainbow explained. “But it can get so boring around here though. Call me crazy, but I like having a little bit of danger and chaos every once in awhile.”

“Rainbow Dash, only you would be willing to have disaster strike Ponyville again,” Applejack said matter-of-factly.

“And we have plenty of opportunities for parties!” Pinkie Pie said happily. “We could even have a party celebrating an entire month of no chaos!”

“Since nothing’s happened, I haven’t had to send any reports to Princess Celestia,” Twilight said.

“Well Twilight, we sent her plenty of reports in the past so I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” Rarity said, eating her jam sandwich.

“Although we could all send her one big letter to see how she is doing,” Twilight said. “Except Spike isn’t here…”

All of a sudden, Pinkie started shaking. “Whoaoaoaoa!” she said, and soon stopped. “I can’t tell if that was me or the ground.”

“I didn’t feel any-” But then the ground did start shaking uncontrollably. “An earthquake!? Here!?” Twilight almost yelled.

“We gotta get outta here!” Applejack said. But everything happened so quickly, the ponies did not have time to react. The ground around them started to crack, as if the earth was pulling itself apart. But the strangest part was about to begin.

As soon as it broke apart, an ominous glow came out of the ground and swept over all of the ponies, paralyzing them before pulling them downwards into where it came from. All they could do was scream before everything went black.

A huge blizzard was hitting the mountains hard up in the north. The only other sound than the howling wind that could be heard was the stomping sounds of two ponies in their Magitek Armor, giant mechs that had the ability to use magic elemental spells.

“Hey Biggs, you see anything?” the soldier asked, whose name was Wedge.

“Nothing,” Biggs responded. “This blizzard is stronger than we thought. Can’t see anything.”

“Perfect for an ambush,” Wedge muttered.

“The rebel base can’t be too far from here,” Biggs said. “Let’s keep moving.”

With such mechs, mobile soldiers were becoming less and less. But unlike regular soldiers, machines had an easier advantage of scaling more territory, which for the rebels would be a problem.

“Wait a minute,” Wedge said, stopping. “I see something over there, or I should say somepony.”

“Scouts?” Biggs asked.

“No, they appear to be unconscious,” Wedge said, getting closer. “Goodness, there are six of them and they’re not even wearing proper winter clothing.”

“They could be dead already Wedge,” Biggs said. “There’s no way they could survive out here like this.”

“Well they can’t have come up here by themselves,” Wedge argued. “Even if they are dead, we should take them back and figure out who they are.”

“…Fair enough,” Biggs said. “But how are we gonna get ‘em outta here? Air support is out of the question.”

“Hold on, these mechs have enough room for a small platoon,” Wedge said.

Meanwhile, on a cliff just above where the two soldiers were, a unicorn was peering through binoculars in white camouflage. “You see that?” the unicorn asked. “Two fellas just showed up.”

“Yeah, and they’re also Magitek soldiers,” an earth pony to his side stated. “No doubt the Empire sent them snooping around.”

“I guess they caught onto us,” said a third, a pegasus. “We could take them out now while the wind’s still blowing.”

“Wait,” the unicorn said, looking closer. “There are… dear Celestia there are other ponies out there unconscious!”

“And why is that our concern?” the earth pony asked.

“They might as well already be dead,” the pegasus said.

“But if they aren’t, they’ll most likely be interrogated and you know how that goes,” the unicorn said. “Besides, a couple more hooves wouldn’t hurt at all.”

“So what’s the plan?” the earth pony asked.

“We have to be quick,” the unicorn said. “If we catch them off guard, then we may have a chance but that’s armor tough. In that case; Arwen, you know what to do.”

The pegasus grinned and grabbed her lance. “The pleasure is all mine.”

“And Dax, go for the weak points.”

“Not a problem,” Dax the earth pony replied, loading his rifle. “What about you?”

“I’ll sneak in and try to get those ponies out of the way.” He then used a spell and turned invisible. “That’s why they call me Snowblind.”

While that was going on, Biggs and Wedge were trying to get the ponies on board. Soon a shot rang out. “Shit, sniper!” Biggs yelled, abandoning them and getting back into his mech.

“Where is he?” Wedge said. \

“I can’t tell.” The problem was any wrong shot could result in an avalanche. Another shot rang and the visor in Bigg’s cockpit shattered and Wedge’s soon followed. Before he could even curse at himself, a figure popped out of the sky and soon Biggs found himself impaled with a long lance and a smirking pegasus. He was gone in seconds.

Wedge, panicking, fired a missile but Arwen dodged causing the other mech to be blown up. Meanwhile, an invisible figure pulled the other ponies away from the battle scene.

Soon the pegasus was in Wedge’s face and he tried to hit her with of the mech arms but she was too quick. “Oh please no…”

“Sorry bud.” But then another shot rang out and hit Wedge straight in the head.

“Hey!” Arwen yelled. “He was mine!”

“Nice distraction you two,” Snowblind said, reappearing. “You guys better take a look at this though.”

Glancing over at the unconscious figures, both of their mouths nearly dropped.

“It can’t be…” Arwen said.

“They’re not…!” Dax started.

“I believe they are,” Snowblind said calmly. “They’re still alive too, and their body temperatures are still slightly warm, meaning they haven’t been here long.”

“Oh man…” Dax said.

“Boss is gonna have a heart attack when he sees them,” Arwen said.

“Alright, we need to get them back to HQ ASAP.” Snowblind then looked at the still standing mech. “And I think have the perfect idea.”

Chapter 10

(A/N: For this beginning part, the song I’m using is “Immoral Melody” from Final Fantasy IX.)

Chapter 10

A shuttle began it’s descent towards the docking bay in Cloudsdale, close to where the Imperial forces stood. The shuttle was a sleek design, custom made for General Bellatrix, whom she herself was piloting. She took great pride in her ship, allowing no one else to pilot it except her and she always kept it in good shape, no matter what damage it took.

*Once it landed, the disembarking ramp lowered as Bellatrix made her way down. The soldiers stood at attention, along with Clash who was there to greet her. “Captain Nimbus,” she said. “I’m hoping things are going well?”

“The rebels are refusing to comply with a surrender,” Clash said, walking beside her. “We had no choice but threaten to bomb City Hall completely.”

“You did what!?” Bellatrix stopped and stared at him. “Captain… may I remind you it was Emperor Ghidious himself who ordered that the mayor be taken alive?”

“It was clearly a bluff,” Clash lied. “A bombardment will only force them to flee. I sent two soldiers underground in hoping to catch them off guard and perhaps capture the mayor. If they get caught, they can at least relay the message to them.”

“And what two soldiers were these?” Bellatrix asked.

“They were new recruits…” Clash said.

“Oh, and what did they look like?” Bellatrix asked, looking suspicious.

“What is she getting at?” Clash thought. “Well, the one looked like she didn’t really belong in the military and the other was cyan and had a blue mane. They were both mares.”

Bellatrix was silent, suddenly fuming. “You idiot!” she snapped, smacking him in the face in frustration. “Those were not recruits, they were the enemy!”

Clash glared at her. “Well how was I supposed to know they were in disguise!?” he snapped back at her, not even bothering with military conduct.

“Unbelievable, I cannot-!” She then stopped, and soon her frown turned into a smile. “Of course…” It all made sense now, what Ghidious’ plan was: he wanted to force them out from hiding and have them all regroup in one location. “Perhaps you’re not much of an idiot as I thought. Very well, new orders then: pull your troops back momentarily and bring in our artillery. We’re going to punch a hole so big into that building an ursa major can walk through it.”

Clash rubbed his cheek. “Yes ma’am,” he grumbled. “Crazy mare…”

“So let me get this straight…” Dolores Keaton said, getting up from her desk and taking off her glasses. “You two impersonated as Imperial troops just to get inside and warn us of an Imperial air strike?”

“Pretty much,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I see,” Dolores said, sighing. “Sorry about the misunderstanding. I knew eventually they were to find out what was going on. Unfortunately Cloudsdale has been reduced to nothing so it’s no longer worth any value to them. I’m afraid we will have to retreat back to HQ. That is what they want us to do, of course, but we have no choice. Commander, I want those evacuation ships fired up on the dot. Mares and foals first. We’ll have to hold them off as best we can. Can I count on you two for help?”

“No problem,” Rainbow said. Fluttershy’s eyes darted to the side, a sign she wasn’t looking forward to this.

“Ma’am, their forces are retreating back,” a soldier called out to her.

The mayor nodded. “Then it’s already begun. I’ll send a group to accompany you,” Dolores said as she and two guards headed towards the north side of the building. “It will take about half an hour to get everypony on board, so that’s the amount of time I need.”

“Got it,” Rainbow said. “Alright Fluttershy, it’s time to kick some Imperial butt.”

“…Sounds like fun,” Fluttershy mumbled.

(A/N: For this next part, the song I’m using is “Normal Battle Theme” from Final Fantasy XIII-2.)

They quickly made their way down towards the main level. All of a sudden there came a huge blast as part of the wall crumbled instantly. The blast sent them all backwards. Shaking her head slightly, Rainbow got up and looked around. “Fluttershy!?” she called out.

Fluttershy was trembling, partly cause of the shock but because of the other ponies around them. The attack had been very precise and they were the only two left standing. “Great…” Rainbow groaned. Suddenly imperial soldiers came through the hole in the wall. *“Alright Fluttershy, it’s up to us now!” Rainbow took point as Fluttershy covered her from behind. Fluttershy was never the fighting type nor was she used to using such weapons. But it was life or death and to her surprise she was rather good at shooting a bow.

Keeping them at bay was the hard part, but Rainbow wasted no time going at it. The soldiers were skilled, but not so much as Rainbow was. Using speed to her advantage, she quickly tackled a large group, knocking them into each other and using her lance to pick them off one by one.

They knew they couldn’t hold them off forever; slowly they retreated backwards, hoping to find a narrow path to delay them. The armored pegasi had no known weak spot, or so they thought. Fluttershy, careful and patient, was shooting right between the neck and collar, where a small open spot was exposed. For them, it was also a one-hit kill. “Rainbow, there’s too many of them!” Fluttershy shouted.

Rainbow cursed silently. They had no choice but to retreat. Hopefully they could meet up with others to hold the imperials off. However, before they could go back any further, a force field appeared, blocking their way. “What the-!?” Rainbow shouted. She looked back and soon they were surrounded. “Oh great…”

“I see you were clever enough to fool some of my best men.” The line of soldiers parted and Bellatrix was walking towards them. “But not clever enough. Normally I would be rather upset at this, but you managed to carry out our plans perfectly.”

“You mean you were bluffing!?” Rainbow said.

“Naturally,” Bellatrix said. “We wanted to take the mayor alive, but we also knew either way, dead or alive, was no consequence to us. And now that they are retreating, we can finally start focus on one target and destroy the rebellion for good!”

“You’re crazy,” Rainbow said. “Having magic does not make you a true pegasus. If anything, it makes you look weak.”

“You dare say such slander!?” Bellatrix said. “Very well, I was hoping perhaps I could take you both as hostages for Emperor Ghidious, but now I’m just going to outright kill you both!”

(A/N: For this part, the song I’m using is “Force Your Way” from Final Fantasy VIII.)

*“Now I will show you true power of what a pegasus can do!” Drawing a lance of her own, it suddenly sparked with electricity. Shooting into the air, she approached with sudden speed and attacked them both, both getting shocked by the electricity flowing through her weapon. Shaking it off, Rainbow went off on the offensive, jumping high into the air and striking down, getting Bellatrix in the shoulder.

“Not bad,” Bellatrix said. She then shot up into the air as well.

“Fluttershy!” Fluttershy took aim and fired an arrow, hoping to clip her wing, but Bellatrix saw it coming and shielded herself with magic, causing the arrow to bounce off her harmlessly.

“I really hate magic…” Rainbow grumbled.

“Now get a taste of this!” Bellatrix said, as she brought down bolts of lightning upon them. Electrified, Rainbow’s mane poofed out and her natural rainbow color returned. She growled in annoyance but an idea came to her. “Grab on Fluttershy!” she said, grabbing her and shooting straight into the air.

Bellatrix stared at the fading speck. “Fools, they think they can run away.” But she saw they were coming back with greater velocity. She then saw that Rainbow was going at top speed, as she suddenly broke the sound barrier along with Fluttershy. Bellatrix suddenly realized what she was doing and shielded but it was pointless. Rainbow and Fluttershy both struck and they were going so fast Bellatrix was not able to keep up with them as they each attacked with their speed. She was then knocked back onto the ground and some of the soldiers went to help her.

(A/N: For this final part, the song I’m using is “Only a Plank Between One and Perdition” from Final Fantasy VIII.)

“Enough!” she said, motioning them to stay back and got up slowly. “We’ve wasted too much time here. The rebels may have already escaped.” She then spoke into an earpiece. “Now then, blow this entire place to rubble!” She then grinned wickedly at the two pegasi. “Let’s see if you can escape with your wings intact. You’ll only have about, say, thirty seconds to a minute at best.” Suddenly, she and the other soldiers disappeared in a flash.

“B-Blow up!?” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Calm down Flutters, we need to get out of here!” Rainbow said, taking off towards the sky. “Come on!” Normally she could get away in a flash but with Fluttershy weighing her down, she was not as hopeful.

Luckily for them, a ship appeared, and since it was not firing at them it had to be a friendly. The back hatch opened and a pegasus motioned for them to get in. Both of them gladly did so as the ship zoomed away.

Meanwhile, the Imperial fleet that had gathered over Cloudsdale opened fire, leveling City Hall, the last standing figure in the city. Some may think it was a waste to do so, but it meant just how serious the Empire was at ending this rebellion.