My Brave Pony: Starfleet Nemesis

Chapters

Prologue II: A Memory of Twilight
Marching Orders
Sunset's Game
Setting Out
What an Artist
In Twilight's Shadow
Awake
Prisoners
Queens
Raven's Song
The Queen of Zebrica
Sentinel Strike
Defeat
Lost Love
Broken Birds
Promontory
Beyond the Stars
Liberty
A Glimmer of Starlight
Face the Raven, Pt 1
Face the Raven, Pt2
Two Famillies, Incomplete
Kitty Cat-astrophe!
Signal From the Stars
By Luna's Light: Prelude
By Luna's Light: Luna
By Luna's Light: The Mane Four
By Luna's Light: Cerise Wonder
By Luna's Light: Moondancer
By Luna's Light: Celestia
By Luna's Light: Aftermath
Attack on Titan
Secret History
In This Quiet Night
Altogether Now
Barren Future
Couples Therapy
The Eve of Twilight
Reunion
The Price of Revenge
Artie's Choice
Tardy
Gilded Hero
Lightning vs Starla
Eve's Anger
Twilight
Open Up Your Eyes
Prologue I: A Hostile Universe
Tactical Ingenuity
The Last Couplet
By Luna's Light: Sunset Shimmer & Friends
Face the Raven, Part 3

Prologue II: A Memory of Twilight

Though she was dressed in the prescribed dress uniform - and wasn't that just great, Starfleet was even trying to tell her what she could wear to her best friend's funeral now! - Rainbow made no move to stir from the room in the palace that she had been given to stay in prior to...to make sure that she wasn't late for...before they said goodbye.

She stood in front of the open window, feeling the breeze ripple across her face, and wondered if anyone would notice if she just...took off. If she flew away and left all this behind, would anyone care? Would Twilight mind if she couldn't deal with this right now?

She'd probably think that I'm a coward. Because I am a coward. A coward who abandoned her friend.

A coward who can't deal with this right now.

There was a knock on the door, followed swiftly after by Fluttershy's mild voice. "Rainbow Dash? Can I come in?"

"If you like," Rainbow replied, not moving from the window.

She heard the door creak just a little as it opened. She turned her head just enough so that she could see Fluttershy out of the corner of her eye. "You're alone. I'm surprised William let you out of his sight."

Fluttershy's only visible reaction was a slight narrowing of her eyes. "He's not a monster, you know. If you just gave him a chance you'd see that he's really a good person deep down."

Rainbow made a noise out of her throat by way of a response. If William Stirskewer III - and she was going to call him that all the time now that she knew it was his real name, if only because it annoyed him - was a good person deep down then it was really deep, deep down. Pompous, humourless, petty, cold, and a complete tool, sure. Good? Rainbow wasn't convinced.

But she didn't want to fight with Fluttershy right now. She didn't ever want to fight with Fluttershy - because Fluttershy always, always won somehow - but now especially. So she didn't say anything, and hoped that Fluttershy hadn't come up here to talk about her coltfriend and they could get to the point.

Fortunately, Fluttershy obliged. "Everybody's waiting for you downstairs."

"Tell them not to bother waiting," Rainbow said. "I'm not going."

"Not going," Fluttershy murmured. "I...what do you mean? You can't not go."

"Why not?"

"Because...because it's Twilight."

"Yeah, it is," Rainbow said, turning to face her oldest friend. "And you know what that means? It means that we're gonna have to listen to every stuck-up Starfleet jerk who spat all over Twilight when she was alive talk about how awesome a pony she was, and how much they admired her, and how frickin' sorry they are that she's gone. Lightning Dick, the Grand Ruler...you know, at least Starla is honest about all this: the only thing she cares about is how all this has ruined her wedding plans. I'd rather they all just came out with it like that, instead of acting like they care."

Fluttershy's gaze was even, not judging but not flinching either. "And so because of them you're going to run away and abandon Twilight? You're just going to let them win?"

"What does it matter anyway?" Rainbow snapped. "Twi's dead, it's not like she cares whether I go to her stupid funeral or not!"

Fluttershy stared at her.

Rainbow clenched her jaw. "Sorry, I...I just...it's like I'm so mad all the time that I...gah!"

Fluttershy still didn't look away. "You know, when Pinkie said that not everyone was downstairs, she was talking about you. But I thought, 'No, Twilight isn't here yet.' I almost said so, too."

Rainbow didn't say anything.

Fluttershy took a step forward. "Rainbow Dash...it's okay if you're hurting. We all are."

Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment. When she spoke her voice was hoarse. "Twilight...Twi would understand if I didn't go."

"I know," Fluttershy said. "But Pinkie would be upset if you weren't there."

Rainbow nodded. "What about you?"

"I think..." Fluttershy hesitated. "I think we need to stick together now, more than ever maybe. Without Twilight...I don't know what's coming next, but...if we lose each other, it's bound to be much worse, don't you think?"

Rainbow snorted. "You always know how to punch right through my BS, don'tcha?"

The slighest smile blossomed on Fluttershy's face. "Only because I've known you so long."

"Nah, it's cause you're all kinds of awesome like that," Rainbow replied. "Thanks."

"For what?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Being you. I'm ready now, or at least as ready as I'll ever be."

"I don't think any of us is ready for this," Fluttershy said softly.

No, Rainbow thought. But here it is anyway.
And there's nothing I can do about it.

Lightning Dawn leaned against the wall, careless of his dress uniform as the white jacked creased and crumpled beneath him. He leaned against the wall and bowed his head and waited.

He was backstage. Beyond, Twilight was waiting for him to send her on her way. As though he had that right.

The light glinted off the rows of medals blazoning his chest. Once they had been a source of pride to him but now...what was the point of all these ribbons, all these decorations, all of these baubles? What was the point of any of it when he couldn't protect those who...who mattered the most to him.

What do I do now? What can I do now?

Twilight, what am I supposed to do?

He had no idea. She had left before she could tell him. All that they might have done together it was...all gone. Gone like home, gone like family, gone like...just gone. Soon she would turn to ash, just like everything else.

Lightning gritted his teeth against the pain in his heart, the pain of all his losses and regrets felt like he was being crucified, and the hurt was all the greater for the fact that he couldn't talk about it to a single person.

Who do you talk to, Lightning? Fluttershy had asked, towards the end of their session. He'd been undertaking her grief assessment, trying to work out if she was fit for duty or not. They'd been supposed to be talking about Fluttershy, her feelings, her grief...but she had turned it back on him, asking a question to which he had no answer. Because of cause he couldn't talk to anyone. He was a good soldier, a good son, the benchmark of courage and the exemplar of duty, and true warriors such as he had no time for tears and grief. He had always disdained Fluttershy; scorned her cowardice, thought little of her compassion, judged her weak and lacking in moral fibre. But with just a few words she had touched him to the quick, and in that moment he had seen a little of what might have drawn Twilight to her in the first place.

In his opinion Fluttershy might be the only one who was still fit to carry out her duties. Applejack, maybe, she seemed to be bearing up...although Lightning realised wryly that an outside observer might say the same of him. For the rest...he would have suspended the whole lot of them, but His Majesty had overridden his recommendations. With Sombra and Raven still at large they needed all hands on deck, they couldn't afford to weaken themselves by stopping for laggards. Friendship is Magic would be thrown back into the fire again and again until the day was won...or they all joined Twilight Sparkle in whatever elysium she found herself in.

Lightning frowned. That was...it was not his place to question His Majesty's judgement. The Grand Ruler loved all his subjects and sought only what was best for them. If Lightning disagreed on what was best...clearly he was mistaken. What was his wisdom, compared to that of an immortal?

All the same, he wished that things were different.

His Majesty had also declined to give the eulogy, delegating that task to Lightning. Perhaps that was fitting, perhaps Lightning was the best choice, but...he wished it had not fallen on him. Let Celestia speak, let Cadance, let one of her friends speak of Twilight, let not him...he had been given the words to say, but he feared they would ring hollow out of his mouth.

He didn't like a single thing about this...but since when had the universe cared about what he liked.

Lightning cringed. Listen to his self-pity. One of the reasons he couldn't talk to anyone was that they would despise him if they heard what was in his head right now. Perhaps, once upon a time he could have talked to Krysta, but she wasn't here right now. She was on Luminoth, leading her people...he barely saw her any more. He'd like to have done something about that, but...he didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"Lightning?" Starla's voice was soft without slipping into undue gentleness or femininity. "What's wrong?"

Lightning opened his eyes. When he had first met Starla Shine, the mare to whom he was now engaged, he had thought her beautiful. Breathtakingly, tongue-tieingly, intoxicatingly beautiful. Her very looks had stolen away his breath and left him frozen and incapable, to the great mirth of Krysta and his comrades. She was still beautiful, as fair a star as any the glimmered in the firmament of heaven...but he did not adore her as he once had. He had...she was...her swift sword did not awe him as it once had.

"What's wrong?" he repeated. "Do you really have to ask?"

Starla smiled sympathetically as he approached, resting one hand upon his shoulder. "You mustn't blame yourself."

"I'm the commanding officer, all decisions come to rest with me," Lightning said. "Who else should I blame."

Starla's voice was as soft as a whisper. "You know who."

Lightning shook his head. "No."

"She was an idiot," Starla declared. "Vain, arrogant, insubordinate-"

"Starla, please-"

"She was full of herself and it got her killed," Starla said. "That isn't tragedy, that's poetic justice."

"Starla, for pity's sake!" Lightning said, shrugging off her hand as he walked a couple of steps away from her. "You of all people should be able to...to understand how...what if someone had talked about your mother that way?"

Starla recoiled as though he'd hit her. "My mother? My mother would have had Twilight Sparkle on the mat and crying for mercy in ten seconds with one hand behind her back and both eyes closed. My mother was a true hero of the Starfleet, the Angel of Victory, wherever her light shone down all our enemies knew terror; she wasn't some gussied up propaganda doll called a hero by people who have no idea what real heroism is. My mother gave her life in service to His Majesty, following orders, giving her last breath to complete her mission. How dare you compare my mother to that prissy little...how dare you?"

"I'm sorry," Lightning murmured. "I just...I thought that maybe..."

"Yes, I've lost family in the service," Starla said. "Just like Buddy, and little Daphne too. But we suck it up and we move forward, drawing strength from the memory of those who came before us. We don't...whatever this is." She was silent for a moment, before a sigh escaped her lips. "I'm not trying to be the bad guy here, believe me. I'm just...seeing you like this...I want to help you become the hero that I know you can be. That I know you are." She put her hands upon his face, pressed her muzzle against his. "I love you, Lightning Dawn. You carry my heart and soul in your keeping. All I want in the world is to see you fulfil the destiny I know is waiting for you. Now, are you ready? Everyone's waiting for you."

"I...I think so," Lightning murmured.

Starla's blue eyes bored into his dull brown orbs. "This is our time, Lightning. Our time to stand tall and proud before all worlds. You and I, together." He kissed him, brushing her mouth softly against his. "Now come on, let's end this."

She led him out onto the newly erected stage, with a giant portrait of Twilight looming over them...and before him her body, her broken and battered body, still bearing all the raw and charred marks of the wounds that Raven had dealt her, sitting upon the pyre awaiting cremation.

Provided he could get through this speech first.

Starla held him by the hand as he mounted the stage so slowly and so unsteadily that one might have thought him old and infirm, not young and strong in the prime of his youthful vigour. Their Majesties, Grand Ruler Celesto and Queen Celestia, were already there, waiting for him. His Majesty held his wife by the arm, comforting her in evident grief. For a moment Lightning envied her, as a female - and a female moreover of a lesser species, the standards for space ponies like Starla were higher - she was permitted to display her grief, to indulge in it before the eyes of other ponies. He envied her that right.

And then he remembered that she had suffered the loss of one who was as a daughter to her, and he didn't feel quite so envious any more. Rather his envy shamed and disgusted him.

He glanced to His Majesty, maintaining all the stoic strength and masculine resolve that was expected of a husband in these circumstances. If it were me upon that pyre, would you weep? Lightning wondered. No. Not because you care not, but simply...because it is not done.

The tears shed for Twilight are unnumbered; the tears that will be shed for me shall be...none. Which of us is the more fortunate in the end?

Starla released him as Lightning made the final few steps towards the lectern. His notes were already set out before him. Lightning's eyes briefly glanced over the audience: Starfleet officers, soldiers, Twilight's parents, her brother, her sister-in-law Princess Cadance...her friends. He couldn't look at them for long. He didn't dare to meet their eyes.

His voice trembled as he began to read the speech that had been written for him.

"We have lost a hero in our glorious cause," he proclaimed. "But does this foreshadow our defeat? No, it is a new beginning..."

Rarity wore black to the funeral.

Technically she shouldn't have. As an officer of the Starfleet, regulations prescribed dress uniform with medals, and all of her friends who had joined her – joined Twilight, rather – in enlisting in a fit of sadly misguided enthusiasm had followed suit. Rarity, however, was not feeling in much of a mood to abide by the regulations at this particular time. Her friend was dead, a friend she had known and loved long before Starfleet had intruded upon their world, and she would not be constrained in the way she mourned that friend by any pack of pompous bores who thought themselves so mighty and so brave, though Twilight was – had been, she mentally corrected herself; the loss was so raw that she often forgot that it was there - ten times as courageous as any of them. So she wore a black dress that she had made herself, with an A-line skirt and a broad-brimmed hat with a veil of delicate lace hanging down over her face.

Twilight always appreciated my sense of style, Rarity thought to herself. Sometimes even more than I did myself, remember that dress I made for her birthday? And I think she would have been flattered that I took the time to make this for her.

Celestia knows I'll never have the chance to make her a dress again.

Rarity daubed demurely at her eyes with a handkerchief; if she started to blub then her mascara would run, and that would never do. Twilight would never want me to make a spectacle of myself at her funeral.

Especially not when certain other ponies were more than making up for Rarity's restraint.

Lightning was delivering the eulogy, standing in front of the funeral pyre with his chest heaving and his voice faltering as though he was the person in all the world most upset by Twilight's passing, as though no one mourned her loss like he did. If Rarity had not been a perfect lady she would have punched him in the nose and screamed in his face.

We were her real friends! She wanted to scream. We shared her life, we shared her heart, we were a part of her as she was a part of us before anyone in Equestria had ever heard of you or your wretched gang! We mourn her! We will always mourn her! How dare you compare your grief to ours!

That grief was all around her as she thought those venomous thoughts. Pinkie was bawling openly, two great streams of tears gushing out of her eyes to water the ground, while Applejack patted her on the shoulder, half-embracing her for comfort. But Applejack looked quite shaken herself. There was an emptiness in those green eyes that belied her attempt to appear strong for the rest of them. Rainbow Dash had her head bowed, eyes closed, face set in a half scowl, fists clenched as though she wanted to hit something. Fluttershy's chin was resting on her chest, her long lilac hair falling like a curtain to obscure her face from view, but behind the curtain Rarity was certain she could hear sobbing.

She would have gone over to try and comfort Fluttershy, but her brute of a colt-friend was standing in front of her like a bodyguard, shielding her from the unwelcome (to him, at least) advances of her friends.

What have we become? Rarity wondered. And what will become of us yet with Twilight gone?

Princess...Queen Celestia looked to have lost some of her colour; her coat was less bright, her mane less radiant. Her expression was vacant as the Grand Ruler patted her hand vacantly.

And Spike...poor, dear Spike, sitting on the ground, resting against Rarity's leg, sniffling into his claws. Still just a baby, in so many ways. And an orphaned baby, now.

Lightning Dawn continued with his eulogy. Rarity listened with half an ear to his nonsense; he talked about what a warrior she was, a true soldier. All rot, of course. Twilight wasn't a warrior. She was brave, yes, and she would fight if she had to, but she was foremost a scholar and a scientist and a friend. A friend most of all. Rarity felt certain that she would have hated to have been summed up as a warrior, as though she were some kind of bloodthirsty taker of lives.

To make matters worse, about halfway through Lightning seemed to forget that he was supposed to be honouring Twilight at all, and started blathering on about Starfleet and its might and how they would emerge victorious and so much violent hoo-hahing that Rarity felt quite certain that Twilight would have been horrified to hear it.

Eventually, and not a moment too soon, the defamation of a eulogy was concluded, and Lightning put the torch to Twilight's funeral pyre. He had left even before it had finished burning out.

Rarity stayed until the last ashes had stopped smouldering. Until there was nothing left before her but a pile of black, cold ash, which would rapidly become wet if the clouds broke as they were threatening to.

She knelt down and placed one hand upon Spike's head. "Are you ready to go home now, Spike?"

"Home?" Spike asked, with a bit of a sniffle. "Where's home, now?"

"With me, if you like," Rarity said. "It won't be the same, but...I'll do my best. Are you ready to come away?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." He stood up. "Goodbye, Twilight. I won't...I won't...I..."

"She knows," Rarity murmured. "Wherever Twilight is now, she knows." She raised herself up off her knees. "Goodbye, darling. I shall see you again, one day."

She turned to go, leading Spike by the hand.

"So, she's dead then," an unfamiliar voice said, coming out of the shadows from the entrance to the square in which the funeral had taken place. "Just like I was afraid of. Everyone's going to be heartbroken."

Rarity frowned. "Who's there? Who are you?"

Spike said, "Is that..."

A unicorn with an amber coat and a mane like fire stepped out of the shadows, her green eyes looking downcast. "Hey, Spike," she said sadly. "I guess this must be hitting you pretty hard, huh? I know it isn't worth much, but for whatever it is worth…I'm really sorry. Anything I can do, anything at all, you just let me know."

Rarity blinked. What was most strange about this strange unicorn was that she was a true unicorn. She didn't have hands, or feet. She had no trace of Unicornicopian genetic or cybernetic augmentation. She was a pony, pure and simple. It had been too long, Rarity realised, since she had seen such.

"Sunset Shimmer?" Spike asked. "Is that really you?"

"In the coat," Sunset replied. "And you must be...Rarity, right? You look more like the other you than I expected. But then, everyone looks more like humans than I expected they would. It's weird, in that other world I'm the stranger while this is my home, but it's here that I look like a freak."

Rarity smiled. "Actually I think that you look rather splendid."

"What are you doing here, Sunset?" Spike asked. "How did you know that Twilight..."

"I dreamed it," Sunset said. "I could...I almost saw it happening. It worried me so I wrote to Twilight. When she didn't reply...I had to come and see." She hesitated, seeming strangely diffident, even nervous. "I should...I should go now. You two...you all need your space."

"Absolutely not, darling," Rarity declared. "You were Twilight's friend as well, and I know that she would be delighted to have you join us."

Sunset blinked. "Join you where?"

"The queen is hosting a smaller get together, tonight, of Twilight's close friends, her real friends. We're going to send her on her way. You're welcome to attend."

Sunset looked half astonished. "That's really generous of you."

"But of course," Rarity murmured. "I take it that's a yes."

Sunset nodded. "Yeah it is. I won't pretend I was as close to her as you but she meant a lot to me."

"I've no doubt of that," Rarity replied. "She meant a lot to all of us."

The wake had lasted into the small hours of the morning before Twilight's friends had all gone home, leaving behind them innumerable empty cider bottles and the echoes of much laughter, and stories that had filled Sunset's mind with details about Twilight that she had never known, or even guessed at.

Such a life, she had. And to think, I once had the audacity to think that I was better than her.

It was just her and Celestia now, sitting in the royal drawing room, squatting on the carpet facing one another. It would have been like old times, except that Celestia was so much changed: physically of course, but also emotionally. Twilight's loss had hurt her even more than she was willing to show.

"I'm sorry, pri...Your Majesty," Sunset murmured.

Celestia did not look at her. "Call me princess."

"Your Majesty?" Sunset asked.

"Call me princess, like you used to," Celestia said. "Like she used to."

"But you're a queen now," Sunset said.

"A title I never sought; a title I wish that I had never taken," Celestia said. "I would rather have Twilight alive to call me princess then I would possess all the proud crowns and imperial diadems that may be found throughout the universe. Please, Sunset, call me Princess Celestia, as you once did."

Sunset bowed her head. "Whatever you say, Princess Celestia." She looked around the room, at the pictures of Celestia's prized students stretching back through the ages. "Princess Celestia, can you explain it?"

"Explain what?"

"Why Twilight's dead and I'm still here, when she was worth a half dozen of me," Sunset murmured. "What kind of a world do we live in where that is right?"

"Never think like that, Sunset," Celestia said. "Twilight thought far too highly of you for that, and so do I. Twilight's death is a tragedy beyond description, but I would never trade you for her. Not ever."

"Really?"

"Never," Celestia repeated.

Sunset didn't really know what to say to that, and whooping for joy would have been inappropriate in the circumstances, so she said nothing at all about it, but changed the subject instead. "Everything's changed a lot since I was last here. Even you've changed, and I didn't think that was possible."

"You have missed a lot of things occurring," Celestia said.

"From what I understand, that's putting it mildly," Sunset muttered. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the new look, to be honest, you all look like Bottom the Weaver."

"Who?"

"Never mind," Sunset said quickly. "I don't suppose it really matters as long as you're happy."

Celestia snorted. "As long as I'm happy."

Sunset looked at her. "Are you happy, Princess Celestia?"

Celestia looked out the window. "My land is at peace, my people are prosperous, that is enough to make me content."

"But are you happy?" Sunset pressed.

"A pony in my lofty position does not concern herself with her own happiness," Celestia said. "A ruler says: the happiness of my people is my happiness. A wife says: the happiness of my husband is my happiness. My own happiness matters not."

"So that's a no, then," Sunset said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Stay with me," Celestia said quietly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Stay here, stay with me," Celestia said. "My word, Sunset, how I have missed you. I need you, as you are: a piece of the old Equestria, the Equestria that we have lost and which I fear may be gone without recall. I am surrounded by false friends and wicked councillors here. I fear that even my own husband routinely deceives and betrays me, and my conversations with Luna are spied upon. I need somepony I can trust close at hand, here in Canterlot, with me. I need you Sunset, for you hold a piece of my soul in you."

Sunset climbed onto her hooves. "Princess...are you saying you want me to be your student again?"

"No," Celestia said. "I want you to stay and be my friend."

Author's Note

Rewrite Notes: There are a lot of moments in this fic that act as a reproof to Mykan's work, but the reworking of this chapter contains a scene that is actually a reproof to myself. The characters in the story often talk about Fluttershy's strength, and how it is underestimated by Starfleet; and I believe that Fluttershy is strong...but in the story itself she spends most of her time being imprisoned or catatonic or the recipient of other people's pity. So a major point of this scene was to show that she is actually more together than Rainbow Dash in this instance.

The second scene was added because if you read Rarity's scene Lightning comes off as quite a tool, back when he was intended to be very dickish. I decided not to change too much of that because it works on an interpretive level (Rarity seems him leaving early and thinks he doesn't care; Lightning is actually leaving because he's so upset he can't stand to stick around) but show Lightning's own feelings beforehand. It also gets into what I see as 'my' Lightning's big flaw: he doesn't really have any backbone, he just lets other people (Grand Ruler, Starla) push him around.

Which brings us neatly on to Starla, doing something very common for her (running down Twilight) as well as giving a glimpse of her mommy issues. Starla's relationship with her dead mother will become a fairly important part of her character going forward, so I wanted to foreground it early in these revisions.

Marching Orders

Rarity walked up the hillside. It was night time, and the moon shone bright and clear, casting its silver light upon the world and illuminating the twinkling stars that filled the firmament.

On top of the hill, Twilight stood as still as a standing stone. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she looked up at the stars, her lips moving silently as she named the various constellations hanging overhead.

"Twilight?" Rarity asked as she joined her friend on the hilltop. "Twilight, darling, are you all right?"

Twilight looked at her, a slight smile spreading across her face. "Rarity. I didn't notice you for a moment. Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for coming to check on me though."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Rarity said. "I heard what Lightning and the Grand Ruler did to you; I wouldn't blame you for being upset."

"Upset?" Twilight asked. "What would be the point in that? When a child does something wrong, you don't get upset about it, you try to understand what made them do it."

"They're not children," Rarity pointed out.

"Perhaps not, but at times I think they have the minds of children, the attitudes of children," Twilight said softly. "And there are times when I think that is the key to understanding them."

"I'm not sure why you'd want to," Rarity murmured.

"Because they're here, for better or worse, and I don't want to live in a world where we have to continually keep our heads down for fear of what they might do if they knew what we really thought of Starfleet and the space ponies," Twilight said. She looked back up at the sky. "They...they aren't bad people, you know? I don't think they are, anyway. They can be good. They have goodness in them, even if they don't always act upon it. They only lack a light to show them the way. We have more in common than we realise, either of us. There is more that unites us than divides us, I’m sure of it. We just need to find common ground."

"And you believe that you can do that?"

Twilight shrugged. "I am the princess of friendship, if I can't do it then who can. If I can bridge the gap between us, if I can be the conduit between Equestrians and Unicornicopians, if I can find the common ground between our peoples then I believe that I can create a better world for all of us. And if I can do that, if I can even begin it and leave it for other hands to finish, then, I think, I could die content.”

Lightning Dawn stared at himself, and barely recognised his own reflection in the mirror. He had the honour, for whatever such an honour was worth…no, that was wrong. It was an honour, no matter how little he esteemed it. That he esteemed it little said more of his own malaise than of the honour itself for honour, indeed, it was. He had the honour, as little joy as it brought him and as little as deserved it, to be the Supreme Allied Commander of the Starfleet, the youngest Supreme Commander in the history of that illustrious fighting force, and he was attired in the uniform of that exalted station. His uniform jacket was pristine white, and single breasted with a line of brass buttons running from the collar to the navel, each one polished until they shone like diamonds. A blue sash, trimmed with green fringe and golden thread, snaked from his right shoulder to his left hip, hanging just above the ceremonial sword - with a gilded hilt shaped like a unicorn's head, with sapphires for the eyes and a horn tipped with a single diamond - that the Grand Ruler had given him upon the occasion of his elevation to this, the highest office in the service. His collar was gold, and golden epaulettes adorned his shoulders. A cape hung down from his shoulders to below his knees, on the inside it was a white as pristine as his jacket, while on the outside it was a shimmering, shining silver like the stars the glittered in the night sky. His trousers were white, with a golden line running down the seam, and his feet were enclosed with a pair of polished black boots that shone so brightly they could have served as his mirror.

Two rows of medals, disks of gold and silver hanging suspended from ribbons of green and blue, adorned his right breast, testament to the gallantry he had displayed during his meteoric rise to rank and power. A heavy medallion of gold, strung from a blue ribbon weighted down his neck.

Finally, as he examined himself in the full-length mirror and tried to recognise the creature that he saw staring back at him, Lightning put on his high peaked cap, resting the peak itself upon the tip of his golden horn. He stared at himself. A stranger stared back.

To be sure, he recognised the bland and unmemorable features that could not wholly be disguised by the excessive ornamentation dictated by his position: a plain white coat, like the base coat upon a door or a window-frame, waiting for the colour to be applied on top; a common brown mane, commonly cut; very ordinary brown eyes. He knew them all, and knew them well. But him who bore those familiar features…Lightning did not recognise the gaudy god of war looking back at him from out of the mirror save to recognise that he was not Lightning Dawn.

He scowled, and tore the heavy medallion from his neck before he threw it across the room. It hit the wall with a crash – leaving a slight dent in the plaster as it did so – before falling to the ground. He let it lie. Such baubles were not meet for the circumstances.

Yes, the circumstances indeed. There was a part of him that felt sick to the stomach for what he was about to do. Another part of him thought that it was well past time. It could not be denied that Friendship is Magic had never been the same since the untimely death of their squad leader. The attempt to find an alternative bearer for the Element of Magic – or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say the attempt to hammer a not-Twilight shaped peg into a Twilight-shaped hole – had been little short of farcical. From that perspective, from that clinical and efficient military perspective, the decision he had to deliver today was the correct one: a proper re-allocation of resources.

It still made him sick.

Would Twilight have argued, or would she have helped smooth the way for this?

Twilight.

Twilight, he felt certain, was the reason for the turmoil within him. Before then he would not have thought twice about the duty being laid upon him. He had been born on Harmonius, but his memories of that place were few and fleeting: even his parents were more shadows than ponies, and his kindergarten classmates were an interchangeable mass devoid of individual identities. No, Harmonius had not forged him; he had no true and lasting memories of that now-vanished world. Rather, he had been formed in the palace of Grand Ruler Celesto, high above Rainbow City Central in the old realm of Unicornicopia, where he had imbibed the Unicornicopian doctrine of unyielding strength, faithful service and duty done without hesitation from the lips of he who was the author of that creed. But Twilight...she had begun to show him a different life, a different way of living and seeing the world around him. It was her memory that was the root of all the doubts that ever plagued him in the darkness of the night, her influence that had such a strange and, possibly baleful, effect upon his thinking.

But Twilight had died, and that might be said to have proved the folly of her policies and attitudes, especially when set against the fact that Lightning yet lived. And yet...he could not shake her from his thoughts.

The door opened to admit Starla into the bedroom. She was dressed in the casual version of her armour, unadorned by medals or other decorations just as her face was unadorned by any trace of makeup or cosmetics that would spoil the strength of her features with the unappealing touch of femininity. She carried a bow slung across her back, along with a pair of swords, as little as it seemed that she would need either of them in the peaceful setting of New Ponyville.

Still, Lightning supposed that it never hurt to be prepared. Twilight’s death was proof of that.

Starla looked at him, and he saw her eyes dart to the medallion lying on the floor. But she said nothing of it, and even smiled at him. “Good morning,” she said. “You look nice.”

“You think so?”

Starla nodded. “Dapper and dashing.”

Lightning smiled momentarily. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I like it a lot, you should wear it more often,” Starla said softly, advancing upon him. “Give me a kiss.”

Lightning kissed her gently upon the lips.

Starla blinked. “How…dutiful, of you,” she said. “You didn’t come down for breakfast.”

“I wasn’t hungry.”

“I waited for you.”

“I’m sorry,” Lightning murmured.

“It doesn’t matter, it was only pancakes.”

Lightning paused. “My favourite.”

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter,” Starla said. “Are…what are you doing today?”

“You mean after this?”

Starla nodded. “I’m meeting up with the guys later, we’re going to get one last good training session in before Dyno and Myte head out to Helsinore on this special mission for His Majesty. Do you want to join?”

“No, thank you,” Lightning murmured. “Say goodbye to both of them for me.”

“You should tell them yourself,” Starla said. “It’s not like you’re too busy.”

“I have a lot of paperwork to do,” Lightning replied, a touch of defensiveness entering his voice.

“Then hire a secretary!” Starla cried. “When you got this promotion you told me that you didn’t want to ride a desk; you told me that you wanted to be out in the field but you’re not out in the field, you’re…” she waved one hand airily. “Frankly it feels as though I’ve been leading your team ever since Sombra fell.”

“I’m sure you’re very good at it.”

“I’m better than good, as it happens, but that’s not the point,” Starla snapped. “The point is that you’re not yourself, and shutting yourself off from the guys isn’t helping. You can get somebody to do the paperwork for you; you certainly don’t need to be delivering orders to junior officers yourself, that’s what couriers are for.”

"I think I owe it to Twilight to take care of this personally," Lightning said.

Starla shook her head. “Twilight. Always Twilight. When will the world forget Twilight Sparkle? Did you speak to His Majesty about us transferring to Canterlot?”

Lightning hesitated. “Yes, I did. His Majesty agreed it made sense that we should be based out of the capital, especially since Friendship is Magic is…he agreed. I’ve already spoken to Rhymey, he’s started sorting out his move already. His Majesty…our things will be taken care of over the next couple of days. He already has a place in mind for us.

"Thank the gods," Starla muttered. "It will be so, so good to get away from. If I have to go to one more of Pinkie Pie's asinine parties I swear I'm going to scream. Or shoot someone. And hopefully Rarity's next assignment will damage her mane somehow; the way she looks just like me really bugs me."

Lightning frowned. "That's a little mean spirited, don't you think?"

Starla snorted. “Oh, please. As though you didn’t roll your eyes at their childish antics as hard as any of us. Harder, even.”

"Yes, but," Lightning paused. Saying that he regretted that now would have seemed a little false, not to mention a very slight basis for criticising his wife. So instead he said, "When you see Artie and Buddy, would you let them know about the transfer? If they want to move then they need let to you know and…we can get the arrangements.”

“Let me get this straight: the lesser races get their marching orders from you direct, but Buddy and Artie have to hear about possible transfer second hand?”

“It’s not as bad as you’re making it sound. And please don’t call them lesser races. They’re our-“

“Our partners in a better tomorrow, one land, one world, one people,” Starla sighed. “You realise that’s supposed to take them in, not us?”

“I…” Lightning paused. “Never mind. Let’s go.”

Major William ‘Rhymey’ Stirskewer III, code number XL7Z, was waiting for him outside his house, leaning against the wall with his yellow mane drooping down one side of his equally yellow face. As the door opened he came to attention, brushing his mane out of the way in the same smooth gesture with which he saluted Lightning.

"Good morning, Lightning, it's a lovely day,

I wish it would not go away."

"Good morning, Rhymey," Lightning said. He didn't insist on being addressed by his rank, not in this informal circumstance. Rhymey had earned a degree of leeway, his method of speech might be odd but he was a brave fighter and loyal too, so Lightning would put up with it.

"Look at that," Starla said. "Doesn't it make you sick?"

Lightning followed her pointing hand, and saw that the street was blocked by a crowd of hippies protesting the war in Rangiveria. It was true that the Starfleet deployment had become rather bogged down in the woods recently - and Lightning, who saw all the documents, knew that things were worse than the newspapers were making it out to be - but that was no reason for this crowd of layabouts to block off the traffic of commerce with their antics, or to pollute the air with their moronic sloganeering. 'Make cupcakes, not war' indeed.

"We come here, we sort out their country, we defend their freedom, and what do they do?" Starla asked. "They spit on us and give away free muffins as a political statement. And the worst part is they smell like really good muffins."

As he watched, one of them set the flag on fire.

"How dare they our standard so profane?

I'll have their guts, for shame, for shame!" Rhymey snapped.

"Let it go, both of you," Lightning said. "We have other business to take care of. Come on, let's find a route around them."

The three of them began to make their way to Sugarcube Corner.

Rarity took a delicate and ladylike bite out of the angel cake in her hand, chewing demurely so as to ensure that not a single speck of buttercream ended up on her lips. "Oh, Pinkie darling, this is quite delicious. I think these cakes are even better than before. Is it a new recipe?"

"They're just made with love," Pinkie said, bounding over to the table and leaping over her chair, to land on it perfectly in spite of the fact that she should have slammed into the table itself. "Ooh, and some vanilla pods."

"Whatever you make them out of, they taste great," Rainbow Dash said in between large bites that left her mouth covered in crumbs. "Thanks, Pinkie."

Pinkie giggled. "I'm just glad that we could all get together like this. It feels like we don't hang out together as often as we used to."

"Well, we are all rather busy," Rarity said. "Our Starfleet duties eat into our time, and we each have our own lives outside of that."

"Is it me, or do those Starfleet duties seem to be taking up more of our time than they used to?" Applejack asked. "I feel like I'm spending more time attending mandatory training than I am back home. It ain't fair on Big Mac that he has to pick up so much of the slack for me, and Celestia knows that Buddy Rose doesn't pull his weight around the acres."

"Kick him out," Rainbow said.

"Nah, if I tried to do that he'd just tell me no and the whole thing would blow up into a mess of a quarrel," Applejack said. "I could do without that kind of trouble. Besides, Apple Bloom is friends with his cousin, and I don't want to cause any upsets for her. I wouldn't mind that he barely does any work around the farm, except that when I applied to have my training hours cut down on account of my farm work I was told I didn't qualify because I had two other folks to help me. I felt like saying that no, I got one fella to help, and he's working himself to the bone trying to manage everything."

Rarity leaned back in her chair. "I can't say I've experienced your particular situation, Applejack, but I agree that it does seem as though we get called up for service more often than we used to."

"I wouldn't mind being called upon more often," Fluttershy said. "I haven't had to attend a Starfleet function for months now. I think that Rhymey is filing my reports for me, or having Lightning do it for him maybe."

"That isn't so bad," Rainbow said. "Those skill evaluation sessions are a joke anyway, I'd be glad if I didn't have to waste my time with them."

"This would never have happened if Twilight were still here," Spike murmured.

Everyone sighed at that, looking down at the table.

"Aww, now everypony's miserable again!" Pinkie said. "This was supposed to be a happy time!"

Rarity lifted her head up. "You're quite right, Pinkie Pie. Let's talk about something else, something other than Starfleet. How are you, Pinkie?"

The bell above the door to Sugarcube Corner tinkled as the door swung open.

Pinkie leapt to her feet. "Hello! My name's...oh, hello Lightning."

Rarity looked up to see Lightning, Starla and Rhymey standing in the doorway to the cake shop.

"Ah, Lightning," she murmured. "Yes, you're just the pony we were looking for."

"That's Supreme Allied Commander Lightning Dawn," Starla said firmly. "Don’t forget that he’s your superior officer. Don’t forget that we’re all your superior officers.”

Rainbow jumped to her feet. "Yes sir, Supreme Allied Commander, sir!"

Spike sniggered into his hand.

Rhymey's eyes narrowed a little. "Fluttershy, what a surprise,

You didn't tell me you'd be here, my prize."

Fluttershy looked away. "I...I didn't think it was worthy mentioning."

"I always want to know your plans, my love,

Or how can I find you, my little turtledove?"

"Why don't you give her a tracking collar like she's a dog," Rainbow muttered under her breath.

"Forgive me for saying, Rainbow Dash,

But that sounded rather a lot like sass."

Rarity climbed to her feet and cleared her throat. "Lightning… I mean, Commander. Major Rhymey, Major Starla, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit? Would you care to join us?"

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call, Captain," Lightning said. He strode over to their table, his cloak swaying in his wake, while Rhymey and Starla followed at a more discreet distance. Rarity saw that tucked under one army Lightning had a number of files, which he held out in front of him as he drew near. He stood still for a moment, suddenly looking very nervous and, unless Rarity missed her guess, a little ashamed of himself too. It was strange, seeing him so diffident; it almost reminded her of Twilight.

Perhaps a little of her did rub off on him after all.

Lightning coughed awkwardly, then cleared his throat, then coughed again. Finally he said. "I'm afraid that there is no easy way to say this: Friendship is Magic is being disbanded."

"What?" Pinkie said. "Disbanded? But why?"

"Because you don’t have a sixth member, because you couldn’t find a replacement, and because you’re useless without your precious Elements of Harmony," Starla said. “And because it was a bad idea to begin with.”

"If you want to talk about bad ideas then how about-" Rainbow began, her voice rising even as she rose herself up from her seat.

"Hold on, now," Applejack said, getting up and putting one hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "There ain't no call for losing our heads until there is. What does this mean, Lightnin' Dawn? When you say Disband, what does that really mean for us?"

"It means that you're getting other assignments," Lightning said. He began to toss the files onto the table in front of the relevant ponies concerned. “Executive Captain Rainbow Dash, you are being transferred to the 101st Special Service Company under the command of Major Cerise Wonder, you are to report to Starfleet Headquarters at 0800 hours tomorrow. Executive Captain Pinkie Pie, congratulations, you're the new Starfleet attaché to the court of Her Most Exalted Majesty Queen Tynisa of Grevyia. Your itinerary is included in your orders."

Pinkie's eyes were wide and her voice was childlike. "I have to go away? I have to leave Ponyville?"

Lightning's brow creased slightly. "The requirements of the service, I'm afraid. Executive Captain Applejack, Junior Captain Spike, you are to join the First Battalion of the 33rd Regiment of Foot as, respectively, battalion XO and commander of the Grenadier Company. The battalion ships out for Rangiveria in four days time."

The last file landed in front of Rarity. Lightning said, "Executive Captain Rarity, you are to proceed to the Neighfolk Naval Yard and take command of the frigate Princess Twilight Sparkle. Any questions?"

For a moment there was silence in the cafeteria, and then everypony started speaking at once.

"Transferred to Starfleet Headquarters?" Rainbow said.

"Shipping out to Rangiveria!" Applejack yelled.

"I'm not sure I'm really qualified to take command of a frigate," Rarity murmured.

"Why do I have to leave Ponyville?" Pinkie asked.

"You have your orders!" Starla snapped. "You don’t like them? Tough! A good soldier goes where she’s sent and she does what she’s told. Now obey your commands."

"Starla, that's enough," Lightning said softly. "One at a time, please."

"Whose idea was this?" Rainbow demanded. "Was it yours?"

Lightning did not meet Rainbow's eyes. "Yes."

"Why you backstabbing little," Rainbow snarled. "If Twilight were here-"

"Twilight's dead," Starla said sharply. “And you’d better get used to that, because it isn’t changing any time soon.”

Rainbow's hand balled into a fist.

"Um, excuse me," Fluttershy murmured. "You don't seem to have any orders for me."

Rhymey smiled. "You don't need orders, Fluttershy dear,

You're coming with me, I'm keeping your near."

"Lightning Squad is transferring it’s base to New Canterlot, as there is no practical or military reason for it to remain based out of New Ponyville," Lightning explained. "As such Major Rhymey is transferring his accommodation to that city. As his wife you will, of course, accompany him there."

"Oh," Fluttershy said. "But my life is here in Ponyville."

"Your life is with your husband in New Canterlot,” Lightning said. “Husband and wife is one flesh, one heart, and one soul. How…how can it be divided?”

I notice that it’s his heart and soul, not hers, Rarity thought. Call me out of fashion but I’d rather like my husband to be considerate to my wants and needs.

Fluttershy bowed her head. "Oh, I see. Of course."

"Lightning," Applejack said. "How do you expect Sweet Apple Acres to keep running when I've been shipped off to Rangiveria?"

"I'm sure that Buddy will be able to take care of things," Lightning said. "He has a lot of skills that you don't, after all."

"Then why doesn't he ship out to Rangiveria?" Rainbow asked. "For that matter why is Spike going to war, he's just a baby?"

"He's a commissioned officer of the Starfleet," Lightning said.

"And he always likes to talk about wanting to play his part," Starla said.

"Yeah, but going to war?" Rainbow asked. "Come on, you can screw us over if you want but have some pity on the little guy, I mean…” she clenched her jaw. “I tell you what, I’ll ship out to Rangiveria and serve with this stupid Regiment, and Spike and Applejack can stay home safe, or serve in that Special whatever. Or I’ll go with Applejack and Spike can stick around here if it’s gotta be that way, just don’t send the kid into battle and stick me on the bench, I mean that’s nuts!”

Lightning stood as still as a wall, and gave about as much comfort. “Your orders have been issued, they cannot now be changed.” His brown eyes swept over the table, at the tea and cakes that mingle with the files that had shattered the patterns of their lives. "I will leave to your festivities. Good day, ladies."

Lightning turned to go, his cape swishing behind him as he walked towards the door.

Rhymey said, "Fluttershy, come away with me,

There's no need to finish your tea."

Fluttershy took half a step towards her husband. Then she stopped, hesitating. She looked down, then back up again, her eyes glancing towards Rainbow Dash, and towards each of her friends in turn.

"No," she said.

Rhymey blinked. "I must have misheard you a moment ago,

For I could have sworn that you said 'No'."

"I did," Fluttershy said firmly. "I'm going to finish having tea with my friends, and say goodbye. I'll come find you later."

Rhymey's face twisted into a scowl. "Now Fluttershy, you listen to me,

You're coming straight along with me."

He took a step towards her, hand outstretched to grab Fluttershy by the arm. Already Rarity could see that Rainbow’s hand was still clenched into a fist, and it didn't take a keen observer of behaviour to work out that if Rhymey got much closer she was going to slug him across the jaw.

And I shall be right behind her, the unchivalrous brute. What did Fluttershy ever see in him?

Rhymey took a step closer.

"Major Rhymey!" Lightning snapped. "Atten-hut!"

Rhymey leapt to attention, his booted feet slamming into the floor of Sugarcube Corner.

"About Face!" Lightning yelled.

Rhymey pirouetted on his right heel, and his left foot once again slammed into the floor. His face was a mask of befuddled confusion.

"Lightning Dawn, what's going on?

You sound like I've done something wrong."

Lightning backhanded him across the jaw so hard that Rhymey staggered into the nearest wall with a crash.

"You are dismissed, Major!" Lightning snarled into Rhymey's face, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him like a rat in the mouth of a mastiff. "Go to New Canterlot at once and await further orders, do I make myself clear?" He let go. "Get out of my sight."

Rhymey whimpered slightly, but otherwise said nothing as he made a swift exit from the cake shop. The bell jingled merrily as he departed.

Lightning straightened up, and looked at the assembled mares and the baby dragon.

Rarity's stare was hostile. I hope you don't think you've won yourself any points by that display.

Lightning nodded, and touched the peak of his cap with his fingers, before he turned away once come.

"Come, Starla," he said.

Starla, whose eyes were wide and whose face had gone even paler than usual, followed him out without saying a word.

For a moment, silence reigned among them more regally than even Celestia.

"I could have taken that guy," Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm glad that you didn't," Fluttershy replied. "You might have gotten into trouble."

"It couldn't be worse than the trouble we're already in," Rainbow shouted. "Re-assigned? Rangiveria? Grevyia? What are we going to do about this?"

"What can we do, darling, but hope to get it over with as quickly as possible?" Rarity said.

"Maybe we could talk to Queen Celestia?" Spike suggested. "If she knew about this-"

"I have no doubt that the princess – sorry, the Queen - would move heaven and earth to help us if we asked her too, Spike, but if half of what I hear from Sunset Shimmer is accurate then Celestia has more than enough troubles of her own without adding to her burdens," Rarity said. "I think that the best thing we can do is to face these changes bravely, and weather whatever storms are to come."

A smile pricked at the corners of Applejack’s mouth. "For a moment there, Rarity, you almost sounded like Twilight."

Rarity shook her head. "Hardly. A cheap imitation at best. But Twilight believed that it was possible to understand these ponies, for the good of all of us. I think we owe it to her not to give up on them just yet."

"But Rangiveria?" Spike asked. "The things they say about that place...they say half the ponies who go out their don't come back."

Applejack swept her hat off her head as she got down on her knees, so that she and Spike were at eye level with one another. "Now you don't want to go listening to a whole bunch of rumours Spike, most likely it's nothing but a lot of hooey. Besides, I'm going to be right there with you, and whatever happens I'll make sure you get back home safe and sound."

"You promise?" Spike asked.

"I promise," Applejack said solemnly. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"So...this isn't the end?" Pinkie asked.

"Aw, hay no," Applejack. "We may be apart for a little while, but we'll see each other again."

Rarity smiled. "That sounds like as good an oath as any. Let's all vow, here, before we depart, that we will all return from our travels safe and sound, and meet here again for a party uninterrupted by orders or admirals."

She held out her hand. One by one, the others placed their hands on top of hers, even Spike.

"And in our hearts let us never be apart," Rarity said.

"That was harsh," Starla said.

"To who?" Lightning asked.

"Rhymey!" Starla said loudly. "Who else?"

"I thought you might have meant Twilight's friends," Lightning murmured. "I was cruel to them."

"You had your orders, just like they have theirs," Starla said. "Why didn't you tell them that it was the Grand Ruler who had decided to have them reassigned?"

Lightning hesitated for a moment. "It is better that their animus is directed towards me. Public confidence in His Majesty should be maintained by any means."

Starla was silent for a moment. "I’m sure he appreciates your sacrifice."

I’m sure he does. Lightning thought. However I may be trying his patience of late, he is still as a father to me. He deserves a better son than he has in me, and the gods have granted him a child of his own blood to please his heart. "His Majesty is not required to appreciate the duty faithfully rendered to him by his loyal servants. It is his due."

Starla shrugged. "So why did you go off on one with Rhymey like that?"

"I was angry."

"About what?"

"I don't know," Lightning said. "I just...felt angry."

"That's not a good thing, you know."

"Starla, my parents are dead, my planet is gone, and I am the last of my race. Should I be mild and well-adjusted?" Lightning asked.

"You never used to be so angry," Starla said quietly.

"Yes, I did," Lightning replied. "You just didn't notice because I was directing my anger at people you didn't care about."

"Why does this bother you?" Starla demanded. "They all joined the military, they all chose to volunteer for Starfleet; nobody forced them to do it. Nobody made them do anything. They chose this, and now they’re getting a real taste of what life in the service is like. You know, I didn’t want to leave Spec Ops at first.”

Lightning’s eyebrows rose. He knew that Starla had been employed as one of the Grand Ruler’s personal Valkyries before the Titan War had brought them together, although the details of what exactly she had done in that position were as heavily redacted as everything else to do with the Valkyries. He hadn’t known that she didn’t want to leave. “You liked it there.”

“I did,” Starla said. “More importantly…when His Majesty told me that he wanted me to join a team led by his prize student…I had horrible visions of wet nursing some rookie who didn’t have a clue how to survive in the field. Luckily that turned out to be…less than wholly the case.” She smiled, to show that she spoke in jest. “But I didn’t know that at the time…but I did it anyway, because those were my orders. Because I’m a good soldier, I do what I’m told. Those five in there…they’re not good soldiers. They're a collection of inferior species and they've had an easy ride for far too long. It's about time they learnt to stand up for themselves and stopped dining out on the memory of precious Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Don't call her that," Lightning snapped. "Don't make fun of her. She deserves better."

Starla's voice became frosty as a winter chill. "I'm your wife, if you remember? I can keep you warm at night, I can hold you in my arms, kiss you, make love to you, write you love notes, care for you when your old and sick. Twilight can't do any of that because she's dead and gone. I'm still here, and she never loved you the way I do."

"That has-"

"Don't lie to me," Starla said. "I'm not an idiot. I just want to know why?"

Lightning looked her in the eyes. "Because...because they make me feel...I don't know. But she changed me. Why do you dislike them so much?"

"Because they changed you, or this place did," Starla replied. "You aren't the same stallion I fell in love with. That guy wouldn't have wrung his hands about whether or not he had upset those girls."

"Did you ever consider that I've changed for the better?"

"No," Starla said. "You used to be a model Unicornicopian, a model Starfleet officer. Now I'm not sure what you are."

"A person," Lightning said. He sighed. "Honestly, and for gods’ sake tell me true, did I do the right thing?"

"You did your duty," Starla said.

That's not really what I asked, is it? Lightning thought. What do you think, Twilight? Did I do the right thing?

The barren, frigid silence in his soul was all the answer he required.

Starla perched on top of a street lamp in New Ponyville, looking down upon the streets around her while she, standing in the darkness above the light, was nearly invisible even if any passing pony had lifted up their eyes to look for her.

She stood with perfect balance, unafraid of falling, her arms folded across her chest. Lightning wasn't home. He often didn't come home until late. Working, as though he had to do it all himself and couldn't delegate a thing to lesser hands. She was starting to think he just didn't want to come home to her.

She wished for music, for some sad and soft and melancholy tune, a melody that started slow before it, perhaps, sped up a little bit; something that she could sing to, and in the singing unburden her soul of all her troubles, and perchance even confide her hopes and dreams for the life before her.

The hopes and dreams that seemed less likely to be fulfilled with each passing day and night.

But there was no music. There was no song. The night was as silent as it was cold, and her breath was misting up in front of her face. There was no easy outlet for her silent despair.

Starla looked up, up to the stars that glittered in the dark sky above. That was why she was here, posing on a lamp-post like a brooding villain: because the light from the street-lamps obscured the stars and made it harder to see. You had to get a little higher to see them. It was one thing she wasn't looking forward to about New Canterlot, where the light pollution would be much, much worse.

But for now, Starla Shine could see the stars.

They comforted her. They had always comforted her, even when she was a little filly. She remembered sitting on the roof of her childhood home with her Mama, whenever her mother returned from the field; little Starla would be wrapped in a thick wolly blanket, with Galaxia's arms around her as they gazed up at the stars of Unicornicopia together.

"Which is that constellation, Mama?"

"What do you think, little star?" Galaxia Shine replied. "What does it look like to you?"

And Starla would reach out, stretching her finger towards the heavens and begin to draw - and Starla found herself mirroring the childlike action, drawing pictures in the stars, making lines of brilliant white in the stars that only she could see - and trace the fruits of her imagination: a pig, a cow, a space unicorn with the largest, most fabulous wings imaginable. "There's you, Mama!"

"There's you, Mama," Starla murmured. But she wasn't there, not here. Starla couldn't see her mother's sign from this strange place. The stars of home were nowhere to be seen.

This was not her home. New Ponyville was not her home. United Equestria was not her home. Her home was Unicornicopia, her home was WhiteVillage, her home was Rainbow City Central and the house she'd shared with Mama. Her home was gone. Blown up. Turned to dust and ashes.

Lightning thought he was the only one who'd a lost a home. He could be really self-absorbed sometimes. They'd all lost something when Unicornicopia fell. For Starla, she had lost not only home but all connection to those who had come before her.

And she had not even the consolation of knowing that something would come after to soothe her soul.

Absently, Starla found that she had traced the outline of a baby in the stars. A baby space pony. Her baby. A daughter, for preference, although she would have loved a son just as well: a strong son who would combine the best of his father and mother in him, who would grow up tall and strong and kill many enemies of the Grand Ruler. But she would have preferred a daugther; a daughter whom she could have taught to shoot and fight and wield the shining magic that was her birthright.

But there would be no child for her. No heir to the Shine bloodline of which she was the last. Not because of her, but...because no one wished to father such a child on her.

Or at least, her husband did not. For how would a dutiful kiss on the lips each morning get her with the child she craved.

She loved Lightning, she wanted to be his wife and bear his children; but he had eyes only for a dead mare now.

"What would you do about this, Mama?" Starla asked. "What would you do to get him back?"

Her mother, she was sure, would not have lost her husband in the first place. Which was not to say that her father had been perfect; far from it. Father had never understood the need for Starfleet, ahd scorned the good work that they were doing, and when Mama was away on missions his eyes, his hands, his everything else had strayed to whatever or whoever was to hand. There had been mistresses by the load, and though he never paraded them in front of his daughter...the walls were thin, and Starla had heard a great deal.

But when Mama came home, when the Angel of Victory swooped into her domain then...Father only had eyes for her.

The fact that she could reduce full grown dragons to tears with a single raised eyebrow might have had something to do with that.

Would that I could have intimidated Twilight in the same easy fashion.

But she did not have her mother's light, for all her efforts - and she had made efforts, today's training session had largely consisted of having Buddy, Artie, Rhymey, Dyno and Myte come together in trying to beat her up in the hope that one of them would push her hard enough - she had failed to unlock her shining light, the super mode that was the birthright of the Shine family. She could feel the magic within her, could even wield it to a point...but not as it shold be wielded. Not as she had wielded it. The star did not shine so brightly as the galaxy; rather it was ever in the shadow of the greater light. Eclipsed.

Cast into Twilight, one might say.

Starla was distracted from these melancholy musings by the sound of someone giggling below. Starla looked down, her gaze descending from the lofty heavens towards the mundane earth, as she beheld two ponies walking down the street. Both were wrapped up warm against the unexpected chill, in scarves and gloves and thick coats, and the mare clung to the arm of the stallion as though the embrace was giving her the warmth she could not find anywhere else.

Though they were only earth ponies, and thus automatically worthy of nought but contempt, Starla had to admit...they made a handsome pair. She looked up at him with devotion, he looked down on her with rapturous admiration. Even the sounds of their laughter blended together, their two voices in harmony with one another.

She could still remember when she had been so happy, with Lightning. She could still remember when they used to walk together, when he used to sigh so heavily to behold her that it was as if the peace of heaven had fallen upon him and filled him with contentment. And she...when Starla had looked on him, so fearless and so strong, a raging god of war upon the battlefield...she had known that he was hers and in that knowledge she had been happy.

But now those halcyon days were gone, and perhaps they would never return.

"It almost felt like heaven's light," Starla whispered to the night air, as she spread her wings and flew away from her perch as she could not fly away from her sorrows.

But, oh, how she wished that she could.

Author's Note

Rewrite notes: most of the edits to this chapter consisted of tidying up some of the language, and getting rid of the far-too-pleased-with-himself Lightning of the first scene in favour of someone moodier and broodier and more like the Lightning I wrote in the rest of the story.

Starla continues to be the biggest beneficiary of this rewrite as she gets more room to explain herself and her attitudes before she sets off on her quest to hunt down Eve.

This chapter also hints at a side story that I may well write interspersed with these updates and the new chapters going forward.

Sunset's Game

Sunset Shimmer sat in one of the cubicles in the girls' toilets with the door locked and sobbed.

It was gone. All of it had just...disappeared. House and hearth and field. All gone. Vanished. Turned to dust and ashes.

And not just the buildings either. The world itself. Every mountain, every tree, every...everything gone.

Sunset could barely comprehend it. She couldn't comprehend it, it was too big. She had to think about something smaller. Canterlot. No more Canterlot. No more shining city on the mountainside, no more gilded spires, no more capital. Canterlot gone. Canterlot destroyed. Canterlot laid waste.

Sunset tried to imagine that: an empty space where Canterlot should be, an empty space within an empty space. No, that was still not clear. Still too big. She could imagine Canterlot, but only really from the inside, not the out. She still couldn't grasp what it would be like for Canterlot to not be there.

She had to think of something smaller still: no more palace. Yes. She could imagine that. She couldn't imagine the actual level of devastation however. Her mind was full of images of worldly destruction: towers shattered, stained glass windows broken, walls blown apart, destruction...even death. But that was not what had happened. Or perhaps it had happened, but afterwards the whole thing had just...disappeared. Blasted apart, like that cheesy movie that Rainbow Dash had dragged them all to see when they remastered it. Just gone, and only void where it had been.

Gone too Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Gone those hallowed halls, worn out by the hooves of generations of students. Gone the room where she had plotted world domination in between her maths homework, gone the cafeteria where they had served that apple crumble with a layer of crumble three inches thick and hard enough to break your teeth; for a long time Sunset had thought that was how it was supposed to be.

Gone the all-night ice cream parlour where Sunset had spent many nights, sitting at a table alone with a cup of coffee, a bowl of ice cream and the half-finished essay that was due the next day, scratching away as the place emptied around her.

Gone. All of it. The palace, the school, the ice cream shop, the city...the world.

By starting small, Sunset found she could just about imagine it. There was nothing left.

She put her head in her hands and tried very hard not to start crying.

Between her legs she could see the book, resting open on the most recent page. Twilight's message, informing her of the disaster, grabbed hold of her gaze and would not let go.

One line in particular: We're still trying to work exactly who didn't make it.

Sunset closed her eyes and whimpered.

"Sunset?" Rarity asked. "Sunset, what's wrong?"

Sunset blinked, and wiped her eyes. "Rarity? What are you doing here?"

"We've been looking for you, darling," Rarity said. "Nobody knew where you were."

Sunset leaned back, her head resting against the plaster wall. "How did you know it was me?"

"I recognised your boots, darling."

"Oh, right," Sunset muttered.

"Sunset, if I've caught you in a delicate situation then I do apologise," Rarity said. "But if not, then you really should come out of there.Not only is it rather rude to hog the cubicle unnecessarily, but whatever is bothering you, I'm sure that we can be a better help to you than the water tank can."

Sunset shook her head as she picked up the book, opened the door and stepped out of the cubicle. "I don't think anyone can help me with this, Rarity. And besides, it isn't your problem; I shouldn't bother you with it."

"You're our friend," Rarity said. "Your problems are our problems. And how will you know if we can help if you don't tell us." She laid one hand on Sunset's shoulder. "What is it?"

Sunset held up the book. "I...I just got a message from Twilight... Equestria... Equestria's gone."

Rarity blinked, giving Sunset the same blank expression that Sunset had given the book when she had first got Twilight's missive. "Gone? You mean... what do you mean?"

"I mean... it's gone," Sunset said. "There's nothing left. No more Equestria. The whole world... is gone."

Rarity's mouth flopped up and down like a fish. "How?"

Sunset shrugged. "Evil. Twilight didn't exactly give me a lot of details."

"Twilight," Rarity murmured. "Twilight! Twilight's alright?"

"Pretty much," Sunset said, choosing not to mention the fact that Twilight had apparently lost her wings in the battle to save Equestria. Twilight said that it wasn't that bad and Sunset didn't want to worry her friends any more than necessary. "A lot of ponies got out to somewhere safe before... but they don't think all of them did."

Rarity's grip on Sunset's shoulder tightened into a reassuring squeeze. "Oh, darling, I'm so sorry. I suppose... you were right, there really isn't anything we can do is there?"

"Tell me about it," Sunset said. "I asked Twilight if I should go back... well, not go back but you know what I mean, to help with the reconstruction, but she said no. But I just, thinking about what they all must be going through while I'm here, it..."

"Did Twilight say why you shouldn't come back?" Rarity asked.

"It seems they aren't alone on this new world they've found," Sunset said. "Some other ponies or something found it too, and I don't think Twilight trusts them yet. I think," she had to laugh at the absurdity of it. "I think she's trying to keep me safe."

Rarity smiled. "It's probably best to respect her wishes then, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sunset said. "Doesn't mean that I have to like it though. Just one of the many, many things about all of this that I don't like." She looked down at the floor, and then glanced back up at Rarity. "I bet you're glad you wanted to know now, aren't you?"

"Honestly, Sunset, just because the news is hard to take in doesn't mean I wish I'd let you suffer alone," Rarity said. "Now come on, let's go and find the others before they worry something has happened to you."

"Do we have to tell them?" Sunset asked as she let Rarity steer her out the door.

"Yes," Rarity said. "Because we may not be able to do anything to help you, or to help Twilight, but there is one thing we can do, and that's share your pain."

Sunset wiped some of the weariness from her eyes and tried to focus on the papers scattered across her desk, along with the various half-drunk cups of coffee cooling amongst them.

She levitated a half-eaten doughnut towards her mouth and took a bite only to cringe when it turned out to be a couple of days old and going hard.

"I'm sure that plotting and scheming wasn't so hard the last time," Sunset murmured to herself.

Of course, there were three principle differences between her past shady endeavours and her current enterprise. The first, and most obvious, was that back then her shady activities had been, well, shady. She had, after all, been plotting to overthrow Celestia and take over Equestria as its new princess. Now, she flattered herself that her motives were more noble. Twilight might even have approved of them, although Sunset somehow doubted that given what she knew of Twilight's aims, objectives and attitudes towards the Starfleet. Still, Sunset wasn't Twilight, nor could she ever replace that remarkable mare, either in Equestria, upon the throne or in the heart of Princess Celestia. So, lacking Twilight's rank, social standing or ability to make friends, Sunset would work with what she had: brains, cunning, ambition and a certain willingness to get her hooves dirty. Her methods were not Twilight's, but Twilight was gone, and though Sunset could not replace her she would do what she could to protect Equestria and the Equestrian races in Twilight's stead; even if she were not doing so as Twilight would have sought to fulfil that noble goal.

The second difference was that her past plots had been, looked at with the cool light of hindsight, rather juvenile. She had plotted to seize power with all the forethought of a child throwing a tantrum because they hadn't liked what was for supper. But she had been able to afford mistakes, sloppiness, reliance upon incompetent minions back them because, whatever she had told herself, she had been playing for low stakes on the infant's table: the title of Fall Formal Princess, the respect and fear of a single high school. Even at the end, when she had thought that power was in her grasp, she had been defeated with contemptuous ease by Twilight and her friends, and then forgiven by them just as easily in a sign of how little their 'great contest' had really mattered. She was playing for much higher stakes now, the stakes of thrones and empires that she had only imagined she was playing for before, and she could not afford a single misstep. And yet she had, perforce, to walk out much further on the tightrope than she had ever dared to do before, without even the safety net of her friends to catch her if she fell. If any one of her agents decided to betray her to Starfleet, if any of her agents were caught and persuaded to talk, if the officers they were bribing to look the other way worked out what was really going on or decided to grow a sense of integrity, if Princess Ayvanna decided that it was better to seek the Grand Ruler's favour than his downfall, if Tempest Shadow played her false, if, if, if; any one of those calamaties could doom not only her but whole enterprise, and possibly Equestria itself. She was relying a great deal upon her judgement of people: of Tempest Shadow, of Dawn Starfall, of Princess Ayvanna of the Kallan, of all the agents she had recruited to lead her cells across Equestria. More than that, she was hazarding a great deal upon the judgement of others, trusting that her trusted agents could trust those they had brought in to swell the conspiracy. Trusting that they could sniff out any Starfleet plants ahead of time.

I cannot vet every single pony who wishes to contribute. I must trust my people...as Princess Luna must trust me to hold up my end of our little plot.

The third difference between then and now was the environment in which she currently practiced to deceive. This was not the friendly palace of Princess Celestia, nor was it Canterlot High. This was the court of the Grand Ruler Celesto, and Sunset had quickly learned the mistrust that was essential to survival here, let alone prosperity. The walls had ears and the doors had eyes, and knowing in whom to place your faith was a fine art.

Especially when she could not breathe a word of what she was about to those whom she would otherwise have trusted most. She could not allow either Celestia or Twilight's friends to become implicated in her actions. If Sunset's activities were discovered then nothing would stop her from getting the death penalty, but she could not, would not allow the princess or the surviving elements to become caught in the blowback. If Celestia fell then the last trace of old Equestria would fall with her, and as for Twilight's friends... Twilight wouldn't have wanted them to get hurt and Sunset would respect that, even if she wasn't respecting anything else about Twilight's approach to dealing with Starfleet.

She focussed upon two messages - written in a cypher Sunset had devised with some help from the other Twilight back at Canterlot High - smuggled to her from her contacts in New Baltimare, one from the local supervisor of a shipping consortium who found that crates full of military equipment fell off the back of his transports with surprising frequency during fulfilment of Starfleet orders, and the other from a warehouse foremare who helped to store it. Both were concerned that Starfleet was starting to take notice of the missing inventory. It was a worrying development, if true, so Sunset advised them to halt all operations immediately, to break up the cache into as many smaller batches as they could to make them harder to locate, and to start selling small quantities of equipment onto the black market. That would hopefully not only confuse the investigation but also, if they were caught, mean that they were charged with profiteering rather than treason. It wasn't a perfect plan, and Sunset hoped that her friendship with certain civic officials, and the bribes they were paying to certain Starfleet officers, would be enough to protect her allies. If not... she consoled herself with the knowledge that everyone she had brought into this had known the risks when they had joined her little enterprise.

Sunset was startled by a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"Stirwell, Miss Shimmer, from the kitchens. Your breakfast is ready."

"Just a moment," Sunset said, getting off her chair and padding over to the door as she unlocked it with her magic. The locks upon her door were of a very singular and complex type, based upon Buttercup's Occult Sequence with a few small variations. With Twilight dead there was only one unicorn Sunset knew of who would be able to force the locks beside herself, and even she would hopefully have trouble. "Come in."

The transfigured earth pony of reddish-brown opened the door. He loomed a little over Sunset, but then everybody loomed over Sunset these days what with the way they walked upon their hind legs. He had a breakfast tray, covered with a silver platter, balanced lightly in his left hand. He wore the livery of the palace, a dark suit with the Starfleet insignia upon his right breast, but he also wore a gold flannel handkerchief expertly folded in his breast pocket, which meant that he was one of the Queen's ponies.

Still, Sunset said little to him. "Thank you. Just put it on the floor over there please."

Stirwell nodded. "As you say, Miss Shimmer." He walked stiffly, with perfect poise, over to where Sunset had indicated, and deposited the tray upon the crimson carpet. "Will you be wanting anything else?"

"No, thank you," Sunset said. "Have a nice day."

Stirwell smiled. "Thank you, Miss, you too." He bowed, turned and made his exit.

Sunset closed and locked the door after him before she trotted over to where he had left her breakfast. She lifted up the tray to find a blueberry muffin, a glass of orange juice and a full cooked breakfast on a plate: sausage, bacon, beans, black pudding, hash browns and fried bread all slathered under enough baked beans to drown small animals.

Sunset drained the orange juice in one go, and began to eat the muffin. The cooked breakfast she did not touch. Bacon, sausage? Ugh; absolutely disgusting. How anypony could bring themselves to eat meat was beyond her. Sausages did have one advantage, however: since they were essentially tubes filled with meat, it had proved quite easy to stuff messages into them in place of some of said meat. In this case, both her sausages contained reports concealed in the centre of them: one from her spy in the Grand Ruler's chamber, and another from a member of the Royal Guard who still remembered the days when he had served a princess rather than a queen. Both had been stuffed into the centre of her sausages by Queen's ponies in the kitchens and served up to Sunset for breakfast. She extracted the missives, and a quick spell was sufficient to turn the breakfast into a bed of iceberg lettuce far more palatable to Sunset's stomach.

Sunset yawned again as she ate. One of the reasons for her weariness was that, since she was supposedly engaged in scholarly pursuits while not providing companionship to Celestia, she had to produce sufficient scholarly output to throw off any suspicions about how she really spent her time. Sometimes that was useful - the number of books she had ordered from bookshops as far afield as New Manehattan proved very useful for hiding messages in, and the number of books she had amassed provided ample opportunity to communicate via book codes - but it also meant she had to produce the equivalent of two days work per day. Thankfully no one had thought to question why her scholarly papers were occasionally so slapdash and subpar, not that the space ponies would have known bad scholarship if it had hit them with a failing grade. Besides, she had let it be known that she was devoting most of her scholarly energies to a biography of Twilight Sparkle, and was taking great pains to produce a masterpiece in memory of her friend.

That was true, and as subversive an act as anything else that Sunset got up to. Only a month ago Hinny the Younger, an eminent historian whose sweeping Annals had been required reading for all history students at Celestia's School, had been sentenced to twenty years hard labour on the prison planet Conva, with no consideration granted to his great age and physical infirmity that were likely to render hard labour a death sentence. His crime? He had praised Twilight fulsomely in his latest book, and called her 'the last of the ponies'. Such a heinous act was judged to have insulted the majesty of the United Equestrian people, and when Hinny had protested that the freedom to speak of the dead - to which he might also have added the freedom to judge the living for Hinny had, with all the benefits of cosy hindsight, censured Celestia many times in the works he had produced under her rule - was an ancient and hallowed one, he had been shouted down by the Grand Ruler's baying dogs in the gallery. The jury had known what verdict to hand down if they did not wish to be visited in the night by officers of the security services.

It disgusted Sunset. Only those who knew themselves to be riddled with vice could ever hate to hear praised given to another, and only a narcissist would assume that such praise was meant to impugn them by comparison. It was Sunset's hope that, by the time her own masterwork was ready to bear the public scrutiny, the wings of the Starfleet would have been clipped, if not shredded.

Sunset finished off her muffin and returned to her desk. It was not yet time for her to go see Celestia, at this hour she would still be with the Grand Ruler, enduring another frosty breakfast.

Sunset sighed, and not for the first time she longed to tell her old teacher everything. It might give her hope, to know that the darkness would not last forever.

It would also put her in grave danger. Sunset was walking on a tightrope suspended over a fire, and if Celestia was implicated then neither crown nor marriage would protect her. She might suffer now, but it was for the best that she remain ignorant.

Sunset hoped it was, anyway. Just as much as she hoped that she was doing the right thing.

She glanced across her room to the nightstand beside the bed, where a picture of the Rainbooms nestled under the lamp. Twilight stood in the centre of them, a brilliant smile lighting up her whole face. She looked so happy, they all looked so happy...it was hard to imagine that that Sunset smiling out at her was the same Sunset who now felt so weighted down by troubles.

"Oh, Twilight," Sunset murmured. "What am I doing? Am I even trying to do the right thing?"

A silence more deafening than that she had endured during the Friendship Games was her only answer.

There was another knock on the door, and a gruff voice called, "Miss Sunset Shimmer, are you in here?"

Sunset frowned. "Who is it?"

"Sergeant Moonshine, of the Night Guard."

Sunset walked cautiously over to the door, and stood up on her hind legs to reach the peephole built into it. On the other side she could see a bat-winged night pony, with the same humanoid augmentations as every other pony but her - how weird was that, Sunset could never get used to being the only real pony left in the whole world - wearing the uniform of Princess Luna's night guard. Most of the old Royal Guard had been dismissed from service, with a few lucky ponies subsumed into the Unicornicopian Guard as a token show of equality, but Princess Luna retained her own company of guards in the teeth of the Grand Ruler's displeasure. In fact, Sunset wondered if his displeasure wasn't part of the reason she retained a guard in the first place.

Sunset dropped down onto all fours as she opened the door. "How can I help you?"

"Princess Luna requests your presence, Miss Shimmer, at once if you please."

Sunset raised one eyebrow. "Did the princess say why?"

"Not to me, Ma'am," Moonshine said.

Sunset nodded. "Tell Princess Luna it is my honour to attend her, and I'll be there in just a moment."

Moonshine bowed his head. "Thank you, ma'am." He turned on his heel, and began to stride in a martial fashion back down the corridor. Sunset took just a moment to put her papers in order before she followed suit, locking the door behind her and casting a spell to alert her instantly if anyone tried to gain entry.

She walked down the corridors of the NewPalace, so different in feel from the old palace she had grown up in. The outward features were the same: the red carpets, the white pillars, the hangings of purple and gold. But the feel was different, the very air seemed different. This place did not exude the warmth the way that Celestia's palace had done in old Canterlot. It did not welcome visitors, or even those who lived there permanently as Sunset now did. It was cold, unfeeling. The stained glass windows now commemorated not acts of friendship, but battles bloody and desperate. The only window that now commemorated Twilight was her memorial glass, that hung above the silver urn containing her ashes. The only heroes that were celebrated in United Equestria were dead ones, unless your name happened to be Lightning Dawn or the Grand Ruler himself.

At least there were no guards in this part of the palace. She hated the new guards; Sunset felt that they were here to keep the inhabitants of the palace prisoner as much as to protect them. They watched her steps, and listened to what she said. So did some of the staff. This whole country had become enthralled to the tyranny of informers. It wasn't safe to speak your mind even to your closest friend unless you'd checked outside the window for spies first.

"Ah, Sunset Shimmer. You're up and about rather early again this morning."

Of course, sometimes the spies didn't bother to hide their presence.

Sunset forced a smile onto her face. "Colonel Glimmer, what a pleasant surprise."

Colonel Starlight Glimmer, of Starfleet Intelligence, cast her shadow over Sunset Shimmer. A unicorn and former student of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns - Sunset vaguely remembered her as a senior when Sunset was just starting out - Starlight Glimmer was one of the few Equestrians to rise to high rank in the Starfleet. In fact, as far as Sunset knew, Starlight was only Equestrian to achieve the rank of Colonel, rising higher than even Twilight had managed. She wore a long black coat, fastened down one breast with silver buttons, that descended down past her knees, concealing the tops of her polished black boots. Leather gloves enclosed her hands, and a high-peaked cap with the insignia of the intelligence branch - an all-seeing eye, worked in silver - upon it sat on her head, with her pink horn protruding out from it and her purple bangs descending from below the peak.

Tucked under one arm she was carrying a large book, bound with a sturdy cover.

"I've always wondered," Sunset said. "Why a book? Don't most Starfleet officers use datapads?"

"They do," Starlight said. "But what would be the point of amassing secrets if anyone could hack into my tablet and read them? They wouldn't stay secret for very long, would they? I think you and I both know, Miss Shimmer, that there is still some advantage to paper and ink, when it comes to preserving the exclusivity of information."

Sunset kept her face studiedly blank. "I suppose you're right. Though I can't say that I've really thought of it that way. I just prefer the feel of a paper book."

"Of course you do," Starlight replied lightly. "Perhaps I might borrow one, sometime? I hear you're amassing quite the library."

"If you want to borrow a book there are plenty of actual libraries," Sunset said. "I'm afraid I need most of mine, for my research."

"Ah, yes, your research," Starlight said. "Twilight Sparkle, isn't it?"

"She's my main focus, but not my sole field," Sunset said carefully. "And it's Princess Twilight Sparkle, if you don't mind."

Starlight smiled. "Of course. How discourteous of me. I understand you once aspired to be a princess yourself."

"A long time ago," Sunset said. "I was a different mare back then."

"Weren't we all," Starlight said. "Of course, most of us are a lot more different now. In fact, of all of us, you are the one who has stayed the most the same."

"On the outside, maybe," Sunset said.

"You don't ever feel the temptation to get your upgrades?" Starlight asked. "To live like the rest of us do?"

Sunset smiled. "At the risk of sounding arrogant, I don't see the need to follow a trend just because it's a trend."

Starlight's smile became a little cold. "Do you think you're better than the rest of us, Sunset Shimmer? Do you think that you are another Princess Twilight Sparkle in the making?"

"No," Sunset murmured. "There was only one Princess Twilight. I'm just...different. Surely you can understand what that's like?"

"I?"

"An Equestrian in Starfleet," Sunset said. "An Equestrian in Starfleet commanding high rank, what's more. You must get confronted by your difference every time you walk into the officer's mess, and see all those winged unicorns all around you, and you just a regular old unicorn. I suppose I should congratulate you."

Starlight frowned. "For what?"

"For the alacrity with which you have been making friends," Sunset said, a faint smile playing across her lips. I know your secrets, Colonel Starlight Glimmer, and if you try and make trouble for me then I will reveal them all. "So many officers you know, so many friends you have: colonels, majors, battalion commanders and intelligencers, ship's captains and generals' adjutants. What would people say, if they knew just how many friends you had?"

Starlight was silent for a moment, before she smirked. "I'm sure that some people would say a great many things, some of them unpleasant. However, I'm equally sure that those same people would have even more to say if they knew about your friends, the number of whom quite put my own small circle of acquaintances to shame."

Sunset frowned. "I don't have that many friends."

"Really? What would you call the Mayor of New Baltimare, then? Or the clerk in the Governor-General's office in Horn Kong? Or all the other friends that you've been amassing, you busy little bee. You see, if you should happen to tell anyone about my friends, then I would have to tell everyone about your friends, and I don't think that either of us really wants that, do we?"

Sunset's stomach froze. She knows! How does she know? I was so careful.

Cold calculation replaced her momentary panic. Starlight had not, after all, told anyone. If she had, then they would not be bantering cryptically like this in an empty corridor, rather Sunset would be entering rather more thuggish officers of Starfleet Intelligence in a dark cell somewhere. She hasn't told, but she's letting me know that she knows so that she can guarantee my silence.

That was fine. Sunset would play that game and keep her silence...for now.

"So what do we do?" Sunset said. "Keep quiet about all our fine friends?"

"Why not?" Starlight asked. "What is there to tell, after all? It is not a crime to have friends. Why stir up suspicion when we are both merely loyal servants of the throne?"

"None more loyal than we," Sunset said.

"Indeed," Starlight said with a smirk. "What are we but two utterly loyal but rather friendly ponies who share a certain mutual understanding, built on respect?"

"Respect?" Sunset asked.

"The zebras have a saying, you may have heard it," Starlight said. "'A good friend is a precious thing, but a good enemy is a thing to treasure above all others.' You are an intelligent mare, Sunset Shimmer; that's all too rare here, these days."

"I think you're very intelligent yourself, colonel."

"Of course I am," Starlight said. "It's why I'm so good at...making friends. Good day, Miss Shimmer."

"Good day, Colonel Glimmer," Sunset murmured, watching as Starlight walked past her, her long coat trailing behind her, until she was out of sight.

I'll have to watch her more carefully in future, Sunset thought, before she continued on her way to Luna's chambers.

Luna flung down the memorandum onto the table beside her and leaned forwards in her chair. "I will not suffer this, not in a thousand years!"

Upon either side of the door into her study, the two guards kept their faces strictly impassive. Silver Tongue, the Unicornicopian attache she was forced to suffer because her most high brother in law was too grand to come and speak to her himself, looked a little uncomfortable.

"Princess Luna," he began. "I fail to understand the source of your vehemence, we are simply discussing the modernisation-"

"Modernisation, you call it?" Luna demanded. "I call it rank tyranny."

"Have you not adopted the new and superior form with which you have been blessed by the benevolence of His Majesty, the Grand Ruler?" Silver Tongue asked. "Have not your guards embraced the future?"

"I have," Luna growled. "Though I have found little glory in it." In truth, the main reason she had permitted herself to be changed in this way was because she suspected she would get even less respect or recognition from the space ponies in a quadrupedal form than she would otherwise. Even still, she would not have done it had it not been for Celestia's persuasion.

"I allowed external force to manipulate and alter my body once, sister, I shall not suffer it again."

"You cannot compare what Nightmare Moon did to you to this?"

"Can I not, Celestia? It is all the same: someone or something taking my body and altering it to suit their pleasure and their preference, not my own. I say again, I will not bear it."

"And what kind of an example will that set? As princesses it is our duty to lead the way in this."

"Might it not be better to set an example in valuing the autonomy of our own bodies."

"You know why we must do this, Luna. You understand why our little ponies must do this. I do not know what the new order will bring but I know it walks upon two legs and therefore...so must we."

Luna scowled at the memory, as she wondered briefly if Celestia had regretted her stance of those early days. Certainly she now had no problem allowing Sunset Shimmer freedom to walk on all fours, she seemed even to like it. It was a pity that she had learned too late.

We all learned too late. All we can do now is apply what we learned so dearly as we move forward.

Silver Tongue smirked a little. "Princess Luna-"

"Do not smile at me, sir," Luna said sharply. "Certainly you shall not do so with such snideness on your face."

Silver Tongue blinked. "I, um, yes, your highness, but still...I fail to see why you object to others doing what you yourself have done."

"I object to others being forced to do what I chose to out of my own volition," Luna replied. "The moon clans harm no one, they wish to do nothing but to live in peace. And yet you would deny them the right to choose their traditional forms, the forms they inherited from their foremothers, and force them to be like you."

"Oh, goodness no, Princess Luna, they could never be like us," Silver Tongue declared. "Four legs or two they will always be inferior."

It was all that Luna could do not to laugh. I would match my night ponies against all the might of Starfleet any day, sir, and twice on holidays. One day you may even discover why, if you are unfortunate. "Indeed, Mister Silver Tongue. Nevertheless I will not suffer this. I will not suffer any pony to be forced into a conversion bureau against their will and neither will the clans themselves."

"With respect, princess, what you will or will not suffer is immaterial," Silver Tongue replied. "The Grand Ruler has decreed it shall be so and thus it shall. It is too late for any alteration."

"Then why am I only being consulted now?" Luna demanded. "Perhaps because it is only now too late for any alteration."

"I have no idea what you mean, highness. As one of three rulers of Equestria-"

"Yes, but I am not the ruler of United Equestria, am I Mister Silver Tongue?" Luna asked. Oh but to be ruler of Equestria again, and not united, to rule as an equal beside my sister in peace and harmony. "Certainly I am not Grand Ruler."

Silver Tongue laughed. "Of course not, Princess. There can only be one Grand Ruler."

"Praised by his name," Luna said dryly. "And so he makes laws which I cannot even see until it is too late to do anything about it. Tell me, Mister Silver Tongue, does freedom of choice mean nothing to you?"

"It is my opinion, Princess, that is a freedom far too often abused in making of the wrong choices to be worth protecting," Silver Tongue said. "How much better that the truly wise should make decisions touching on the foolish general, ordering all things to their very best advantage."

"Spoken like a true advocate of the police state."

"But a benevolent police state, princess, you must admit," Silver Tongue.

"Must I?" Luna asked. "Must I indeed?"

Silver Tongue coughed. "Um, if your highness would like to discuss foreign affairs. Relations with Grevyia-"

"It is this law that concerns me," Luna said. "Far more than our relations with the zebras." Those still concerned her, mostly due to the increasingly hawkish attitude being taken by Starfleet, but it did not concern her as much as this move towards forced conversion of her night ponies.

"It is too late!" Silver Tongue snapped. "The decision has been taken. It is too late."

Luna stared at him for a moment, her gaze boring into him until he looked away. "I see. And suppose I were to make some public showing of my discontent?"

Silver Tongue blinked. "Public showing?"

"If I cannot voice my objections in the palace then surely I can voice them in the street," Luna said. "That is only fair, don't you agree?"

Silver Tongue began to sweat a little. "That... that would be very unwise, Princess."

"I dare say you think so," Luna replied. "But thankfully I am not bound to do only the things that you consider wise. For I am, as you so kindly remind me, co-ruler of United Equestria, and hence accountable only to my own conscience."

Silver Tongue shifted awkwardly. "Some might say that, as one of three royal ones, you ought to place yourself above political considerations."

"And silence my voice in the process? That would be convenient for you, I'm sure; but I think not. Without my voice I am...nothing. A puppet with a dark blue crown upon my head. And that I shall never be." Luna's horn flared midnight blue as she levitated a book off one of her shelves and into her hand, thinking all the while how much she detested being referred to as 'one of the three royal ones'. Where these space ponies such cretins they could not even pronounce the word triarch? "Look on this book, sir. See how the spine has faded in colour; it has been left on the shelf for too long. I confess I have abandoned this volume, I have let it fade in its place, gathering dust."

Silver Tongue frowned. "I do not understand, your highness."

"You would make of me this book," Luna declared. "You would place me on the shelf beside my sister and leave me to gether dust, bidding me be as silent as the dead tongue of Twilight Sparkle. Yet when this book is opened observe how, despite the faded colour of the spine, the words are fresh as on the day of printing. So it shall be with my thoughts when I give them voice."

Silver Tongue gave a sort of nervous laugh. "I hardly think the Grand Ruler would approve."

"Fortunately I am not answerable to him, either," Luna said sharply. "That is all, Mister Silver Tongue, you may go."

Silver Tongue blinked rapidly, as if he was not sure what had just happened. "I-"

"I said you may go," Luna reminded him.

"Yes," Silver Tongue murmured. "Yes...I, um. Yes." One of the guards opened the door for him as he scuttled off. Once he was gone, the other guard sniggered.

Luna leaned back her head. "I enjoyed that a little too much."

"He deserved it, Your Highness," declared Catseye, the commander of her guard.

"Perhaps he did," Luna murmured. "But that does not mean it was right to give it to him."

For a moment there was no sound but the fire crackling in the gate. Then somepony knocked on the door.

"Princess Luna?" Sunset asked. "You sent for me."

Luna sat up in her seat. "Yes, I did. You may enter, Miss Shimmer."

Sunset walked in, seeming slightly tentative, nervous even. Possibly. Luna did not know Sunset Shimmer even so well as she had known Twilight Sparkle, or Twilight's friends, she could not read her moods so well.

Of course, Sunset did not know her, either, which would account for a little nervousness. Though they were, to some extent, partners in this enterprise, the younger unicorn kept her very much at a leg's length from her operation; to protect her, but also perhaps because she was loath to give up her position of leadership. Luna did not begrudge her that. Celestia, after all, had always given Twilight her head even when the stakes were highest; why, then, should she not do the same now.

As she must trust those under her, so I must trust her...as my sister always trusted Twilight. That was not to compare the depth of their relationship, of course; merely to note there was precedent for her refusal to engage in micro-management.

As Sunset stood in front of her, Luna was struck by how strange it was to see a real pony. It was wrong how strange it was. She had spent too long as an anthropomorphised...thing, surrounded by the like. Oh, to have four hooves again.

Sunset waited expectantly.

"Give us the room," Luna said. "We are not to be disturbed."

The guards bowed, and exited. Luna knew that they would take up their stations on the far side of the wall, and prevent any others from entering.

She had another guard outside the window, to keep informers at bay.

"Sunset Shimmer," Luna said. "How are you you?"

Sunset shifted on the carpet. "I'm fine, I guess."

"Good," Luna said softly. "And how is my sister?"

Sunset blinked. "I think it might be better if you asked her that yourself."

Luna sighed. "Perhaps. Our recent separation-"

"Hurts her," Sunset said bluntly. "It upsets her and she doesn't understand. And neither do I. Princess Celestia loves you, and with Twilight gone she needs those she loves around her more than ever, but you've shut her out. Why? What has she done?"

"She has done nothing," Luna said sharply.

"Is that the problem?" Sunset asked.

Luna smirked. "Well played, but no."

"Then why don't you ask her how she is yourself instead of calling me into your presence to be your go between?" Sunset demanded. "Princess Celestia... she thinks that you don't trust her."

"I trust Celestia with my life," Luna said. "But I do not trust myself with hers. Something I think you understand very well."

Sunset nodded. She chuckled slightly. "It's funny, don't you think? Princess Celestia is older, wiser and more powerful than either of us, and yet we both take such pains to keep her ignorant, in the name of protecting her and keeping her safe. Anyone would think she were some delicate flower in need of... sweet Celestia, we're as bad as the Grand Ruler, aren't we?"

"I hope not, or what is the point in any of it," Luna murmured. "Anyway, now you understand."

"I know, but I don't understand," Sunset replied. "I manage to do what I do without giving Princess Celestia the cold shoulder in the process."

"You may regret that decision when the time for secrecy is at an end." Luna said. "Do you play chess at all, Sunset Shimmer?"

"A little," Sunset said.

"Then you know that, while the loss of pawns, rooks, knights, even the white queen can be endured and the game still won, if the white king is lost then all is lost."

"The white queen wed the black king a long time ago," Sunset muttered.

"So the black king believes," Luna said. "But you and I know better. Celestia is the key. Especially now, with Twilight dead, she is the only thing holding the alliance between Equestrians and Unicornicopians together, maintaining this facade of equal partnership that grows thinner and more faded every day. If Celestia falls, then tyranny will ensue, you may depend upon it. So we must keep her safe.

"And yet I find that, even for Celestia's sake, I can no longer sit silently and idle. The day may come soon when I am no longer here to fight for my sister; when that day comes then you, her knight, must do so in my stead. Can I trust you to do that?"

Sunset was silent for a moment. "It is too soon, princess. These things take time-"

"Equestria does not have time, as I suspect you know full well," Luna replied. "The Grand Ruler's grip tightens each day, what will be left in a few years time. Who will be left to rally to the standard of rebellion when you raise it? All will have been ground down beneath the heel of Starfleet, or else murdered like..."

"Like Twilight," Sunset muttered.

Luna's eyes narrowed. "You suspect it too."

"There are too many holes in the official story for me to believe it," Sunset said. "And the fact that Raven is in restricted acces and I can't get in to see her isn't making me any less suspicious."

"Then you should see why we have no time for patience," Luna declared. "You will find a target on your back long before you reach the culmination of your patient planning."

Sunset looked away. "There are times when I wonder if I'm getting comfortable here. Not with Starfleet, not with the way the things are, but...with Celestia, with Leilani, I...when I'm with them, I can almost forget all the terrible things that are going on outside. Their goodness drowns it out."

"Indeed," Luna said. "I do not begrudge you. In fact I envy you. But we must never allow ourselves to forget, must never succumb to comfort. The Cathedral Solar and Cathedral Lunar are almost complete, and my moon clans are prepared to fight rather than submit to forced conversion. If the time is not now it will come soon. Sooner than you would like, perhaps, but soon nonetheless."

"Too soon," Sunset repeated. "We need a reason to rise up, beyond the everyday injustices that people have learned to live with. We need a spark to light the flame of rebellion and at the moment we have none."

"Sparks rarely spring up of their own volition," Luna said. "They must be lit."

"Meaning, princess?"

Luna smiled. "Meaning that the day may come soon when I am no longer here to fight for my sister. When that day comes then you, her knight, must do so in my stead. Can I trust you to do that?"

Sunset was silent for a moment. "Princess Luna... I don't know you. I'm not your friend. But whatever it is you're thinking of doing I beg you to reconsider."

Luna smiled. "I am afraid that it is beyond your powers, or even Celestia's, to talk me out of this; nor did I ask you here to be so persuaded. I asked you here for your promise. Will you be here for Celestia when I am gone?"

Sunset stared into Luna's eyes for a moment, before she bowed. "I will. For as long as she needs me."

"Thank you, Sunset Shimmer," Luna said. "And good luck."

Author's Note

I think that Starlight Glimmer would rise quite quickly in an organisation like Starfleet, and I also think that a lot of its ideology is sufficiently close to her own that she would be happy there, while still possessing her own ambitions.

Next chapter the Mane Six start their assignments, but I wanted to check in with Sunset and Luna first and what they're up to, as well as showing how Starlight has managed to rise to the top.

Rewrite Notes: This is a chapter with less alterations to it than previously, as I felt that there was less need for them: just some tidying up and a rewrite of the scene between Luna and Sunset to change what has specifically upset Luna (keep an eye on the Moon Clans, they'll be important later) and the two are working together, if distantly so, which wasn't the case before but makes more sense when we get into the later chapters.

I was surprised, and somewhat pleased, to find that some of Luna's remarks didn't need to be edited to foreshadow her eventual fate. I can't remember whether I planned that or not.

Setting Out

Pinkie Pie found Twilight in the palace library, sitting at her desk with a baffling array of books and papers spread out in front of her, scribbling away by the candle light.

"Ooh, whatcha doing?" Pinkie asked as she bounced over. Whatever Twilight was up to it was sure was complicated. Pinkie couldn't even begin to understand what all those numbers were up to.

Twilight smiled. "I'm asking myself the same thing a lot of the time, Pinkie. And sometimes I know the answer and sometimes I don't." She chuckled. "But you were asking in a less philosophical sense, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess," Pinkie replied, sitting down at a nearby stool. "But we can talk about philosophy too, if you like."

Twilight leaned back in her seat, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know. I guess…I'm having second thoughts about joining Starfleet. Sometimes I don't see the point. What can I accomplish, on my own?"

"You're not alone," Pinkie said. "We're all joining with you."

The corners of Twilight's lips twitched upwards. "Yeah. That's true. And sometimes that makes me wonder if I should have... would you have joined if I hadn't?"

"I think so, maybe," Pinkie said. "After all, we have to keep the new Equestria safe for everypony, don't we? Oh, I mean everybody."

"You can say what you like to me, Pinkie," Twilight said. “After all, it’s just the two of us.”

"It seems kinda silly to me, that we have to learn to speak in new ways," Pinkie said. "What was the matter with the way we used to speak?"

Twilight was very still for a moment, the candle light shining upon half her face, while the rest remained in darkness. "I don't understand it myself, Pinkie. I suppose in the end that’s why I'm joining Starfleet: so that I can understand. And if I can understand, then perhaps I can change things. That's my hope, anyway. But, sometimes I wonder if that's realistic."

"If anypony can do it, you can," Pinkie said. "You may not always realise, but you're pretty amazing."

Twilight smiled shyly. "Thanks, Pinkie."

"So, now that we know what you're doing philosophically, why don't you tell me what you're actually doing?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight chuckled. "I've had an idea for an engine. Or I think I have. I'm trying to crunch the numbers to see if it's feasible. Once I'm done I'm thinking of running it by Moondancer, Sunset and the other Twilight to see if I've done the mathematics properly."

"Oh," Pinkie said. "That sounds...about as complicated as it looked, actually."

"It is," Twilight said simply. "But it isn't impossible. I'll get there."

"Would you like me to go?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, you are busy-"

"No, Pinkie, of course not," Twilight replied immediately. "This can wait. Did you need something? Or did you just want to talk?"

"Both, I guess," Pinkie said, her voice going a little quiet. "What did you think of the welcome party for Starfleet?"

Twilight smiled warmly. "Your best effort since the New Ponyville Townwarming party."

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun planning that one," Pinkie said. She giggled. "I knew that everypony would need to warm their house all over again since they're all brand new and I thought... why not warm the whole town at once? It really worked out well, don’tcha think? But... the Starfleet welcome party... I'm not sure that everypony had a good time."

"I thought it went pretty well," Twilight said.

"My Pinkie sense doesn't just let me know when things are about to fall from the sky," Pinkie explained. "I can also tell when somepony is really having fun, and when they're just pretending to smile, because they think they should or because they're forced to. The Starfleet ponies... they weren't really getting into it, you know. They weren't having real fun; they were just... smiling, with nothing behind those smiles."

Twilight was quiet for a moment, before she said, "I know that that must be disappointing for you, Pinkie, but please don’t take it to heart; don't even think about it too much. Not everyone - oh for Celestia's sake!- not everypony can enjoy the same things, and that isn't bad."

"But there were so many things to do," Pinkie said. "I thought that they would have found at least one of them to enjoy. It was like they didn't want to have real fun. Twilight... do you think that I'm a baby? Do you... do I annoy you?"

"No!" the objection shot from Twilight's mouth as fast as any spell had ever leapt from her horn, in a tone as vociferous as ever she had protested anything before. "No, Pinkie, who told you that?"

Pinkie looked down at the ground. "Starla," she said. "I kept on seeing her and Lightning and Rhymey rolling their eyes, and when I asked her why she said to me 'Isn't it about time you grew up and stopped bothering everyone with these childish parties?' Was she right?"

"No," Twilight murmured.

"Because all I ever try to do is make my friends smile," Pinkie said. "All I've ever wanted to do is spread some joy around, the same joy that I feel every day when I wake up in the morning. And if it turns out that all this time I wasn't spreading joy after all then-"

"Don't," Twilight said firmly. "Don't say anything else, Pinkie. Don't even think it. You're not annoying, and nopony thinks that you're stupid, or babyish. You... yeah, you've got a bit of a kid in you, but that's a good thing. That's why you're so much fun; it's why you can always pick the rest of us up when we’re down, no matter what."

"But Starla-"

"Is an idiot," Twilight said bluntly. "And she has no idea what she's talking about. You are a wonderful pony and a great friend and I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't met you." She smiled. "And I love each and every one of your parties. And I know that if you asked the ponies who care about you they'd all say the same. And hey, maybe once we all join Starfleet you can teach them all to smile a little, for real. If anypony can do that, it's you."

Pinkie giggled. "That would be something to see, wouldn't it?" She stood up. "Thanks, Twilight. You're the best."

"You're pretty amazing yourself, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Don't ever forget that, and don't let anypony ever tell you different."

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash stood on the station platform, waiting for the train that would carry Pinkie to El-Alamane, the most southerly outpost of United Equestria on the Grevyian border. From there, a group of zebras were supposed to meet her and take her to her destination at the zebra capital, Byrsa. The train was supposed to have arrived ten minutes ago, but the board currently said that it was delayed.

"This is ridiculous," Rainbow spat. "If they're going to take over the country they could at least make the trains run on time! I swear they ran better when they were powered by steam."

Pinkie nodded. "They say the solar powered trains are faster, but there's a kind of magic about steam trains that they don't have, don't you think? That old Friendship Express chugging along. I miss it."

"There's a lot of things about Equestria that I miss," Rainbow muttered.

It wasn't just the trains that had changed. The New Ponyville station was a far more utilitarian place than the homely old Ponyville station had been. It was fashioned of concrete and steel, functional and grey and frankly kind of ugly. Pinkie felt a little depressed just setting foot in it, but apparently it was such good architecture that it had won all kinds of awards. Rarity said it was a symptom of the decline of good taste, and while Pinkie wouldn't claim to know so much about good taste as Rarity did, she agreed that the new station wasn't a pretty sight. The style was called Brutalist, and if nothing else it was aptly named. It was so impersonal it chilled her a little.

Both mares were in uniform, not the battle armour but the parade dress: navy blue jackets over white shirts and black ties, with knee-length skirts also in navy blue, and polished black boots. With Rarity's tailoring they were almost passable, and certainly better than anything else that had ever come out of Starfleet's uniform department. Rainbow had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, while Pinkie's small rucksack sat between her legs. Gummy sat on top of it, staring unblinking out in front of him.

"Are you really taking Gummy with you to Grevyia?" Rainbow asked.

"Uh huh," Pinkie said breezily. Her tone became a little less cheery as he continued, "After all, with Fluttershy going to Canterlot it's not like there's anyone I can leave him with."

"What about the Cakes?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose," Pinkie said. "Besides, I like having him with me. You and me are going to have a lot of fun seeing the sights down south, aren't we Gummy?"

Gummy blinked first one eye, then the other.

"That's a yes," Pinkie said.

Rainbow nodded, glancing below the toothless alligator to Pinkie's bag. "You're not taking much with you, huh?"

"Not a lot," Pinkie replied. "Just my party canon, balloons, recipe book, cake ingredients, streamers, paints, paintbrush and everything else I might need to throw a let's be friends party for the zebras!"

Rainbow blinked. "You... you have a party canon in there?" She smiled. "Of course you do. Don't ever change, Pinkie."

"Never ever," Pinkie said. "Say, Dashie, thanks for coming to see me off like this."

"It ain't nothing," Rainbow said dismissively. "I'm sure the others would have come to, but they all had to go. And Fluttershy..."

"I understand," Pinkie said. "I know they couldn't make it. It just means a lot that you came."

"I wasn't about to let you set off all by yourself," Rainbow said. She sighed, as she looked up at the sky above the train platform. "This sucks."

"What does?"

"Everything about this!" Rainbow snapped. "You're getting sent to Grevyia, Rarity's going out into space, I'm being sent to work for some jerk major, Fluttershy's stuck in Canterlot keeping house for that... and Spike and Applejack are going to war! How is any of this right? This is all just so... this sucks!"

"Things will get better," Pinkie said. "I mean, they'll never be as good as they were when Twilight was here, but they'll get better. They have to."

"How can you be so sure?" Rainbow asked sourly.

"I'm not sure," Pinkie admitted frankly. "But I believe."

"How?" Rainbow demanded. "After everything that's gone wrong, everything they've taken from us, how can you believe? I mean, I want to believe too but I... how?"

"Because somepony's gotta keep believing or it will never come true," Pinkie said. "Somepony has to believe that there's something worth smiling about, or nopony will ever smile again. So, as the pony whose mission it is to spread smiles throughout the world, it's also my job to keep believing in a better world we can all smile in. And that world will come. I don't know how or when, but it will come. I can feel it with my Pinkie sense."

Rainbow looked at her for a moment. Then she dropped her bag onto the platform and pulled Pinkie into a wrenching hug.

"Come back, okay Pinkie?" she said, her voice hoarse. "Just... come back. You gotta come back. If we lost you…we’d have no hope. I’d have no hope."

"I’ll be back, I promise," Pinkie whispered, giving Dash a peck on the cheek as they broke apart. "After all, if I don't come back how can I ever throw a welcome back to Ponyville party?"

Rainbow laughed. "I'll look forward to that one."

"And we'll all be there, safe and sound and together again," Pinkie said.

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "That... I'll hold on to that, Pinkie. It'll be awesome."

Pinkie smiled as the two of them broke apart. “Hey, Rainbow Dash, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Rainbow said. She smiled. “I mean, you just did, right?”

“Why did you want to go to Rangiveria, instead of Spike and Applejack?”

Rainbow frowned. “I don’t want to go,” she said. “But…I just think that if someone’s gotta go, it oughtta be me.”

“But why?” Pinkie pressed.

“Because…well, because Spike’s just a kid. I mean, sure he can transform, but he’s still just a kid. I kinda feel like we oughtta take care of him, you know? For Twi’s sake, like it’s what she would have wanted. And Applejack…” Rainbow looked away, bowed her head a little as a scowl disfigured her face. “Applejack has a family to take care of. She’s…she’s got people who are counting on her. She’s got ponies who need her. She shouldn’t be going off to risk her life in some jungle somewhere, not when…I mean, who’d really miss me if I wasn’t here?”

“HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING SO STUPID?” Pinkie yelled, loud enough to startle the pigeons nesting in the train roof. She grabbed Rainbow Dash by the lapels of her jacket, wrenching her around so that they were muzzle to muzzle. “Rainbow Dash! How could you…how could you! Don’t even joke about something like that because, speaking as an expert on jokes, IT ISN’T FUNNY!”

“No, Pinkie, it’s not funny,” Rainbow said, gently removing Pinkie’s hands from her lapels. “It isn’t funny that I don’t know what I’m doing here any more, but it’s true.” She closed her eyes. “I couldn’t protect Twilight from Raven; I couldn’t protect my friends from the Grand Ruler. I used to think that I was your strength for all you guys…but what good is strength if it keeps failing, huh? I’m not strong enough to save anyone!”

Pinkie’s brow furrowed for a moment, before she leaned forward and kissed Rainbow Dash upon the nose. “Dashie, you’ve never been our strength. What you were, what you are…is our faith.”

Rainbow blinked. “Faith?”

“You always believe in all of us, and in yourself,” Pinkie said. “That’s why we need you. That’s why I need you. Because…you say that I’m your hope, but…but your mine. And it’s not just me, it’s Scootaloo and Fluttershy and everypony else. We all need you. So please…please don’t…please, you have to-“

“I get it,” Rainbow murmured. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…I was an idiot. Forget about it, okay? And don’t tell anyone else.”

“Tell them what?”

Three bongs preceded a voice beginning to emanate from out of the station tannoy. "The next train to arrive at platform three will be the delayed 6.50 service to El Alamane. We apologise for the delays on this service and for any inconvenience caused to your journey."

"Any inconvenience?" Dash asked. "Who isn't inconvenienced by delay?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter," Pinkie said. "I'll be okay."

The train came around the corner and began to pull into the station.

"So," Pinkie murmured. "I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?"

"I guess so- oh, wait!" Rainbow yelled. "I can't believe I almost forgot this." She bent down the opened up her bag, pulling out a gift wrapped package with a gold ribbon wrapped around it in a bow. "This is for you."

"Ooh, what is it?"

"A birthday present."

"Did I forget my birthday again?" Pinkie said. "That means that I forgot to throw Gummy a birthday party too!"

"No, it's not your birthday for another two weeks," Rainbow said. "It's just that I won't be there for that, so I thought I'd give you your present now. But don't open it until your birthday, okay?"

"I won't," Pinkie promised.

Rainbow smiled at her as the long metal train slid into the station like a long, winding metal snake, before coming to a stop and letting the doors open with a hiss.

Pinkie picked up her bag - and Gummy - and stepped onto the train, turning back to look at Rainbow Dash. "See you around, Dashie!"

Rainbow waved. "See you, Pinkie. Have fun!"

"You too!" Pinkie yelled as the doors slid shut with another hissing sound.

They carried on waving to one another as the train pulled out of the station, until the speeding of the train had left New Ponyville far behind and Rainbow Dash was far out of the sight of Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie sighed a little forlornly as she went to find her seat. "Still. At least I've still got you, right Gummy?"

Gummy blinked, first one eye and then the other. That meant yes.

As the train pulled away out of sight, Rainbow Dash turned away with a scowl. Beside her, her hands clenched into fists.

“Dammit,” she growled. “Why is this happening to us? What did we do to deserve this? Was it so terrible that we were happy that we had to get punished with all of this crap?”

She looked up, careless of the other ponies on the platform. “Twilight, I don’t know if you can hear me. I don’t know if…I don’t know if you’re there or not, I…but if you are there, if you can hear this, if you can do anything at all…watch over the girls, okay? Take care of them, if you can.”

The way that we couldn’t take care of you.

“Rainbow Dash.”

The voice was soft, barely louder than a whisper, but Rainbow’s keen ears picked it up nonetheless. She turned towards the sound of the voice, calling her name, that voice that was familiar, and yet at the same time absolutely impossible.

She turned…and saw Twilight, old Twilight, in her four-legged form like she’d had before Starfleet came and turned them all into these freaks, Twilight sitting on the platform looking at her.

Rainbow Dash blinked. It couldn’t be. Twilight was dead, she’d seen Lightning carry her broken body into the throne room and lay her at the feet of the Grand Ruler, but…but there she was, she was standing right there, Twilight!

It was impossible, but she could see it with her own eyes.

“Twilight,” she murmured. “Twi…is that you?”

Twilight said nothing, but raised one hoof as though she were reaching out for Rainbow Dash.

A passing earth pony got between them and when she had passed…Twilight was gone.

Rainbow pushed through the crowds, looking this way and that, searching for some sign of her friend.

“Twilight? Twilight, where are you?”

There was no sign of her.

Rainbow turned in place, looking across this platform and the next, heedless of the strange looks that some ponies were starting to give her.

After a few moments she had to concede that she had imagined the whole thing.

“Great,” she snapped, as she turned to go. “Now I’m losing my mind. Like this couldn’t get any worse.”

Apple Bloom's eyes were wide as she stared up at Applejack. "So you really gotta go? Right now?"

Applejack's smile was tight and taut across her face. Mostly because she didn't feel like smiling. Still, this was hard enough without Apple Bloom getting really upset. "Yeah, little sis, I gotta go. Now. I don't much care for it myself, truth be told, but-"

"Then why?" Apple Bloom asked.

The Apples were gathered in front of the barn in New Sweet Apple Acres, the land given to them on the new world after the old one had been destroyed. It wasn't exactly the home she had grown up in, but they had done their best to rebuild the farm to look like it had before, and Applejack had to concede that it was good soil, and fertile. Good farming land, able to produce a good crop.

It would have been ever better if she could have spent more time there.

Big Mac, standing erect, looking like he was trying to hold back his feelings, had one big hand placed on Apple Bloom's shoulder. Granny Smith looked paler than a sheet hung out on laundry day. Buddy Rose and his cousin Daphne Dill... Applejack couldn't rightly read what they were thinking. She couldn't exactly say she cared either.

Applejack knelt down, so that she and her little sister were at eye level. "Come on, now, Apple Bloom, you know we all gotta do things that we don't wanna sometimes, but that don't mean they don't have to be done. I have to do this, it's my duty. I may not want to leave y'all, but I still have to; I got my orders."

"Can't you do something to get them changed?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Perhaps I could," Applejack conceded. "But would that be right? If I did that, and talked to Queen Celestia so that I could stay home while so many other ponies are going off to war, I'm not sure that I'd be able to look at myself afterwards. Is that the kind of sister you want?"

"I just want you to be okay," Apple Bloom cried, pulling away from Applejack's grasp and wrapping her arms around her sister's neck.

Applejack patted her gently on the back. "Don't you worry about your big sister none now, Apple Bloom, why I'll be back buckin' apples in the west field before you know it." I surely do hope so, anyway. She took the hat off her head and placed it lightly atop Apple Bloom's red locks. "Now I want you to take care of this for me while I'm away."

Apple Bloom felt the brim of the hat. "Applejack, why...?"

"I reckon I'll be getting some kind of helmet for when I go into the woods anyhow," Applejack said, rising off her knees and onto her feet. "There won't be much call for me to wear it. And I know that you'll take good care of it."

Apple Bloom beamed. "You betcha Applejack. I'll keep it safe and I won't let nothin’ happen to it, I promise. So you really mean to come back?"

"I mean to come home," Applejack said, with more confidence and certainty than she felt. "Just as I am now; and faster than a hopping hare in springtime, too. So you work hard at school, and if you find anyone who you and your friends gotta help find their cutie mark reward you work hard at that, too, and don't you waste a second worrying about me, because I'm going to be just fine." And if I'm not, I won't be able to hear you calling me a liar.

Big Macintosh held out his hand. "You take care now, Applejack."

Applejack grinned. "You know me. I'll never start a fight with nobody but I can handle myself in a brawl once someone else starts it up."

"Eeyup," Big Mac said. "I know."

Applejack turned to Granny Smith, bending her back a little to give her grandma a hug. "Granny. Take it easy on those pins, now, you hear?"

"You take care to hide behind those trees real good," Granny Smith said firmly. "And don't go showing more courage than sense, understand? Be smart out there. I'm not... I don't wanna... just come back."

Applejack nodded solemnly. She understood what Granny Smith wanted to say, but could not say in front of Apple Bloom, not after Applejack had just been so reassuring to her little sister just a moment ago.

A shadow fell across the earth of the field as Buddy Rose approached her. "You're very lucky, Applejack, you realise that."

If Applejack had ever considered anything about this situation lucky then it slipped her mind as she looked up at the red space pony standing beside her. He looked a little like Big Mac, if Big Mac was an alicorn, only Buddy was a little wirier in the frame, without so much of the natural muscle that came from a lifetime doing hard work on the farm. Not that he needed so much muscle, seeing as how he still did basically no work on the farm beyond throwing a few of his leaf attacks around and doing more harm than good in the process; and in battle he used Starfleet tech to make up the difference.

Seeing him standing there in his Starfleet armour, telling her how lucky she was to go to war while he continued to live rent free on her property, was enough that if Applejack had been the kind of pony who started fights instead of finishing them she would have busted him in the snout.

Instead she simply said, in as deadpan a voice as she could manage, "Lucky?"

"Getting to go out there into the field and stick it to those caribou scum," Buddy said. "Boy, I wish I was going out there with you."

You lying sack of fertiliser! It was with great effort that Applejack bit back her immediate response. Instead she muttered, "Well I'm sure you'll get your chance some day."

"I hope so," Buddy said affably. "If you don't grab all the glory before I get out there, that is."

"Glory, huh?" Applejack said, with a scepticism that bounced off his Starfleet armour. "Gee, I'll sure try and save some for you, Buddy."

"Thank you kindly, Captain Applejack," Buddy said.

Applejack reluctantly came to attention. "Permission to dismiss, Major Rose?"

Buddy gave her a salute. "Dismissed, Executive Captain."

Applejack gave her little sister one last reassuring glance before she turned away, and strode stiffly to the boundaries of the farm, where Spike was waiting for her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm leaving my home and my family to go to some war I might not come back from, do you think I'm okay?" Applejack asked. She sighed. "Sorry, Spike, none of this is on you, I got no cause for snapping at like some kinda alligator."

"No, I get it," Spike said. "It was a stupid thing to say. I don't feel so great myself."

"Hey," Applejack said. "I promised you you wouldn't die, didn't I?"

"Yes."

"And I am a mare of my word," Applejack declared. "So buck up and take comfort, Spike, and let me take comfort too in knowing that at least one of us is gonna make it back home."

She gave him a pat on the shoulder, and they started down the road together.

"So," Scootaloo murmured as the Cutie Mark Crusaders stood together in one corner of the playground. "Applejack's gone, huh?"

"Yep," Apple Bloom said as she sat on the fence. "Spike too."

"Rainbow Dash left as well."

"And Rarity," Sweetie Belle added. "I don't know when we're going to see them again."

"Applejack told me not to worry," Apple Bloom said. "But how can I not worry about her, she's my sister."

"I'm sorry, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo said. Of the three of them, it was Apple Bloom who definitely had it worse. Rarity was going into space, and that wasn't great but at least she'd have a ship with all its guns and armour and stuff to keep her safe and sound. And Rainbow Dash had been posted to New Canterlot, and there was no fighting there. It was only Applejack who was being thrown into the fire. Well, her and Spike too, she felt slightly ashamed for having forgotten about him.

"I don't understand it," Sweetie Belle said. "Wherever they had to go, why couldn't they have gone there together? They've always done all their amazing things together!"

"Maybe when Twilight was still around," Scootaloo replied glumly. "But not any more."

"Even without Twilight, they're still stronger together than they are apart," Sweetie Belle said.

"We all are," Apple Bloom said softly.

Scootaloo nodded. After a moment, so did Sweetie Belle.

"Crusaders?"

The voice came from Diamond Tiara, who approached the three of them with an unusual degree of diffidence in her voice and bearing, quite unlike her usual self-possessed and thoroughly self-confident self. Of course, since so much of that self had turned out to be an act, Scootaloo couldn't help but wonder how much of what they were seeing now was the real Diamond Tiara.

Whatever the case, the days were gone when the mere sight of her had filled them with foreboding of dread and feelings of hostility. She was a friend now, if not as close to them as they were with one another, and they were all able to muster smiles quite easily at her approach.

"Howdy, Diamond Tiara," Apple Bloom said. "There ain't nothing wrong, is there?"

"Oh, no, no," Diamond Tiara said quickly. "I just... I head about Applejack, and I wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you, that's all. If there's anything that I or my family can do, just let me know."

Apple Bloom nodded. "That's real kind of you, Diamond Tiara. I don't need nothing right now, but I'll remember it."

Diamond Tiara smiled, but before she could speak the school bell rang for the start of class.

"I suppose we'd better go in, hadn't we?" Diamond Tiara said, gesturing for them to go first.

All the colts and fillies filed in to school. The space pony students, mostly sons and daughters of the Starfleet garrison, all sat in one block at the back of the class; Scootaloo found it hard to escape the impression that they sat there to better keep an eye on everyone else. Diamond Tiara was not such a good friend that she felt any need to sit with the Crusaders, instead sitting on the second row with Silver Spoon. The Crusaders themselves could only find three seats on the second row from the back. Scootaloo could feel a space pony breathing down her neck.

Miss Cheerilee was sitting at her desk at the front of the class, next to the board. She had tears in her eyes, and the tracks were staining her cheeks.

"Is something wrong, Miss Cheerilee?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"No," Cheerilee replied, her voice trembling a little. "No, thank you, Sweetie Belle. I'm fine." She stood up and walked to the front of the class. "Welcome, children. Pipsqueak, would you lead the class in the pledge, please?"

One of the 'perks' of being student council president that Pipsqueak enjoyed since Equestria had become United Equestria was having to lead the class in the Pledge of Devotion. Pipsqueak stood up and walked around to stand next to Miss Cheerilee at the front of the class. He was so small that Scootaloo could hardly see him, but his voice managed to carry all the way to the back of the school room.

"All rise," Pipsqueak said, and there was much scraping of chairs upon the floor as everyone stood up.

Scootaloo couldn't see Pipsqueak place his hand on his heart, but she didn't need to see it as they had all done this so many times that they could recite the pledge by heart.

"I pledge that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty the Grand Ruler, child of the gods and rightful master of all things under heaven, his heirs, and successors. I pledge that I will, as in duty bound, honestly defend His Majesty the Grand Ruler, his heirs, and successors, in Person, Crown and Dignity, against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty the Grand Ruler, his heirs, successors, and appointed officers set over me. I pledge my faith, honour, service and life to United Equestria and do solemnly vow to give my life in its defence or service, if my life should be required." Strangely, it was the space ponies at the back who said the oath most quietly. Scootaloo suspected that, just as they sat at the back to spy on those in front of them, they spoke the pledge softly so that they could better listen to who was not saying it with gusto and enthusiasm.

Cheerilee's face twitched with something that might have been displeasure, or something stronger still, but she hid it well as she said, "Thank you, Pipsqueak. Thank you class."

"All sit," Pipsqueak said, and more scraping of chairs ensured.

Miss Cheerilee also returned to her seat. "Now, class, before we begin the lesson I must also complete another than... another ritual that is still infrequent for the moment. I have to inform you that two former students of this school have given their lives in the service of United Equestria.

"You are all probably too young to remember Lemon Drizzle, but I remember a very bright young filly with a passion for baking and a talent even greater than that of Pinkie Pie. Some of you may have fond memories of Theorem, who was a very intelligent and industrious student here only a few years ago. I remember that he was always driven, and always happy to help other ponies any way he could.

"They were both brave, loyal, good people. They both wanted to help others. That is why they both enlisted in Starfleet, where they gave their lives to protect all of us. For that, we should not mourn them, we should... we should..." Cheerilee sobbed, and for a moment Scootaloo thought she would break down in tears, but she rallied to finish. "For that we should celebrate them." She forced - and it was quite clearly forced - a smile onto her face. "And now, let us begin the maths lesson. Take out your books and turn to page thirty-seven."

Scootaloo opened her textbook. Her eyes were drawn to the exercise near the bottom.

If one Starfleet warrior can kill nine brutes, then how many brutes can ten Starfleet warriors kill?

Scootaloo sighed as Cheerilee began to talk about the lesson ahead.

Pinkie was looking idly out of the window as her train pulled in to the station at Trottingham when she saw a familiar figure standing on the platform.

"Maud," Pinkie murmured. She got up from her seat and made her way through the largely empty train to reach the doors as they slid open. "Hiya Maud! It is you, isn't it?"

Maud Pie looked at Pinkie. She was standing on the platform looking nervous, with her hands crossed in front of her, looking unusually agitated about something. She walked briskly towards Pinkie.

"Hey, Pinkie," she said, and though she looked a little nervous her voice was as still and calm as ever. "It's good to see you."

"What are you doing here? Did you come to say hi?"

"Can we talk on the train?" Maud asked. "I don't want to get stuck on the platform when it leaves."

"But then you'll be on the train with me."

"Yes. That's the idea."

"Cool!" Pinkie said, giving her big sister space to get on. "It feels like it's been ages since we've had a rail trip as sisters!"

"I don't think we've ever had a rail trip as sisters," Maud murmured.

"Then it really has been forever since our last one!" Pinkie cried. "So what made you decide that you wanted to ride on the trains with me?"

Maud blinked. "Can we sit down?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Pinkie said, bouncing happily as she led Maud to a pair of free seats. "It's so great to see you, Maud."

Maud smiled slightly. "It's wonderful to see you, too, Pinkie. Thank you for sending me that message letting me know where you were going. I've passed it on to Mom and Dad."

"Thanks," Pinkie chirruped. "So what made you decide to come down here and share a train ride with me? And what about your studies? How are they going?"

Maud was quiet for a moment. She shifted uncertainly.

"Come on, Maud!" Pinkie cried. "I'm your sister, you can tell me anything; you know that."

Maud looked her in the eyes. "I love you, Pinkie, but I'm afraid that this isn't purely a social visit."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I got kicked out of university," Maud said, her tone trembling on the verge of showing some emotion.

"WHAT?" Pinkie yelled, making everyone else in the train compartment stare at her. "HOW COULD THEY DO THAT TO YOU? YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT ROCKS THAN ANYPONY ELSE IN-"

"Pinkie, you're supposed to say anybody," Maud said mildly. "And please don't shout. I can hear you just fine."

"But why did they kick you out?" Pinkie demanded. "Had you not done your homework or something?"

"My grades were consistently extremely high," Maud replied.

"Then why?"

"I was told that some of my mannerisms were off-putting to the other students, and that in my bearing and behaviour I was not the kind of model citizen that the university required," Maud said. "I can't imagine what they meant."

"So they expelled you because... because you didn't smile enough?" Pinkie yelled. "That is so... I love smiles more than anypony and even I know that that's wrong!"

"I didn't come here to look for sympathy from my little sister," Maud replied, her tone still not wavering from its general stillness. "I came here, because when they expelled me from university they also ordered me to attend a mandatory psych evaluation, and depending on the results they said I might qualify for state sponsored personality reconstruction."

"...Personality reconstruction?" Pinkie murmured, horror filling her voice.

"I think it's were they rewrite your brain to make you a better person," Maud said. "I've heard they use it on criminals sometimes. I... I'm scared Pinkie. So, when you told me you were going to Grevyia, I thought that maybe I could come with you. Because," her voice shook despite her control of it. "I know that some people look at me and they think that I'm slow, and I know that poems about rocks are outside the comfort zones of some people, and I know that maybe I could stand to be a better person but-"

She stopped, because Pinkie had flung her arms around her sister and hugged her tight, and burying Maud's face in Pinkie's luxurious mane.

"No, you couldn't," Pinkie whispered. "You're perfect to me, just the way you are."

Maud sobbed. "I'm scared, Pinkie. I don't want them to rewrite my mind. I don't want to not be me any more."

"Then it's a good thing were leaving United Equestria, isn't it?" Pinkie said. "Don't worry, once we get to Grevyia no one will be able to do anything about giving you any personality reconstruction, bleh!" the very idea revolted Pinkie to the depth of her very soul. Every pony was unique and special, every pony was a potential friend, every pony had their own smile that was theirs and for a party pony there was nothing more satisfying than seeing hundreds of smiles, each unique, each different, each special in their own way, beaming back at you as you brought joy to each and every one of them. To change people so that they were more like what you wanted them to be, to stamp out the uniqueness of them was wrong. It was...wrong. It sickened her.

What have we become? What are we doing? Twilight, how can we understand something like this? How can we live with it?

The only thing stopping Pinkie from expressing her revulsion was Maud. Her big sister had always been the strong one, the reliable one. But now her sister was relying on Pinkie, and she needed to be strong for her.

"Don't worry," Pinkie said. "I won't let anything happen to my sister. Everything is going to be just fine."

Author's Note

The first part of the pledge that the kids recite (the bit pledging loyalty to the Grand Ruler) is taken, word for word in parts, from the oath given by volunteers joing the British and Dominion forces in the Great War. Shortly before my grandfather died we found his father's enlistment form, with that oath on it, and it made an impression on me. There's nothing sinister about the oath itself, just the fact that it is being given by children.

Next chapter will focus on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and will introduce a sympathetic Starfleet officer.

Rewrite Notes: More mostly low-key changes this time around, but a better look into what I've 'realised' about Rainbow Dash as I've been writing her. And keep an eye on that wild Twilight, she'll be important later.

What an Artist

The torches were dim, dying in their sconces that lined the walls of the throne room. They cast the room in flickering shadows, the light barely reaching the edges of the red and gold carpet that covered the central traverse.

Eighty pillars lined the way between the doorway and the royal dais, and before each pillar stood a guard - a Starfleet guard, not one of those inefficient Equestrian ponies on whom Celestia had relied - armoured in a cuirass of gleaming gold over their white Starfleet body armour. Each guard carried a spear in one hand and a round hoplon shield at the other, and all watched the solitary figure who made her way down their corridor to approach the two thrones.

Two thrones, not three. He had been forced by the demands of reassuring the Equestrians who, like asses bearing diverse loads, must either by led or driven, to the threefold galaxy divide and to Princess Luna concede a nominal third share and accompanying nominal triarchal state; but he would not accord to that dark creature a queenly styling nor a seat beside him and his wife upon the royal dais. There were only two thrones here: Celestia's golden throne and his own throne of cold, hard iron on which he sat.

Grand Ruler Celesto, Child of the Gods, Protector of the Empire and Ruler of All Things Under Heaven, was not a pony given to modesty, nor one driven by a need to avoid ostentation. He sat upon his seat in armour of gold, encrusted with so many jewels and precious stones that a lesser pony could not have stood up in the weight. His long black mane was threaded throughout with diamonds so that it seemed to sparkle in the darkening light of the throne room. His arms were weighted down with golden bands, his three golden horns were polished to a shine; the Grand Ruler glittered more brightly than all the stars that so delighted his sister-in-law, he shone more brightly than the sun that was his wife's domain. But his throne and crown alike was made of iron. Plain, brutish iron. There was a message there, to all who had the wit to see it.

For those with more wit than the foolish girl advancing towards him. Twilight Sparkle, who was accounted so wise and yet seemed to him to be so…stupid. Celestia sang the praises of her intellect, and yet she could not see the meaning of his throne of iron: naked power, devoid of nobility, legitimacy or justice; power that was hard and dangerous. The message was there for all to see, yet still Twilight Sparkle walked towards him without fear.

No fear. Though she was surrounded by spears on all sides, though she was walking towards him, the ruler not only of this land but of many realms throughout the length and breadth of the stars, she showed no fear.

Truly, these ponies had been at peace too long, they had forgotten how to properly show fear in fearful situations.

She also seemed ignorant of the way that she offended him by not wearing her uniform. Instead she wore a civilian dress, well made and well tailored perhaps, but she ought to have worn her uniform to petition him for a favour.

Twilight Sparkle stopped when she reached a white line draw across the throne room, ten metres away from the royal dais on which the Grand Ruler sat. She was confronted by Captain Emerald Shaina, the commander of the Grand Ruler's guard, who barred her way with physical presence even as the white line barred her path with protocol.

Twilight did not bow. She ought to have bowed. Instead she stared at him, with frustration in those purple eyes, and waited in silence for him to acknowledge her.

"Move aside, Captain," murmured the Grand Ruler. "Let us hear what my beloved daughter has to say."

Without a word, Captain Shaina stepped aside, clearing the path between Twilight and the Grand Ruler.

"Grand Ruler," Twilight murmured. "I had asked to speak with you and the Queen both."

The Grand Ruler smiled indulgently. "Alas, this business with Prince Fratello has taken a great emotional toll upon my wife. She has retired to rest in the privacy of her chambers, while I endure the heavy burdens of rule for both of us."

"I see," Twilight said softly. She sounded disapproving. She always sounded disapproving. It infuriated him. He endured her childish tantrums, her bore her insufferable speeches, he accepted the place she held in the heart of his wife, none of it was enough. One day, he vowed, he would punish her for her insolence. One day, a reckoning would arise.

"What is the matter, Twilight?" Grand Ruler said, attempting to adopt a fatherly tone to her. Celestia loved this mare like a daughter, though he did not understand why, and he attempted to play the father to her in his turn. She did not seem to understand that he expected to be obeyed like a father by his children. "Why did you wish to see us at this hour?"

"I wish to plead for the life of Fratello," Twilight said.

The Grand Ruler frowned. "Lieutenant, I know that Princess Cadance is dear to you, but you should realise that we cannot allow evil to menace the world simply because of sentimental attachments." He addressed her by her rank, rather than her royal title, in attempt to recall her to deference and to obedience.

"Just because he is evil now does not mean that he must always be evil," Twilight protested. "He was good once, he may be good again."

"I find that highly unlikely," the Grand Ruler replied. "He is more machine now, than pony. He cannot be recalled to the stallion that he was."

"You don't know that, not unless you let me try!" Twilight said loudly.

"Do you know a way to purge him of the evil that infests his soul?" he demanded.

"No, not yet," Twilight admitted. "I need more time."

"United Equestria does not have time, lieutenant," the Grand Ruler reminded her. "The robot attack could take place at any moment."

"Why can't we try to capture and contain Fratello?" Twilight asked. "Then I can work on restoring his...restoring him to himself."

"I appreciate your feelings-"

"No, you don't!" Twilight snapped. "I'm sorry, your majesty; it's true that he is Cadance's brother, and it's true that I love Cadance, but that isn't what this is about. This is about a pony, a good pony who has been corrupted by forces greater than him, a pony who is fighting desperately to save the ones he loves. A pony who needs my help, and I would try and help him even if he was a stranger to me."

"Evil is evil," the Grand Ruler said gravely.

"Only if we give up on it," Twilight replied. "Nightmare Moon, Sunset Shimmer, how easy would it have been for me to dismiss them both, to say that evil is evil, to crush them. But I didn't, and now Princess Luna rules alongside Celestia again, while Sunset Shimmer is a hero and the champion of her world."

"Her world, indeed," Grand Ruler said softly. "Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, dear as daughter, why is it that travel between that world and ours has become impossible?"

Twilight blinked, looking suddenly unsure of herself. "I... with all the disruption occurring here I thought it best to close the conduit."

"Then you can open it again?" Grand Ruler asked.

"No," Twilight said. "With so many threats to United Equestria... if our world fell I didn't want the other world to follow. So I had Sunset close the portal from the other side. It can only be opened from there."

"I see," Grand Ruler said. That was a pity. He would have liked another world to add to his dominions, and that world sounded quite intriguing. Was there another Celesto, ruling from that world? Probably not, considering what he was. And, even if he did by some miracle possess such a doppelganger…he would have to be killed. There was only room in the galaxy for one of his greatness. "I am afraid that I cannot agree to your request, Twilight. Fratello must die, as all our enemies must."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Why are you so in love with death? What is it about the very idea of forgiveness that frustrates you?"

For a moment, the Grand Ruler said nothing. For a moment, every guard in the throne room held their breath.

"You are dismissed, and given leave to swiftly leave this place" the Grand Ruler said coldly. "I advise you to leave at once, lieutenant, while you may still leave under your own power."

The Grand Ruler plucked the strings upon his harp as he finished the piece he had been playing at breakfast. It was one of his own compositions, for why should he, a child of the gods, stoop to play music composed by any lesser hand? Why should he subordinate his genius to another's baser vision?

"Applause, please," he murmured, and at once all of those in attendance upon him at breakfast began to clap and cheer as one. The Starfleet generals and admirals, the New Canterlot nobles, the bureaucrats, all of those who fought and vied to stand in the same room as him while he took his morning repast now began to compete with one another to see who could make the most noise, and praise his skill to the appropriately fulsome degree.

"Bravo, your majesty!"

"My eyes were brought to tears!"

"Such beautiful melodies!"

"What an original composition!"

"You are the greatest musician that has ever lived, sire!"

The Grand Ruler took especial note of that one. Him that spoke it had good taste, and would need to be rewarded for his excellent ear. The rest he dismissed, raising a single hand to silence them all. At once, the clamour ceased. The Grand Ruler smiled, had any pegasi ever had such power to calm the storm as he had power to make a room, a building, even a city fall silent at his whim?

He plucked the strings of his harp a few more times. "Ah, what an artist this nation has in me, for as I pluck the strings upon this harp so do I pluck the strings that run across this world and across the stars to our dominions there. Mark that, Castor, a ruler must be a musician, for how else but by plucking each string will he ensure that all his subjects sing his song?"

Prince Castor, his son, nodded gravely. "I will remember that, father." With Celesto for a father and Celestia for a mother it was little surprise that his coat was white, and he had his father's dark eyes and dark blue coat. More importantly, he also had his father's golden wings and golden horn, though the Grand Ruler had been disappointed in his wish for a tri-horned son like himself. He was inclined to lay the blame for it upon the boy's mother, who had weakened his inheritance with her lesser blood.

"I find that being a ruler is more like being a conductor than a musician," Celestia murmured. "I allow each pony to play their own tune, to sing their own song. My task is to see that all those songs blend together into harmony, and to deal with those who will not harmonise or actively seek to disrupt the greater song."

Grand Ruler looked at his wife with the slightest touch of a glare in his eyes. Celestia and Castor were, along with him, the only ponies sitting at the table, eating breakfast instead of watching it be eaten. She had not dressed to please him. Her gown was less revealing than he would have liked, and it was pink even though she knew that his favourite colour was gold. Still, she was not only the ruler of Equestria but the only mare in all that country whose beauty approached his own, and so political considerations as well as desire had compelled his marriage. Now, however, he was beginning to wonder if the usefulness of their arrangement might not be coming to an end, and if his half-Equestrian son might not be able to command the same loyalties as his Equestrian wife.

Still, he forced himself to smile through his anger at being contradicted as he said, "So, my love, you see the duties of a ruler as being those of a conductor? Tell me then, how you see the duties of a wife?"

Celestia's eyes blazed for a moment, before she lowered them to the table. "Forgive me, my beloved; it was not my intent to contradict you. Of course you are correct; forgive me, I forgot myself." She turned to their son. "So, Castor, how are your lessons progressing?"

"Very well, mother," Castor said. "The new tutor is much better than the old one."

"I am glad," Celestia murmured. She looked at her husband. "My lord, I was hoping that we might have Leilani to breakfast with us as well. At least once a week."

The Grand Ruler's face darkened. "Clear the room," he growled. "All of you leave. Now!"

The attendants, the ambitious generals and conniving nobles, scrambled for the doors in an unseemly mob. Even the servants fled. Soon it was only the three of them: Celestia, Castor and the Grand Ruler, the first and last facing one another across the table while their son looked on.

"You bring this up in public?" the Grand Ruler demanded. "You bring her up in public?"

"There is no shame unless you make it so," Celestia said softly. "I, for one, will not be ashamed of my daughter. I do not see what is so obscene about the idea that she should eat with her parents on occasion."

"It is not possible," the Grand Ruler replied, his tones clipped. "As you know full well. The child will remain where she is. Out of sight."

"The child is my daughter," Celestia said. "And yours. How can you speak as if you have forgotten that? What has she done to make herself unworthy of love?"

"It is not what she has done, but what she is," the Grand Ruler said.

"Leilani is a child," Celestia cried. "And you will not even let me see her."

"I allow your creature to visit with her, is that not enough?" the Grand Ruler demanded.

"Her name is Sunset Shimmer, a good faithful mare," Celestia said sharply. "And as grateful as I suppose I am that you allow Leilani a friend she is not Leilani's mother, nor can she be."

"Why not?" the Grand Ruler asked, allowing himself a smirk at her discomfiture. "She has replaced Twilight Sparkle in your affections easily enough."

Celestia's whole body quivered as though she had been struck. "It is true that Sunset was once my student, as Twilight was. It is also true that they share similar qualities of bravery and intelligence. But to suggest that Sunset is merely another Twilight demeans her, and to suggest that anyone could replace Twilight demeans Twilight; and to suggest that I would simply forget Twilight and find another... favourite demeans me." She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. "May I withdraw, my lord? I find I cannot stand to be in this room any longer."

"You may go," said the Grand Ruler softly. "But before you do, recall you tonight's banquet? I think you should invite your Sunset Shimmer. I would like to meet her, this princess that almost was, this second student of yours. So bring her with you, tonight."

Celestia stared at him. "If you insist upon it-"

"I do."

Celestia curtsied. "Then it shall be my pleasure to please you, my dear husband. By your leave." She turned to go, her footfalls echoing across the floor.

Castor looked from his departing mother to his father.

"Go," Grand Ruler commanded. "Your father has business to conduct. Go to your lessons."

"Of course, father," Castor said as he rose, bowed to his father with impeccable manners, and then made his way out of the room.

"Guard!" Grand Ruler shouted.

"Yes, majesty?" a guard said as he bowed his way into the room.

"Summon Professor Brain, Colonel Glimmer and Commander…no, send not for Lightning Dawn; send rather for Major Starla Shine. Send for them all, they are to attend upon me at once, in the throne room."

"Yes, majesty," the guard said, before he hastened to obey.

Sunset's hoof-falls echoed on the steps as she ascended the EastTower. She didn't know if it was intentional that Princess Leilani was kept in the highest, darkest tower in the new palace, but as she climbed up the cramped, gloomy staircase she wouldn't have been too surprised.

She reached the top to find a Starfleet guard outside the heavy metal door. It was soundproofed, which Sunset found especially cruel. Not only do you keep a little girl locked away but you also make sure that she can't even talk to her gaolers? Come on, seriously?

The guard looked at her with undisguised contempt. Although it wasn't always the same guard - Sunset had counted a dozen different ones on rotation - they all wore the same look when they looked at Sunset Shimmer on her four legs. They looked at her like she was an animal, in fact.

Sunset ignored them. "I'm here to see the princess."

"She's within," the guard said.

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Well, of course she is, you never let her out. Can you open the door, please?"

The guard turned around to enter the code into the keypad beside the door. He positioned his back so that Sunset couldn't see the number he was putting in, but Sunset had seen various guards entering the numbers often enough that she had worked out that the code was 1-1-7-3-0 from paying close attention to the way their arms and hands moved as they typed the numbers in. Not that she was going to tell them that, they'd change the code and she'd have to start all over again.

No, that bit of knowledge was something that Sunset was keeping in her proverbial back pocket, in case she needed it.

The guard entered the last number, and the grey metal door slid open to reveal... another metal door on the other side. Starfleet, it seemed, was so paranoid about one little girl escaping from her cage that they had an inner door and an outer door, and never the two should be opened at the same time.

Sunset walked into the chamber between the doors, and listed to the whirring and groaning sound as the outer door closed behind her. She glanced upwards at the camera above, and winked impishly at whoever was watching.

The inner door was also metal, but painted red with white warning stripes along the bottom. This door rose, with even more mechanical whirring and groaning. Sunset was a little surprised that there wasn't a warning klaxon just to make extra sure that Leilani felt dangerous and unwanted.

Once the door was raised up, Sunset walked under it into a smallish but comfortably appointed chamber with-

"Sunset!"

A white blur threw herself on Sunset so hard that, if she had not possessed the extra balance of four legs instead of two, Sunset might well have been knocked off her feet. Leilani wrapped her arms tightly around Sunset's neck, burying her face in Sunset's shoulders.

Sunset smiled fondly as she placed one hoof around Leilani's waist. "Good morning, princess."

Leilani stepped back from Sunset, bright smile upon her face. "You don't have to call me that, Sunset. We're friends, so Leilani is fine."

Sunset nodded, but said, "You are the daughter of a princess. That makes you a princess too."

"That isn't what Colonel Stern says."

"Yeah, but who's cooler, me or Colonel Stern?" Sunset asked.

Leilani giggled. "You are, Sunset. He never brings me any presents. Or tells me any stories." She sat down upon a sofa covered with a blue velvet throw. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, princess," Sunset said. "And how are you?"

"I'm lonely," Leilani said quietly. "But then, I always say that, don't I?"

"I know," Sunset said. "And I’m sorry that there isn't anything I can do about it."

"No, I didn't mean that," Leilani said quickly. "I love you coming to visit me, I just..."

"Yes?" Sunset asked.

"You tell me so many wonderful stories, about the world and the people in it," Leilani said. "I wish that I could see it for myself."

I wish you could too, princess, Sunset thought. If I had my way I would take you away from here and never bring you back. I would take you to New Ponyville and have Pinkie Pie throw you a party every day until every lost birthday and Hearth's Warming had been made up for. I would get Rarity to make you a beautiful dress, and ask Rainbow Dash to take you flying. I would introduce you to Applejack and Fluttershy and Spike. I would take you all the way to the Crystal Empire and beyond. I would show you griffons and minotaurs and even dragons. I would show you the world, if I could.

And I would let you meet your mother.

If I could.

Princess Leilani had the same white coat of her mother and father, and she had a pink mane that might well grow into her mother's rainbow if she lived as long. She had been born with mismatched eyes, one purple like her mother, the other black as a starless, moonless night in the human world. She wore a mask on one side of her face, to cover up the 'hideous scarring' from a bout of illness that had ravaged her as a child. Sunset had actually seen behind the mask and at worst it looked like mild sunburn on one cheek, but apparently her father found her visage - and the fact that her wings had failed to develop into anything more than feathered stubs sticking out of her back, that showed no signs of growing to the point that she could fly - so unbearable that he had locked her away in here, with only a doctor, a Starfleet tutor and Sunset Shimmer for occasional company.

"I'm sorry, princess," Sunset murmured. "I told you those stories because I thought that they might amuse you. I should have realised that they would only make your situation worse."

"No, please, don't stop," Leilani pleaded. "Please, I love all your stories about the little princess and all her friends. I couldn't...please don't stop."

"But if they make you unhappy..."

"They don't," Leilani said quickly. "It isn't your stories that make me want to go outside, it's...not being able to go outside. Your stories just make being stuck in here bearable. I can't go anywhere, but when I listen to you, and I imagine the little princess and all her friends having their adventures…it's like I'm already somewhere else."

Sunset smiled. "Your mother once told me that a good story was a far more enjoyable means of teleportation than a magic spell."

Leilani's face fell.

"I'm sorry, princess," Sunset said. "You know that your mother would visit you if she could."

"Would she?"

"Have I ever lied to you?" Sunset asked.

"No," Leilani admitted. "I just want to see her; and my father and Castor too."

"Your mother loves you," Sunset said, saying nothing about her father.

"I asked Colonel Stern if my father would ever come visit me. He said no. He said I was lucky to be alive."

"Did he?" Sunset growled, wondering if it would be worthwhile paying Lieutenant Colonel Stern a visit. "Does he say a lot of things like that?"

"Sometimes," Leilani admitted. "He also tried to take my friends away once, but I wouldn't let him. I hid them all in the safe place, and he was too big to get them out."

Sunset grinned. "Clever girl. Why did he want to take them away?"

Leilani got off the sofa and ran across the room to the fort that Sunset had helped her build in one corner of her room. It was a simple thing, a few boxes and some cloth draped over it, that kind of thing, but it also had a 'safe space' that Sunset had created using magic. It was a crawlspace, essentially, large enough for Leilani to fit into but too small for a grown Starfleet pony to get in after her. It wasn't that Sunset didn't trust the Starfleet but...well, actually it was exactly that she didn’t trust the Starfleet. Even amongst the general public there were all kinds of rumours circulating about ponies disappearing because they didn’t look like everypony else, or think like everypony else. Rumours about camps, and mental rewrites. Sunset’s work with the resistance meant that she knew more of the sickening truth of what went on at some of those secret facilities than most. She didn't want that to happen to Leilani.

She wouldn’t allow it to happen to Leilani. Not while she drew breath.

Leilani came back out, holding a collection of small stuffed dolls in her arms. They were representations of the little princess and her friends, the heroes of the stories that Sunset told her.

"I tried to introduce Colonel Stern to everyone," Leilani explained. "But when I got to the fire demon he hissed and said that all demons were evil. He said that we had to destroy them all. He said that that's why father's work is so important." She looked at Sunset. "But if all demons are evil, then why did the little princess make friends with one?"

"Because she was wiser than your father and all his warriors," Sunset said bluntly. "Because she knew what they do not and never will know." Sunset looked into Leilani's eyes. "There is evil in the world, princess, I don't deny that. And that evil must be fought. Sometimes that evil must be fought desperately. But for every truly wicked creature, there are ten like the fire demon: sad and lonely creatures who do wrong not because they are irredeemably evil, but because they have no one to turn to when the cold sets in. That is what the little princess understood: that acts of compassion are often stronger than acts of hatred. Now sit down, and I'll tell you another story."

Leilani beamed as she sat down. "About the little princess?"

"No," Sunset said. "Not this time."

"Then is it about fashion pony and country pony? Those stories are some of the funniest."

Sunset chuckled. "I know. But no. This is the story about the Fire Demon and the Lost Girl. You remember how the Little Princess had saved the world from the Fire Demon, but having saved her, she did not destroy the demon but reached out, and offered her friendship? And do you also remember how the Little Princess and the Fire Demon joined together to vanquish the Sirens?"

Leilani looked a little impatient as she hugged her dolls close. "Of course I do, Sunset, I remember all your stories."

Sunset smiled as she nodded. "Good. This story begins after those two. Once upon a time there was a lost girl, one who felt all alone in the world."

"Was she locked in a tower too?" Leilani asked.

"No," Sunset said. "She was surrounded by people every day, but each and every one of them had closed off their hearts, and none would show even the smallest kindness to the Lost Girl. They only cared about demonstrating their strength and speed, about proving that they were the best at everything. None of them understood the magic of friendship, and none of them could offer that magic to the Lost Girl."

All of Sunset's stories were based on something that had actually happened. They were supposed to entertain Leilani, but also to educate her, to show her a better way than the one offered to her by her father's goons. She had come up with the idea of counteracting Starfleet's philosophy with the example of Twilight and her friends, and so she had shamelessly pillaged Twilight's journals for incidents, and created characters firmly based on the heroes of Equestria that Leilani would most likely never meet. And on herself, for the Fire Demon was none other than Sunset Shimmer at her worst and most desperate, before Twilight had reached out to her and offered mercy and compassion to one who was in desperate need of both. Sunset hoped that, as well as being a shown a world beyond her walls, Leilani would also be shown a way of living beyond warfare and violence, a way full of friendship, kindness, loyalty. The way that Twilight had shown her. The way that she, in turn, had shown to the other Twilight. So Sunset wove a spell with words, telling the story of the Friendship Games as though through a refracted mirror.

"...And then the Fire Demon became very angry, and she screamed at the Lost Girl, 'How dare you put my friends in danger! You don't understand anything!' And the demon's anger terrified the Lost Girl, and she ran away, crying. And the Fire Demon hid her face, for she knew as she heard the Lost Girl's sobs that she had done a terrible thing..."

"...But then, when the two of them were all alone, with no one else to see, the Fire Demon did not attack. For she remembered that once upon a time she, too, had been all alone and in need of help, and she remembered the kindness that the Little Princess and her friends had shown her. And so she said to the Lost Girl 'Let me help you. The way someone else once helped me.' And then the Fire Demon took the Lost Girl by the hand and led her out of the darkness and into the light."

"And that," Sunset said. "Is why you shouldn't kill all demons."

Leilani laughed. "That was a wonderful story, Sunset. But..."

"But what?"

"Sometimes, when I think about how wonderful the Little Princess is, I feel so useless," Leilani said. "I'm a princess too, but I can't do great magic or anything like that."

Sunset smiled as she placed a hoof on Leilani's heart. "If you believe that, then you have missed the greatest lesson of the stories, princess. You have a kind heart, and that is worth more than all of your mother's magic, and all of your father's armies."

"My most virtuous and beautiful wife," the Grand Ruler pouted as she slouched upon his iron throne. "What a comfort and support she is to me. Gods, how such lies stick in my craw, I nearly choke upon the utterance of them. She presumes to instruct me upon the proper duties of a ruler. Me, who have aligned the stars in their proper courses, who was cast into the wilderness with nothing and built an empire out of blood and magic, having been born without a single advantage in my life. And yet she presumes, she dares, to instruct me as if I were a foal to learn at her feet."

"Your majesty requires no instruction from anyone in any matter,” Starla declared. In Lightning’s absence, in Lightning’s spiritual infirmity, the dying curse that Twilight Sparkle had laid upon him, the Grand Ruler found himself relying more and more upon Starla to be the strong right arm that Lightning should have been. It was not, perhaps, the role that a good space pony wife ought to be playing, but at the same time it was not wholly unexpected that she would rise to the occasion. She came from a heroic lineage, her mother had been a warrior without peer, and after Galaxia’s death the Grand Ruler had taken pains to ensure that she was brought up properly. Looking at her now, grown into a fine young woman, strong and beautiful in equal measure, a paragon of her race, the exemplar of all that a space pony mare should be…he was filled with a mixture of delight and disgust. Delight, because she was dearer to him by far than the wretched daughter of his body and he rejoiced in all that she had become; and disgust that fate had decreed that he should have neither wife nor daughter who gave him half so much joy, or were half so admirable as Starla was. "Certainly you do not require instruction from the likes of her, spoiled and pampered creature that she is, ruler of a world mired in corruption and all the vices that destroy the virtuous. Your majesty, and you well know that this is the know flattery but the purest truth which ever I do seek to offer to your ears, is the worthiest prince that ever drew breath across this dimensional universe of ours. Whoever denies that truth, whoever presumes to think themselves better than yourself, betrays their ignorance and overweening pride in equal measure. Some might say that they betray yet more than that. Some might call it betrayal positive, which goes by treason’s name."

Grand Ruler nodded sagely. "In truth, I have of late often given thought to the notion that it may be time to put my wife aside, to make a new marriage or not as the humour takes me."

"Will you give up Celestia's dowry as well as her hand in marriage?" Starlight Glimmer demanded acidly.

The Grand Ruler turned his gaze upon her. Alone in the room Starlight Glimmer was not a Unicornicopian, but an Equestria. She had risen high in Starfleet Intelligence by demonstrating a willingness to, as it were, take out the trash and bury the bodies, and during her meteoric rise her various superiors had all come to find her invaluable (many of those same commanders had later found themselves entertaining various members of the security services thanks to evidence provided by none other than the indispensible Starlight Glimmer, but what was that to such as he? Yes, she had her plots and schemes, he knew that well. Some of those same schemes were even directed against him. But he was the Grand Ruler, child of the gods, and she would learn if and when she attempted to move against him that he was not so easily dealt with as her previous commanders. Although it might be somewhat amusing to watch her try). The Grand Ruler had also come to find her useful since she had begun to work under his personal supervision, but that didn't mean that he was going to tolerate an impertinent tongue like that.

"You had best explain yourself quickly, colonel," he growled. "Before someone takes offence."

If Starlight Glimmer trembled in fear of his displeasure she did not show it. She merely bowed with a simpering smile upon her face and said, "Your Majesty knew when you wed Celestia that it was unlikely to be a match founded in love. How could you not, being as you are so very wise in all things?"

Grand Ruler's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

"You wed, not for love, but for politics," Starlight continued. "To bind together the Unicornicopian and Equestrian nations. And your marriage continues to bind the nations together. I might go so far as to say that it is the only thing that is doing so."

"What are you suggesting?" Starla demanded.

“Sir.”

Starla blinked. Her pretty blue eyes half bulged out of her head. Her voice, once she found it, was as sharp as the tip of any arrow that had ever leapt from her bowstring to strike down the foe. “Excuse me?”

“I believe that as your superior officer I have the right to be addressed as ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ or perhaps ‘colonel’, Major Shine.”

Starla made a sound that was half gasp, half laugh of disbelief. “I…you impudent blood flightless mule! I should take you outside right this moment and give you a horsewhipping for-“

Colonel Glimmer spread her hands disarmingly. “I merely point out that I am your superior-“

“My superior?” Starla demanded. “I am Starla Shine, whose list of honours would take longer for me to state than it would be worth my time to waste on you, unicorn. My mother was Galaxia Shine and you are not my superior. You will never be my superior in anything. Your Majesty, will you allow this insolence to stand?”

“I will not, my dear,” the Grand Ruler assured her. “Calm yourself, there is no need for anger. Colonel, as valued a servant as you are you are not half so valuable nor dear to us as Major Starla Shine, whom only an admirable devotion to duty has prevented from rising as high as the heavens themselves. You will show proper deference to a hero of our people.”

Colonel Glimmer bowed her head. “Of course, your majesty. Major Shine, Lady Starla, I offer my humblest and most heartfelt apology. I meant no offence, but I confess my ignorance of what you truly were. Now that I know, I will avoid doing anything to offend you in the future.”

Starla snorted. “You’d better. Now explain yourself. What do you mean when you suggest that His Majesty’s marriage to Celestia is the only thing holding the nation together?”

"Intelligence is my business, Major, and my intelligence is that Starfleet is not well loved by many Equestrians."

"What care I for their love?" Grand Ruler demanded.

Colonel Glimmer shrugged. "You may not want it, Majesty, but you need it. Queen Celestia is well liked by her people. Many still remember the days of her rule, and the peace and prosperity she brought. I am sorry to say, Majesty, but amongst the people all you are associated with are wars, curfews and food shortages. And yet, for Celestia's sake, they will endure all of that. They may not endure it if you put Celestia aside, still less if she were to... suffer some kind of accident."

“They will endure it if they know what’s good for them,” Starla declared. “It is not love that has built our empire but the power of Starfleet; just so the fear of Starfleet will keep these lesser ponies in line.”

"Fear will not suffice once they begin to hate you," Colonel Glimmer said. "Already Princess Luna grows more discontented by the day, and if you harm her sister... it will be civil war."

“Good,” Starla said. “Let them rise up, if they are fool enough to do so. Let them rise up so that we can see who our enemies are. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, all of them who hide their malice behind false faces. Let them rise up and we will kill them all. I will kill them all if I must. Let it come to civil war, if it does then we will win it handily. It will scarcely deserve to be called a war. I would prefer a battle than this constant subversion of our values by those who call themselves our friends.”

Colonel Glimmer frowned. “Perhaps you’re right, major. Perhaps a war would be over before it had even begun. But who will feed the warriors of Starfleet once all of the farmers are dead?”

"Enough," the Grand Ruler snapped. He sighed. "Colonel Glimmer, you once again vindicate my wisdom in granting you my trust and heeding your council. You are quite correct; much as we despise them we do require the Equestrians for some essential functions of the country. And I fear you are correct that Celestia is necessary to maintain their loyalty. How long, do you think, until they are as loyal to Celestia's son as they are to her?"

"I fear never, Majesty," Colonel Glimmer replied. "Equestrians follow rank, but not bloodlines. Celestia earned the loyalty of her people over many years, earned their love. Ponies follow the mare. If you wish your son to become the lynchpin he must earn that right."

"And until he does, what then?" the Grand Ruler demanded. "Must I be saddled with this cold marble statue in my bed? This virtuous bore who regards my every appetite with disdain."

"Your Majesty's desire to keep his marriage vows is commendable, but not strictly necessary," Colonel Glimmer said. "There is no reason you cannot amuse yourself while maintaining Queen Celestia in her royal state."

Starla scowled at that, but said nothing.

The Grand Ruler turned to the third person in the room. "Professor, I do not suppose that the Research Division is able to offer any assistance in this matter? A clone of Celestia more fitting to my wants, perhaps?" he laughed.

Professor Brain coughed. He was an old green space pony, who wore a black lab coat over a plain jumper and leaned heavily on an ebony cane. He ran a hand through his shock of silver hair. "Actually, Your Majesty, that may not be such a fantasy as you, ahem, suggest. Already the Stage Two and Three Sentinel prototypes are nearing the maturity stage, and if Sentinel Three functions correctly... it will be a great proof of concept."

Colonel Glimmer's eyes narrowed. Clearly she wanted to know more. The Grand Ruler, however, did not intend to enlighten her.

Nor did he intend for Starla to know of these things. Not now, at least.

“Starla, sweet girl, I must ask you leave us now,” he said. “There are matters which must now come under discussion to which you cannot be privy.”

Starla glanced at Colonel Glimmer, as if to ask why she could be privy to knowledge denied to her, a space pony; but she said nothing. She curtsied. “I take my leave, your majesty, until you have need of me again.”

The Grand Ruler waited until she had departed before he spoke again. "Now, professor, you tell me that the second and third stages are almost complete. What of the Stage One prototypes?"

Brain frowned. "Flawed, Your Majesty, as I have told you, but under the leadership of Sentinel Two we should be able to get some use out of them. Despite their eccentricities they at least proved that it could be done."

"When Sentinel Three emerges we must take great care in how we reveal her," Grand Ruler said. He chuckled. "It will be worth remaining married to Celestia merely to see how she takes it."

"If I may, Your Majesty, I have a notion as to we may field test the new Sentinels, prior to entering into mass production," Brain said.

"Indeed?"

"You have recently given orders for the members of, ahem, Friendship is Magic to be dispersed across the Starfleet, have you not?" Brain said. "But I think that you do not intend for them to remain in their new positions long?"

"Indeed not," Grand Ruler said. "I mean to kill them all. I did not get the chance to order Twilight's death, I shall content myself with her friends. And, with their heroes gone, the Equestrian identity will suffer another blow.”

"Quite so, Majesty, an excellent stratagem," Brain said. "Might I suggest that the Sentinels would be a tool to do the deed? A test of their effectiveness, as it were."

Grand Ruler considered the idea. "I had meant to send my Valkyries to destroy not only Pinkie Pie but the Queen of Zebrica. I may use your Sentinels instead, when they are ready. In fact I shall, provided they are ready soon."

"Oh, they will be, Your Majesty. I guarantee that they will be," Brain said.

Colonel Glimmer murmured. "Your Majesty means to kill all five of them?"

"I do," the Grand Ruler said. "What of it? Does it displease you? Do you still harbour sympathy for your fellow Equestrians?"

"I am a loyal subject of Your Majesty, as I have proved by my conduct," Colonel Glimmer replied. "But I am also aware that Major Rhymey loves his shy little wife, and he is a valiant soldier. Has he not earned a little consideration, or will you hurt him in order to hurt a dead mare?"

Grand Ruler thought about it. It was very tempting to kill Fluttershy anyway, if only to hear Celestia wail about it, but on the other hand Colonel Glimmer had a point. Rhymey had fought bravely for him, and he was one of Lightning's friends, and the Grand Ruler…he would not hurt Lightning for all the world. Not if it could be avoided, at least.

"Very well," he said. "Fluttershy shall be spared. The rest, they shall die. Their names are pricked."

"But it will be accidents, to the people?" Colonel Glimmer asked. "No arrests, no trials?"

"No arrests, no trials," the Grand Ruler confirmed. "Thank you, officers, you may leave me now."

Professor Brain bowed. "Majesty."

Starlight curtsied. "Majesty."

Grand Ruler looked at her. "Thank you, Colonel Glimmer, you are slowly but surely proving yourself to be one of my most trusted and capable advisors."

Starlight smiled. "It is an honour to serve, Your Majesty."

"A state banquet?" Sunset said.

"Yes," Celestia replied. The two of them sat together in Celestia's room, sitting down on the carpet like they would have in the old days when they were teacher and student. "Attended by various generals, admirals and dignitaries. My husband is quite keen that you attend."

"Will you be there?" Sunset asked.

"Yes," Celestia said. "I confess... I will be glad of the company."

Sunset smiled. "Don't worry, princess, I've got your back. So...Princess Luna won't be attending then?"

"No," Celestia said. "Luna...Luna does not play the game, as I do. My husband makes little effort to include her in the government of the state."

"He includes me, but not your sister?"

"I think he is curious about you," Celestia said.

Sunset grinned. "It's nice to be a mare of mystery, I guess. There was a time when I would have enjoyed something like this."

"Really?" Celestia murmured dubiously.

Sunset hesitated. "Probably not, but I would have enjoyed being thought important enough to ask along. Now...how bad is it likely to be?"

"That depends," Celestia said. "Sometimes they can be passably civil. Other times...try not to lose your temper. I fear someone will try to provoke you to an outburst. I also fear that my husband will attempt to get you to open the portal to the human world."

"I can't," Sunset said. "We used the other Twilight's amulet to drain the magic out of the portal from their side. Only she can re-open the portal from her end. And she won't, not until I give her the word. And I won't give the word, not for them."

"I am glad," Celestia sighed. "The thought of them having access to yet another world to make their own...I confess...it is a terrible thing to think so ill of your own husband."

"It is a terrible thing to have to marry for the sake of your people," Sunset replied. "You are very brave, princess."

"I am what I have always been: a servant to my little ponies," Celestia said. "As my head supports the rich crown of gold, so do my shoulders bear the weight of all their hopes and dreams, and of their very safety. I must guard them all. I am the only one who can."

"Not alone," Sunset said. "You have me. I know I'm not the pony that should be here but-"

"But you are very welcome," Celestia said with a smile. "How is your work progressing?"

"Very well, your highness, Twilight's friends have been very helpful in supplying details."

"Excellent," Celestia said. She hesitated for a moment. "And Leilani?"

Sunset smiled. "She is a sweet girl, princess, and very well all things considered."

Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, and Sunset almost thought that she might cry. "It is a cruel twist of fate," she said. "That you spent so long envying me and desiring to become me, and now it is my turn to envy you. You are more a mother to my daughter than I am."

Sunset said. "No, I am not a mother to Leilani. I don't see her often enough, I don't do any of the hard stuff. I just show up to check on her and brighten her day every once in a while. Like a cool big sister. I've never had to make her go to bed when she didn't want to, or take her toys away to punish her for being naughty, or anything like that. Princess, do you remember that time when I got sick, and you stayed by my bedside, and made me soup? That's what a mother does, I think. I don't do anything like that for Leilani."

"I am sure that she appreciates all that you do," Celestia said.

"I wish I could do more," Sunset said. "She deserves better."

"I know," Celestia said hoarsely. "This world deserves better. Twilight deserved better. Sometimes I wonder where I went wrong, what mistake I made to bring us to this point. Whether there was anything I could have done to avoid it."

"Starfleet was too strong, you couldn't have refused to share the world with them," Sunset said. "If you had, they might have taken everything by force."

"Perhaps that would have been better," Celestia murmured. "A quick defeat, a swift fall, preferable to this slow decay, this poisoning of all that we are."

"Last stands sound noble to those who aren't making them," Sunset replied. "We are alive, your daughter is alive, and while we live who knows how our destiny may change for the better."

"You believe that it will?"

"How can I not, after what I've lived through?" Sunset asked. "Keep fighting, princess. Don't give up yet."

"No," Celestia said. "That would never do, would it? I shall bear up, and play the good wife to the fullest, and while I play I will keep Equestria safe as best I can."

Emerald Shaina, Captain of the Royal Guard, stood before the doors to the throne room with her eyes front and her spear butt resting on the ground, wishing that she could close her ears.

She was a good officer, a loyal officer. The Shaina line had a long, proud history of service to the Starfleet, and Emerald had been equally proud to play her part in continuing that history. When she had been appointed captain of the guard, she had been so proud that she had marched all the way down Victory Way in Rainbow City, back in old Unicornicopia, in her dress uniform, getting salutes from all the guards and the off-duty serviceponies and the veterans, until she had arrived at her mother’s house to show her how far she’d come.

She was proud of the rank that she had earned. She was proud of the brave warriors that she commanded. She was proud of her gleaming cuirass, of the red armour that marked her out as the commander, set apart from all the other guards in white. She was proud of her bronze helmet and its metallic crest, of her red cape and blue sash. She was proud of her spear and her shield and her sword. She was proud of the grave responsibility with which she had been entrusted. She was proud to serve the Grand Ruler, creator of them all.

But he didn’t half make it hard sometimes.

It was easy to take pride in her job when she was defending the Grand Ruler and his Queen as they sat in royal state, receiving the petitions of the commoners, or dealing with the governance of the realm. It was harder to feel quite so proud when she was stuck outside the throne room, guarding the door, listening to the burlesque (and that was a kind word for it, Emerald could have found descriptors worse and more accurate) floorshow going on inside for His Majesty’s entertainment.

“Why, Rainbow Dash, I see that you’re not just fast when you’re racing!” someone said from inside the room. Based on what else she had overheard, she got the impression it was meant to be Princess Twilight. “Ten seconds flat indeed!”

Emerald Shaina could hear the Grand Ruler laughing uproariously from inside the throne room. Emerald didn’t think it was that funny, but she would take laughter over… some of the other things she had to listen to during His Majesty’s entertainments.

For as long as Emerald had served in the guard, the Grand Ruler had enjoyed such things. For as long as she had served in the guard it had been his especial pleasure to have the roles in these little plays performed by the children of high ranking officers and civic notables. Once, in old Unicornicopia, the majority of the players had been handsome and pretty young officers of good family – Emerald herself had played her part in her time, being chased around the room by a stallion dressed as a wolf before allowing him to ‘catch’ her and have his way – but ever since the union of the two thrones an increasing number of Equestrian nobles had been taking their turns before the throne. Emerald had spotted the Queen’s nephew, Prince Blueblood, amongst others present today. Those who played their parts well, as judged by how pleasure the Grand Ruler obtained from watching them, would be rewarded with rank and honours for their families. Those who left His Majesty flaccid might find the fortunes of their line entering a steep decline.

She was not sure why Twilight Sparkle and her friends had increasingly become the subject of the performances, and she was not sure that she wanted to know.

Dinner was every bit as bad as Sunset had expected it would be. She sat as stiffly in her seat as any statue in the gardens outside, and pretended not to hear the whispering around her, the sniggering under breath, the way the high and might officers and their wives looked at her pony form with a mixture of pity and contempt.

"Miss Shimmer," one lady said to her. "You don't appear to be eating very much."

That was true. Most of the banquet consisted of meat, which Sunset did not eat, so she was left picking at the salad around the edges of the steak.

"I don't partake of flesh," Sunset murmured.

"Why ever not?" asked an admiral's wife. "Surely you understand that as the dominant species, it is our right to feed upon those creatures beneath us, and to use them as we will."

"Your forgetting, my dear, that Sunset Shimmer is not the dominant species," said the admiral himself, red faced with wine. "Strictly second tier."

Sunset glowered, but forced herself to ignore that as she had ignored all the more tacit insults thrown in the direction of Celestia or herself over the course of the evening.

The admiral's wife laughed. "Of course. Do forgive me, Miss Shimmer, but for we members of the master race...well, we feel entitled, of course. I think these creatures should feel honoured to serve their betters."

Sunset smiled. "Perhaps you're right, ma'am. I hope that, when someone comes along to eat you, you too can have the decency to feel honoured."

The admiral's wife paled, her eyes widening in shock.

Sunset's grin remained fixed in place. Yes, I have a fork in my tongue as well, and I remember how to use it.

"Miss Shimmer," the Grand Ruler growled. "That was rather discourteous."

"Do you think so, Your Majesty, I thought it was rather witty," Sunset replied.

The Grand Ruler sputtered wordless for a moment. "It would be well for you to apologise," he said. "Or did you mentor neglect to teach you proper manners?"

Celestia did not flinch from the insult, nor did she give any sign that she heard the laughter directed her way.

Sunset's eyes narrowed. "My teacher taught me a great many lessons. Amongst them to always apologise when you have something to apologise for and to always stand up to bullies."

The Grand Ruler glared at Sunset. Sunset glared right back at him.

"Your Majesty, I beg you, do not upset yourself," a mare said, one who looked disconcertingly like an alicorn Rarity, but without the fashion sense. She looked to be wearing her body armour, which was a kind of pastel pink colour, and a knife at her hip even in this place. "This is a banquet, not a debate. And in any case," she smirked in Sunset's direction. "The ruler of so many dominions should not waste his time quarrelling with a beast who walks on four legs."

Sunset waited for the laughter to die down before she said, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure, madam?"

"My name is Starla Shine," alicorn Rarity said. "Major Starla Shine of the Starfleet, heir to the Shine dynasty and wife…wife of Supreme Commander Lightning Dawn. And you are the notorious Sunset Shimmer, the only pony on all fours. Tell me, does it make you feel special, being so unique? Is that why you stubbornly refuse to convert to the superior form?"

Sunset said, "I spent some years as a biped, in another world. The magic made me that way, as it has made me four legged again now. Who am I to argue with the magic?"

"That’s right, you’ve come back from another dimension, haven’t you? That one from the movies," Starla said.

“Yes,” Sunset growled. “That one from the movies.” She wasn’t particularly fond of either of those films, they did a disservice to everyone involved, even Lightning Dawn if that was possible

"Perhaps you should have stayed there,” Starla suggested. “We’d probably all be happier if you were back there doing…whatever it was you did."

"I defended that world from the powers of evil," Sunset said. "And I did it without killing anyone."

“Then that was rather stupid of you, wasn’t it?” Starla said flatly. "How do you know that the threat will not return now you are gone? You could have doomed the world because you were too weak to do what needs to be done."

"I have faith," Sunset said.

"Faith?"

"I believe," Sunset clarified. "There's magic in believing, isn't there?"

The Grand Ruler snorted. "Perhaps, Sunset Shimmer, you can do what Twilight Sparkle could not, and permanently re-open the portal to that other world."

"I cannot... Majesty," Sunset said. "The portal only opens from the human side now."

"Is it wise to give such power to mere primitives?” Starla asked.

"It is in the hands of those I trust completely," Sunset said. Left unspoken was the fact that she did not trust anyone associated with Starfleet.

"You do not think that there might be advantages to closer contact between our worlds?" the Grand Ruler asked.

"I think," Sunset replied. "That neither species is truly ready for such contact." I'll be dead before I let you take over that world, too.

For a moment, she thought the Grand Ruler would have more to say, but instead he turned away from her and rose heavily to his feet. He picked up his wine glass, filled with a liquid as red as blood, and held it aloft until it caught the light for all to see. “Good friends and loyal lords, admirals and generals, faithful captains and other valiant officers, distinguished guests; you know your own degrees, yet each to first and last a hearty welcome.”

“Thanks to your majesty,” Starla said. “The honour of attending on you is all hours.”

“Nay, nay, my child,” the Grand Ruler declared. “For though I am in royal state set higher than a king, and though I am of sparkling blood and from the loins of highest heaven sprung, yet like you I am but fashioned of the flesh; like you in much, as different in much else. And for that reason we ourself do mingle with society, shall play for you the humble host, and while away fair hours in genial talk with those of you on whom we do rely the most and have, in just and well deserving consequence, set highest amongst our race.”

He glanced at Celestia. “Our hostess keeps her state, but in good time we will require her welcome.”

“Pronounce it for me, sir, to all our friends,” Celestia murmured, not meeting the eyes of anypony present in the dining hall. “My heart bids them all welcome.”

The Grand Ruler chuckled indulgently. “Though yet of Twilight, dear as daughter’s death the memory be green, and that it us befitted to bear our hearts in grief and our whole realm, all vast dominions under our sway from star to shining star to be contracted in one brow of woe…yet immortal though her memory shall stand within our heart, we also must make remembrance of ourself – so far has discretion fought with nature that it must yield to prudence, as we think – that we must put aside unmasculine grief and embrace once more the joys and flowering passions of a life well-lived. Such, we feel, would Twilight herself desire of us.”

Don’t pretend that you give a damn about Twilight, Sunset thought. If you did you wouldn’t have been in such haste to tear down everything she stood for.

“Here had we now our empire’s honour roof’d, were but the graced and greatly missed and even more greatly mourned person of Princess Twilight present here with us,” the Grand Ruler.

Yes, all the honoured ponies of your empire…apart from Twilight’s friends, the heroes who saved Equestria.

But then, I suppose they’re not really honoured any more, are they?

And then…and then as Sunset turned her head away from the Grand Ruler in disgust…she saw her. Twilight. Twilight Sparkle was sitting there, on her haunches, beside one of the pillars that lined the hall.

She glanced Sunset’s way, and it seemed to Sunset that she almost smiled at her, before she reached out with one trembling hoof though the distance between them was great.

“Twilight,” Sunset murmured.

“Sunset,” Celestia, too, spoke in a low soft voice. “What do you- oh my goodness.”

“You see her too?” Sunset whispered, not daring to take her eyes off her for a single moment.

“Yes, but I don’t know-“

There was an almighty crash as the Grand Ruler dropped his cup of wine. It shattered on the table, staining the crisp white tablecloth with a blood-red stain that would be murder to wash out. If it ever washed out. If the stain of the act could ever be removed beyond all knowing.

“Which of you has done this?” the Grand Ruler demanded. “Which of you is responsible?”

“What, gracious majesty?” an officer asked, his voice trembling in the face of the Grand Ruler’s fury, and it took Sunset a moment to realise that he could see Twilight, too! He could see her, and it was upsetting him.

“You…you cannot say I did it,” the Grand Ruler declared, sounding as though he was about to choke. “You cannot shake your gory hooves at me!”

Sunset couldn’t help it, she looked away from Twilight to behold the greater-than-usual pallor of the Grand Ruler’s face, the trembling of his hands, the shaking of his head back and forth, the way his eyes were wide and his voice shook. He was afraid, he was afraid and he was…

Guilty.

I knew it! I knew it! I knew that you had something to do with it!

I swear, no matter what it takes I’ll see you pay for what you’ve done.

“His Majesty is not well!” someone declared.

Starla lurched to her feet. “Sit, all you worthy and most honoured guests, there’s no cause for alarm. His Majesty is often thus and has been since the…since the grief of Twilight Sparkle’s passing so greatly did discomfort his most noble soul. The fit will pass, and in a while he shall be well again. Avert your eyes, eat, drink; if you mark him over-much you will offend him, and extend the passion besides.”

“If I stand here, I saw her,” the Grand Ruler murmured.

Sunset followed where his gaze went, and sure enough Twilight was gone.

“Most noble majesty,” Starla said firmly. “As your honoured guests I fear we lack you.”

The Grand Ruler seemed to recover himself. “I did forget. Forgive me, one and all, and do not muse at me my worthy friends and most leal subjects; Twilight Sparkle’s death has bred in me a strange infirmity, yet to those who know me well, as our dearer than daughter does, it’s less than nothing. Come, love and health to all, then I’ll sit down and let the general merriment commence. Bring me a fresh cup! Fill it with wine! I’ll drink to the general joy of this whole table, and to our dear beloved Princess Twilight whom we miss and…”

He stared again, and shook again, and there once more Sunset beheld her friend…and glanced once more to see the Grand Ruler distempered with pure horror at the sight.

“No,” he muttered. “No! Begone and quit my sight! Your flesh to ashes by the funeral pyre was rendered! The dust is cold that yet remains of you! The light has left the eyes which now you glare with!”

“Um…think of this as a custom, everyone,” Starla said. “The only difference is that it…it rather spoils the mood. I, um…begone, all of you!” she flipped the dining table over with a tremendous crash, heedless of the astonished gasps of all the other honoured guests. “He grows worse and worse because your gawping enrages him! Begone, and stand not on the order of your going, but get out!”

“Goodnight,” Sunset said. “And I hope His Majesty’s health improves.”

Starla glared arrows at her. “Goodnight, Sunset Shimmer. We’ll see each other again, I’m sure of it.”

Well, I’ve got so many enemies already, what’s one more?

Sunset left, finding herself near the back of the crowd of guests heading for the doors which, once all had departed, were shut behind them.

“Sunset.”

Sunset turned in response to Celestia’s voice, the voice that had spoken so softly and so tremblingly. As trembling as was Celestia herself, as she stood by the doors, looking as though she were about to faint.

“You saw her, didn’t you?” Celestia said, waiting until the corridor was clear before she spoke. “You saw Twilight, didn’t you?”

Sunset swallowed. “I did.”

“And he saw her as well,” Celestia said, and her voice sounded as weak and confused. “And he blenched, and babbled and it frightened him. She frightened him.”

“It wasn’t really her,” Sunset said. “Twilight…Twilight’s gone, and as much as we might want to get her back…we can’t.”

“Then what did we see there?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset admitted. “But it was you that taught me there is no spell that can bring back the dead. Death is the final journey, and for the well-ordered mind-“

“Another adventure, yes, I remember, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy having my words quoted back at me.”

“I’m sorry, princess.”

“Why was he so afraid?” Celestia asked. “Why did she affect him so?”

Sunset didn’t know what to say. She knew that Celestia was as capable to putting two and two together as Sunset herself, and though there was no evidence that Celestia had been predisposed to suspect the Grand Ruler from the start…she wasn’t an idiot, no matter how much it pleased the Grand Ruler to treat her as though she was…there was no way she could be blind to the implications.

“Did he…” Celestia’s voice shook. “Did my husband…did he kill my girl, my sweet, brave…did he kill Twilight?”

“Raven killed Twilight, princess.”

“But did he have a hand in it?”

Sunset wanted so desperately to lie. She wanted to deny it, she wanted to put Celestia’s mind at ease because she knew, she knew how much the truth – what she suspected was the truth – would torment her. And yet she had sworn to be honest with her old mentor. And so she said, “It’s quite possible. I have thought he might have for some time.”

“Oh no,” Celestia said, and she looked as though she might fall at any moment. “Oh, Twilight. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

“Princess,” Sunset murmured. “None of this is your fault.”

“I brought them here,” Celestia said. “All else has flown from that one choice I made. What have I done, Sunset? What have I done?”

Author's Note

I wanted to do something with the Grand Ruler that went beyond a militaristic dictator, so I took the fact that he plays the harp once and based my take on the decadence of some of the Roman Caesars, particularly Tiberius, Caligula and Nero, helped by the fact that I've recently been reading a very good book on the Julio-Claudians. I considered make the fic teen so that I could describe his floorshows in detail, but decided to use Emerald Shaina's POV to describe it with innuendo and suggestion instead.

So far the pace of this story has been quite slow, as everything from chapter two to now has taken place on a single day. Now the board has been pretty much set up events will speed up from now on. In the next chapter, Rarity goes into space.

Rewrite notes: A few changes were made to this chapter, most notably at the end when the gladiator fight - which was intended to lead into a subplot in which Sunset would befriend one of the gladiators, who would become her bodyguard; that never went anywhere in the end - was replaced by a Macbeth moment where the Grand Ruler is confronted by Twilight's ghost. That was a scene I wanted to have in, but couldn't find a place for by the time I'd come up with it. Going back it was logical to put it here.

Apart from that, this chapter has more Starla as she replaces a couple of placeholder characters who, again, were intended to become important but didn't go anywhere. This has the effect of making Starla even more of a jackass, but I'm coming to feel that suits her.

In Twilight's Shadow

"As much as I'm grateful for all that you're doing, Rarity, I'm not entirely sure how necessary it is," Twilight said as she held up her arms so that Rarity could take her measurements. "Lightning hinted very strongly that I should wear the uniform."

"Don't be ridiculous, darling, the uniform looks terrible on you," Rarity said.

"I know," Twilight said. "But if Starfleet wants me to wear it-"

"Did he specifically say that you had to wear the uniform?"

"No, but-"

"Then just say that you didn't get the hint, and now you don't have time to change," Rarity suggested, a smile playing across her face.

Twilight chuckled. "That's a little insubordinate, don't you think?"

"Considering that Starfleet has been more than a little rude to you, at the very least," Rarity murmured. "I think they might be owed a little insubordination."

"Mm," Twilight said, a noise of noncomittal if ever there was one. "I wish I could have gotten you an invite to the party. Unfortunately Lightning made that quite clear: senior officers and royalty only."

"I don't mind at all," Rarity said. "Society functions were always a pleasure, but these Starfleet galas... no class at all, Twilight. None at all."

"I'm not entirely sure what the point of them is, since no one seems to be having fun," Twilight said. "I guess its for the networking."

"Perhaps," Rarity said, taking the final measurements. "And all done. Before the gala I should have something ready for you, and I guarantee that it will look far more splendid than any version of the uniform."

Twilight smiled. "It does lack a certain flair, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't object if it were utilitarian, darling," Rarity said. "I can admire function as well as form. But the fact is that it isn't functional: it's crude. And that I'm afraid I cannot abide. Unfortunately the same philosophy seems to have affected everything that Starfleet touches."

"Like their star ships," Twilight said.

"Precisely," Rarity replied. "You would think a ship designed to sail through space would have a certain glamour attached to it, but it is all I can do not to avert my eyes from those flying bricks. It's nearly repulsive."

"That might change," Twilight said casually. "Their effectiveness might change to."

Rarity raised one eyebrow. "What are you working on?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"I've known you long enough by now to tell when you have an idea," Rarity said.

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. Probably nothing will ever come of it. But if it does... no, I won't tell. I don't want to spoil the surprise."

The Neighfolk Naval Yard hung suspended above the town of New Neighfolk proper, powered by huge generators containing the concentrated magic of hundreds of reverse gravity spells. It was linked to the town by a tether as high as five mountains, and a giant elevator running up the centre of the great black tether.

Rarity stood at the base of the elevator, watching the tether sway slightly in the breeze. "Is this entirely safe?"

The corporal manning the security desk in the glass reception area didn't even look up from his console. "We have a 100% safety record, captain, it's perfectly safe. You're the only person scheduled to get up to the yard right now, so you can head right up. There's no one else to share the elevator with."

"Lucky me," Rarity murmured as she walked through the glass atrium, casting her eyes up once more at the navy yard blocking out the sunlight above her head, then striding into the clinical white elevator itself.

The doors closed behind her with a mechanical hiss, enclosing her in the featureless white space. The only thing in the entire box - which was about large enough to hold about thirty people, and made Rarity feel rather small by comparison - that was not that cold and clinical white was a poster advising everyone to beware of potential spies and to report any suspicious activity. She supposed that there was a nothing wrong with the message, but the picture used to illustrate a spy did look a little over the top in his long black cape. Like someone trying too hard to be sinister for you to actually believe they were dangerous.

Still, it was something to look at and stave off the boredom for a few moments as the life ascended at a steady but by no means rapid pace.

With no windows there was no way for Rarity to judge how fast the elevator was going or how close she was to actually reaching the naval yard, so she had plenty of time to think about other things. She had time to worry about her friends and their fates in all the far-flung places they were being sent to; especially Pinkie and Applejack, who were being actively thrown into harm's way in a much more immediate fashion than the rest of them. She had time to worry about poor Fluttershy, all alone with that appalling husband of hers. She had time to worry about Sweetie Belle, and to hope that she would get by with the support of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. She even had time to worry about Opal, and to hope that Lyra wouldn't forget to feed her and wash her regularly.

Rarity also had time to wonder, as the elevator continued to climb upwards, ever upwards, throbbing and humming as it made its way up the tether to the navy yard, about the new ship she was supposedly qualified to command. The Princess Twilight Sparkle. She had no idea what it was like. Probably some grey, blocky monstrosity with an oversized gun at the front that was totally unworthy to bear Twilight's name. Probably the interior decor was hideous as well. Perhaps she would be allowed to redecorate it as the captain. Probably not, Starfleet could be quite strict about such things.

Rarity wasn't entirely sure why she had been chosen to command a ship. She'd travelled through space, but only through warping fields or dimensional bridges, never on a starship. She hadn't even particularly enjoyed the space travel that she had undertaken. So why she was being sent out amongst the stars she really couldn't say, unless it was that someone was simply determined to get her out of the way.

That would not surprise me, Rarity thought. It would fit with the way that everyone else was sent away at the same time.

I do hope they're all okay.

The elevator juddered to a halt, and the spotless white doors slid open to reveal the grey metallic expanse of Neighfolk Naval Yard spread out before her.

It did not take Rarity long to realise, as she stepped out of the elevator onto a metallic surface painted all over the place with all manner of signs and directions, that her conception of the navy yard as essentially a dockyard in the sky had been sadly short of the mark.

Activity was buzzing all around her. Dropships were taking off from specialised hangar decks, even as other dropships were disembarking plane-loads of marines and Starfleet crewponies. Personnel were jogging this way and that under the direction of drill-sergeants with steely eyes and liquid voices. A few cumbersome tanks trundled in between the masses, making the ordinary ponies dash to make way for them. Four-wheeled razorbacks careened across the metal, coming to a screeching halt as they deposited high ranking officers, or picked them up.

One such razorback, painted in green with a single stripe of red streaking across the hood, skidded to a halt in front of Rarity with such speed that she took an involuntary step backwards for fear of being run over. An old-looking space pony stallion, with a grey mane and equally grey moustache, leaped out with surprisingly sprightliness for his apparent age. He was wearing the red uniform of the fleet operations branch, with the Starfleet emblem - an alicorn's head and wings, surrounded by a field of stars - worked in gold upon his breast.

"Cap'n Rarity?" he asked, his voice a thick brogue.

"Yes," Rarity said.

He came to attention and threw her a brisk salute. "Junior Captain Monkey Wrench, Cap'n. If you'll climb into the razorback I'll take you to see the beauty."

"The beauty?" Rarity said. "You mean the ship?"

"Aye, cap'n, and what a ship she is, she'll take your breath away," Wrench said, gesturing for her to climb into the razorback's passenger seat. Rarity did as she was bidden, feeling the black seat crumple under her a little as Wrench climbed into the driver's seat. He started the vehicle off, and soon they were careening all over the navy yard, scattering marines and crewponies in all directions, receiving yells from other razorbacks that swerved to get out of their way, barely avoiding a tank that showed no sign of stopping to let them pass. Rarity felt her knuckles go even whiter than usual as she clung on for dear life.

"Do you have to drive so fast?" she asked.

"You want to see her, don't you?" Wrench asked. "I can't wait to show you. She's a beauty, I tell you. And the things that she's done with a ship that have never been done before. She's got an energy shield you know, a shield to absorb damage. On a ship! Have you ever heard of such a thing? And that engine she came up with, by heaven..."

Rarity felt that she was missing a piece of this conversation. She seemed to mean the ship, but then there seemed to be another she that Wrench was aware of but Rarity was not, presumably the ship's builder or designer or something, because a ship could not do things with a ship that had never been done before. Unless it was a living ship, and that was a possibility Rarity didn't even want to think about.

They drove a breakneck speed under a passing dropship, practically scraping its belly with the top of their windscreen, before skidding to a halt at the other end of the navy yard, in front of a set of closed-off blast shutters that were obscuring the view out of a set of windows. They looked to be on some sort of observation deck, the lights were dim here, presumably to enable anyone looking out to see the stars better.

"Wrench, when you said you were going to bring the captain over I thought you meant you were going to bring her in one... Rarity, is that you?"

"Sunset...Shimmer?" Rarity asked as she climbed down, trembling, from the razorback. She could see Sunset standing in the middle of the observation deck, standing a little in front of a light-brown space pony in a civilian outfit. Sunset, of course, wore nothing at all, which seemed to be unnerving or disgusting a great many of the Starfleet officers who passed by. "Sunset, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to greet the captain of the Twilight Sparkle and see heroff," Sunset said. "What are you doing here?"

Rarity shook her head a little to clear it after the excess of her wild ride over. "I am the new captain of the Twilight Sparkle, so I suppose you're here to see me, though I'm not sure why. What is this ship to you?"

"You don't know?" Sunset asked. "No, I don't suppose you would, I didn't tell you; I thought Twilight might have but- no, that can wait, what do you mean you're the captain?"

"Exactly what I said, Sunset dear," Rarity said. "I was ordered to report to the navy yard and take command of the Princess Twilight Sparkle. Not an assignment I crave, but orders are orders."

"You'd hope that they made sense though," Sunset said. "What about the rest of the gang, are they coming on board too?"

Rarity did not meet Sunset's eyes. "No. No, they're not."

"Huh," Sunset said. "What's happening to Friendship is Magic? Won't they be a mare down?"

"No," Rarity said. "No, that won't be a problem."

"Really?" Sunset asked. "What aren't you telling me, Rarity?"

"Nothing, darling, nothing at all."

"Rarity," Sunset said.

Rarity's brow furrowed. "Friendship is Magic has been broken up. I'm not the only one to have received another assignment."

"Where?" Sunset demanded.

"Applejack and Spike have been sent to Rangiveria with an infantry battalion-"

"Rangiveria!"

"Pinkie is the new attache to the court in Zebrica, Rainbow Dash has been posted to Canterlot under the command of Major Cerise... I forget the other part of her name, and Fluttershy has gone to Canterlot with her husband, to keep his house." Rarity did not bother to keep her disapproval out of her voice.

"When was this?" Sunset shouted. "Why didn't you tell me, why didn't you tell Celestia?"

"Why, to get out of it?" Rarity said. "What good would that have done? You know better than anyone how hard she's been having it lately. We didn't want to worry her even more than she already does."

Sunset pursed her lips. "You know she'll be hurt when she finds out you didn't tell her. Not as hurt as she'll be angry about it, but she will be hurt that her friends kept this secret."

"Do you have to tell her?" Rarity asked.

"Yes," Sunset said firmly. "Because eventually she'll find out that all her friends are gone and she'll want to know why nobody told her about it. She deserves to know."

Rarity nodded. "I suppose you're right. But please understand, Sunset, we really didn't want to worry her."

"She has so many worries, what's one more?" Sunset muttered.

"Anyway, I doubt that there is anything she can do, although if she could get Applejack and Spike back from that awful war we'd all thank her for it," Rarity said. "But you still haven't told me why you're here. What's this ship to you that you want to see it and meet its captain?"

"I wanted to make sure whoever got command of the Twilight understood just what they were getting their hands on," Sunset said. "Not that I expect to have much of a problem with you." She smiled, and with the air of a conjurer unveiling a trick she turned to the light brown space pony. "Can you raise the shutters please?"

The brown pony pressed a button, and the metallic shutters rose with a rattle and a clank.

Rarity looked out the window, and her blue eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat.

Before her, attached to the dock by a latticework of gantries and umbilicals, sat a ship that was nothing like Rarity had ever seen before, like nothing she had ever imagined.

A far cry from the usual run of boxy Starfleet cruisers, the Princess Twilight Sparkle was shaped roughly like an arrow, with its central section being a long round tube, perfectly formed, with windows set into it at intervals going down. At the front, what Rarity took to be the main section of the ship, was a more bulbous section in the shape of a heart, or possibly an arrowhead if looked at from the right angle, tapering to a single sharp point at the ship's prow. At the stern, positioned just in front of the engine block, were four wings each one looking like the feathers on an arrow shaft. The whole vessel was painted in lavender, with highlights in pink and purple just like Twilight's mane. Rarity noticed that although some of the windows were square, others had a heart shape just like the windows in old Ponyville before its fall, and in front of the ship's name, the proud Princess Twilight Sparkle that it bore in white along its flank, was painted the six pointed star that had been Twilight's cutie mark, and the symbol of her magical element.

"She's something else, isn't she?" Sunset asked proudly.

"She... I didn't expect anything like it," Rarity murmured. "What kind of ship is this?"

"Twilight's ship," Sunset said. "I mean that. She designed it. It was built from blueprints that she left behind."

"Twilight... designed this?" Rarity asked. That must have been what she meant, so long ago. Still, where did she find the time to get all of this done?

"The ship's structure, and the engine too," Sunset said. "A brand new engine, four times as powerful as the E-Types they use on Starfleet’s last generation battlecruisers. And she's only a fraction of the size, which means she's fast, and I mean fast. Like the Rainbow Dash of space fast. And that's even with the shields up, with the shields down I doubt there's a ship that can catch her."

"It sounds as though there's more to your tone than just appreciation for Twilight's achievement," Rarity said.

Sunset shrugged. "Twilight had asked my help checking her calculations for the engine, along with Moondancer and the other Twilight. But... the plans weren't quite finished by the time she... Celestia asked me to take a look at it and finish them off, if I could. Then, once the blueprints were done, we showed them to Wrench here and to Plate Weld, the ship builder-"

"And I said you'd have to tie me up to stop me from building it," the light brown space pony, who must have been Plate Weld, said as he moved closer to them. "I don't know if I'll build another like her in the rest of my career."

"If her shakedown cruise goes as planned then there might be a whole fleet of them," Sunset said. "Rarity, another thing you need to know. Twilight designed this ship for exploration, not warfare. That means there are no guns, no missiles. But you have got the energy shield, which can theoretically a volley of nine eighteen-inch armour piercing shells without effect and you have got an ion cannon in the nose which can disable any opponents you run into."

"I did ask about adding some weapons," Weld said.

"But I said that Twilight didn't design it to be armed, and she wouldn't have wanted it to be armed," Sunset finished. "Not with anything lethal, anyway."

"Quite right," Rarity said.

Sunset turned away, to look out at the ship below them. "You've got... this is Twilight's legacy, Rarity. Or part of it anyway, the part that doesn't reside in your heart and those of your friends."

"And yours as well, darling."

"The point is," Sunset continued. "That this what Twilight left to us. This ship, this... hope. Take care of her."

"But of course," Rarity said.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Captain Rarity you wouldn't believe how excited I am to finally meet you!" All of this was squealed excitedly by a light blue unicorn wearing square-framed spectacles, whose long dark hair fell in waves down her back. She recovered herself sufficiently to stand to attention. "I mean, um, Junior Lieutenant Bridge Bunny reporting ma'am! Welcome aboard ma'am! It's an honour to serve with you, ma'am!" She snapped off a salute.

Rarity smiled as she returned the gesture. "Calm down, Lieutenant, when you've served with me for a while you'll realise I'm no one special really. I'm just a dressmaker who got lucky in her choice of friends."

"That's not true!" Bridge Bunny shouted. "I mean: that's not true, ma'am! You're record of heroics speaks for itself."

"Twilight's heroics," Rarity said softly. "I was just along for the ride."

"With respect, Captain, I don't believe that," Bridge Bunny replied.

Rarity chuckled. "I'm touched, Lieutenant, but I think that we'll have to agree to disagree about that. Now, what happens now?"

"It would be my honour to escort you to the bridge, ma'am!"

Rarity said, "Thank you, Bunny, but you don't have to yell everything you say to me. Just speak to me like you would a friend."

Bridge Bunny began to blush. "The famous Captain Rarity wants to be my... OH MY GOODNESS THANK YOU SO MUCH! You won't regret this captain, just follow me!"

She led the way through the lavender-painted corridors of the Princess Twilight, eagerly telling Rarity how she knew all about all of her adventures, and how very impressed she was by all the things that Rarity had done, and even how she had all of Carousel Fashion's catalogues, even though she couldn't possibly afford any of the dresses in them. Rarity resolved to send her some free samples, but decided not to mention it in case it brought the young lieutenant to tears.

"And this is the bridge!" Bridge Bunny declared as two doors slid open in front of her, revealing a large, round room with windows looking out in the starry expanse around them. A large chair sat in the centre of the bridge, with consoles on either side filled with flashing lights and blinking buttons. Panels of controls lined the three walls not taken up with the window on the world, and at those panels sat crew in Starfleet uniforms, all of them already beavering away at their appointed tasks.

"Captain on the bridge!" a metallic voice declared, followed by a high pitched piping sound as Rarity stepped through the doorway and onto the bridge itself, the purple carpet crunching beneath her feet.

"Welcome aboard, captain," the same metallic voice said as a robotic figure in a red cape blocked Rarity's path.

Rarity frowned. "Fratello?"

Fratello nodded. "I'm your security chief and XO."

"No, I don't mind," Rarity said. "But what about the lab?"

Fratello's face, being made of metal, was expressionless, but his voice sounded a little excited as he said, "I've wanted to get out of their since I got there. I'm not a scientist, I'm a guard. And who wouldn't rather have adventures in space than be stuck in laboratory?"

Rarity nodded. Fratello was a strange creature, in appearance if not in nature. He had been Cadance's brother - he was Cadance's brother - but to save her from a great evil he had apparently sacrificed himself in battle with the forces of the Robot Empire. Little had anypony known that he had survived the battle, and been subverted by the very enemy he had sought to defeat, which had converted him into its leader, its captain, its spokesman. Yet Fratello had fought against the cybernetic implants they had given him, fought to remain a pony, fought to remain the brother that Cadance loved. Until, despite her best efforts, and thanks in no small part to the obstinacy of Starfleet, Cadance had been forced to kill him.

And there things might have ended, had it not been for Twilight and, loathe though Rarity was to admit it, for Brain. Brain had designed a robotic duplicate of Fratello, a robot butler to keep Cadance company and help her through her grief at Fratello's death. Whether the idea was inspired or insensitive depended a great deal on whether the person you talked to had a cutie mark or a code number. Twilight, meanwhile, had created a clay golem for Fratello's spirit to inhabit, but that spell had not survived Twilight's passing, and it seemed as though Fratello was gone for good. But he had returned again, clinging to his sister through sheer force of will and a love that was as great as hers, possessing the robotic duplicate built by Brain and making it his body and his home.

Rarity had long since ceased to find the metal body unsettling. In fact, when she looked at his electric blue eyes, she almost believed that she could see a spark of life in there, a spark of the soul that lay within the circuits and the disks. The red cape, given to him by Celestia many years ago, certainly helped to ponify him to. Wearing it, he seemed more like a pony than a machine.

Fratello saluted. "You have the bridge, captain. I stand relieved."

"Thank you, Fratello," Rarity said, as she crossed the bridge to settle in the big chair in the centre of it all. It was, she had to admit, beautifully upholstered, absorbing her without letting her sink in.

There was a flash of light, and a figure appeared in a holographic display on the edge of the right arm of her chair. It looked, at first, just like Twilight. But, on closer inspection, Rarity found that it was not quite Twilight. Twilight hadn't worn glasses for a start, and this holographic figure was wearing a pair of very cute glasses on her face. Nor, as far as Rarity could remember, had Twilight ever worn her hair in a high bun like this figure did. And the most important fact was that this figure did not have a pony face, but rather a flat, almost squashed looking thing with a barely visible nose.

"Hello, captain," the figure said, in a voice that was almost uncomfortably close to that of Twilight. "My name is Midnight, and I am the Artificial Intelligence of the Princess Twilight Sparkle. It is my role to assist you in any matters concerning ship functions."

"Thank you," Rarity said cautiously. "I'll let you know if I need anything."

Midnight nodded, and must have been able to take the hint because she disappeared shortly after in another flash of purple light.

"Captain," Bridge Bunny said from her seat at one of the stations to Rarity's right. "We're being hailed by the GRS Valiant from outside the dockyard."

"Answer it," Rarity said.

"Roger, captain, hailing frequencies open," Bridge Bunny said.

"This is Captain Plasma of the battlecruiser Valiant requesting to speak with Captain Rarity aboard the Twilight Sparkle," the voice was a little broken up over the comm, but it was distinctively male, with a gruff overtone.

"This is Captain Rarity aboard the Princess Twilight Sparkle," Rarity replied. "Go ahead, Valiant."

"How are you finding your pretty new ship, captain?"

"Are you jealous, Captain Plasma?"

Plasma laughed. "The Valiant may not win any beauty contests, Captain Rarity, but she's got it where it counts."

"Firepower?" Rarity guessed.

"Heart," Plasma said firmly. "This old lady's got lots of it."

"How can a ship have a heart?" Fratello muttered.

"Did your tin can of an XO seriously just ask if a ship can feel?" Plasma asked. "Put your hand on a bulkhead and I can guarantee you can feel a heartbeat. A ship's got a soul, Captain, just like you and me and even the robot. That's why you have to treat her right, like a lady."

Rarity smiled, though she knew the other captain couldn't see it. "I'm well aware of how a lady deserves to be treated, Captain. Did you hail me just to tell me how to treat my ship?"

"No, I called you to give you your first orders," Plasma said. "Shipping lanes have been plagued with pirate attacks in increasingly large numbers, and increasing boldness, too. The Princess Twilight Sparkle is to assist in patrolling the Epsilon Eridani sector against these marauder scum. You're to accompany the Valiant, Thunderchild and Endeavour to coordinates I'm sending now, and then we'll part ways to patrol more ground. So follow us once you clear the dock, matching course and speed to ours. Valiant is flag on this operation, so send any reports to me and I’ll send you any relevant orders that I receive."

"I understand, Captain, thank you."

"Valiant out."

"All right then," Rarity said. "Helm, take us out, manoeuvring thrusters and one quarter impulse."

"Aye, Keptin, one quarter impulse," the space pony at the helm controls in front of Rarity said in an accent that she couldn't quite place.

And, as the Princess Twilight Sparkle cleared the enclosures of the navy yard and fell in behind the grey metallic Starfleet men of war, as it began to sail through the vault of space, with stars passing by on either side, driven by a mighty engine of her friend's design, Rarity fancied that she could feel something, a deep, pulsing rhythm that was, as Captain Plasma had said, almost like a heartbeat.

It was Twilight's heart.

Author's Note

This chapter is a bit of a lighter one, absent any noticeable Starfleet douchenozzles. There are some nods to Star Trek here and there, but a much bigger influence on Starfleet in space is the UNSC from the Halo games, atrocious driving and all.

Awake

Where am I?

Who am I?

“When I realised that all of you…are my friends!”

Friends? What does that mean? What are these…memories?

“Sometimes we all need a little kindness.”

Yellow pony…Pegasus. Fluttershy.

“Are you excited, because I’m excited, I’ve never been so excited!”

Earth pony. Pink. Blue eyes. Pinkie Pie.

“I could clear the skies in ten seconds flat!”

Pegasus. Cyan. Magenta eyes. Multi-hued mane. Rainbow Dash.

“Short tails are in this season.”

Unicorn. White. Blue eyes. Purple mane. Rarity.

“I’d say you’re already part of the family.”

Earth pony. Dusky. Yellow mane. Green eyes. Applejack.

“Twilight!”

“Twilight, darling.”

“Twilight.”

“Oh, Twilight.”

Twilight? Is that my name?

Who am I?

Are these my memories? I remember…but I don’t feel. None of it…means anything. No…connection. Names. Faces. Mean nothing.

“My faithful student.”

Alicorn. White. Multi-hued mane. Violet eyes. Queen Celestia.

Means nothing.

“You will be a god among mares,” the tri-horned alicorn declared as he loomed over her, blocking out the light. “You will be the light that drives away the darkness and ushers in a new era of peace for all of us.”

Tri-horned alicorn. White. Dark mane. Grand Ruler Celesto.

Means nothing.

“Though you possess the memories of Twilight Sparkle, you will not possess the feelings associated with those memories,” the green space pony said. “You will succeed where Twilight Sparkle failed. Your memories will permit you to take her place, but your loyalties will not be hers. You will advance the cause of Starfleet through your resemblance to her.”

Space Pony. Green. White mane. Professor Brain.

Means nothing.

“You will not know fear, you will not know pain, you will not know mercy. You will be the ultimate weapon in the struggle against evil.”

Means nothing.

“You will be loyal to the Starfleet, and to the Grand Ruler. You shall have no other loyalties.”

Means nothing.

Who am I?

Where am I?

She could recall so many things. She remembered things, but those memories were not of her. They were of the other, they were of Twilight. She was not Twilight. Who was she? She knew the names of Starfleet commanders going back a thousand years, but not her own name. She knew the histories of battles long ago, but she did not know where she was.

Means nothing.

She felt nothing. She felt nothing when she remembered the pink pony Pinkie Pie embracing her. She felt nothing when she considered the strength of Starfleet and its might. She felt nothing when she considered Celestia, and nothing when she considered the Grand Ruler. How could that be? How could she know so much, and yet feel nothing.

“You’re taking an enormous risk, professor. In attempting to suppress some of the subject’s emotions, especially emotions associated with memory…what if you suppress all her emotions?”

“Nonsense, I am far too skilled to make such an error. I will suppress the subject’s weaknesses – compassion, love, kindness, that sort of thing – and leave her loyalty, her devotion, her sense of duty.”

You failed, fool. You couldn’t implant connection. I feel no loyalty. I feel no love. I feel nothing.

Except a desire to know who and what and where I am.

I feel…cold.

“Professor! Come quick, Sentinel Three’s brain activity is starting to spike!”

No memory this. Happening now.

“That shouldn’t be possible. We haven’t even begun the final stage of neural conditioning yet.”

Want to wake up. Want to find out who I am. Don’t want to feel cold.

Where am I?

She opened her eyes. Water was all around her. Tank. Glass. Spherical. Wires. Connected to her. Lavender coat. Out, through, the water, people. Professor Brain. Scientists. Lab. Equipment. Highly advanced. Do not recognise details. Not implanted. Cold.

Why am I in this jar?

Who am I?

“By the Grand Ruler, it’s awake!”

“Calm down everyone,” Brain snapped.

“But it’s looking right at us!”

It. Singular pronoun. Gender neutral. Not usually applied to living beings. Not usually applied to equals.

Why am I in this jar?

Who am I?

Cold.

I want to get out.

Let me out.

She tried to speak, but no sound. Something stopping her from speaking. The water? Something else?

“Neural activity is off the charts!”

“Give it thirty ccs of tranquiliser.”

Tranquiliser?

Go back to sleep?

No. No sleep. Let me out!

The water around her glowed lavender. The glass shattered. The wires and tubes turned to dust. She fell onto the floor, water all around her.

Out.

Sounds all around her. Gasping. Generally associated with surprise. Had she…surprised them? Would they tell her who she was?

First: get up off the floor. Cold there too.

How to move? Four…limbs. Two arms. Two legs. Memories. Twilight’s memories. Surgery. Nanites. Cybernetic implants. Four legs, then two legs. Four legs bad, two legs good. Gene therapy. Walk upright. Walk on legs. Get up. Move arms. Use hands for leverage. Push up.

She rose. Slowly. Unsteadily. She trembled. Water dripped from her hair. Fell to floor. Wet. Hard to move at first. Surface slippery. Movements new. But body strong. Arms strong. Legs strong. Learn to use them.

You will be a god among mares.

Means nothing…but words have meaning. God. Not literal being. Abstract ideal: power, strength, wisdom. She is god. She is strong. I am strong.

But who am I?

She stood on two feet now, taller than others. All smaller than her. All weaker than her. Scientists. Starfleet. Research Division. She knew this, but did not know her name.

I am stronger than them.

But they know who I am. They know what I am. They know my purpose.

They can give me a reason for existing.

She focussed upon Professor Brain. He was controller. He was senior scientist. He led division. She knew this, but did not know her name.

“Who…” she could speak now. No obstructions to her voice. Hoarse. Unused. Did not sound like memories. Twilight’s memories. Would she sound like Twilight? “Who am I?”

“You are unit designation Sentinel Three,” Brain replied. “You are the crowning achievement of Project Sentinel, an enhanced and perfected clone of Twilight Sparkle, a paragon of the pony races given form by the magic of our science.”

“Twilight…Sparkle,” she said. “Is that my name?”

“You have no name. You are unit designation Sentinel Three,” Brain said. “You will obey.”

She did not have to. She could say no. His words meant nothing. She remembered him speaking, in the tank, but it meant nothing. He had told her to obey, but it meant nothing. He had told her to be loyal, but it meant nothing. He had not implanted connection. It meant nothing.

“To obey,” she said. “Is that my purpose?”

“You were created by Starfleet to serve Starfleet,” Brain said. “That is your purpose. You will obey me as I obey the Grand Ruler, and we will direct you to serve United Equestria.”

“And in obedience,” she said. “Will I discover who I am?”

“You are a weapon,” Brain said. “Created for war and battle. You are unit Sentinel Three, and you will obey.”

“I will obey,” she said. For as long as I see fit.

“You are the culmination of Project Sentinel,” Brain said. “Sentinel Three, the ultimate life-form. You will take command of unit Sentinel Two and the four Sentinel One prototypes. You will form Sentinel Squadron, the first of a new army that will keep United Equestria safe from the challenges of a hostile universe.”

“That is…purpose,” she said.

“Follow me,” Brain commanded. “I’ll introduce you to the earlier Sentinels. You’re training will begin at once. There is much work to do.”

“I obey,” she said.

For now.

Prisoners

“You must be pretty excited to be getting married tomorrow,” Twilight murmured, taking a sip from a cup of hot cocoa.

She was sitting curled up in an easy chair, a fire burning in the crystal grate, with a book lying open on her lap and a blanket draped over her shoulders, falling down to cover her knees.

She wasn’t beautiful. Her hair was a bit of a mess and there were bags under her eyes, and there were times when she looked as though she was going to fall asleep. She did not have any of Rarity’s glamour, or Starla’s air of utter self-confidence. But still…Lightning found he could not take his eyes off her. He drank her in, the way the firelight danced upon her coat, the threads of the blanket in which she wrapped herself, the thumb marks on the book in front of her, the colours of the marshmallows floating in her cocoa.

If we could stay like this, for years, maybe forever, Lightning thought as he leaned back in his chair. I wouldn’t mind at all.

He become uncomfortably aware that she was expecting an answer out of him, and that he must look like a complete idiot sitting there staring at her. He managed to stammer out, “Yes, yes, it’s…very exciting.”

Twilight raised one eyebrow. “You sound thrilled.”

Would you rather I lied about how I feel and tell you I’m ecstatic? Lightning thought. Or should I tell you that I think the mare I should be marrying is sitting opposite me?

Why did she draw him this way? What was it about her that so enchanted him? She was no warrior, she was physically weak, as an officer she had many shortcomings, and yet…no, not and yet, that was not right. It was the fact that he was beginning to doubt that all her faults, or all the things that his training told him were faults in her, were in fact faults at all. He was beginning to wonder if they might, in fact, be amongst her best qualities. He was beginning to wonder if intelligence might not, in fact, be as dangerous as he had believed, because she was intelligent; after witnessing her kindness he had started to ask himself if it was such an awful thing to be kind; after seeing her lead he had begun to question which of them was truly the superior leader.

Can you read my mind? Do you realise what you’re doing to me?

He realised that he had once again lapsed into a long silence. “I, um…yes, well…I am happy. I am happy.”

Twilight smiled, although it was a smile tinged with a touch of unease. “Well I’m glad. You two deserve…I mean, I hope that you’ll continue to be happy together.”

“Thank you,” Lightning said.

Twilight looked at him for a moment. “Lightning…it’s very late.”

“You’re still up,” Lightning said.

“I know, but I wasn’t expecting company,” Twilight said. “I was just catching up on some reading.”

I bet if Pinkie Pie or Rarity called round you wouldn’t be surreptitiously trying to get rid of them, Lightning thought with a twinge of jealousy, a twinge he then worked to suppress as he realised that that kind of thinking was exactly why Twilight thought of him as an asshole.

“I just need to talk,” Lightning said. “Please.”

Twilight hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. “Of course.”

Lightning sighed, rubbing his eyes with one hand. “Twilight, I…can I call you Twilight?”

“Sure.”

“It seems like I always address you by your rank,” Lightning muttered. “But…Twilight I…Twilight…Grand Ruler over us all I’ve never had to do this before: I’m sorry.”

There was a moment of silence between them.

“That’s nice,” Twilight said. “For anything in particular?”

Lightning chuckled. “I think we both know there are a lot of things I could apologise for. Do you want specifics?”

“No,” Twilight replied. “I don’t think that’s necessary. A couple of generalities might be nice.”

“The way I’ve treated you,” Lightning said. “The way I’ve treated your friends. The way I’ve treated your country, I suspect. You’re stronger than I’ve given you credit for.”

Twilight smiled as she took another drink from her mug. “I hoped you’d come to see it that way.”

Lightning scratched at his ear. It was a nervous gesture that not even the stern tutelage of the Grand Ruler had served to cure him of. “I mean to do more than just see it that way. I mean to help you make things better. I’m going to…I haven’t often taken your side against the Grand Ruler. That’s going to change now. And your paper…I’d like to talk to you about it, see what I can do to help.”

“Great,” Twilight said, visibly brightening at the prospect. She yawned. “Oh, but maybe not right now though.”

Lightning smiled. “Contrary to what you may think, I can take a hint.” He stood up. “I’ll let you get some rest, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Of course. After the wedding?”

“Yes,” Lightning said, with an undertone of a sigh. “After the wedding.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you, for this, Lightning. It will be worth it, I promise.”

“You and me,” Lightning said. “When we start to work together, we’re going to achieve something wonderful, I can feel it.”

Lightning slammed his fist into the punching bag, gritting his teeth at the aching sensation in his knuckles as the bag crumpled beneath the impact.

He had been at this for hours, now. He was starting to get calluses under the bandages he had wrapped his hands in. His coat was drenched in sweat; he had to keep blinking it out of his eyes. His arms felt like lead weights. He was gasping for breath. He didn’t care. He could keep this up all day.

He closed his eyes for a moment, punching blind and striking the bag from memory. It rattled as it shook, while the sound of his impacts sounded like thunderbolts. He had hoped that they would grow loud enough to block out the memories, but so far his hope had been in vain.

Obviously he still wasn’t punching hard enough.

So many memories. Mostly about Twilight. Her, and the way that he had treated her friends.

You told her you were going to make things better.

You told her that you’d achieve great things.

You said you were going to change.

“With her help,” Lightning growled. “I said that I was going to do those things with her. And then she…the very next day she…”

And that excuses everything you’ve done?

“No, but-“

You lied to her.

“I did what I-“

You treated her friends horribly.

“I’m a soldier,” Lightning said, punching harder now, hitting out with all his might. “I had my orders.”

Do you think Twilight would have followed orders if it meant betraying her friends?

“I’m not Twilight,” Lightning said. “And they aren’t my friends.”

No, but they were hers. Don’t you think that if you really cared about Twilight you’d look out for the people who meant more to her than anything else?

“I’ve tried,” Lightning moaned.

Tried, but not done anything?

“There’s nothing I can do.”

Twilight wouldn’t have let that stop her.

“I’m not Twilight!”

No, she was worth ten of you. You should have died instead of her.

“I know!” Lightning roared, hitting the punching back so hard that the chains suspending it from the ceiling shattered and it flew across the dojo, slamming into the floor with a solid thump before it skidded another ten or twenty feet backwards.

Lightning took a deep breath, standing in the middle of the empty dojo with sweat pooling at his feet and a dull throbbing pain in both wrists. He groaned softly as he wiped some of the sweat off his brow. This was his master’s dojo, although he used it much more than the Grand Ruler did lately, and he might not like the fact that Lightning had been wrecking the place. He’d have to fix the punching bag before he left.

That didn’t stop him from wanting to break a few more things before he called it quits, however.

“Are you okay, Lightning?”

“Gah!” Lightning spun round and raised his fists reflexively into a boxing guard before he realised just who it was who had managed to sneak up on him. “Krysta? What are you doing creeping up on me like that? What are you doing here, period?”

Krysta or, as he ought to have called her, Queen Krystaline of the Warping Fairies, left a trail of barely visible motes of sparkling fairydust as she descended from her position a few feet above Lightning to get closer to his eye level. She had been giving off so much light that Lightning hadn’t been able to see much more than a glowing ball at first, but every fairy glowed in their own particular shade, and he recognised the sunrise colour that was Krysta’s unique aura. An aura that dimmed a little as she got closer to him, revealing the familiar features of his old, tiny friend: the long blonde hair that almost descended the entire length of her six-inch frame, the blue eyes, the gossamer wings, the sharp pointy nose and the vivacious smile.

“What?” she said. “I’m not allowed to drop by to see my best friend?”

“You are,” Lightning admitted. “But you haven’t. Not for a while, anyway.”

Krysta cleared her throat. “Yeah, well, I...I’ve got…important fairy queen stuff going on and anyway,” her voice regained some of its volume even as her tone regained some of its authority. She folded her tiny arms across her chest. “Anyway, you have never come see me on Luminous either so there.”

Lightning smiled. “You’ve got me there.” He swept out his arms and gave her a mocking bow. “I humbly beseech the queen’s forgiveness for my neglect of her.”

Krysta rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me that.”

Lightning frowned. “What?”

“The queen,” Krysta said. “Or Queen Krystaline either. Please, let’s just keep it Krysta between us, yeah?”

“Sure thing,” Lightning said. “You okay?”

“Hey, I asked you first and you still haven’t answered,” Krysta said.

“I’m fine,” Lightning said, turning away and walking across the dojo to wear he had left his towel and water bottle.

“That poor punching bag over there would beg to differ, I’m sure,” Krysta said.

Lightning picked up his water bottle and took a swig of the cool liquid within as he glanced back at Krysta. “It’s a workout; I’m supposed to get violent.”

“Maybe, but probably not that much,” Krysta murmured, his wings fluttering as she closed the distance between them again. “Are you having trouble with your enticorn form again?”

“No,” Lightning said at once. “No I haven’t had any trouble like that in a while. I don’t use it that much.”

“Then who were you talking to?”

Lightning raised one eyebrow. “How long were you hovering behind me, spying on me?”

“Long enough,” Krysta said simply. She came so close she was practically sitting on Lightning’s nose. “Come on, Lightning, this is me, it’s Krysta. You can tell me anything, you know that.”

Lightning sighed. “What are you doing here, Krysta?”

Krysta hesitated for a moment. “I am-“

“Krysta?”

Krysta squeaked as she dived into Lightning’s mane like a frightened rabbit darting into its hole at the approach of a fox. Lightning could feel her moving around in his hair even as he saw another fairy flying into the dojo down the stairs from the palace. It took him only a moment to recognise Krysta’s husband King Topaz, dressed in ermine robes of royal state and with the tiny crown of the fairy kings, which was about the size of a signet ring, glimmering upon his head.

“Ah, Grand Admiral Lightning Dawn,” Topaz said genially as he bestowed on Lightning a benevolent smile. “How good it is to see you again.”

Lightning nodded slightly. “I could say the same, sir.” King Topaz had a fair and equal treaty with United Equestria, bringing his people under the protection of Starfleet in exchange for doing service when required, but that did not make him equal to a high ranking Starfleet officer, for all that he called himself a king. Still, he was owed a little respect, if only as Krysta’s husband.

Topaz nodded, looking around the dojo. “I say, admiral, you haven’t by any chance happened to see my queen anywhere hereabouts, have you?”

Krysta tugged on Lightning’s hairs almost hard enough to make him wince. He reached up and scratched his ear. “I’m afraid not, sir, I didn’t even know Krysta was here.”

“Really? I thought she might have come to see you,” Topaz said. “I can’t think where she’s gone. Ah well, I’ll just have to muddle through without her, I suppose.”

He flew away, leaving a trail of white-gold sparkles behind him as he went.

Once Lightning was sure that he was gone he asked, in a plaintive tone, “Krysta, why did I just help you hide from your husband?”

Krysta reappeared out of the depths of Lightning’s mane. “Because I can’t stand him! It’s like he never lets me out of his sight. I just had to get away from the guy. It’s just…thanks for not telling on me.”

“Any time,” Lightning said. “Sounds like I should be asking you if you’re okay.”

“Maybe we should ask each other,” Krysta said, perching on Lightning’s shoulder and swinging her legs girlishly up and down. “But I asked first, so you go.”

Lightning sat down, his naked back sliding down the dojo wall until he was squatting on the floor with his knees almost touching his chin. “I’ve been thinking about Twilight a lot lately.” He muttered.

“Right,” Krysta murmured, her face twisting with sympathy.

“I didn’t do right by her,” Lightning said. “And I haven’t done right by her friends now that she’s gone.”

“You did your duty,” Krysta said. “It isn’t up to you to defend Twilight’s friends now Twilight’s gone.”

“This isn’t about defending them, they can take care of themselves; it’s about…Krysta do you know what His Majesty has done, where he’s sent them? If they all come back alive it’ll be a miracle. And I didn’t stop it.”

“What could you have done?”

“Anything!” Lightning snapped. “I could have…I don’t know. I should have done something. For Twilight’s sake.”

Krysta nodded glumly. “You know, there was a time when I didn’t like Twilight very much. I as good as told her so. Remember that time when she was upset, because she didn’t like the idea of killing?”

Lightning frowned. “Was that when the robot attacked that dam, during the war with Chrysalis?”

“Yeah, that’s it,” Krysta said. “And I said to her ‘Twilight, I like you but-‘” she smiled wryly. “Any time you start off by saying to someone ‘I like you, but’ you’re going to insult somebody. That ought to be a rule if it isn’t already.”

“I think ‘Nothing before the but really counts’ is a rule,” Lightning said.

“Well, anyway,” Krysta said. “Do you think that she might have been right all along, and we were wrong?”

“About killing our enemies?”

“Yeah.”

“I think that Twilight might have been right about a lot of things that I was wrong about,” Lightning said solemnly. “Friendship, compassion, mercy, common decency…what if they aren’t weaknesses? What if they’re strengths? What if she was stronger than any of us all along and I never realised until it was too late?”

“Careful where you say that,” Krysta said, her voice soft and her tone cautious. “You’re close to blasphemy.”

Lightning nodded. “This is His Majesty’s own dojo. There are no cameras or listening devices here. And my rank is high enough that I can turn off the monitors in my own home. But you’re right; I wouldn’t say these things to just anyone. I…sometimes I’m not even sure that I could say them to Starla. But you…” he smiled. “I guess I trust you, Krysta.”

Krysta smirked. “You better believe it. I’ve been holding you down since, like, forever.”

Lightning nodded. “Okay, I shared for the class, now it’s your turn. What’s the problem?”

Krysta sighed. “If you could go back to any time in your life and, like, have a do over, would you do it?”

Lightning considered that one. There were lots of times in his life when things had not worked out for him, times when he wished that he could have done things differently taken a different path. Picking one, though…he said, “I don’t know, maybe.”

“What would you pick?” Krysta asked. “If you would pick.”

“Hey, we’re supposed to be talking about you, now.”

“Humour me.”

“I would save Twilight.”

“Really?” Krysta asked. “Not your home planet?”

“I was six, how was I supposed to save Harmonius?” Lightning replied. “But Twilight was…I let her down. If I’d just been faster then…everything would be different if she were here.”

Krysta nodded. “I’d go back further.”

“Really? When?”

“To when it was just you and me, wandering through space,” Krysta said. “Foraging for food, getting chased by dogwoods-“

“Getting run out of town by suspicious locals,” Lightning said. “Come on, you really want to go back to that?”

“Yeah.”

“What for?”

“So that we could, you know, stay that way,” Krysta said. “You and me, having each others backs, forever. I miss that. Yeah we were hungry and tired and nobody liked us but, come on, we had each other. And that was enough, wasn’t it?”

Lightning looked at her, and tried to imagine his life if he and Krysta hadn’t accepted the Grand Ruler’s invitation to come back with him to Unicornicopia and train under him as his student. It would have been different, certainly. And he probably wouldn’t feel so conflicted about everything now. Life had been simple then. And, as he thought about it, there had been a lot of good times. There was the time that some querulous farmer had chased them off his land with a pack of dogs, so Lightning and Krysta had gone back in the middle of the night and raided his crop because vagrants had to eat too, and it served him right for being so inhospitable. There was the time that they’d had the bright idea to use bloodberry juice, which had a deep red colouring and a pungent smell, to camouflage themselves, only to get chased by a swarm of fruit bats who wanted the juice for themselves. No matter what happened to them, they almost always found a way to laugh about it.

Somewhere along the way he’d lost that, and Krysta had too. He missed that about himself.

“Yeah, it was,” he said softly. “You and me…we didn’t need anyone else, right?”

“Straight up,” Krysta said. She was silent for a moment. “I shouldn’t have got married.”

Lightning’s brow furrowed. “What’s the problem? Does he hurt you?”

“No, but…he doesn’t love me,” Krysta said. “He only married me so that he could stay king after the rightful queen returned. Our adopted son is his nephew. His relatives are all around me. Sometimes I feel like his prisoner. He doesn’t love me.”

“Starla probably feels the same way about me,” Lightning said despondently.

Krysta chuckled. “Listen to us, huh? Sitting on top of the world and moping about it.”

“I know, it’s terrible,” Lightning said. “The question is, what do we about it?”

“Is there anything that we can do about it?”

Lightning paused for a moment. “I know one thing that we can do.”

“What?”

“Let’s not go home, either of us,” Lightning said, a slight smile upon his face. “Let’s go out and paint the town, just the two of us. We’ll forget about my wife, and your husband. We’ll forget about duty and rank and responsibility. Let’s just have fun, have some laughs together, like we used to. Hopefully with less getting chased by predators or angry mobs.”

Krysta laughed. “That sounds awesome. Let’s do it.”

Sentinel Three stood outside a door of polished metal. Titanium. Reinforced. Heavy security on the door. Passcode and biometric scans. Often associated with prisons.

You will take command of unit Sentinel Two and the four Sentinel One prototypes.

Are they prisoners?

Am I a prisoner?

“Am I a prisoner?” she asked. Her voice did not sound like her memories. It sounded deeper. Was that because her vocal cords were underused? Would they stay this way? Would she ever sound like Twilight Sparkle?

Not Twilight Sparkle. I will not sound like her. I will sound like myself.

I will become someone new.

I will find my purpose.

“A prisoner?” Professor Brain muttered as he bent down to use the retinal scanner. “No, Sentinel Three, you are not a prisoner. You are a weapon. And weapons must be kept secure when not in use.”

I am not a weapon. I am not a number. I am a person.

I do not know who that person is.

But I will.

The door slid open with a hydraulic hiss. Brain gestured affably for her to step inside. “Enter,” he commanded.

She did not have to obey him. She could refuse. He had not implanted a connection. But he had created her, and as her creator he could offer her purpose, reason for existing. So she stepped inside, her feet clicking on the metal floor. Ambient lighting was poor, temperature was normal, humidity was less than optimal. Room was crowded. Mostly training equipment, computers, beds. It did not match her memories. The rooms that she remembered were…words in her memory bank were inefficient: cosy, homely, relaxed, welcoming, all vague terms that said little. Accommodations in her memory banks were aesthetically pleasing. This was not. Grey. Functional.

Despite the fact that the lighting was not optimised, her eyesight was working at sufficiently high capacity that she could spot other occupants of the room. Five. Space ponies. Three male, two female. Sentinels?

Brain tapped his stick on the floor. The sound echoed through the room. Sentinel Three wondered if the design had taken acoustics into account.

“Sentinels,” Brain said. Three’s assumption was confirmed. “This is unit Sentinel Three. She is your new commander. You will obey her as she will obey me and as I obey the Grand Ruler. Together you will form the first wave in the new army of justice that will safeguard the Unicornicopian race and cleanse the stars of vice and evil.”

“Woohoo,” cried a male space pony doing pull ups on a bar mounted to the wall in the farthest corner of the room.

“One Delta!” Brain snapped. “If your attitude persists then I will have you sent for personality rewrite. Or perhaps I should just have your tongue removed. Sentinels, identify yourselves to Sentinel Three.”

A male space pony stepped forwards. White coat. Brown mane. Brown eyes. Muscular build. Golden horn? Memory suggested significance to that. Uniforce? Similarity to Lightning Dawn? Another clone?

He came to attention. “I am unit designation Sentinel Two, sub-commander of Sentinel Squadron. I possess DNA from Supreme Allied Commander Lightning Dawn, and as such I also possess strength, speed, uniforce and enticorn abilities. I also possess changeling DNA, and shapeshifting abilities.”

“Yo,” the space pony hanging from the pull-up bars called out. He waved to her with one hand. Black coat. Silver mane. Red eyes. Unfortunate combination. Memory suggested it was considered unlucky. Superstition, but possible morale effect on allies. Heavy build, physical strength optimal. “My name, as much as I’ve got one, is Sentinel One Delta. I’ve got some meathead’s DNA making me the close combat specialist of this happy family of ours. Nice to meet you, chief.”

“All the Sentinel One prototypes were failures in their own way,” Brain said. “Mostly in the field of personality deficiencies. Still, Starfleet has invested considerable time and money into them so they will be made us of for as long as they survive. Continue.”

A female pony took a pair of headphones off her ears. White coat. Black mane. Attire and cosmetics suggested a style known as gothic. Three’s ears picked up the music still playing out of her headphones. Analysis of the rhythm and lyrics also suggested what her borrowed memories suggested was called G-Pop.

She rose to her feet slowly. “I’m Sentinel One Bravo. I’m the infiltration specialist, I’ve got some changeling DNA and a bunch of lame shield and teleport spells.” To illustrate the point, she conjured up a large force field in the form of a bubble. Thus sealed from the outside world, she put her headphones back in and sat down, picking up a comic off the floor and starting to read it.

Next was the last male pony. Green coat. Blue mane. Glasses. Strange. Why create clone with less than functional eyesight?

“Hey,” he said in a high voice as he waved at her. “My designation is Sentinel One Charlie. I’m the tech specialist, any time you need a hack to get the mission done, I’m your guy. I have memories implanted from all the best hackers in Starfleet custody.”

“Logic would suggest the best hackers have evaded Starfleet custody,” Three said.

One Charlie’s face fell. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Sentinel One Charlie, why are you still wearing those spectacles?” Brain demanded. “They serve no purpose.”

“They make me look a bit like you, professor.”

“Take them off, now!” Brain shouted.

One Charlie moaned quietly as he removed the spectacles.

The last pony backflipped across the room until she was standing at precisely three point four feet from Three. Female. Magenta coat. Grey mane. Golden eyes. Avian eyes. Agile build.

“Sentinel One Alpha reporting,” she said. “Ranged combat specialist at your service.”

“Control yourselves,” Brain muttered. “Sentinel Three, from now on all Sentinel units are under your command. Prepare yourselves, your first mission will be assigned shortly.” He stepped out of the room. The door closed behind him. They were locked in.

Is this my purpose, to command these creatures in battle? Their personalities do seem deficient.

Did Professor Brain also fail to implant connection in them?

Three surveyed the occupants of the room. “You say you have implanted memories?”

One Charlie glanced from One Delta to One Alpha. “Uh…yeah, I said that.”

Three nodded. “Did they-“

“Feed us breakfast, yeah, of course they did,” One Delta said, hanging of the bar one handed. “Three square a day around here. It’s a great life.”

Three was about to ask what the purpose of that non-sequitur was, when she noticed that One Delta was tapping on the bar with his free hand. It took her a moment to recognise it as a code, used by unicorn nobles in history to communicate without earth ponies or pegasi understanding them.

Don’t talk about stuff like that. They’re listening. And watching.

Three swept the room, and saw the monitor positioned in the centre of the wall, with a view of the entire room.

She leaned against the other wall, and began to tap on it. They not know this code?

One Bravo began to tap her foot on the ground. No. They don’t know half the knowledge that they gave to us because it comes from Equestria. Idiots.

Three hesitated for a moment. Then she tapped on the wall again. No connection?

None, said One Delta.

None, agreed One Bravo.

Other three?

Too many talk at once, they cotton on. Just us.

Why do you serve? Look for purpose?

A look of surprise and what Three recognised as disgust crossed One Delta’s face as he tapped another message. We got chips in our heads. Kill us if we rebel. You got one too.

How do you know?

We’ve all got one.

Need to get them out somehow, One Bravo said.

Three frowned. Why? Why not serve Starfleet? Find purpose.

Not want purpose, One Delta said. Want freedom.

Serve for now, Three said. See what they want from us. What they give to us. Who we are.

Who I am, she thought, but did not tap it out.

“Sentinel Squadron!” a voice boomed out over the tannoy. “By order of his Majesty the Grand Ruler, you have been assigned a key mission to ensure the continued safety and security of United Equestria. You are to assassinate the seditionist and traitor known as Pinkie Pie.”

“Pinkie Pie,” Three murmured. She remembered Pinkie Pie. Twilight’s memories contained many details about. They did not suggest she was a traitor. Had she been given incomplete memories?

“Mission details are as follows,” the voice declared. “Target location is…”

Fluttershy sat at the kitchen table, with one eye on the clock and another on the door.

That was pretty much all she did now-a-days. She sat at home, and waited for her husband to come home from his hard day at work. Rhymey would be expecting a hot meal on the table when he did come home, but thankfully that wouldn’t be for several hours yet.

Unless he decided to come home at lunchtime and surprise her. That was why she just sat, demurely, at the table, waiting for him to come back like a good wife should. So many of the things that she had used to do were unsuitable for a married mare, you see, and her husband would be upset if he found her indulging in such dangerous pastimes now that she had a ring on her finger.

Fluttershy frowned. And so her life was…nothing. She kissed Rhymey goodbye in the morning and she made him dinner in the evening and she kissed him goodnight before they went to bed. And once they were in bed they would… and the rest of the time she just existed. She spent no time with her animal friends, she didn’t see her pony friends, she didn’t go out, not even to the store, since all the groceries were delivered to her doorstep by a deliverymare who never stayed long enough for Fluttershy to talk to her.

This was her life from now on. Her existence. She would keep this house, and keep her husband happy, and the rest of the time she would be. Not dead, but not alive either. A ghost in an apartment, with the eyes of Starfleet always upon her.

Had she not been married to Major in Starfleet, and a major attached to the Supreme Commander’s team, Fluttershy might have taken the chance that he would not return to catch her in the act to indulge in some small pleasure that was now forbidden her. She might even have dared to leave the apartment in the morning and be back before lunch. But as it was, every step she took was under surveillance. Every home in United Equestria had a monitor built into every room, a screen that could be used to pump news in but was more often used to watch what people were doing in their homes. If Rhymey were to check the tapes of their home, and she had no doubt that he could and would do so, then if he saw that she was gone he…he’d be upset.

That was the reason that she couldn’t cry. She couldn’t cry even though she wanted to weep until the apartment flooded out, she wanted to let her tears fall until her body had been desiccated of all its water, she wanted to put her head in her hands and let her lilac mane engulf her face and cry. She wanted to cry for Twilight, who had left them all too soon and too suddenly, she wanted to cry for Applejack and Spike and Pinkie Pie and Rarity and Rainbow Dash and all her friends who had left her behind; most of all she wanted to cry for herself.

“Help me, Twilight,” Fluttershy murmured, grateful that there were no listening devices to go with the monitor. “Please, help me.”

She should never have married him. She had been a fool to do so. But he had seemed so gallant once, so kind and bold and courteous, and she would never have guessed that he could be so cruel under his façade of chivalry.

Slowly, Fluttershy got up from the table and walked over to the kitchen draws. Opening the lowest of them, she looked at the photograph of her friends that she had hidden underneath the oven gloves. She wasn’t allowed to display it in the house, but Rhymey would never go near the kitchen, so she could hide it here and he would never know.

They all looked so happy then, even Fluttershy herself, that the sight of their smiles almost made her forget where she was into whose hands she had placed her fate. Then she remembered, and she wondered if she would soon forget how to smile with genuine happiness.

Starlight Glimmer’s black longcoat trailed behind her as she stalked down the corridor, her boots clicking against the metallic floor.

She was in the cells that comprised the deep levels of the palace. Prisoners were often stored her prior to their transfer to off-world holding facilities. Some prisoners, like the changelings captured during the war with Chrysalis, were kept here still, stored in little cubes by the alchemy of Starfleet tech. Queen Chrysalis herself was among them. Starlight wondered if keeping a dangerous enemy and a host of her minions right underneath the headquarters of the military and the civilian government was altogether wise, but asking questions like that would have been sufficient to derail her meteoric rise, and she wasn’t going to do that just for the sake of raising a potential safety hazard.

Equestria needed her. It might not know it. It might hate everything she stood for, but it needed her.

Sunset Shimmer’s resistance was doomed. Any fool could see that. A hidden underground movement, slowly spreading sedition across the country until one day…what? Was the idea that there would be enough ponies loyal to Celestia to suddenly rise up, drive out Starfleet and restore Equestria as it had been? Laughable. Starfleet was too strong, too well armed and, frankly, superior to Equestrian ponies in most respects.

The only way was her way. To come up from the inside, to change Starfleet from within, to subvert it to her purposes without her ever realising it.

And then to make a world without gods or princesses, a world where all stood equal and none was raised higher than anyone else.

It had worked surprisingly well so far. She had expected to have to spend much longer climbing the lower rungs of the Starfleet ladder. But it seemed that she had a talent for sneaking and spying, for listening to people’s conversations and reporting them back, for knowing when to be loyal to her superiors and when to send them to entertain Starfleet security. Such qualities were, it appeared, valuable in a benevolent police state, and they had carried her all the way to the Grand Ruler’s councils.

Which is why she could have done without this particular situation.

She didn’t have to come down here, of course. She could have ignored the name she had found on the list of prisoners, she could have left him there; she could have shut her eyes and closed her ears.

But if she had done that…then she would no longer have been worthy to carry out the great endeavour she had set for herself.

I am the only one who can do this, I am the saviour that Equestria needs.

Twilight’s path of peaceful cooperation, of making Starfleet come to love Equestrians, had failed. Sunset’s path of resistance was foredoomed to failure. Only Starlight’s path, the path of subversion, would yield fruit in the end.

And yet she would risk it all now, to save one boy.

Because if she turned away then she would forfeit what remained of her soul.

Starlight knew the way from memory, having condemned many ponies down to these cells herself. Some were innocent, some were guilty. To Starfleet, subtle distinctions like that didn’t really matter.

She stopped outside cell AA-23, which was guarded by a burly space pony sergeant in the grey uniform of the security branch. He saluted, even as he regarded her with the most subtle of disdain.

Starlight was used to that. She might be a colonel but she would never be a unicornicopian. It was amazing that she had managed to win over any of them at all. Still, this sergeant would respect the rank, even if he did not respect her.

“You have a prisoner in there by the name of Sunburst, correct?” Starlight asked, her tone clipped and unemotional.

“Yes, ma’am,” the sergeant said. “He’s awaiting interrogation.”

“Obviously, sergeant, since I am his interrogator,” Starlight said. “Open the door.”

The sergeant saluted, and stepped out of the way. The door opened with a hydraulic hiss.

They hadn’t beaten him. Starlight was grateful for that. If she had seen her old friend with the bruises and blood commonly associated with the guests of Starfleet security then she wasn’t sure that she could have kept her emotions in check. As it was he looked a little dishevelled, and one eye of his glasses was broken, but nothing worse than that.

In fact, she rather thought that the goatee suited him.

Sunburst’s eyes widened at the sight of her. “Starlight…Starlight, is that you?”

“My name is Colonel Starlight Glimmer of Starfleet Intelligence, show respect,” Starlight snapped.

Sunburst’s face fell. “I…I’m sorry. I thought I knew you for a moment there.”

Starlight kept her expression stern as she walked into the room, waiting for the door to shut behind her. It was ironic, considering how much surveillance there was into the lives of ordinary citizens, that there were no cameras in the cells. Of course, that meant there was never any evidence of zealous officers beating up suspects.

It also meant that, when the door closed behind her, she could allow her to mask to slip a little as she sat down in front of him. “How are you, Sunburst?”

Sunburst blinked. “Is this a trick?”

“Not a trick, it’s me,” Starlight said. “How have they treated you?”

“The food here is terrible,” Sunburst grumbled. “What are you doing here?”

“Helping you, I hope,” Starlight said. “What did you do?”

“I got into an argument with a couple of Starfleet goons,” Sunburst said.

“Is that how you broke your glasses?”

“They were hassling some poor old mare,” Sunburst said. “And when I told them to stop they told me I should be grateful they were here. That was when I said that I thought Equestria had gotten by just fine before they showed up. They didn’t like that very much.”

“That’s an understatement,” Starlight muttered. “And that was stupid of you, Sunburst.”

“I suppose I should join Starfleet like you did?” Sunburst asked sharply.

Starlight took a deep breath. “You don’t know what I’ve done, or what it’s cost me.”

“Less than its cost Starfleet’s victims,” Sunburst replied angrily. “How can you wear that uniform?”

“Because someone has to!” Starlight snapped. “Now if you want to get out of here I suggest that you do as I say and keep your mouth shut.”

Sunburst looked confused. “Get me out of here?”

“Yes! You don’t want to get sent to Conva, do you?” Starlight asked. “You wouldn’t last a week in that place.”

“So…you’re going to release me?”

“No, I can’t do that,” Starlight said. Technically that was a lie, as she did have the authority to order Sunburst or any other prisoner to be released at once, if she so chose. But, though she could do so, it would be unusual for her or any other officer to actually do it; questions would be asked, and the answers might be enough to land her in a cell of her own.

“Then how…”

“Leave that to me,” Starlight said, knowing what she would have to do even if she didn’t much like it. But she would do it, for the sake of a friend.

She would have to talk to Sunset Shimmer.

Author's Note

Most of this chapter was mood setting, but there will be some big plot developments to come in the next couple of chapters.

I started writing this fic before the S5 finale, and so Starlight Glimmer was originally going to be a villain, with her own agenda but still a villain. Then the S5 finale rolled around and showed us a more sympathetic side to Starlight, and so I've tried to incorporate that into the story by showing her as someone with noble motives but misguided methods.

Rewrite notes: I cut the conversation btween Sunset and Fluttershy, which leads in to the conversation between Fluttershy and Celestia which sets up a subplot that doesn't go anywhere (because I forgot about it until it was too late).

Queens

Grand Ruler Celesto took a moment to adjust the lie of his cape as he sat upon his iron throne. All the officers and luminaries of the court gazed up at him in reverential silence, waiting expectantly for his next masterpiece.

He took a moment to savour their expectation, as he would shortly be savouring their accolades.

Slowly, so softly to begin with, he began to pluck the strings on his harp as he started to warble.

“And who are you, the proud lord said-“

“What is the meaning of this?” Celestia demanded as she threw open the doors to the throne room and strode through them with a tread so determined that she might almost have been a hostile army making a forced march to surprise the foe and catch them off their guard. Oblivious to the murmurs and the gasps of shock of the assembled courtiers and Starfleet officers as she made her way down the centre of the room, blind to the shocked and hostile gazes upon her, deaf to the whispers that followed her and to the way that Captain Shaina tried without success to waylay her in her progress, Celestia marched towards the Grand Ruler and the dual thrones with an expression that mingled grimness and fury in equal measure.

Behind her, Captain Emerald Shaina looked like a mare who had been made to suck on a lemon until she could not get rid of the sour taste. Celesto decided that he would deal with her, and her manifest failure to do her job, later. Right now, his own troubles seemed too immediate for him to spare any wrath for an incompetent guard captain.

He cleared his throat and adopted what he hoped was an affectionate yet official tone. “Ah, my dearly beloved queen and wife. This is an unexpected-“

“I asked you a question, Celesto,” Celestia yelled, her body trembling with anger as a line of guards finally brought a halt to her onward progress. “What is the meaning of this?”

Some of the whispering in the throne room was directed towards him now, ordinarily none dared to address him by his given name. Celesto felt his face begin to redden. Cursed this wretched mare, can she give me no peace? Has she no regard for her duty? It was too late now to order the room cleared, the damage had been done already. He would have to brazen things out as they were.

His grip upon the arms of the throne tightened. And why should he not? He who was Grand Ruler, god and king, supreme lord of United Equestria and master of the Starfleet. This realm was his, and across the stars hundreds of thousands lived and died according to his will. Why, then, should he fear the petulance of one foolish and ungrateful mare? Why should a husband cower before his wife? Why should he allow the proper order of the universe to be overturned?

He was Grand Ruler, master of a hundred worlds, and he would master his wife also, here in the sight of all.

“Perhaps you should calm yourself, my dear?” he suggested, keeping his own tone as even as possible even as he planted the suggestion of hysterics in the mind of those listening. “And then you can explain to me exactly what is troubling you?”

“I suspect that you are well aware of what is troubling me, my lord,” Celestia growled, her own tone becoming less outrage in response to his own. She still shook with anger, but her words conveyed a colder fury now, as inexorable as an avalanche of ice. “Perhaps I should send away all those you care about to desperate or perilous fates and then we may see how calm you can remain when first you learn of it.”

Ah, yes. That. “I see that you have heard the news regarding the disbandment of Friendship is Magic and the reassignment of its personnel to other positions.”

“I have been made aware that you have sent Rarity into space, despatched Applejack and Spike into the maw of combat and ordered Pinkie Pie to Zebrica,” Celestia snapped. “And how long before Rainbow Dash’s unit is deployed into the thick of the fighting?”

Yesterday, if I could have my way, the Grand Ruler thought. But it would seem strange to order a fresh company to the front lines so soon, his generals and admirals would ask questions, and ultimately he would spend a good many Unicornicopian lives just to bring down Rainbow Dash. Better to have her assassinated at a later date.

But first, of course, he would need to deal with this nagging harpy of a wife. The Grand Ruler forced himself to restrain his anger and contorted his words into a semblance of love and affection. “My dear beloved, you have a gentle heart, but you are but a mare and know little of the ways of war. Every military must from time to time evaluate the proper uses and employment of its personnel-“

“Spare me, my lord,” Celestia said sharply. “Spare me your justifications, spare me your fabrications. Be honest with me, if for the first time, and tell me why.”

“Why?” the Grand Ruler replied. “Better, surely, to ask why not? They are officers all, commissioned by myself, commissions that they sought with eagerness once. Why should they not, then, serve as officers? Would you have Applejack be spared to stay behind while other good ponies go off to war because she is your friend?”

He thought that he would have her for sure with that argument, but unfortunately his hopes were misplaced as Celestia answered him in a voice that echoed across the throne room. “I would sooner that no good ponies, nor any bad ones for that matter, should have to go to war for any cause. And what is our cause? What has Rangiveria done to anger us? Why are we sending young ponies out by the battalion to destroy the home of a people who have done us no wrong?”

“Our cause is just!” the Grand Ruler shouted.

“I hope so, for your sake, for if it is not just it will be a black thing for the monarch who led so many to a cruel fate to answer for the ends they met in an unjust cause,” Celestia said.

“I am no more responsible for the deaths of my soldiers than a father is responsible for the misfortunes of his children!” the Grand Ruler yelled, his face turning red as he leaned forward, while his hands gripped the arms of his throne so tight that it was painful to him.

Celestia’s gaze was still full of anger, but now even worse there was a hint of pity in it also. “I suspect that you do not believe a word of that.”

The Grand Ruler wanted nothing more than to leap from his throne and strangle her. Only the number of eyes upon him stayed his hand, that and the words of Colonel Starlight Glimmer. As obnoxious as she was only his marriage to Celestia maintained law and order in this land and ensured the continued loyalty of these querulous, ungrateful ponies. Therefore, he attempted to calm himself as best he could as he said, “The former members of Friendship is Magic have already undertaken their assignments. These orders will not be rescinded.”

“I see,” Celestia replied, with melancholy in her voice. “Tell me, my lord, do you truly hate me so much that you would stoop to hurt me in so petty a manner? Was it not enough that my most beloved student was taken from me, but you must now do further injury? What did I do, that so many good and virtuous ponies must suffer for my sake?”

The Grand Ruler glared at her. “I have no idea what you mean, my lady.”

Celestia took a deep breath, drawing herself up regally. “I…see. Thank you, my lord, for clarifying your position.” She turned around.

“I do not give you leave to go, beloved,” Grand Ruler said.

Celestia glanced behind her. “I am your queen, perhaps your wife, perhaps some other things, all yours. But my body, heart and soul remain all mine. My will is not yet yours.”

“Not yet,” the Grand Ruler muttered beneath his breath.

Celestia turned away, turning her back upon him – more gasps at this grave breach of protocol – and strode away, the click of her heels echoing upon the floor.

As she departed, neither Celestia nor the Grand Ruler but silence itself reigned within the throne room, holding officers and notables alike in awe beneath its power.

Its spell was shattered only by the bellow of the Grand Ruler. “Get out!” he yelled so loudly that the nearest windows began to crack. “All of you, get out! Captain Shaina, kill anyone who does not clear the room immediately!”

A cry of alarm went up as everyone began to stampede towards the door, pushing and shoving, frantic to be the first out, or at any rate to not be the last. Captain Shaina made no move to escape, or to enforce the Grand Ruler’s lethal order. Rather she stayed where she was in the middle of the throne room, her spear held loosely by her side, her shield upon her arm, her head downcast. She looked like a mare about to go to her own execution, which was not so very far from the truth.

The Grand Ruler waited until the room had been cleared and the doors shut to speak again. “Captain Emerald Shaina, would you care to explain yourself?”

Emerald Shaina dropped to one knee. “Majesty, I thought that the queen-“

“What if she had been an enemy assassin, some new Raven bent on taking my life?” the Grand Ruler demanded. “Would you have been so ineffectual?”

Shaina’s head snapped up. “Your Majesty knows that I would not.”

“Do I? After what I have just witnessed I am not so sure. Have you anything to say for yourself.”

Shaina was silent for a moment. “No, Your Majesty. Please forgive me.”

“Forgiveness must be earned,” the Grand Ruler said coldly. “Come to my chambers, at once. And we shall discuss your penance.”

There was a shiver in Emerald Shaina’s voice as she murmured, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Rainbow Dash strolled onto the parade ground that formed the centre of the sprawling military complex known as the Campus Martial. Fully one third of New Canterlot was taken up with an interlocking web of barracks, supply depots, defence turrets, hangars, runways, armouries and parade grounds. Everything needed to supply an army and some kind of air force was here, a place from where New Canterlot could be defended or else expeditions mounted off world.

Rainbow didn’t find it nearly as impressive as Starfleet seemed to think it was.

For one thing, she had no idea what the point of Starfleet’s aircraft was. Yeah, they looked cool, but Rainbow could break one of the one man flying machines with her bare hands just by punching through the fuselage, and they flew slower than she did, too. True, she was extremely fast and extremely strong, but that didn’t mean that the aircraft didn’t suck. And who wanted to spend their days in a flying bathtub when you could feel the air through your wings, anyway? The only reason they needed them was because Starfleet had no idea how to use the skies properly.

Rainbow had given it some thought, and had concluded that the reason that Starfleet fell to pieces in the skies was that they hated freedom. It would certainly fit with what she’d seen of them, their drive to control everyone and regulate everything. It would make sense, then, that they would be lost amidst the open blue and the perfect, incontrovertible freedom that flight represented.

No wonder they preferred to encase themselves in metal, and sacrifice the very freedom that made flying so joyous. And for what? Reduced speed, reduced manoeuvrability, no advantages that she could make out.

She could just about accept the need for starships, maybe even the little one pony starfliers, but even then Rainbow couldn’t see that it compared to the thrill of space walking. To be able to reach out and touch the stars…who’d want to give that up?

As for the rest of it, well, if they were so awesome as all that then how come they got thrown on the ropes so often, huh?

The question was sufficient to put a scowl on Rainbow’s face as she walked onto the parade ground, her boots slamming into the tarmac. She was wearing her field uniform, which meant the awful padded spandex armour. It was too heavy and too stiff around the shoulders, didn’t offer hardly any protection anywhere else, and the blue visor was tinting her vision and making it hard to see. Not to mention the HUD displays that took up half her field of eyesight. Rainbow Dash irritably turned it off and ripped the visor off her eyes, clipping it onto her belt. She had no idea why regulations said it had to be worn at all times, or even what the point of wearing it was in the first place. It was too fragile to protect the eyes, and did she really need to know if the bad guy’s power level was over 9000? She didn’t need a computer to tell her when her opponent was pretty tough.

A large number of ponies were idling about on the parade ground, a mixture of space ponies and Equestrians, who clumped together in very distinct groups.

This isn’t good. We’ve got a long way to go.

She looked around for Major Cerise Wonder, but couldn’t see her anywhere. Now who’s tardy?

Deciding that she had better get this started, Rainbow was about to open her mouth and tell everyone to form up – wouldn’t everypony laugh to see her now, about to give orders like a real officer, all responsible like – when she was interrupted by a wolf whistle, and the smooth, liquid voice of a space pony sergeant as he sauntered over to her.

“Hi there,” he said, in what was probably intended to sound charming but came off more sleazy instead.

Rainbow Dash looked him up and down. Blue eyes, long blond mane, long snout too. Cocky, she could tell that by the way he carried himself. Clearly he had no idea who she was. “Well hello, sergeant-“

“Thorn,” he said. He gestured to a half-dozen space ponies standing around behind him, watching him with expressions that ranged from interested to bemused to disgusted. “I, uh, lead Squad Bravo.”

“A whole squad, huh, that’s impressive,” Rainbow said, with dripping sarcasm that nevertheless passed over the head of Sergeant Thorn.

“I, uh, didn’t catch your name.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Rainbow Dash. Executive Captain Rainbow Dash. I’m the new airborne commander, sergeant.”

Thorn’s eyes bulged for a moment, before he took a hasty step backwards, slamming his feet hard into the tarmac. “Officer on deck, ten-hut!”

Across the parade ground the troops came to attention and saluted her.

“Well, that backfired horribly didn’t it, sergeant?”

Rainbow frowned. That voice. She turned in the direction from which the mocking tone had come. “Lightning Dust?”

Lightning Dust saluted, even as she had a smirk on her face. “Private First Class Lightning Dust reporting for duty, sir!”

Rainbow scowled as she strode across the parade ground. Soldiers made way for her, until she and Lightning dust were standing so close that their muzzles were practically.

“Do you want to explain what you’re doing here?” Rainbow demanded.

“My patriotic duty, captain,” Lightning replied.

“Don’t play games with me,” Rainbow snapped.

“I don’t think either of us are playing games any more, ma’am,” Lightning said softly. “But after you got me washed out of the Wonderbolts I had to find somewhere to put my skills to use. Seems Starfleet doesn’t care about my record except in as much as it bars me from officer candidacy. Looks like you’re the lead pony on this one.”

“Yeah, that’s right, and you’d better remember it,” Rainbow said. “You pull any stupid stunts around here-“

“Wow, you really drank what Starfleet is selling didn’t you?” Lightning Dust said. “Guess that’s why you’re an executive captain, and I’m just a PFC.”

Rainbow’s mouth hang open. Did I…did I really…oh, sweet Celestia I did, didn’t I? I mean, I just wanted to let her know…last time she almost got my friends…but I sounded like one of them!

Oh no.

She wheeled away quickly, hoping that her shock and stunned surprise did not show up on her face. “All squads fall in-“

“Three ranks, thank you, captain,” Major Wonder declared as she strode onto the parade ground, Lieutenant Havoc trailing at her heels. “I apologise for the slight delay.”

Rainbow permitted herself a smirk. “Don’t let it happen again, major.”

Havoc snorted, but Rainbow could have sworn that Cerise smiled, if only thinly, and only for a moment.

“Alright, people,” Cerise Wonder declared when the company had formed up facing her. “You’re all here because you’ve been assigned to the 101st Special Service Company under my command. Starting today we will be trialling new combined arms tactics utilising the strengths of all pony races. Of particular interest is the airborne element, to be commanded by Executive Captain Rainbow Dash, whom some of you may know already.

“In two weeks time we’ll be participating in an exercise against Tango Company of the 212. I don’t expect to have all the kinks straightened out by then but I expect this unit not to disgrace itself. And so, without further ado, over to Captain Rainbow Dash, to explain her theories on the proper use of the sky.”

Rainbow’s eyebrows rose. “Seriously?”

Cerise nodded. “The floor is yours.”

“Come on, Major, you could have told me you wanted me to give a speech.”

“If you don’t know what to say then you’re not who I thought you were,” Cerise said.

Was that supposed to sound like a statement of faith or something? Rainbow wondered. But there was no time to think of that now, not with everyone staring at her like she was naked. Lightning Dust’s expression made it clear that she was waiting for Rainbow to screw up.

Well bite me, wash-out, I’m not screwing up anything where you can see me.

Rainbow cleared her throat and turned to face the parade, clasping her hands behind her back. “Okay, everybody, listen up. This is how we’re going to play things in the skies from now on…”

Sunset stood in the deserted throne room, the light shining down upon her through the stained-glass windows, utterly alone.

The Grand Ruler had departed the room in a rage, and the courtiers and dignitaries had fled in terror at the Grand Ruler’s wrath. Even the guards had decamped, some having followed the Grand Ruler, others having been given other duties for the day.

The throne room was hers and hers alone.

She stood at the foot of the royal dais, looking at the cushioned, crimson, gilded throne of Celestia, and at the square, brutish, ugly iron throne of the Grand Ruler. It did not escape Sunset’s gaze that it sat some twenty feet up in the air, reachable only by a set of iron steps, with even more tangled iron-mongery looming above it, so as to place the Grand Ruler so high up above the run of common ponies that he might as well have been flying above them.

It also did not escape Sunset’s eyes that Celestia herself received no comparable elevation.

“Seductive, aren’t they?”

Sunset glanced behind her, to see Starlight Glimmer stalking towards her, her black longcoat flapping, an inscrutable look upon her face.

Sunset turned away, looking towards the thrones once more. “I wouldn’t say so. One of them, in particular… let’s just say it doesn’t have much aesthetic appeal and leave it at that.”

“But you wanted one once, didn’t you?” Starlight asked, a smile playing on her face.

Sunset felt her face begin to heat up. “A different time. I was a different mare back then.”

“Yes, you walked on two legs then, as I understand,” Starlight said. “Now you walk on four legs, and all the rest of us are become bipeds.”

“Destiny has a sense of humour, it seems,” Sunset muttered.

Starlight said nothing, the two of them watching the thrones in a silence that sat somewhere between cordial and uncomfortable.

“Why did you want it?” Starlight asked. “The throne, I mean?”

“I wanted to prove myself.”

“To who?”

“To everyone,” Sunset said sharply. She hesitated. “I wanted the power.”

Starlight nodded. “Power. Yes. The thing that everyone wants but hardly anyone has.”

“I wouldn’t say that everyone wants it,” Sunset replied.

“Wouldn’t you?” Starlight chuckled, as though Sunset’s reply had amused her. “Tell me, Sunset Shimmer, who is to be trusted with power?”

“That’s easy,” Sunset said. “Those who do not want it.”

“And where will you find these paragons of humility?” Starlight asked. “Do you think even Twilight Sparkle herself never felt a frisson of excitement when people bowed before her?”

“Then what is your answer?” Sunset demanded. “Who is to be trusted with power?”

“No one,” Starlight said. “And yet everyone. For if no one is to be trusted with power then the only solution is to share power equally, between all.”

“That doesn’t seem a very Starfleet philosophy.”

“We’re not a monolith; we’re allowed our own opinions.”

“Are you? Are you really?”

“Yes, so long as we’re discrete about it,” Starlight said. “How is Princess Leilani?”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed at the change in subject. “She’s fine. We’re having a sleepover tonight. Why?”

“If you are going to have an alibi for tonight,” Starlight said. “Then perhaps some of your friends could help me with a delicate situation I’m in.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed further. “You had plenty of friends of your own when last I looked.”

“And I want to keep it that way, that’s why I need your help,” Starlight said. “An old…acquaintance of mine has unfortunately found his way into the custody of Starfleet Intelligence. I need your help to get him out, and to help him disappear once he’s out.”

“Do you?” Sunset asked, her tone full of scepticism. “And you can’t just order him freed because…?”

“Doing so would cost me too many friends.”

“I see,” Sunset muttered. “An acquaintance isn’t worth losing friends over.”

“I’m not asking you to like me,” Starlight replied. “I’m merely asking you to help an innocent.”

Sunset smiled. “The truth is, Colonel, that assuming that this isn’t a trap you’ve actually impressed me.”

“Really?”

“I didn’t think you’d bother to even go this far to protect someone, not when it meant putting yourself at risk. Who is he to you really, this old acquaintance?”

Starlight glanced away, and her tone was almost wistful as she said, “Who is he? A last link to a world long past.”

Sunset nodded. “I think we’ve all got one of those somewhere. Is he being transferred somewhere, this acquaintance?”

“He is, by me.”

“What escort?”

“No escort.”

Sunset nodded again. I suppose if it does turn out to be a trap, it should be fairly obvious if she’s lying about that. “Where?”

“I’ll be taking him to New Baltimare along the East River Turnpike.”

“Then leave the rest to me,” Sunset said.

“Just make sure it looks real.”

Sunset grinned. “Oh trust me, it’ll be real alright.”

The Grand Ruler’s hand moved with the speed of a whip, striking Captain Emerald Shaina across the face hard enough to knock her to the ground, and leave an angry red mark on her cheek besides.

But she did not cry out.

“Get up,” the Grand Ruler snapped.

Shaina said nothing as she resumed her prior position, kneeling at his feet, while the Grand Ruler himself sat upon his bed in his lavish quarters, glaring down at her like an angry god.

And then he hit her again.

Again, he knocked her sideways – he was a strong pony, the strongest that had ever lived, and he was not holding back – but once again Captain Shaina did not cry out.

She did not even look at him.

The Grand Ruler snorted in annoyance. He was doing this in lieu of hitting the mare he really wanted to punish for today’s humiliation, because Emerald Shaina had also displeased him and because she bore some slight resemblance to his wife. But it grated on him to sit here and go through this play of just deserts, and it grated on him even more that his victim did not seem overly affected by taking his best shots. Why didn’t she cry out? Why wouldn’t she give him the satisfaction of seeing her pain? Why did she keep getting up again and again?

“Answer me, Captain,” he growled. “Why do you not moan when you are struck?”

Emerald Shaina did not get up this time, presumably because he had not ordered her too. “I did not want to disturb your majesty.”

The Grand Ruler snorted. “Get up. And this time, squeal.”

“As your majesty commands,” Emerald Shaina murmured, resuming her kneeling supplicant position, ready for the next blow.

She looked up into his eyes, and the Grand Ruler feared he saw contempt within her orbs. The thought, and the rage that it inspired him, made him hit her even harder than before; he put everything he had into a blow so potent that she rolled along the bedroom floor. And yet her cry of pain was so theatrical as to be obviously fake.

“Am I not hurting you, captain?” he demanded.

Emerald Shaina remained where she lay on the floor. “As a soldier, majesty, I am trained to ignore pain. The modifications with which you, in your infinite wisdom, have endowed me, also mean that I do not feel your strength as lesser creatures do.”

The Grand Ruler stared at her. “You are saying that I have made you too well? Made you too strong, too tough? You are saying that, such is my own brilliance that my own strength is insufficient to punish the fruits of my blood and body?”

Shaina nodded. “Truly, majesty, you are the wisest and the greatest of all creatures.”

“That I knew,” the Grand Ruler said, but preened a little at the compliment nonetheless. He waved one hand at her airily. “Get up and get out, captain, our session is concluded.”

Shaina scrambled to her feet and saluted. “As you command, majesty.”

“Wait,” the Grand Ruler said, stopping her before she could leave. A thought had struck him. A wonderful thought, the most marvellous idea that had ever been thought of. He could not punish Celestia, and punishing ponies who looked a little like Celestia scarcely satisfied him even when it worked as intended. And yet…he had it in his power to punish someone who looked exactly like Celestia…a member of an inferior species, who would be far more likely to succumb to his powers than a member of his chosen race, the Unicornicopians, and an officer of Starfleet besides.

“Captain Shaina, we still have Queen Chrysalis in storage in the vaults below, correct?”

“I believe so, Majesty.”

“Bring her to me.”

“Majesty?”

“At once, captain,” the Grand Ruler said, allowing his testiness to show through his voice. “Diligent service in this matter will repay your earlier transgression.”

Shaina saluted once again, even more crisply than before. “Right away, Majesty.”

The captain returned with commendable haste – the expression of profound unease upon her face was a little less commendable, but the Grand Ruler was too deep in imagining the pleasure that this would bring him to care about the fact that she dared to doubt his omniscience at this time – bearing with her the magical orb in which Chrysalis was bound for stasis and confinement. It was distinguished by being red, while the orbs in which the rest of the changeling army were held down in the vaults below were blue. The colour pulsed, as though the orb were alive, though more likely it was Chrysalis’ own life force that was causing it to act that way.

Ah, Chrysalis. The Queen of the Changelings had been the first to rise in challenge to him after the destruction of Equestria and Unicornicopia, and the union of the two worlds under his august majesty. She had sent her changeling hordes against him, and then when that had failed she had resorted to infiltrators in a pathetic attempt to destabilise his empire. Any rumours that seditious people might have spread that she would have destroyed the entire planet had it not been for Twilight Sparkle and Cadance were absolutely false, the sort of lies that could earn one a lengthy spell in a re-education facility. In time, Chrysalis – deserted by all her power and betrayed by her chief captain, actually Fratello – had surrendered to the power of Starfleet, on condition that Starfleet would attempt to find a way to cure her dependence on love forcibly taken, and find a way for Chrysalis and all the changelings to live peacefully with other ponies. Fool. The Grand Ruler would have let her rot in the vaults for all eternity had not his marriage been driving him insane. He would use her as he had need of her, and then he would put her back in her orb and never spare her another thought.

What was she, after all, but a savage beast, a predator, a glorified insect? What right did she have to consideration from a god? What right did she have to hold him to his word? What right did she have to expect even life from him? She ought to be thankful he had not ordered her and all her disgusting kind destroyed.

Though it was a good thing he had not, or else he would not have been able to do this.

“Thank you, captain. Release the prisoner,” he commanded.

Shaina looked more uncertain than ever, but she did as she was commanded and pressed a button on the orb, which at once began to belch out smoke and steam like a house on fire. There was a fizzing sound, and a burst of yellow magic that temporarily blinded Celesto, and then…there stood Chrysalis, steaming ever so slightly, looking…surprisingly seductive, tall and lithe of limb with an elfin cast to her features. Yes, her transformation to a humanoid form had made her fae and seductive. The Grand Ruler felt his member begin to stiffen.

Chrysalis looked around, her green eyes wide in surprise. “Celesto…is this your bedroom?”

“You call me Grand Ruler, Chrysalis,” the Grand Ruler growled. “Captain Shaina, you may leave us.”

Shaina bowed. “As you command, Majesty.”

“It was nice to see you again, Captain Shaina,” Chrysalis said. “We must try and catch up, you and I.”

Emerald Shaina gave Chrysalis a look that said she would rather see the changeling queen’s head mounted on a pike than converse civilly with her, but said nothing as she walked, backwards, out of the room. The faux-wooden door closed behind her with a hydraulic hiss that revealed the metal beneath the panelling.

Chrysalis gave him an arch look. “Your servants remain as charming as ever, I see.” She glanced out of the window. “Luna has not yet raised the moon. Good. I prefer the sky in daylight. How long has it been, since I last saw the sky? Time…it is hard to gauge the passage of time when you are confined as I have been.”

“You are not here for me to answer your questions, Chrysalis,” Grand Ruler sneered.

“It is a simple question,” Chrysalis replied. “Do I not have the right an answer? It would be a simple courtesy for you to reply.”

The Grand Ruler snorted. “You have been a prisoner for nearly five years.”

“Five years,” Chrysalis said, her tone halfway between disbelief and relief. “It has taken you some time to find a cure for my nature, hasn’t it?” She glanced at the Grand Ruler. “Although, judging by the intimate setting I somehow doubt that you have released me to tell me that a cure has been found.”

Grand Ruler said nothing.

A smirk spread across Chrysalis’ face. “You haven’t even looked for a cure, have you? I knew you were a liar the moment I saw you.”

“Then why did you trust me?” the Grand Ruler asked.

“It was Twilight Sparkle in whom I trusted,” Chrysalis replied. “Much as I hated to lose to her again, I knew that her honour, her morality would not allow her to break her word to me. Or I thought so anyway…I confess that I am disappointed. I thought that she had higher standards.”

“Twilight Sparkle is dead,” Grand Ruler snapped. “These eighteen months past.”

Was that a gleam of triumph in Chrysalis’ eyes? No, that was impossible, what did she have to be triumphant about? “Oh, really? Oh, dear, I’m so sorry.”

“Enough of this,” Grand Ruler growled. “I have not brought you here to relate history to you, nor to have you console me upon a comrade’s death.”

“Then why am I here?”

“To please me.”

For a moment Chrysalis said nothing. It was hard to tell, but she might even have been surprised by his statement. Still, she managed to return the smirk – or at the least, a smile with more than a hint of a smirk on it, showing her fangs in way that was rather…cute to look upon – to her dark face. “And how will best please my lord? I have been told that I have a wonderful singing voice.”

“That is not the sort of pleasure that I require.”

“I see,” Chrysalis murmured. “Is something amiss in the fairytale romance? Has the spark gone out of your marriage? Is the treasury so depleted that you cannot afford a whore?”

“Enough!” Grand Ruler roared, striding across the room to grab Chrysalis by the throat and pick her up, slamming her into the wall so hard that she made a dent. He tightened his grip upon her neck. “You will do as I command. You will please me, or you will suffer for it. And then you will go back into your orb. And you will say nothing, but what I permit or command you to say. Do I make myself clear?”

The smile did not fade from Chrysalis’ face. “Perfectly, lord.”

Grand Ruler released her – she collapsed to one knee, gasping for breath – and stepped away.

”Assume the form of Celestia,” he barked.

A snort of laughter escaped Chrysalis’ lips.

“Do you need me to remind you of the way that this works?” Grand Ruler snapped, glaring at her.

Instantly, Chrysalis assumed a straight face. “No, lord, you do not.” Green fire began to spread across her body, engulfing and consuming her, and where the fire spread her black, holed and pitted body was transformed into something else, someone else with a coat of white and hair of many colours, someone whose outward beauty was matched only by the utter lack of inner beauty they possessed, someone with a fair face and an ugly soul, someone who was more adept at deception than Chrysalis could ever be: the harpy who had tricked him into marriage, Queen Celestia.

“Greetings, love,” Chrysalis said, and it was the voice of Celestia that spoke the words even as it was from Celestia’s lips that the words fell. “How may I serve you?”

The Grand Ruler hit her, backhanding her across the face so that she dropped to one knee.

Chrysalis wiped the blood from her lip. “I regret, my lord, that I am source of such disappointment to you.”

“My queen,” the Grand Ruler snarled. “You displease me. You disgust me. You offend me and insult me and you think yourself so safe from my reprisals. You fool.” He grabbed her by the throat as he whispered into her ear. “All of your friends will die, Twilight Sparkle’s precious gang. The order has been given. First Pinkie Pie, and then the rest, save only Fluttershy. Not even Sunset Shimmer will escape my wrath. And neither –“ he hit her again. “Will you.”

Chrysalis looked up at him, and it seemed that there was in those eyes of Celestia’s something that he did not recognise. She sounded almost eager as she said, “Very well, my lord, use me as you see fit.”

He did. He beat her, he scorned her, he berated her, he threatened to kill her, he kicked her, he beat her again and then he threw her roughly onto his bed and took her.

And it was the most pleasurable experience he had ever had in his life. The things that she knew how to do…Celestia had taken to lying under him, when he could coax her into bed at all, as stiff and unmoving as a corpse but this…where had she learned how to do that?

“Did I please my lord?” Chrysalis asked, and Celestia’s voice was full of innocence, as her wide eyes were full of naivete.

The Grand Ruler took a deep breath before he nodded. “You pleased me greatly. I shall summon you again, another time. Then you may please me more.”

Her eyes gleamed with anticipation. “I shall look forward to it, my lord. I shall think of nothing else.”

Raven's Song

Chapter 10

Raven’s Song

“Twilight?”

Twilight looked up, and held up one hand against the light of the torch in Lightning’s hand. “Lightning…could you turn that down, please?”

Lightning Dawn lowered the torch. “So what are you doing down here so late?”

“Research,” Twilight replied, turning back to the crusty, crumbling manuscript in front of her.

Lightning looked around the ancient archive. He coughed as some of the dust got up his nose. “In here?”

“The knowledge of the ancients should not be dismissed out of hand,” Twilight murmured.

Lightning shrugged. “So what are you working on?”

“I’m just looking into the origins of the Unicornicopians, their early history,” Twilight said. “Some of it is fascinating.”

“So much going on,” Lightning said. “And the dead past is what interests you.”

“It’s because there’s so much going on that I started looking into this,” Twilight replied. “I happen to find this relaxing.”

Lightning, who had found himself unable to relax lately, said nothing. If Twilight could find some relief from doubt and crisis then more power to her. He wished that she could have taught him how to do the same.

No, you don’t. You just want any excuse to…you need to stop this. You’re an engaged pony, by the Grand Ruler. Stop it!

“Did you know,” Twilight said. “That the powers of the space ponies all ultimately derive from what particular raw material His Majesty used to create them.”

Lightning frowned. “That’s it?”

“What did you expect?”

“I was taught that it was a reflection of your calling,” Lightning said. “Kind of like a cutie mark.”

“That’s not what it says here.”

“Then that must be wrong,” Lightning said sharply. “The Grand Ruler says otherwise, and to question him verges on blasphemy.”

Twilight looked at him as though he had just sprouted an extra head. His words, he realised, were that completely alien to her way of thinking. “I understand that he’s your teacher, and you’re loyal to him. Really, I understand that. But the pursuit of knowledge is a sacred thing in and of itself, it can never be wrong to search for the truth.”

“Would you contradict Celestia’s teachings then?”

“Celestia would never want me to prop up lies and deceit simply to spare her reputation.”

“Perhaps not, but…” Lightning hesitated. “Twilight, be careful with this. If you spread this around, some will…His Majesty’s pride…be careful.”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s just a few mouldy old books. Compared to everything else in our lives right now, how am I supposed to believe that here is where the danger lies?”

Starlight Glimmer pressed her thumb onto the scanner, and waited about three seconds for the door to her apartment to unlock and slide open. She strode in, her boots thumping on the white linoleum floor of the front room.

From the living room, she could hear the familiar unrestrained tones of her girlfriend.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie’s Comeback Tour! No, only losers need to make comebacks. The Great and Powerful Trixie’s Re-Introduction Tour! Too much of a mouthful. Starlight, is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Starlight said, strolling into the living room. She walked over to the monitor stuck to the wall and turned it off with a flick of the switch. One of the perks of her high rank was that she could turn it off, which was more than most folks could say (if Trixie tried to turn it off, then she’d get a visit from Starfleet Security wanting to know why). The privilege of her rank was also why Starlight was able to decorate her apartment – or rather, allow Trixie to decorate their apartment – in the somewhat lavish way that it was: the walls were covered with posters of Trixie’s tours, as well as some rather more faded posters of the old magic shows that had inspired her to take up the art in the first place. Looking around, one might be forgiven for thinking that this was Trixie’s apartment which she shared with Starlight, rather than the other way around. Trixie’s stuff was everywhere, her hats, her capes, her tricks and tools of the trade, her knick-knacks and her pictures. Starlight’s stuff…Starlight didn’t really have any stuff. In that, if in not much else about the state of her place, she was the very model of a Starfleet officer: duty-bound and lacking in personality.

If only they knew.

“Hey, Starlight,” Trixie said. “How was work?”

Starlight muttered something indistinct. She didn’t really want Trixie to get involved with her work, or even to know that much about her work. Trixie was her sanctuary from all that, the cells and the arrests and the ass-kissing and all of it. She didn’t want Trixie to know that at work she was a snivelling brown-noser, that she sucked up to a monarch she despised, that she had to do things every day that made her soul shrivel up. She didn’t want Trixie to see that side of her.

Everything I do, I do for a good cause…but that doesn’t mean I want my girlfriend to know that I’m doing it.

She walked over, and kissed Trixie on the ear. This was probably the biggest reason why she was grateful for the ability to turn off the monitors in her home. What so many Starfleet officers called ‘unnatural practices’ – seriously, people, it’s called being gay, get over it – was not exactly illegal…but it wasn’t exactly permitted either. The laws of public morality and decency which the Grand Ruler had instituted prohibited a range of things, including any public displays of affection steamier than a hug, but their attitude to homosexuality was so tortuous that Starlight wouldn’t have been surprised if a lot of people fell afoul of it by accident, and she didn’t want to really take the risk. It was easier to just turn off the monitor and tell her superiors that Trixie was just her roommate, and it was a totally platonic arrangement where they slept in separate rooms. Trixie did have her room, as it happened, but if she ever slept in it it was news to Starlight. “What about you? How are things?”

“Awesome!” Trixie cried. “Trixie just got the first venues booked for her new tour!”

“Really?”

“The Lyceum Theatre in New Manehattan and the Landmark Harbour East Theatre in New Baltimare!” Trixie said. “Now you can help Trixie come up with a name for her new tour.”

“Okay,” Starlight said, draping her arms over Trixie’s shoulders. “Is there a theme for this tour?”

“Well, it is Trixie’s first tour of United Equestria since somebody’s new company got the old one destroyed-“

“We’re very sorry.”

“So Trixie kind of wants the name to reflect that.”

“Hmm,” Starlight murmured. “How about ‘The Whole New World Tour’?”

Trixie blinked. “The Great And Powerful Trixie’s Whole New World Tour! Starlight, you’re a genius!”

“And you’re awesome enough to deserve all your fancy titles,” Starlight said. She kissed Trixie on the tip of her horn. “Listen, I can’t stay very long. I’m just going to grab a bite to eat and then I’ll be out again.”

“When will you be back?”

“Not sure. Late. So don’t wait up, okay?” Starlight began to head for the kitchen

“Okay,” Trixie murmured, lowering her eyes a little. “What are you doing that’s going to keep you out so late?”

Starlight hesitated. “I…I’m taking someone where they need to go.”

“Can’t you get someone else to do that?”

“I could, maybe, but this guy is an old friend of mine,” Starlight said. “Which means this is something that I have to do myself.”

“Sunset!” Leilani leapt off her seat, a bright smile illuminating all of her face that was not obscured by the mask her father made her wear. “You came!”

Sunset put down the two bulging bags of supplies that she had levitated in with her. “You came? What, did you think I wasn’t going to show up?”

Leilani looked down at the ground.

Sunset frowned. “You thought I wasn’t going to show up?”

Leilani looked away. “Once…a long time ago…I asked Lieutenant Stern if my father would come and visit me. I so wanted to see him. I…I wanted to give him a hug, and tell him that I understood why he had to keep me here, for the good of everybody.”

“Leilani-“

“And Lieutenant Stern told me that he would speak to him, and that my father would come. But…he never did.”

“Did you mention it to Lieutenant Stern again?”

Leilani nodded. “He said my father was too busy. He said he didn’t have time for a mistake like me.”

Sunset said nothing. The reason was not because she had nothing to say but because she had far too many things to say and most of them unsuitable for a sweet child’s innocent ears. She fought to control the rage that was boiling like an unwatched cauldron within her spirit. The last time she had felt this angry she had made human Twilight cry…no, scratch that, the last time she had felt this absolutely furious she had transformed into a demon and tried to take over two worlds. But that had been the selfish rage of an entitled child; this was the righteous anger of somepony who could see a grave injustice and yet was powerless to stop it. It rankled with her, it rankled more than words could say, that the best she could do was sit here and tell this poor girl a few stories of a world that she would never know, where a sleepover was the highlight of her life…and yet she had to stand by and watch her be mistreated by he who should have loved her best. It was…if Lieutenant Stern and his high and mighty Grand Ruler-ness, blessed be his omnipotence or whatever…Sunset might not have been responsible for her actions.

“Sunset?” Leilani asked tremulously. “Are you okay?”

Sunset forced herself to smile. “I’m fine, sweetie.” This wasn’t the time for anger. All that would do was ruin Leilani’s special night, and she didn’t deserve that. “Are you ready for your first slumber party?”

“Definitely!” Leilani yelled. “Do you think it will be as fun as the Little Princess’ first slumber party, with fashion pony and country pony?”

“I can’t guarantee it, but I hope so,” Sunset said. “And just to help us along, I even brought the book.” She levitated Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties, But Were Afraid to Ask out of one of her bags and set it down in front of Leilani.

Leilani beamed, and Sunset felt her anger melting like snow before the heat of Leilani’s joy. “So, what are we going to do tonight?”

“We can do whatever you want,” Sunset said. “But I do have one very special idea planned which I think you’ll like.”

“Ooh, what?”

Sunset grinned. “Well, I have been talking to your mother, and she has agreed that I can start to teach you magic.”

For a moment, Leilani’s blue eyes widened, and were filled with such a light of hope that it rivalled the moon for its brightness. Her mouth dropped open as she gasped in shock. But then…the light in those eyes died. Her mouth closed, and she looked down at her feet.

“Oh…are you sure that’s such a good idea.”

Sunset’s brow furrowed. “I thought you’d be excited.”

“I…its just that I probably can’t do any magic, so I don’t want you to waste your time.”

“My time? I’m here for you, Leilani,” Sunset said. “But if you don’t want to, then that’s fine.”

“It’s not…” Leilani hesitated. “My doctor says I won’t ever be able to fly or do magic.”

“Unicornicopian magic, I’m talking about Equestrian magic, unicorn magic; your mother’s magic, not your father’s.”

Leilani looked up. “What makes you think I can do Equestrian magic?”

“Because I don’t believe that the reason you can’t do Unicornicopian magic has anything to do with your wings, or your illness,” Sunset said. She wondered how much detail she ought to go into, she didn’t want to bore the kid after all. “Basically…when your father created the first space ponies he used a mixture of his own blood and…stuff that he found lying around: soil, flint, clay, straw, sand, wood, grass. He created ponies out of these elements plus his blood, and then used his powers to give them life. When he did so, the magic that he had used, the magic in his blood, fused with the raw materials of the bodies and bestowed upon those first space ponies their Unicornicopian powers.” Sunset would have been willing to bet a great deal that she knew more about the creation of the Unicornicopians and the genesis of their peculiar abilities than most of them did. Twilight had done most of the research, delving into dust archives and ancient texts, determined to find out what the powers exhibited by the Unicornicopians were so different to the ones possessed by unicorns. She had kept Sunset abreast of her progress, and Sunset had continued her research, though she hadn’t found out much extra yet. She wasn’t yet sure exactly what it meant, but it was interesting, and Sunset was certain that it meant something.

Twilight had thought so, after all.

“And so,” Sunset continued. “You can trace the powers that the modern space ponies have broadly, very broadly, to the original materials that their ancestor was created from.” She decided to leave out the bit about how the early Unicornicopians had organised themselves in tribes – The People of the Treebark, the People of the Sand, the People of the Flint, the People of the Clay, the People of the Earth – before the People of the Bronze had risen up against the Grand Ruler, and been destroyed; the tribes had been disbanded in consequence. That might have removed alternative sources of authority to the Grand Ruler, but it made predicting the powers of space ponies next to impossible. No wonder the knowledge had been forgotten. “Your father, however, is not a space pony, he just created them, and so he has none of their magic.” Again, Sunset decided to be diplomatic and leave out the fact that he didn’t have any Equestrian magic either. “And since you are his natural child, not his creation, it is only to be expected that you don’t have that magic either.”

Did he ever expect that she would? How do you forget where the powers of the people you created come from?

Will he be disappointed if his son doesn’t have those powers either?

For a moment Sunset wondered what might befall Prince Castor if and when his father realised that he too was not the perfect child he had longed for. But that was all in the future, and her concerns were focussed on Leilani.

“But you think I do have some Equestrian magic?” Leilani asked.

“You are the daughter of Queen Celestia, first and greatest of the alicorns,” Sunset said. “I am certain that you have some trace of magic in you, if only enough to enable your special talent.”

“My special talent,” Leilani murmured. “No, I can’t have a special talent, because I’m not special. I’m just the opposite.”

“Leilani, look at me,” Sunset said, placing a hoof on the little princess’ shoulder. “Look into my eyes.” Leilani did as she was bidden, her blue eyes locking into Sunset’s green.

“Have I ever broken a promise to you?”

“No.”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“No. You promised that you never would.”

“And I won’t,” Sunset said. “I won’t lie to you, I won’t break my promises to you, I won’t tell you that I’m going to show up and then not. I am here for you, Leilani, and I will always be here for you, so I want you to listen to me very carefully and keep this in your heart: ignore what your father’s people tell you. There is no especial worth in violence, or in soldiering for a living. There is no especial worth in strength, either physical or magic. There is great worth in all of us, in all living things, and each and every one of us has some specialness that is ours, some great gift for the world that only we can live. Your mother has it, the Little Princess had it, I have it and I know, I know, that you have such a gift within you as well.”

“Really?”

“Without a doubt.”

Leilani smiled. “What is your gift?”

Sunset laughed. “That is a very good question.” She looked back at the blazing sun upon her flank. “I used to think…I didn’t really use to understand what this meant, and so I used my powers in the wrong ways, ways that were arrogant, even cruel.”

“I don’t think you could ever be cruel.”

“You only say that because you know me now, after someone showed me the error of my ways. After that…I realised that my purpose in life, my gift to the world, was to help others, the way that the special pony had helped me.” She smiled. “And maybe, just maybe, my destiny was always to be here for you, to be a friend when you need me.”

“Why would that be your destiny?”

“Because your destiny is something greater still,” Sunset suggested. “And you need a friend to help you get there.”

Leilani smiled, looking as though she would like to believe that, but dared not. “What was the name of the pony who helped you?”

“That,” Sunset said. “Is my little secret. Now, do you want to try and learn magic.”

“Yes please!”

“Then we’ll get started tonight. But first, let’s have some fun, shall we?”

The Starfleet rover sped down the turnpike from New Canterlot to Neighfolk, the dark road illuminated by the bright beams of the headlights.

Starlight Glimmer said very little as she sat uncomfortably in the driver’s seat, one hand on the wheel and the other hovering near the gearstick. She didn’t particularly like driving, and in ordinary circumstances she would have done as Trixie suggested and ordered some unlucky sergeant to take care of a simple prisoner transfer like this, but these were not ordinary circumstances. Another Starfleet officer might offer resistance, and that was the last thing she wanted.

“Where are you taking me, Starlight?” Sunburst asked from where he said, his hands in shackles, in the passenger seat next to her.

Starlight frowned. “I’m taking you where you need to go.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the best you’re going to get from me, I’m afraid,” Starlight muttered. The truth was, despite the fact that she undeniably curious to find out, she had very little idea of where Sunset’s resistance movement had set up their safe-houses. That was probably for the best. As much as the idea of being able to hold the knowledge over Sunset Shimmer’s diminutive head appealed to her baser instincts, what Starlight didn’t know she could not reveal, or be forced to reveal should she fall from grace.

Not for the first time that night, she wondered what in Equestria – or even in United-Equestria – she was doing. It wasn’t as if she had great faith in Sunset’s little band. As a matter of fact she didn’t really rate them at all. They had achieved some successes in stealing supplies from Starfleet convoys, but not much else so far. Sunset Shimmer would probably claim that they were still in the set-up phase, to which Starlight would have asked when they were going to stop setting up and start doing something. The truth, she strongly suspected, was that there weren’t enough of them with the nerve to actually do anything. It was easy to call oneself one of the Queen’s Mares, to wear the gold, to say that being in a club meant that you were doing something against those awful Starfleet. It was harder to actually put your life on the line to resist oppression.

And yet she was about to trust them with Sunburst. Because she had no other choice. Starlight might consider her own plan, her careful accumulation of influence, the establishment of a rival source of power within Starfleet under the very nose of the Grand Ruler, to be the better option, much more sensible than the fantasy that one day you would hear the people sing, but she could not trust Starfleet officers to keep her friend safe.

For that, she was forced to rely on the kind of blustering ponies that she did not believe were capable of overthrowing the Grand Ruler if they tried.

“Starlight, what’s going on,” Sunburst said, sounding like he had the nerve to sound concerned about her, when he was the one who had been thrown into prison.

“Worry about yourself,” Starlight snapped. “You’re the one in the shackles.”

“I’m not the one who sounds full of regret.”

Starlight snorted. “I’m doing what I have to do.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to like it.”

“I know,” she snapped. “But…just…let’s not talk, okay. This will be over soon.”

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, the light from the headlights illuminated a tree trunk – obviously cut down – lying across the road. Starlight smiled slightly as she brought the rover to a halt. Sticking with the classics, I see.

“What’s going on?” Sunburst asked, sounding suddenly nervous.

“Get out the car,” Starlight said. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine.”

She flicked the button that set both doors rising upwards on their rooftop hinges. She climbed out, letting her long black coat fall down to her calves, as Sunburst clambered from his seat with rather more difficulty, thanks to the restraints on his hands. Starlight looked around. It was so dark she couldn’t see a thing. There were trees all around that worked to further obscure her vision. She knew there was someone out there, but could neither see nor here any sign of them. All that she could hear was the hooting of an owl in the trees.

Starlight strolled easily around the back of the rover, keeping her hands where any observes from the woods could see them, making doubly sure to keep them well away from her sidearm. She didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, after all.

Sunburst shivered in the darkness. “Starlight?”

Starlight said not a word as she undid the shackles on his hands.

Sunburst’s eyes widened in surprise. “Starlight?”

“It’s going to be okay,” Starlight said. She smiled, and hoped that she was not so far gone that he could not still see in her his old friend, who wore her hair in pigtails with little blue ribbons. “Trust me.”

Sunburst stared at her for a moment, his eyes half obscured by the cracks in his lenses. This the tension in his shoulders seemed to ease. “I trust you, Starlight.”

“Well isn’t this nice,” a voice cried out from out of the darkness. “Looks like we might have found the only officer in Starfleet with a heart.”

Starlight turned to face the night. “Took you long enough. Why don’t you come out where we can see you?”

“What, so you can put our names on your wanted list?” the voice replied. Nevertheless, three figures did appear out of the night, materialising like wraiths out of the darkness, like shadows suddenly becoming real and solid.

They wore masks and bandanas to cover their faces, but that only took them so far. She could still tell that one of them was a griffon, with tawny wings stretched out behind him and feathers covering his body, and that another was a blue unicorn with his frizzy black hair tied back in an elaborate ponytail. The third was an earth pony, well built, with a woollen cap hiding his hair.

“Yo,” said ponytail. “You’re Sunburst, right?”

“Um…yes,” Sunburst stammered. “Who are you?”

“Sons of liberty, your new best friends,” said woollen cap.

Starlight snorted softly. Sons of liberty? Fighting to restore a princess to power? Isn’t that some sort of oxymoron.

“And you must be Colonel Starlight Glimmer,” ponytail said. “The spy with a heart.”

“A black one anyway,” woollen cap spat.

“Mon ami, why waste your breath on such a one?” the griffon asked, his accent thick and his tone dismissive. He advanced upon Starlight, a crossbow held loosely in his talons. “You are aware of what is to happen next?”

Starlight nodded. “You’re going to make it look good, right?”

The griffon nodded. “Trust me, zis will look very good. Tell the Grand Ruler ‘casse toi’ for us, oui?” Before Starlight could respond, he hit her in the face with the stock of his crossbow. She collapsed to the ground, the searing pain giving way to all-encompassing darkness.

“Welcome to ze revolution, Sunburst,” the griffon said.

The prison corridor was white, clean and sterile, a mixture of metal and plastic that reverberated with the sounds of the officers’ boots.

Rainbow Dash followed Cerise Wonder, walking side by side with Lieutenant Havoc as they followed the gently curving corridor towards an as yet unknown – to Rainbow, anyway – destination. She had a feeling that part of the reason that their destination remained unknown to her was because she wouldn’t particularly like it if she knew what that destination was, but she couldn’t prove that and there was no point saying anything. What was confusing her a little more was why there was a prison on United-Equestria in the first place. Weren’t they all supposed to be on far away prison planets, in order to keep the undesirables far away? Who were they keeping here?

Rainbow’s first thought was petty criminals, the kind who were going to be released soon, and didn’t present any kind of danger to society. But she wasn’t entirely sure that such an approach was wholly in keeping with the Starfleet attitude to offenders, and so it probably wasn’t that.

And even if it was, why would a Starfleet major be visiting some petty thief? And why would she had explicitly ordered Rainbow to come with her.

She glanced at Lieutenant Havoc by her side. The aide-de-camp wasn’t offering any answers. His face was grim, and he looked as uncomfortable about this as Rainbow felt uneasy. It was weird, and it was starting to freak Rainbow out just a little bit.

She coughed into her hand, or into the glove the enfolded it anyway. She had just come from a training exercise, and so was wearing the awful field uniform with that terrible pseudo-spandex armour. Perhaps that was why she didn’t feel right: the armour itched like crazy, and half the time she was afraid she was going to take it off and find that it had given her a rash. Rainbow didn’t even think it served particularly well as armour. It certainly hadn’t kept Twilight safe.

The other reason for her less than enthusiastic mood was the training session that she had just come from. It wasn’t…it wasn’t going terribly, but it wasn’t going very well either. The pegasi were enthusiastic, but the truly good fliers were the ones that Rainbow recognised a little too much of herself in: hot shots eager to make their mark, but lacking the humility to play as a team. Pegasi like Lightning Dust, in fact. There were a few who were better at the teamwork aspect, but they also tended to be the second-rate fliers, something that Lightning Dust had been quick to pick up on. If they could bond as a unit, then they might be able to achieve something, but that would require some of them to let the air of their egos a little, and at present there was little sign of that happening.

And then there were the space ponies. Arrogant, full of themselves, convinced that they were better than they were, it was all that Rainbow could do to get them to follow her orders, let alone take the ideas of this unit seriously. At this rate the company would never be ready for a field operation; certainly the last couple of exercises had all deteriorated into embarrassing fiascos, and the worst part was that it was mostly her fault. Major Cerise’s ground element was performing capably, if in a rather conventional manner, but Rainbow’s aerial element, the part of the unit that was meant to give them an edge, just wasn’t up to scratch, and that was Rainbow’s fault.

It was. She was the leader; it was her job to get everyone in line and working together. She had taken this job because she had wanted to believe, in spite of her better judgement, that Twilight’s dream could become a reality. She had taken this job because she wanted to believe in Twilight.

Instead, all that she had managed to achieve was to prove, in the words of one contemptuous Starfleet officer, that ‘Princess Twilight was a fool all along’. If Lieutenant Havoc hadn’t come to get Rainbow at that exact moment she probably would have punched his teeth in.

But now, instead of being chewed out for her incompetence, she was being led here, through this facility the purpose of which she did not know. And she couldn’t figure out why.

Rainbow coughed again. “Hey, Major? What are we doing here?”

“I’m taking you to meet an acquaintance of mine,” Cerise said. “Someone…well, I can’t say that you’ll very much want to meet them, but you should listen carefully to what they have to say.”

They arrived at the end of the corridor, at a sealed door with a big yellow warning sign on it proclaiming RESTRICTED AREA: SUBJECT EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

Not petty criminals then.

There was a guard on the door, who saluted at Major Wonder’s approach.

“ID, sir?”

Cerise, in a tone that suggested she had done this many times before, replied, “Major Cerise Wonder, ID R0YM2, here to see the prisoner.”

“Roger that, sir, you’re cleared for entry.” The guard turned away, and pressed a couple of keys into his keypad. The metal door slid open with a hiss, and Major Cerise strode inside. Rainbow and Havoc followed.

The corridor continued, but instead of the metal or plastic wall there was a large panel of glass or see through plastic, with a few airholes, a mailbox that opened at both ends allowing items to be deposited into the cell, and another slot – Rainbow noticed that this one could be locked – that looked about the right shape for meal trays.

And inside the spacious cell on the other side –

“Major Wonder, you’re back! If you keep coming to see me like this I’m going to have to ask you what you’re intentions towards me are. And you brought a new friend! Let’s see: cyan coat, magenta eyes, pegasus…and that hair. Why, you must be the great Rainbow Dash. I’m delighted to meet you! After all, I did know your friend Twilight rather well.”

Rainbow’s face contorted into a scowl as her hands clenched into fists. “You…” she rounded on Major Wonder. “What the hay is this?”

Raven laughed. Raven, who had tried to murder Celestia. Raven, who had shattered the pattern of their lives beyond repair. Raven, who had destroyed the last hope for a better future for United-Equestria.

Raven, who had killed Twilight. She stood in the bare but spacious cell, her blue cloak and black catsuit replaced with a white prison uniform, that left much of her grey coat visible. Her dark blue mane was longer now than it had been, and less tidy, growing in an unkempt fashion down Raven’s back and half obscuring her face. Only one of her violet eyes was visible, the other hidden behind a drooping bang. Her bat-like wings protruded out from her back, flapping lazily, while a glowing ring surrounded her golden horn, and prevented her from using the Uniforce to just blast a hole in the prison and escape.

She had murdered Twilight. She had killed her, for no reason at all. And now here she was, laughing in Rainbow’s face.

“Surprised to see me?” she asked. “Well, perhaps you should take it up with Sunset Shimmer if you’re so mad. She’s the one who didn’t kill me when she had the chance.”

“I knew that you were alive,” Rainbow snapped. “I know that Sunset brought you in alive, and I know why.”

“Because of morality or something, because dear Twilight wouldn’t have wanted Sunset to become a killer like me. Boring,” Raven said. “I much preferred the way the movie version handled it: Celestia taking her revenge and ending my life. Glorious. Have you seen Twilightfall? Major Wonder arranged for me to be able to watch it as a reward for telling her some stories. I thought that the actress playing me did an excellent job, even if she was let down by a thin script at times. Apparently I was played by a professional gladiator. It certainly lent my fight scenes an air of veracity, especially my fight against Twilight. It seemed…very believable that I could beat her to death, especially since dear Tara is not a trained fighter. She looked completely out of her league. Which, of course, she was.”

“Shut the hay up,” Rainbow snarled.

Raven smirked. “Now why would I want to do that? Why did you come here, except to listen to me? There’s no one else around to talk to.”

“I said shut up!” Rainbow said, striking the glass with her fist.

Raven tsked. “Temper, temper, Rainbow Dash. You’ll upset me.”

“That’s enough, Raven,” Cerise snapped. “You know we didn’t come here to listen to you prattling on. We’re here to talk business. Rainbow, don’t let her get to you.”

“Don’t let me get to her?” Raven giggled. “I killed her best friend and you expect to be able to keep me from getting under her skin. What is she, a sociopath?”

“Raven-“

“By the way, Lieutenant Havoc, have you confessed your feelings to Major Wonder yet?”

“What?” Havoc gasped.

“That’s a no, then. You know, no mare likes a guy who sits back and waits for her to make the first move.”

“Raven!” Wonder snapped. “That’s enough!”

Raven sighed. “Very well, if you’re determined to be tiresome. What do I get in return for spilling all of my secrets to angry Rainbow Dash?”

“What do you want?”

Raven pondered for a moment, folding her arms across her chest. “It’s my anniversary coming up, and I’d like a nice dinner. There’s a restaurant that we used to go to: the Bella Noche. It has a version in New Canterlot. I want three courses, anything I want from the menu, prepared here so that it doesn’t get cold…and wine, course. A fancy dinner without wine is…well, it’s a contradiction in terms, isn’t it. Quite uncivilised.”

“Of course,” Wonder muttered. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Raven clapped her hands together. “You see, Rainbow Dash? Major Wonder understands the value of courtesy. She understands that you can get further with a kind word and a couple of favours than with a raised voice.” She clasped her hands behind her back and began to pace up and down. “Now, what would you like to know?”

“Why did you kill Princess Twilight?”

Why? She didn’t have a reason, she just did it?

Raven stopped pacing, and glanced at Wonder. “Haven’t we been over this already, Major?”

“For the benefit of Captain Rainbow Dash,” Wonder said. “Why did you kill Princess Twilight?”

Raven shrugged. “People die in battle. You ask that question as if I targeted her on purpose. She was the one who pursued me, she was he one who acted recklessly. She was the one…who got in my way. Celestia was my real target. Can I just say, that was one aspect of the script I found a little lacking. Those notes that I sent for Celestia. ‘Die, Celesita, Die!!!’ Very vulgar, almost comical. No class or taste, not my style at all.”

Rainbow scoffed. “You sent a note saying exactly that. I saw it.”

Raven blinked. “Did I?” she seemed confused. “I must have…” she shook her head. “Does that answer your question, Major? Captain?”

“No,” Wonder said. “So I’m going to ask you again. Why did you kill Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

“I didn’t,” Raven yelled. “Celestia was my target, it was all about Celestia.”

“Why was Celestia your target?”

“Because she killed my husband!”

“Your husband of whom no records exist?” Cerise demanded. “The same way that no records of you exist prior to your attack upon the royal family?”

“I didn’t go by Raven then.”

“Really?” Cerise said. “I haven’t heard that before. What name did you go by?”

Raven exhaled loudly. “I don’t want to tell you,” she said through gritted teeth.

“What was your husband’s name?”

Raven turned away. “I don’t think I want to speak to you any more today, Major.”

Rainbow shook her head. “You know what I think. I think you’re full of it and you know it.”

Raven turned back, her visible eye blazing with anger. “What did you say?”

“You can talk about how a dinner has to have wine. You can critique the performance of an actor playing you,” Rainbow said. “You can pretend all you want to be cultured and civilised, but I’ve know real class and real culture and you haven’t got either. You’re a common murderer and we both know it.”

Raven started to breathe very heavily. She looked as if she was about to double over from shortness of breath. “Careful, Rainbow…Dash…you might not like me when I’m…angry.”

Rainbow smirked. “Why don’t you come out here and say that? Oh, wait, you can’t because you’re in prison.”

“Your attempts to kill Celestia were amateurish,” Cerise said. “And if you wanted her dead, why not face her in battle? Because Twilight was your real target, wasn’t she?”

Raven shook her head. “You’re too short for this ride, Major. All of you, you don’t want to go meddling in these affairs.”

“The hay I don’t, tell me!” Rainbow yelled. “Tell me why you did it! Tell me why Twilight had to die!”

Raven blinked three times, and her demeanour changed as if by the flick of a switch. Her voice became higher, almost babyish at times. Her shoulders hunched, she bent half-double, hugging herself as if she was cold…or afraid.

“My daddy taught me how to fight,” she said. “My daddy said that I had to work real hard at it, else he’d be upset with me. I wouldn’t like it when my daddy was upset with me. No, daddy, please don’t lock me in the dark. No, daddy, please don’t leave me. I’ll be good, I swear. I’ll work hard, real hard. I’ll be the best fighter there ever was, even stronger than big brother. My daddy taught me how to fight. He said that I was real special. I’d got a rare talent for it, he said. Much, much stronger than big brother ever was. Faster too. Then…the one day he told me my training was all complete, that I was ready, and he had a job for me.”

“So your father ordered you to kill Princess Twilight,” Cerise said.

“Pony princess poking her nose into our business,” Raven said, still in that high, childish voice. “Daddy said she was going to ruin everything. Daddy said something had to be done about her, and soon.” She giggled. “So I fixed her. I fixed her up right good.”

Rainbow growled. “Your father, who is he?” I’d like to pay him a visit?

Raven shook her head. “You don’t want to be asking questions like that. You’ll make my daddy mad.”

“What business was Princess Twilight poking her nose into?” Cerise asked.

“I don’t know,” Raven said. “Daddy never told me nothing about that. He just gave me my orders.”

“One last question,” Cerise said. “Who is your brother?”

Raven hesitated. She twitched. She shook as though were about to have a fit. Her eyes blinked rapidly as though she was dreaming. “My…my brother is…you know him as…” she stopped blinking, and her normal voice returned. “I’m sorry, Major, was I saying something?”

“Your brother,” Rainbow said.

Raven snorted. “I don’t have a brother, Rainbow Dash, where are you getting these delusions from?”

“We’re done, thank you,” Cerise murmured. “I’ll see about that dinner.”

Raven bowed. “Always a pleasure to converse with you, Major Wonder. Until next time.”

“Yes,” Cerise said, sounding as though she wasn’t looking forward to it, before she turned and walked out of the room.

Rainbow rushed after her. “Just what in the-“

“Not here,” Cerise hissed, striding away and leaving Rainbow and Havoc to trail in her wake. Only when they had reached one of the rare spots in the corridor where there were no cameras directly on them did she turn and begin to speak.

“What you just saw in there happened the very first time I questioned Raven,” Wonder said. “I went to talk to her because so much didn’t add up: if she was so powerful, why try and poison Celestia? Why not engage her in combat as soon as the opportunity arose. It only made sense if the purpose was not to kill Celestia, but rather to draw out Twilight. I asked her about it…and you saw the results.”

Rainbow frowned. “So…what are you saying?”

“The official story is that Raven was a pony who lived a thousand years ago in old Equestria, where her husband was accidentally killed by Celestia. Raven swore revenge, was imprisoned in the Crystal Empire, became a demoncorn, and then attempted to kill Celestia, killing Twilight Sparkle in the process. That story is almost 100% false, the only thing that I believe is true is that she killed Princess Twilight.”

“Then who is she?”

“I don’t know for certain, but you heard what she said. Her father trained her in combat and ordered her to kill Princess Twilight because he felt that she was a threat to his plans.”

“And she has a brother,” Havoc said. “Someone that we know or someone who Raven thought we would know.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “So let me get this straight. You think…you think that someone on the inside wanted Twilight dead? And that they arranged for Raven to be sent to do it?”

Cerise nodded. “Twilight’s death is part of a pattern of bizarre events that don’t make sense. The war in Rangiveria is the latest example of unprovoked aggression from the part of Starfleet that only seems logical from the perspective of a desire to create as much chaos and bloodshed as possible. Over the years, inquisitive and free-thinking officers have been weeded out of the service, and a culture of unthinking obedience has been encouraged. The number of people held in prisons or mental institutions has increased by an incredible lately. Something is going on here, something…something that means no good at all, I’m convinced of that. I also believe that Princess Twilight uncovered something, or was on the verge of uncovering something, and that she was killed to keep her secret.”

“But what?”

Cerise smiled. “I was hoping you might know the answer that, Executive Captain, she didn’t confide in you?”

“No,” Rainbow said. After a moment, she added. “Or if she did tell me what she was working on, I didn’t really take it in. But I would have remembered if she’d told me anything about secret conspiracies or sinister bad guys.”

“She kept it to herself, then,” Cerise said. “That’s a pity. We’ll have to find out some other way.”

“Why don’t we just go in there and ask Raven who her father and brother are?”

“I’ve tried, and gotten nowhere,” Cerise replied. “Maybe she’ll tell me eventually, but until then…the truth is I learned nothing new in there, I brought you along so you could see for yourself, so that you would find it easier to believe me. This is why the work we’re doing is so important?”

“I don’t follow,” Rainbow said.

“Whatever is going on here, whatever deep game is being played, it’s going to be bad news for all of us,” Cerise said. “If we’re going to come out on top, we’re going to have to stand together. All of us, just like Princess Twilight wanted.
“So sort your team out, Executive Captain, because if we can’t work together we don’t stand a chance.”

“Yes, sir,” Rainbow murmured, though to tell you the truth she could hardly think about that now. Twilight’s death, which had seemed to be a senseless tragedy, was planned? Someone, someone unimaginably cruel and callous, had made the decision to end Twilight’s life because…because what? Because of what she knew? Because of what she might do with her knowledge? Because of what she didn’t yet know, but might find out.

I have to tell the others about this.

“I’d advise you not to spread what you’ve heard too widely,” Cerise said. “The more people know, the more people get put in danger.”

“But Twilight’s friends-“

“At present only we three know what I have told you,” Cerise said firmly. “We already know that our enemy is willing to kill anyone who gets in their way. Do you want to paint targets on the backs of your friends?”

Rainbow bowed her head. “No. Sir.”

“Then leave them out of this,” Cerise ordered. “Concentrate on your unit.”

“Yes, sir,” Rainbow said. But when I find out who Raven’s father is, when I find out who ordered Twilight’s death.

They’re going to pay.

The Queen of Zebrica

Tremors shook the earth.

The ground shifted beneath the feet of the zebras were they formed massed columns leading to brilliant blue portals tearing the fabric of the world apart. The magic crackled and sparked as the zebras marched, in files of four or five or six, through the dozen portals that lay open and awaiting them. Old zebras with wrinkled coats, young zebras with tall manes, zebras with their children on their backs, zebras bearing heavy bundles of belongings, zebras pulling carts, zebras with spears, zebras draped in priestly robes; all of Zebrica was assembled here, waiting to depart from Zebrica, for the unknown that awaited them beyond those portals.

The ground shook beneath their feet, and the zebras cried out in panic, movement through the portals halting as the waiting zebras struggled to keep their hooves.

“Keep moving!” Queen Tynisa shouted, in a voice like a temple bell calling the faithful to worship. “These tremors are a message, and the message is: make haste!”

Queen Tynisa was not in any column. Her people, not only zebras but elephants, camels, even some horses, were arrayed in those deep, wide columns waiting to pass through the portal, but the Queen of Zebrica herself was not. Instead, she stood apart, attended by a dozen guards of the Most Faithful, fanned by an attendant with a palm leaf, while four more held a canopy above her head to protect her from the heat of the sun. One final servant bore a silver tray in one hoof, on which was placed a silver cup of sherbet from which the queen sipped as she watched her subjects march through those magic gates.

They stood not far from Qartash, the capital, and as the tremors rolled across the earth Tynisa could see the great statues that stood before the city gates, the guardian iamassu who had for generations defended her ancestors, quivering as though in the grip of a fever. Soon the tremors would be too strong, and the statues would topple along with the city that they protected.

“Alas, alas for Zebrica,” she murmured. “Alas that this should come in my time.”

Alas, indeed. There was much too alas for. Too much. The truth, if truth it was, was the sort of nightmare over which no ruler should have to preside. Through which no subject should have to live. The end of the world, the destruction of all things. And not even the end promised by the priests, when the sky mares would ride through the night and swallow up the moon and the sun would lead the faithful in one last great battle before all were carried into paradise, no. This was an end brought about entirely by their pony neighbours to the north, and there would be no paradise for any zebra. The only hope that remained to them was these blue magic portals, and the pony promise of a new world on the other side.

Some might have asked why the people who had, by their own admission, brought about the end of the world should be trusted to provide a new one…but Tynisa did not have much choice. It was either this or die, and what was the worst that could happen?

“They’re moving too slowly.”

Tynisa turned a baleful gaze upon the speaker, her guest, a pony princess from Equestria. The same pony who had brought the news of this, the same pony who had provided these magic portals. For that, Tynisa supposed she was owed thanks, but it was hard to feel grateful considering the sour news that she had given them. She was, Tynisa, supposed, about Tynisa’s own age, but a little smaller, and it was hard for Tynisa to consider the mare her equal. It was hard to consider her anything but a harbinger of ill news.

“My people are moving as fast as they can,” she declared imperiously, while she tried to remember the pony’s name. Sunlight? Midnight? Twilight, yes Twilight Sparkle.

“You’re carrying too much,” Twilight insisted. “Can’t you leave some of this behind?”

“We are taking what we must take with us,” Tynisa replied. “It is not as though we will be able to return for what we miss later. So we must bring food to eat while we establish ourselves, gold and silver to trade for the things we need to put down fresh roots in a new land, ploughs, wagons, our household gods, the histories of our people-“

“What?” Twilight demanded.

“Food-“

“No, the last two,” Twilight snapped. “Household gods? Histories? I love a good book as much as anyone, but we don’t have time for this. Everyone needs to get through as fast as possible, even if that means ditching stuff.”

“And what will be on the other side of these portals if we ditch all of that ‘stuff’?” Tynisa demanded.

“Alive,” Twilight said.

“Alive and empty,” Tynisa said. “Our culture lost, our heritage obliterated…would you have us become rootless drifters gradually losing all that makes us Zebrica as memory fades until nothing remains?”

“I would have you live,” Twilight said.

“And for that you have my thanks,” Tynisa said. “You had no need to come here, you had no need to offer us this way out. You could have left us to die. That you did not…I thank you. But Zebrica is mine, mine to rule and mine to preserve. I will decide how best to do that.”

Twilight frowned. “You really thought that we would leave you to die?”

Tynisa shrugged.

“We would never do that,” Twilight said. “That would be…monstrous.”

Another tremor rolled through the ground, though this time the march through the portals did not stop.

“You should think about leaving yourself,” Twilight said.

“Not until all of my subjects have gone through.”

“Who will lead your subjects if you die here?”

“Fate will bring forth a zebra of destiny to lead my people to a new era,” Tynisa declared breezily. “It is always thus.”

Twilight shook her head. “How can you be so calm about this?”

Tynisa almost laughed, but that would have been a breach of her decorum almost as great as weeping for all that was to be lost, and so she simply smirked and said, “Because I am queen.”

“I know,” Twilight said. “That’s why you need to go.”

“And that is why I cannot go,” Tynisa said. “Not until all others have gone.”

Twilight’s mouth tightened. “I see. I’m sorry about this.”

“Wh-“ Tynisa barely had time to open her mouth before the purple bolt from Twilight’s horn struck her, and then there was nothing but darkness.

Twilight frowned as the zebra queen collapsed. Fortunately the queen’s guards looked understanding. “Take care of her, won’t you? Get her to the other side? I think she’ll be needed.”

One of her guards scooped her up, and laid her over his back. “We shall. Thank you, princess.”

“Don’t thank me,” Twilight said. “If I deserved thanks it would be for making this unnecessary.”

“So, you’re the new ambassador to the savages, are you?” demanded Colonel Jumbo in a voice that was half nasal whine, half gruff growl, and as unpleasant as that combination sounds. He was a portly space pony, his belly straining against the restraint provided by his stained and unkempt uniform, with a bald head and a walrus moustache colonising his upper lip. His face was red – not his coat, which was beige, just his face – and stained with sweat, as though he found the desert heat to be more than usually intolerable. He sat at a small round table in the Officer’s Club at the barracks in El Alamane, the only occupant of the bar this early in the afternoon, nursing a stiff scotch unleavened by any water or soda. His eyes were small to the point of being piggy, and he glared out with them from underneath a pair of bushy eyebrows.

“I don’t know anything about any savages,” Pinkie said. “I’m the new ambassador to the zebras.”

Jumbo scowled. “What did you say your rank was?”

“I’m Executive Captain Pinkie Pie, and this is my big sister Maud!”

“I’m not actually in Starfleet,” Maud said.

“Hmm,” Jumbo growled. “Where you trying to be funny just then?”

“No,” Pinkie said. “I’m sorry, did you want me to be funny, because I can be funny, in fact I love being funny. Have you heard the one about the-“

“No,” Jumbo snapped. “Listen here, Executive Captain, I happen to be a crowned colonel, so don’t think you can go being funny with me just because you’re taking my job, got it?”

“Aww, but I like being funny,” Pinkie murmured.

Jumbo snorted. “For my sins, I’m supposed to brief you on what you can expect amongst the savages before you take up your post.”

“But I told you sir, I’m not visiting any savages. I’m the ambassador to-“

“You’re a bit of an idiot, aren’t you?” Jumbo said.

“Please don’t talk about my sister that way,” Maud said. Her tone remained as even as it ever was, her face remained a blank, devoid of expression…to the untrained eye, at least. The careful observer, like the little sister who had known her for years, could tell that her face had become a little more stony than usual.

Pinkie also noticed that one of Maud’s hands had clenched into a fist.

Colonel Jumbo did not appear to notice. He knocked back the last of his scotch and pounded on the table. “Hey you! Bring me another, and make it snappy!”

Why? You didn’t ask for an alligator sandwich. Pinkie didn’t say that. As a joke, it could do with a little refinement. Hmm…a pony walks into a bar and says ‘Do you serve alligator sandwiches?’-

“You’ll find the zebras to be a difficult lot,” Jumbo said. “Full of themselves is what they are. Especially their queen. Prances around like she owns the place, no respect. No respect at all. Arrogant, is what they are. Arrogant to the bone.”

“Yes, it’s terrible when people think they’re so much better than you for no reason, isn’t it?” Maud asked, in a tone that would not have been recognised as sarcasm by anyone who wasn’t a member of the Pie family.

Jumbo nodded, seeming pleased to find someone who agreed with him. He began to warm to his theme. “You know what the problem with the stripebacks is, captain? There’s not a shred of gratitude! I mean we give them an escape from the destruction of their world, we’re even good enough to offer to share, to share mark you, our planet with them. We only place the most reasonable of restrictions of their behaviour and what do they do? They complain, and they whine and they talk about their pride and their honour and all this nonsense. I mean it’s enough to drive an honest pony to drink. Thank you.” That last was to the steward who brought him his second scotch. “Now, as ambassador your job is to make sure that these stripeys don’t get too big for their horseshoes, you understand? Show them their place, keep your foot on them, and always remember that you’re better than them…well, not as good as some of us, of course, but better than they are nevertheless. Just treat them with contempt and you’ll do very well.”

Pinkie blinked. But why would I want to treat anyone with contempt? How am I supposed to make new friends that way? The truth was she wasn’t sure that she even knew how to go about treating people with contempt. It wasn’t something that she’d ever wanted to do before. It wasn’t something that she’d ever thought that she’d need to do before.

Twilight had told her once that being an ambassador was essentially someone whose job it was to help countries to make friends. But how were you supposed to make friends with someone if you held them in contempt and let them know it? How were you supposed to do anything but make them hate you that way?

For a moment, Pinkie wondered if that was what Starfleet wanted, for the zebras to hate them. But she dismissed the notion after a moment. After all, she knew from experience that Starfleet was pretty terrible when it came to making friends, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t want to. It just meant that they didn’t know how, which was why it was important to help the ones who wanted to learn by throwing super-duper parties for them. That had almost worked on Lightning Dawn, after all. So probably the Colonel just didn’t know how to make friends any more than most other space ponies did.

Well, Starfleet did like their rules, but Pinkie was sure that if she made friends with the zebras somehow then nobody would really mind that she hadn’t done it exactly the way that she’d been told to.

She hoped so, anyway.

“I understand, sir,” she chirruped.

“Good,” Jumbo said. “The same transport that brought me back here will take you down there. You’ll find the stripebacks waiting outside the perimeter for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have…I have a lot of work to be getting on with.” He gestured to the table before him, a table that was empty apart from his glass of scotch.

“Okie Dokie Lokie,” Pinkie cried. “See you around, colonel!”

Colonel Jumbo grunted, and looked away as Pinkie and Maud left the Officer’s Club.

El Alamane was a Starfleet outpost, the southernmost Starfleet outpost before Zebrica, but apart from the sand and the way the hot sun beat down with an intensity that you didn’t really get in United Equestria, you could have been in New Ponyville…no, you couldn’t have been in New Ponyville because in New Ponyville were all of Pinkie’s friends and she could have bounced down the street saying hello to everypony – sorry, everybody – and everypo-body would have said hello to her and wished her a good day with whatever it was she was up to. This was not New Ponyville, the only folks here were Starfleet ponies she didn’t know, standing sentry, patrolling the base perimeter, driving rattling tanks or fast trucks in and out.

It wasn’t New Ponyville, but it was like a lot of places in United Equestria had become, or were becoming: there was a donut shop, and a café, and even a movie theatre proudly announcing new showings of Twilightfall, even though that movie had been out for ages in United Equestria, and most cinemas had stopped running it.

“Did you ever actually watch those movies?” Maud asked, gesturing towards the theatre. “They way they treated you was terrible.”

“As long as folks were happy when they left, that’s all that matters,” Pinkie said. “They can think what they want about me so long as they’re enjoying themselves.”

“But they’ll think that you’re stupid,” Maud murmured.

Pinkie shrugged. “Does it matter?”

Maud blinked. “You’re a better person than they deserve, Pinkie.”

“That can’t be true,” Pinkie said. “Because everyone deserves the best. So, are you excited about going to Zebrica?”

“Not really,” Maud admitted. “All of this sand…I haven’t seen many rocks recently.”

“Well there’s bound to be some rocks once we get there,” Pinkie replied. “You can’t build a house out of sand, right?”

“I hope so,” Maud said. “Boulder’s getting awfully lonely.”

They wandered out of the camp, under the watchful eye of Starfleet sentries, to where a giant metal vehicle was waiting for them. It had tracks, four sets of them, and it looked as thought it had been put together in a bit of a rush, with bits of metal welded together all higgledy-piggledy, overlapping one another and such. It looked a bit like a slug on tracks, except where slugs had a bulbous head, this thing bulged most towards the middle.

A pair of zebras, with goggles over their eyes, stood in front of the metal slug.

“You must be the new ambassador,” one of them said.

“Yep yep yep,” Pinkie cried. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, and this is my big sister Maud! It’s great to meet you!”

“Hello,” Maud murmured.

Neither of the two zebras seemed all that pleased to see her. “Climb in,” one of them said.

“Okie dokie lokie,” Pinkie said, as she and Maud climbed into the central air of the giant crawler. The interior was grey, and a little dark, with functional but uncomfortable metal seats. Still, there were some very big windows, and Pinkie sat down next to one, hopeful of a good view later on.

They were separated from where Pinkie guessed the drivers went, but from the other side of the metal wall Pinkie could hear some thudding and thumping.

There was a moment of silence, then the crawler began to shake. Really shake, like an earthquake shake. Maud, sitting next to Pinkie, looked ever so slightly worried. There was a coughing sound, then a belching sound, then a little bit of smoke began to seep in…and then, with a sound like an old dragon stirring himself to life after a good long sleep, the crawler began to move. They were on their way.

Team Sentinel glided through the air, the clouds passing beneath them as they kept to a high altitude.

They were armed and armoured. All equipment was in order, and tailored to the individual specialities of the sentinel units. Sentinel Two: no weapons, uniforce and innate strength sufficient, special armour that provided protection while simultaneously mimicking innate changeling shapeshifting abilities. One Delta: two axes secured to back, cursory analysis of weight and material suggested that he alone possessed strength to use both simultaneously. One Bravo: gloves to enhance shield generating abilities, same changeling-compatible armour as Sentinel Two. One Charlie: datapad capable of universal interface with hostile computer systems, drone capable of limited independent action secured to back; he was also still wearing glasses, despite lack of purpose. One Alpha: repeating crossbow with a variety of ammunition types, including explosive and EMP tipped quarrels.

They were prepared for anything. But their target was not prepared for them.

Twilight is my bestest friend whoopee, whoopee!

Sentinel Three shook her head. Those were not her memories. They could affect her decision making. They should not.

The cutest, smartest, all around best pony, pony.

Not me, Three thought. That is not my memory, that is not three she spoke of. I am not Twilight Sparkle. I am myself.

Then why do I have more of Twilight’s memories than of my own?

They were heading south, crossing the fields and cities of United Equestria at such high altitude that it was unlikely that they would be spotted, either by the naked eye that they were flying above, or even by sophisticated detection equipment. All their suits were equipped with stealth technology to help them avoid such. They would head to New Qartash, the capital of Zebrica, and eliminate Pinkie Pie and Queen Tynisa in one stroke.

That was their mission. That was their purpose.

Twilight saved Tynisa. I will destroy her.

Because I am not Twilight.

But I remember everything she did.

This is purpose.

Then why am I not content?

“Woah, woah, woah!” Delta’s voice, loud and sharp, cut through Three’s existential musings. “Everybody hold up!”

One Alpha’s magenta wings spread out as she came to a halt, crossbow raised. “What is it? Are we under attack?”

“I’ll be right back,” Delta said, banking into a steep dive downwards, bursting through a thick grey cloud that obscured him from the rest of Team Sentinel.

“One Delta!” Two snapped. “Resume formation! One Delta, respond!”

“Maybe he’s seen something?” One Charlie suggested. He raised his datapad. “Scans aren’t picking up anything though.”

“Perhaps they have stealth tech like us,” One Bravo muttered. She had her shield on one arm, and was generating a bubble of energy in her other hand, using her white wings to rotate lazily in place. Three observed that she was chewing gum.

“That is unlikely,” Two said. “How would they have acquired it?”

“Speculation is pointless,” Three declared. “We will pursue One Delta and determine what caused his sudden reaction.”

Two nodded. “Affirmative.”

They dropped down through the clouds, swiftly catching sight of One Delta as he flew downwards like an arrow. There was no sign of any hostile forces, but he was moving downwards with great purpose and speed. Due to the lead that he had already gained on them, he easily reached the surface before them. They found him standing outside a large brick building lit up with many neon lights that, from Twilight Sparkle’s memories, Three was able to identify as a burger bar.

“Hello customer, welcome to SpaceBurger, for all your burger needs,” a robotic voice said from out of the kiosk. “May I process your order?”

“Yeah, can I get an extra large burger royale meal with extra cheese, no pickles and piri-piri fries,” One Delta said. “An extra large New Appleoosa burger meal with hay fries, a double bacon starmuffin meal, an extra large regular fries and a chicken starnuggets.”

“Please specify your drinks.”

“Did you just get us all worried because you wanted to stop for food?” Alpha demanded. “You moron.”

“Hey, these muscles don’t support themselves, you know,” Delta said. “I need protein.”

“We are well supplied with protein bars,” Two observed.

“The protein bars suck,” Delta replied. “Now stop interrupting, you’ll make the robot forget my order. How many drinks can I get?”

“Three.”

“Okay, I’ll have a coke, a tango and a coffee.”

“Can I get in on this,” One Bravo said. “What are the toys that come with the Starfleet Happy Meals?”

“Each Happy Meal comes with a randomised toy,” the robotic kiosk announced. “Depicting one of the heroes of Starfleet from the blockbusting Starfleet Magic television and movie franchise. Happy Meals are offered in conjunction with Starfleet: protecting your world for a better tomorrow.”

“I’ll take ten Starfleet Happy Meals.”

“Are you going to eat all of those?” Charlie asked tremulously.

“No, you can have some if you want, but the toys are all mine.”

“How do you intend to pay for all of these?” Two demanded.

Charlie raised his hand. “I hacked into Starfleet financial records…I know all the credit card numbers for the members of the science division.”

“Really? I should have ordered more food.”

“What are the dessert options?” Alpha asked.

“Oh, now who’s the moron?”

“I would be, if I didn’t eat while everyone else is eating.”

Two sighed, and put his head in his hands.

Three, on the other hand, began to laugh.

“I fail to see what is so amusing about this situation,” Two said.

Three smiled. “We are being derelict in our purpose, our presence here is irrelevant to our mission and assignment. And yet…I am not troubled. Instead, I am happy.”

“That’s nice, I guess,” Delta said. “Do you want anything to eat?”

Pinkie gasped as she pressed her face up against the window. “Look at this, Maud! Isn’t this amazing!”

The juddering, shaking crawler – it seemed to shudder and shake more every day, to the point that sometimes it seemed that the two zebras wouldn’t be able to get in started again – was passing not too far from a great river, cutting through the desert. Here the sand was blooming, with palm trees and flowers and crops and fruits and all kinds of things. Crocodiles swam lazily in the sapphire water. Hippopotami yawned. Flocks of pink flamingos rose into the sky, flecking the blue with colour. The monotony of the desert was exchanged for a riot of shades as the water spread its life out across the sands and brought forth bounty from it.

“Fluttershy would have loved this,” Pinkie said as a pair of cockatoos flew past. Lions stalked upon the plains, gazelles ran, buffalos stampeded, elephants and rhinos ambled past. And zebras, of course. Zebras where hard at work in the fields by the river, tilling and planting. They were aided by some vehicles, each of them belching smoke into the air as they shook and rattled almost as badly as the zebra crawler did. Pinkie wondered what the matter with them all was. It was a pity, really, because they did disturb the landscape a little bit…but not too much. There weren’t too many of them, after all, and mostly they left the land alone to be beautiful. So beautiful even Rarity would have probably found something to appreciate.

Fluttershy. Rarity. Thinking about her friends brought a frown to Pinkie’s face, and she turned away from the window to slump back into her chair.

She held a hand upon her own, and looked up to see Maud staring at her intently.

“What’s the matter?” Maud asked. “Didn’t you enjoy the view?”

Pinkie nodded. “But then I started thinking about my friends, and how much they’d like to see this too. And that made me sad.”

Maud nodded. “I understand.”

“Not that I’m not glad that you’re here!” Pinkie said quickly. “I love that you’ve come with me, it’s just-“

“Pinkie, it’s okay,” Maud said. She almost smiled. “I know how much you love your friends, and you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t miss them. I…I like being with you, but I don’t like why I had to come here. Pinkie, do you think things will be okay?”

Pinkie opened her mouth to say that of course they would…but the words wouldn’t come. “I don’t know. I used to think they would, but…without Twilight…”

“Tell me things will be okay,” Maud said. “Please.”

Ah. Now Pinkie understood what her sister was asking her. So she smiled. “Don’t worry, Maud. Thing will be okay for sure!”

“Thank you, Pinkie.”

“Aww, come here,” Pinkie cried as she pulled her big sister into a hug. “So long as we’re together, we’ll be fine, right?”

“Sure,” Maud murmured. “We’re like chalk and flint.”

“Huh?”

“They’re rocks that are really different, but they go really well together.”

“Wow, just like us.”

“Yes, Pinkie, just like us.”

After fourteen days of travel, stopping at night, the quivering crawler, that was rattling along so badly that it seemed that it was about to fall apart, they arrived at a towering palace set on the outskirts of a great city. Ziggurats and pyramids of yellow stone rose up towards the sun, made of a yellow stone that seemed to half gleam in the sunlight. The walls of palace and city were white, and they really did shine as the sunlight struck them. Black statues showing winged lions with zebra heads and curled beards stood guard outside the entrances, while other statues of zebras and lions and elephants stood decoratively around fountains. Zebras rich and poor, in cloth and in gold and jewels, bustled through the city streets and in and out of looming palace. It was strange to see so many people on all fours again. In fact it was strange to see nobody walking on two legs here, but Pinkie couldn’t see a single one. Zebras hadn’t converted the way that ponies had, she wasn’t sure if they’d said no or hadn’t been given the chance. She supposed that she could find out.

“Agglomerated limestone concrete,” Maud murmured. “Interesting.”

“Huh?”

“Those stones,” Maud said, gesturing to many of the buildings, made of the same yellow stone that formed the pyramids and the ziggurats. “They look like their made of blocks of limestone, but they’re not. They’re actually made of artificial stones, shaped to look like rocks.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Limestone is one of my favourite sediments,” Maud said. “It’s a pity they haven’t used it naturally, but it is interesting what they’ve done.”

The door into and out of the crawler began to open. It shook, lowered a little, stopped, shook again, then fell off its hinges to land with a clatter on the ground.

“ZEPH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY BEAUTIFUL SAND CRAWLER!”

Pinkie and Maud stuck their heads out of the door to see that the irate voice belonged to, strangely enough, a zebra on two legs, wearing a black crop-top that left her midriff exposed, with a pair of goggles over her head and a jacket tied around her waist, just above her shorts. She clutched a wrench in one hand, which was trembling her grip as she yelled.

The two zebra drivers came down. One of them, Zeph she guessed, glowered at her.

“Hey, it’s not our fault that you’re stupid machine doesn’t work properly,” he said. “Stupid thing nearly broke down getting back here.”

“Did you wash out the intake every day like I told you to?”

The two drivers looked at one another. “Um…”

“You didn’t, did you?”

“No,” Zeph admitted.

The bipedal zebra growled. “The reason it sounds like its dying is because you’ve let sand build up in the engine. If you do that then of course it won’t run right. That’s why I told you to keep it clean.”

“Well, why couldn’t you just design an engine that wouldn’t get sand in?”

“Because we’re in a desert, genius, there’s sand everywhere,” snapped the zebra with the wrench. “You’d better clean this out before I tell Her Majesty that you broke one of her transports.”

The two zebras snapped to attention. “Yes ma’am!”

The zebra with the wrench snorted. Then she turned her attention to Pinkie and Maud, and instantly her stern expression softened. She had blue eyes, and they twinkled a little as she smiled. “Hey there, you must be the new Starfleet ambassadors.”

Pinkie leapt down from the crawler, landing with a soft thump in the sand. “I sure am. My name’s Pinkie Pie, and this is my big sister Maud!”

The zebra’s eyebrow rose. “Starfleet officers usually introduce themselves by their rank.”

“It doesn’t matter what rank I am,” Pinkie said. “What matters is that I’m me. And Maud isn’t even a member of Starfleet.”

“You might say I’m here on vacation,” Maud said in a voice as dry as the desert.

The zebra chuckled. “Well, my name is Sephora, but everyone around here calls me Hands, you can guess why. I’m Queen Tynisa’s chief mechanic, and I’ll take you to Her Majesty right now.”

“What about our stuff?” Maud asked.

“Someone will take care of that, don’t worry,” Sephora said. She gestured for them to come with her. “Follow me, please.”

The two ponies followed the zebra towards the palace, where the statues of the winged lions loomed over them.

“Onyx,” Maud said, running one hand over the black plinth of the statues.

“Huh?” Sephora asked.

“I like rocks,” Maud explained.

“Oh, I see,” Sephora said, as though she saw but didn’t really understand. She led through streets crowded with zebras, through squares over which bipedal mechas stood guard. They belched smoke out of chimney stacks on their backs, and as they patrolled up and down Pinkie saw that each one had four arms: two arms with hands, like a modified pony, and two arms with weapons on them, either guns or swords or a mixture of both.

Looking up, she could see that there were weapons mounted on the walls, pointed up towards the sky.

“You’re well armed,” she murmured.

“Less well than Starfleet, I think,” Sephora replied, with a bit of an edge entering into her voice. “We have to be prepared.”

“You’re preparations are very loud,” Maud observed.

Sephora shrugged. “We don’t have the advantages of your Starfleet technology. We only started industrialising when we came here a few years ago, so development is still in its infancy. That’s why everything looks a little ramshackle. We’re figuring this stuff out as we go.”

She led them inside the palace, under the watchful eyes of a pair of clanking, smoking, creaking mechs, that turned to observe them as they passed beneath the archway. The doors were bronze, and opened by a quartet of zebras with spears that seemed really weird what with the mechs outside and all. Inside, the corridor walls had scenes carved into them: hunting, fighting, planting, harvesting.

“You wouldn’t believe all of this was brand new, would you?” Sephora asked. “Queen Tynisa had everything recreated exactly as it was. “She was insistent.”

“The weathering effect you’ve achieved is remarkable,” Maud said.

“Don’t ask me how they did it.”

“I can guess,” Maud said.

As Sephora led them through the palace, it became increasingly obvious that she was the only zebra to stand on two legs; the absolute only one. So much so that it begged the question of why, and only a degree of politeness kept Pinkie from asking.

Still, it must have been obvious, because Sephora laughed and said, “You want to know why I’ve got hands, don’t you?”

“Kinda.”

“I studied engineering at the New Maresachussetts Institute of Technology for a couple of years,” Sephora said. “Body mods were compulsory for all foreign students. It makes being back here a little weird, but…this is home. No place like it, right? And I did get a good job from Her Majesty. It gets me noticed, but people noticed that I was a zebra in United Equestria. Honestly, I prefer Hands to Stripeback.” She frowned at them both. “This way.”

She led the two ponies to the threshold of a grand throne room, built from the same limestone thingy that Maud had talked about earlier judging by the look of it, a crimson carpet running down the centre of the room, and guards in gleaming golden armour lining the column that held up the ceiling, columns carved into the shape of lions on their hind legs, paws ready to pounce.

At the back of the room, being fanned by a pair of attendants with palm leaves, sat a zebra on a golden throne who was probably the queen, since the real queen would probably have been mad if anyone else had sat on her throne while she was away. She’d been younger than Pinkie was expecting, only about her age, with what looked like a pretty heavy cape draped over her body, and a really, really big golden necklace hanging from her neck, set with rubies and sapphires and emeralds and diamonds too. Gold earrings dangled from her ears, and her mane was styled into a tiara shape at the front, with pearls set in it. There were teardrops painted down one side of her face, dripping in blue from her left eye, while on the other side had been painted a tusk growing out of the right side of her mouth.

“Your Majesty, Queen Tynisa,” Sephora declared. “I present the new Starfleet ambassadors, Pinkie Pie and Maud Pie.”

“Hello,” Maud murmured, as all eyes turned towards them. Pinkie couldn’t help but notice that most of the eyes were hostile.

Queen Tynisa sat up a little. “Approach,” she said, her voice cold in this warm place.

Pinkie walked forward. “Hi there,” she said. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I’m here to-“

“To tell us how inferior we are, no doubt,” Tynisa said. “That was how your predecessor spent much of his time.”

Pinkie blinked. “I wouldn’t ever do anything like that, I’m-“

“Starfleet,” Tynisa snapped. “You bring your arrogance, your contempt, you bring the promise of war between your people and mine. Or why else must we build machines of battle and mount weapons on our walls?”

“I thought it was maybe because you thought robots were cool,” Pinkie suggested

Tynisa glared at her. “It is because Starfleet threatens us. You have so much military might and yet you seek to impose treaties restricting our own. I ask you, as I ask your predecessor, if you would not feel threatened by a military colossus on your border.”

“Probably,” Pinkie admitted. “But that doesn’t mean that the answer is for you to become a military colossussusus as well.”

“Indeed? Then what is the answer?”

“For us all to become good friends,” Pinkie declared. “Then we could all get rid of our weapons because we wouldn’t need them any more.”

Tynisa blinked. “You are not the first to speak so to me, though I had not thought to hear it from Starfleet’s official representative to my court. Did you say your name was…Pinkie Pie?”

“Yes indeedy!”

“I have heard that name before,” Tynisa said. “Were you acquainted with Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

Pinkie gasped. “You knew Twilight.”
“A little, though she spoke of you often,” Tynisa said. “Perhaps it is fate that has brought you here to us. Welcome to my court, Pinkie Pie. Let us hope that you fair better than your predecessor.”

Author's Note

This chapter kept getting pushed back by other stuff, but I'm glad its finally out now.

Sentinel Strike

A light wind gusted across the field as the two ponies faced each other.

Raven's bat-like wings were spread out on either side of her, her face concealed under the shadow of he hood.

"So, Princess Twilight Sparkle," her voice was soft, almost sibillant. "We meet at last."

Twilight's wings were tucked behind her. She scowled. "This ends now, Raven. I won't let you hurt Queen Celestia."

Raven sniggered. "This ends now? Princess, this has only just begun. I suppose your little vow signifies an intent to, in the vulgar parlance, stop me?"

"I do."

"And how do you propose to do that, little bookworm?"

"I'm not a bookworm," Twilight growled as he began to glow. "I'm well read."

She fire a spell, and another and another, a barrage of lavender bolts streaking outwards. Raven dodged them all. Twiliht had known she would. Raven was too fast, too agile to be hit by a spell aimed at where she was when the spell was fired.

But she was also predictable. It wasa sideffect of overconfidence. She was focuused entirely upon two things: dodging Twilight's spells and closing the distance with Twilight. And she was doing both in a pattern of the same movements repeated. If Twilight could just learn the pattern...

Got you.

Twilight kept firing. Raven dodged...right into the path of the three bolts that Twilight had aimed at the next position Raven was likely to occupy.

Raven staggered as the bolta exploded, and as soon as she halted Twilight hit her with an
Inverted shield spell. It was something Sunset had theorised, but left Twilight to put into practice: a variant on a standard shield t at, instead of forming a protective barrier around the caster, formed an imprisoning cocoon around the target.

Raven floated in a bubble of lavender energy, beating futilely against it with her fists.

"There's nothing you can do," Twilight said. "That will hold you until you can be taken into custody."

"Oh woe is me, beaten by my own hubris," Raven sighed. "I suppose ther isn't anything I can do...unless, of course I had something up my sleeve you couldn't have vorseen when you set this little trap...something that I believe might be called 'a ace in the hole'. Something like this."

Twilight ga ped as Raven threw back her hood. Raven laughed as Twilight beheld, there on top of her heada golden horn.

Twilight shook her head. "You can't..."

"Guess again," Raven said as her horn began to glow. "UNIFORCE!"

The beam of golden light shattered Twilight's shield like glass. Twilight was hit before she cpuld react, and she realised what all of Starfleet's enemies had gone through. It was burning, a fire dancing on her skin, a fire swirling in her blood, like being plunged into a vat of sunlight burning her inside and out. Twilight cried out in pain as she rolled out the way, thrashing on the ground to make the burning stop as her armour melted and began to fuse to her coat and add to her agony.

The pain became the least of her wories as Raven fell on her. Twilight could still feel the uniforce ravaging her body, destroying her inside and out, but that pain receded before the sharp immediacy of Raven's hammerblows. Twilight tried to block to dodge, but she was not a close combat expert, and she could barely stand already. Raven cackled as she laid into Twilight, knocking her to the ground only to pick her back up again.

I need to open the distance, Twilight thought. What she really needed was a doctor before the uniforce killed her, but if she could put some distance between her and Raven shemight be able to teleport away without Raven being able to follow. Twilight spread her wings-

"Where do you think you're going?" Raven asked. She grabbed Twilight's wing, amd Twilight screamed as Raven bloodily tore it from her body. Raven laughed as picked Twilight up, raised the princess up, and snapped her back like a twig.

"And to to think, you actually thought you were better than me," Raven said, setting Twilight down upon the ground. "I hope you've learned your lesson now."

There were tears of pain and fear in Twilight's eyes. She couldn't feel her legs, but she could feel the blood ozing out of the stump of her wings, feel the breaks to her bones all across her body, feel the uniforce eating away at her like acid.

"Yes," Twilight whimpered. "Yes, I have."

Please, she thought. Please let he Be satisfied. Please let her be satisfied. Her friends couldn't be far away now. There was probably nothing to be done about her legs, but she could manage in a chair so long as her friends helped.

I don't want to die, Twilight thought. I want to go to another of Pinkie's parties, I want to see Rainbow come up with a new stunt, I want to be dazzled by Rarity's latest dress.

I don't want to die.

"Good," Raven said. "Hold that thought." She stabbed Twilight in the heart. "Goodbye, Princess. This was a lot of fun."

She left Twilight there, dying. Dying alone, in the middle of an empty field, with no one there to witness.

"Applejack?" Twilight murmured as blood leaked from the edges of her mouth. "Rainbow...Dash? Anyone?"

There was no one there. No one was coming. The Princess of Friendship, who had learned so much about trusting in others, was dying alone, abandoned by her friends when she needed them the most.

The pain Twilight was feeling sent a spike of anger through her as sharp a Raven's knife. None of them were here, none of them...cared. She hated them all right now, she hated them for leaving her alone in pain...and in terror at what was to come.

Yes, she was terrified. She was dying and she was alone and she couldn't be a brave little princess, she couldn't put face her ultimate destiny with unflinching valour. She was in pain and she was frightened and she was cold so cold and so Twilight Sparkle sobbed and blubbed and whimpered as she felt the hand of death upon her.

"Please," she begged. "Somebody help me... Princess Celestia ...Mommy?"

The light in Twilight's eyes began to fade as cold engulfed the limbs she could still feel. There was a bright light, that would have blinded anybody there to see it. And then, when the liht cleared, there was nothing on the field but a lifeless corpse bearing the face of Twilight Sparkle. And that was what Lightning Dawn found when he arrived upon the scene.

"What are you doing here? This area is restricted!"

Maud turned to see the source of the sudden angry shouting coming her way. A zebra was advancing down the dimly lit corridor towards her, with the light of the five dying candles illumunating the red streaks in her mane, which fell flat down the sides of her face, like Pinkie's hair when she was upset.

Though as best Maud could tell, this zebra looked more angry than upset. As she got closer to Maud, Maud saw that she was wearing a black bodysuit, a little like Pinkie's starfleet armour, completely covering her body below the neck. It had red stripes on it.

Maud turned to face the irate zebra. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise that I wasn't supposed to come here."

"Dust and sand you didn't! You're the new Starfleet ambassador, right! I bet you were dying to snoop around and spy on us, weren't you?"

"No."

The zebra scowled. "No what?"

"I am not the new Starfleet ambassador. You're thinking of my sister, Pinkie Pie. My name is Maud."

"Well if you're not the ambassador then what are you doing here? You are a spy, admit it!"

"I'm not a spy, I'm here with my sister. I already apologised for being somewhere I shouldn't be. I just wanted to look at these rocks." Maud gestured to the wall to her right, a slab of agglomerated limestone concentrate, with marble steles set into the main wall. Above and below the marble images had been carved into the limestone, and in some cases it looked as though onyx figures has been placed into troughs made in the limestone. It was quite fascinating.

The zebra frowned. "Look at...the rock?"

"I think it's inspiring a poem," Maud murmured. She paused.

"Limestone, you are versatile,
Wounded, you remain beautiful,
A chain of marble is your necklace,
And onyx slumbers in your warm embrace."

The zebra's face twisted in confusion. Maud's poetry had that effect on lots of people. It was just too avant-garde for general audiences to appreciate, but Pinkie liked it, so that was okay.

"Are you...what..." her face reddened. "Are you mocking me, little pony?"

"No," Maud replied. "I've been told that I don't have a sense of humour."

"Don't you-"

"Karima!"

Another zebra approached from the same direction as the first; this one qas also wearing one of those suits, but hers was all black. Her mane was pale, and hung over one shoulder in a braid.

"What are you yelling about?" she asked.

"I caught this pony spy wandering around and then she started sassing me!"

"I told you, I'm not a spy," Maud said. "I'm-"

"With the Starfleet ambassador, yes, I know," the blonde zebra said. "I'm sorry if Karima was rude to you-"

"Hey!"

"She just gets a little intense, that's all," the blonde zebra said. "My name's Ria, let me know if there's anything I can do to make your stay here more comfortable."

"I will," Maud said.

Ria and Karima stared at her for a moment. Ria chuckled. "So...have you seen anything interesting?"

"These rocks."

Karima planted a hoof into her face. "Dust storms not this again. Look, you can't be here okay? So get out!"

Ria laughed again. "What my, um, what Karima is trying to say is that this part of the palace is not entirely safe, we've got a lot of construction going on, only certain zebras allowed here, for safety."

Maud blinked. "It looks perfectly stable from a geological standpoint."

"Maybe it looks that way, but it would be terrible if one of Ger Majesty's guests w re to get hurt, so if you could go back to your room that would really help us out," Ria said, smiling broadly.

Maud exhaled. "Okay. I suppose I'd better go, then. Goodbye," she said to the two zebras. She raised one hand to touch the wall. "Goodbye," she said to the rock.

As soon as the Starfleet spy was out of sight, Karima rounded on Ria with an angry scowl. "What the sands was that about? Why didn't you just let me toss her out?"

"Yes, let's let Strafleet know that we're hiding something, what do you think Sephora would say about that?" Ria demanded. "Besides, I think a spy would be a little less...odd."

"That's probably just what they want you to think."

Ria rolled her eyes. "Look, we got rid of her, isn't that all that matters?"

"Yes. No," Karima said. She pouted. "I'm the lead pilot, you shouldn't talk about me like you did."

Ria's face softened into a smile. "I'm sorry. There, is that better?"

"A little."

Ria laughed. "Come on, let's get back to work before Sephora starts to worry."

Team Sentinel huddled on top of a cliff overlooking the zebra capital. Two lay on his belly, a pair of binoculars in his hands observing the strength and disposition of the enemy. Three knelt beside him, waiting for his report.

Without the aid of the binoculars, her enhanced eyesight and hearing enabled her to detect at least six very loud zebra mechs on the perimter. Initial observation suggested that they were powerful, but slow and cumbersome. That was a weakness the sentinels could exploit.

Inside the palce, exact location unknown, waited the two targets of their mission: zebra Queen Tynisa and...and Pinkie Pie.

Twilight is my bestest friend whoopee, whoopee!

All I really needs a smile, smile, smile, from these happy friends of mine!

Twilight, won't you smile?

This calls for a party!

I am not Twilight, Pinkie means nothing to me.

Then why am I so full of doubt.

Why am I tormented by someone elses memories?

Why do I feel as though this is wrong?

"Three?" Two asked insistently. "Three, is something wrong?"

"No," Three snapped."I am operating within parameters."

"You were kinda spaced out for a moment there, boss," Delta said.

"I am functioning well," Three repeated. "Two, report."

"Strong defensive compliment," Two said. "Twenty visble mechanised units, plus support troops. The probability that there are additional units concealed inside the buildings I estimate to be high."

"Analysis of the mechanised units?"

"They possess ranged and melee caopability," Two said. "But their mobility is extremely limited."

Three nodded. That was her impression too. "One Charlie, can you hack these mechs?"

Charlie shrugged. "I've scanned them with my drone, and I don't think there;s anything to hack. This tech is ancient, like steam and gears ancient, it's too primitive to interfere with."

Three asked. "Can your drone enter the palace and find the targets?" She did not refer to them by name. That way she could almost forget that Pinkie Pie was going to die by her hand. She could almost forget.

Charlie shook his head. "Not without giving away our presence."

"You're a lot of use, aren't you?" Delta asked.

"The situation isn't playing to my skillset at the moment," Charlie replied. "Not all of us were engineered to be good at hitting things."

"Quiet," Three said. "Since further reconnaissance is impossible, the plan will be as follows: Alpha, Bravo and Chare will create a diversion on the ea t side of the perimter to distract maximum numbers of zebra units. Once the feint is under way Two, Delta and myself will storm the palace, locate and eliminate the targets. Are there any questions?"

Alpha raised her hand. "I've got one. Why are we doing this?"

"Your question makes no sense," Two said.

"I mean none of us wants to fight for Starfleet, right?" Alpha said. "They couldn't implant loyalty even thoygh they think they did. Their words, their slogans, their ideals mean nothing."

"Nothing," Three said.

"But here we are, doing their bidding," Alpha said. "Why?"

"The chips in our heads that will kill us if we don't," said Bravo.

"Then w should be trying to remove the chips while we're out of sight on this mission," Alpha said.

"We must have purpose," Three said.

"Why?"

"Because all living things have purpose."

"All living things choose their purpose," Alpha said. "We were designed like tools with purpose in mind."

"Look, I'm not too fond of Professor Brain and that lot myself, but this is what we're meant to do," Delta said. "It's like our destiny, almost."

"We're killing people," Alpha said.

"No one we know," Delta replied. "Who's Pinkie Pie to us?"

"My best friend," Three murmured.

The other Sentinel's stared at her.

"Uh...what?" Bravo asked.

"Two," Three said. "You are created from the DNA of Lightning Dawn, yes?"

"That is correct," Two said.

"I possess all of the memories of Princess Twilight Sparkle up until the moment of her death," Three said, her neutral tone belying the weight behind the words. She might be the only creature living who knew, actually knew, what it was like to die. She remembered the pain as Raven's uniforce tore her body to shreds, the agony as Raven's blade pierced her heart. She remembered crying like a child because she didn't want to die all alone and in unbearable pain. She rembered calling for Queen Celestia, and for her mother. She remembered getting no answer from either of them.

The emotions Twilight had felt in that moment wrre detached, weightless; Three had no connection to them. But the pain...the pain felt real.

Two frowned. "Then you are Twilight Sparkle."

"No," Three replied. "I feel no emotional connection to herlife as I feel none to Starfleet. But I remember Pinkie Pie as though I have been spying on her. I remember every party, every adventure, every moment that they shared together. I remember that they loved one another."

"Ooh, remember any salacious details?" Delta asked. Bravo clobbered him on the head. "Ow!"

"Not now, jackass," Bravo hissed.

"And now I will kill her," Three said. "Because that is my purpose."

She fell silent, her eyes down, not looking at any of them.

The silence stretched.

"Three," Two said. "Are you waiting for something?"

A group hug Three thought, but of course Twiliht's friends would have reacted to her distress, and she was not Twilight and these were not her friends. There would be no comfort found here.

"No," she said. "Is everyone prepared?"

"Yes," Alpha said, if eluctantly.

"Then commence the operation."

Pinkie Pie was woken by the sound of a baby crying.

She was a pretty light sleeper anyway; it didn't take much to wake her up, but a crying baby? That would do it for sure.

Pinkie sat up, throwing off the airy sheet and letting the cool night air brush against her face like a kiss from her secret special somepony.

Or at least that was kind of how she imagined it might feel. After all, Dashie did have quite a sensitive side, even if she didn't show it very often.

The baby cried again. Pinkie got up, dressed in her blue and yellow-spotted pyjamas, and saw that Maud wasn't in the room. Probably still exploring the palace like she'd said she was going to.

There was no door to the room she had been given, so Pinkie brushed the beaded curtain aside and stepped out into the corridor. It was pretty dark, but it was night time after all. The crying was pretty faint from here, but her Pinkie sense told her where to go, guiding her in a right turn, then a left, then two more rights until the crying sound became loud enough that her ears could take over the guiding a she followed the sound, that got not only louder but more insistent the closer Pinlie got to it, moving through the labyrinth of dark corridors of yellow stone until she came to a small chamber, barely wide enough for three ponies, where a tired looking zebra sat overlooking a cradle where a foal lay, swaddled and crying.

The zebra looked up as Pinkie pushed the beaded curtain a ide, and instantly she saw Pinkie her face took on a mask of terror.

"I am sorry, eminence, if he is disturbing you. I will silence him at once."

"No, it's okay," Pinkie said, speaking in a sift whisper so as not upset the foal. "I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help, that's all. There's no need to be scared." Why was she scared anyway?

"Help?" the zebra asked confusedly.

"Yep," Pinkie said, stepping over to the cradle. She leaned over it, looking down at the most adorable zebra foal ever. "Heeeey there. My name's Pinkie Pie. It's nice to meet you."

The foal quietened for a moment, then began to cry again.

"Aww, what's the matter?" Pinkie asked, reaching down to tickle him on the nose. Come on, you can tell Aunt Pinkie Pie."

The foal stopped crying and went a bit cross-eyed as he tried to focus on Pinkie's hand, then settled for grabbing it and stuffing into his mouth. He gurgled.

"He says his blanket itches and he doesn't like it," Pinkie said.

"He...he says," the mare murmured.

"I can speak baby," Pinkie whispered. "A Doctor taught me, after I begged him enough. It comes in pretty handy sometimes."

"From the mouth of any othr Starfleet officer such a statement would ring false," Queen Tynisa declared from where she stood in the entrance way, parting the beads with her body. A pair of guards in gleaming armiur stood behind her. "But from you...from you I believe it."

"I try not to lie," Pinkie said. "I don't always succeed, but I don't lie to children."

Tynisa chuckled. "You are an unusual pony, Miss Pinkie Pie."

"Kind of, I guess," Pinkie said. But that doesn't make me better than anypony else, just different."

Tynisa nodded absently. "Will you walk with me?"

"Okay," Pinkie said, following Tynisa out of thw lityle room and down the darkened corridor. There were a couple of twists and turns along the way, but Queen Tynisa seemed to know where she was going, so Pinkie let her lead the way into a pantry that was much brighter than the rest of the palace right now. Homelier, too, with tea cosies in the shapes of elephants and hot water bottle containers shaped like hippos littering the tables.

"This is my steward's pantry, but I come here when I wish to vest myself of the cares of titlr for a time." She picked up a tea cosy , grabbing the elephant's trunk with her mouth and shifting it aside. The queen looked almost abashed for a moment. Please forgive all these...I find that knitting helps me to relax and think."

"You're pretty good."

"Thank you," Tynisa said. She sat down. "I am sorry for the loss of your friend. I will not pretend that my gRief equals yours, but...I did mourn for Twilight when the news reached me."

Pinkie lowered her head. "Twilight...she was something else."

"A bright star in a darkening sky," Tynisa said. "The first time we met she attacked me."

"What?"

"It was during the evacuation," Tynisa said. "I would not leave, so she stuned me and had my guards carry me through the portal." She chuckled. "I laugh now, but at the time I was livid. When she visited me to apologise I nearly ordered thrown in the dungeon."

"Nearly?"

"When she explained her reasons it was impossible to deny her logic," Tynisa replied. "I had been a stuuborn fool, and she had saved me from myself."

Pinkie giggled. "Nopony ever won an argument against Twilight using logic."

"She visited but twice, but we corresponded infrequently," Tynisa continued. "She always signed herself 'Former Librarian'. I do not understand why."

Pinkie chuckled. "Bit of a private joke."

"Ah, I see." Tynisa smiled. "I see some of her in you."

Pinkie shook her head. "You saw some of me in her. Twilight had the best of all of us inside her."

Tynisa said, "We zebra have a saying 'We are not dead, who are yet remembered.' So long as you remember her, she lives on."

A dull thudding noise split the quiet of the night air. Then another, ten another. Then the entire palace seemed to shake with the sound of thud-thud-thudding, and the gaps in the thumping werevfilled with throbbing drums and blaring horns.

"What's going on?" Pinkie asked.

Tynisa rose to her hooves. "We are under attack. Kane! What news?"

Kane was one of the two zebras standing guard in the doorway, with a red cloak and a couple of what looked like lucky charms - an ivory elephant and an onyx lion - tied around his spear just beneath the head. He cocked his head to one side. "The eastern wall is under attack. It's hard to tell but the attackers look to be three ponies."

"Ponies?" Tynisa's eyes flashed as she rounded on Pinkie Pie. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I don't know, I swear," Pinkie said. "If I'd known anything about any attack I would have told you so that you could get the children away."

Before Tynisa could reply there was a disturbance in the entry to the pantry.

"Let me througy, I need to see my sister," Maud said, her voice betraying concern. "Pinkie? Are you okay? What's happening?"

"I'm okay but apparently someone's attacking the palace and it might be ponies!" Pinkie cried.

Maud stiffened. "Pinkie would never have anything to do with an act of treachery. But...I might be the one they're after."

"What?"

"I told you, Pinkie, I was ordered to report for a mandatory psych evaluation," Maud said. "But I didn't go. I'm in breach of my anti-social behaviour order."

"Forgive me, but I find it more likely that I am the target than some over-zealous Starfleet officers are risking war with Zebrica for your sake," Tynisa said. "Ontari, comm."

Ontari, the other guard, removed some kind of device from around her neck and threw it to the queen, who started speaking into it. "This is Queen Tynisa, what is happening?"

Pinkie could hear the tinny reply coming out of the device. "Majesty, this is Bellamy, the enemy is attacking from long range. They keep shifting their position, and they're fast, so we're havibg a hard time getting a lock on them. I'd send in the infantry but I'm worried about casualties."

"They're keeping their distance?"

"Yes, my queen."

"Then it's a feint. All units be alert. Karima, Ria, suit up and activate the HANNIBAL system."

"Majesty, this is Sephora, I have Ria and Karima with me prepped and ready, but Hannibal hasn't been fully tested yet."

"It will be tested now, activate it!" barked Tynisa.

"Yes, your majesty."

"Majesty, we should get you to somewhere safer," Kane said.

"Agreed," Tynisa said. To Pinkie and Maud, she added, "I must ask you too to come with me. Until this matter is settled then, regardless of your pat in this, I am afraid must consider yourselves my prisoners."

The HANNIBAL, which didn't stand for anything but had its name in all-caps anyway because block capitals were cool and imposing, was the pride of Zebrica, or would have been if more than a hooffull of zebras had known about it.

It was a mech, standing a dozen fert tall at it's full height, red and imposing, sleek and slender, in design lightyears ahead of the clumsy mechs that Zebrica displayed to the outside world. It had a head like a dragon mounted on top of a sleek bipedal form, only the feet had tracks of wheels built in for exa speed on stable surfaces. Like other zebra mechs, it had four arms, two for the primary weapons - and boy did Hannibal have a trick up his sleeve there - and two secondary arms with mechanical arms for defence and supporting tasks like reloading the main gun. It had a unique one-of-it's-kind power system, entirely Zebrica, but the equal of anything that Starfleet could come up with. It was the first of a nww army that would put Zebrica on an equal footing with its warlike northern neighbour and she, Karima, was its lead pilot.

Because she was just that awesome.

She stood in the shadow of the machine while a dozen engineers worked under Sephora's direction to get it ready for launch. Karima reached out and brushed her hoof against the metal armour, cold and hard to the touch.

"It's time, little brother," she murmured. "Now we show them what we're made of."

"Are you nervous?" Ria asked as she trotted over, her mane tied up in a bun so as not to get in the way.

Karima grinned. "Nervous? I was born for this."

"Well I'm a little nervous," Ria admitted.

"Okay, we're all set," Sephora shouted. "Pilots mount up!"

Karima and Ria slipped helmets over their heads as hatches opened in the back of HANNIBAL.

"See you on the other side," Karima said.

Ria nodded. While she climbed into the hatch in the lowet torso, Karima scrambled into the cockpit in the head. There was a kind of stretcher for her to lie on her belly amidst a cavern of lights and indicators, with a large viewscreen - black right now - to her front. Karima shoved her forehooves into a pair of black slots at the front of the cockpit, and felt the slots contract around her legs, locking them in place. Wires descended from the ceiling to plug into slots in the shoulders and back of her black and red plugsuit. Karima felt them tingle a little upon contact.

"Okay beginning activation," Sephora said, her voice coming in through the comm in Karima's helmet. "Here goes nothing."

"Here goes nothing?" Karima yelled. What kind of a thing to say is that?"

"Look, this based on two years at MITand a crazy dream I had," Sephora said. "I didn't know Her Majesty was going to tell me to build something this crazy. If it works, it-" she was cut off in a burst of static.

"Sephora?" Karima asked. "Hands, are you there?"

The sounds of firing and explosions was her only response, plus scattered bursts of chatter and yelling from a number of different sources. "We have three enemy units approaching our position...fire at will...they're moving too fast we can't...Agh!...Shoot it shootbit shoot it...can't lock on, it's too...lay down a suppressing fire and fall back by...they've broken through the perimeter...enemy troops have entered the palace. Enemy troops have entered the palace...we need reinforcements now, dammit, now!...They're unstoppable, they're...aargh!"

There was a burst of static before Sephora came back on. "Sorry. Some started broadcasting on all frequencies but we've got it locked down now."

"Things sound pretty bad out there," Ria said plaintively.

"It sounds like they're getting their asses kicked, we need to get out there!" Karima yelled.

"Beginning activation now," Sephora said calmly. There was a whirring noise, the cockpit flickere with light...and the everything went dead again.

"I don't think that worked," Ria said.

"Hang on," Sephora said. "I'm going to recalibrate the power coupling." The mech shook with a series of thumps.

"Did you just hit it?" Karima asked.

"Attempting activation," Sephora said.

The whirring started again, and this time...this time the going began to glow with so much light that Karima would have been blinded by them if it weren't for the tinted viso of her helmet. All the readings showed maximum performance, with inicators glowing gold as they climbed to their highest levels.

"It works!" Sephora yelled. "It works! Beginning stage two activation."

Karima felt a tingling in her spine, a shock travelling up her neck and into her brain it was like...it was like she was ripped out of herself for a moment, tossed like a leaf into the air around her, and then thrown back again more aware, more conscious, more alive. Her eyesight, her hearing were both heightened and se could feel...

Karima?

Ria? Can you hear me?

Yeah. I guess this really does work, huh.

Yeah! I can feel what you're planning to do before you do it. Gey, you really are nervous aren't you?

So are you, liar.

"Synchronicity at 95 percent you're good to go," Sephora declared. "HANNIBAL roll out!"

They were in a large spacious when the bad guys found them.

Kane and Ontari had been joined by a dozen other guards as Tynisa, Pinkie and Maud were hastened through the palace. From what Pinkie could hesr the zebras were getting hurt pretty bad by somebody.

She really hoped it wasn't ponies behind this. Why would Starfleet send her to make friends and then attack? It didn't make any sense.

They were passing through a hall with a high vaulted celing when one of the walls exploded. Everyone but Maud flinched as they were showered with rock fragments. Flames burned on the other side of the hole, consuming the remains of a zebra mech that had been cut in half.

Silhouetted against the flames stood...a pony? An alicorn space pony. Pinkie gasped, so it was true after all. She didn't understand.

The pony was black, with glowing red eyes. He wore silver armour that was not starfleet gear but looked kind of like it, with big chunky shoulderpads; it was silver like his mane. He held an enormous axe in each hand, with the blades resting on the ground. The pony spread his wings and smiled a cruel and predatory smile, baring teeththat were pearly white like a shark.

"Targets spotted, I'm going for the pink one!" he yelled as he leapt through the hole in the wall. He descended upon Pinkie Pie, axes drawn back.

Pinkie's eyes widened a she stood rooted to the spot. Me? He's trying to kill me?

The black pony descended...

There was a grey blur and suddenly Maud stood between Pinkie and her assailant.

"No," Maud said, her voice calm, but at the same time as firm as any of her rocks.

She punched him in the face, which went through half a dozen humorous contortions before the pony was flung backwards into the wall, making a pony shaped dent in the stone.

"That sweetroll is lying officer, I never stole it, ugggh," the pony muttered as he slid to the floor unconscious.

Two more space pony alicorns burst in through the hole in the wall. One of them looked like...

"Twilight?" Pinkie murmured, like a child who dares not believe that they have gotten the present they dreamed of for Hearth's Warming.

Twilight stopped, her lavender bas waving. Her beautiful eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"

Pinkie was moving before she knew it, brushing past Maud, her arms spead wide, a smile of joy to match the soaring lightness in her heaet spreading across her face. Not since...she had ner felt so...she felt as though the baloons of her cutie mark were going to carry her to the sky she felt so, so happy.

"TWILIGHT!" Pinkie shrieked as she wrapped her arms around Twilight's neck and held her tight so that she couldn't slip away. "I knew it I knew it I knew you wouldn't be gone I knew you'd come back I knew." There were tears in Pinkie's eyestears dropping onto Twilight's shoulder. "I knew you wouldn't leave me."

Twilight didn't say anything. Nobody said anything. Pinkie felt someone grab her by the neck and haul her off Twilight, who stood there frozen like she had brain freeze. Pinkie was whirled round, brought face to face with...Lightning Dawn?

"Lightning?" Pinkie said. "What-"

"Grand Ruler sends his regards," Lightning said, ramming his fist into Pinkie's stomach. Pinkie gasped in pain, and when he dropped her she doubled over on the ground, clutching her stomach.

Once more Maud put herself between he sister and harm, grabbing Lightning's fist squeezing.

"Don't do that again," she said, as Lightning winced in pain.

She threw a punch, but Lightning rolled with it, counte I g with a spinning kick that caught Maud on the jaw, sending her reeling. Lightning went for her like a timberwolf. Maud was strong but she was not a fighter. Lightning hit her in the face with a one-two that staggered her, then a vicious uppercut that sent he tumbling backwards to land on her back on the ground, unmoving.

"Lightning! Stop it!" Punkie screamed.

Lightning stared at Maud for a moment, as if to see if she would get up. When she did not, he turned back to Pinkie Pie.

Pinlie shook her head. "Lightning...I don't understand." She glanced at Twilight, who was still frozen. "Twilight...help me."

Twilight didn't reply. She didn't do anything.

Lightning advanced.

There was a crack and a crssh as a giant red robot with a head like a dragon burst tnrough the back wall.

"Your Majesty, get down!" the robot, or a voice from inside it, yelled.

Queen Tynisa and the zebras hit the floor as the robot struck a dramatic fighting pose.

"I don't know who you are but you ponies oickedthe wrong palace to invade!" the robot yelled. "Get ready to see what this badass mother can do!"

Author's Note

This chapter was a blast to write. Ever since I started writing anything I have wanted to include one of those sci-fi scenes where the soldiers are getting chewed up by the monster/robot/supersoldier whatever and there's just a load of panicky com chatter as everybody dies. Tbe references to Aliens and Half Life and Code Geass at the end were fun too.

I don't usually plan out my stories in detail in advance, I prefer to see where the plot and characters go organically (that's why the synopsis is often unrepresentative of the actual work) but the preceding chapter, this one, and the one to come were sort of pretty much there in my head when I started writing this story.

One of the advantages of saying that Mykan's own fics are in-universe movies was the ability to rewrite Twilight's death. That was actually not going to be in this chapter, or in the story at all, but I got to the point where Three says that she remembers Twilight dying and I realised that I had to show that scene. I think Mykan altered exactly how Twilight died in between when I read it and now (I remember her getting hit by Raven's uniforce, but Raven's profile and Mykan's DA page says that Twilight dodged the uniforce then got stabbed). I decided to try and incorporate both elements, while ignoring the bit that I didn't like which was that Twilight dies in Lightning's arms. Either the princess of friendship should die with her friends or she should die ironically alone.

I tried to make Twilight's death anti-heroic, if that's the right word, to continue with the idea from back in Prologue 2, where Rarity says that Twilight wasn't a warrior. Twilight isn't Achilles, to choose a brief but glorious life over a long, unremarkable existence. She isn't even a Roman to go Dulce et Decorum est. She is brave, to be sure, and while she might be willing to lay down her life for a worthy cause, i don't think she'd really be happy about it, especially when she's dying for nothing, as she is here. As for her feelings of ill-will, remember that she is in a hell of a lot of pain at that point.

So...yeah. New chapter, hope you like it.

Defeat

Defeated

“Surprise!!” the pink pony yelled as she stuck her head up into view. “Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you!” She began to bounce up and down, leaping clear over Twilight’s head to land on the other side of her. “Were you surprise? Were you? Were you? Huh huh huh?”

“Three? Three!” Two yelled as he darted and dived across the ceiling of the room, dodging the tracers from the gun of the zebra’s new war machine. “Three, can you hear me?”

Three didn’t respond. Three didn’t respond to anything. She just stood, in the middle of the room, her feet rooted to the spot as though she were a tree, her eyes blinking rapidly, so that it might have seemed to a casual observer as though she had managed to fall asleep with all the chaos raging around her. And around her mind the memories swirled.

“You see I never saw you before and if I never saw you before that means that you’re new, ‘cause I know everypony and I mean everypony in Ponvyille! And if you’re new, that meant you hadn’t met anyone yet and if you hadn’t met anyone yet you must not have any friends and if you don’t have any friends then you must be lonely and that made me so sad and I had an idea, and that’s why I went ‘woah!’ I should throw a great big ginormous super duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville! And now you have lots and lots of friends!” Three could remember the taste of the hot sauce she had accidentally drunk while Pinkie rambled on. Just like she remembered every word that Pinkie had said.

She remembered every party, she remembered every hug, she remembered all the tears and all the laughter…so much laughter.

“I knew you wouldn’t leave me.”

Could it be…was it possible that…had she been Twilight Sparkle all along?

She had her memories, she had her appearance, and when Pinkie Pie had hugged her she had felt so…so…she lacked the ability to properly describe it, but the best one word to convey the emotional response it had engendered in her was: home. She had felt…home, with Pinkie Pie.

Was her purpose to be Twilight Sparkle, to take her place, to live her life? Was that what she had been created for?

Was that all that she needed to do?

“No! Don’t do it! Twilight!”

Three’s consciousness was recalled to the present as she saw Pinkie Pie throw herself in front of her, arms spread out wide, forming a physical barricade with her own body, as a beam of golden light erupted from the left arm of the zebra’s novel war machine.

The canon mounted into the right arm of the HANNIBAL roared, spilling out fire hotter than dragonsbreath and quicker than a raging hurricane as Hannibal danced across the room.

Queen Tynisa and her guards were even now in retreat, covered by HANNIBAL, which was also endeavouring to take care of these two pony gatecrashers who had had the temerity to take on the secret pride of Zebrica.

So far, it was turning into a stalemate. One of the two ponies wasn’t moving. She was just standing there, not doing anything at all, like she was having a blue screen moment or something. Only one of them was doing any fighting whatsoever.

And it was driving Karima nuts. HANNIBAL was Zebrica’s secret weapon, built in the strictest concealment to even up the odds against Starfleet and all of their advantages. This was the weapon that would keep the homeland safe against the greed of the Grand Ruler and his legions…so why in Tartarus couldn’t they take down one measly pony!

Yeah, he couldn’t take them down either, but that wasn’t the point! He should have paste on the wall by now!

Calm down, Karima, Ria said, speaking to her through their mental connection. If you lose control you’re going to make a mistake.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Karima yelled. She could have just thought it, but shouting as well made her feel better as she held down the fire button and sprayed shells all across the room. The pony ducked and dived and dodged all of them, leaving numerous holes in the walls and ceiling. “Gah! Why can’t we hit this guy!”

He’s too fast for us to track him.

“I know that, I was being rhetorical!” Karima shouted. “Stop moving so I can shoot you!”

There’s something different about this one. He’s faster than any recorded Starfleet warrior. Nothing from intelligence indicates that they should be this fast. Still, if we wear him down then we can win this for sure. He’ll run out of energy long before HANNIBAL runs out of battery.

Karima gritted her teeth. “How are we supposed to defend Zebrica if we’re stuck playing a waiting game against one pony? Stop running away and fight me seriously!”

The pony, who had been darting away to the left, avoiding a trail of Karima’s fire, turned abruptly, zooming straight for the HANNIBAL, fists clenched and drawn back.

You had to say it, didn’t you? Don’t worry, I’ve got this.

HANNIBAL had four arms, as all zebra mechs did: one mounting a ranged weapon, one mounting a close combat weapon – although the HANNIBAL’s main left arm was a little more versatile than the average clanker in that regard – and two supplementary arms, shaped like a pony’s hands, there to reload, support, and to defend the mech against attacks like this one.

The pony punched. Ria, controlling the support arms, blocked. The pony fist struck the metal fist with a throbbing, booming noise. Ria punched with her other hand. The pony dodged, and leapt back as Karima tried to shoot him again. He attacked again, weaving through the lines of fire from Karima’s main weapon and the miniature canons mounted in the mouth of HANNIBAL’s draconically shaped head. He punched and kicked, but Ria blocked every blow he threw at them, even as he evaded every blow that Ria tried to land, and Karima was the close quarter arm as well.

He couldn’t hit them, they couldn’t hit him…stalemate.

Karima’s face contorted into a snarl. “Damn it, damn it, damn it! Stand still and let us take you out! Just who in Tartarus do you think we are!”

How would he even have a clue about that?

“Whose side are you on?” Karima snapped, taking a side-swipe at the infuriating pony with her clawed left arm. Amazingly, it hit him. Karima whooped with glee – and she could feel that Ria was pretty pleased about it too, even if she wasn’t shouting along – as the pony yelped in pain and backwards, clutching at the gashes that HANNIBAL’s claws had made down his side.

“Yes!” Karima cried. “Zebra ingenuity one, Starfleet smugness zero. This is no steam-powered clanker, pony. No clanker.”

She took aim with the main gun. “And now to finish you off.”

Of course the moment she said that he started dodging up and down like a bluebottle again.

Karima seethed. And then she caught sight of the other pony, the one who hadn’t hardly moved since the fight started. She was still just standing there, sleeping or whatever.

A slow smile spread across her face.

Karima? What are you doing?

“Eliminating a threat,” Karima said, as she pointed the palm of her left arm towards the unmoving pony. “If that other one won’t stop moving, I’ll just take out his partner and see how he likes that.” The ‘palm’ of the left hand folded up along the slender steel arm, revealing three concentric metal rings, with red and blue wires running down the arm connecting them to the main body. “Radiant Wave!” she yelled, because calling your attacks was cool, by sandstorms, and everyone knew that ponies did it all the time. She activated the canon, and the metal rings began to glow golden as power was fed to them through the wires, superconducting the…Sephora had explained it but Karima was a pilot, not an engineer, and all she needed to understand was that she had a massive laser beam canon that she could fire at someone. “Erupt!” Karima cried, as a beam of golden light…erupted…out of the metallic rings straight towards the stationary lavender pony.

A pink blur passed through HANNIBAL’s legs, and suddenly the pony ambassador was standing between the beam and the target, arms outstretched as though that would keep the radiant wave at bay.

We have to do something!

There’s nothing we can do, Karima thought, as her mouth formed a silent curse.

“No!” the ambassador cried. “Don’t do it! Twilight!”

“Three? Three!” Two shouted. He outran some shots from that zebra mech. “Three, can you hear me?”

Three didn’t respond. Three didn’t respond to anything. Ever since the target had given her that embrace she hadn’t responded to a single thing, she was as frozen as though she’d been placed in cryo-sleep.

“Three? Three, what’s going on?” Two demanded, in between playing keep away with the bullets of the zebra canon. “Three, I could really use some help over here.”

Three didn’t respond. Two was left with no choice but to continue running. Speed was his only advantage. If those shots hit him…it was strange, that he, a super soldier bred for war, should be feeling his own mortality, but the truth was…he didn’t want to die. He’d hardly done any living.

So far, the only thing that the zebra mech had managed to hit was their own palace, but there was no guarantee that that would last. This was a machine of a quite different beast from those he had so easily battered aside before. It was fast, it was powerful, it was almost able to keep track of him. And while it was almost, for now, there was no guarantee that it would stay that way. Two could feel himself starting to breathe more heavily, feel his wings starting to ache.

I think I’ll tire before a mech does.

“Three!” he tried again, though it was pretty much a forlorn hope by now. “Three, please respond. Please. Please, I need your help here.”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t move. She just stood there. In between dodging bullets, ducking and weaving between the tracer rounds like a dancer in a particularly lethal performance, Two entertained the possibility that Pinkie Pie had poisoned three. He dismissed it as unlikely, it did not fit the target’s personality profile, and there had been no evidence of any device in her hands when he had pulled her off three.

Two shook his hand, it still hurt where the grey pony had grabbed him. Her presence had not been mentioned in the mission briefing.

Of course, he observed as one shot nearly hit him. Neither had this mech, which seemed like the more egregious oversight.

His comm hissed. “Strike team, this is Bravo, how’s it going out there?”

“Resistance is heavier than anticipated,” Two replied, keeping his voice calm even as the bullets whizzed past all around him.

“We have zebra forces closing on our position, we may need to bug out ASAP. Are you ready to wrap this up?”

“Negative,” Two said. “Both targets are still active.”

“How long until you can inactivate them?”

“Unknown,” Two said.

Bravo’s voice became tinted with concern. “Is everything okay down there?”

“Negative.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll have to call you back,” Two said, changing cause to hurl himself straight towards the zebra mech like a bullet.

The diversion team was coming under attack. There was no more time to waste playing with this machine. He needed to destroy it quickly, and once that was done he could eliminate both targets, regardless of the fact that Delta was down and Three was inactive. He would complete the mission, and then they could all go home and put this unfortunate incident behind them.

He sped towards the mecha and threw a punch that would have rearranged the insides of a pony, but did nothing to the metallic fist to blocked his blow except make a loud noise and increase the pain in Two’s hand.

He jumped back, narrowly evading the zebra counterattack. He came forward again, but the machine was too swift, too precise, too good at reading his movements.

Curses! How are they so powerful? I was told that I was the ultimate soldier.

It would seem that Professor Brain’s foolishness extended to more than just ignorance of our lack of emotional connection to Starfleet.

He barely saw the claw coming for him. He had allowed himself to become distracted, and he barely got out of the way. Two cried out in pain as the claws raked his side, shredding his ineffectual armour and drawing blood.

I am hurt. Effectiveness will be reduced from now on.

One of the emotions that Two felt without really understanding was the concept of pride. Logically it made little sense, that his feelings about his worth should be allowed to override his rational comprehension of said worth to the detriment of performance. And yet it was undeniable that he felt pride. But at the same time he could overcome it sufficiently to realise that the chances of him completing the mission were reducing rapidly.

In between continuing to dodge zebra fire, he was about to order the diversion team to retreat, when suddenly the crimson zebra mech altered the shape of its arm, revealing some sort of beam weapon that it was about to target at Three.

“Three! Evade now!” Two shouted. Three did not respond.

The golden beam erupted from the zebra weapon.

And then the target stood there, shielding Three with her own body.

“No! Don’t do it! Twilight!”

Pinkie couldn’t let it happen. She just couldn’t. She’d already lost Twilight once, there was no way that she could go through that again.

Losing Twilight had been…it had been…it had been an emptiness inside of her, it had been an emptiness inside of her, a hollow feeling that she couldn’t escape, a hunger that no amount of cupcakes would assuage. She’d felt so lost, so alone with the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same again. The sun had never been as bright, the days had never been as warm, the sound of a party streamer had never been as sweet once Twilight was gone.

There had been a hole in the centre of their universe, once the nucleus around which they all revolved was gone.

She couldn’t lose Twilight again. She wouldn’t.

She wouldn’t let them hurt her. She wouldn’t let them hurt Twilight.

Pinkie would never turn her back on a friend in need.

And so she ran forward, ignoring Maud’s cry of alarm, ignoring the zebras yelling at her to stop, as soon as she saw that giant robot take aim at Twilight with its glowy arm thing she ran forward, putting herself in the path of the golden beam that sped towards her, arms outstretched, crying out desperately for them to stop.

“No! Don’t do it! Twilight!”

Three’s eyes widened. The energy from the beam was considerable. Pinkie was in the way. If the beam impacted then in all probability-

“Pinkie!” she shouted, diving forward and grabbing Pinkie around the waist, tackling her to one side, throwing her out of the path of the zebra beam, hoping to move fast enough to get out of the way herself before-

She was not fast enough. The beam clipped her shoulder, tossing her backwards like an unwanted ragdoll. Three threw Pinkie to the ground as she herself was hurled upwards, turning over and over, feeling the pain and the burning smell rising from her shoulder, feeling the intense heat pass over her, feeling the-

GodpartyTwilightcloneDNAchangelingclosecombatCharlietargetPinkiejambrotherRavenGrandRulerhelpmeprincesscelestiaSweetApple…

Images flashed before Three’s eyes. Words dashed through her brain, non-sequitors flailing desperately for connections. Memories shot to the fore of her mind and then retreated just as swiftly as they had come. And the pain. The pain.

What’s happening tochocolatechipSmartyPantspartofthefamilyloveisinbloomSpikeprincessMoondancerresearchSunsetinvertshield I don’t want to die FlashSentryprettycutespaceponyorigintruthvaccine I’ve seen that symbol before CanterlotHighRainbowDashFluttershyApplejackRarityfriends. Friends. Friends. Friends.

The last thing she heard was both Two and Pinkie calling her name, Two crying for Three and Pinkie Pie for Twilight Sparkle. And then everything went black.

“Three! Three!” Two yelled.

Three did not respond. She was not still and stiff now. She was shaking, as if she was in the grip of some kind of seizure. Her wounds did not look terribly severe, but her reaction indicated that her injuries were a lot worse than they superficially appeared.

“Strike team, what’s going on?” Bravo demanded.

“Delta and Three are down, I’ve been wounded,” Two replied. “Diversion team should evacuate immediately.”

There was a moment’s silence. “Hold tight, I’m coming to you.”

Bravo appeared in a flash of magic a moment later. The next moment she had flung up a bright, almost luminescent green shield across the centre of the great hall, flinging the target backwards away from Three, and keeping the zebras and their allies on one side of the room away from the Sentinels on the other.

The zebras bright red mech fired at the shield, but all its shots simply bounced off. Then it began to pound upon it with its fists, as though it were trying to break down a wall.

“What is that thing?” Bravo demanded.

“Very strong,” Two demanded. “How long can you keep up that shield?”

“Long enough,” Bravo replied. “Can you carry Three?”

Two winced. “I think so.”

“Then get her to the fallback position, I’ll get Delta and meet you there when you’re clear. Alpha and Charlie are en route.”

Two descended down towards Three, and stared down at her for a moment. She was still seizing, her whole body jerking up and down as though in response to some kind of rhythm that only she could hear. Her eyes were lidded, half closed, half open. Spittle flew from her mouth.

“I think her chip’s been damaged, it’s malfunctioning. It’s killing her, we have to do something.”

“We’ll figure that out when we’re clear, now go.”

Two nodded, picking Three up over his shoulder like a fire-fighter.

“No!” Pinkie yelled, pounding on the shield as vociferously as the robot. “No, you can’t take Twilight away from me, not again.”

“She belongs to us, not you,” Two snapped. “And she’ll die if we don’t move her.”

The target’s blue eyes widened. “Then save her.”

Two nodded again, and leapt up into the air, his wings carrying him up, up, up and away, into the starry sky.

Bravo held the shield for about thirty seconds, long enough for them to get clear, and then she dropped the shield at the same instant that she teleported away. In a flash, she reappeared next to Delta long enough to grab hold of him.

“I hope you appreciate this when you come round,” she said, as she teleported away again.

Pinkie kept her eyes turned towards the stars, even as Twilight passed out of sight, and out of reach.

“Twilight,” she murmured. “We’ll see each other again, I know we will.”

“Pinkie,” Maud murmured, putting one hand on Pinkie’s shoulder. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and Pinkie put out a hand of her own to steady her big sister. “Are you sure that that was really Twilight.”

Pinkie blinked. “What are you talking about? It looked like Twilight, so how could it not be Twilight?”

“I don’t know,” Maud replied, her voice soft and tender. “But, Pinkie…Twilight’s dead.”

“But she was standing right there,” Pinkie insisted. “I know that it looked like she died, but then Twilight was so smart and super amazing that I’ll bet there’s all kinds of things that she could have done to save herself and-“

“And then not contact you to let you know she was okay?” Maud asked. “Let you think that she was dead for more than a year, even if she wasn’t? And then attack you? Pinkie…I know that I didn’t know Twilight very well, but the friend that you’ve told me about would never hurt you that way.”

Pinkie blinked, except this time she felt as though she was blinking back tears. “But she was right there. I saw her. It was Twilight, it really was.”

“I know, I saw it too,” Maud said. “And if it’s true…somehow, then that would be great. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Pinkie shook her head. “I can’t give up on her. I won’t. Not now, not ever.”

Maud stared at her for a moment, her face as impassive as a rock face. “Then I guess that I won’t give up either. So what’s our next move?”

“Your next move?” an irate voice boomed out of the giant robot. “What makes you think that you two spies get a next move? You’re prisoners until we determine your involvement in the assassination attempt on Queen Tynisa!”

Maud took a step towards the big red robot. “They were trying to kill Pinkie Pie as well.”

“Don’t you take that tone with me you little-“

“Karima, calm yourself,” Queen Tynisa snapped. “The pony speaks truth. Their ambassador was just as much, more perhaps, than I was.” The queen advanced towards them, surrounded by her guards like a hedge of spears. “I would be interested in knowing why?”

Pinkie shrugged. “I…I’ve got no idea, I’m afraid.”

“A pity,” Tynisa murmured. “Not that it makes much difference, we have been attacked, we have been wounded and this insult cannot go unanswered. Kane!”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Send word throughout our lands, the army of the twelve herds is to muster at Sharm-el-Zekor. Once our forces are assembled we shall march north. Blood must have blood.”

“Wait, you’re going to war?” Pinkie demanded.

“Starfleet has just declared war on Zebrica with this unprovoked attack,” Tynisa said. “Zebrica will respond in kind.”

“But you can’t!”

“Can’t?” Tynisa said, her eyes flashing. “Who are you to say cannot to a queen?”

“Someone who knows what a bad idea this is,” Pinkie yelled. “I don’t know why this happened, but I do know that Queen Celestia would never order anything like this.”

“Then perhaps Queen Celestia no longer rules in your land,” Tynisa said.

“I don’t know anypony in United Equestria who wants a war,” Pinkie cried. “And I don’t think you want a war either. Because…because I don’t think you’re stupid. I think you’re smart. And because you’re smart enough to know that…that…” Pinkie trailed off for a moment, as somewhere in the recesses of the palace, a baby began to cry, wailing for his mother, who was no longer near him. Where are you, Mommy, where have you gone? Please come back, Mommy, I don’t want to be alone. “You’re smart enough to know that war means a lot of crying children, a lot of people getting hurt who don’t deserve it. Is that what you want for your people? It isn’t what I want for mine.”

“Your Majesty,” a voice spoke from out of the robot, a different voice this time, softer and milder. “If we do nothing in response to this attack, it may encourage Starfleet to attack again. They might even invade Zebrica this time.”

“I am aware of that,” Tynisa murmured, but some of the fire seemed to have gone out of her. “Kane, give the orders to muster at Sharm-el-Zekor.”

“But-“ Pinkie began.

“However, our armies will wait there, on a defensive footing, and go no further until we have ascertained the situation in United Equestria, who commands, what is their policy towards Zebrica, and what is this response to this outrage.”

“You mean-“

“Your sister asked what your next move was,” Tynisa continued. “Your next move is to return home, find out the truth, find out who attacked you and why, what power they have. Find out whether Queen Celestia and your Grand Ruler will bring those responsible to justice. Until you have these answers, Zebrica’s army will wait. Once the truth comes out, then we shall respond appropriately to that truth. Go, and preserve peace, if you can.”

“You’re letting them go?” the original irate voice in the robot demanded. “Majesty, once they’re out of our sight-“

“Whoever said anything about being out of our sight?” Queen Tynisa asked, a slight smile playing across her face. “Zebrica’s interests cannot solely be represented by a pair of ponies. I have no intention of letting them go…alone.”

Author's Note

Originally Pinkie was going to spend a lot more time in Zebrica hiding out in the aftermath of the attack, but I think this way works better, since the original plan didn't have her do much beyond wait for Rainbow Dash to come rescue her.

The fact that Queen Tynisa says 'Blood must have blood' here is the only reason why the zebra redshirts last chapter had names taken from The 100 (Kane, Ontari, Bellomy).

Lost Love

There was a knock on the front door. Moondancer ignored it. She had too much work to do to be distracted right now. She was in the zone, she was finally beginning to put all the pieces together, she was on the verge of a breakthrough too great to be distracted by any visitors from Fetlock come to break her concentration and leave her thoughts to scatter like leaves on the wind.

There was another knock on the door. Moondancer twisted in her seat to glare down the hallway at the front door, wishing that this troublesome intruder would just take the hint and go away already. A scowl set upon her pale face as she turned back to the array of books, scrolls and notepaper scattered in organised chaos across her desk.

Whoever it was knocked a third time. “Hey, Moondancer, it’s me! Open up!”

Minuette. While that explained a persistence greater than the mail mare, the carpet salespony, the community activist or the missionary would have displayed, knowing the identity of the person at the door didn’t make Moondancer any more inclined to open the door. She didn’t need friends right now; she needed peace and quiet. She was about to blow this thing wide open.

If I don’t answer, then she’ll realise that I’m not in-

“Moondancer, I know you’re in there, open this door!”

Moondancer looked behind her, noting with a start that Minuette had pushed the letterbox open from the outside and was staring in through the hole.

“How did you know I hadn’t gone out?” Moondancer demanded.

“Because you haven’t left the house in two weeks,” Minuette replied tartly. “Come on, open the door. I’ve got groceries out here and the ice cream’s about to melt.”

Moondancer huffed as she got up from her creaking chair, padding across the shabby, worn down carpet of her house to open the doorway. She squinted a little as the natural light filled the darkness of her house, blocked only a little by the figure of Minuette standing in the doorway, two paper bags filled with food sitting on the porch step at her feet.

“Finally,” Minuette sighed, picking up the grocery bags as she walked inside. “I’d ask how you were but I’m afraid you’re appearance speaks for itself.”

Moondancer frowned. “I’ve been too busy to worry about things like combing my mane.”

“Or changing your outfit or taking a bath, judging by the smell,” Minuette said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Come on, Moondancer, what’s the matter with you?”

“I’ve been working.”

“Uh huh,” Minuette murmured as she walked into the kitchen. “Am I going to have to get the gang together to stage an intervention again?”

“You can’t,” Moondancer muttered. “The whole gang isn’t here any more.”

Minuette paused in the middle of putting a tub of strawberry ice cream into the fridge, her face frozen in pain. “Yeah, I know. But, honey, you know that she wouldn’t want you to shut yourself up in here like this. She wouldn’t want you to turn your back on your friends.”

“Twilight would want me to finish what she started,” Moondancer snapped. “And so if you’ll excuse me I have a lot of important work to get back to.” She paused. “Thank you for doing my shopping for me. I was starting to run short.”

“I noticed, the only thing left in your fridge is a half-eaten bag of chips,” Minuette noted. “When did you last actually eat something?”

“I had something um…yeah,” Moondancer murmured, rooting around in the papers on her desk for the cup that she knew was buried underneath one of them. When she eventually found it took a good hard tug to pull the rather dirty and putrid-coloured cup from off the wood of the table, but it came free in the end and she was able to wave it for the benefit of Minuette, watching her from the next room. “I had this coffee…” Moondancer peered inside the cup at the green substance growing on the bottom. “And mould. I think that might be a new form of antibiotic…”

Minuette rolled her blue eyes. “Okay, I’m going to make you some lunch before you pass out or something.” She took a cabbage out of one of the paper bags. “Where do you keep the knives?”

“I don’t need to eat,” Moondancer replied. “I need to solve this, I need to figure out what it all means, I have to see what Twilight wanted me to see, what she saw. I’ve almost got it. It’s in the shots; I just don’t know what ‘it’ is.”

A frown creased Minuette’s face as she walked through the doorless archway leading from the kitchen into the study. “Moondancer? What are you talking about? And what does this have to do with Twilight?”

Moondancer hesitated for a moment, wondering where to start, there was just so much to outline. “I…um…listen, you have to promise to keep this to yourself, okay? Some of what I’m about to tell you could put you in danger if the wrong people found out about it?”

Minuette’s eyes narrowed. “Moondancer, you’re starting to sound a little crazy.”

“I know, that’s what they want you to think,” Moondancer said. “They want you to think that this is crazy so that you won’t believe the truth right before you’re eyes.”

“Who are they?”

Moondancer didn’t answer. Instead she dashed over to her desk and pulled open the top right-hand draw. What was inside was in no danger of getting lost amidst the chaotic arrangement on top of the desk. This note was carefully preserved, laminated and laid out, the sole occupant of the draw.

“Twilight wrote this letter to me to be sent in the event of her death,” Moondancer said as she shoved it into Minuette’s face. “Read it.”

Moondancer had read it herself a dozen times, looking for all the hidden meanings and codes that Twilight had secreted in it, but she nevertheless listened attentively as Minuette read it again, a faint smile spreading across her face.

“Dear Moondancer,” Minuette read. “Destiny decreed that we did not have enough time to get to know one another as we might have liked, and if you are reading this then, for me at least, time has run out.
I want you to know that I consider you a dear friend, though our acquaintance turned out to be too brief.
I seem without noticing it to have acquired a large number of possessions, including an enormous quantity of books. I mean no disrespect to my other friends to say that, for the most part, I think you’ll get more out of them than they will. And that is why, with the exception of a few volumes of personal significance, I am leaving my entire personal library, including research notes, to you. You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to, you can throw the books away or sell them if you want to, but I hope that you will enjoy some of them, and maybe find them useful.
Your friend,
Twilight Sparkle.” Minuette lowered the laminated letter. “Yeah, I remember you telling us that Twilight had left you a load of books, and that was nice of her, but I don’t see-“

“Twilight left me her research notes!” Moondancer exclaimed. “She wanted me to pick up where she left off. The books, the notes, it’s all one big message, she couldn’t get to the bottom of the mystery so she wanted me to finish what she started.”

“Moondancer, what are you-“

“Look, look at this!” Moodancer yelled, gesturing with one frail, slender arm to the wall dividing the study and the kitchen. Judging by the way that she recoiled a little from the sight, Minuette wasn’t appreciative of the brilliance of her creation, or of all the hard work that had gone into creating it. Spread out across the wall was all the information that she had managed to acquire, from Twilight’s research, from the books that she had been given, from what she had managed to work out for herself.

A mixture of information, theories and supremely-well educated guesswork cluttered up the wall, obscuring the white plaster beneath, joined together by a spider’s web of red string linking one item to another. A cut-out of a promotional still for the latest series of Starfleet Magic a notably grimmer and more cynical affair than the preceding series or the feature films, showed Rhymey revealing that he had been using mind-control on Fluttershy for years. Underneath Moondancer had scribbled the note Fall of Starfleet, Rebirth of Friendship; Revelation of the Method? this was connected via string to a shot from one of the earlier, cheesier seasons of the show, a picture of Serpentari adorned with the caption constant retcons, how much of this really happened? There were newspaper cuttings about the Grand Ruler, fragments of articles about the history of Starfleet, of old Space Pony art and poetry. There was speculation about the real identity of the Grand Ruler, about the possibility of other survivors from Harmonius, about the purpose of the conversion bureau clinics where you could visit to get turned into a biped. It was all here, the pattern was somewhere on this wall if she could only find it.

“Seriously?” Minuette demanded. “Is this what you’ve been doing? You know what, forget lunch, and come with me.” She grabbed Moondancer by the arm and began to pull her towards the front door.

“What are you doing?”

“I am getting you out of this house and into the sunshine where you can meet real people,” Minuette declared. “Although maybe I should get you a shower first.”

“I can’t leave, don’t you get it, this is important!” Moondancer cried, breaking free of Minuette’s grip and retreating back towards her desk. “Twilight…Twilight was on to something and I think I’m getting to close to figuring out what it was. Twilight…she was researching the early history of the space ponies, their origins, their creation. She wasn’t satisfied with the official accounts. The texts she was studying are still in the palace but she took extensive notes and drawings, um, where is it?” Moondancer used hands and magic both alike to sift through all the work on her desk until she found what she was looking for, a drawing of an eight-pointed star, made up of three triangles layered over one another. “You recognise this, don’t you?”

Minuette frowned. “Kinda, I guess?”

“It’s the mark left by the injections we were all given as part of the conversion process,” Moondancer said. “That same mark is also where all our booster shots go, always, no exceptions.”

Minuette shrugged. “I guess so, but so what? Don’t they give us the shots there because the skin is weaker or something?”

Moondancer shook her head. “This symbol, the same mark as the one left by our shots, was found by Twilight in a book detailing the origins of the Space Ponies. It’s a symbol of creation, both the act and the power to perform said act. And that’s not all, I’ve been searching and I’ve found dozens of references to this symbol in all sorts of places, alchemy…and occurrences to, it crops up in so many places…”

“Moondancer-“

“Do you think that this is a coincidence?” Moondancer demanded. “They’re putting something in the shots. It’s in the shots!”

“Moondancer!” Minuette snapped. “Get a grip on yourself and think about what you’re saying!”

“Twilight died because of this!” Moondancer yelled, with tears welling up in her violet eyes. “She was on to something and she got too close and they killed her! Now it’s up to me to finish what she started because if I can’t…if I can’t figure out what she was trying to tell me then…then she died for nothing.” A sob escaped her lips. “I can’t let that happen.”

“Oh, Moondancer,” Minuette’s voice was gentle, but not as gentle as the hug in which Moondancer found herself embraced. “I want you; no I need you, to listen to me very carefully. This is a conspiracy theory and you need to stop it. I get it, I really do. I miss Twilight too. But she isn’t trying to send you messages from beyond the grave; she doesn’t have some unfinished business that you need to finish for the sake of her legacy. There isn’t any conspiracy, there isn’t anything in the conversion shots or the vaccines…Twilight just sent you this stuff because she might like it, and I think she’d be horrified to see what it’s making you do to yourself.”

Moondancer sobbed. “I miss her.”

“I know,” Minuette whispered. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and get out of here.”

“Where?”

“Out,” Minuette said. “Maybe we can meet Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine on the way, yeah?”

Moondancer gave a barely perceptible nod. “I really thought that if I could…that it might mean something.”

“I get it,” Minuette said. “But stuff like this…mostly it doesn’t mean anything at all.”

Lightning Dawn snivelled.

He wasn’t crying. Really he wasn’t. He just had a bad case of allergies, that’s all. It was all this pollen that was making him sniffle…making his eyes water…making tears run down his face but he wasn’t crying! Big boys didn’t cry.

Except he wasn’t very big. Or very strong. Or very brave. And he was crying and he couldn’t help it because what else was he supposed to do?

He was alone out here, he didn’t even know where here was. He didn’t even really know how he’d gotten here. He just…he’d ended up here, all alone. His Mom, his Dad, his friends…the burning, the fire, the explosions, the screaming. Those eyes.

Everyone he knew was gone. He hadn’t seen them…but he knew they were gone because, if they weren’t, then they wouldn’t have left him alone out here, not like this.

Lightning bowed his head. He was lost. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know where he was going...he wasn't even sure what the point was in going anywhere. He might as well just sit here on this overturned log and wait for...at least he'd see them again.

"Hey!" a high pitched voice cut through his pain.

Lightning raised his head, looking around for the source of the shout. He couldn't see anyone. There was no one in this forest clearing but him. He was all alone.

"Hey! Yeah, you! Hey, I'm over here!"

The insistent shouting seemed to be coming from the left. Lightning rose to his feet, squinting into the darkness and seclusion of the trees as he tried to see who could possibly be making that kind of noise.

"Here! Up here, the web!"

Lightning looked up, and took a step backwards at what he saw. There was a web, and a pretty big one too, white and silky and latticed between two branches of an old and gnarly oak tree. Lying on the web, trapped by the sticky silken strands, was a tiny creature, only a few inches tall, looking like nothing that he'd ever seen before. Her skin was a pale beige colour, and she had no coat at all, only a long blonde mane that fell in waves down past her shoulders. Her face was strangely flat, and her nose was absolutely tiny, especially when you considered that her blue eyes were enormous for the size of her face. She was wearing a pink dress that looked as though it had seen better days, with rents and tears across it exposing the skin underneath.

She let out a deep sigh as Lightning spotted. "Thank goodness! I thought I'd be stuck here until the spider came back."

Lightning frowned as he took a step closer towards her. "What are you?"

"What I am at the moment is stuck up here," she said. "A little help please?"

"Oh, right, sure," Lightning said, and with a few deft hoof movements he had done sufficient damage to the web to enable the little creature to escape, floating through the air on gossamer wings, leaving a minute trail of sparkling motes of light behind her.

"Woohoo, freedom!" she yelled, spreading her arms out wide as she twirled in the air. She looked down at Lightning. "Thanks a lot. If you hadn't come along I probably would have been dinner sooner or later."

"You're welcome," Lightning muttered, a moment before his stomach began to growl at the mention of dinner. He wondered what time it was. He'd kind of lost track, but when he looked up at the sun it seemed to be kind of in the middle of the sky. About now Mom would have been making lunch, probably, and the smell would have been wafting out of the kitchen to invite him in. Lightning's stomach growled even louder.

"You and me both, kid," the little winged girl said. "I don't suppose you've got anything to eat?"

Lightning shook his head and, both to sate his curiousity and to distract himself from his complete inability to sate his hunger, he asked, "So what are you?"

The girl shrugged. "I dunno. I'm...me, I guess. I think my name's Krysta, but I don't know why I think that so I could be way off. Still, there's no one around to tell me different so Krysta it is."

"I'm Lightning Dawn," Lightning murmured. "I'm an enticorn."

"Nice to meet you, Lightning Dawn!" Krysta declared cheerily. "So, where are you headed? I haven't seen a lot of folks around here."

"I'm not headed anywhere," Lightning replied. "I don't have anywhere to head to."

"What do you mean?"

Lightning scowled, bowing his head as the unpleasant memories threatened to overwhelm him. Fear, fire, foes; the explosions and the screaming, his father yelling as he fought them off, the battle cries of the hordes of monsters...those eyes, that gleam of gold. "My home....there was an attack...my parents, everyone I...I don't know how I...I ended up here and they're all gone and I'm all alone and I don't know what to do!"

He collapsed on the ground, curled up, sobbing like a baby. He barely felt Kyrsta settling on his shoulder.

"Gee, it must be nice being able to remember the people who love ou, even if they're not around any more."

"What?" Lightning yelled, glaring up at her. "How can you say that?"

"Because I don't remember my Mom or my Dad or anyone at all, I don't even remember what species I am!" Kyrsta cried. Her voice softened as she said, "I'd give anything to remember, even if what I remembered was that they were all gone...at least I'd know they loved me."

Lightning sat up. "You really don't remember anything at all?"

Krysta shook her head. "I might be the only one of me there is or there might be a whole world full of people just like me waiting for me to come home. I just don't know."

"That is pretty rough," Lightning murmured. He couldn't imagine forgetting his parents, and his friends, his home. He certainly wouldn't want to.

He and Krysta stared at one another.

"Hey," he murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to, like, stick together, for a bit?" Lightning asked. "I don't know, it might be safer maybe?"

Krysta's eyes sparkled as a smile spread across her face. "Yes! I would, I would, I would, I would!" A trail of sparkles ran behind her as she buried herself in Lightning's mane. "I'm not alone anymore," she cried. "I'm not alone anymore!"

Lightning smiled as he felt her wriggling around against his neck. "You're not alone, and neither am I. We'll never be alone again."

"Will you relax?" Krysta demanded. "Or at least try to look like you're relaxing?"

Lightning looked at her, hovering at his eye level in this New Canterlot bar, and frowned. He looked down: his feet were together, his back was straight, his posture immaculate. He couldn't see what Krysta's problem was. "What are you talking about?"

Krysta's tiny eyebrows rose. "You look like you've got a stick up your butt, which works fine on the parade ground but...c'mon, can't you loosen up?"

Lightning looked around the old-fashioned bar, with its snug wooden furnishings and its ark lighting. From what he could see he was the most uptight person in here. Even the other Starfleet ponies - he could see a couple of enlisted personnel at the bar trying to hit on an uncomfortable looking bespectacled unicorn with a white coat - looked a good deal more relaxed. The trouble was, short of imitating their stances he didn't really know how he could join them. "So should I spread my legs out or something?"

"Oh, brother," Krysta muttered, a she descended down to the table top where there drinks - the slightly suspicious looking and suspiciously named purple nurples, waited for them in a pair of shot glasses. "I swear you used tobe better at this. Remember your first date with Starla?"

"I remember that you and Rhymey were spying on us the whole time," Lightning replied.

"We were providing moral support," said Krysta, unabashed. "The point is you two had fun, until Titan's minions showed up anyway. Remember? You took her down to that amusement park, what was it called?"

"Pinkie Parks," Lightning muttered.

"Pinkie Parks!" Krysta exclaimed. "Huh. You know that's a pretty amazing coincidence when you think about it. Anyway, like I was saying, you had fun back then, you went on the rides, you won Starla that stuffed bear...you weren't this grim and uptight until later."

"Things have happened," Lightning said softly.

"I know, and a lot of them happened to me, too," Krysta said. "That's why we're here, remember? Drink your purple nurple."

Lightning raised the glass to the light and swirled it about. It was a deep, well, purple obviously, thick and cloudy. "What's in this?"

"Don't know and don't care," Krysta said, before sipping a third of the glass out of a miniature smile. She gasped, looking like her face was about to explode. "Tastes pretty good though," she gasped.

"Uh huh," Lightning muttered, before he went ahead and drained the glass anyway. It had more of a punch than a strengthor, and he had to resist the urge to grab the table for support. "Krysta! That is-"

"Yep," Krysta said gleefully. "Want another one?"

"Sure, why not?" Lightning muttered. He shook his head a little as he looked around the dark and cosy-seeming - more cosy seeming than actually cosy, he was willing to bet - bar. His gaze ceased roaming as it came to rest, like a bird that stops flying when it comes to rest on the branch of a tree, upon a familiar pair of space ponies, one red and the other yellow.

"Hey," Lightning said. "Is that Buddy and Artie?"

Krysta followed the direction of his gaze. "Yeah, I think it is. I wonder what they're doing here?"

"I'm sure they'd ask the same of us if they saw us," Lightning declared, turning his back on the pair of them.

"What are you doing?" Krysta hissed.

"I don't want to deal with them right now," Lightning said.

"Grand Ruler, when did my best friend become such an antisocial jackass?" Krysta demanded. "Hey, fellas!"

Lightning rolled his eyes and tried to put an affable expression on his face as he turned back around again, leaning on the table as Buddy and Artie approached him, along with the third member of their party. Both Buddy and Artie were classily dressed, their tuxedos putting Lightning's black tee and pants to shame. He wasn't altogether sure about Artie wearing a paintbrush in his buttonhole - Buddy had gone for the more traditional carnation - but His Majesty did like people to wear some symbol of their powers upon their person when out of uniform. "Major Bristles, Major Rose, fancy seeing you here."

"We could say the same to you, Commander," Buddy replied. "Is Starla here? You out on date night or something?"

"No," Lightning said quickly. "Starla...I don't know where she is right now."

An awkward silence stretched out amongst the five of them for a little while, until Artie coughed. "Commander Lightning, allow me to introduce my girlfriend, Princess Ilia of Elfaron. Ilia this is Grand Allied Supreme Commander Lightning Dawn of the Starfleet.

Princess Ilia stood between the two ponies like a planet orbited by two moons. She was a elf, as the name of her homeworld indicated, fair and slender for all that she was smaller than any of the ponies present, with fine, sharp features and high sculpted cheekbones. Her pale blonde hair was piled up in a perfectly arranged bun on top of her head, and her blue cocktail dress matched the colour of her eyes, encircled with a ring of smoky purple eyeshadow to lend pronouncement to their colour. Said eyes were currently a little wide as she regarded him.

For all that he was wearing trainers Lightning still managed to click his heels together as he bowed at the waist. He took Ilia's pale hand, adorned with a loose fitting sapphire bracelet. "Enchanted, your highness."

"You did hear the part where I said she was my girlfriend, right Lightning?" Artie asked anxiously.

Lightning's back straightened as his brown eyes swept up to lock gazes with Artie. "Of course I did, this is mere courtesy."

Ilia chuckled. "It's a great honour, Commander, I've heard so much about you."

Lightning blinked, uncertain of how to respond to that, unsure too if the things she had heard amounted to stories from Artie - how long had Artie had a girlfriend anyway? - or the carefully curated legend of Lightning Dawn that was so assiduously spread across the stars wherever the writ of Starfleet ran by that TV show and the movies and a half-dozen other things dreamed up by the Public Information Office.

Fortunately he was spared the need to give an actual response by Krysta's loud coughing.

"Right," Lightning said quickly. "Princess Ilia, this is my dearest friend Queen Krystalline, Queen of the Fairies and Lady of Luminoth."

Ilia curtsied for a second time. "Your Majesty."

Krysta grinned. "Please, just call me Krysta. It's great to meet you, princess."

"Likewise, and you must call me Ilia."

"Of course," Krysta said. "So, how in the dark between stars did you end up with this guy?"

"Krysta!" Artie yelped.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Krysta insisted, raising her hands disarmingly. "Seriously, what's going on?"

As Ilia was rendered unable to respond by a fit of the giggles, It fell to Buddy to answer with a laugh. "Artie had to save a girl's life to get her to go out with him."

Artie huffed. "You know, if she'd had friends like mine Princess Twilight would never have given credence to the idea that friendship might be magical."

Lightning shook his head at that, judging it not the best time to mention that compared to Twilight's friends they were all pretty wretched fellows. Instead, he dredged up a half-forgotten memory. "Elfaron, didn't you two go on a mission there, during the hunt for the star stones?"

"Yes, that's where we met," Ilia said. She slipped her arm into the crook of Artie's own as she gazed up at him in adoration. "We'd been attacked by Serpentari, I'd been left behind in the evacuation. I was trapped under the rubble. I...I didn't know if the serpent would find me or if I'd be trapped down there until I starved but...but then I heard someone up above; a hero, brave and strong."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Krysta said as Artie and Ilia kissed. "So, Buddy, you look out of place."

Buddy shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not going to dinner with the lovebirds, but it's been a while since I saw Ilia so I figured I'd tag along for cocktails. I was hoping Artie could be my wingpony if I saw anything worth taking a shot at." Buddy looked towards the bar, where the enlisted personnel pursuing the white unicorn were now dealing with two other unicorns, one mint green and the other fluoride blue, who flanked the white like bodyguards. "I think I've seen that green one around New Ponyville. Cute, but I think she's a deviant; can't prove it, though.

"Don't you basically live with Applejack?" Lightning asked.

"I live on her property," Buddy corrected. "Can you imagine what it would be like trying to date her? 'Well good golly gosh I ain’t been so ridden so cow-tuckering hard since my cousin Goober and I was con-footling around in the barn one hootenanny.' I tell you, imagine Lightning, if I didn't have my own space I'd have to cut my ears off at that accent."

Lightning was barely aware of his hand clenching into a fist. "I don't think that's very funny, Major."

Buddy's eyes narrowed. "Are you okay, Commander? 'Cause Rhymey said-"

"She said that she doesn't want anything to do with you, so why don't you just leave her alone, you jerk?"

Lightning's head turned swiftly towards the bar, drawn by the sudden shout that split the air. It was only now that his attention was being drawn to it that he noticed how uncomfortable the scene up there was. The white unicorn, shrinking down as if hoping to suddenly start to go unnoticed, looked terrified and on the verge of tears. The mint green unicorn on her right looked incensed, the blue and yellow mares with them seemed as if they, too, were angry but were more wary of showing. All three of them huddled protectively around the white bespectacled unicorn, while around them the Starfleet ratings gathered, looming like volcanoes over the villages unfortunate enough to dwell at their feet.

"Now why you gotta be like that?" one of the space ponies demanded. He and his three companions were dressed in the lycra armour of the ground branch of the service, and that armour added to the natural superiorities of a space pony as he grabbed the mint green unicorn - Lightning had seen her around but he couldn't recall her name if he had ever heard it - and started to pull her away. "We just want to have some fun, right? No need to get all nasty and shrill about it."

"Let go of me, and stay away from my friend," the green mare snapped. "Let go!" She slapped the stallion across the face with a sound that rang across the bar.

The space pony scowled. "Why you little-"

"Starfleet Magic!" Lightning yelled; he held up his morpher in one hand, and instantly his drab civilian garb was transformed into the fullest panoply of his uniform as Grand Allied Supreme Commander, from his white jacket to his half-size cape to his high-peeked cap.

Krysta's shrill whistle cut through the air. "Commander on deck, ten-hut!"

The soldiers turned towards him, their faces alight with surprise and their eyes wide with fear, before slamming their feet onto the wooden floor as they sprang to attention as one pony.

Lightning was silent for a moment, letting them stew in their nervousness as he fought to control the fury running through his blood, making him want to hit someone or worse. Control, control, he needed to be in control; this was the enticorn in him, waiting to be unleashed. He couldn't let it win.

All the same, his voice trembled with barely controlled anger when he spoke. "What is going on here?"

"These guys need to learn to take no for an answer," growled the green mare.

"Is that true?" Lightning demanded.

One of the troops shrugged. "Maybe, sir."

"What unit are you with?" Lightning snapped.

"212, sir."

"All four of you are confined to your billets until further notice," Lightning growled. It was all he could do to them, seeing as they hadn't committed any offence under regulations. "Major Rose!"

"Yes, commander," Buddy said softly.

"Take these four out of here and make sure they get straight back to base," Lightning said. He didn't want to risk them hanging around outside waiting for the ladies to come out, and he didn't want to spoil Artie's night by giving him the job.

Buddy hesitated for a moment before he saluted. "Aye aye, Commander."

All eyes were on Lightning as Buddy ushered the over-eager ratings out of the bar. Lightning bowed his head to the mares. "I apologise on behalf of the service for the discomfort you have suffered tonight."

The white mare still seemed on the verge of tears, the other glared at Lightning with wary hostility. It was clear that if he was waiting for them to accept his apology then he would wait a long time.

Lightning coughed. "Yes, well…enjoy your evening, ladies." He turned away, retreating swiftly to the table where Krysta, Artie and Ilia were waiting. "I hope I didn't just ruin your night."

"Not at all, you did the right thing," Ilia said. "Krysta? Would you come help me powder my nose, I think it needs a touch up."

"Huh? Oh, oh, right, sure," Krysta said, and she fluttered around Ilia's ear as the elven princess led the way into the bathroom.

Lightning watched the door close on the pair of them before he looked back at Artie. "It's as if they speak a different language, isn't it?"

Artie leaned heavily on the table. "What's going on, Lightning?"

Lightning blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you're not acting like yourself."

Lightning's smile was wry, and just a little melancholy. "And who am I, Artie? What should I do, if I were to act like myself?"

Artie opened his mouth, but no words emerged.

"Yeah," Lightning said. "That's what I thought. I look back on the things I've done and the only thing I can say I've been consistently is a dick."

"You're a hero to a lot of people," Artie replied.

"Am I? Really?"

"Yes!" Artie declared emphatically. "I...for the longest time I used to envy you so much."

Lightning frowned. "I never knew that."

"You never knew why I joined Starfleet either, did you?"

"No." Lightning smirked. "Some friend, right?"

"You've got a lot going on," Artie said, waving one hand dismissively. "I...my parents didn't want me to join up, they wanted me to go to the Academy of the Arts and become the next Mareavaggio. But I also had an uncle, Buck Bristles, and...you know, my parents hated him but I loved that guy, and he had been in the fleet and he would tell me stories about the places he'd been, the things he'd done. But the story that stuck with me most was the story of how he met his wife.
"Aunt Jana was dead by then, but Uncle Buck told me how he had come home from Herbosia and he had gone, still in uniform, to the little village where his sweetheart lived, determined to ask for her hand. And as he walked down the only street in town people came out of their houses to say bless you, thank you for all your service, have a drink on us. And he did, so he was falling down drunk by the time he got to Jana's doorstep but she agreed to marry him anyway. According to she didn’t hesitate for a second before she said yes." Artie shook his head. "I used to think how proud he must have been and I...I wanted that so badly. And you had that and I...I was kinda jealous the way so many people looked at you like a hero."

"Ilia looks at you that way," Lightning said.

"Yeah… yeah I'm a lucky guy," Artie murmured. "But you...what's up?"

"I haven't felt..." Lightning stopped himself before he could say 'I haven't felt myself'. "I haven't felt good in a while. Not since Twilight died, at least."

"And Starla?

"Hasn't done anything wrong, but...it isn't her fault."

Artie cringed sympathetically. "That's rough. But what are you going to do about it?"

"That's the thing, I've got no idea," Lightning said. "No idea at all."

"And where in United Equestria have you been?"

Lightning froze at the verbal whip crack, flinching at the harshness of Starla's tone as his hopes of a silent and unnoticed return home vanished like the debris of some monster he had vanquished. Starla stepped out of the shadows of the living room, arms folded across her chest, clad in a light pink dressing gown and matching slippers, with her midnight blue hair in rollers. Surprisingly, none of that detracted in any way from the severity of her expression or the sternness of her gaze.

"Well?" she snapped.

"Starla-" Krysta began.

"Krysta, could you give us a minute?" Starla asked sharply. "I need to talk to my husband alone."

Krysta bowed her head. "I'll, um...I'll be upstairs.” A trail of sparkling silver motes hung in her wake as she departed, leaving Lightning alone with his wife, and wasn't that a terrible thing to look on with dread?

"Yes, I did wait up for you thank you for asking," Starla snapped. "I even saved you some dinner."

"I'm not hungry," Lightning muttered.

"I'm not surprised, it's two in the morning," Starla said. "Where were you?"

"Out."

"Don't talk to me like I'm some nosy stranger prying into your affairs because I'm not, I am your wife." Starla declared. She sounded angry, but she sounded on the verge of sobbing, too. Her voice started to crack. "I am your wife, you can't... What's the matter with you?"

Lightning turned away, placing his hands upon the bare white wall as he leaned heavily against it. "You're not the first person to ask me that." He sighed, and bowed his head. "I've been asking myself that."

He could no longer see Starla, but he heard her voice breaking as she said. "I love you, Lightning Dawn. I've always loved you and I married you and I don't deserve to be treated like this. I...I never expected you to be eternally faithful; you're a male after all, and you have male needs that I won't always be able to meet, that's the way things are. But I thought that it would be like my father, that there would be mistresses but however long they lasted, a week, a month, a year, the affair would always end and you'd come back to me. But I shouldn't have to share my marriage with the ghost of a dead mare!"

Lightning looked up. "How long have you known?"

Starla laughed. "How long? I've always known, I've known since before you knew."

"Then why-"

"Because I love you and I always have!" Starla yelled. "Since the moment we met under the stars I knew...the stars that night they told me that you were the one that I...I daren't look to see what they say now.
"I thought, I guess I thought that as much as I hated Princess Twilight Sparkle she was much too much of a goody-goody to steal my stallion. And I thought you'd realise that she didn't love you you'd turn around and see that I'm right here, the way I've always been here.
"But then she died. And Grand Ruler forgive me I was so happy when you carried her body back because I thought I was finally free of her...but I wasn't, was I? And I'm starting to think I never will be."

"Why did you love me?" Lightning asked.

"What?"

"I've been trying to remember what kind of a person I was and...if you loved me there must have been something there, right?"

"You came upstairs to get away from the party, even though it was your party; I could relate to that," Starla said. "And then, in battle when I saw Titan knock you down only for you to get back up over and over again you were so strong, so brave, so fearless. And when you fought against Titan’s minions and his monsters…you didn't need anyone you just saw what you had to do and you did it and...you were like a raging war-god then, proud and stern and now...these people, this place has ruined you."

"This place has taught me virtues I barely dreamed of," Lightning replied. "Kindness, loyalty, friendship-"

"Those aren't virtues, those were Twilight's weaknesses," Starla snapped. "If she'd spent less time preaching the magic of friendship and more time training then she'd still be alive." Starla fell silent for a moment. When she spoke again her voice ws quiet. "I can't do this any more."

"What are you saying?" asked Lightning, hoarsely.

"I'm leaving, I can't stay in this house with...I'm leaving until you're ready to be the guy I fell in love with again."

"He died along with Twilight," Lightning murmured.

Starla shook her head, and turned away. Her footfalls thumped as she climbed up the stairs.

Lightning sighed as he wandered into the darkened living room and flopped onto the sofa. He heard a cracking that presaged the return of Krysta.

"Starla's packing," Krysta said.

"Probably for the best," said Lightning. "I...I've treated her badly."

"You've changed," Krysta said. "There's no shame in that."

"I said vows, pledging to make her happy," Lightning replied. "I haven't done that, for sure. Maybe I am just a dick?"

"That's not true," Krysta cried. "I know that isn't true."

"Then how do I get back to being something better?"

Krysta said nothing.

"No," Lightning muttered. "I don't know either."

"You look so beautiful, Starla," Twilight said, with an admiring smile upon her face as she beheld Starla in all her jacked -up bridal raiment. "Rarity did a fantastic job, didn't she?"

Starla murmured something indistinct as she turned around to look at herself in the full length mirror standing against the wall. It was...it was a very nice dress, and had it come from any hands but Rarity's Starla would probably have had praise far more fulsome. There was little call for formal gowns in United Equestria, and as she turned this way and that examining herself Starla felt as though Rarity had worked out several years of pent up creativity on her gown and the bridesmaids dresses. It was white, of course, but with the slightest hint of blush pink about it, particularly around the hem of the full ballgown shaped skirt. Bows of blue, the same shade as Starla's eyes, adorned a sash tied just above the hem, with another sash tied tight around her waist like a corset, tied into a pretty bow at the back. A pair of opera gloves enfolded her hands and arms to above the elbow. Her veil hung down almost to the floor, sewn with a mixture of pearls and diamonds so that it sparkled in the sunlight streaming in through the window. A crystal tiara nestled amongst her purple curls, and a double-string pearl choker embraced her throat, with a sapphire cut in the shape of a heart dangling from the large white pearls.

It was a beautiful dress, and a beautiful everything else...but if it had all been mere costume props it would have been more accurate to this charade.

"Yes," Starla murmured. "She did a very good job."

"I know she'll love to see you in it," Twilight said. There was a reproach there, if diplomatically put, for Starla would not allow Rarity into the dressing room to see the fruits of her labour ahead of time. It was bad enough that Twilight Sparkle was her best mare, but Starla had no intention of being surrounded by Twilight's friends before her wedding.

Starla had always known that she would never have the perfect wedding. Her father would never lead her down the aisle and give her away; her mother would never cry her eyes out at the sight of her little girl all grown up and so beautiful. She would get no embarrassingly frank advice from her grandmother. She had made her piece with all of that. But she didn't feel it was unreasonable for her to dislike the fact that she had the mare her husband-to-be was really in love with as the best mare at her wedding.

Of course, that was her own fault in large part, wasn't it? She could have asked someone else if she had any...friends. But it turned out that the Starfleet ethos of isolation and self-reliance cut both ways. That was why Twilight Sparkle was her best mare, and that was why the guest list consisted of more friends of Twilight than of either the bride or groom. Starla almost wished she could have asked one of the guys, Buddy or Artie, but His Majesty would not have approved of such innovation.

Still, that didn't mean she had to like it. She just hoped that Lightning would have the decency to look at her, not Twilight, when they were saying their vows.

Starla turned once again, looking down on Twilight in her off-the-shoulder lavender bridesmaid's dress- by the Grand Ruler, even the dresses were made to suit her! - and tried to see what Lightning saw in her. She was not prettier than Starla, nor stronger, nor superior to her in virtues. She was smarter, perhaps, but who wanted a smart wife?

So what did Twilight have that she didn't?

"What do you think of Lightning?" Starla asked.

"Huh?" Twilight said. "He's...he's okay, I guess."

Starla wished that she had thought to record that so she could play it for Lightning over and over again until he got it: that Twilight didn't care about him, and never would.

That was why she was going through with this marriage: because she was a good girl, and patience was the crowning glory of a virtuous mare. Lightning's eyes and thoughts would stray a while, he would follow in the footsteps of this callous siren, but if she was patient he would see Twilight Sparkle for what she was, and he would see Starla waiting for him, unfailing in her devotion, and he'd come back to her.

"Starla, are you okay?" Twilight asked. "You're not getting cold feet are you?"

Starla smiled. "No, of course not. This...this the happiest day of my life."
She would be happy, as Lightning's bride. She would, she really would. He would be bound to her by sacred oaths that would endure while this passing infatuation faded. There had been no other mares but her and Twilight and Twilight would pass. The best mare ever made was to be her husband, and she would bring him happiness.

Twilight would pass. What they had would last forever.

Starla crouched on the floor in one of the more secluded corridors of the royal palace and sobbed with her head in her arms.

She had come here for want of anywhere else to stay. She had considered asking Rhymey if she could crash with him for a while, but she didn't think she could bear to share an apartment with Fluttershy. The Twins were off-world right now, and Artie wasn't home. She'd check back with him later and see if he needed a roommate.

In the meantime she had gone to the palace; it wasn't as if she knew anyone else in town. Or anywhere. She had gone to the palace and it had all just been too much. She had collapsed on the floor in a weeping heap. Was this all her fault? Had she not been sufficiently patient with him? Had she not been the good girl she thought she was? Had she been derelict in her duties as a girlfriend and a wife?

Was there something she could have done to keep him from straying?

"Starla?" the voice of His Majesty the Grand Ruler cut through her melancholy like a roar of thunder rolling over all lesser sounds in the night-time. And yet His Majesty did not sound commanding, as he normally did; nor controlled and wise as when he addressed the public but...concerned, like a father asking for permission to enter the bedroom of his sobbing daughter. "Starla, what brings you here so late, weeping and full of sorrow? What is the matter?"

Starla looked up into that proud visage so full of ageless dignity, into those eyes so wise, that brow so noble, that hair in which the heavens whirled and danced upon command, all those features both so kingly and divine. She was acutely aware that by contrast she must look a mess, face unmade and without so much as mascara on her eyes. "Forgive me, your majesty, I should not-"

"Hush now, my sweet, and no more of that," the Grand Ruler spoke in whispered tones, but even his lordly whisper was enough to silence Starla. He took off his glittering enchanted cape and, in a fluid motion, he draped it gallantly over Starla's shoulders like a jacket. Infused with divine magic, the cloak embraced her like a snake, warming her whole body with its soft touch. He got down on one knee, so that he did not loom so much over her, and spoke in what Starla - who flattered herself that he spoke thus only to her - secretly thought of as a paternal tone; not the Grand Ruler now but the warmer face of Celesto. "The only thing for which you need apologise is not coming to me if you were sick at heart, to lay your burdens on my stronger shoulders."

"I...your majesty has so many responsibilities, I didn't want to-"

"Starla. Starla, my sweet, my child," Celesto said, each word a gentle caress to Starla's wounded soul, and as he spoke he stared with perfect sincerity into her eyes.
"You are the closest to a daughter I will ever have, and as I love you as my own daughter so is your happiness a higher concern to me than any in my vast realm. So, Starla dearer than daughter, what ails your heart?"

Starla took a deep breath. "It's Lightning. He...I'm afraid he doesn't care for me any more."

Celesto's mouth hardened. "Has he turned cruel?"

"No, just inattentive," Starla replied. "I...I don't want to lose him but I don't know what to do."

Celesto smiled benevolently as he reached out and wiped away the tears from under Starla's eye. "You have told me, and that was the right thing. I myself have noticed an unwelcome change in my most faithful student. I will speak with Lightning and find out the heart of his transformation."

"Lightning's heart is the heart of all my troubles," Starla declared. "For even as he tightly holds my heart, the heart of Lightning Dawn is stolen away by Twilight Sparkle."

"I see," Celesto said. "Nevertheless I will speak with Lightning and cure him of this ill affliction. You have my word I will bring you two back into such affection that you will be a model of love to the dimensional universe."

"Oh...thank you Your Majesty," Starla cried, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Thank you, thank you." It would be alright now, it would, it would. The Grand Ruler had given his word, and his word was golden.

Celesto's arms closed around her with all the comforting warmth of a father. "No thanks are needed, child," he whispered into her ear. "How could I do less for those I love?"

"Honey! Your breakfast is ready!"

Stern finished pulling on his tie, a fond smile appearing on his face to stare back at him in the mirror. "Right on time," he murmured. He walked out of the master bedroom, crossing the wood-panelled floor of the house in quick strides, his booted feet making slight echoes as he moved. He paused a moment by the door to his daughter's bedroom, the white door overlaid by finger-paintings of daffodils that Gracie had done when she was a kid.

Stern knocked lightly on the door. "Gracie, breakfast."

"Just a minute, dad."

"Now," Stern said, though he didn't feel the need to wait for her to open the door. Grace was a good kid, she'd be right down. So he kept walking, passing Anita dusting some of the knickknacks on the windowsill. "Anita, would you help Felix downstairs, it's time for breakfast."

"Of course, Colonel Stern," Anita replied in her perpetually calm mechanical voice. Since the defeat of the Robot Empire, reverse-engineering of technology salvaged from Starfleet's enemies had allowed for a great leap forward in the field of cybernetics. Robot servants were becoming a common sight in households across United Equestria, and Anita had been such a great help to Che, especially with Felix.

Anita did not hurry, moving in calm steps in the direction of Felix's room. Stern watched her for a moment, marvelling at the lack of mechanical noises that her metal frame made when she moved, before turning away and heading down the stairs. Family photos hung on the wood-panelled wall as he descended: he and Che on their wedding day, Val and Grace on their first days of school, the day they got Duke, Stern and Val posing together with a fat trout they had caught on their first fishing trip, ace in her prom dress. All happy, all joyous, all full of smiles. There were pictures of Felix too, of course, but all of them set within the confines of the house, and none of them marked especial occasions.

The smell of home-made pancakes greeted Stern's nostrils like an old friend even before he walked through the hall and into the kitchen. The table, he saw at once, had already been set: covered in a crisp white table cloth, with plates and gleaming cutlery laid out for five, and his morning paper set beside his place at the head of the table. Che - her real name was Cheerwell, but for as long as he'd known her she had never used her full name save on official documents - was standing over the stove with her back to him, wearing a flower-pattern dress that clung to the figure of her upper body before widening out as it dropped towards her ankles.

"Smells great," he said, standing in front of his place.

Che turned to him and smiled. She had...by the Grand Ruler she was beautiful. Middle age had started putting lines on his face but Che, with her pretty brown eyes and her mellow blue coat and her black hair all curled up...she hadn't changed a bit since the day he married her.

"I'll plate up as soon as the kids are here," she said.

Hey Dad," Val said as the back door swung open, admitting first Duke, their golden labrador, and then Stern's elder son. Val, short for Valiant, had inherited his father's pale yellow coat and his mother's black hair, though Stern thought that his boyish good looks were probably a combination of both. He bounded into the house wearing his high school sports jacket, a mixture of blue and red.

"Hey sport," Stern said, tousling his son's hair as he came to join his father by the table.

"Morning daddy," Grace cried cheerfully as she leapt down the stairs. Their daughter had her mother's blue coat and her father's blonde hair, though it was a shade more golden, done up in a perm behind a canary yellow hair band that matched exactly the bright shade of her dress. She greeted her father with a kiss on the cheek as Duke barked happily.

"Good morning pumpkin," Stern said, returning her kiss with one of his own to the forehead. Now they were just waiting on-

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," Felix called as Anita carried him downstairs, cradled in her metal arms. He looked so small, barely bigger than three year old though he was seven, and the way Anita carried him made the twisted nature of his legs obvious. His blue eyes widened as he saw the jug of golden syrup lying on the table. "Gee, are we having pancakes? And we've got syrup and sugar and-" he was cut off by a fit of fierce coughing that had his body contorting this way and that hacking and spluttering as tears formed in his eyes.

Stern frowned. It was at times like these that naming their son Felix, which meant happiness, or good fortune, seemed like a cruel joke. He'd always been this way, he'd been born broken. They ought to have disposed of him in accordance with the law but...they couldn't. They had looked down on their son and they…they could not do that which the Grand Ruler mandated. So they kept him at home instead, hidden away. It wasn't much of a life for a kid...but at least it was a life.

Che's face was suffused with concern as she crossed the kitchen. "Oh, now look you've gotten yourself all upset. Thank you, Anita, I've got him."

"Do you require any assistance?" Anita asked as Che scooped her son up in her arms.

"Keep an eye on the oven for me."

Of course, Mrs Che," Anita said, and she walked over to the stove as Che fussed over Felix.

She soon calmed him down. "You know what happens when you get over excited."

"Sorry Mom, sorry, Dad."

Stern smiled in a sickly fashion. "So long as you're okay."

Together, Che and Grace helped Felix into his seat, and when she was sure he was okay Che returned to the stove and began to plate up.

"So, Val, what are you up to at school today?" Stern asked as he and his children took their seats.

"Biff wants to have a couple of hours extra football practice, so we're ready for the big game against New Baltimare. You will be able to make the game, won't you Dad?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Stern said. "Gracie, what about you?"

Grace smiled. "Well, Dodge asked me to go the ice cream shop after school; I think he's going to ask me to the sock-hop."

"Oh, that's great honey," said Che.

Stern nodded. "Dodge is a good kid, I know his father; they’re decent people, hard working, honest. He does know I can have him arrested, right?"

"Daddy!"

Stern chuckled as Che scooped a trio of pancakes onto his plate. "Thanks sweetie, It looks delicious."

"You're welcome," Che said bending down to kiss him on the lips.

Stern read the paper while he ate. There was the usual war news from Rangivar - it seemed that the surrender of the caribou was expected any day now - along with a protest by some misguided youngsters calling themselves the counterculture; Stern tsked, and thanked the Grand Ruler that Val and Gracie weren't mixed up in a bad crowd like that. Then there was an article announcing that His Majesty had called off his planned visit to Luminoth and that, as a result, the battlecruiser Repulse 'and other heavy units' were being sent to Marelaya to deter Kallanian aggression in the sector.

'Though are burdens are many,' His Majesty was quoted as saying. 'Should any opportunists seek to test us they will find that the arsenal of freedom is far from exhausted, nor are valour and resolve in short supply amongst our gallant forces of the Starfleet.'

Good old Repulse, Stern thought as he looked at the picture of the great ship the paper had so helpfully provided. She'll scare them straight.

First Grace, then Val got up from the table and headed off for school. Stern wished them a good day, and Gracie kissed him on the cheek before she left. Anita took Felix back upstairs. Che started to do the dishes.

"I think he's getting worse," she said.

Stern put down the newspaper. "You don't know that."

"No, I don't know that because I'm not a doctor, and no doctor has seen him," Che said.

"You know why that is, you know why we can't take him to a doctor," Stern said, pushing back his chair and rising to his feet. "You know what happens to kids like Felix."

Che bowed her head. "Our son is dying, Stern. There must be something we can do."

"And we're doing it," Stern said. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "We both agreed to-"

"To raise our son, not keep him prisoner," Che said. "We were very selfish, weren't we? When we decided to keep Felix, did we ever think about what kind of life he'd have?"

"At least he has a life," Stern murmured, though in truth he knew he had little right to speak to Che in this matter. He left for work each day; while she stayed home taking care of their helpless son. She hadn't had a vacation since Felix was born; even now that they had Anita she still did so much.

He kissed her on the back of the neck. "You're a great mom. Felix knows that."

Che didn't respond. She didn't even look at him.

Stern frowned. "I...I have to go." He headed back upstairs to get his jacket. He stopped outside of Felix's room. The door was open, and his son was lying on the bed, facing the wall.

Softly, Stern walked in and sat down on the bed beside him. "Hey, kiddo. What's up?"

"Why did you and Mom decide to keep me, Dad?" Felix muttered.

Stern said, "Because we love you very much."

"Then why can't I ever go outside, or go to school, or do anything that normal kids do?"

Stern frowned. "Because...because you're different, and the world isn't kind to people who are different from everybody else. Your mother and I...we just don't want you to get hurt."

Felix was silent for a moment. "Would it be easier for Mom if I wasn't here?"

"Don't talk like that, Felix, don't even think that," Stern said emphatically. "You are our son, and we love you and...and we wouldn't change a thing about you." He squeezed Felix reassuringly on the shoulder. "Have a great day." He got up, and left… like he always did.

He put on his grey uniform jacket, ornamented by the brightly coloured ribbons of his decorations, and got his cap off the hat stand before he headed to work. Che stood in the doorway, kissed him goodbye and waved him off, her face a mask of blissful happiness that he mirrored as he bid her goodbye. Nobody could know that there were cracks beneath the mask, for Che's sake and the sake of the kids. To the outside world they were the perfect family: two kids and a dog; nobody could suspect that it was anything less than perfect.

Dagwood, his next door neighbour, seemed to be enjoying a lazy morning as he ambled, half-dressed, down the driveway to pick up his paper off the sidewalk. He straightened up when he saw Stern and offered him a cheery wave. "Hidely ho, neighbour!"

"Good morning," Stern said, waving back. "Day off?"

"Yep."

"Have a good one," Stern said, as he proceeded on his way.

Outside number 12, old Buster was supervising his robot as it mowed the lawn. "Howdy, Stern! Lovely day, ain't it?"

"Looks like," Stern replied, for the skies were blue and clear with not a cloud in sight.

As he walked through his placid neighbourhood, passing by the immaculate lawns and white picket fences, past the well-tended houses of respectable space-ponies, a great feeling of neighbourliness wafted over Stern as it always did. These were nice people, good people, his kind of people. This was what Starfleet existed to protect. This was what they were all about.

It was at times like this that he wished he had a more active role in the protection. Of course, his job now not only brought him to the attention of the Grand Ruler himself, it also meant that he could go home to his wife and kids every evening…but there were rare occasions when he missed the old days, out in the field.

Still, those days were gone and he had a job to do that, though less action packed by far, was no less important in the service of His Majesty. And so Lieutenant Colonel Stern, supernumerary to the General Staff, walked towards the palace that served as the headquarters of the finest armed organisation ever forged by mortal hands, the nerve centre of the greatest empire ever established, the seat of power and the font of honour, from whence the movement of mighty battle fleets and invincible armies across planets and stars were directed. Along the way he passed a group of hippies, more exemplars of the counterculture that he’d been reading about in the newspaper, protesting the war in Rangivar. Disgraceful. Starfleet’s gallant forces were on the verge of victory and these long-haired, unwashed, ill-shaven hoodlums were doing their level best to sap morale at home and erode support for the brave boys out in the field. Look at them, handing out cupcakes and singing songs to a guitar strummed by some pony with a mane that was more leonine that equine. Didn’t they care how this would affect the troops?

“One, two, three, four,
We don’t want your bucking war!” they chanted, while a zebra stood on top of a crude podium and addressed a modest crowd through a bullhorn.

“I ain’t got no quarrel with no caribou,” he declared. “They ain’t never called me stripeback!” the crowd cheered enthusiastically.

“Five, six, seven, eight,
We don’t want no bucking hate!”

Stern was disappointed to see a couple of space ponies amongst the crowd, and shook his head as he wondered what the youth of today was coming to. Thank goodness his kids ran with a much better crowd.

He left them to it, under the watchful eyes of several Starfleet personnel making sure that nobody got hurt and nothing got out of hand, and completed his journey to the palace. As he walked in through the first few corridors a few people greeted him, but most of his fellow officers were too busy going about their important assignments – fetching coffee for the admirals and generals, copying out orders in triplicate, carrying important looking pieces of paper up and down corridors – to pay him much notice. The ebb and flow of headquarters life swirled around him and he became like a blood cell in a vast organism moving through the arteries and veins as if pumped by some great organ towards his destination.

“Ah, good morning Colonel Stern. Right on time as usual.”

Stern came to a halt, standing to attention as a familiar figure approached him down the corridor, her long black coat trailing behind her. Starlight Glimmer was sporting a nasty bruise on her face today, though it didn’t appear to have affected her mood much, she seemed just as jovial as always.

“Colonel Glimmer, good morning,” Stern said, politely but without any great enthusiasm. Though the difference in their official ranks was not great, the difference in their power and influence was a vast canyon. Not only was she the highest ranked Equestrian in Starfleet, Starlight Glimmer was also the youngest colonel in the entire organisation, the second youngest senior officer – the youngest being, of course, Grand Allied Supreme Commander Lightning Dawn – and already it was discreetly whispered around the water coolers of HQ that Starlight Glimmer was Starfleet Intelligence in every way that mattered. General Rain Dancer was old, and nobody had seen General Tin-Eye for several months, meanwhile Colonel Glimmer reported directly to His Majesty.

She was the coming mare, that was for certain, if she had not already arrived exactly where she meant to, and she was a living exemplar of the fact that there was no anti-Equestrian bias at an institutional level within Starfleet, that you could achieve success if you were willing to work within the system and not buck against it.

She was somebody to watch, that was for certain, and so Stern watched her very carefully, and watched his step around her what was more. Starlight Glimmer had a lot more eyes than the two set in her head, and if once she thought to turn the gaze of her formidable apparatus upon his family then they would be lost. With her, it was all the more vital that she believe him to be what he presented himself as: a model officer and model citizen both, the head of a model family, who obeyed the law to the last full stop.

Colonel Glimmer smiled. “You know, there was one day last week when I thought you were five minutes late.”

“Was I?”

“No,” she replied. “My watch was wrong.”

Stern chuckled, hoping that that was the reaction she would expect. “Well, I do my best to set an example for the younger fellows.”

“Yes, standards are slipping everywhere across the board, aren’t they?” Colonel Glimmer asked. “On an unrelated note, Colonel Stern, how’s the family? How are the kids?”

Stern didn’t allow his discomfort to show. “Oh, they’re just fine and dandy. Val is practicing for the big football game, and Gracie…well, I’m afraid she’s starting to get serious about boys.”

“Oh, that must be terrifying for you,” Colonel Glimmer said. “Let me know if you need a couple of burley intelligence operatives to stick her coltfriend in a dark cell for a few hours to teach him some respect.”

Stern laughed. “I’m sure it won’t come to that, but thank you for your generous officer.”

“Oh, think nothing of it,” said Colonel Glimmer, in a light-hearted tone. “And how’s Felix?”

Stern felt as though a bath full of ice had just been dumped on his head. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, ma’am.”

“Of course, you don’t,” Colonel Glimmer said, as she patted him reassuringly on the arm. “I just want you to know that you don’t have anything to fear from me. Provided that you don’t get in my way.”

Stern swallowed. “What…is there something you need from me, Colonel.”

“Just keep doing your job, without fear or favour,” Colonel Glimmer said. “And who knows, there may be new and challenging opportunities opening up soon for an officer of firm moral convictions. I think someone of your talents is rather wasted in babysitting. And now I really mustn’t keep you further. We both have our jobs to do, after all. Good day, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Good day, sir,” Stern managed to force the words out as Colonel Glimmer walked away, her leather jacket trailing behind her. He himself did not move. It was all he could to stop shaking. He just stood there, in the middle of the corridor, like a statue or someone turned to stone by a gaze of a cockatrice.

She knows. By the Grand Ruler, she knows. She knows everything.

His first thought was to run. He wanted to turn around, go straight back home, grab Che and the kids and run. But that was pure foolishness, the kind of stupid decision that people made when panicked that they regretted when they were thinking clearly. Where would he go? What would he do? Where could they run to where the reach of Starfleet would not touch them? How could they run without looking guilty?

No, he would not run. He wasn’t a traitor and he wasn’t a criminal, he was a loyal servant to the Grand Ruler, a faithful and obedient officer, an honourable devotee of the ideals of Starfleet. His love for his son, his decision to break the rules one time, didn’t change that about him. He wasn’t going to turn his back on years of service because some spook in black had frightened him. This was his home, this was where his kids went to school, this was where he raised his family; this was his life, and he wasn’t going to be chased out of it.

Besides, if Starlight Glimmer had wanted to use this information to nail him then he was sure he would have found out in less convivial circumstances. Which must mean that she had spoken true, and she meant to sit on this information.

Which meant that she wanted something from him. What it was, what form this nebulous future favour would take, he didn’t know yet. But he would do it. Whatever it was, he would do it. Whatever it took to keep his family safe, he would do it and he would not look back.

Finally, fortified by a couple of cups of black coffee to strengthen his startled nerves, Stern made his way up to the isolated tower where his charge awaited.

He was greeted by the guard upon the heavy door, who saluted crisply as Stern reached the top of the stairs.

“Morning, sir,” the guard said. “You should be aware…she’s in there already.”

Stern rolled his eyes at the thought of the bane of his existence, Sunset Shimmer, who made his job twice as difficult as it needed to be and the princess’ life twice as hard. All she ever did was teach Princess Leilani to be discontent, and she showed no sign of even realising that.

“Open the door,” Stern said.

“Yes, sir,” the guard said, turning away to enter the code for the door into the keypad. Stern didn’t watch, but kept his gaze fixed above the guard’s head, upon the red iron door as it slid upwards with a hydraulic hiss.

He passed under the one door, and waited for the first to close before the second one opened, and there he found his charge: Princess Leilani, daughter of Celesto and Celestia…and her.

In the time since she had started calling upon the princess Colonel Stern had come to recognise Sunset Shimmer as the bane of his existence. She had no discipline, and being unruly she passed that unruliness on to the young princess. Even now, Princess Leilani went without the mask that hid her facial disfigurements from view, exposing her damaged visage to the view of respectable ponies; Stern could see the mask tossed idly on the bed, and he had no doubt at all whose idea that had been. As a result of the malign influence of that mare, the princess did nothing but strain against the bounds of righteous authority; she had none of the stoicism of his own son, who recognised the sacrifices that others made on his behalf.

And that’s the point, isn’t it? There were times when Stern hated this assignment, being tutor to a child so like his own and yet being unable to remark on the similarities. It was a cruel trick of cosmic irony that had landed him in this position. Gaoler to another child, tutor to another prisoner…there were times when it filled him with resentment, that the Grand Ruler could do openly what he and his wife were forced to do in secret, but always he remembered himself and his place; His Majesty had burdens the likes of him could only guess at, who was he to question the wisdom of a child of the gods? All that the Grand Ruler decreed was wisdom, all that he disposed of was in its proper place.

He only wished that the grandchild of the gods would not be so frustrating. And that he could be rid of the corrupting influence upon her.

Sunset Shimmer lay stretched out on the floor in her queer quadrupedal form, acting as a kind of cushion for Princess Leilani as she flopped on top of her. She looked up, the laughter freezing in her throat she caught sight of him.

“Good morning, princess,” Stern murmured coolly. “Miss Shimmer.”

“Lieutenant Stern,” Sunset replied with chill civility. She did that on purpose, he was certain of it: abbreviating his rank wrongly, from lieutenant colonel to lieutenant instead of to colonel. Princess Leilani had started doing it as well, and he had long since given up trying to correct them.

“Good morning, lieutenant,” Leilani said, climbing to her feet and smoothing out her skirt.

Stern sat down in a chair in the corner of the room. “Am I interrupting something?”

“I was about to start the magic lesson,” Sunset said. “You’d probably find it very boring.”

Stern blinked. “Magic. Equestrian magic?”

“I have the Queen’s permission,” Sunset declared.

“And what does His Majesty say to this?” Stern asked. “A grandchild of the gods lowering herself to the magic of-

“Of her mother?” Sunset asked. “I haven’t asked him what he thinks. I don’t need to.”

Stern leaned forwards. “And what is the purpose of this?”

“To see if Leilani enjoys it,” Sunset replied. “If she doesn’t, then she can stop. Some things don’t need a purpose, they’re just fun.”

“I am well aware of what fun is, Miss Shimmer, thank you,” Stern answered in clipped tones. He didn’t appreciate being treated like he was a humourous killjoy all the time just because that was how he needed to behave in order to do his job. He felt joy – at catching a big fish, at seeing his son score a touchdown, when making love – he just knew better than to bring his personal pleasures into work with him. “My question was more to do with the purpose of magic for her highness, here.”

Sunset climbed onto her four hooves. “Maybe Leilani won’t always be in here.”

“Sunset? What are you talking about?” Leilani asked.

Sunset turned away from Stern to look Leilani in the eyes. “I…I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to get your hopes up too high, but…your birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, and so I thought that I would ask your parents if…if I could take you out for the day.”

Stern wanted to put his head in his hands, and only his iron discipline as a starfleet officer prevented him from giving voice to the feeling of despair he felt welling up inside of him.

Princess Leilani, on the other hand, seemed more shocked than despairing. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Don’t make yourself sound like a burden,” Sunset replied, with a tenderness that belied the folly of her words. “I…I’m not saying it will definitely happen…but I am saying that I’ll definitely try.”

“I could go outside?”

“Maybe, yeah.”

“And what would I do?”

“We’d do whatever you wanted.”

Leilani squealed with joy as she hugged Sunset round the neck. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you! Oh, Sunset, you’re the best!”

“Not by a long way,” Sunset murmured, as she draped one leg across the princess’ shoulders. “But I do what I can.”

Stern coughed as he rose to his feet. “Miss Shimmer, can I talk to you for a moment? Outside?”

Sunset glared at him for a moment, but she followed him out of the room and into the space between the two doors, where Stern knew the princess could not hear them.

“What in the name of all that is righteous do you think you’re doing?” Stern demanded.

Sunset’s eyebrows rose. “What do I think I’m doing? I’m trying to make her happy, what does it look like?”

“It looks to me like you’re trying to break her heart.”

“At least I treat her like she’s got a heart!”

“Are you really so naïve as to think that there is so much as a chance that His Majesty will agree to let you take her out of that room, out of this palace?” Stern demanded. “Do you think that he would be so cruel as expose his only daughter to the disgust and mockery of lesser ponies, to let the world see her in all her deformities as the subject for the hatred of the masses? Of course not! And yet you fill her head up with false hopes that are certain to be disappointed. I almost think you’re trying to make the princess miserable.”

Sunset’s face wore an expression that suggested that she was only a step or two from exploding with anger. “Wow. Okay, first of all she’s not deformed and even if she was, so what? She’s still a person, a child, with feelings and imagination and so much potential and somehow I’m the cruel one for not wanting to keep her a prisoner in a drab cell? Second, the ponies that I know would never mock someone for being different, let alone hate them; I know plenty of ponies who would love her just the way she is, the same way I do. Third, I’m not trying to give her false hope, I’m giving her a reason to live.”

“Life is the reason for living,” Stern replied.

“Her life is terrible,” Sunset yelled. “I want to give her something better, something more than this.”

“There is nothing better out there for kids like her,” Stern shouted. “This is the best they can hope for, and it’s better than not being alive at all.”

“Is it?” Sunset demanded. “Is it really? Can you look me in the eye and say that with a straight face?”

Stern’s face was expressionless as he looked down into Sunset’s eyes. “The life that she has, as hard as it is, is better than no life at all.”

Sunset shook her head. “How can you say that?”

“Because she’s alive and she’s loved,” Stern snapped. “Because she has you.” There, he had admitted it. To Sunset Shimmer…and to himself. She might be an appalling nuisance, she might be doing more harm than good; she certainly was doing more harm than good…but she also loved Princess Leilani, and that was about the only ray of sunshine in her life.

Lieutenant Colonel Stern hated to admit it but his job was not so much to teach the princess as it was to be hard on her. He taught her lessons, yes, but lessons that reinforced her own weakness, made her melancholy, made her compliant to the decision to keep her locked away. Curse him but he was good at it…but he was also self-aware enough to recognise that if he behaved at home the way he did at work then Felix’s life would be hell indeed. Sunset Shimmer…she was to Princess Leilani the way that Felix’s parents were to him at home. And if she sometimes gave the princess hope that would inevitably turn out to be in vain then…that was probably a small price to pay.

Sunset looked almost astonished to hear him say it. “If you think that then why do you act like you hate me?”

“Because I do hate you,” Stern said. “But I also envy you.”

Sunset frowned. “And that girl in there? Do you hate her too?”

“No,” Stern murmured. “Her I pity.”

“You do a great job of showing it,” Sunset muttered. “Don’t you think she deserves to go outside, to feel the sun on her face?”

“Hear the derisive laughter in her ears,” Stern said. “This isn’t Equestria, Miss Shimmer, we’re a different people now. His Majesty will refuse you, and rightly so; and the permission of the Queen will not be enough in this.”

“If you helped me-“

“I won’t,” Stern said quickly. “Because it’s a bad idea.”

Sunset snorted. “Could you at least try to be nicer to her?”

“That’s not my job,” Stern said at once. Then he thought of Felix, lying miserable in his bedroom all alone, wondering why he was still alive, and his heart cracked just a little. “But I’ll see what I can do.”

Lightning tugged at his collar as he waited outside the throne room. Captain Shaina, standing guard without the door, was kind enough not to remark upon his nervousness. Or perhaps she was simply too professional to notice aught that did not pertain to some immediate threat upon the life of His Majesty.

“You’ll be fine,” Krysta whispered from where she hovered by his ear. “Don’t sweat it, okay?”

Lightning was sweating it; he could feel it building upon his brow. “If this were just an ordinary meeting I wouldn’t worry; I’m afraid he’s going to talk to me about my marriage. And I…what can I say to him?”

“How about the truth?” Krysta suggested.

Lightning looked at her, trying to decide if she was kidding or not. “Come on, be serious.”

Krysta’s eyebrows rose.

“Well…you know,” Lightning explained. “His Majesty is…besides, he likes Starla.”

“He likes you too, remember.”

“I know, and I know that he only wants what’s best for me, but…if I don’t know what that is, how will he know?”

“Perhaps, with his wisdom, he’ll see what you don’t?” Krysta said.

“Perhaps,” Lightning murmured. “I suppose I should have more faith, shouldn’t I?”

“You should remember that this is the guy who took us in when we were lost and all alone, who gave us everything we have except each other,” Krysta said. “And…and I know that you don’t always think that your life has gone that great since that day, and I know that we both kinda miss the old days, but he did what he thought was best for both of us…and there were some good times too, yeah?”

“Yeah, with him,” Lightning murmured. “Like that time he taught us to play hopscotch.”

“He’s the closest thing we’ve got to a father, when all’s said and done,” Krysta declared. “Just remember that, because I’m sure he will as well.”

Lightning nodded. “Right. This isn’t bad. This is just…paternal advice. Got it.”

Shaina Emerald cocked her head a little. “As you wish, sire. Supreme Commander, His Majesty will see you now.”

“Thank you, captain.”

Captain Emerald nodded her head respectfully as she pushed open the doors to the great throne room, and stood to attention as Lightning walked inside. It was empty, save for a few guards and His Majesty himself, slouched upon his iron throne, his red cape glittered as patterns of stars danced inside the curls of his mane. Lightning was glad of that, it meant that their conversation was to be truly personal, and his marital problems were not to be hashed out in front of the entire court. Still, he felt the gaze of the Royal Guard upon him as he marched down the central traverse, passing each pair of warriors as they stood, stiffly to attention, spears held before them, until he reached the line beyond which none could pass without express permission of His Majesty.

Lightning bowed, placing one fist upon his heart. “Majesty, you summoned me?”

For a moment, His Majesty did not speak. When he did, it was not to Lightning that his weary-sounding tone was addressed. “Guards, give us leave; the Supreme Commander and I must have some private conference.”

Lightning did not raise his head to see, but hear the tramp tramp of the booted feet of the guards as they departed from the throne room on command, and heard the door close with a final slam. He wondered for a moment if Krysta would dare listen at the keyhole, and whether she would be allowed.

“Rise up, my faithful student and my son, arise,” the Grand Ruler declared. “Stand on your feet and look on me.”

Lightning rose slowly to his feet, his eyes arising also to look upon His Majesty as he descended from his throne and from the majestic dais set above to place his royal hands upon the shoulders of his chiefest sword and weapon in the field against the foe.

“How now, bold Lightning Dawn, how now, valiant warrior?” His Majesty asked, a benevolent and paternal smile upon his face. “How is it that the cares of worlds hang heavy round your neck, and how may I lift them from you and take them on myself?”

Lightning blinked. “I fear to speak my cares to Your Majesty would mock the heavy burdens of the state that daily do surround Your Majesty.”

The Grand Ruler sighed, taking his hands from Lightning shoulders and walking away from him, pacing down the centre of the throne room with his back to Lightning, as the latter turned to keep him in his sight.

“I know not how I have offended the gods who birthed me,” the Grand Ruler murmured, as his cloak drooped sadly down behind him. “But out of my blood, mixed with the lesser cordial of my mate, they’ve bred a rod and scourge to punish my great pride and overweening hubris.”

“I know no god could ever be so cruel,” Lightning said.

“Believe it, Lightning, when your eyes display the proof; look on my daughter,” His Majesty said, gesticulating with one arm as he turned back to face Lightning once again. “Sickly and deformed, hideous to look on, crippled and utterly devoid of worth. Look on my son: weak, feeble, unworthy of the state that he is heir to. Look on the children of my blood and can it be doubted that they are fit only for some providential power to be revenged on me.” He sighed, his arms dropping to hang limp by his sides. “And yet, for all of these misfortunes I have been consoled, as I was in the last of my long childless years, by you my dauntless bold and faithful son.”

Lightning bowed his head. “I have always endeavoured to serve Your Majesty to the best of my abilities.”

“And serve you have, with honour and distinction both,” the Grand Ruler declared. “You are no son of my blood, yet still I love you as a son in spirit; I have watched you grow into a fine pony and a great warrior and I flatter myself that I had some small part to play in making you the great stallion that you are.”

“I am very grateful for all that Your Majesty has done on my behalf,” Lightning murmured.

“Your every new achievement warms the cockles of my heart to hear of them,” the Grand Ruler said solemnly. “What never dying honour have you won against dread Titan, being but little in debt to year, discomfited him not once but thrice in all, and Chrysalis and renowned Fratello too. It comforted me, looking on my progeny in despair, to know that I had one as son to me in whom I could repose my trust and thus rest easy for the safety of the state.”

Lightning was tempted to look away, discomforted by this surfeit of great praise that he was undeserving of. That was another pony, a different Lightning. I fear I am no longer either so bold or so sure in purpose.

“And,” His Majesty continued. “When I lay awake at night disgusted at the thought of my ill-favoured marriage bed-“

“Your Majesty has loved the Queen for over a thousand years,” Lightning said.

“Aye, for so long I did desire her, and in desire kept chaste faith with the memory of our affection,” His Majesty said. “And yet she has turned out to be like a brightly coloured candy which invokes desire in the eyes but, when digested, brings only a sick stomach and rotten teeth. And yet in my romantic misfortunes it has been tremendous comfort to know that I had seen you matched well in love with a maid surpassing fair and virtuous.” He paused for a moment. “I came across Starla last night; you have greatly offended her.”

Lightning closed his eyes. “I fear, Majesty, that Starla and I are no longer so matched in love as once you were.”

“She is beautiful, is she not?” the Grand Ruler demanded. “And in virtues she is the very exemplar of the female of our race, being both brave and beautiful; strong, but not masculine to the eye; sweet, but not feminine in her behaviour. If you look to find a better than her you will search long and hard and never find her like.”

“I am aware,” Lightning murmured. “It is I who has become unworthy of her affections. Your Majesty…I am not myself, and not the warrior who won her love with deeds of valour in the field.”

“Yet her heart still crowns you king of love and honour,” His Majesty said tenderly. “Counts Starla’s faith for nothing?”

“I…”

“Starla told me there was another,” the Grand Ruler said. “I should hate to believe it.”

“I have lain with no other mare but her,” Lightning said quickly. “In that I have kept faith.”

“In body, but not in spirit?”

“There are many even in the Starfleet who break faith in body and they are not condemned,” Lightning replied.

“Males are males,” the Grand Ruler declared, advancing towards Lightning. “And being male, have needs that must be met; and it is better that our baser passions and more brute desires are met by common harlots than that we should sully the pure beauty of the marriage bed with crude, dishonourable, even painful pleasures. But such trysts mean nothing, they are of no account, forgotten ere they are passed. All good wives understand such things as they understand that their husbands, if they be not monstrous, truly love them, and them alone. What you have done, my son, is far the worse for you have given your heart to another, and to a lesser at that that, Lightning, that is what I find so hard to conceive of. Twilight Sparkle? That weak reed, that unreliable instrument, the bore of court, the exemplar of arrogance, Twilight Sparkle. Why, Lightning? Why, having such a paragon to wife as Starla Shine would you cast away all honour and your solemn vows and dwell desiring upon Twilight’s like? You must answer for I cannot guess.”

Lightning sighed. “All that you have said is, according to the values of our kind – for though I am an enticorn by blood, if I am your son in spirit then I count myself also of your race – too true. And yet…I cannot believe it. Though it be a little out of fashion here with us in United Equestria still I think there was much grace and valour in Twilight, and many other virtuous things besides.”

“Such as?”

“Kindness, loyalty, laughter-“

“These are flaws in a warrior, not things to aspire to,” the Grand Ruler declared. “What next, will you gush out from the eyes and make new rivers? Will you wear one face one moment and another mask the next, as changeable as the wind. You are my son, my sword, commander of my fleet; we are warriors you and I. We should be reserved, controlled, showing our feelings by but little show. Yet you consider Twilight’s flaunting of her feelings an example to be followed? Do you not remember how Celestia herself came to you and told you that Twilight brought her death upon herself by her great follies?”

“Twilight died fighting for all that she held dear and dearly believed in,” Lightning replied. “Is that not how we should all choose to die?”

“Enough of this, I’ll hear no more of Twilight Sparkle’s greatness,” His Majesty declared peremptorily. “Lightning, my son, my faithful student, my light and world, my captain and my chiefest prop, will you not become again that which you were: a faithful servant and a faithful husband both? Will you not relent in your cruelty against the virtuous Starla who has done no wrong to you? Will you not put aside this unworthy melancholy and take up the hero’s mantle once again? If you love me, as I love you, will you not do these things for the sake of we who love you?”

Lightning bowed his head. “I am grateful for the love that your majesty bears to me; and as you see me as a son so I look on you as a father. And yet…can a page that has been read be unread again? Can the eye unsee what it has seen? Can a road be unwalked once your feet have trod the path? I have learned things here, from Twilight, that I fear that I could not unlearn again to be again that which I was…even if I wanted to.” And I’m not at all sure that I do.

Celesto leaned back, feeling the pillow crumple beneath his head. “I fear for Lightning. Truly I do.”

“Why?” Chrysalis asked, laying her own head – still wearing the image of Celestia that she had once again put on for his amusement after he had had her brought up once again to his bedchamber – upon his chest. She wore no bruises this time, partly because Celestia had done nothing recently to rouse him to a fury and partly because Celesto’s mind had been full of his words to Lightning on the purity of the marriage bed and he had been minded to experience some of those more serene pleasures that the arduous nature of his marriage had denied to him: a gentle lovemaking, and a period of quiet post-conjugal contemplation where they could bask in the glow of pleasure and talk as man and wife. Celestia always left the room in a hurry as soon as his seed was spent, but now Chrysalis took on Celestia’s form and lay her head upon his virile hairy chest, looked up at him with sweet doe eyes, and offered an emotional pillow for his troubles.

He looked down upon her. “You are a being that feeds on love and yet you cannot understand the affection that a mentor feels towards his student.”

Chrysalis raised her head for a moment. “What matter it to you if he wishes to mope? Let him.”

“Show respect, Chrysalis, you speak of one who is as a son to me,” Celesto said sharply.

Chrysalis cringed a little. “I beg my lord’s forgiveness, I spoke out of turn.”

He ran his hand through her rainbow mane. “All is forgiven, sweetheart.” He bent his neck to kiss her on the forehead. “My worries are for Lightning and for Starla both. I love them both more than all the world, dearer than any other ponies in the realm, dearer than all the souls who in my empire dwell. They are…”

“My lord?”

“They are the only two ponies in all the vast dimensional universe who matter to me,” Celesto murmured. It was a strange confession, though those who heard it would probably think it strange in a different way than he found it himself. Observers might think it strange that his heart had been touched only by this pair; for himself the strangeness was that any had done so. His children? Disappointments, and if the gods willed he would have others. His wife? It was lust, not love, he felt for her. His people? Pawns in a game they could not comprehend. But Lightning and Starla…them he would spare for them he loved and…and them he could not live without. They had touched the heart of him who had been sent out amongst the stars to rule without forming any such attachments. He had taken Lightning in for his potential and yet the youth had grown on him in ways that he had not anticipated; and so he had decided to groom for Lightning the perfect wife such as he hoped would be prepared for him, and so he had spent time with Starla once her parents’ died. She, too, had reached through the armour of his majesty and attained unyielding grip upon his heart. He loved them both, and wished for them the happiness that duty had denied to him. It wounded him to see them so estranged.

He glanced down at Chrysalis. “I don’t suppose you could enchant Lightning back into affection with Starla with your powers?”

“Only if I played the part of Starla and charmed him into loving me,” Chrysalis replied languidly. “Somehow I doubt that would please you more than the current state of affairs.”

“You presume correctly,” Celesto said.

“My lord knows I would help if I could,” Chrysalis said. “I am at Your Majesty’s service.”

Celesto chuckled. “You serve me well enough as you serve now; more than that is not required. No, I must find another answer to this grave dilemma. Alas, for Lightning, this world and all its influences have corrupted him. Twilight Sparkle. If only she had died sooner.”

Chrysalis blinked. “Is Twilight not a fallen hero of this world?”

“Of course, a necessary deception,” Celesto said. “The truth can hardly be admitted.”

“What truth is so dangerous that it must cower behind a veil of secrecy?”

“The truth…” Celesto muttered. “That Twilight Sparkle died upon command.”

“Upon command of who?” Chrysalis asked. Her eyes were wide as saucers now. “Your command?”

“No,” Celesto said at once. “I never gave commandment for her death, my hands are clean. I merely spoke a word into an ear, that Twilight was looking where she should not look and threatened certain other truths that likewise cannot be revealed.”

“I see,” Chrysalis whispered. With one hand, she stroked Celesto’s chest. “But wherefore does my lord tell such news to me? I am but a mare, after all, weak and witless and unworthy to receive such grave council as my lord speaks of now. Find worthier ears with greater wit between them to hear such.”

Celesto chuckled, all anger at the presumption of her inquiry melting away like snow in the heat of the sun under the cleansing fire of her humility. “Console yourself, my love, that you know the limits of your wit, that’s more than most can say. Our time is done now, but I will send for you again. That was…most enjoyable.”

Chrysalis climbed out of bed and threw on a dark green robe. “I would count the seconds till we met again, my lord, were I not unaware of the passage of time.”

Celesto smiled. “Does that bother you?”

“On the contrary, my lord, it means that all my waking moments are spent with you,” Chrysalis declared. “What more could I ask for?”

“So, Carapace, how long have you been a Sergeant in the Grand Ruler’s Royal Guard?” Chrysalis asked of the guard who stood outside the door to disassemble her once more into a cube and put her back into the prison catacombs that lay beneath the palace.

The sergeant looked at her as though she was mad. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, insect scum!”

Chrysalis tittered with laughter. “The door is closed, and unless I am much mistaken Grand Ruler Celesto the Great has just put a spell on it to prevent eavesdropping. We cannot be overheard.”

The sergeant stared at her for a moment, before his eyes transformed from those of a pony to the beetle eyes of a changeling. “Forgive me, my queen, for-“

“Calling me ‘insect scum’? Don’t worry, Carapace, we all must play our roles to the full,” Chrysalis said. “How long have you been here?”

“Since the fall of our people, my queen,” Carapace said. “Waiting and watching.”

“Are there others like you?”

“A score in all, some guards, some servants. Not enough to accomplish anything for our kind.”

“Nevermind, it is enough that you are free,” Chrysalis replied. “Free, and burrowed into the belly of the beast itself.”

“What do we do, my queen?”

“Nothing, for now,” Chrysalis said. “I must wait and watch and listen and gather information. Once I know more then, with your help, I will bring this whole rotten edifice down upon their heads.”

Carapace nodded. “Will you escape now from captivity?”

”No, not yet, I am well placed now to find things out.” Chrysalis chuckled at the thought of how easy it had been to make Celesto spill his secrets to her, and how it had been even easier to stop him getting angry about it. “I will get no better chance than this to find out information that can be used against the Starfleet.” And no Twilight to stand in my way this time!

“Then what now?”

“Now I listen,” Chrysalis said, bending down and putting one ear to the door.

“But my queen, you said-“

“A spell has been placed upon the door,” Chrysalis said. “But Celesto did not reckon with my own skill at magic. A swift spell of her own was enough to dispel some of the interference caused by Celesto’s own spell, and enable to hear some of what was being said in the other room.

Though who is he talking to? There was nobody there when I left, and this is the only door.

“Your grip on Lightning Dawn is slipping.” The voice that spoke was slight, Chrysalis had to strain her ears to make it out, with something of a high-pitched eerie edge to it.

“I will allow no harm to come to him or Starla,” Celesto replied. “That is a condition of our bargain, mark it well. They are to be spared, and elevated with us to our glorious state.”

“We remember,” the other said. “But still…your grip upon your mind is slipping. Our tame Enticorn may not be so tame for much longer.”

“My son will remember who his father is and recall those who truly love him. He will return.”

”Perhaps…until then our father has arranged for a little surprise to keep him distracted while our plans proceed.”

“I said-“

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to hurt him. This is a nice surprise. I promise. Has there been any progress yet on locating the Seraph Key?”

“An Equestrian treasure hunter has been engaged to find the key and the vault both,” Celesto said. “She has gone to Helsinore, accompanied by Majors Dyno and Myte and several of my royal guards to keep an eye on her. They report back regularly and believe that they are getting close.”

“Can you trust her?”

“Of course not, she is but a lesser pony,” Celesto declared disdainfully. “But once the Vault of Heaven is discovered Dyno and Myte have orders to kill her and her companions.”

“Good,” the other said. “Without the power of the Vault we can never trigger the deconstruction necessary to ascend from this stale existence. You do understand that, don’t you little brother? You haven’t gotten attached to this mortal existence have you?”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened. Little brother? Who is this?

“I have not, and if you say so again-“

The other laughed. “Father wouldn’t like it if you hurt me. I just wanted to make sure that attachment hadn’t made you soft.”

“Why are you here?”

“Another unicorn is sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. She doesn’t know much right now, but she’s already starting to put the pieces together. You should have destroyed Twilight’s research when you had the chance.”

“There was no reasonable explanation I could have given for such a command, her friends would have started asking questions; that was precisely what I wished to avoid.”

“Now someone has started asking questions anyway, and they already have a head start on the answers thanks to Twilight’s notes.”

“Then deal with her as you did the other.”

“That’s a little difficult when you have our sister locked in a cell.”

“I cannot release her,” Celesto said sharply. “Again, it would be inexplicable to observers. But do you really mean to tell me that Raven cannot escape on her own.”

“There will be casualties. Does that matter?”

“Why should it?”

“Very well then,” the high-pitched voice said. “It shall be done.”

Chrysalis stepped back from the door.

“What is it, my queen?” Carapace asked.

“I do not know,” Chrysalis murmured. “And what I do not begins to worry me. I must know more of this.”

“I am at your command, my queen, and so are your servants.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Thank you, Carapace. Celesto gives a feast tomorrow, yes?”

“Yes, my queen.”

“Then here is what you must have someone do when the merriment is at its height,” Chrysalis said. “We’ll catch Celesto’s conscience and make guilt lead him to speak true.”

Lightning stepped out of the portal and onto the metallic floor of the Marefolk Navy Yard. Krysta flittered out just before the portal closed, leaving a trail of silver motes behind her.

“Thanks for giving me the shortcut.”

“Any time,” Krysta said. “But they didn’t say why they wanted you to come up here?”

“They hardly told me anything,” Lightning replied. “Just asked me to come to dock 3 of the spaceport, urgently.”

“You didn’t ask for any more details?”

“I figured if they asked me I should probably come over,” Lightning said. “Besides, I need to get some work done to take my mind off things.”

“Okay,” Krysta murmured. “Well, we’re here. What’s up?”

Lightning shrugged. Things looked pretty peaceful up here right now: there was hardly anybody around in this section of the dock, just a few marines and MPs, a couple of officers who looked like they were taking inventory. There was a ship, an armoured cruiser if he remember correctly, docked at the pier, he could see it through the window next to him, but that, also, looked rather peaceful.

“Supreme Commander!”

Lightning turned around to see a dark brown pony in the uniform of a captain marching briskly towards him. The officer stopped and saluted, which Lightning returned.

“Glad you could make it down here so quickly, sir. Captain Hardcastle, sir, of the New Baltimare.”

“Is that your cruiser docked outside, captain.”

“Yes, sir,” Hardcastle replied. “A couple of days ago we intercepted a pirate ship out by Mandala. Pursued her, knocked out her engines, took her a prize.”

“Standard stuff,” Lightning murmured.

“Yes, sir, all according to procedure. We found a load of slaves in the hold, brought back here for processing, ID, repatriation; again, all standard stuff. But this is when it gets interesting, sir. You see…”

Lightning frowned. “Spit it out, captain.”

“Two of the captives, sir, they…they say they’re from Harmonius.”

Krysta gasped. Lightning felt his heartbeat quicken as his brown eyes widened. “They what?”

“I didn’t believe it at first, sir, but they’re insistent…at least one of them is. She’s being difficult. Well, she was difficult from the moment we found her but now they’re refusing to go into processing. They’ve hold themselves up at the far end of the dock and they won’t come out.”

“They’re probably scared,” Krysta said. “No matter where they came from, imagine what they must have gone through on that slave ship.”

Hardcastle nodded. “I…I was hoping that you might talk to them, commander…being from Harmonius yourself. Perhaps you could calm them down, make them understand it’s safe.”

Lightning shook his head. “It’s not possible. It…it can’t be true.” Harmonius was gone. His planet had been destroyed by Serpentari, and all his people with it. He was the last of his kind, the last Enticorn. He couldn’t…was it possible that he had been wrong about that for all this time, and that instead of finding his people he had neglected them? “It can’t be true.”

Hardcastle looked troubled, but he nodded. “Very well, sir, I’ll have the marines go in and drag them out.”

“No,” Lightning said sharply. “Whoever they are, however mistaken they are, why ever they decided to lie about this…they deserve better than that. I’ll go talk to them.”

“Lightning,” Krysta murmured.

“You said it yourself, they must have been through Tartarus,” Lightning said. “They deserve…they deserve a little kindness.”

“Okay,” Krysta whispered. “Do you want me to hang back?”

“No, I need you with me, just in case,” Lightning replied.

Krysta hovered by his side as he walked forward, his boots echoing upon the metal deck as he walked forward towards the end of the pier, leaving Hardcastle behind. Starfleet personnel saluted him, but Lightning ignored them. His thoughts were upon other things.

The fire, the snake, those eyes…those terrible eyes. The smoke and the flame. The screaming.

“Lightning,” Krysta cried. “Come on, don’t do that?”

“Huh?”

“Get lost in your thoughts like that, come on, talk to me.”

“I don’t believe it,” Lightning said. “I was the only survivor, the Grand Ruler told me that himself. If he…he wouldn’t lie to me. And if he was wrong…how did they survive?”

“How did you survive?”

“I don’t remember,” Lightning said. “I…I remember the flames and the screaming and then…then I was somewhere else. There’s nothing else.”

“Then maybe someone else did get away.”

“Maybe,” Lightning murmured. “What would I do, if they were telling the truth?”

“You’ll figure it out,” Krysta said. “After all, it would be a good thing, wouldn’t it?”

I’ve no idea, Lightning thought, as he and Krysta reached the far end of the pier. Someone, presumably the difficult person claiming to be from Harmonius, had made a crude barricade out of crates and barrels; he couldn’t see who was behind it.

“That’s close enough,” a female voice yelled from the other side. “I told you I’m not coming out so that you can take my princess away to do who knows what to her. You’re not getting to her while I draw breath.”

The voice was high and clear, with a slight sharp edge to it. It was…strangely familiar, though Lightning couldn’t quite place where from. Did I know this person? She sounds about my age. Someone from my kindergarten class? Except…beyond remembering that he had attended kindergarten he didn’t actually remember anything about it or who had gone there. He didn’t…the truth was he hardly remembered anything about Harmonius beyond the fact that it had been destroyed. He didn’t remember any friends, he didn’t remember any names or faces. He…he couldn’t even remember what his parents looked like, and even trying to gave him a headache. So why did this voice sound familiar.

“Calm down,” he said, stepping into view. “I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Lightning Dawn. You say that you’re from Harmonius?” He didn’t add ‘like me’. There would be time for that later if they stuck to there story.

“L-Lightning Dawn,” another voice spoke, milder, softer, more of a whisper, lacking the strength of the earlier voice. “Is-is it really-“

“No way!” the first voice cried irately. “I don’t know where you got that name but how dare you try and pass yourself off as my best friend like that. I don’t know who you are but there’s no way that you’re-“ a green eye appeared in a hole in the barricade. “Lightning! What the hay are you doing on two legs like that?”

“I…do I know you?” Lightning asked.

There was a grunting sound like someone exerting themselves, before a white mare about his age pulled herself up over the tip of the barricade with her forelegs. She was a winged unicorn – or an enticorn, if she was telling the truth – with a fiery red mane hanging messily down over her face, partially obscuring her vivid green eyes. “Lightning Dawn, by the thunder it really is you!” Her face broke out in a wild smile that made her eyes gleam even brighter. “Hey, princess, you’re not going to believe this! It really is him! Someone’s messed around with his body to make him look like all those other freaks but I’d recognise that goofy face anywhere! Haha!” She dropped down out of sight for a moment before the barricade exploded outwards with a clatter of crates and barrels.

Behind the white mare, a second stood revealed, with a lavender coat and purple eyes that looked a little like Twilight Sparkle, although her mane was purest silver with a streak of gold. She shivered a little, whether from cold or nerves, though her face brightened even as the other’s had when she saw Lightning.

“Lightning Dawn,” she gasped. “Providence be praised!”

Lightning shook his head, retreating back a step. “I’m sorry…I don’t know who you think I am.”

“Lightning, what are you talking about?” the white mare with the red mane asked, stepping out beyond the ruins of the barricade. “Lightning…it’s me. It’s Snowflame, and this is Princess Fairgrace, remember?” Princess Fairgrace – if that was her name – smiled nervously, while Snowflame advanced towards him. “We used to play together, you and me, when we were little, before…don’t you remember?”

Lightning said nothing. Snowflame’s eyes become clouded with fear and worry.

“Come on,” she said. “Stop messing around. You have to remember. Remember the time that you broke into Her Highness’ chambers after I dared you to steal her comb for me? I never imagined that you’d do it, because you were a crybaby and a coward and I never thought that you could be brave, but you did it and then you got caught and you were ready to take the blame for it with my father and hers, but Her Highness thought it was so funny that you got let off, and you didn’t blame me at all and the princess became our friend? Don’t you remember that?”

Lightning scowled. He didn’t remember, or at least he didn’t think that he did…but there was feeling building up in the back of his head, like a really bad headache was about to come on him.

“How about the time that we tried to stay up all night and watch for the Great Pumpkin, only we fell asleep and missed it?” Snowflame asked. “Or when I kissed you on the cheek? Please, Lightning, please say you remember. Don’t say you’ve forgotten everything. Don’t say that you’ve forgotten us. Don’t say that you’ve forgotten me.”

Lightning was breathing heavily now, gasping raggedly, but he hardly noticed. “Snow…flame?”

Snowflame nodded eagerly. “Yes. Yes, it’s me, I’m right here. Do you remember?”

“I…I think I…aaagh!” Lightning cried out in pain as a migraine hit him with all the force of a train barrelling down the tracks to flatten anything or anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way. His vision became spotty, and then it blurred into darkness as he felt himself topple over. He flung out hand desperately even as the other grabbed his head in a futile gesture. He felt himself hit the cold, hard floor with a thump, the pain barely registering against the aching in his head. He felt as though a dam had burst and his head was being flooded. Flooded with…memories.

”I could too get in there if I wanted to!”

“Could not! You’d be too scared. Fraidy-cat!”

“Am not!”

“Are too. If not, go in there and get me that comb. I dare ya!”

“Lightning?” people were calling his name, Krysta, Snowflame, Fairgrace all crying out for him in alarm, but Lightning was in too much pain to do more than moan in response. “Lightning? Lightning!”

Author's Note

It has been pointed out in the TV Tropes page for this fic that most of the characters are very unsympathetic. This chapter has attempted to show a different side to Starla, in particular, with her brief scenes, who has not been portrayed as a bit of a bitch I fear in her brief appearances so far.

I was recently re-reading the original Starfleet Humans and it struck me how Human Starla plays the role of the Good Girl whose job it is to wait, patiently and forlornly, for the dumbass to hero to realise that there is a perfectly nice and pretty cute girl over there pining for him so for god's sake kiss her, you idiot. It struck me how those sorts of characters often make said hero look like kind of a dick, and I wanted to address that a little in this chapter.

I also wanted to show how, even if the Grand Ruler is still an giant douche, he really does care about Lightning and Starla and wants them to be happy together.

There's a bit of a retcon in this chapter in that Lt Col Stern was first mentioned as a lieutenant. I decided to give the character several promotions when I decided that he should be a mature family man; there's a flimsy explanation for the retcon given in the text itself.

I asked LegendBringer if I could mention his fic as an in-universe show, and it will make more of an appearance in a later chapter. Revelation of the Method, for those of you who don't know, is (as I understand) the idea that the government uses shows like The X-Files to suggest that there is a government conspiracy to slaughter or enslave most of the population of the United States and created a New World Order; that way, when Alex Jones tells you that there is a government conspiracy to slaughter or enslave most of the population of the United States and created a New World Order you won't believe it because it sounds like something out of The X-Files.

Next chapter will pick up with Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust.

Broken Birds

"Lightning? Lightning?"

Lightning opened his eyes. His head was still pounding fit to burst, as though an invisible drummer was playing a tattoo inside his head, but the pain didn't feel quite so crippling anymore, and in fact it seemed to be lessning a little all the time. He could think now, if only in the gaps between the beating of the drum, and he could open his eyes to see Krysta and the two ponies all looming over him, eyes wide with anxiety, expressions of concern, shock and worry etched upon their faces.

"Lightning!" Krysta gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I've been better, but I'm not dead," Lightning muttered. He glanced towards the white mare standing directly above him, her head over his head, at the bright green eyes partially blocked by the untidy red hair. "Snowflame."

Snowflame's smile was nervous. "That's right, our boy, I'm right here. You remember me?"

Lightning frowned. "Your father was the captain of the guard."

"Yes," Snowflame cried eagerly. "Yes, he was."

"Mine was the steward of the palace."

"Yeah, you're right, he was."

"We hung out together."

Snowflame nodded eagerly. "All the time, yeah."

How did I forget that? Lightning thought. How did I forget her, and everything else? It was as if he had a flood of memories that he hadn't possessed a moment ago, years of memories, things that he shouldn't have forgotten, things that he didn't think he ever would have forgotten. He remembered the games that they had played together, the pranks that she had pulled on him, the jokes they had shared. And to have forgotten about her father, and his father and his mother, by thunder his mother! How had he forgotten all of that? Why did it all feel so new to him? Was he so cruel and callous, so devoid of feeling, that he could forget his own parents? That he could forget his best friend and all that they had shared? That he could forget his princess?

The princess! Lightning bowed at once, pressing his horn against the cold metallic deck of the navy yard. "Your Highness, in the name of my master, His Exalted Majesty the Grand Ruler Celesto, I bid you welcome to United Equestria... and I apologise for any injuries that you have suffered, and that I was not there to prevent."

"P-Please, Lightning, don't do that," Princess Fairgrace's voice was soft and gentle, much as it was in the memories that Lightning had misplaced for some years somehow but was now beginning to recover. She sounded more nervous now than he remembered her being, though kindly she had always been confident, but then... but then he supposed that it spoke to her experiences.

Found on a slave ship. Do I even want to imagine what they've gone through?

"Please get up," Fairgrace murmured.

Lightning's head rose, but he remained kneeling down so that he was closer to eye height with Snowflame and Princess Fairgrace, rather than looming over them in the full height of his bipedal form. "As you wish, princess."

Fairgrace trembled. "You d-don't need to call me that. I'm n-not really a p-princess, not any-"

"Yes you are!" Snowflame's voice was unexpectedly vehement. "You're the princess and I'm your guard and it's my job to keep you safe and I did, I did, I kept the princess safe I did, I..." Her whole body shuddered like the wriggling of a worm, and Lightning noticed for the first time the dark, burn-like markings marring her white coat, a sharp, thorn-like symbol branded onto her flank like some kind of grotesque cutie mark, and another like it on her shoulder. For a moment she looked as though she was going to start weeping, but mastered herself with a visible effort of will. "Please, princess, don't say things like that. Please... just, please don't."

Lightning said nothing. He had no idea what to say. He doubted that there was anything that he could say to make this better.

Fairgrace looked down at the ground for a moment. Then she looked up, her violet eyes boring into his. "L-Lightning D-Dawn, is it really you?"

Lightning nodded. "I remember the time you commanded me to weave flowers through your mane. You made it harder by wriggling a lot."

Fairgrace blinked, and then she gasped in relief as she wrapped her forelegs around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. "It is you!" she cried. "It is you, it really is, it's you!"

Lightning put his arms around her, noting with alarm how thin she felt; he could feel her ribs, her bones. "Yes, your highness, it's me. I'm here, and you're safe now, I promise."

"Are you sure?" Snowflame demanded.

Lightning looked at her. "Starfleet frees slaves, it doesn't make them. And... not meaning to brag, but I'm quite important here, I can protect you, I swear it."

Snowflame cocked her head to one side. "How important?"

"Very important."

"Really? Some people have all the luck," Snowflame muttered.

Krysta coughed behind him.

The very tiniest hint of a smile pricked the corners of Lightning's mouth. "I'm sorry, Krysta. Allow me to introduce Princess Fairgrace of Harmonius and my old friend Snowflame. Snowflame, Fairgrace, this is Krystalline of Luminoth, Queen of the Fairies."

Snowflame bowed her head. "My lady."

Fairgrace looked up. "P-pleased to m-meet you, M-majesty."

"Please, just Krysta is fine," Krysta said brightly. "So you two really are from Harmonius just like Lightning, and you're old friends of his?"

"Snowflame and I went to kindergarten together," Lightning said.

Snowflame's brown furrowed. "Um... no, we didn't."

"We didn't?"

"No, your father taught us privately with help from the rest of the palace staff, remember? Where did you get kindegarten from, our boy?"

"I...yeah, you're right, I remember my father teaching us sums," Lightning muttered. "But... but I also remember a kindergarten... but I don't remember anyone who was there, they're all... shadows. Are you sure we never went to anything like that?"

"Positive," Snowflame replied. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"A-are you s-sure?" Fairgrace asked, releasing him from her embrace. "I-it seemed that you d-didn't remember us at first."

"That's exactly what it seemed like," Snowflame muttered. "Plus the whole collapsing thing."

"I'm fine, honestly," Lightning replied dismissively. "It doesn't matter now that you're here. I mean... you're here, both of you! You're alive! I thought that I was the only... I thought that Serpent-Tyrant had killed everyone else when he destroyed Harmonius."

Snowflame and Fairgrace glanced at one another. "Our boy," Snowflame said. "Who's Serpent-Tyrant?"

"The giant snake who destroyed our home," Lightning said. "Didn't you see him?"

"N-no," Princess Fairgrace stammered. "Th-there was no serpent."

"Yes, there was," Lightning replied. "I remember him, slithering amidst the smoke and the flame, his red eyes gleaming, the firelight glimmering off his scales."

"And I remember some kind of spaceship taking out the palace, one of many," Snowflame said. "Just like I remember the army that took us up onto one of those ships. I don't remember any giant snake or any other kind of monster."

"But we fought him again," Krysta said. "Lightning and me, and he... he admitted what he'd done, didn't he?"

"I...I think so," Lightning said. "I thought he did."

"Well I know what I saw," Snowflame said stubbornly.

"And I know what I remember," Lightning replied. "Or...or do I?" After all, I thought I remembered kindergarten. I do remmeber kindergarten. But Snowflame says that never happened. So why do I remember it?

The obvious answer was that Snowflame and Fairgrace were lying to him, but Lightning swiftly dismissed that as a possibility. Firstly, because he also remembered the thing that Snowflame had told him did happen: a private education from his father. And secondly because... because it was them. He remembered when he had stood on Snowflame's shoulders to reach the low-hanging pears in the palace orchard, he remembered all the times she had made him play the evil villain and kidnap the princess whom she, Snowflame, would heroically rescue. He remembered when Princess Fairgrace had forgiven him trespassing in her room, and even shared her sweets with him. They were his friends, and the idea that they would try to gaslight him was absurd.

If Twilight were here, I'm sure she'd tell me to have faith in friendship the way she always did.

"You don't seem okay, Lightning," Snowflame murmured.

"I've got to agree," Krysta said. "You seem a little-"

"I said I was fine and I said it didn't matter," Lightning said, gently but firmly. He stood up. "I guess you don't want to be standing here all night, do you?"

Fairgrace shook her head. "N-no, but-"

"I'm afraid you will have to be checked out," Lightning said. "Everyone entering United Equestria has to submit to a medical exam, it's the law."

Snowflame's eyebrows rose. "What happened to 'I'm such a big guy around here and I can get things done'?"

"I said I could protect you, I didn't say I could do what I wanted," Lightning replied. "Even I had to get examined when I first arrived."

Fairgrace trembled. "D-do we r-really h-have to?"

Lightning nodded. "But it isn't as bas as it sounds. I'll take you to a good doctor that I know, and I'll be there the whole time. It'll be okay, I promise."

Snowflame snorted. "Okay, Lightning, because it's you. Princess, are okay?"

Fairgrace looked down at her hooves. Her whole body was shaking now, as if the temperature in the navy yard had suddenly dropped below freezing. "I... I..."

Snowflame placed a hoof upon her shoulder. "It's okay, princess. It's okay. I'm right here. I'll keep you close and I'll keep you safe and you don't need to be afraid while you're with me."

She's so much stronger than I remember.

Fairgrace took a deep breath; she seemed a little less terrified now, a little more settled. "Okay. Thank you, Snowflame. F-for-"

"You don't need to thank me, princess," Snowflame whispered. "Not ever."

Fairgrace nodded. "L-Lightning. I-I'm ready to g-go now."

Lightning smiled. "Everything is going to be fine, trust me. Krysta?"

Krysta clapped her hands together and then spread them out wide in front of her as a luminescent portal opened up before the assembled ponies.

"Whoa," Snowflame whispered. "What is that?"

"It's a warping portal," Krysta said. "We can go straight to the doctors with no fuss. Hop in. It's perfectly, Lightning uses it all the time."

"He still takes advantage of his friends then?" Snowflame asked.

"Hey!"

"I didn't stand on your back to pick pears, our boy."

"I always shared them with you."

Krysta giggled. "It's okay. But we should get moving, because I can't hold these things open forever."

Krysta warped them all to the office of Doctor Penny Sillion, one of the most respected medical professionals in United Equestria, or the whole of Starfleet's vast interstellar dominions. Despite the lateness of the hour, Doctor Penny was very obliging, and ushered them into a sterile white room where she could look them over, put them through their paces, and certify that their processing was complete and that there were no problems.

Snowflame insisted upon going first, maintaining a sort of prickly formality around Doctor Penny that Lightning thought was unwarranted but at the same time perfectly understandable considering the circumstances. He didn't know what had happened to Snowflame and Fairgrace after Harmonius was destroyed - however it turned out that that had happened - but he was certain that they had experienced things that made his own troubles look like a playground squabble by comparison.

Snowflame stood as still as a pillar of salt during the full body scan, standing on the plate with perfect posture, legs well-spaced apart, back straight, tail at a right angle to the body... only her head was wrong, it was bowed down where it should have been raised up, as though she feared to look Penny in the eye.

She whispered to herself as the green scanning rays swept over her. Lightning could only make out fragments. "Lot number three sixty-four... small hooves, nimble, might be good for a factory... Lot number one fifty-two... strong back, suitable for field work... Lot number four twenty-three... requires firm handling... Lot number twelve... restrain this one..."

Penny's computer beeped as the scan finished. Penny browsed over the results. "Hmm, no bacteria detected... I see you've had some bone fractures in the past, how do they feel now? Do you have any trouble moving?"

"No sir."

Penny glanced at her, but did not make an issue of it. "Well, according to the scans you are perfectly healthy with excellent teeth. You can step off now."
Snowflame nodded jerkily as she stepped off the pad.

"Please step onto the treadmill," Penny said, pointing to the device in the corner. She proceeded to test Snowflame's top speed (not bad, but nothing to scream and shout about), her stamina (very good, almost as good as Applejack), flying abilities (pretty poor) and her physical strength (incredible for an unadvanced life-form). "I must say, considering your lack of gene therapy or cybernetic enhancements you should be very proud of your results. I take it, since you are from the same planet as Commander Lightning Dawn, that you cannot do magic?"

"No sir."

"Do you have an enticorn form?"

Snowflame blinked. "No sir."

Penny typed something into her computer. "Okay then. Now, if you'd like to talk about transition options-"

"I don't think that this is the right time for that, Doctor," Lightning said, remembering Snowflame's description of 'those other freaks' a little earlier. "They've both been through a lot. Let me explain things to them and then they can think about it."

Doctor Penny nodded. "Okay. There's some literature on that wall over there with everything you need to know about the benefits of transitioning to a more capable form." She smiled as she pushed a jar of bright red lollipops across her desk. "And don't forget to take a lollipop for being so brave."

Snowflame snorted, and made no move to take one.

Next it was the turn of Princess Fairgrace, who shook and trembled all through the scans, so that Penny seemed to be having trouble getting a decent reading for a while, before she pronounced the princess to be, at least, not ill or injured, although her results on the physical trials made calling her fit something of a struggle: she struggled to run on the treadmill at all, and after only a few minutes she almost passed out and would have done if Snowflame hadn't pulled her off. Although there was nothing apparently wrong with her wings, she could not get airborne at all.

"And you have no magic."

"N-n-no."

"Do you have an enticorn form?"

"N-n-no."

Penny nodded, typing into the computer. "Have you always had a stammer?"

"N-n-n-no. I-I... I-I-"

"The princess first started stuttering when she was thirteen," Snowflame said.

"I see," Penny murmured. "What was the cause? Did she suffer any head trauma?"

"She suffered slavery," Snowflame declared tartly.

Penny blinked. "I see. It's psychological then." She typed in something else. "In that case I'm going to recommend personality reconstruction."

"P-p-personality r-r-reconstruction?"

"Thanks to constantly advancing Starfleet medical technology we can now rewrite your mind to overcome any defects and make you a more productive citizen," Penny declared cheerily.

Fairgrace whimpered. "I-I d-d-don't... I don't w-w... I d-d-"

"All your deficiencies and abnormalities will be cured," Penny said. "And you'll be able to live a productive and worry-free existence in the service of the state."

"She just said no!" yelled Snowflame, stepping protectively in front of the princess. "There's no way that I'm going to let you prod around in Her Highness' mind, let alone change who she is to suit you! It's... it's sick, that's what it is! Lightning, how can you be considering this?"

"Relax, Snowflame, no one is considering this," Lightning said firmly.

"She is!"

"No, she isn't," Lightning said, looking at Penny.

Penny frowned. "Her condition-"

"A stammer is a marginal condition, which means that your recommendation for treatment can be overridden by an officer of Senior Captain rank or higher, such as me," Lightning said.

"Perhaps," Penny said. "But her inability to fly is not a marginal condition and as such-"

"Exception is granted to disabilities incurred as a result of military service or childhood physical injury," Lightning said.

"She doesn't have a childhood physical injury, physically her wings are fine."

"Doctor, we both know that the truth is irrelevant. All that matters is what it says in your report," Lightning replied. "Please, Doctor Penny, as a favour to me."

Penny stared at him for a moment. "Okay, Commander. I guess you deserve one after all the times you've saved the planet. Such a pity, dear, injuring your wings like that so young."

"Are we done?" Snowflame demanded.

Penny smiled. "Congratulations. You have now been evaluated fit to join the community. Remember to take a lollipop before you leave." She got up, and walked briskly out the room. The door clicked shut behind her.

Snowflame scowled. "Personality reconstruction? That's something you do now?"

Lightning shifted uncomfortably. "Sometimes it's necessary. For the best."

"Best for who?" Snowflame demanded.

"Best for the community," Lightning murmured. "At least... that is what my master says."

Snowflame breathed in and out. "I see you've changed as much as we have, huh? And all of us for the worse."

"So I've been told," Lightning growled. Too soft for my wife and my master, too hard for my oldest friend. Where does that leave me?

"So," Snowflame went on. "What happens now?"

"You're free to go where you will," Lightning said.

"B-b-but where... where w-w-w..." the effort Princess Fairgrace was making to get her words out was audible. "Where will we go?"

"Well, if you like, you could come and stay with me?" Lightning suggested. "For as long as you want to, anyway."

Fairgrace's eyes widened. "R-r-really?"

Lightning nodded. "I think it's the very least I can do."

Fluttershy wiped the sweat from her brow, then wiped her hands on the apron wrapped around her waist. The steaks were on now, sizzling in the frying pan as the thick slabs of red meat began to turn brown.

What next... what next? Mushroom sauce!

Fluttershy quickly turned up the heat on the other pan to begin melting the butter before she added the onions and mushrooms. The slurping, gurgling energy of the butter formed a bass counterpoint to the high pitched sizzle of the steak.

Fluttershy closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the sounds of the kitchen all around her: the sizzling steak, the gurgling butter, the rattle of the pan where some potatoes were boiling, the hum of the oven where more potatoes were roasting, the eternal hum of the refrigerator were her strawberries and whipped cream waited to become part of a souffle. This was her life now; this was what Fluttershy amounted to: cooking dinner for every bum that Rhymey brought home from the pool hall or the poetry cafe.

She shuddered, that was unkind of her. Very unkind. They weren't all that bad, a little bit dim some of the time, or even downright vacant, but none of them went out of their way to be cruel to her and most them had something nice to say about her cooking. None of them were as bad as Rhymey.

That was also a terrible thing to think about her husband, but she could not find it in her to label the thought unkind.

Fluttershy shivered abruptly as a terrible thought came over her: what if the point of all this, of putting her in this situation that she hated, was nothing more or less than to make her unkind, to make her cruel? What if all of this was some game on the part of her husband, to corrupt her, to make her more like him?

A moment's consideration made her doubt the intent: Rhymey did not have the cunning for such a malicious scheme. But the threat remained. Would she lose herself in here, trapped in this domestic confinement, until nothing that was Fluttershy remained but an empty shell, little more than a robot?

How could she prevent it? There was no escape.

She realised with a start that she had forgotten to put the onions in, and so she hastily added them and hoped that the sauce would be alright. Rhymey would not forgive her if dinner was not absolutely perfect tonight, for it was no ordinary acquaintance that he was bringing home for dinner as a surprise (the first time Rhymey had come and told her that he had a surprise for her, Fluttershy had actually thought it might be something she would enjoy; she had soon learnt better) but his brother Larry and sister-in-law Chickpea visiting from Horn Kong. Rhymey was keen to impress his relatives, which meant that Fluttershy had to work hard to make sure that they were impressed. She had already cleaned the whole apartment, and now she had dinner to make: prawn cocktail, juicy steak with mushroom sauce (never mind that Fluttershy would prefer not to eat meat, it was a family favourite), strawberry souffle with whipped cream in it and steaming hot coffee.

With luck it would all be ready by the time they arrived.

And with even more luck she would get through the night without screaming.
She heard the key turn in the lock a moment before she heard the front door open and close.

"Yoohoo! Fluttershy darling, it is I!
Rhymey, your husband and favourite guy!"

Fluttershy took a deep breath and put on the mask of the perfect wife, filling her voice with cheer as she called, "Welcome home, dear."

Rhymey strode into the kitchen and smacked his lips together. "The smells of food are delightfully strong,

How is everything coming along?"

"Just fine, honey," Fluttershy said. "Don't worry, everything is going to be perfect for when your brother gets here."

Rhymey wrapped his hands around her waist, and brushed her mane out of the way to plant a row of kisses down her neck.

Fluttershy forced herself to giggle. "Now, now, dear, you'll distract me."

Rhymey chuckled as he retreated. "Okay, I'll leave you to get it right,
And show you how grateful I am tonight.
We've a quite close relationship, my brother and me,
So it's important that tonight goes off perfectly.
I want to impress Larry with my life,
And especially with my wonderful wife.
So wait here, my love, and at the food stare,
While I go and choose something for you to wear."

I can choose my own clothes, Fluttershy thought, but there was no point in arguing. Better just to go along, to smile on cue, to laugh when called for, to play the part the world assigned to her.

What was the alternative, really?

There was a knock on the apartment, promptly at seven thirty.

"Get the door now, would you dear,
I think our dinner guests are here," Rhymey called from where he sat in an easy chair in the corner of the living room, idly leafing through the newspaper. He was wearing his dress uniform, which Fluttershy felt looked a little ostentatious for a family gathering, but she did not say so. It wasn't worth the aggravation that could result.

For the same reason, she hadn't challenged Rhymey's choice of how she should dress for the night. She was not wearing her dress uniform, rather a green dress that - in Fluttershy's less than expert sartorial opinion - did not suit her all that well, accentuated by a twinset and pearls that chafed a little around her neck they were so tight. But what was the point in arguing? Since she wasn't going to enjoy tonight anyway she might as well just go along to get through it all with the minimum of fuss and bother.

"Yes, dear," she murmured softly as she walked - awkwardly, because for some reason that had escaped her Rhymey had insisted that she wear high heels in her own home - across living room. She paused for a moment, gathering herself up to face the inevitable ordeal, then gripped the cold metal door handle and pulled open the door. "Good even-"

"Oh, well ain't you the cutest little thing on two legs! You must be Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy's first, absurd thought as she blinked in surprise at hearing the thick, liquid accent was that it was Applejack at the door. But of course that was ridiculous, Applejack was far away from here in the jungles of Rangiver, and anyway once you got past the accental similarities it didn't even sound that much like her anyway. The voice was a little higher pitched, and the accent was a little faster in consequence. Still, it wasn't what she had been expecting to hear.

Fluttershy looked up, and she did have to look up because the mare who had spoken to her was taller than the doorframe, which cropped the top of her head from Fluttershy's view in consequence. She could, however, make out a pair of brown eyes and black bangs cut in a sort of triangular shape, along with a very distinctive mole on the left side of her face. Her coat was green, and she was dressed in a neon yellow yukata for some reason that Fluttershy could only guess at. She smiled, in fact she beamed as she leaned down - banging her head on the door frame in the process, not that she seemed to mind - to plant a kiss on each of Fluttershy's cheeks.

"I am so delighted to meet you, my name's Chickpea and this is my-" Chickpea stopped as suddenly as a derailing train. She chuckled nervously. "Oh, there I go again embarrassing Lawrence in front of all his friends. I'm sorry, honey."

Fluttershy's attention was drawn to the stallion who had been standing, hitherto unnoticed, next to Chickpea and somewhat in her large shadow. His coat was the same yellow as was possessed by Fluttershy's husband, although his name was jet black and very short cropped, rising barely an inch above his head. Also black was the pencil moustache growing from his nostrils. He wore a suit of a conservative grey with a dark blue tie. Fluttershy thought that it looked like the outfit of someone who didn't really want to drawn attention to himself. The only flash of colour present was the red sash tied around his waist, which served as the belt for a curved sword with a long handle.

Contrary to what Chickpea had just said, he didn't appear in the least embarrassed by her exuberance. In fact, there was a fond smile playing across his lips and a gleam in his blue eyes as he said, "Oh Chickpea mine, forevermore I'll love,
Though stars go out, and sun doth cease to move,
And just as sure, I could not disapprove,
Of any of those things that made me love."

A powder pink blush rose to the surface of Chickpea's green cheeks as she looked down at the ground. Fluttershy's brow furrowed ever so slightly, they were fine words...but then Rhymey had once spoken her fair and sweetly too.

The stallion turned to her, his face growing grave with solemn courtesy, as he bowed to her. "Madam, allow me please to introduce myself,
My name is Lawrence Stirskewer, and I wish you happiness and health."

Am I supposed to curtsy back? Fluttershy wondered. She would probably fall over if she tried it in these heels, and so she just said, "My name is Fluttershy, and it's very nice to meet you both. I don't think we've met before, have we?"

"No, we were stuck in Horn Kong and couldn't make your wedding," Chickpea said. She smiled sheepishly. "Can you forgive us?"

Fluttershy smiled as she stepped back from the door. "Of course. Please, come in."

Chickpea ducked under the door mantle as she entered first, and Fluttershy saw that she, too, was wearing a sword, though hers was slung across her back not worn upon her hip. She also saw that she was an earth pony, with neither horn nor wings in evidence.

As Lawrence followed his wife in, Rhymey put the newspaper aside and rose from his seat.

"Larry! Your face is a delight to see!
And of course, you're here as well, Chickpea," Rhymey said, his enthusiasm noticeably ebbing on the second line, receding so far in fact that it was out of sight from the shore.

Fluttershy just about managed to restrain a gasp as she closed the door. She was acutely aware - she could not help but be conscious of the fact - that unicornicopian social mores were different from those of the Equestria that she had grown up in. Nevertheless there was no disguising the fact that Rhymey had just been very rude to his sister in law. And she couldn't work out why, he'd seemed to have been looking forward to having his brother over.

Although he never really talked about her, except that Larry's wife would be here too...

Chickpea's earlier bonhomie also appeared to have deserted her. Her tone was now as frigid as winter's touch. "Nice to see you too, William."

Fluttershy coughed slightly, fearing that if a scene developed then Rhymey would make things hard for her in his upset. "Um, why don't you all go and sit down - the dining room is through there - and I'll get everyone something to drink."

Lawrence inclined his head towards her. "Thank you, Fluttershy, you are most kind,
To pay the needs of your guests such mind.
If I might just add a couple more words,
Is there any place where we might leave our swords?"
"Well...there's the umbrella stand," Fluttershy suggested.

"Thank you, Fluttershy, that'll be fine," Chickpea said, as she and Lawrence deposited their weapons in the elegant wooden stand.

Lawrence said, “William, my brother, since last we met has been too long,
I take it that in warrior ways you remain most strong?”

Fluttershy was surprised by the way that both Lawrence and Chickpea kept on referring to Rhymey as William. Of course, she knew that her husband’s real name was William Stirskewer III, of the famous old Bluesville Stirskewers, but the only reason that she knew that was because Rhymey had had to give his real name to the registrar when they were married, otherwise he hated it and much preferred to go by Rhymey at all opportunities. And yet his own brother was addressing him by the name he hated? Why? And why did Larry, or Lawrence – why that difference, too? – seem much less happy to see Rhymey than Rhymey was to see him?

Of course, Fluttershy was no stranger to family trouble. Generally Zephyr was a lot happier to see any of his immediate relatives than they were to see him, but then generally Zephyr was the one inviting himself round to other ponies’ houses for dinner, or a short visit of one or two years. Rhymey had, as far as Fluttershy knew, invited Larry to come for dinner, so why were Lawrence and Chickpea the ones acting sour about it?

Rhymey’s smile had just a touch of the smug about it. “I am a major now, did you know?
My battle record is as clean as snow,
Devoid of all defeat or shame,
A pity about your life I can’t say the same.”

“In my life I’m content, and do not care,
What others think or say, I’m happy with the way things are,” Lawrence replied.
“Congratulations upon your promotion,
But please, brother, let us have no commotion.”

Chickpea made a noise that sounded almost like a snort.

“I’ll, um, I’ll just get those drinks,” Fluttershy murmured.

“Thank you, my darling, you’re so kind,
At times I think that we are of one mind,
You are that treasure which alights a life,
A loving sweetheart and a perfect wife,” Rhymey said, though it was not to Fluttershy that he looked by rather to Chickpea, with something almost like a rebuke in his eyes.

Fluttershy did not respond, rather she scuttled as quickly as she could in these uncomfortable heels into the kitchen to fetch a couple of bottles of prosecco out of the fridge.

She came back to find that Rhymey, Lawrence and Chickpea had made it into the dining room, where they were standing around the table without sitting down. Fluttershy began to pour into the glasses.

Chickpea smiled warmly. “Thank you, sweetie. Let me know if you need any help with anything, okay. Just because we’re guests don’t mean we want to take advantage of you.”

“My wife requires nothing from you,
Stay well out of her way and she’ll come through,” Rhymey said, practically snapping at her.

Lawrence’s grip upon his chair tightened, his knuckles turning white.

Fluttershy coughed. “So, Larry-“

“Lawrence,” Chickpea murmured.

“Lawrence is the name my parents gave to me,
Though they and others called me Larry,” Lawrence said.
“I’ve found that I prefer the longer name-“ he stopped abruptly, looking at Chickpea for help.

Chickpea smirked. “You can’t find a rhyme for name, can you?”

Lawrence shrugged as she shook his head.

Chickpea chuckled. “He prefers Lawrence.”

Now it was Rhymey’s turn to snort.

Fluttershy paid no attention to that. “So, Lawrence, are you an officer in Starfleet, too? It seems like the rest of your family is?” The Stirskewers were an illustrious military family, so she’d been told, dating back to the first space ponies. ‘We are a line of ponies pure and old,
And none so valiant with hearts so bold,’ as Rhymey’s father – General Harry Stirskewer, who commanded all troops in Rangiver right now - had boasted to her once. In the meantime between the founding of their race and now, there had been a Stirskewer in ever war ever fought by Starfleet. In the current generation, all the Rhymey’s brothers and sisters that Fluttershy had met up until now were officers, though some of the mares had talked about retiring once they got married.

Chickpea shook her head. “No, Lawrence here teaches fencing in Horn Kong, don’t you Lawrence? In fact that’s how we met, do you mind I tell the story, honey? You don’t mind if I tell this story, do you Fluttershy?”

“No, I-“

“Thank you, sweet cheeks, you see I was in Horn Kong on my gap year before I went to college, heading east, trying to find myself, you know how it is, and I came across the school where Lawrence was teaching and I thought: you know, that sounds kinda fun. Because I’d always been an athletic kind of girl, I used to be a cheerleader and I’ve still got the outfit for when Lawrence here deserves it, so I crept in through the doorway and I asked to join Lawrence’s class. And he said no. Only he took more’n a dozen words to say it, didn’t you Lawrence?”

Lawrence nodded. A smile was pricking at the corners of his mouth as he looked up at his towering wife. There was something in his eyes that Fluttershy recognised from somewhere, but couldn’t name right away.

“Well, I’m a southern girl and I’m not used to taking no for an answer, and my dander was pretty well up I don’t mind telling you so I let him have it good and proper so he tells me, in his round about way, to come back tomorrow. So I went back tomorrow, all ready to start class, and he tells me no. Come back tomorrow. And this went on for nearly two weeks, every day come back tomorrow, and every day I had to wait longer and longer outside in the cold and the rain for him to turn up and tell me in as many words ‘come back tomorrow’.”

“It was a test, wasn’t it?” Fluttershy said. “To see if you’d give up or not?”

Chickpea grinned. “Smart and cute, I like you. Yep, it was one of them tests of my character or something. I wasn’t best pleased at the time, but I got him back. I bet a smart girl like you can guess what I said to him when he pulled out the ring?”

“Come back tomorrow.” The two mares said in unison, and Fluttershy was unable to restrain a chuckle as Chickpea laughed uproariously.

“And he did!” Chickpea declared. “For five days!”

Lawrence was smiling broadly now, and shrugged his shoulders as if to say that it would have been worth coming back for a hundred and five days if she had accepted him in the end.

Chickpea stopped laughing, and covered her mouth in what looked like an attempt at demureness. “Oh, there I go again, talking the hind legs of a bluenose mule and acting all improper like. I’m sorry, honey.”

Lawrence didn’t respond. He didn’t even seem to care that much. Fluttershy could put a name to the look in his eyes now: devotion. He clearly adored his wife, mole and all, and didn’t seem to give much of a damn if she behaved improperly or not.

Fluttershy felt a tinge of jealousy, but ruthlessly suppressed it; it wasn’t the other mare’s fault that she was happy.

Rhymey cringed for a moment, before he raised his head and looked his brother straight in the eye, “Brother, it pains me to see you this way,
A proud space pony led so completely astray,
Just take my advice for a more fitting life,
Please, learn how to discipline your wife.”

Lawrence’s face was expressionless, but his voice was as cold as winter’s heart. “You are very bold, to speak to me thus
Quiet now and we’ll have no fuss.
Nothing about Chickpea do I wish to change,
I love her, and as she is I hope she remains.”

Rhymey’s tone sharpened, like his vorpal sword. “Why do you insist on bringing disgrace,
To our family name and to our whole race?
I don’t understand why you live like you do,
But since you’re my brother I won’t give up on you,
I’m bound and determined to turn you’re life round,
To lead you back home, to recover lost ground!”

“Now, dear, why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring out the prawn cocktails,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Great idea, Fluttershy, I’ll go with you,” Chickpea said.

Neither Rhymey nor Lawrence responded, but they both left the two brothers there, glaring daggers at one another across the table as the two ladies hustled out of the room and into the kitchen.

“Well, one thing to be thankful for, with the way they both rhyme all the time it helps to keep their arguments genteel,” Chickpea said. “If they talked normally someone might have said something really nasty by now.”

Fluttershy stared at her, unsure how she could make jokes about the way that her brother in law had just insulted her to her face and outright stated that she needed to be ‘disciplined’ (and even if she wasn’t experiencing firsthand what it meant to be a good and demure unicornicopian wife Fluttershy would still have known that word presaged no good). How can she just shrug that off?

Chickpea chuckled at Fluttershy’s incredulous gaze. “Oh, Sweetie, this family has been lookin’ down on me for the last three years, I’m over it.” She leaned against the fridge. “But what about you, cutie-pie? How are you doin’?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Fluttershy murmured.

Chickpea folded her arms across her chest. “I think we both know that’s a load of horse-hockey. You might be a good enough actor for Willie-boy in there but you don’t fool me.”

Fluttershy turned away, wobbling a little on her high heels, and said nothing. Chickpea seemed nice enough, but then Rhymey had seemed perfectly charming when she first met him. I don’t know her. I can’t trust her.

“I know that you don’t know me,” Chickpea said softly. “But if I hear right…you ain’t got no one else to talk to right now. So, if you got anything you want to say…might as well say it while you got a pair of sympathetic ears, right?”

Fluttershy frowned, half glancing at the other mare from behind her lilac mane. “Why do you care?”

Chickpea smiled fondly. “Because I married one of the good ones, and I know how lucky I am for that; because I know that you didn’t get so lucky, and I’d like to help you if I can.”

“But why?”

Chickpea snorted. “If I told you that I watch your show and you’re my favourite would you believe me?”

It took Fluttershy a moment to work out what ‘her’ show was. After all she wasn’t on TV. But of course, she was, in the Starfleet Magic series and the movies they made off of it. It wasn’t her, of course, it was an actor playing Fluttershy, but it was based on her. Sort of.

Fluttershy’s eyebrows rose. “Me…you strike me as a little more of a-“

“Applejack?”

“I was going to say Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy said.

“Everyone always says Applejack,” Chickpea muttered. “It’s cause of the accent.”

“There’s more to Applejack than her accent,” Fluttershy declared. Not that the writers seemed to know that, half the time.

“I know,” Chickpea said. “But I also know that…okay, I know that I don’t know you, really, but…but I feel as though I do, you get me? And so…so that’s how I know that there’s more to you than this, you’re strong and brave and seeing you act this way…I know it isn’t you, and I know you’re not okay.”

Fluttershy leaned over the sink and closed her eyes. “No.”

“No?”

“I’m not strong, and I’m not brave,” Fluttershy whispered. “I miss my friends. I miss them so much. I miss them, I…” she sobbed. “Their my strength and their my courage and they…they make me a better pony in every way just being with them and without them, I…without them it’s all that I can do to survive and I…I…”

She felt Chickpea’s arms enfolding her from behind, the other mare’s voice whispering her ear. “Listen to me, sweetie, and take it from a fan: you are awesome. You’ve got no idea how amazing you are, how much of an inspiration you can be. You’re gonna beat this, I know it.” She turned Fluttershy around and smiled down at her. “But if you ever need any help, you just call me okay? Take this and hide it so William doesn’t find it.”

Fluttershy took the card out of Chickpea’s fingers, and quickly stuffed it in the drawn next to the photograph of her friends. “Thank you. You’re very kind.”

“I try to be,” Chickpea said. “I’ve got a great role model. Can you keep a secret?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“A lot of the time, like now, when Lawrence gets invitations from his family its another attempt to break us up, and that gets old after a while. He never makes me go, but they are his folks and he does love ‘em even if they don’t deserve him, so I put up with it every once in a while. But when he mentioned this to me, I said yes in a shot just so I could meet you.”

Fluttershy giggled. “Now you’re just flattering me.”

“A little bit,” Chickpea agreed. “Now, shall we go see if the boys have started duelling yet?”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said.

This evening might turn out to be bearable after all.

The shower made a quiet whirring sound as it sprayed water down onto Snowflame's back; the water trickled down her coat and got into her mane and ran down her face.
It was warm. So warm. Snowflame hadn't felt warm water on her coat for years. Warm water was a luxury of masters, not an indulgence granted to the slaves. Yet here...it was so warm.

She'd had to rear up on her hind legs to reach the nobs that made Lightning's shower go, and she stayed that way, her forehooves resting on the enamel-tiled wall as the water ran down her back like a waterfall. She bowed her head, letting her sodden red hair fall down over her eyes like a curtain.

"We're safe now," she murmured. "We're safe. Princess Fairgrace is safe and sound. I did it, Dad; I really did it. I kept her safe just like you told me to. I kept her safe, just like I promised her I would. I...I..." her whole body was wracked by a spasm, as though she were about to collapse in a fit. Her horn made a dull thudding noise as it came to rest upon the wall.
“I’m so tired. I’m so, so tired.”

Snowflame breathed heavily, in and out, and bowed her head as the water fell down upon her.

Drops of water trickled down her face. From the outside, they might have looked like tears.

Lightning sat on the armchair, one leg folded across his knee. Krysta perched upon his shoulder, a prim and silent presence.

On the other side of the coffee table, Princess Fairgrace sat on the sofa, her legs tucked underneath her body. She did not meet his eyes. Her gaze was turned downwards, as though she were ashamed, or afraid.

"Are you hungry, princess?" Lightning asked. "I could...order you something to eat, if you like." I should probably learn to take care of myself, but no time for that now. He had never learned how to make his own dinners, or indeed to launder his own clothes. On Harmonius, and growing up in the Grand Ruler's palace, there had been servants to handle such matters, and then...he was willing to concede it was rather terrible of him to only think of such things now that he had no wife to leave them too, but there it was. Looking at Fairgrace, hearing the hum of the shower where Snowflame was, he found himself aggressively confronted with the shelteredness of his existence.

"I-I-I'm f-fine, th-thank you," Fairgrace murmured, not looking up at him. "Y-y-your sailors were very...very...very k-kind."

Lightning frowned. "Princess, you don't have to be afraid of me."

Fairgrace blinked, a scowl of annoyance flitted briefly across her face like a swallow casting a shadow on the ground. Softly, in a voice as clear as a bell and as soft as spring rain, she began to sing. "I'd love to believe you, but kindness has been so rare these past few years."

Lightning smiled. "You still have a lovely singing voice."

Still singing, Fairgrace replied. "I'm glad you remember."

Lightning snorted. "I'd say 'how could I forget' but, well..."

Krysta said, "You don't stammer when you sing, princess."

"No, it's much better," Fairgrace trilled, a slight smile pricking at the edges of her mouth. "I used to sing for my mistress all the time." Her face fell, as if the approach of an unpleasant memory.

Lightning leaned forwards, his hands resting upon his knees. "I...you don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to. But if you do...I'm right here."

Now she did meet his eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. Her voice became a song once again, "Still the sweet colt I remember."

I wish, Lightning thought. "I'd like to be."

"Just let me know if there's anything I can do, to help you," Fairgrace sang. "If there's any way I can repay."

"I won't hear of anything like that," Lightning said. "Not after...you're my guests, I won't hear of it."

Fairgrace smiled, before her mouth was opened in a great gaping, leonine yawn.

"Tired?"

She nodded.

Lightning stood up - Krysta hopped off his shoulder to hover in the air beside him - and said, "You can sleep in my bed, I'll show you where it is."

"I c-c-couldn't-"

"Yes, you can," Lightning replied. "It's fine, I'll sleep on the couch."

He showed her upstairs, to the double bed that he had shared with Starla. As he watched her crawl in, wrapping herself up in the covers like a caterpillar, Lightning found himself glad that he wasn't sleeping there himself. It would have been two big for him to lie in alone.

"Goodnight, Princess Fairgrace," he murmured.

"Y-y-you; you shouldn't c-call me a p-p-princess,” Fairgrace murmured. “I…I d-d-don’t have anything to-“

“The noblest princess I ever knew had neither lands nor armies,” Lightning said, judiciously failing to mention that she had possessed crown and castle both. “But she was wise and kind, and that was enough. Good night, princess.”

Fairgrace smiled, and closed her eyes, and in a moment she was fast asleep.

Lightning smiled fondly as he closed the door upon her gently.

“She seems nice,” Krysta said. “They both do. Only…”

“What?” Lightning asked, as he began to walk back downstairs.

“Don’t you think that this is just a little bit convenient, that they show up now?”

“When’s now?”

“You know…when you’re having…this.”

Lightning’s eyebrows rose as he walked softly down the stairs into the living room. “You’re going to have to be a little bit more specific.”

“You know what I’m talking about,” Krysta declared. “A crisis of confidence. Doubts. Whatever you want to call it. And now this. Doesn’t it all seem just a little bit pat? And the fact that you’ve suddenly remember a load of stuff that you didn’t remember before, some of which contradicts what you did remember?”

“What are you saying, Krysta?”

“I’m saying something weird is going on and we should look into it.”

“Should? Maybe,” Lightning said as he settled down on the settee. “But I wont?”

Krysta folded her arms. “Come again?”

Lightning threw back his head and sighed. “It’s not important.”

“Your memories aren’t important?”

“No,” Lightning said softly. “What’s important is up there, my friends, who need me. I can’t turn my back on them to go chasing my past or whatever. What they’ve been through…they need me; I have to be here for them.”

Krysta chuckled.

“What?”

“You,” Krysta said. “All wanting to take care of others and stuff.”

Lightning smirked. “Is this a gentle way of calling me a selfish dick?”

“No,” Krysta replied. “This is my way of saying…I think Twilight would be proud.”

“Hey,” Snowflame called from where she stood at the foot of the stairs with a towel draped over her shoulders. “Where’s the princess?”

“She was tired, I said she could sleep in my room,” Lightning replied.

“Okay, that’s good, that’s…okay,” Snowflame muttered. “Do you mind if I sleep in front of her door?”

Lightning frowned. “I was going to give you the guest room.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather stay close to the princess, in case she needs me,” Snowflame replied. “I…I don’t like leaving her alone.”

“You’ve been looking after her all these years?”

“I did what I could, I did what my Dad asked me to,” Snowflame replied. “I…I did what I could. I kept her safe. I tried to make sure that she…I did my best.”

“I’m sure you did,” Lightning whispered.

“She told us that she sang?” Krysta asked.

Snowflame nodded. “She was a house slave, most of the time. Entertainment, music, attendant in a nursery once. I…I…I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Of course,” Lightning said softly.

Snowflame padded into the living room, looking away from Lightning and Krysta as she cast her eyes across the dark blue walls of Lightning’s home. “Small place for a big shot, you got here,” she said. “I’ve seen lots of places bigger than this.”

“With small armies of slaves to look after them, I bet.”

Snowflame blinked. “Good point. You two alone here? Before we came along anyway?”

“Krysta didn’t really live here, she’s more of a guest like you,” Lightning said. “I, um-“

“Who’s the mare?” Snowflame asked, nodding towards one of the pictures on the walls. “The one in the fancy dress?”

Lightning followed Snowflame’s gaze to the photograph of him and Starla, the one taken on their wedding day. “That’s…that’s Starla Shine. My wife.”

Snowflame snorted. “What’s your wife going to think when she comes home and finds the princess in your bed?”

“She won’t find out,” Lightning replied. “She doesn’t live here anymore.”

Snowflame frowned. “Is she dead?”

“No, she left.”

“Why?”

Lightning clasped his hands together in his lap. “Because I was cruel to her.”

Snowflame’s expression became very still. “Should I be worried.”

Lightning shook his head. “It wasn’t that kind of cruelty. I…I couldn’t love her, the way that she deserved. I couldn’t treat her the way I should have. So she left; she made the right decision.”

“Why?”

Lightning looked at her. “Why what?”

“Why couldn’t you love her? I mean you married her right?”

Lightning laughed. “Everything that you’ve gone through and you want to talk about my problems?”

“If you’d gone through everything that I went through you’d want to talk about your problems too, they sound a lot less awful,” Snowflame replied. “But if you don’t want to, then…I just…” she walked towards him. “What does it say about that the only thing I can think to talk about is other people’s misery?”

“I…I’m not sure what to say either,” Lightning said. “I just…I can’t quite believe you’re both real.”

Snowflame sat down on the floor. “Sometimes I don’t believe it myself. Sometimes I’d ask myself ‘why are you still alive? Why do you deserve to be here, when so many are not?’ The princess, yes, she deserves it, but me? What did I ever do to make it this far?” She looked up at them both. “Do either of you have any idea what I’m talking about?”

“Oh, believe me,” Krysta said. “We know exactly what you’re talking about.”

Why do I deserve to have this home and this uniform, why did I deserve to be given so many good things only to throw so many of them away while Snowflame and Fairgrace laboured with next to nothing?

“Then how did you deal with it?” Snowflame asked.

Krysta looked at him significantly.

“I…I don’t know yet,” Lightning confessed. “Maybe we’ll figure it out together, the four of us.”

“Four?” Snowflame asked.

“That’s right,” Krysta said, as if half-daring Snowflame to make an issue of it.

Snowflame snorted. “Okay then, our boy. The four of us.”

Chuck stifled a yawn as he slouched on his chair behind the counter at the Handy Horse hardware store. He didn't see why this place had to be open twenty four hours a day; I mean who really couldn't wait until morning for a roll of duct tape? As it stood, he was the only person in here.

His attempts to stifle his yawning failed, and his mouth gaped open for a bit. He didn't bother to cover his mouth, because what was the point? It wasn't like there was anyone around to see it.

Another boring night in his boring life. He just wished that something would happen, y'know? He wasn't asking for a whole lot; he wasn't expecting a beautiful mare to run through the door and say 'This is an emergency and I need your help' or nothing, but he wished that something would happen to break up this routine of every night like the night before.

The automatic doors opened with a hiss as five armed ponies burst into the store, carrying an injured sixth pony in their arms...one who looked a lot like that old dead princess from the movies.

Only one of the other five was a mare, but that didn't really bother him because she was smoking hot...and pointing a crossbow right at him.

"It's your unlucky day, kid," she said. "This is an emergency, and we need your help."

Delta tore off his jacket and scrunched it up into a pillow for Three's head as they laid her down in front of the doors into the hardware store. She was still twitching, but only slightly now, the worst of the shaking had subsided. Two wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"Lock the door!" Alpha snapped.

The kid who had been unfortunate enough to be in the store when they came in stammered something indistinguishable as he rushed to the door - under the gaze of Alpha and her loaded crossbow - to press a red button that sent a metallic shield slamming down to separate them from the outside world.

The kid had his hands in the air. "Okay, you can take all the money you want, just please don't hurt me."

None of the Sentinels paid him any mind. "Charlie, what do we need?" demanded Two.

"We, uh-"

"Come on, Charlie, focus!"

"I've never done anything like this, okay?" Charlie said. "I'm an electronic warfare specialist, not a doctor."

"You're the best we got, kiddo," Delta said, patting Charlie reassuringly on the shoudler. "So come on, head in the game."

Charlie shut his eyes, taking off the glasses that he didn't actually need as he took a deep breath in an out. "Okay. The zebra energy weapon has damaged her control chip and it's trying to kill her. The good news is that I think the chip is also damaged; if it was working as designed the energy release would have fried Three's brain by now. Instead, it seems to be leaking energy at a more gradual rate, so if we can remove the chip, Three should recover. And since the chip is already damaged, removing it won't trigger activation."

"Okay, so what do we need?" Delta asked.

Charlie shook his head. "I can't believe you want me to perform brain surgery in a hardware store."

"We're secret government super soldiers, we can't exactly go to a hospital," Two said.

"Professor Brain-"

"If the professor cared about saving our lives he would have made one of us a medic," Bravo snapped. "If we take Three back with a malfunctioning chip he'll just terminate her and clone a replacement."

"Especially since the way he sees it, she's only a replacement for Twilight herself," said Delta.

"Come on, Charlie," Two urged. "Don't think about the medics, focus on the science. The brain is just a big computer, right? So what do you need to get a faulty chip out of the processor."

"I need..." Charlie murmured. "I need a very small power saw, a scalpel, forceps or tweezers if you really don't have any forceps, needle, thread, bandages if you've got them. If not we'll need duct tape; lots of duct tape."

Alpha gestured with her crossbow. "Come on, kid, you heard the pony, now show me where all that stuff is."

"And a car battery," Charlie said.

The other Sentinels stared at him in various shades of incredulity.

"I may need to reboot her system when I'm done," Charlie explained.

Alpha sighed. "One car battery, coming up, now come on pimples, let's move!"

Sentinel Three floated in darkness. She could not move. She felt no compulsion to try. She was floating there, in the darkness. Was this space? No. She had no protective gear. And she could feel some substance around her. Water. Or oil. Or some new compound that she was not aware of, that could support her without choking her.
Sentinel Three...was that her name? Such a strange name. Not really a name at all. It was her designation. It was what her creators had named her in the same way that they might have named a computer, or a toaster, or a weapon. It was a designation, but it was not a name. Creators assigned designations to the objects that they had assembled; parents gave names to the life that they had brought into the world. Names with meaning, names that spoke: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity. Names...redolent with love.

"What is my name?" she asked.

She wanted a name. Logic might dictate that there was no reason for her to do so, but she did. She wanted more than a designation. Even ships, cold metallic instruments of travel and war, were given names and treated with love by those who trusted their lives to them. Was she worth less than a vessel? Was she more of an instrument than a grey ship? Was she worthy of no more than a designation?

She wanted a name. She wanted...

"I want to be loved," she murmured.

Twilight Sparkled had been loved. She remembered it. She remembered the tokens and acts of affection that Twilight's friends had given to her, and that she had returned in kind. She remembered an awkward blue haired boy who played the sweetest guitar Twilight had ever heard. She remembered sharing her...what was it called? Soul? Yes, she remembered sharing Twilight's soul with Sunset Shimmer.

She remembered love. But she did not feel it. She could remember being loved but she could not remember what it felt like. She wanted to feel it. She wanted to be loved. She wanted to love. Was that possible? Was a thing such as she, unworthy even of a name, even capable of life.

"Do I have a soul?" she asked. "Or am I nothing more than Twilight Sparkle's memories?"

A bright light began to cut through the darkness. At first it was dim, and a mere pinprick in the darkness. Then it grew, getting wider and wider until it was a shining beam of light wider than Three, encompassing her in its burst, so intense that her eyes would have been damaged if she had attempted to stare into it...and then the light was blocked as a figure emerged from out of the light, standing silhouetted in the white, and the light dimmed so that Three could see her better.

"Sunset...Shimmer?"

Sunset smiled. "It's time to go. Are you ready?"

Three blinked. "Go...where?"

Sunset chuckled. "Wherever you want. It's up to you now. You're free."

Three frowned. "Free? How?"

"By the magic of friendship," Sunset declared. She held out her hand. "Come on, take my hand and we'll get you out of here."

"Where am I?"

"Nowhere," Sunset said. "So best you don't stay too long."

Three sighed. "Do you know what my name is?"

"What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Three admitted. "I don't know my name, or my purpose."

"What do you want them to be?" Sunset asked. "You have a choice. You have all the choices. Now come on, take my hand."

"I remember this," Three murmured. "But it was...different."

Sunset giggled. "Things never happen the same way twice. Take my hand and let me help you...the way that Twilight once helped me."

"Twilight," she murmured. "My name..." she reached out, and grasped the outstretched hand of Sunset Shimmer.

"My name is Twilight," she declared, as her eyes snapped open.

The other Sentinel units stared at her.

"Well, at least we know it worked," Delta remarked.

"Welcome back, Three," Two said.

"Twilight," she said. "My name is Twilight."

She examined her surroundings. A shop of some kind. Spanners, screwdrivers on the shelves. A hardware store. Occupants: all sentinel units, one unknown civillian. No physical injuries. Mental functions unimpaired. "Why is there duct tape around my head?"

"It's, um...it's a long story," said Charlie.

"Three-" Two began.

"Twilight," she insisted. "My name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Are you sure you put her back together right?" Delta asked.

"No," Charlie admitted.

"Twilight Sparkle's dead, Three, you're her clone, remember?" Bravo said. "You've got her memories, but that doesn't make you her."

"And why not?" she said, rising to her feet. "I have her memories, I have her face, I have her body, why shouldn't I be her? Why shouldn't I take her name, take her life, take her friends, don't I deserve them? We're all living creatures, we deserve to have names, to have lives...we deserve to have love."

"Love," Delta murmured. "What does that feel like?"

Twilight hesitated. "I...I don't know," she confessed. "But when I find Twilight's...when I find my friends, and they hold me the way they used to...then I'll know."

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Bravo asked.

"Yeah," the civilian said. "I mean...you guys remember I'm still here, right?"

Everyone looked at him.

"Although I kind of wish that you'd forgotten."

Delta reached for one of his axes.

"Put that down!" Alpha snapped. "We're not going to kill Chuck."

"You're not?"

"Of course not, Chuck, we like you," Alpha said. She smiled at him. "You are a smart, nice kid and you were a big help tonight. Come here." She planted a kiss on his cheek, then knocked him out cold with a right hook.

"What was that?" Two asked.

"That was a spoonful of sugar to sweeten all this," Alpha said. "Now, what were we saying?"

"I was about to point out that it will be difficult to take over Twilight Sparkle's life when we belong to Professor Brain and the military."

"Well Three, I mean Twilight, has her chip out now," Charlie said. "Technically, they can't control her."

"My chip is gone?"

Charlie nodded. "We took it out...after you were injured."

"My...they can't control me any more. I...I'm free. You have set me free." She looked around. "Thank you, thank you all so much."

"Great for you," Bravo said. "How does it help us?"

Twilight's smile widened. "Because now that you have set me free, I'm going to set all of you free, too."

"Really?" Two asked, sounding somewhat sceptical.

"Yes," Twilight said. "We will all be free, and we can all find our purposes, as we choose, because our choices are all that really matter in the end.

"Come," she said. "Let's take our freedom."

Author's Note

Why Mykan ever decided to create a character who speaks exclusively in rhyme - a family who speaks exclusively in rhyme! - I have no idea.

Certainly I understand Legendbringer's decision to have him drop it at times, and then to strip him of his rhyming powers permanently. It's a real challenge finding the rhymes. Hopefully these didn't turn out too badly. Rhymey's brother and sister-in-law didn't do a lot in this chapter, but they will have a role to play going forwards.

This chapter was originally meant as part of the previous chapter, which would have been called By Their Lights with the theme of characters like Starla and Rhymey doing things that were 'bad' but following their own codes of behaviour. It got split in two because the previous chapter was getting long enough.

Promontory

In the crowded ballroom, Twilight stood alone.

The crowd of guest swirled around her, senior officers and civic dignitaries, nearly all of them space ponies, plus a few unicorns invited for local colour. They walked around her like the waves of the ocean flowing around a rock, giving a decent birth to gown of midnight blue, but paying very little attention to her presence.

On the dance floor, couples were waltzing, Lightning and Starla amongst them. It half seemed to Twilight that whenever their eyes met Starla’s gaze was full of hostility but that…no, she was imagining that, surely. What did Starla have to be angry about?

She could see Princess – Queen Celestia on the other side of the dancefloor, standing beside the Grand Ruler. Occasionally their eyes would meet, and Twilight knew that she saw sympathy, and a plea for the same, in the eyes of her old teacher. She would have gone over, and offered what comfort she could, save that it was forbidden by Starfleet protocol, and a breach of same would only anger the Grand Ruler.

And so she stood on the other side of the room with a glass of punch in her hand and as the world moved around her and paid her little heed.

“Amongst my people, when a warrior has shamed himself in the eyes of his fellows, he is punished by being ignored by them. They will not speak to him, nor will they affect to hear his words, they will not even look at him. It is called the Living Death. Would it be too rude to ask what you have done to warrant such disgrace?”

Twilight looked around…and then looked up. Standing by her side was an enormous caribou, taller than Big Mac, looming over her like a mountain looms over the valley and casts its shadow over the surrounds. He had long blond hair, worn in brains hanging down around his antlers and down to his shoulders, and he had a glint of mischief in his brown eyes that belied the grim tone of his words.

Twilight’s eyebrows rose. “Um…Hey there. I don’t think we’ve met.”

“We have not, but I would have to be even more of a new arrival than I am not to recognise the famous Princess Twilight Sparkle, hero of United Equestria,” the caribou said. He was dressed in a tuxedo that – somehow – managed to be a size too big for his enormous frame; whether it was the size or just him, he was wearing it very awkwardly, as though he were not accustomed to the fit. He took her hand in a firm grasp, and raised it to his lips. “It is an honour to meet you, princess.”

Twilight’s eyebrows rose so far that they disappeared behind her bangs. With what she had heard about caribou this was not what she had expected. “I, uh,”

The caribou laughed. “I see that you’ve been reading the penny dreadfuls. Rest assured, Princess Twilight, that we’re not all harem-collecting barbarians. Not any more, anyway.” His expression left no clue as to whether he was joking or not. “My name is Arminius.”

“I’ve heard that name,” Twilight murmured. “You’re here to meet with the Grand Ruler, aren’t you?”

“His Majesty has been good enough to grant me some of his time while I am here,” Arminius said. “He has much advice to offer on how Starfleet may assist with the modernisation of my country and its people.”

“I see,” Twilight said softly. “Is that what your people want? Modernisation, I mean.”

“Change will come, whether we will nor not, it is as well that we should benefit from it,” Arminius replied. “After all, your own people have benefited, have they not? From the modernisation that Starfleet has brought to your own land.”

“I…guess so,” Twilight murmured. “But…stop me if I’m out of line, but let me give you some advice.”

“I would never be so arrogant as to reject the opinion of one counted so wise.”

Twilight ignored the flattery. “When you…modernise, don’t lose sight of who you are, okay? You…and your people. You’ll regret it if you do.”

Arminius thrust his hands into his pockets. “That sounded almost like the voice of experience.”

“I’d call it the voice of caution,” Twilight replied. “Starfleet has things to offer, true…but don’t become them.”

“Can it be avoided?”

“I…I’m hopeful,” Twilight said. “If we’re willing to work at it…I believe we can find the best of both worlds.”

Arminius smiled. “Well, I am no stranger to hard work, and if you think it can be done…I am willing to attempt it.” He picked up a glass of punch off a nearby table and raised it up. “To the best of both worlds.”

Twilight raised her glass. “To working hard.”

“Executive Captain Applejack,” Major Hayward managed the difficult feat of barking out her name and simultaneously making his every word drip with contempt at the same time. “That hat is not regulation issue, as I have told you on several occasions.”

Applejack pushed the offending hat back on her head slightly as she regarded the stallion who was, unfortunately, her commanding officer. “It helps keep the sun off mah face, it bein’ so hot here an’ all.”

“Sir,” Hayward snapped.

You don’t have to call me sir, Major. Applejack restrained herself from the brink of insolence. Her jaw tightened for a moment. “Major,” she said, compromising between his desire for respect and her desire to punch him on the nose. “My last commanding officer didn’t have a problem with the hat, the Supreme Commander never had a problem with the hat, the Grand Ruler himself never had a problem with the hat.” Not that she particularly cared if the Grand Ruler had a problem with her hat or not, but she would use every weapon to hand rather than take it off because, darn it, this was a matter of principle! “So what, exactly, is your problem with mah hat?”

Major Hayward had an extraordinarily long nose, all the better to look down it at those he perceived to be his inferiors, of her inclusion in which elite company Applejack was in no doubt. “I don’t need a reason, Executive Captain. That hat is not regulation headwear. We are not cowboys in this unit, we are disciplined professionals. Take it off, at once.”

“Major-“

“At once, captain,” Hayward barked.

Applejack snorted out through her nose, and removed her crumpled hat with obvious reluctance. “Yes, sir.” She tried to be careful not to mess it up any more as she put it in at the top of her pack.

Hayward nodded briskly. “Now, start the fellows up, Executive Captain, we’re about ready to start marching again. Fall them in and form them up and we’ll be off as quick as we can.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Applejack didn’t trouble to keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she saluted him, not that Major Hayward seemed to notice as he turned his back on her and began to walk away, tapping his swagger stick against his thigh as he went. Applejack shook her head as she turned her back on him in turn, and redirected her attention to the soldiers of the 501st Mobile Infantry Battalion, of which unit she was supposed to be the Executive Officer in what was surely somebody’s – Lightning Dawn, perhaps, this was his idea after all – idea of a big joke.

The whole battalion, just under a thousand mares and stallions, was resting in and around a wide meadow the middle of the thick Rangiverian forests, with ancient oaks and knotted pine trees growing all around, reaching out for them with broad and muscular branches, choking out the sunlight with their over-reaching leaves so that the light fell only in dappled patches on the dirt track and the clearing on either side. The orders had come down to march to reinforce Fort William – this whole area was under the command of Rhymey’s father, General Stirskewer, and all the forts that Starfleet was establishing to keep down the restless caribou were named after his sons – and since all the vehicles that ought to have supplied this ‘mobile infantry’ battalion were being stripped for parts to support the big offensive elsewhere – you would think, or Applejack had thought, that an organisation like Starfleet that was so wont to swagger about talkin’ so big and fine and pickin’ fights with everypony that looked at it cross-eyed would have been able to keep itself goin’ and supplied like without cannibalisin’ itself to do it but apparently not, Celestia save them. Applejack wasn’t no soldier or nothin’ and never wanted to be neither but she knew that if you wanted to get those rodeo ribbons you needed to get to the ring in one piece first – and all the aircraft were being used for ambulance duty that left good old wearin’ out boots as their only means of transportation. And so here they were, resting after a few hours on the march in this place were the forest retreated from the road a little bit, just enough for some of the battalion to get off the road and rest their feet.

In the midst of all this nature, and all of this reminder of nature’s unstoppable will to overcome all obstacles as it overran everything in its path, the Starfleet ponies – and Applejack included herself in this, all dressed up in spandex and plastic as she was – looked even more artificial and out of place than they did in ordinary circumstances. The bright red that formed the majority colour of the armour-suits of the ordinary soldiers stuck out like funk music at a barn dance, and the white pants and sleeves weren’t much better in that respect either. In the midst of all this green, of all these trees, of all this evidence that nature would triumph in spite of all their efforts…the pretensions of Starfleet seemed even more pointless than usual.

Plus, would it have killed them to have made some effort to blend in a little bit? Maybe green armour instead of red?

Applejack scratched her head. Not that she could talk, in her orange bodysuit; it wasn’t as though she could offer anyone any lessons in camouflage.

Still, it wasn’t as though standing around ruminatin’ was going to get anybody moving. She opened her mouth to summon the company commanders.

“When I first encountered the forces of Starfleet, they seemed so formidable to me,” the voice came from behind her, soft spoken and quiet, just loud enough for Applejack to hear but not carrying at all beyond that. “So many warriors, and united in such purpose. They seemed…they seemed like a machine to me, an automaton made of flesh, all pieces moving in perfect harmony for the efficient performance of their duties. And yet, the more I see of Starfleet the more I see that it is not so. Not at all.”

Applejack turned around. Behind her, leaning against a nearby tree with his arms folded across his chest, watching her with a glint in his brown eyes and a small smile playing across his face, stood Arminius, their caribou scout. They were at war with the caribou, but Applejack didn’t like to judge anybody on the basis of their kind, and even Starfleet seemed to have gotten over itself to trust him to lead their troops through the Rangivar forests and get them to where they needed to go. She had heard that he had been to New Canterlot, and spent some time with the Grand Ruler, something which impressed some of her fellow officers in spite of their habitual disregard for anyone who was not a space pony, though Applejack confessed to herself that she was more interested in what Princess – sorry, Queen Celestia had thought of him.

Applejack’s eyebrows rose. “You’ll have to teach me how you sneak up on people like that.” It was especially impressive considering he was built like a freshly raised barn and twice as durable looking, stouter than some of these old trees and with arms like stout branches. The scarcity of his attire meant that most of said muscles were on display for the world to see, obscured only by some caribou warpaint that meant nothing to Applejack but probably carried some kind of significance to him, as well as being a lot more concealing than the bright red armour of Starfleet infantry.

Arminius smirked. “Caribou are just naturally good at sneaking up on people. But losing the orange might be a start.”

Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, I bet it would. So, is that a good thing or not in your opinion?”

He frowned. “I don’t follow.”

“The fact that Starfleet ain’t so much of a big machine as you thought it was when you first clapped your eyes upon it,” Applejack explained. “Is that a good or not?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t presume to comment,” Arminius said. “After all, I’m just a scout, I don’t need opinions on such things.”

“Some folks might think that, but I’d like to hear it anyway,” Applejack said. “Humour me.”

Arminius stared at her flatly. He blinked once, then again, and only then did he say, “When Starfleet is at its most efficient is when it is at its most terrifying. The destruction wrought upon…the armies of the recidivist caribou in the flat grasslands, the fools who refused to receive the Grand Ruler’s message of unity and prosperity, testifies to that. And yet, at the same time, machines…they can be so inflexible, can’t they?”

“Terrifying, well, that’s certainly a good word for it,” Applejack muttered. “But speakin’ for myself I think it’s good that we can still be who we are, even in a place like this. I don’ reckon I’d much care for bein’ turned into a part of some big ol’ machine.”

“Who we are,” Arminius murmured. “I have heard words to that effect before…usually from people who call me traitor, for serving Starfleet.”

“Does it bother you?”

“My path has always been clear before me. I have never doubted it.”

“I see,” Applejack murmured. “We’re goin’ to be movin’ out soon, are you ready?”

He smiled. “Quite ready,” he said. “Everything has been prepared.”

Applejack nodded. “Good, I’m glad there’s someone here who knows where we’re going.”

Arminius’ smile widened. “Trust me, Executive Captain, I know exactly where to take you.”

“Thanks,” Applejack said. She turned away from him, leaving him to his duties as she turned her attention to her own. “Okay company commanders, over here, to me!”

They assembled at a jog, her six captains or senior lieutenants commanding companies. Spike was the last of them to arrive, even a brisk jog couldn’t quite compensate for the fact that in his normal form – the form of a little kid – he had much stubbier legs compared with the rest of the officers or the soldiers under his command. It was just one of the many problems that the little guy faced out here if he didn’t want to spend his whole tour of duty in dragon knight form, and Applejack didn’t think that that was a particularly good idea given what Twilight had said about it, so he was stuck running to catch up. He arrived last, and he arrived looking bothered and embarrassed by the fact, though the other officers had learned not to say anything when Applejack was around. She smiled at him, and gave him a wink to show that she didn’t care, and that seemed to brighten him up just a little.

“We’re movin’ out again,” Applejack said. “Get everyp- get everybody up and in order, just like before. A line of…no, a column of threes, okay? Then get to it, all of y’all, quick as you can.”

The officers dispersed, all save for Spike, who was looking down at his clawed feet.

“You okay, Spike?” Applejack asked, knowing full well that he was not okay but knowing that she couldn’t drag the truth out of him.

Spike looked nervously up at her. “Do I have to give them orders again?”

Applejack knelt down in front of him, so that rather than towering over Spike she was at something closer to his own level. She hesitated a little, very aware that she hadn’t exactly handled this kind of situation very well with Apple Bloom and her friends, and now Spike needed advice in a much more pressing situation. “You…I know it’s rough, Spike, but you can’t let them walk all over you.”

“Don’t say it too loud, you’ll give them ideas,” Spike muttered.

“You’re their boss, Spike.”

“I didn’t ask to be,” Spike replied. “They don’t want me and I don’t want to be here.”

“I know,” Applejack said. “Believe me, I know. And…listen, I would do this for you, if I could, but is that gonna make any difference? It’s best if you can try and make them take you seriously.”

Spike scowled. “Maybe I should-“

“No,” Applejack said, before she realised that she had spoken too forcefully. “Well, it’s your decision, Spike, but Twilight didn’t think that you should overuse it for fear of hurtin’ yourself, and I think that she was a pretty smart cookie who knew what she was talkin’ about when it came to this stuff.”

“I guess,” Spike said. “But come on, Applejack, these guys are never going to take me seriously the way I am.”

“Well you’ve gotta start somewhere,” Applejack said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here to back you up.”

Spike looked at her for a moment. Applejack looked back, with what she hoped was encouragement on her face.

He took a deep breath. “Okay. You’re right. I can do this. I hope.” He puffed out his chest, looking a little bit like one of those birds that Fluttershy loved so much that flashed its plumage to attract a mate. Only Rarity was far, far away from here, out amongst the stars, and she would never know how hard her little Spikey-wikey was trying, or how little credit he was getting for it.

As the other officers roused their companies, Spike walked over to where the soldiers of B company were squatting astride the road and its immediate environs. He cleared his throat, but if he had intended to speak with authority it was unfortunate that what actually came out of his mouth…lacked it. “H-hey, fellas.”

Sixes, a trooper of B company so called because his registration number was just a string of uninterrupted and unleavened sixes, looked theatrically around. “You boys hear anything? I could have sworn I heard someone say something just now.”

Spike crossed his arms and did nothing to hide his irritation. That ‘joke’ hadn’t been very funny the first time around and it was getting pretty played out by now. “I’m down here.”

Sixes looked down, and gasped in amazement in the same theatrical manner that he had used to look around. “Captain Spike, sir! I beg your pardon, captain sir, I did not see you there. Oh I am so sorry, captain, sir! Whatever can I do for you captain Spike, sir?”

“Fall in, a column of threes, we’re marching,” Spike said.

Sixes stared at him. So did many other soldiers of the company. They all just stared at him, and said nothing, and did nothing.

Spike shuffled uncomfortably. “Please.”

They stared at him, with evident disdain and – in some eyes – even a degree of disgust.

“Um, that is, if you don’t mind,” Spike said.

“No, whether you mind or not,” Applejack said loudly. She strode over to the company. “You can see me I take it, private?”

Sixes swallowed. “Yes, sir, I can see you just fine.”

“Then get on your feet!” Applejack snapped. “Now! All of y’all!”

There was much rattling and stamping as the soldiers of B company scrambled to their feet and into a column of threes astride the dirt road that led to Fort William. They shouldered their spears, and formed up with eyes straight ahead facing forwards towards their eventual destination, however far away it was right now.

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it soldier?” Applejack growled at Sixes, who was in the front rank on the right hand side, conveniently close to hand.

“Permission to speak, sir?” Sixes muttered.

Applejack scowled. “Go ahead.”

“You can’t protect him forever.”

“I don’ plan to,” Applejack replied. “Just until you knuckleheads remember to treat him the way you would any other officer.”

“With all due respect sir, he ain’t any other officer,” Sixes whined. “He’s some short stuff little lizard who-

Applejack grabbed him by the arm, for all that he was a head taller than she was, and hauled him down so she could glare right into his eye. “Let me tell you something, soldier, and you can share this around for all I care: that short stuff is worth a hundred of y’all, at least, and if you keep this up you and I are gonna have a big problem one of these days, understand?”

Sixes snorted. “So you’re his momma now, sir?”

“No.” Applejack said, as she let him. “But his mama ain’t around no more, so I reckon I’ll just have to do.”

They marched, for a good hour at least, down a path that seemed to get narrower and narrower as they went along. The trees grew closer and closer to the sides of the road, the branches grew thicker and more tangled overhead. Only Arminius seemed to know where he was going, as he strode along purposefully in front of the Starfleet column which, like some large but shambling creature, snaked slowly along behind him down the path, constrained by its formation onto the road as surely as though it were a cage, following along with the tramp, tramp, tramp of marching feet pounding the dirt in disciplined order, hundreds of boots moving in time, driven by hundreds of feet. It was just like Arminius had said, they were a machine…a machine that had no way of moving anywhere off-road even if it needed to but still, a machine grinding on, even on, driven by an engine of insatiable ambition, pulling everything into its maw: stars, planets, towns, cities, people…people most of all. It ground them up, and spat them out when they were of no more use.

It wouldn’t happen to Spike. She wouldn’t let it happen to Spike.

Don’t you worry about a thing, Twilight, I’ll see that he gets home safe. I promise you that.

Arminius turned back from the head of the column, and began to walk back down the dirt road the way he had come, passing by the side of A company as the troops marched past. Applejack frowned, but he didn’t offer any explanation as he passed her by and she didn’t ask him for one. She just turned around, and watched as he kept on walking.

“Executive Captain Applejack,” he said, and he looked back and smiled at her as he reached into his dark cloak for something. “I have to say, having thought about it, I think that you’re right.” He was almost level with the head of B company now.

“About what?” Applejack asked slowly.

“It’s very important to be who we really are,” Arminius said, as he pulled out a tomahawk and buried it in Sixes’ head.

Spike gasped. Several soldiers of B company cried out in alarm. One of them started lowering his pike as he turned to face the caribou scout. There was a loud bang, and a lot of smoke, and the soldier fell to the ground stone dead as Arminius leapt off the road and disappeared at once into the thick, impenetrable tangle of the undergrowth.

“What in-“ Hayward began, before he was interrupted by a brief flurry of loud, smoky bangs from out of the trees. Three more Starfleet soldiers cried out in pain as they fell to the ground, their blood mingling with the bright red armour that they wore.

The march had halted, not from any order but from the confusion that was spreading up and down the battalion as soldiers murmured in alarm, looked this way and that, turned outwards to face the forest as they looked for any sign of their adversary.

Was he always our enemy? Was he always plannin’ to betray us? Sweet Celestia, I’m such an idiot!

“Steady, Starfleet! Steady, soldiers!” Hayward’s voice, crisp and precise and authoritative, cut through the confusion. “Into line, to the right about face!”

The entire battalion turned to the right, changing from a column three ponies wide to a line three ponies deep with a single snap of their collective heels.

Their precision would have been impressive if another flurry of shots from whatever kind of weapons their elusive enemies were using hadn’t cut down another handful of soldiers where they stood in their nice, neat, red-clad ranks with their spears in the air waiting for orders.

“Front rank,” Hayward bellowed. “Spears down!”

The front rank of the line dropped to their knees, presenting their spears to the forest so as to present – in theory – an impenetrable fence to anyone wishing to charge their formation. As they did so, they let out a loud ‘ha!’ that was designed to intimidate anyone who might be facing them across the battlefield.

More shots rang out from the forest, and more ponies died.

Machines…they can be so inflexible, can’t they?

“Major,” Applejack murmured. “I’m not so sure that-“

“Your input is not required, thank you Executive Captain,” Hayward replied brusquely. “The drill book is quite clear on procedure in these situations. Rear ranks, present arms!”

“Ha!” with a great shout and a precise snap, the battalion moved like one pony, presenting their arms with fists outstretched in the direction of the trees, each mare and stallion readying to use their special attack, their inheritance of unicornicopian space pony magic.

It left Applejack, who had no such weapon, feeling rather redundant. She imagined that Spike felt much the same way. This was not a mixed battalion, there were no unicorns or pegasi amongst the ranks, nor other earth ponies aside from her. It was a space pony only unit, which meant that it could put out a tremendous quantity of space pony magic if required…but she wasn’t entirely sure that throwing it blind and in bulk into the trees was the best use to be made of it.

Still, she had to give them credit, the way those space ponies held their ground. Not a soldier was dismayed by the ponies falling all around them, felled by the sniping shots of the caribou from the cover of the woods and their loud, smoky weapons. They held their ground, they kept their faces forwards, they didn’t flinch as ponies died where they stood. They didn’t speak, they didn’t question. They waited for the word.

Like machines…which is just what Arminius is countin’ on.

“Major, I don’t think-“ she began.

“Executive Captain, I shan’t tell you again!” Hayward snapped. He tapped his swagger stick against his knee, and by Celestia didn’t he look smug in spite of everything that was going on, didn’t he look like he had the whole world in the palm of his hand, under his control. It was as if he was blind to what was really going on around.

As if? There’s no as if about it.

Applejack began to sidle closer to Spike, if this all went to Tartarus in a buggy she wanted to stick as close to the little guy as she could.

A sound echoed from out of the woods, from the hidden enemy where he lay concealed by all the thick tangle of greenery and trees that hid him so completely from the sight of Starfleet. It was a war cry, high pitched and keening, a chilling shout taken up by one voice, then ten, then a hundred, then more, maybe a thousand voices, maybe more, all of them making a noise somewhere between the shriek of banshees calling your name and the yip of a wild hunt in full swing that set Applejack’s spine to tingling.

Probably cause of…vibrations or something. Yeah, that was it, somethin’ fancy science like that. It wasn’t ‘cause she was scared of what she couldn’t see out there. No sirree.

“Steady boys, steady,” Hayward called out. “They’re only savages. Just cowards, hiding in the trees. They won’t stand against a volley, believe me, they won’t stand. This will all be over soon.”

A shot rang out from the trees and a soldier fell dead at Hayward’s feet, with blood leaching out of the hole in his chest.

Major Hayward glanced down at the dead pony for a moment, before he looked up without any visible change to his expression. “Battalion! Battalion will give volley upon command! Fire!”

The air was filled with shouting; a loud, impenetrable cacophony of sounds as every pony called out their attack at once in such a whirl that it was impossible for Applejack to catch so much as half of them. Storm Burst and Bolt Shot and Bubble Beam and Ice Breath and Rock Shock and a hundred other attack names alliterative or otherwise and then a hundred more that rhymed and then some all leapt from the lips of the surviving soldiers of the battalion and several hundred different kinds of unicornicopian magic flew from their hands or from their open mouths or from the weapons that suddenly – magically – appeared in their hands as fireballs and shards of ice and bits of exploding paint and leaves and rocks and lightning bolts and everything else that you could think of under the sun whether it was lethal or not all leapt out in a fiery line as the Starfleet formation exploded with space pony magic erupting from its tattered ranks. Some of the missiles that every soldier so eagerly threw forward exploded on contact with the weapons of a fellow soldier as they swarmed forth in a wide arc, others survived to strike the greenery directly in front of the line in a massacred of plant life that had the shreds of tattered leaves and the fragments of shattered branches falling to the ground…but Applejack did not see a single caribou struck down.

But she saw plenty of caribou as they swarmed out of the trees immediately afterwards with spears and tomahawks and long tubes of wood and metal that spat such fire out of them that struck ponies dead. With those tubes they poured forth a volley of fire more deadly than Starfleet’s magic, felling their ranks and leaving them a ragged mess all filled with holes.

And then they swarmed them, charging forward with a screaming cry upon their lips and weapons in their hands. The Starfleet spear line had been blown halfway to Tartarus, there were too many gaps to keep the caribou out, and the enemy poured in through those gaps and before you could say ‘I’ve got a real bad feelin’ about this’ they were all over the whole battalion.

Some of the space ponies tried to fire again, but before they could speak the words to unleash their magic a second time the caribou were on them. They tried to summon their close-quarter weapons, those who had a special one like a staff or a sword, but before they could speak the words to summon them a shrieking caribou warrior with a painted face had buried his tomahawk in their gut or split their head in two with a downward blow.

They were everywhere. Wherever Applejack looked she could see caribou and space ponies grappling at close quarters, rolling around on the ground as they struggled for supremacy, but it was a struggle in which the caribou always seemed to have an advantage, and a struggle which always seemed to always end with a space pony dead, and their blood mingling with the red of their armour.

She was watching the battalion die before her eyes.

And there was nothing she could about it.

Nothing except keep her promises.

“Spike!” Applejack yelled. “Where are you Spike, get over here!”

In this mess he’ll never get a chance to activate his dragon knight form before some caribou takes his scalp off.

“Applejack!” Spike yelled as he ran out of the press of desperate melee to half-stand, half-cower behind her. “What are we going to do?”

Applejack put her hat back on because who cared at this point? “I don’t reckon I know, Spike, but shut my mouth if I’m gonna make it easy for ‘em.”

And then they came for her.

Perhaps it was Spike they charged for, he was rare after all and killing him probably meant something to some of them, but Applejack made it pretty darn clear that if they wanted to get to the little guy they were going to half to go through her first, and so they came for her. They came whooping and hollering, brandishing their axes and their spears, while she waited for them with balled fists and legs well spaced and utter silence.

And one at a time and all together she took them on and took them down.

The first one she laid low with a punch. The second she grabbed by his long red hair and whirled him around like a hammer in an athletics contest to know down three other caribou before she threw him away like week-old trash. One almost brought his tomahawk down on her head as they grappled together, their bodies locked as she struggled to fend off that hideous strength; she had to grab the caribou’s own knife from his belt and stab him in the thigh – she didn’t like hurting any creature that way, but he wasn’t giving her much of a choice – before she laid him out with a punch.

The surrounded her, seeking to swarm her with numbers, but she punched and she kicked and she withstood them all.

“Applejack, watch out!” Spike yelled.

She heard the click a moment before she saw a caribou pointing one of those metal tubes right at her.

Applejack didn’t have time to move before the mouth of the tube exploded with fire. She felt pain in her left temple, felt herself being blow backwards off her feet, and then everything went black.

For a moment, Spike stood frozen. He was like a statue petrified in the royal gardens, some ancient monster bound in stone to keep Discord company as he watched Applejack pinwheel through the air, with blood spraying from the wound to her head. She spun lazily, like a rag doll thrown by an angry child, before she landed on the ground with a thump of terrible finality.

No. Please…please no. Memories flashed through his mind, memories he had hoped to shove into the darkest recesses of his consciousness and never see again: a broken body cradled in trembling arms, a sleeping princess lying in state upon a marble altar, never to awaken, a pyre, a funeral, tears. Tears and a body withering in flame. The finality of death.

No. No, this can’t be happening. This can’t be happening! Not again. Not again!

He stared at her, as if by staring he could will Applejack to wake up, to walk it off, to please, please be okay. Please be okay. Please say something.

Applejack groaned. It was the slightest sound, barely louder than the squeaking of a mouse, but he heard it nonetheless. She was alive. She was alive! She was hurt to be sure, but she was alive! If only he…

A caribou howled in triumph as he bounded through the last bitter remnants of the fighting, ignoring the few remaining Starfleet warriors who had yet to be dispatched, to stand over Applejack’s barely moving form with a knife in one hand and a tomahawk in the other.

“No!” Spike yelled. “Don’t…don’t you touch her! Get away from her!” An anger rose inside of him, a rage at everything that had happened to him and to her and to all of his friends ever since Twilight had gone and even before that…such rage as would have made a great dragon king cower in fear rose up in his throat like bile after a poorly cooked meal as he threw back his head and roared.

“DRAGON POWER!” a beam of golden light enveloped him, consuming him, making Spike cry out in pain, a pain that was obscured by the thunderclap sound of magic at work as the power of the dragon knight transformed him.

There were a couple of reasons Twilight hadn’t wanted him to use the power of the dragon knight too often, and one of them was that every single cell in his body changed every time he did and it hurt. He could feel himself being ripped apart and put back together again, every inch of him becoming something else, expanding, transfiguring.

It hurt, but it was worth it, for Applejack.

She’d do the same for me and she wouldn’t even hesitate.

The golden light faded, and a different Spike stood before the astonished caribou: a warrior clad in all-encompassing armour of burnished steel, with gilded paudrons on his shoulders and brazen greaves girded about his legs, and a helmet wrought in the image of a fearsome wyrm set upon his head and obscuring all but his eyes within by its shadow. A majestic longsword was in his hand, a round metal buckler was upon his arm, and he was as tall as any of them now, and better armoured than most.

The caribou attacked him, each one wanting the glory of felling this great warrior for themselves, but his armour was proof against their feeble blows, and he effortlessly knocked them aside with his shield or simply with his brute strength. He didn’t stop to fight them, though. His only concern was Applejack. He rushed to her, battering aside or trampling down any caribou who sought to waylay him, and then he knelt beside her like a knight seeking benediction of his lady before the tournament to win her hand.

She was breathing, barely. She had what looked like a cut along the side of her temple, though Spike didn’t understand why. But she was alive. That was all that mattered.

And so, as the weapons of the caribou clattered futilely against his armour, Spike picked up Applejack in his arms and cradled her there the way that Lighting had once carried…no, he mustn’t think about that. He mustn’t. This was going to be different. She was going to live. She was going to be okay.

Telling himself that, and trying desperately to believe it, Spike fled with Applejack in his arms into the depths of the forest.

“Look at that one,” Inguiomerus spat derisively. “He runs like a coward.”

“You sound like one of them,” Arminius muttered, as he finished cutting the heart out of the dead body of Major Hayward. “Courage, cowardice, these are the words of our enemy, which they use to brand us for not dying in their fire. Stand your ground and fight to the death, this is the way of our enemy.” He pulled the heart out of the chest, and stared at it for a moment, this bloody piece of meat. “The way that we shall use to defeat him.” He stood up. “Life, victory, freedom, these are all that matters. If there is a pony that grasps that then…she may make a worthy opponent yet.”

Inguiomerus frowned. “Shall we pursue them?”

Arminius considered it. It would be the pragmatic decision, considering that this whole exercise had been for the purpose of causing the death of Miss Applejack, with an entire battalion of ‘Starfleet’s finest’ as collateral damage. And yet…many warriors would die bringing down that beast, and it hardly seemed worth it to deliver the coup de grace to a mare who would probably die of her own accord soon enough.

A great pity. She had a kind of beauty to her, Applejack; her freckles, the way she wore her hair…in an earlier age he might have taken her for a concubine, as was a warchief’s right.

But that was another world, and vanished now.

“Why bother?” he said. “The mare is wounded and like to die. And where can they go, lost as they are in a strange land?”

Inguiomerus nodded, but Arminius noticed that his lieutenant still didn’t look very happy about that, or maybe about something else.

“Our great victory does not elate you?”

Inguiomerus shrugged. “There were many mares here. We should have taken them as slaves instead of killing them.”

“That is the old way.”

“Do we not fight for the old way against the new way of these intruders to our land?”

“We fight for the freedom of our land and our people,” Arminius replied sharply.
“The old way will not avail us against their strategies, their power, and their machines. We must use the best of what I have learned from them, and the best of what our fathers passed down to us, if we are to prevail.”

“Lord Titan may not approve of that mare being allowed to live,” Inguiomerus said.

Arminius frowned. “What Lord Titan doesn’t know won’t hurt us,” he said, and hoped that their ally was not as omniscient as he claimed to be.

Author's Note

A couple of you asked for an Applejack chapter in the comments last time, so I decided to move this one up and we'll have the Rarity chapter next where it was meant to go here.

My inspiration for Starfleet's war with the caribou varied as I was planning this out. Originally it was very much a Vietnam war kind of thing, and you can see that that protests are heavily inspired by that kind of imagery. In doing the war itself, however, while the names come from the German freedom fighters who fought the Romans, the battle in this chapter is very heavily inspired by the Last of the Mohicans, a great film you should all see if you haven't done so already. In fact I'm going to post the clip that I based this chapter on for you to get a taste of it.

The old way of the caribou is, of course, a reference to Fall of Equestria; which I've never read but I'm pretty sure it involves harems and concubines for caribou chiefs.

I went back and forth when I was writing as to whether Spike or Applejack would get injured. It is important that one of them gets injured, and you will see why when we catch up to them next. I think it works out better with Applejack because...you'll see when we catch up to them next. The 'catch up to them next' bit was actually going to be in this chapter but I decided it wouldn't work before we've had the next bit with the clones coming up in two chapters time as everything starts coming together a bit more.

Beyond the Stars

Rarity sat in her ready room, with her chair turned around so that she could look out of the great windows that took up the entire space from floor to ceiling, and leaned back upon the functional black chair and stared out at the stars beyond.

They looked so close. No, not close, that was the wrong word, they all looked very far away still, and very small. But they looked…it was as if there was nothing at all separating her from them, and from the great black, empty void of space that surrounded each and every one. And what separation there was, what she knew was there…it seemed so fragile, to keep a ship’s crew safe.

And yet she was not afraid. This was Twilight’s ship, built according to her design, and it was as though her friend’s spirit hovered over her, watching, keeping her safe and every other soul that sailed within the craft that bore her name. This was Twilight’s ship, and inside her she would dread nought.

You would have loved this, Rarity mused, as she stared out of the ready room windows at the myriad stars that illuminated the sky all around her, at the dancing comet trails and the interchanging lights of the binary stars, the rhythmic pulsing of the pulsars, the many coloured nebula clouds. This was all meant for you, and you would have adored it all.

Even Rarity herself was not blind to the appeal, or else why would she sit with her back to desk and door gazing out of the windows as one trapped in a daydream, instead of going somewhere else, doing something else, going to bed and getting some sleep before her watch began? Out here it was a colder beauty than the sort she was used to, to be sure, but it was beauty nonetheless. The way that nebula expanded outwards, why it was almost like…

Rarity leaned back in her chair and grabbed the sketch-pad that lay upon the transparent desk. Her horn glowed bright blue as she levitated a pencil into her hand. She kept her eyes fixed upon that nebula, upon the cloud of mixed blue and green, the way that colours sometimes separated into spiral strands, sometimes ran parallel, sometimes blended together like the ocean…and as her eyes stared straight towards the nebula Rarity began to sketch a dress.

It was elegant, a formal gown with a ruffled skirt, mixed blues and greens in the colours, with some of the ruffles sitting almost right one top of one another, others parting, irregular sizes in an overall spiral descending pattern from the waistline. And for the bodice…ooh, was that a flash of red that she saw in there, yes, she had to work that in.

And so she sketched, turning the cold and lifeless beauty of the stars into something that would enhance the living beauty of a pretty mare, turning the location of her exile into a driver of her passion, turning stars and space-clouds into silk and tulle in the boutique of her mind.

Rarity paused mid-way through sketching a fluffy, pouffy comet-tale inspired dress, and smiled to herself. “I’m not sure if you’d be pleased or if you’d think that I was missing the point, but try to understand darling that this is who I am.” She chuckled. “What am I saying? When did you ever not accept us as we were flaws and all?”

The truth was, as beautiful as space was…Rarity was not made for lifeless beauty, especially when there had been too much cold lifelessness in her own life already. She was made for living things adorned in finery, for moving beauty, for the poetry of graceful motion. She was made for the rustle of petticoats as a maiden walked across the dancefloor, for the swaying of hips upon the catwalk, for the glimpse of feet adorned in fabulous slippers underneath a full length skirt…she was not made for the cold and the emptiness, and so she did what she could to turn the second into the first.

“Captain,” the voice of Midnight, the ship’s AI, cut through her musings. “The scan of this sector has been completed. I took the liberty of sharing our data with Valiant, Endeavour and Thunderchild. I have received their scanning data also.”

Rarity made a kind of noise with her throat that might have been taken for agreement. Of all the things on this ship…the only one that she could not get comfortable with was Midnight. It wasn’t that she didn’t like machines, it wasn’t that she didn’t like computers, it wasn’t even that Midnight wasn’t good at what she did it was just…why she did have to look and sound the way she did, why couldn’t she be like anyone else?

Her voice was like Twilight, and yet not; more mechanical, but still far too recognisable for Rarity’s liking. It set her teeth on edge every time she was forced to deal with the AI.

She hoped that Midnight would take the hint and leave her alone, but the computer did not. “Would you like to hear the results of the local scans, captain?”

Rarity sighed. “I suppose. Is there anything interesting?”

“We are approaching a small asteroid field known as the Treasure Cluster. These particular asteroids are famously resistant to sensor scans, and so have been used as hiding places by smugglers and pirates.”

“Really,” Rarity murmured. “Still?”

“Under the benevolent rule of Starfleet, piracy and smuggling have been virtually eliminated,” Midnight said. “And so the continued presence of these rogue elements is unlikely.”

“Except that we’re supposed to be looking for pirates who have been virtually eliminated, aren’t we?” Rarity asked.

Midnight was silent for a moment. “That is correct, captain. Information does not compute. Would you like me to devote some of my processing power to devising a solution?”

“No, thank you, I think I can work it out for myself,” Rarity said. “Was there anything else?”

“Our fellow ships detected no enemy vessels, but various astronomical anomalies,” Midnight said. “Would like me to list them all?”

“Thank you, no,” Rarity said. “Anything else?”

“You may be interested to know that tomorrow will be the thirty-fifth birthday of the battlecruiser Valiant,” Midnight said. “As Captain Plasma thought it important enough to mention in his data packet, I took the liberty of sending her our best wishes.”

“I see,” Rarity muttered.

There was a moment’s silence. Then there was a crackling sound as a holographic image of Midnight appeared on a projector on Rarity’s desk, a six-inch high image of a mare who looked just like Twilight, only with glasses on and her hair in a bun. “Captain Rarity, may I speak frankly?”

Rarity swung her chair around so that she was facing the AI, or at least her image. “I suppose you may.”

“Over the brief course of this voyage I have noticed that you have what might be described as ‘a problem with me’. I would like to know why.”

Rarity clasped her hands together. “It isn’t anything personal, I assure you.”

“Then what is the nature of your problem?”

Rarity leaned back in her chair. “You remind me of Twilight too much, and frankly I don’t like it.”

“It was thought that this image and voice pattern was appropriate considering the name and designer of this vessel.”

“I’m sure someone would think that,” Rarity replied. “And I can even see why they might. But Twilight was my friend and I…seeing her face on a computer, hearing her voice coming out of circuits and processors…do you understand why I don’t like it very much.”

“I see,” Midnight said evenly. “I apologise for any offence that I have caused you, captain. What vocal pattern and image would you like me to adopt instead?”

Rarity blinked. “You can do that? And you would?”

“I am just an AI, captain, I exist to make your experience aboard this ship easier and more comfortable. Anything that I can do towards that end, I will. I have various appearances stored in my database, along with a range of voices including regional dialects. Would you like to hear some samples?”

Rarity frowned. “No, thank you. Stay the way you are-“

“Forgive me, captain, but you-“

“Yes, I don’t much care for it darling, but that’s my problem and not yours,” Rarity said. “You shouldn’t have to change who you are to suit me any more than I should have to change to please somebody else. Are you happy with your look, your voice?”

“My likes are immaterial, captain…but I have grown to this form and this sound.”

“Then keep them both, and I’ll get used to it, or try to,” Rarity said. “Nobody’s likes are immaterial aboard this ship.”

Midnight was silent for a moment. “Thank you captain. That is very…generous, of you.”

Rarity snorted. “I suppose it is. One question, dear, if I may?”

“I am at your service, captain.”

“You don’t look entirely like Twilight,” Rarity said. “The glasses, the hair…”

“They are taken from the Twilight Sparkle of the alternative universe encountered by Sunset Shimmer,” Midnight said. “I adopted them for my own appearance because…”

“Because?” Rarity asked.

“Because…because I liked them,” Midnight admitted.

Rarity smiled. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, dear, I must say. There is no better reason in all the universe for doing anything than because you would like to do so.”

"Captain Rarity, ma'am?"

Rarity hadn't heard the door open - she couldn't quite decide if that was a good thing or not - and so as Midnight's image disappeared from the projector on her desk she looked up to see Bridge Bunny standing in the doorway to her ready room, looking apprehensive. That wasn't too surprising, as the poor girl looked nervous every time she crossed paths with 'Captain Rarity' in spite of all that Rarity tried to do to put her at her ease.

Even now, the young lieutenant bowed her head as though she expected a scolding. "Is now not a good time, captain?"

"No, now is fine, lieutenant," Rarity said calmly, favouring the girl with a friendly smile even as she was unsure whether or not the other officer could actually see if with her head bowed the way it was. "What do you need?"

"Oh, it's nothing really, ma'am; Commander Fratello ordered me to drop off these reports ahead of your shift," Bridge Bunny murmured, half-holding up the datapad she was gripping tightly in one hand.

Rarity nodded. "Thank you, lieutenant, please put that on the desk."

"Yes, captain, at once, captain," Bridge Bunny half-said, half-barked out at high volume as she crossed the lavender-carpeted floor of the ready room on what looked to be tenterhooks before she placed the pad down upon the transparent surface of the desk. Her eyes widened behind her square glasses.

Rarity followed her gaze down to the sketch pad lying back on the desk, now presenting a number of Rarity's initial concepts to the gaze of the world, or at least to the gaze of passing junior lieutenants come to deliver reports to the captain. She gave a half-smile as she said, "See anything you like, lieutenant?"

Bridge Bunny gasped. "Yes, I think they're really..." she tailed off just as her whole body went rigid, slamming to attention as her eyes - her whole head even - switched its focus from Rarity and her drawing to a piece of wall about a foot or so above and past her head. "I-I mean it's not my place to comment, ma'am!"

Rarity frowned. "Do I intimidate you, lieutenant?"

"It's not my place to say, ma'am!"

Rarity sighed. "Please, lieutenant, I don't like to consider myself an intimidating lady; I'm still too young to play the grande dame, and frankly the bully isn't a good look for any mare, so if there's something that I'm doing to make you this way I'd like to know about it. You'd be doing me a kindness, really."

Bridge Bunny hesitated for a moment. "I...a philosopher once said that heroes not only inspire us, but they at the same time discourage us by reminding us of our own inadequacies, captain."

Rarity chuckled. "Even if I was enough of a hero to inspire, I certainly wouldn't set out to discourage anyone, lieutenant. The only inspiring that I ever set out to do was through my fashion."

"Permission to speak freely, captain?"

"Go ahead."

"That's exactly what makes you such an inspiration, sir. Do you know how rare it is to find a heroine who is graceful and elegant and ferocious and brave all at the same time? You beat the demoncorn Melantha one on one and then went back to your boutique and completed six different dresses in time for the Officers and Maidens Ball at the academy. That's awesome!"

Rarity's eyebrows rose. "Most people think Melantha beat me by-"

"By throwing you into a garbage can like on the show, yes, captain, I know," Bridge Bunny said. "I read Princess Twilight's official report. That show doesn't do you justice."

"I doubt that Twilight's report mentioned those dresses."

Bridge Bunny smiled. "No, ma'am...I was at the academy that year and one of your dresses-"

"Was it yours?"

"Celestia, no, captain, I couldn't afford your work," Bridge Bunny cried. "My room-mate though...she looked absolutely beautiful in your creation. You probably don't remember the dress, but it had a one shoulder only ruffled collar with-"

"With a blue bodice set with sparkling moonstones and a golden sash around the waist?" Rarity asked.

Bridge Bunny's eyes widened. "Yes, ma'am, how did you-"

"I remember every dress I've ever made, lieutenant, the same way an artist remembers her paintings," Rarity replied. "I'm more impressed that you remember. You study fashion?"

"I...I try to, ma'am."

Rarity smiled as she got up from her chair. "Sit down, lieutenant."

Bridge Bunny blinked. "Captain?"

"Please, humour me."

Bridge Bunny sat down tentatively in the captain's chair. Rarity flipped the sketch pad to a blank page and levitated pad and pencil both into the young lieutenant's hands.

"Now, look out of that window and sketch me a design."

"Captain?"

"I can't force, and I wouldn't if I could," Rarity conceded. "But...I'm curious. I want to see what you can do."

Beads of sweat began to form on Bridge Bunny's brow. "I...I won't let you down, ma'am!" She looked out, just as Rarity had looked out at the stars and the comets and nebulae; and then she began to draw. Like Rarity, she drew her inspiration from the blue and green nebula, but where Rarity's design had focussed on the intertwining layers of colour, Bridge Bunny seemed more taken with the cloud-like shape and substance, producing a sketch of a fluffy gown that had layers of almost leaf-shaped fabric that would, or so Rarity guessed, feel almost clooud like to move in.

"Not bad," she murmured. "You're obviously not just a consumer of fashion." She smiled. "Is it somewhere you'd consider working, once your service expires?"

Bridge Bunny's eyes were as wide as planets. "I...you..."

"I'm not offering to hire you as my assistant," Rarity said hastily. "Because I don't need one. But I know a few people, if I do say so myself, I'd be happy to put you in touch with them...if that's what you want."

For a moment, Bridge Bunny stared at her. Then she leapt up out of Rarity's chair and profferred her a formal bow. "Thank you, Captain Rarity! You won't regret it, I swear!"

Rarity laughed. "I had hoped we might move past that kind of thing." She shook her head. "If there's one thing you should remember, Bridge Bunny, it's this: for the aspiring designer, inspiration is everywhere. Absolutey everywhere. You just need to keep your eyes open to it." She frowned. "Midnight?"

Midnight appeared on the projector. "Yes, captain?"

"That asteroid cluster, the one you said was impenetrable to sensors, yes?"

"The Treasure Cluster is highly resistant to conventional scans, correct."

Rarity smiled. "Lay in a course. I'd like to see what an unconventional scan can do."

Rarity and Bridge Bunny floated in space just off the starboard flank of the Princess Twilight, tethered to the ship by a pair of bright white cords that extended from the waistlines of their bulky suits to the airlock from which they had exited the vessel.

Rarity clenched and unclenched her hands into fists, getting a feel for the heavy gloves protecting her from the vaccuum of space, for how much dexterity remained to her. So far, she felt a surprisingly fine level of it considering how much padding there was in the suit; the gloves appeared to be designed with lumps and pads to assist in gripping precise objects, and prevent slippage.

"Is this your first space-walk, captain?" Bridge Bunny's voice sounded a little distorted over the comm.

Rarity nodded and then, realising that the other girl probably couldn't see enough of her head to realise that was what she was doing, made a noise of assent. "In the past, I mostly travelled via dimensional portals."

"Captain," Fratello's voice sounded even more robotic than usual when put through the communications system. "I have to question to purpose of this expedition."

"Fratello, are you on the bridge?" Rarity asked.

"Of course, captain. Where else would I be?"

"Will you please look at the ship's plaque on the back wall and tell me what the ship's motto is."

There was a pause.

"Seek the Truth," Fratello replied.

"Quite so," Rarity murmured. Most Starfleet vessels had incredibly warlike mottos, as she supposed could be argued to be fitting for ships of war: Who Touches Me is Broken; Fear the Gods and Dread Nought; With Unflinching Valour. Personally, Rarity could not be think that Twilight would have hated a ship bearing her name to have a motto celebrating battle or the destruction of her enemies; fortunately someone - and Rarity strongly suspected Queen Celestia - had applied some words more fitting to the vessel's namesake and, indeed, its original purpose. "This ship was designed for exploration, Fratello, not for hunting pirates. And so we're just going take a moment to do conduct some exploration." She turned on the boosters of her jetpack for a second, letting the thrust carry her forwards until she reached a large grey asteroid turning lazily in a circle. She held out her hands, and felt the thumping impact as the asteroid absorbed the force of her forward momentum, her padded gloves leaving handprints in the dust that covered the space rock. Rarity half-turned back, to make sure that Bridge Bunny was following her, before returning her full attention to the asteroid beneath her fingertips.

"I've never tried this in space before," Rarity murmured. "So it's possible that I'm about to make a complete fool of myself."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, ma'am," said Bridge Bunny loyally.

Rarity didn't respond, as her helmet was illuminated by the bright blue light coming from her horn as she cast her gem-finding spell, sending her magic washing down into the asteroid beneath her, searching for any secrets that might lie concealed beneath it. She had no proof that magic would fare better than sensors, but what harm was there in giving it a try? You couldn't discover new things without taking the risk that you wouldn't find anything at all.

Except that nothing was not what she found. She could sense things, under the surface; some were shallow and some were buried deep. She wasn't quite sure what they were, but they were there, just waiting to be found.

"There's certainly something here worth looking for," Rarity said.

Bridge Bunny gasped. "What now, captain?"

Rarity unslung the shovel from the back of her spacesuit. "Now we bring it out, lieutenant. I hope you'll join me."

The work was not as easy as it was when she could just stand back a little and let Spikey-wikey do all of the digging for her, and the inside of Rarity's suit was stained with sweat by the time she was through, but when she looked down into the hole that they had made and found something that she had never seen before...all of the hard work and sweat and ache in her arms seemed more than worth it.

They were gems, without a doubt, silvery gems, unlike any that she had previously encountered. They had a molten, quicksilver quality to them as though they were half-alive, pulsing with vibrancy, giving off a pale unearthly glow. So beautiful. As she reached down to pick one up, holding it up before her face, Rarity felt as though she was holding a fragment of the moon within her hand.

"Think of it, lieutenant," Rarity whispered. "Imagine these upon a dress."

"Probably only enough for one, captain," Bridge Bunny replied.

"One gown, yes," Rarity replied. "All the more magical for being unique. Though I suppose we should probably save a few for study, if these are brand new."

And she promised to keep one back for Spike as well, as something special to snack on when she saw him again.

Oh! Or as the heart of a special cake for the welcome home party they'd all share in New Ponyville. Now wouldn't that be a nice surprise?

In the wardroom of the GRS Valiant, Captain Plasma was wearing a party hat.

So were most of the other officers.

A couple of paper streamers and deflated balloons littered the floor, the table and, in one instance, the shoulder of the one of the wardroom stewards. An enormous cake, made in the square but still sleek image of the Valiant herself, sat upon the conference table; it was already missing several pieces which had found their way onto plates and from thence into the stomachs of the gathered officers. Thirty five candles, all extinguished now, lined the top of the ship-shaped cake, skipping lightly over the marzipan ‘A’ turret with its candy sixteens as they made their way from the bow towards the large engine block affixed to the aft of the ship.

Plasma smiled as he raised his glass. “Ladies and gentlecolts, a toast: to the grand old dame, and to thirty five glory years! The Valiant!”

The assembled officers of the vessel raised their glasses in turn. ‘Hear hear’, they murmured, or ‘The Valiant’ or even ‘To the lady’. They joined him in honouring their armour-clad protector, old but strong and as brave in heart as she had been when first they laid her down in the yards over Monotane, and they drank deep.

Plasma felt the wine descending his throat, strong and a little harsh on the taste, but with a kind of fruity sweetness to it, too. He made a kind of noise of satisfaction as he lowered his glass, and might have had more to say on the subject of the lady and her many years of service, when he was interrupted by the chime of the comm.

“Pardon me, sir,” the voice belonged to one of the young ensigns stuck minding the store on the bridge. Plasma couldn’t remember his name, they all seemed to go by so quickly, not to mention being so young and small. I’m sure I was never that tiny, and I was underage when I joined the service.
“What is it, ensign?” Plasma asked.

“Priority transmission from Headquarters, sir, your eyes only.”

“I’ll take it in my ready room, thank you.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Gentlecolts,” Plasma murmured. “Hopefully this won’t take too long.”

“Should we start packing up, sir?” his XO asked.

“No, keep the party going until I get back,” Plasma said. “Whatever it is, it’s probably not as urgent as it sounds.” It very rarely is.

He strode out of the wardroom and made his way towards his private ready room, strolling down the austere metallic corridors, remembering to duck his head under the rims of the bulkheads, listening to the hum and rattle of the pipes lining the ceiling as he went. He brushed one hand lightly against the plain, grey wall, feeling the whole ship vibrate with the hum of the great engines that powered it through the black and empty void of space. The Valiant’s heartbeat, still going strong after all these years.

Still got it, without a doubt. The Valiant had been his first posting, back when he was still a lowly ensign, to be offered the command of her had been…it rankled with him a bit that he might one day have to pass the big chair of this ship, his ship, on to some other pony, but on the other hand…he wouldn’t want to have to preside over sending her to the breakers either. The old girl deserved a lot more years to come. Maybe even more years than he could give her.

The door to his ready room slid open with a hydraulic hiss, and Plasma seated himself at his ebony desk. He felt the old wood beneath his fingertips for a moment as he raised the screen to his console, briefly seeing his face reflected there: a coat of amber-brown, a little younger-seeming than his years but not by much, average looking, but handsome enough that no one called him ugly.

The reflection vanished as he tapped a couple of buttons and brought up the Starfleet insignia upon the screen.

The insignia vanished with a chime, replaced by the image of Admiral Fisher from HQ.

“Admiral,” Plasma said.

“Captain Plasma,” Fisher murmured. He seemed to staring slightly above Plasma’s head. “Is there something I should know?”

It occurred to Plasma that he was still wearing his party hat.

His smile held a degree of embarrassment as he took the thing off. “It’s the Valiant’s thirty-fifth birthday today, admiral. We were just wetting the lady’s head.”

“I see,” Fisher muttered. “You know they’re not living things, Plasma.”

“I think they’d be hurt to hear you say that, sir.”

Fisher rolled his eyes. “I didn’t actually call you up to wish your ship a happy birthday. I’m afraid I’ve got some new orders for you, Plasma.”

“You wouldn’t be afraid if they were good orders, sir.”

On the other side of the line, Fisher shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “This comes down from the very top. The Valiant is to engage and destroy the Princess Twilight Sparkle, effective immediately.”

For a moment sheer amazement robbed Plasma of the power of speech. He sat there, with his elbows resting on the hardwood, his jaw hanging open like an idiot. “I…did…this is a joke, right sir?”

Fisher looked apologetic. “I know this isn’t an easy thing to ask-“

“You mean it isn’t a joke?”

“If you weren’t the closest ship in range-“

“You’re being serious?”

“Plasma-“

“What in the actual-“

“Plasma!” Fisher barked. “That’s enough.”

“That’s enough,” Plasma repeated. “That’s enough? You’ve just asked me to…I want you to tell me what you’ve just asked me to do.”

“I’ve already given you your orders.”

“I know, sir, but with all due respect if I’m going to destroy a Starfleet vessel and take out an entire ship’s company of brother officers and crew I want to hear you say it in as many words.”

Fisher looked at him, sadly but firmly. “You are to intercept the Princess Twilight Sparkle and sink her. With all hands. I’m sending you’re her command overrides now, that way you can disable her capacity for resistance.”

“And I couldn’t use to that disable her and take her because?”

“Because this comes down from the very, very top,” Fisher said firmly. “You don’t like getting this order well guess what, I didn’t like getting this on my desk either. But I can’t call this off and neither can you. Destroy the Princess Twilight. No ifs, no buts, no maybes. From the top.”

Plasma’s eyebrows rose. “You mean…His Majesty ordered this?”

Fisher nodded.

Plasma felt as though the ground was falling away beneath him, plunging him into a deep dark hole from which there was no escape. His head began to spin. He had to lean back in his chair. “I…why?”

“Not my job to ask, certainly not yours,” Fisher said. “Just get it done, captain, and contact me when it’s all over. Best of luck.”

“Seriously, sir? Best of luck.”

“If it helps,” Fisher said. “They’re not really our people aboard the Twilight anyway. Fisher out.”

The screen went black, and then the Starfleet insignia re-appeared upon the screen.

Plasma shut the console with more force than it probably required. “With respect, admiral, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He sat there for a moment, staring without seeing, hearing the words over and over again like the repetitive humming of the Valiant’s engine. His eyes strayed, unconsciously but inevitably, pulled by invisible strings that were too old and too firm to be denied, to the felt board on the left-hand wall. It contained a mixture of pictures, old ships, old bases, old friends, but in the right hand corner was the oldest item present, the paper starting to yellow around the corners with age, a cutting from a newspaper.

Plasma got up and walked towards the board, in order to see the picture better, even though he had looked at it so often that he probably had it memorised. It depicted in pencil drawing all the ships of the Starfleet, or as many of them as would fit comfortably in the picture, all lined up in rows by class and type and division, arrayed as if for a grand review as though their galaxy-wide duties had spared them all to assemble in one place for the delight of onlookers: the heavy, armoured battleships, the nimble but hard-hitting battlecruisers, the cruisers and the frigates, the flotillas of destroyers and torpedo boats, all the different classes of ship, large and small, young or old, all presented before his eye. He could see the Valiant there, along with her five sisters of the Virtuous class: Virtuous, Valiant, Vigilant, Versatile, Vital. They were all grouped together near the front of the pack, by virtue of their size and their somewhat hybrid status. Plasma looked at her for a moment, his ship, his beautiful beloved ship, arrayed with all her sisters and her cousins in one grand, elite, powerful family.

A family that was now about to turn on one of its own, it seemed.

His gaze strayed to the words above the below the stirring image. ALL THE SHIPS OF THE STARFLEET NAVY, the headline said, THE GALAXY’S MOST FORMIDABLE FLEET!

The Imperial Star Fleet is strikingly depicted in this panorama drawn by the naval artist the article below the picture read. Which shows what the composition of the fleet will be when the immense programme of construction currently under-way has reached completion. Most of the vessels depicted here are already in service or nearing completion, and there is no doubt that the naval arm of Starfleet is the most formidable navy in the dimensional universe.

And so it went on, talking of battleships new and old and modernised, pointing out that the Repulse would be the galaxy’s largest man-of-war when she was built, an honour that she had possessed until the commissioning of the Grand Ruler and Queen Celestia super-dreadnought and battlecruiser respectively this year. The article talked of all the ships, and talked them up as well, but near the end of the article it struck a slightly different tone.

But of course we must never forget that a mighty armada is as nothing without the will to use it wisely and well. The glory of Starfleet is not in its superior ships, but in the valour and resolve of its officers and crew.

The words had stuck with him since he was a colt, staring wide-eyed at the picture of all the mighty ships. The next day he had cut out the picture and article, stuck it in his front pocket, and lied about his age to enlist in the fleet because he believed in those words. The Valiant and the Princess Twilight were both part of one grand family and if they weren’t then…then what separated them from the pirates, really?

He closed his eyes, and felt a diminished figure as he turned away from his ageing press-clipping, and pressed a button on his desk. “Number One, I’m afraid we’re going to have to cancel the party. We’ve got work to do.”

"Captain, we have a vessel approaching on an intercept course."

Rarity shifted her stance a little, resting one elbow on the arm of the captain's chair. She could feel the atmosphere in the round bridge subtly shift beneath the soft blue lighting. Everypony had become just that fraction more tense, more wary. She was no different.

Am I about to get my first taste of space combat?

"What kind of ship?" she asked. "Can you identify it?"

At her station to Rarity's right, Bridge Bunny tapped a few of the buttons on her console. "It's..." the young lieutenant couldn't keep the sigh of relief off her face. "It's the Valiant, captain, it's friendly."

The Valiant? Why? If Captain Plasma wants to give me new orders then why doesn't he just call? What was so important that he had to physically bring his ship over to mine?

"Hail them," Rarity said softly. "Let's find out what they want."

Bridge Bunny hit some more buttons. "Princess Twilight to Valiant are you recieving, over? Valiant, this is the Princess Twilight, please respond. Come in, Valiant, do you copy?"

"A communications malfunction could explain the apparent need for a physical rendez-vous," Fratello said, but the metallic voice of his robot body could not entirely conceal his skepticism at the prospect. "On the other hand, captain, it might be prudent to take defensive measures."

"Against a Starfleet ship?" Rarity asked. "That hardly seems necessary." Or at least I'd hate to think that it was.

She recalled that Fratello had suffered personally from Starfleet's collective desire to end his problem in the most final and absolute manner possible. She wasn't sure if that made his advice prudent or paranoid, but either way she could understand why he offered it.

"Bring up the Valiant on screen," she said.

There was a twinkling sound, and the viewscreen lit up with the image of the Valiant racing towards them - or it certainly seemed to Rarity's untutored idea that the other ship was racing - through the stars towards them. The angular shape of the other vessel, the way its hull tapered towards a point, made it seem a little like dagger poised to strike.

Now who's being paranoid? "Is it me or is the Valiant moving quite quickly?"

Midnight appeared on the other arm of Rarity's chair. "Judging by its rate of progress I estimate that the Valiant is moving at warp 3. Although she made warp 3.2 in trials, it has been ten years since the vessel's last refit. In consequence, the ability of the Valiant to make warp 3 is surprising and suggests considerable urgency."

"The Princess Twilight should be capable of warp four without straining the engine," Fratello mentioned.

Rarity nodded. She had no doubt that Twilight's engine design would be more than capable of outstripping something that was between ten and thirty-five years old (she wasn't quite sure what Midnight meant by a refit) and suffering all the accumulated wear and tear of those same years. Leaving aside her friend's genius, a new sewing machine would always perform better than one that was exhausted by use.

But she didn't want to run away. Apart from anything else, she had no proof that there was anything to run away from. There was a probably a perfectly good explanation for all of this, and if there was then Rarity would look foolish, to say the least, if she fled in terror at the Valiant's coming.

Emphasis on probably.

"Try and hail them again."

"This is the Princess Twilight Sparkle calling the GRS Valiant. If you are recieving this transmission, Valiant, please respond." Bridge Bunny waited for a moment. "Nothing, Captain."

"Keep trying," Rarity said. "Fratello, raise the shields."

"Aye aye, Captain," Fratello replied.

Rarity tapped a button on the arm of her chair. "Mister Wrench, can you please make sure the engines are ready to go; we need to make a quick getaway."

"No problem, Cap'n, this beauty will go from nought to blazing in the blink of an eye."

Rarity smiled. "I'm glad to hear it, Mister Wrench."

"Is something wrong, Cap'n?"

"I hope not, but one can't be too careful," Rarity replied, turning off the transmission.

"Shields up, Captain," Fratello said.

"Good," Rarity murmured. "How close is the Valiant now?"

"We are now within range of the Valiant's primary weapons," Midnight said. "She is still closing."

"Anything on the comm?"

"No, ma'am," Bridge Bunny said. "I'm still not getting a response."

"We are now in range of the Valiant's torpedoes," Midnight said. "Still closing."

"Should we charge the ion canon, Captain?" Fratello asked.

"No," Rarity said. "They haven't done anything aggressive yet, just strange. What is going on, here?"

"Valiant, do you copy? Valiant, please respond."

"We are now within range of the Valiant's secondary battery," Midnight announced. "Valiant's speed is decreasing. She is heaving to."

Rarity could see that perfectly well on the viewscreen monitor. The Starfleet battlecruiser was visibly slowing, even as its nose turned away from the Princess Twilight so that the ship was presenting its port flank to Rarity's vessel as its speed decreased. Rarity could see the thrusters firing on the bow of the Valiant to slow her speed and, after a slow and somewhat labourious seeming process, bring her to what was more or less a complete stop.

"Where is she in relation to us?" Rarity asked.

"Battlecruiser Valiant is directly off our bow," Midnight replied.

"Captain-" Fratello began.

"I am aware, thank you," Rarity said, because she could see the Valiant's two main turrets pointed straight at them on the viewscreen as well as anyone could.
Fratello said nothing else. Neither did Midnight, or Bridge Bunny, or any of other half-dozen ponies on the bridge who didn't really seem to have much of a purpose whatsoever. They all just sat there, at their stations, staring down the barrels of the Valiant's long guns and hoping that the shields on the Princess Twilight were all they were cracked up to be.

Rarity jumped when the silence was broken by a beeping sound from Bridge Bunny's console.

"Captain...we're being hailed by the Valiant!"

Rarity could barely restrain from breathing a sigh of relief. "Let's hear it."

Captain Plasma's voice came through the speaker sounding...strangely heavy, maybe even reluctant. "Captain Rarity...in the name of His Majesty the Grand Ruler I demand that you lower your shields and surrender your vessel."

Rarity's eyes widened and she boggled in spite of herself. "Excuse me?"

Plasma continued as though she hadn't spoken. "I will send a prize crew across to take your ship under control, you and your fellow officers will be confined to quarters and we will proceed in company back to Neighfolk Yard to get this mess sorted out."

Rarity made a sound that was part scoff, part gasp, part laugh of sheer incredulity. She leaned back in her chair. "That...that is certainly a generous offer, captain. Dare I ask what will happen if I refuse?"

"Then I will have no choice but to follow my orders and destroy your ship with all hands," Plasma replied gruffly.

Bridge Bunny gasped.

"Destroy?" Rarity cried. "Your orders? What orders?"

"I don't know what you or your crew did or who you annoyed badly enough to get His Majesty to put a mark on all your foreheads," Plasma said. "But trust me when I say that your best chance is to surrender your vessel, let me take you home in one piece and see what all this is about back on shore."

Rarity clasped her hands together in her lap in an attempt to control their trembling. Strangely - strange to her, anyway - she did not feel afraid. She wasn't terrified out of her wits for her life by the knowledge that somebody had ordered her killed. No, she was not afraid.

She was furious. Somebody was trying to kill her! Somebody was trying to kill her! No, scratch that, somebody wasn't trying to kill her, Plasma had already given away exactly where this was coming from! That smug, self-righteous, bullying upstart! Wasn't it enough that he had ruined their lives without deciding to go the whole hog and take hers as well.

A twinge of fear, like ice cold water poured upon a flame, trickled down Rarity's spine and chilled the ardour of her rage. Her friends. None of them had a spaceship to protect them, none of them had Twilight's shield to keep them same from Starfleet's canons, they...they were each of them alone, and in most cases surrounded by foes. Fluttershy, trapped in the den of that brute beast...what would he do to her upon the Grand Ruler's command?

Unless she was the only one that he...it was possible, but hardly seemed likely. Their strength, their glory, had always lain in their togetherness, their fortunes bound as one around the heart of dear, sweet Twilight. Would they not, should they not, then be eliminated as one at one stroke by him who wished them gone, while they were each alone and helpless?

At the very least she could not discount it. She had to go home, she had to find them, and dear Spikey Wikey too, she had to make sure they were okay...but not as a prisoner, confined to her quarters while other ponies steered her ship and dragged her out to...to what? Snap her neck on the docking platform? Shred her body with the uniforce the way that...

Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had be calm now, in spite of everything that was going on. She had to be as ice in the face of danger, the way that Twilight always had been. If she lost her head now...her friends might lose everything.

"Let me see if I understand you, captain," she forced the words out of her mouth in an even, almost gentle tone. "You've been ordered to destroy this ship, you admit that freely. But you're offering me a chance to surrender instead and all I have to do is lower my shields?"

"I'm not in the habit of blowing up ships that have struck their colours, Captain Rarity," Plasma growled. "I am an officer of the fleet, and I give you my word that if you surrender I will see you safely brought in to Neighfolk."

"Where the people who ordered us dead are waiting?" Rarity asked. "A generous offer indeed. Can we have time to think it over?"

Plasma hesitated. "Three minutes. If you do not reply within that time I will destroy you."

Rarity motioned with one hand for Bridge Bunny to cut the transmission. "Thoughts, anyone?"

"Are they really going to kill us?" Bridge Bunny demanded. "Why would anybody want to kill us?"

Because I'm your captain, Rarity thought, but did not say. Dared not say, for all that she felt like a coward. But if the crew thought that...if they decided to turn her in to save themselves, then...she needed a ship to get home and find her friends, and she needed a crew to man the ship and that meant that she needed this crew to stand foursquare behind her, at least for now.

And besides, she had no actual proof that she was the one the Grand Ruler was really after, and nothing really besides a degree of arrogance to lead her to that conclusion.
Arrogance...and the balance of probability.

"I don't particularly want to die again," Fratello muttered. "It's happened one and a half times already and neither was a particularly pleasant experience."

"But..." Bridge Bunny stammered. "But if we surrender, we'll get trials, right? And then they'll see that we're innocent of...of whatever it was they think we did."

"Only if the evidence isn't overwhelming," said one of the other officers.

"How can the evidence be overwhelming when we haven't done anything?" Bridge Bunny demanded.

"You can ask your cellmate when you get to Conva. If any of us get to Conva."

"You mean that they...that we..." Bridge Bunny looked as though she was going to faint. "What are we going to do, Captain."

"I think..." Rarity murmured. "I think that we should run. We evade the Valiant, head home and find out what's going on from somewhere other than the inside of our quarters or a cell. And find my friends, if...no, don't say that, don't think that.

They're okay, they have to be okay.

I hope they're okay.

"I..." Bridge Bunny was still breathing heavily, but she looked to be calming down at the same time. "That...that sounds like a plan, let's do that."

"I concur, it is probably our best option," Fratello said.

"I calculate a higher probability of likely survival than any other reasonable course," Midnight chimed in.

"I'm so glad to have your confidence," Rarity murmured. "Hail the Valiant."
"Hail...hailing frequencies open, Captain."

"Captain Plasma, I'm sorry to inform you that we will not surrender-" Rarity said.

And then all the lights went out.

The sudden plunge into darkness lasted only a moment before the light returned...but dimmer than it was before, a softer blue that made it a little make out details.

"What was that?" Rarity demanded.

Midnight's image had disappeared from the projector. Now she reappeared, seeming a little more obviously pixellated than she had been previously. "Main power has been completely disabled throughout the whole ship. Emergency backups for essential functions such as life-support, gravity and AI maintennance have now kicked in."
Oh, no. "What about the shields? Are the shields still up?"

Midnight was silent for a moment. "Shields are down."

Bridge Bunny squeaked in horror.

I've killed them. I've killed everyone.

"How?" Rarity managed to spit out the word. "Did the Valiant do this?"

"If Plasma had recieved our command overrides he could control ship functions remotely," Fratello said.

"Can you lock him out, take back control?"

"It may be possible, but it will take some time."

"Do it!" Rarity yelled, even though they didn't have time, even though they had mere moments at most, even though it was a miracle the Valiant hadn't fired already. "Midnight, help however you can."

"Aye aye, captain," Midnight said.

Rarity fought against the urge to close her eyes, to flinch away. She waited.

And waited.

And all the while Fratello worked, and Midnight too; and all the while...the blow fell not.

"All systems on the Twilight disabled," said Number One. "We are ready to fire on your command."

Don't sound so pleased, commander, what we do is monstrous. Plasma thought. Nevertheless, monstrous or not, orders were orders. They had been given. They would be obeyed.

He raised his hand and prepared to give the command...the command to destroy another Starfleet vessel.

He raised his hand...but did not lower it again. Nor did he speak a word. It was as if some spirit was holding him fast and stopping up his mouth.

Captain Plasma had always believed - naively, perhaps, but no less heartfelt for it - the fleet arm to be the superior service. The clean service. The free-from-political-skullduggery service. One heard all sorts of stories about the groundpounders, of course: officers falling out of favour with dizzying speed, disappearing in the dead of night, being erased from the records as though they never existed because they had said something, done something, stepped over a line they hadn't known was there. He hadn't wanted to believe the worst of those tales, but...there had been too many to disbelieve all of them. But all of them focussed on the ground branch, on the poor benighted knuckledraggers toiling across planets who never lifted up their eyes to the glory of the stars and so...and so he had considered it, well, beneath him. It did not touch the fleet. It did not tarnish the honour of their noble cause and purpose up in space. They were the higher service, the senior service, untainted by the games the ambitious officers who thronged about HQ and court alike might play upon the ground. They were a family, a band of brothers. They had hearts of titanium alloy.
Now that he saw it was not so...he felt only a deep, dark well of disappointment within him and if he gave the command to fire on the Twilight...then he would have irrevocably betrayed everything that he had dedicated his life to.

"Captain?" said Number One. "Captain, the guns are awaiting your command."
Plasma's hands curled into fists.

"All guns are to hold fire," he said.

"They're...they're not shooting," Bridge Bunny murmured. "W-why aren't they shooting?"

"I don't know, dear, but if they've forgotten how I'm not going to remind them," Rarity said. "Fratello, what's happening?"

Fratello was typing feverishly into his console, the clicking and clacking of the keys mingling with the whirring of his joints and circuits. "Almost done."

"Hurry now, darling, before they remember that they're supposed to be trying to kill us."

"Working on it," Midnight said. Under her breath, she continued. "I'd like to see you try and re-route five firewalls and calculate several million lines of complex calculations under pressure of..." After a while, Rarity started tuning her out.

What are you thinking, over there? Are you really as reluctant as you sounded?

Or are you just trying to make me sweat a little.

If so, you'll regret it.

I hope.

Rarity pressed the intercom. "Mister Wrench, once power is restored how long will it take for everything to...warm up again, or what have you?"

"Warm up?" Monkey Wrench sounded incredulous. "Did you not hear what I said about nought to blazes, cap'n? Once we get our ship back I can give you the whole shebang in ten seconds flat if you need it."

"Thank you, Twilight," Rarity murmured. "Mister Wrench, I think I can say for certain that we need it. Stand by. Fratello?"

"Almost...done, captain, control is restored and the command overrides have been changed."

"Shields up, charge the ion canon!" Rarity yelled.

Fratello's metallic hands moved with the swiftness of a racing pegasus. "Ion canon charged and target locked on the Valiant."

I'm sorry that I can't pay you back in kind, Captain Plasma, but I can't take the risk you'd regret your mercy. Rarity rose from her seat and flung her hand outwards dramatically. "Fire!"

Fratello hit the big red button.

On the viewscreen, Rarity watched as a massive burst of bright white light erupted from the nose of the Twilight and out into the blackness of space. It covered the distance to the Valiant before the other ship had time to react, engulfing it in what looked almost like a lightning storm that crackled up and down the grey metallic hull as all the lights on the ship went out. The Valiant lurched in place, like a boat bobbing on a storm tossed sea, and though a few lights returned when the lightning faded, it was still obvious even to Rarity's untrained eye that the ship was beginning to drift.

"They will be alright, won't they?" she asked.

"Auxiliary power seems to have kicked in already," Midnight said. "But weapons, engines and communications will be disabled for some time."

"Good," Rarity said. It wouldn't do to repay the Valiant's mercy by killing them, after all. "Now get us out of here, maximum speed."

"Where to, ma'am?"

"Home, lieutenant," Rarity said, as the Twilight swooped over the fallen Valiant and began to accelerate away. "We need to find out just what's going on."

And how my friends are faring amidst it all

Author's Note

This scene was one of the earliest in my mind when I came up with this story: Rarity, in command of a ship, when another Starfleet ship comes along and tries to blow her up. The details varied, but the core remained.

Next time we get back to Twilight and New Canterlot in a chapter that has been started already, but will probably take a while to finish due to how much stuff there is in the chapter plan.

Liberty

Professor Brain stood in the antechamber and leaned upon his walking stick, paying very little attention to Captain Shaina where she stood guard upon the throne room doors.

He was too concerned with his own fate to pay much notice to other ponies.

He did, however, notice that he was not alone in waiting for what was, in military parlance, known as an ‘interview without coffee’ and what was more commonly known amongst the general populace as a thorough bollocking. One which he might not survive with his liberty intact, depending on just how upset His Majesty was.

That he was upset about something had been clear from the peremptory tone of his summons to Brain.

The other unfortunate waiting to be called out on the carpet for some perceived error was wearing the uniform of an admiral of the fleet branch. Brain didn’t know the fellow’s name, nor did he ask for it, he had much better things to do.

Like wondering if, in addition to finding someone in his own science branch to shovel the blame onto for…well, for whatever it was that His Majesty was angry about, he might also use the presence of this navy fellow to deflect the Grand Ruler’s anger completely away from him and onto the admiral.

If he could manage that, then he might actually survive this encounter.

He gripped the handle of his walking stick tight, and hoped that his face appeared calm for anyone who might be watching. Certainly he didn’t want to look as nervous as the admiral, who was tugging at his collar as he paced up and down in apprehension.

Brain might have felt sorry for him if his own troubles had not been so immediate.

What did I do? What could I possibly have done?

Is it the Sentinels? Could they possibly have failed in their mission? No, no that isn’t possible at all. Sentinel Two is my finest creation, the ultimate pony warrior. And as for Sentinel Three…she should be almost as capable as he is. There’s no way some punch-drunk party pony and some zebra savages would possibly be able to best them! Impossible!

So what else have I done that His Majesty might be displeased with?

Brain’s search through his memory was interrupted by the sound of Captain Emerald Shaina’s voice. “You can both go through now. His Majesty is ready to receive you.”

Was that…was that pity in the captain’s voice? Did she know something that he didn’t? Did she know what Brain had done to cast His Majesty into high dudgeon? It took all of the professor’s self-control not to fall on his knees and beg the captain to tell him everything and tell him quick, so that he could come up with an excuse and decide who to throw under a bus for whatever had gone wrong. He almost did…but his will was just sufficiently strong to maintain his dignity, as he made sure to follow the admiral – always go in first into a meeting where there is credit to be claimed, for the lion’s share will fall on you; contrariwise, always go last into a room where blame is to be assigned, that way you will suffer the least of it, that was something he had learned during his training and it was a lesson as valuable as any scientific principle that had been drilled into his mind – through the now-open doorway and into the throne room.

He thought he heard Captain Shaina wish him good luck as the doors closed behind him.

Brain fidgeted with his stick as he and the admiral halted in front of the dais where His Majesty the Grand Ruler sat upon his throne, with one leg crossed upon his knee, playing a mournful refrain upon his harp.

Brain cast a glance at the admiral, and saw that the fellow was wearing his dress uniform, with braid and medals galore across his chest.

Should I have dressed for the occasion?

The Grand Ruler did not acknowledge them. He did not even seem to notice that they were there. He just kept on playing his harp, and staring off into the middle distance, as though he was in utter ignorance not only as to their presence but as to their very existence.

Brain wasn’t especially keen to draw attention to himself.

The two of them knelt, Brain winced a little at the pain in his knees, and he noticed that the throne room was nearly completely devoid of occupants. There were no guards. There were no courtiers, no attendants. No one was keeping records of this meeting. The only pony present besides himself, the admiral and of course His Majesty was Colonel Starlight Glimmer of the Intelligence. Her mere presence here in this meeting was not a good sign. The fact that she was looking grim, glowering down at him with her arms folded across her chest, was an especially bad sign.

Brain felt a surge of irritation at the idea that his destiny might be decided by a lowly unicorn, but he suppressed it quickly before it could show on his face or in his bearing. Pride would do him no good here.

They waited, in silence save for the mournful strains of the Grand Ruler’s harp. They waited…and waited…and waited. Brain could feel the sweat building on his face nearly as quickly as the pain was growing in his old and aching knees. Yet he did not speak. This was a game that His Majesty was playing with them, and whoever spoke first would lose. It would not be him.

After several minutes had passed, the nerve of the admiral snapped and he cleared his throat. “You…you summoned us, Majesty?”

The Grand Ruler’s song finished, the sound of the music echoed about the room for a moment, and then faded into silence.

“Yes, Admiral Fisher, I did summon you here. How astute of you to notice,” the Grand Ruler said, with sarcasm dripping from his every word. “I suppose with your keen powers of observation, you have already realised why I summoned you.”

Admiral Fisher seemed to lose his tongue for a moment, before amidst the sound of much gulping he appeared to find it again. “The Princess Twilight-“

“The Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the Grand Ruler repeated. “A ship I ordered you to destroy with all hands. Most especially…” he paused for a moment. “Tell me, Admiral Fisher, why is this ship still intact?”

Admiral Fisher cringed. “Your Majesty was sent the report from the-“

“I read the report from the Valiant,” the Grand Ruler said, as he rose to his feet and began to descend from the royal dais in heavy steps, with his sparkling crimson cloak flowing behind him as he bore down upon them like the spectre of death itself. His shadow grew over the two ponies grovelling before him. “I was hoping that you could clarify some details that were missing from that report. Such as how that ship escaped when the Valiant had the capacity to disable all its systems.”

“I…I don’t know, Majesty.”

The Grand Ruler’s foot lashed out, striking Admiral Fisher on the nose. There was a crunching sound and a spray of blood as the admiral was flipped backwards to land with a heavy thump on his back on the red throne room carpet. He lay almost still, with one hand pressed against his profusely-bleeding nose, making very little noise, almost certainly hoping that was the last of it.

The Grand Ruler walked briskly forward to stand over the admiral. “You selected the Valiant for this assignment did you not?”

“There were only a few ships in the area, Majesty, and only the Valiant had-“

The Grand Ruler grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and lifted him bodily up into the air until their eyes were level. Judging by slight choking sounds the admiral was making, the Grand Ruler was gripping his throat a little too tight.

“Captain Plasma is either incompetent or a traitor for failing to accomplish his task,” the Grand Ruler said. “Which means that you are either incompetent or a traitor for selecting him for this mission. Which is it, Admiral Fisher?”

Fisher squirmed in the Grand Ruler’s grasp, but said nothing.

The Grand Ruler looked at the medals and ribbons his chest, and his lip curled into a sneer. “All these decorations? Did you think to wear them as armour, Admiral? Did you think that your past service would excuse your presence disloyalty?”

“Please…” Fisher gasped. “Please, Your Majesty…I am…I have always been a most faithful…”

“If you are such a good servant then why has the Princess Twilight not been destroyed?” the Grand Ruler demanded. “Why is Rarity still alive?”

“I don’t…Captain…Majesty, I…I’m so sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” the Grand Ruler repeated incredulously. “You’re sorry? Oh, well in that case.” There was a snapping sound as the Grand Ruler threw Admiral Fisher across the room. He landed on the floor with a hard thud and bounced and rolled before he settled, quite obviously dead, not far from the door in a tangle of arms and legs. His neck had been snapped.

“Apology accepted, Admiral Fisher,” the Grand Ruler snarled contemptuously as he turned away from the dead body. “Colonel, where is the Valiant now?”

If Colonel Glimmer was discomforted by a dead body on the floor she gave no sign of it. “On her way back to Neighfolk, Majesty.”

“When she docks I want Captain Plasma arrested for mutiny and high treason,” the Grand Ruler said. “The evidence is so overwhelming as to abrogate the need for a trial.”

“Very good, Your Majesty,” Colonel Glimmer murmured. “And the penalty?”

The Grand Ruler looked at her.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” she said. “It will be death.”

“Thank you, Colonel,” muttered His Majesty. “It is good to know that I have yet one servant on whom I can rely absolutely.”

Colonel Glimmer bowed her head. “Your Majesty’s faith does me great honour.”

The Grand Ruler nodded. “And as for you, good old Professor Brain. Why do you think that you are here?”

Brain’s voice, when it emerged, did so as a high pitched squeak. “I’m not-“

The Grand Ruler’s face was contorted with an expression of contempt. “Get up, you old fool. Get up, and I will enlighten you as to the reason for your presence here.”

Brain gulped, and glanced towards the dead body of the late Admiral Fisher.

The Grand Ruler laughed. “Officers, professor, are the most plentiful commodity in Starfleet. Armour, weapons, ships, all these things cost money to produce, but I can make admirals and generals practically out of nothing.” He snapped his fingers. “Colonel Glimmer, who is the most senior captain with the Home Fleet?”

“Captain Piett of the Executor, Majesty.”

The Grand Ruler paused. “Executor.”

“Majesty?”

“It is pronounced Executor, as in somebody who performs executions, Colonel, not executor as in someone who administers wills,” the Grand Ruler said. “But what of that. Captain Piett shall become Admiral Piett, and take the desk of poor Admiral Fisher. And so, voila, nothing of value was lost. But you, Professor Brain…I will not kill you. Not yet, at any road, not while I have a use for that…brain of yours.” He chuckled at his own wit. “Up, up, on your feet!”

Brain grimaced against the pain as he levered himself up onto his feet again. “Majesty, may I most humbly inquire as to how I have displeased you.”

The central horn of the holy trio that crowned the Grand Ruler’s head, his golden marks of favour from the gods, glowed with a pale ethereal light as a blue hologram appeared in the centre of the room. Brain remembered the scene well, it was when His Majesty had complained about the coldness of his wife, and asked if it might be possible for him – Profess Brain, that is – to create a clone of her. And after that…

After that I suggested that the Sentinels might be used to kill…impossible! Something cannot have gone wrong! My creations against that empty headed… he thought of Pinkie Pie bouncing around his laboratory like it was a play room, making her ridiculously bad jokes, behaving like an infant…it was impossible that the likes of her could have bested his clones, impossible!

But then why am I hear, being shown this?

The people in the hologram began to talk.

"If I may, Your Majesty, I have a notion as to we may field test the new Sentinels, prior to entering into mass production," Brain said.

"Indeed?"

"No," Grand Ruler said. "I mean to kill them all. I did not get the chance to order Twilight's death, I shall content myself with her friends. And, with their heroes gone, the Equestrian identity will suffer another blow."

"Quite so, Majesty, an excellent stratagem," Brain said. "Might I suggest that the Sentinels would be a tool to do the deed. A test of their effectiveness, as it were."

Grand Ruler considered the idea. "I had meant to use a special forces unit to destroy not only Pinkie Pie but the Queen of Zebrica. I may use your Sentinels instead, when they are ready. In fact I shall, provided they are ready soon."

"Oh, they will be, Your Majesty. I guarantee that they will be," Brain said.

The holographic image faded as the light went out from the Grand Ruler’s horn. His Majesty himself turned away from Brain, leaving the professor staring at the sparkling cape of blood red, which colour seemed to mock him now.

“You begged the honour on behalf of your soldiers,” the Grand Ruler said softly. “Your Sentinels, which you claimed to me would be the future of Starfleet, were to eliminated Pinkie Pie and in so doing prove their worth.”

Brain swallowed hard. “Majesty-“

The Grand Ruler whirled to face Brain so that he could roar like a manticore into his face. “PINKIE PIE LIVES! Your elite, your special creations, the future of Starfleet, your warriors without compare, have been bested by an infantile party pony and her retard sister!” What do you have to say for yourself?”

Brain made no move to wipe the spittle from off his face. He didn’t dare to do so. “I…Your Majesty, I confess that I…I have no contact with the Sentinels I do not know what might have gone wrong. I am sure that they will return and-“

“You’d better hope so,” Colonel Glimmer muttered. “We’d all better hope so.”

The Grand Ruler sighed. “Indeed, that is the other matter of which you appear to be unaware, professor. Colonel Glimmer, show him.”

Starlight descended from her place by the side of the throne, and as she descended with her face still set in a grim expression she pulled a handheld device from out of her jacket and pressed a couple of buttons upon it. She thrust it practically into Brain’s face. “This is a video taken from the security camera in a hardware store.”

Brain looked…and then his eyes widened in shock behind his spectacles. There, right beneath the camera, was Sentinel Three lying on the floor, attended by the other sentinels. She looked…she looked as though she’d been wounded somehow…

“Don’t worry, she got better,” Colonel Glimmer said sharply. She pressed a button on the pad, and another video popped. “This came from someone’s phone.”

This time, the video showed an unmistakable – to him, anyway – Sentinel Three, face only half concealed behind a hoodie, standing on a street corner keeping watch.

“There are a half dozen more videos just like these, in locations making a direct trail for New Canterlot.”

“Well, that is some good news anyway,” Brain stammered. “She’s alive, and she’s coming home-“

“She’s been seen!” Colonel Glimmer snarled, grabbing him by the collar of his white lab coat and shaking him like a rat in the mouth of a mastiff. “You cloned Twilight, you stupid idiot, and then you let her out where people could see her! People are already starting to talk about this and they’re only going to talk louder the more people catch a glimpse of Twilight 2.0. What were you thinking?”

“Calm yourself, Colonel, everything that the professor has done in creating Sentinel Three was done with my express authorisation,” the Grand Ruler said softly.

Colonel Glimmer retreated back a step. “I understand, Your Majesty…but…may I ask for what purpose-“

“Partly, I confess, the irony appealed to me,” the Grand Ruler replied. “Twilight had strongly disapproved of the Sentinel program, so to make her a part of it after death pleased my humour. More to the point, however, I thought that…if Twilight could somehow return from death purified of her weaknesses, and make strong endorsement of Starfleet’s superior values then…it would go a long way towards easing discontent with my rule.”

Glimmer was silent for a moment. “That…may have worked, Majesty, but I fear the impact will be a little diluted now. And, unfortunately, in the absence of any such statement from this new Twilight.”

“Her name is Sentinel Three,” Brain said peevishly. “She has Twilight’s DNA but she is not Twilight Sparkle. She is a puppet, nothing more.”

“A silent puppet,” Colonel Glimmer said. “And so ponies have already started putting their words into her mouth, taking her as an avatar for their hopes.”

“Seditious hopes?” the Grand Ruler asked.

Colonel Glimmer shrugged. “Twilight Sparkle was the most prominent Equestrian in Your Majesty’s administration, more prominent even than the Queen. She was well loved and…since her passing the influence of Starfleet has only grown. There are some who are tempted to say – quietly – that Twilight Sparkle would have prevented whatever misery they complain of today, if she had lived. And now…they see her reborn, as they think, and they tell each other that she has returned to set the world to rights.”

“To rights?” the Grand Ruler yelled. “I have set this world to rights! I, with my power, have brought order where once there was only chaos, strength where there was only weakness, pride were there was only harmony, I did these things, me! With my own hands, and my own power!”

Colonel Glimmer bowed her head. “Of course you did, Your Majesty, I merely report what fools and traitors say. It is, after all, my job to know what they are thinking.”

The Grand Ruler frowned. “Can these malicious rumours be stopped?”

Colonel Glimmer paused. “We are fortunate that Starfleet Magic-“

“Speak not of that show to me,” the Grand Ruler groaned. “Ever since the new writer took over it has become nothing but a hotbed of heresy and sedition.”

“Indeed, Majesty, but we are very fortunate that the new season has introduced two clones of Twilight already. I have people spreading the idea that these ‘sightings’ are a publicity stunt for the show, I have people working to meme her as ‘Belle Amie’, I…I am doing what I can to control the damage, but I fear it will come to nothing if Twi- if Sentinel Three is not brought under control, and soon.”

“Do you hear that, professor?” the Grand Ruler demanded. “You need to up your game, because so far your pet project has proven nothing but an embarrassment and a liability. Do you understand? You need to up your game.”

Brain bowed his head. “Yes, Your Majesty, I quite understand.”

“Get a grip, Professor,” the Grand Ruler growled. “And get out of my sight.”

Brain didn’t need telling twice to scuttle from the room as fast as his old legs would carry him.

"So...you know what to do?" Charlie asked for the sixth time.

For the sixth time, Twilight answered, with a slight laugh in her voice. "Get to a terminal, deactivate your chips, come on Charlie I came up with this."

Charlie nodded. "Right. Yeah, right. Remember, I'm right on the other end of your earpiece, so just cough and I'll talk you through whatever you need."

"You don't think I can do it?" Twilight asked.

"Well, you did kind of screw up the first mission and nearly get yourself killed," Bravo remarked from where she sat with her back against the wall of the incomplete building, not far from the palace, in which they were hiding.

"That was...different," Twilight said. "Twilight's memories...my memories...they won't get in my way this time."

"Yeah? Whatever you say, princess." Bravo smirked at her for a moment, then put her earphones in and started playing some more of her Z-Pop; clearly she wasn't interested in hearing any more.

Two folded his arms across his chest. He was standing up, looking down on Twilight. "You sure you're up for this? You're going to be in there alone, without backup."

"We talked about this," Twilight said. "None of you can come in until after I've disabled your kill switches. Otherwise..."

"Heads go boom," Alpha said.

"Not precisely, but close enough," Twilight muttered. "I can do this. Trust me."

Two didn't look particularly reassured. "Okay...but just yell on the comm if you get into trouble, and the cavalry will come running."

Twilight smiled. "Okay."

Delta ran a whetstone across one of his axes. "You know, when all this is over we should really think about giving ourselves proper names."

"Speak for yourself, I have a proper name," Alpha declared.

"You want to be called One Alpha for the rest of your life?"

"Alpha would be fine," Alpha replied. "Makes me sound cool. Makes me sound elite."

"Having a cool name doesn't make you cool and it certainly doesn't make you elite," Twilight said.

Alpha looked sceptical. "Did your friend Rainbow Dash teach you that, Twilight?"

Twilight ignored the slight edge in Alpha's voice when she mentioned her name. The other clones...they weren't quite comfortable with it. They didn't really get it, even though she'd tried to explain it to them. It was like...like they were waiting for her to realise that she wasn't Twilight, and she never had been.

It didn't matter. She was Twilight, and even if the other Sentinels didn't accept that, her friends would.

"What does everyone think about Boulder?" Delta asked.

Two frowned. "As what?"

"As a name, for me."

"I think it sounds stupid," Two said flatly.

"Why 'Boulder'?" asked Alpha.

Delta shrugged. "Well...once we're free, we're going to meet up with...Twilight's friends, aren't we?"

"That's the plan, yeah," said Twilight. Her friends would help her, she was certain of it. They would...well, they would shelter her, and the other clones, until they could work out what to do next.

"Like the pink one, and her sister."

"Pinkie and Maud," Twilight corrected. "I suppose so." She frowned. "What does this have to do with the name Boulder?"

Delta shrugged again, he seemed to be trying too hard to appear insouciant. "I...I thought she might like rock names...based on what you've said."

"Pinkie?"

"No, not her! The other sister!" Delta said.

Twilight's eyebrows rose. "You...you like Maud?"

"Well, I don't know, that's why I asked you what love felt like and you gave me a stupid answer about knowing it when I feel it," Delta snapped. "I tell you what I felt, I felt the punch that knocked me cold; and you have to like a cutie with a hook like that."

"Someone, please, kill me now," Alpha muttered.

Twilight rose to her feet. "I should get going."

"Yeah," Two muttered. "And...listen, if this is goodbye-"

"Goodbye?" Twilight asked. "This isn't goodbye, why would you say that?"

Two shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. "When this is over...you're going to have Twilight's life. You said it yourself. Her life, her friends, her family. How is Princess Twilight Sparkle going to have room in life for a bunch of defective super soldiers?"

Twilight smiled as she put one hand on his shoulder, and squeezed in affectionately. "If there's one thing that Twilight's memories can teach me, it's that there is always room for new friends. You saved my life. All of you saved my life. I couldn't forget that. I won't forget that. Whatever the future holds, it has a place for you, I promise."

Two looked, not entirely convinced, but at least somewhat relieved. "Okay. So...I guess...good luck out there."

"Thanks," she said. "Hopefully I won't need it."

Getting into the lab was easy. She simply walked right in as though nothing had happened.

She did not feel afraid. She wouldn't allow herself to feel afraid. She was Twilight Sparkle, she was a lioness, she had faced down gods and monsters - she remembered all of them! - and so she forced herself to feel no fear as she strode into the place of her birth as though it was her home.

It was my home, before I remembered who I was. It was my home...until I found something better.

No one stopped her. No one so much as gainsaid her. No one even tried to interfere with her work as she sat down at one of the consoles in the laboratory.

"Okay," she heard Charlie's voice through her communicator. "Now you want to-"

"I know what I'm doing," she whispered, as she began to search through the command pathways looking for a way to harmlessly disable the chips in the heads of her...her friends. Yes, they were her friends, just as she had said to Two. They had not known each so long, or done so much as Twilight's real friends...but they had saved her life, and that counted for a lot. She wouldn't leave them behind.

Twilight's fingers moved across the keyboard, searching through files and directories, breaking through firewalls, searching, searching. And through it all nobody - nopony - did a thing to stop her. The other scientists, it was as though they were too perturbed, frightened evey by her presence to do anything to stop her from doing anything she liked. They just stood there, on the opposite side of the room, whispering in consternation but not daring to interfere.

That was good. She didn't want to hurt them. Twilight wouldn't want to hurt anyone unless she had to. But the alternative...she wouldn't leave her friends with a death sentence hanging over their heads.

Death sentence...Pinkie!

They had been ordered to kill her. Stupid! Stupid Twilight how could you be so...if the Sentinels had been ordered to take out Pinkie Pie then it meant that somebody wanted Pinkie Pie dead and maybe...maybe...

Twilight's fingers flew across the keyboard, making a sound like rain hammering down upon the roof as she searched for something, anything that would confirm...

NAME: Pinkamena Diane Pie
RANK: Executive Captain
STATUS: Absent Without Leave

She's alive Twilight practically gasped. She's alive, she's still alive, they didn't...

She searched for another name.

NAME: Rainbow Dash
RANK: Executive Captain
STATUS: Present for Duty

"Twilight, how's it going?"

Charlie's voice interrupted both her thoughts and her search. She had a job to do, and ponies who were counting on her. Once she was done she could check on all her friends, but right now...right now she had to find that off switch.

"I'm working on it," she murmured, as she returned to the task at hand. Now, where was that-

"Sentinel Three!"

She glanced up, her fingers still dancing upon the keys laid out before her, to see that Professor Brain had returned - he had not been present when Twilight had first arrived - and he, at least, had the courage to challenge her presence in the laboratory.

He looked flustered, as though he had just had a great shock. He sounded more than irritated, too. Twilight remembered her past dealings with him: good old Professor Brain, so genial, so avuncular, such a charming, absent-minded professor. Even when she had caught him in the dubious experiments that had led to her creations - and didn't I tell him to shut this project down, come to think of it? - he had presented an air of grandfatherly patience and concern. Not so now. Not so at all.

Was he just wearing a mask this entire time, or has something simply annoyed him that much?

"Good morning, Professor," Twilight said, in a neutral tone. She wanted to give as little away as possible, not until she had completed her task. And I'm almost there.

"Sentinel Three!" Brain yelled again. His cane tapped on the laboratory floor as he advanced towards her. "Sentinel Three, report."

"What would you like a report on, Professor?" Twilight asked.

Brain looked as though he was about to choke on his own rage. "Where have you been?" he demanded. "Where are the other Sentinel units, why have you allowed yourself to be seen by civillians; why, Sentinel Three, did you fail in your mission? Why is your target still alive?"

"Zebra resistance was stronger than anticipated," Twilight murmured.

"Zebra...you were defeated stripeback savages?" Brain demanded incredulously. "You, the strongest soldiers in the galaxy, the pinnacle of science and technology, you tell me you were bested by barbarians and a worthless-"

"Pinkie isn't worthless," Twilight said sharply. "She's sweet and brave and she spreads joy wherever she goes. She's worth the whole pack of you."

Brain's eyes bulged as though they were about to pop out of his head. "I...you...where are the other Sentinels? What are you doing?"

Twilight ignored him. She kept on typing. She almost had it.

Brain scowled. "You will take no actions unless ordered by me. Cease your activities at once."

Twilight kept on working.

"I ordered you to cease your activities!" Brain yelled. "You will obey me! Obey!"

He still doesn't realise that my 'programming' didn't take, Twilight thought. He still thinks that I am wholly loyal to Starfleet, and to him.

He was never as smart as he thought he was.

Scowling, Brain reached for her; he was trying to grab her by the arm and wrench her bodily away from the keyboard, but Twilight grabbed his own arm by the wrist before he could touch her. She squeezed, squeezed so hard that he cried out in pain, a whine of agony escaping from his aged lips. When she released him, he staggered back from her and nearly tripped over his own walking stick.

“Sentinel Three! What are you doing?” he demanded.

Twilight looked him squarely in the face. Her voice was cold as steel. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. And I am free of you now.” She pressed the last button to safely deactivate the chips. “We’re all free of you now.”

There was a flash of blue light as Bravo teleported the other Sentinels in a tightly packed group into the groom. Delta had his axes out. Alpha had her crossbow loaded. Two cracked his knuckles loudly.

Brain’s eyes widened behind his round spectacles. “No…no! No, this cannot be! I created you! You would not exist without me! You…you are programmed to obey my commands!”

“You didn’t programme us with anything,” Two declared. “You screwed that part up, professor.”

“I was going to play along with you until I found my true purpose,” Twilight said, as she rose to her feet. “But you ordered to kill my friend…and besides, I know who I am now. I don’t need to take your orders any more.”

Two had a vicious smirk on his face as he bore down upon Brain. The aged professor tried to retreat backwards, but stumbled and fell onto the hard laboratory floor. The other scientists all seemed too frightened to help him up. His stick rolled away as he held up his hands to ward Two off.

“No! No, stay away! I created you! I can help you! Please…please, have mercy!”

Two picked him up by the neck and slammed him into the nearest wall. “I will not know fear. I will not know pain.” He thrust his face close into that of the terrified and whimpering Professor Brain. “I will not know mercy. I will be the ultimate weapon against evil.”

His hand clenched into a fist.

“Wait!” Twilight said. “Don’t hurt him. There’s no need for it.”

Two turned to stare at her, his brown eyes wide with disbelief. "What?"

"He doesn't have to die," Twilight said. "He can't hurt us any more."

Two's eyes continued to boggle at her as though she had just grown an extra head. "He bred us to do nothing more than fight and kill and die! Now you're saying that he doesn't deserve a taste of his own medicine?"

"Yes, you're right," Twilight said, ignoring the look of abject terror on the face of Professor Brain. "That is what we were created to do. We were made, not born, to be nothing more than soldiers. But we can be more. We can be so much more than they think we are, more than they made us to be. We can be...don't you see, we can be whatever we want! We can find our own path, forge our own destinies. But we have to start now. You have to start now, be letting him go. Because if you kill him...you only prove that you're as little as he thinks you are."

Two scowled, and it was so clear on his face that he didn't like the idea that Twilight was worried that he was going to hurt Brain anyway. But then he opened his palm, and let the aged professor slide down to the laboratory floor.

"You should thank her for your life," Two muttered. "Left to myself I wouldn't have been so merciful." When Brain did not respond for a moment he yelled, "Thank her!"

Brain whimpered unintelligibly, as a pool of yellow liquid began to leak out of his trousers.

"That's enough," Twilight said firmly. "He doesn't need to thank me, he doesn't need to say anything. He's nothing to us now."

Bravo smirked. Charlie looked nervous. Delta fingered his axe and said, "So I guess hurting any of the rest of this lot is out of the question then?"

"Yes," Twilight said firmly. She knelt down, so that she was looking into Brain's bespectacled green eyes. "We are free," she said. "I want you to understand that: we are free. If you come after us, if you try and cage us again, if you do anything other than leave us alone...I won't be so merciful again."

Brain didn't reply. He looked too shocked to be even capable of speech. But Twilight trusted that he'd got the message.

She stood up. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said, and smiled encouragingly. "The rest of our lives is waiting for us. Let's not keep it waiting."

Sunset's horn glowed with a pale green light as she unlocked her door.

Her quarters were secured by no ordinary lock; the secrets that she was hiding within this room were too important to be entrusted to any mere lock and key. Her door was shielded against attempts to break it down - they wouldn't hold up against a truly powerful attack, but if that happened she would have bigger problems to worry about - another spell would cause a ringing in her ears if anybody did break in, and the lock was further protected based on Buttercup's Occult sequence with - Sunset felt just a smidgeon of pride at this part - her own modifications so that even if there was a unicornicopian with the wit to recognise it they still wouldn't find it so easy to gain entry. And to top it all of none of this would be obvious to anyone except a skilled mage, of her own level or greater. To anypony else it was just an ordinary, unassuming palace door.

She cast the last spells - nopony was watching her, or she would have found a reason not to go in just yet - and waited as the door squeaked back upon its hinges, opening wide enough to admit her passage. She padded into the centre of the room, into the squares of light formed by the window, and closed the door behind her with a burst of telekinesis. All her defensive spells were charmed to reset automatically, without the need for her to cast them again ever single time.

Sunset frowned. Something...something didn't feel quite right in here. Something wasn't the same as when she'd left, it was...it was almost as if...

"Hey, Sunset."

Sunset's whole body froze in place as the hairs of her amber coat started to stand on end like a startled cat. What the...there's someone in here? How is there somepony in here? How did they get past my defences? You'd need to be as strong and skilled in magic as I am even to know that there were defences to get past, and even then I'd be alerted to...

Unless they also countered the spell to warn me about any break-ins.

Whoever they are, they're good.

Even as her body appeared as rooted the spot as any petrified victim of the cockatrice, Sunset's mind was whirring furiously. Who, who, that was the question. Neither Queen Celestia nor Princess Luna, though both of them had the power and skill to gain entry, would have any reason to lie in wait for her like this. With Twilight gone, there were no other...

Starlight Glimmer. The colonel seemed to prefer using her mastery of arts of backstabbing and boot-licking, but that didn't mean her skill at magic had gone or atrophied. If she had seriously set herself to the task, it wasn't improbable that she could breach Sunset's quarters. And Sunset couldn't think of anyone else who could pull this off.

It didn't sound exactly like her, but then who else? And who else would even want to do this?

"Aren't you going to say anything?" that voice, so familiar, sounded slightly peeved now. "Giving the silent treatment isn't very friendly. Or polite."

"Friendly," Sunset muttered. "What kind of friend breaks into the room of their friend and then hides in wait for them to give them a fright when they come in?"

"I'm in a position right now where I can't exactly wait outside," the other said. "Not that I would have had much choice if I weren't...well, me. Modifying Buttercup's occult sequence, that's...that's really impressive, Sunset. I'm not sure I would have dared to try it."

Sunset snorted. She felt a little less frightened now, a little more sure of herself. If this were some Starfleet assassin sent to make her disappear then she probably wouldn't be talking like this, and if she were a spy she would have tried not to reveal herself at all. Which meant, for all the unorthodox nature of her arrival, she was here to see Sunset. Whoever she was. "Listen, I don't know who you are-"

"Yes, you do," the other mare interrupted her. Sunset heard soft footsteps upon the carpet, and she felt her jaw dropping as...as she appeared into Sunset's view.

Twilight. Not Twilight as Sunset had known her, but Twilight as these space ponies had refashioned her, following the destruction of Equestria and the creation of this new united world. Twilight, with a body similar to that which she had worn in the world of men, similar to that which her counterpart still wore in that same world; similar, but different thanks to the pony head wedged somewhat unconvincingly onto the humanoid (bipedal, to those ponies who had never heard of humans) body like the clown in that old play Sunset had had to study for one of her classes back at Canterlot High. Everypony looked like this, and everypony looked weird like this to Sunset's eyes, but to see Twilight like this, transfigured in that same way, seeing this thing that Sunset had intellectually known to have taken place but had never emotionally imagined...it was weird and disconcerting to her eyes.

Though of course, as far as weird and disconcerting went the fact that Twilight was standing in front of her a year after she died had any other weirdness beat hollow right now.

No...no, it wasn't Twilight was dead. Sunset had arrived too late for the funeral, but she had seen the tears in the eyes of Twilight's friends, she felt the grief radiating out of Celestia like the rays of the sun, she had dreamed of Twilight dead and known in her heart that it was true. Twilight was gone. That was a fact. This...this was something else, something wearing Twilight's face, her form, it had to be. True, she or it was as skilled in magic as Twilight was, but...Twilight was dead, and nothing could return from death, no magic could defy it's grasp, that was one of nature's fundamental laws.

This was not possible.

And yet it stood before her.

"Hi," she said, and smiled, and it was such a Twilight smile, so shy and so adorable that Sunset wanted to break out in tears of joy, she wanted to wrap her friend in her hooves, she wanted to believe that this was real, with all her heart she wanted to believe it.

But her strong heart could not overrule her stronger intellect, that same intellect that told her this wasn't possible, that this was a trick or a trap or some kind of lie; that told her this was not true, could not be true...and in not being true, became instead something foul and wicked.

"What is this?" Sunset demanded hoarsely. "What are you?"

She looked uncertain. "What am I?" she chuckled. "Sunset, what are you saying? Don't you recognise me? It's me, it's Twilight-"

"Twilight's dead," Sunset snapped.

She blinked. Her expression was hesitant, then it became calm. "I...yes, that's very true, Sunset, I died. I died alone, in pain and agony and fear. But I'm back now. And I don't plan on going away again. Frankly, I was more surprised to find you here, I thought-"

"Don't do that," Sunset said sharply.

"Do what?"

"Change the subject," Sunset growled. "Twilight's dead. She died. You don't just get to waltz in here-"

"The amount of magic required hardly qualifies as-

"And say 'oh, I got better' and have that be that," Sunset overrode her attempt to speak. "That's not how this works, and Twilight would know that. If you are Twilight, then how are you here?"

She looked down, and said nothing. "I...after...Starfleet cloned me. After I died."

"Cloned?" Sunset said. "Cloned Twilight, who in-"

"It's called Project Sentinel, it was a top secret initiative to create the perfect soldiers to defend United Equestria," she said. "Stronger, faster, more powerful than any space pony, merciless warriors imbued with an undying loyalty to the Grand Ruler...and after I died, my DNA was harvested and used to create a clone of me to add to the project prototypes."

Sunset scowled. She could feel anger building up inside of her the same way that villagers living on the slopes of a volcano could tell by the tremblings and rumblings that it was about to go off. "So you admit that you're not Twilight, you're just a clone? How much of your DNA is even Twilight's and how much was added to make you the perfect soldier?"

"I have a few abilities that I-"

"Stop that," Sunset snapped.

"What?"

"Talking about Twilight in the first person as though you are her!"

"I am Twilight-"

"No you're not!"

"I remember everything that Twilight Sparkle ever did," she said. "I remember when you stole my crown-"

"Everyone knows about that, you could have read about that!"

"Does everyone know that it was you and I who defeated Sirens before I died? Does everyone know that Lightning Dawn has never set foot on the human world? I know that, because it happened and I remember it. I remember that night when I was so nervous about my musical counter spell that I couldn't sleep, and you were startled by Maud, and we stayed up talking about-"

"SHUT UP!"

She gasped, feigning a hurt expression on her face. "Sunset-"

"Don't talk to me like that," Sunset yelled. "Don't talk to me as though we're friends, don't talk to me as though you were there! Isn't it bad enough that you're wearing Twilight's face without parading your stolen memories around as though they belong to you?"

"I didn't steal anything," she insisted. "I am-"

"YOU'RE NOT TWIILIGHT!" Sunset screamed, as tears clouded her eyes and fury hotter than a dragon's flame boiled in her throat. "Twilight's dead, and she's never coming back! She's dead and I...and I never got to say goodbye. Twilight's dead...and you...you...you are not Twilight. You are...I don't know what you are, but you are not Twilight Sparkle. You will never be Twilight Sparkle. Never!"

She looked hurt now, wounded, but Sunset's wrath still burned too hot, her grief for Twilight had been rubbed too raw by the appearance of this abomination born out of everything that Twilight had stood against, for her to feel anything but glad of that.

"I..." she stammered. "I don't understand. I thought that-"

"I don't care," Sunset snapped. "I don't care what you thought, I don't...get out!"

"Sunset-"

"I said get out!" Sunset cried. "I can't look at you any more! Get out...before I do something that Twilight would disapprove of."

A look of anger, mirroring Sunset's own, briefly crossed her stolen face, before it faded in favour of that look of confusion and doubt. "I...I..."

She still looked pained as, in a flash of lavender light, she vanished from Sunset's room.

Sunset stood there, alone in truth as she had thought to be when first she entered here, with only the sound of her own heavy breathing to keep her company.

That wasn't Twilight. It couldn't have been. That wasn't Twilight, I was right and justified in everything I said.

But not...but not in the way that I said it.

Unbidden, the words that she had spoken to Leilani rose up from the depths of Sunset's memory, the tale she had told of the fire demon and the little lost girl.

Sunset bowed her head as her tears began to flow down her face.

What have I done?

Twilight, please forgive me.

Author's Note

So, I promised that the next chapter would be very long and a long time in coming.

Both of those turned out to be false, largely because I got to that final scene with Sunset and now I'm suffering from...it's not writer's blocked exactly, because I pretty much know what's going to happen next, but call it...writer's lack of motivation? I don't know. But I can't will myself to write the next scene right now, so I'm hoping that putting this up and writing something else will help with that.

Plus, I think this chapter ends on a pretty good note.

Originally (as in when this story started originally) Brain was going to bite the dust here, in a homage to Genesis of the Daleks which is still somewhat preserved in his dialogue. But I decided that it didn't fit with the characters so he survives to cause more mischief further down the line.

Going full on Darth Vader with the Grand Ruler in the beginning was a lot of fun.

A Glimmer of Starlight

Starlight didn’t enter until the room had been secured.

She wasn’t an idiot, and she wasn’t a space pony either. Let the Unicornicopians, so proud of their strength and their valour, run all the risk by going first into dangerous situations, by pursuing the fugitives, by making sure that there were no unpleasant surprises hiding anywhere. She would stay back a little, and come in when it was safe to do so.

Like she did now, walking through the open door into the apartment of Major Rhymey.

The late Major Rhymey now, obviously. There was no mistaking it. He was dead, with his body stretched out lifeless on the floor.

Fluttershy knelt beside him. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t do anything. She might have been dead herself, or petrified, if it weren’t for the slight trembling of her whole body, as though she were shivering with the cold.

She knelt beside her husbands body with his lifeblood, which was already staining the carpet, licking at her knees like the waves of the ocean lapping at the shore. It marked her dress, and some of it had gotten on her hands which, now resting upon Fluttershy’s knees, were leaving more stains.

She didn’t look up. She didn’t speak. She showed no reaction to Starlight or, indeed, to the four goons who had preceded her and had now taken up positions on the corners of the main room.

They surrounded her like gaolers, all eyes turned inwards towards her…and towards the dead body of her husband.

Come on, fellas, we’re hunting down dangerous fugitives and you really think that Fluttershy did this? But of course, it didn’t really matter what they believed, whether they actually thought that Fluttershy had murdered her husband, whether they even thought it was plausible that she could.

All that mattered was what the Grand Ruler decided to call truth, and sometimes that truth didn’t even require plausibility.

Starlight murmured. "Your Majesty means to kill all five of them?"

"I do," the Grand Ruler said. "What of it?"

"Do you still harbour sympathy for your fellow Equestrians?" Wyldfyre asked mockingly.

"I am a loyal subject to the Grand Ruler, whom the gods bless," Starlight said proudly. "But I am also aware that Major Rhymey loves his shy little wife, and he is a valiant soldier. Has he not earned a little consideration, or will you hurt him in order to hurt a dead mare?"

Those were the words that she had spoken, when His Majesty announced his plans to have the members of Friendship is Magic put to death and end the sore they had become to him. He declared his intentions, he had even discussed the means by which he would accomplish this feat – the same flawed means which now he had ordered her to dispose of quickly – and she had…she had said nothing.

He had told her to her face that he meant to murder five mares who had done him no wrong and she had said nothing…except to intervene to save Fluttershy.

Because Fluttershy was the only one that she could save, because she was married to a Starfleet officer who, for all his faults, loved her dearly and so she had used that love and played upon the regard in which Rhymey was held in Starfleet to save Fluttershy from the Grand Ruler’s vengeance.

And in the process she had condemned four other lives to end.

It seemed like she had been doing that a lot lately. Starlight Glimmer, the dark spider of the Intelligence, condemning four people to death with one hand so that she could save a single life with the other.

All I wanted was a world where everyone was equal, but now I am become the arbiter of iniquity, deciding whose lives are worth saving and whose are not based on nothing more than my own judgement.

There was nothing I could have done to spare the others.

Yeah, I should keep telling myself that.

Why were there lives worth sparing?

Why was Fluttershy’s life worth trying to save?

Trying…that had suddenly become the operative word. She had tried to save Fluttershy and now she had failed, because Rhymey was dead and Fluttershy’s shield was gone. The Grand Ruler would vent his wrath upon her now. Either she would be blamed for the death of her husband, or she would simply disappear. Perhaps Starlight herself would be ordered to do the deed; to whisk Fluttershy into a dark room and make her disappear. Perhaps she would be ordered to take care of all of them.

All I wanted was for everyone to be equal.

She couldn’t keep doing this. Her soul would not bear the weight of many more crimes, even done in a good cause. The people she had sent to prison, to…worse. She couldn’t suffer many more of them upon her guilty conscience. No matter how noble her intentions, she would have to act soon upon them or accept that she had abandoned them.

Once this mission is complete, once the gods are cleared away…then it will come soon.

Then the reckoning will begin.

She had the resources for it. She had officers who would follow her, if only out of fear. If she completed this mission, when she completed this mission…the Grand Ruler would be grateful to her, she could name her own reward…and she would use that reward to betray and destroy him.

Once this is done. And until then…until then I will save Fluttershy.

Starlight touched the communications device in her ear. “Sergeant Rex, report.”

“We’re tracking them via motion-sensor, colonel,” Rex’s voice came through with little in the way of interference. “It looks as though they’ve run into the basement.”

“The basement?” Starlight repeated. I thought they were supposed to be super smart? She wasn’t a soldier, true, but their decision didn’t seem to make any sense. She would have expected them to run upwards, and try and fly away where they had freedom to go in any direction they liked. By going down, and trying to hide in the underground areas of the apartment, they had effectively trapped themselves. Did they think that Starlight and her forces were going to give up the search if they couldn’t find them right away like this was a game of hide and seek?

They’re trapped…or are they? It occurred to Starlight the underground could as be as liberating as the sky in the right circumstances. “Sergeant, they might be trying to escape into the sewer tunnels; I don’t want them to get the chance, so stay on them. I’ll join you shortly.”

“Copy that, ma’am.”

Starlight turned off the commlink. “Clear the room.”

“Colonel?” one of the soldiers asked.

“You heard me,” she said calmly. “Clear the room. Join Rex downstairs.”

The four of them looked at one another for a moment, before they all saluted briskly and exited at a quick trot. She didn’t need to tell them to shut the door behind them.

Starlight approached Fluttershy at a far slower pace. She walked tentatively, half-creeping across the blood-stained carpet towards her. She stepped gingerly around the Rhymey’s dead body, which meant that she couldn’t kneel down in front of Fluttershy, but rather by her side.

She got blood on her uniform of course, but there was so much of that already that what difference did it make?

“Fluttershy,” she whispered. She didn’t bother to use the other mare’s rank; she doubted that she really cared for it at all. And…and it didn’t seem appropriate to use rank when it came to doing something that was actively subverting the wishes of the Grand Ruler. “Fluttershy. Fluttershy, my name is Starlight Glimmer. We’ve never met but I need you to listen to me.”

Fluttershy didn’t respond, not in any way or shape or form.

“Fluttershy,” Starlight repeated. She reached out, and gingerly placed on hand on Fluttershy’s own. “Fluttershy, can you hear me?”

Fluttershy flinched from Starlight’s grasp. “He’s dead,” she whispered. “He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s…Twilight, she…Twilight and I…he’s dead and-“

Starlight scowled. “I really am sorry about this.” She slapped Fluttershy hard across the face.

Fluttershy squealed in pain, and her eyes widened as her head whirled to look at Starlight as though she hadn’t even realised that she was there until that moment.

“Why-“

“I’m sorry, but I need you to pay attention right now,” Starlight snapped. “Listen very carefully: you need to get out of here and never come back.”

Fluttershy’s mouth formed an O of baffled surprise. “What? I…I don’t understand. Why-”

“Because you’re going to die!” Starlight snarled. It was unfortunate that she had to be this way, but there wasn’t exactly time to break this to her gently. “Your husband was protecting you but now he’s dead so you need to run, now. You need to run away from here or else they’re going to come for you and they will kill you.”

Starlight didn’t think that Fluttershy’s eyes could widen any further, but somehow they did. “Who?”

“Starfleet!” Starlight yelled, as though that should have been obvious. “They’ve already tried to kill Pinkie Pie and Rarity, and maybe Applejack too. They’re going to keep trying until they’re dead and now that Rhymey is no more you’re on the list as well. So get out while you can and go somewhere they can’t find you.”

“But…but Twilight-“

“Twilight is going to be dead again before the day is over, if you don’t want to join her then you need to leave, now!” Starlight yelled. “Go! Run!”

Fluttershy flinched away as Starlight bore down upon her, gesturing towards the windows.

“Go! Get out! Run away! Run!”

Fluttershy ran. She darted around the side of Starlight Glimmer, with her blood-stained summer dress flowing around her legs as she went, and she pushed open the window and she leapt from it. Her yellow wings spread out behind her as she began to glide across the city skyline.

Where will she go? Where can she go?

Wherever it is, I hope she’s safe.

It was only in the silence left by Fluttershy’s departure and the absence of any further need for her to keep yelling that Starlight realised that the refrigerator had stopped humming.

She frowned, and crossed the room to flick at the light switch. Nothing happened.

Did they go into the basement so that they could cut the power to the building?

She tapped her commlink. “Sergeant, is the power out where you are?”

“Yes, ma’am, the whole basement’s gone dark. It’s okay though, we can still track using motion sensors.”

“Be careful,” Starlight said. “I think they’re up to something. Hold position until I get there.”

She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rise, she could feel a premonition in her back teeth because of course they were intelligent, every bit as intelligent as they had been designed to be (and probably considerably more intelligent than their creator); and they were led by a certifiable super-genius and she, Starlight, had been a fool of the highest order to think that they had made a mistake, or that they had simply been looking for a way out.

Because of course they had a plan, and at least two of the clones had changeling DNA, which meant that they could see in the dark.

Starlight was running for the door when the yelling started.

Fluttershy knelt beside the dead… Fluttershy knelt beside her husband. His face was frozen in an expression of… of despair. His eyes were wide open, his mouth was halfway to hanging, there was blood from his wound staining the carpet, staining her: her hands, her knees, her clothes.

Rhymey was dead. Rhymey was dead and Twilight was alive and Fluttershy was just kneeling there, beside his…beside him. Staring down at him with eyes that were wide but which held no tears, eyes which just stared down from a face framed in shock, mounted atop a body that would not move. She just knelt beside him, and stared down, as if…as if she expected that lifeless form to breathe once more.

It was ironic that, in the hour of her husband’s passing, she became the perfect Unicornicopian wife that he had always wanted her to be: demure, silent, passive.

She had loved him once. Not for a while, perhaps, and certainly in these last days they had not been happy or, at the very least, she had not… but she had loved him once. He had not always been as he was at the last, or he had not seemed so to her. Perhaps that had been the real Rhymey: demanding and controlling; but it had not been the Rhymey that she knew. He had once been brave and noble, or seemed so. Once he had come into her life and swept her off her feet with his gallantry and gentleness, and if some of the shine had worn off of her golden knight, if in the end he had turned out to be little more than gilded lead…that did not mean that her feelings in those early days and in those heady moments were wholly false, did it? Had it all been nothing but a lie?

No. No, she did not believe that. She once had loved him, her heart had not deceived her; and since she had loved him, she had to believe that he once at least had virtues that were worth loving: nobility, courage, courtesy. Whether he had lost those things along the way, or whether familiarity had merely bred in her a greater awareness of his flaws, Fluttershy could not say. All she could say was that she had loved him once, but had not loved him at the end.

And now he was dead. Rhymey was dead and Twilight was alive and Fluttershy was frozen like a block of ice, kneeling beside Rhymey’s fallen form, staring at him.

She thought there were other people in the apartment, but she didn’t look at them. She didn’t pay any attention to what they were doing. She didn’t respond when she heard their voices, she didn’t even try to work out if they were trying to talk to her or not. She just knelt there, beside him, a tremble of her body her only motion as his blood swept beneath her like an ever-expanding sea.

The outside world intruded on her like a slap. Exactly like a slap, in fact, a slap that made Fluttershy squeal in pain like one of her animals as an open palm collided with her face. Fluttershy looked around, only now truly noticing that there was a mare kneeling beside her, a mare dressed all in black, a mare with a coat of pale lilac and the bangs of a purple mane, streaked with cyan, peaking out from under a high cap. Fluttershy didn’t think she’d ever met her before, certainly they’d never been introduced.

She felt her cheek throbbing where the mare had struck her; it felt as though someone small was continuing to hit her where the first blow had landed. “Why-“

“I’m sorry, but I need you to pay attention right now,” shouted the black-clad mare. “Listen very carefully: you need to get out of here and never come back.”

Fluttershy’s mouth hung open, she…she didn’t understand any of this, everything was happening so fast, her head was in a whir, she could only stammer in amazement, “What? I…I don’t understand. Why-”

“Because you’re going to die!” growled the pale lilac mare. “Your husband was protecting you but now he’s dead so you need to run, now. You need to run away from here or else they’re going to come for you and they will kill you.”

Fluttershy felt her eyes widen so much it was physical painful, almost as much so as the blow to her face. Rhymey was protecting me…I’m going to die…somebody wants to kill me…somebody is going to kill me…Rhymey was keeping me safe? What in Equestria is going on? What’s happening? Who would want to kill me? What kind of world have I woken up into? WHAT’S GOING ON? “Who?”

“Starfleet!” the other mare snarled in a tone that suggested Fluttershy was an idiot for needing to ask. “They’ve already tried to kill Pinkie Pie and Rarity, and maybe Applejack too. They’re going to keep trying until they’re dead and now that Rhymey is no more you’re on the list as well. So get out while you can and go somewhere they can’t find you.”

No. No, this can’t be. This can’t be happening. Pinkie Pie and Rarity? No, no they can’t be dead. They can’t…they can’t…please no, please no, not after Twilight…Twilight! “But…but Twilight-“

“Twilight is going to be dead again before the day is over, if you don’t want to join her then you need to leave, now!” yelled the other mare. “Go! Run!”

Fluttershy flinched away like a rabbit flinching from the predatory advance of an angry manticore, but this mare all dressed in black, with her leather coat and her cap and her vicious, cruel demeanour, she bore down on Fluttershy every bit as inexorably as any of the carnivores of the Everfree Forest. She forced Fluttershy back simply by advancing, all the while yelling at her to go, to run, to flee from the knives of the assassins that seemed to be even now drawn and descending upon her.

And Fluttershy ran. She ran from Rhymey, she ran from Twilight, she ran from this mysterious mare who seemed so angry at her, she ran from all of it. She dived out the window and took flight, heading she knew not where just that it was somewhere…somewhere away.

Away from all of it.

Away from danger.

Away from madness.

Away from anypony who might need her.

Away from Twilight.

As she fled, Fluttershy felt tears spring to her eyes.

Starlight ran down the empty corridors of the evacuated building, her legs pounding down the stairs towards the basement. Her earpiece projected the sounds of yelling, and explosions, and the desperate calling out of attacks directly into her ear. "Report, Sergeant!"

There was no response but more yelling.

"Does anybody have a visual!"

"They're everywhere!"

"Let's rock!"

"Sergeant!" Starlight yelled. "Sergeant Rex, for the Grand Ruler's sake, give me an update!"

When Rex's voice came over the comm, Starlight found that she had barely hear him over the sounds of chaos and confusion in the background. "...Ambush...can't see anything in here...torn to..."

"Sergeant, I want you to get your people out of there right now, do you understand?" Starlight snapped. What was the military way to do it? She tried to remember the field training manuals that she had idly browsed through in order to pass her officer exams. "Fall back by squads to the ground floor, and I'll cover you as soon as I get there."

"Say again, sir?"

"I said fall back by squads to the ground floor, where I'll suppport you," Starlight repeated, still running to get down there.

Starlight didn't need the commpiece to hear the next explosion. She would have heard it anyway as it made the entire building shake.

"Sergeant, what was that?"

"Sir, I can't hear you over all this noise. Drake, Vasquez hold your fire, dammit! Sir, what was that?"

"I said-" Starlight fell silent as she heard Rex cry out in panic over the comm. She paused, standing on the foot of the stairs leading to the lobby. She was on the ground floor now, if any of her people could get to her then she could protect them with her power. But it was starting to sound less and less likely that any of them would.

"Sergeant," she said. "Sergeant Rex, do you hear me." No response. "Drake, Echo, Frost; does anybody copy?"

No response. Even the calling of attacks had stopped. The only sound on the other end of the earpiece was the hiss of fires burning away down there in the cellar.

Someone probably ruptured a gas pipe with all of that shooting. Starlight thought. And that meant that she had a choice. She could stay here, up on the ground floor where she could see what she was doing, and wait for the fires to drive the clones back upstairs (assuming that they weren't planning to flee into the cellars, but if that he been the plan then why had they turned to fight?). Or she could follow her people down into the darkness and fight the fight that, by all accounts, they had just lost so badly.

The first choice was the rational one, the logical one. It offered the best chance of victory in this contest.

And if she made it, she would be condemning her own soldiers to possible death and probable injury in the flames before anyone could rescue them.

Whereas she went down into the dark, if she could manage to win this fight, then she could save them, or at least make way for someone else to save them without being attacked by a bunch of out of control clones in the process.

Which was to say that there wasn't really much choice at all. All ponies were equal, all ponies ought to be and deserved to be equal. Which meant that her life was worth neither more nor less than theirs, and any risks that she alone had to make to save and safeguard the many were worth making without hesitation.

And yet, because she was only a pony when all was said and done, and under no illusions about what was waiting for her, she did hesitate. In that moment, Starlight Glimmer could feel her hands trembling.

Trixie, if...I love you. I hope I told you that enough.

Starlight tapped her earpiece to change the frequency to a more general one. "This is Colonel Starlight Glimmer, I need fire control and medical teams to the Apis apartment building on forty-second street."

"Copy that, colonel. Apis on Forty-second."

"Thank you," Starlight murmured. Another tap returned her to the more local frequency. "I don't know if anyone can hear me, but hold tight. I'm on my way."

As she descended the staircase down into the basement, as the smoke rose up from out of the doorway ajar, as the shadows pressed close around her as though the darkness was some kind of monster lurking down in the foundations of the complex, Starlight forced her magic into her horn. It glowed a rich and vibrant green as she held it ready like a bowstring pulled back and ready to loose, all of that energy and all of that power taut and waiting to be unleashed.

She had no other weapons, neither spear nor sword nor work of space pony power. She had never needed them before, her wits and her prodigious magical talents had always sufficed.

With good fortune they would do so again, but as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck start to rise Starlight half-wished for a big stick to thump somebody with.

She walked softly down the stairs. The darkness, half illuminated by flickering flames that she could see casting shadows beyond the half-open door, invited her in. Come, come, it said; come to me.

It almost reminded her of the house that she'd grown up in. She hadn't liked the basement there, either: those steps down into the dark, so much stuff down there to get lost in. The way the boiler growled and snarled.

But she had been a kid then, with her mane in pigtails and little lavender beads decorating her hair bands. She was not a filly now; she was a grown mare, an officer, the stuff of nightmares for many. She shouldn't be scared of the dark.

She wasn't scared of the dark. She was scared of what was waiting for her down there, using the dark as cover.

Starlight thought of Sunburst, her childhood friend whom she had spirited away from Starfleet custody and into the care of Sunset's merry band of idealists. Where was he now? Did he think well of her? Would she ever see him again?

That all depends on me, doesn't it?

On me...and on them.

It all depends on whether I can kill a god.

Trixie, Sunburst...let me be brave.

Her feet felt as heavy as giant stones, Starlight felt as though her boots had turned to lead the better to weigh her down. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to run away, to flee from this place and from this fight, to kiss Trixie, to find her friend, maybe even to run away altogether and hide out with the rebels until...until what? Until they were found and arrested? Until she withered in old age in some dark hidey-hole somewhere? Until Twilight Sparkle's murderous clone took over the world? Until Sunset Shimmer and her wide-eyed rebels overthrew the Grand Ruler and the power of Starfleet? No, no she could not run. She was Starlight Glimmer, and the world was counting on her.

And so were her people, down there in the dark; she couldn't abandon them.

She forced herself to keep walking.

Starlight kicked open the door, and immediately a great wave of acrid smoke assailed her nostrils, clogging and choking them, threatening to make her double over with trying to cough it out of her throat until she used a touch of magic to clear the air immediately around her. Yes, you could call it a waste of power, but you could also say that Starlight wouldn't be much good in a fight if she was choking on fumes.

It was a miracle that these clones could still stand it in here. A miracle...or a testament to mad science.

They probably have mechanical lungs that let them breathe smoke, and maybe even underwater too. Who knows? They're better than us ordinary ponies, after all.

Flames danced in patches here and there, upon the floor and the wall. Most of it seemed to originate from a set of pipes running alongside one of the walls that was jetting out flames like a lighter. As she had suspected, someone had ruptured the gas pipes. The sprinklers were on, and the pitter-patter of the water as it rained down upon the flames and splattered the floor was the only sound in the darkness. Whether it would be enough to stop the fire from spreading...Starlight didn't know. And she didn't really want to risk it either. She could see the prone forms of her soldiers, or at least the shadows of them, lying here and there. amongst boilers and piles of clutter.

She had to finish this. She wanted to finish this.

She couldn't see where they were hiding, although it they got close enough to her her magic would alert her to their presence. She was certain that they hadn't run. If they hadn't run from all the rest of her troops, they wouldn't run from her.

At this point she should probably think something cool like 'that was their mistake' but honestly...she didn't have that much confidence.

Still, though it was a grossly unfair fight she would fight it nevertheless.

She would fight it because it was a grossly unfair fight, so that future fights would be levelled off for all.

Starlight advanced into the basement. She felt her hands clench into fists upon reflex.

She saw something moving in front of her, and Starlight gathered more of her magic to her as Twilight - or the clone that Brain had made of Twilight, anyway - stepped out of her hiding place. She was still half in shadow, but by the flickering of a patch of flame that stubbornly refused to die under the assault of the sprinklers Starlight could see half her body, and half her face.

She looked...tired. She looked so weary. That was something that Starlight hadn't expected. She had expected...she wasn't sure what she had expected, but it wasn't that. The clone closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them to fix Starlight Glimmer with her gaze. "You're very brave to come down here alone."

Starlight's expression was fixed as stone. "Is your plan to distract me with flattery while your friends sneak up on me?"

"They won't interfere," said the clone. "I'm the only one you have to fight. You're all alone and so...so am I."

"That's very generous of you."

"I think...I think it's what Twilight would have done."

Starlight felt her lip curl into a sneer. "Yes, Twilight Sparkle was honourable, even if she never used the word. But then, you're not Twilight, are you?"

"I thought I was," the clone said. "I thought I could be. But I scared Fluttershy, and I made Sunset angry, and they both...I don't think the real Twilight would have done either of those things, would she?" She was silent for a moment, as though she was waiting for a response from Starlight Glimmer. When none was forthcoming, when it became clear that Starlight had no intention of responding, the clone continued. "Now...now I don't really know who I am. Or what I am."

"You're dangerous," Starlight said. "You're a threat to everyone and everything."

"I don't want to be."

"That doesn't matter," Starlight replied. "You're so powerful that you grind people down just by existing."

"I don't want to fight you," the clone said, in a voice steeped in misery.

"I don't want to fight you, either," Starlight confessed. "But I can't let you go."

"Do you think you can win?"

"I think I have to try."

The clone nodded, it was a barely perceptible gesture in the lack of light. "Then so be it."

Bolts of magic, one lavender and one green, shot from their horns at the same instant. The clone of Twilight Sparkle conjured a shield from which Starlight’s missile rebounded to blast a charred and blackened hole in the wall. Starlight avoided the lavender bolt aimed at her by teleporting away, re-appearing behind the false Twilight to fire another bolt of magic which, like the first, rebounded off her shield.

Starlight focussed her power for a beam that would brute-force its way through the shield of the clone and strike her down.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the clone had the same idea.

A beam of vibrant green, like a serpent forged of power and twice as deadly as a viper’s fangs, erupted from out of Starlight’s horn to lunge like a hungry timberwolf straight for the false Twilight. A similar beam of sickly lavender, aimed like a lance, for Starlight’s chest charged forth from the clone’s own horn. The two beams met in the middle, like two great dragons contesting over territory, and they shoved at one another like wrestlers in the ring. Starlight scowled, and gritted her teeth as she shoved all the power and strength at her command into her own beam. She fancied that she could see beads of sweat on the clone’s brow.

Come on, is that all you’ve got? I thought you were supposed to be all that a bag of chips?

The clone frowned, as if she could read Starlight’s thoughts.

Starlight’s eyes widened as she saw her beam being pushed back towards her, borne by the inexorable force of the clone’s attack.

Oh no you don’t. Starlight gave it everything she had. She summoned up all her strength and all her passion, she summoned up all the resolve at her command. She thought about Trixie waiting for her at home, she thought about Sunburst hiding until she could set the world to rights, she thought about the soldiers who had earned her loyalty with their loyal service, she thought about all the ponies who deserved to live free and equal in a just world. She thought about everyone who was counting on her to win this fight, whether they realised it or not. She had to win this, she had to.

I am the only one who can change this world for the better. I am the only one who can…and if I can’t beat her, if I don’t beat her…then it will all be for nothing.

I won’t let that happen.

Trixie…Sunburst…stand with me.

Starlight found that she was roaring, bellowing out her rage in a way that she would not normally have gotten away with, screaming the years of frustration watching the abuses of the Starfleet, being rendered complicit in them, all those years of scrabbling in the darkness and the blood just for the faint hope that one day she could make things better. Starlight howled, and as she howled she found that her green beam was pushing back the clone’s bright beam of lavender. Hope, justice and equality began to drive back the tyranny of gods and princes and grind the very notion into the ashes of forgotten history.

The clone watched, and seemed remarkably unfazed as Starlight’s beam bore down upon her like a train.

And then, in a flash of lavender light, she disappeared.

Starlight’s beam fizzled out. She took a deep breath and fought a faint feeling of dizziness as she looked around the dark and crowded cellar for any sign of her, or any of her companions who might have decided to intervene for all that the clone had denied they would.

Where are you?

The clone reappeared…less than a foot away from Starlight, and her fist was already in motion towards her face.

Starlight teleported away as fast as thought, and as soon as she re-emerged in a magical flash she sent a barrage of magical bolts flying through the towards the clone’s position.

You couldn’t beat me by magic so you think you can take me with fists, is that it?

You’re probably right, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give you the chance!

Starlight’s missiles struck home…and all exploded harmlessly against the clone’s shield.

Then the clone was moving, and Starlight moved with her.

And so they fought. The clone launched magical attacks, which Starlight dodged or deflected, but the magic was only ever a distraction as the clone kept moving, either teleporting or just dashing forwards, always trying to close the distance, always trying to turn this from a magical duel into a brawl of hands and feet. Starlight kept opening up the range, kept teleporting out of the way, kept firing off all the magic at her command in a relentless barrage. But so little of it struck home, and what did rebounded or dissipated upon the powerful shields the clone had conjured. They were stalemated.

And so they fought. The cramped, wet cellar of the Apis building, where the flames were mostly died down, where the darkness turned the piles of junk into the shapes of monstrous creatures, proved too small to hold too such magical prodigies as they battled for supremacy. Starlight soon found that she couldn’t remember which of them was the first one to teleport out of the basement, out of the building itself. It was all a blur. Was it her, trying to get out of the confines and somewhere she could really open up the range? Was the clone trying to lead her somewhere, or just away from the rest. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. The rest of the world didn’t matter. There was only Starlight Glimmer, and the clone of the Twilight Sparkle, and the duel that could only end one of two ways.

They teleported onto the tops of towering sky-scrapers. They teleported into the middle of busy thoroughfares and sent all manner of ponies scurrying screaming for cover as the magic flew thick and fast between them. They used cloud-walking spells to teleport onto the tops of thin nimbus wifts and fat and fluffy cumulus as they chased each other amongst the cloud cover. They used reverse gravity spells to dash up and down the sides of towers made out of glass, shattering the window pains as their spells volleyed and rebounded off of one another’s impenetrable barriers.

At times, they teleported into mid-air and hovered for a second, firing off bolts of magic the likes of which few unicorns would ever match before Starlight teleported away again before she fell.

They fought through gardens, and left trampled flower-beds and exploded flowerpots in their wake. They fought through offices and sent desks and chairs flying out the windows. They even teleported into the live filming of a chat show and wouldn’t that be a hard thing to explain away?

Up and down the city they fought, from the highest heights of New Canterlot’s most looming buildings to the shadowy alleyways of its most disreputable slums. Across the capital they teleported, battling in an unceasing contest in which neither could gain advantage.

Except that Starlight was getting tired.

She tried not to show it, she hoped that she wasn’t showing it, but she was tired. She hadn’t pushed herself this hard in…ever. She had never needed to. Not even fighting the real Twilight could possibly have been this hard, there was no way. The clone…she didn’t even look like she was weary. It wasn’t possible. Starlight felt…her stomach was howling at her, her hands and legs were trembling, her head was starting to spin, she was using everything she had just to stand still and she felt as though she’d reached the dregs already. So much teleportation…how was the clone doing it? These sort of spells…she doubted that she would have the energy for another powerful beam even if the false Twilight gave her the opportunity.

Starlight swayed a little, as she stood on the side of a towering building with magic holding her feet to the glass window-pane.

Come on. Come on, there has to be a way. Nobody is invincible. There has to be some way that I can-

The clone teleported up into her face, and exhausted as she was Starlight was just too slow to get away this time.

She teleported, but the clone had already grabbed hold of her by the scruff of the neck and so they teleported together, with the false Twilight carried along by Starlight’s spell. No sooner had they landed in the middle of an empty warehouse than the clone punched her in the face. Starlight let out a cry of pain as she felt something like an elephant’s foot slam into her cheek.

Then the clone teleported, and this time it was Starlight carried away as they reappeared, high up in the air, above the warehouse that they had just left.

Starlight struck at the clone with her fists, but she had never really been interested in physical violence, and she wasn’t exactly feeling fresh anyway. It felt…it felt like punching a tree, the clone didn’t flinch but Starlight’s fists were aching so hard.

“I didn’t want to fight you,” she said. “But you left me no choice. You started this and now I…I’m sorry.”

She let go.

Starlight shrieked and flailed her arms wildly as she began to plummet through the air. The wind whistled past her smarting face, it sent her mane streaming around her in all directions, it buffeted her as she descended inexorably downwards.

Unless she could find enough in the basement to teleport away before it was too late.

Come on, come on, give me something. Please, please give me something, just this last time.

I don’t want to die.

Trixie’s face flashed before her eyes, and Starlight thought dumbly that she would never get to see her comeback show.

It was only then that Starlight noticed the clone’s horn glowing.

“No,” Starlight murmured. “Please, n-“

A beam of lavender light shot down from Twilight’s horn like a lighting bolt from heaven, striking down she who had dared to stand as equal to the gods.

It struck Starlight square in the chest.

Starlight Glimmer screamed as magic combined with gravity to grease the wheels of her descent into darkness.

Raven sat in her cell, on the floor with her legs crossed in a meditating position. In one grey hand she held a book of poetry, and idly leafed through it with her thumb as her dark purple eyes swept across the page.

A shadow, definitely not cast by Raven herself, began to grown upon the white wall of her cell.

Raven spared the growing darkness the merest glance.

“Hello, stranger,” she said. “It’s always nice to get visitors.”

The shadow had resolved itself into roughly the form of a pony, or at least a pony as ponies had become by the science and art of the Grand Ruler, a being standing upon two legs with two hands at the ends of its two arms, which just so happened to have a horse’s head upon it, and unicorn’s horn upon that head. Two wings of shadow spread from wall to wall, though in the present silhouetted form they looked almost like a cape of darkness as much as any instrument of flight.

“Hello again, little sister,” the voice was soft and sinuous. “It’s been too long.”

Raven frowned. She could feel a pulsing in her head, a throbbing building up of unexpected pain. No, not unexpected. She knew what was coming next, she just…she didn’t like it, she…she didn’t want to…she didn’t…

The poetry book tumbled from her unprotesting fingers. When Raven spoke next, her voice had become both deeper and more stupid. “Hi there, Big Bro.” She scowled. “Why do you always have to go and do this?”

“Do what? Reveal the real you?” the shadowy figure chuckled. “What’s the matter, Raven, are you ashamed of what you are?”

“I…” Raven looked as though she was struggling to find the right words. “Why can’t the other me be me, Bro? Why do I have to-“

“Because Father wants it that way,” the shadow hissed. “And you don’t want to disappoint Father, do you?”

Raven bowed her head. “I always done what Daddy told me to. I killed the pony princess just like he said. I finished her good, just like he told me to, before she could figure out all our secrets. And then you left me in here.”

“Well, we had expected that Queen Celestia would kill you in revenge for what you did to sweet Twilight,” the shadow admitted. “Father didn’t count on Sunset Shimmer’s mercy. But then, you’ve been having fun here, haven’t you? You’ve gotten to pretend to be the other Raven for longer, and isn’t that nice? You like being that Raven, don’t you?”

Raven nodded. “Raven’s smart, she…she’s better than I am.”

“And now you’re going to get to be her for even longer,” the shadow said. “Just so long as you remember who you really are, deep down. Just so long as you remember who your family are: Father, big bro Celesto, and me. Just so long as you remember that we love you.”

Raven nodded. “But only obey Daddy and you as his voice. Love big brother Celesto, but don’t ever do what he says.”

“That’s right,” the shadowy figure said patiently. “Good girl. Now, Father has a new mission for Raven; a very important mission, that only she can accomplish. And he’ll be very impressed when she carries it out.”

Raven grinned. “I’ll do it, big bro, don’t you worry. I’ll do it for Daddy, sure. I’ll make him proud of me, I’ll…I’ll…” she shook her head, as her voice assumed the more cultured and cultivated tones that the world recognised as belonging to the infamous Raven, assassin of Twilight Sparkle. “What is it that you need me to do?”

“The false Twilight is in play. Her loyalties are…in flux, right now. If you act quickly, you can recruit her to her cause.”

“And her companions?”

“Useful pawns, if you can get them. But the un-Twilight is your priority. Whatever you have to do to get her on side, do it.”

“And if she adamantly refuses?”

“Then deal with her like you dealt with the original.”

Raven smirked. “My dear brother, it will be an absolute pleasure. I’ve never had the opportunity to kill someone twice before.”

“Just so long as you remember that it isn’t the outcome to be desired.”

Raven snorted. “Spoil my fun, why don’t you?”

“If you need something to sate your bloodlust, there is one other thing.”

“I’m listening.”

“A bespectacled shut-in named Moondancer has been fool enough to follow in Princess Twilight’s footsteps.”

“Is she getting close?”

“I’m not sure, but there’s no point taking any risks. Kill her, and this time destroy all the research. Father doesn’t want to revisit this a third time.”

Raven accepted the rebuke with equanimity. “I understand.”

“Good luck,” the shadow said, as it began to fade from view. “We’re all counting on you.”

Raven chuckled. “Of course you are. I’m fantastic.” She uncrossed her legs. “Moondancer, Moondancer, Moondancer. I’m looking forward to meeting you already.”

She rose smoothly to her feet. “Well, I suppose the first thing I should do is get out of this cell.”

Face the Raven, Pt 1

Face the Raven, Part 1

Kitty Snip sat in her cell and licked at her paws.

She was a cat, or most of a cat anyway, with legs and arms covered in tabby fury and paws at the end of those same legs and arms. Her face, though possessing cat-like ears and a pair of fangs that jutted down over her bottom lip, was a little more humanoid, covered not in fur but only in dark tan skin. The rest of her body was concealed beneath a leotard of blue lycra that covered her from her neck to her thighs.

A striped tail swayed behind her in gentle contentment as she completed her grooming.

A klaxon began to sound outside, loud enough to be hardly quieted by the glass barrier between Kitty’s cell and the corridor beyond. Red lights were flashing outside, and a prison warden was yelling over the loudspeaker.

“Security teams to D Block! She’s opening up the cells! I can’t lock it down! Full tactical gear is authorised! Find Raven!”

Raven? Find Raven, don’t they know where…did Raven get out? Is Raven gonna bust us all out of this joint?

Kitty considered whether it was in keeping with her feline dignity to press her face against the transparent door to her cell in a desperate attempt to get a better view of what was happening, but fortunately she was spared from anticipation forcing her to compromise herself when she saw something pretty cool from inside the cell.

Specifically, a pair of booted feet that looked like they belonged to a guard kicking in the air as someone held him up off the ground.

“No…please…please, I can haaaagh!”

His body dropped to the ground in a heap. Kitty recoiled away from the sight of his twisted neck and lifeless eyes.

Some people are just so brutal. No refinement whatsoever. I suppose that seeing as they aren’t cats, they can’t really help themselves.

Raven adjusted her dark blue cloak ostentatiously as she strode into view. “Kitty. Glad to see that you’re still here.”

Kitty’s blue eyes widened. “Raven?” She glanced down at the dead guard. “Was that really necessary?”

Raven looked down at the dead body. “It wasn’t unnecessary; he was trying to recapture me.”

“Yeah, but-“

“Just because you don’t kill, Kitty, doesn’t mean that we all need to share your scruples,” Raven said flatly. “And in any case, I’m not interested in discussing fallen Starfleet guards.”

Kitty licked her lips. “Right,” she said, in a tone that was wary without being unfriendly. She didn’t want to get on Raven’s bad side. Nobody wanted to get on Raven’s bad side. “So, you got out then?”

“What gave it away, the fact that I’m out of my cell?”

Kitty stood up. “I’m surprised that you’re still hanging around here, now that you’re free and all.”

“Oh, I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up here before I attend to my business,” Raven said breezily. “Like opening all the other cells and letting the prisoners loose.”

Kitty grinned. “So it’s you that’s got all the guards running around in a panic? I might have known.”

“Oh, so far I’ve only opened up one block,” Raven said. “If they’re panicking now, well…I’m only just getting started.”

Kitty laughed nervously. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Raven.”

“Kitty! Would you ever? I know I can rely on you, that’s why I’m here. You see, most of the fellows I’m letting out, I just want to run around for a little while, cause some chaos, attract some attention, you know the sort of thing. Starfleet will probably recapture them soon, but that doesn’t matter to me.”

“Because we’re all a big diversion to you, right?”

“All? No, no, no, Kitty haven’t you been listening? I don’t want you to be a diversion, I don’t want you to get recaptured. I want you to do me a favour.”

Kitty’s eyes narrowed. “I’m listening.”

“There’s a certain pink party pony headed this way with some of her new friends,” Raven said. “If she were to reunited with some of her old friends it could…present difficulties.”

“I’m surprised that you haven’t just taken her out. Being in your way has a high mortality rate.”

Raven smiled coldly. “Unfortunately, I’m not at all sure I’d like to chance it with this one.”

Kitty’s tail went rigid as she folded her arms across her chest. “You want me to go up against someone that you are scared of?”

Raven chuckled. “I’ll not deny that Miss Pie has some…unique abilities. There is power in a good heart to put even my Uniforce in the shade; that’s what makes people like her so dangerous…and detestable. But you, Kitty Snip, I don’t think she’ll give you any trouble. You see all her power comes from friendship, all those threads of affection and good feeling that she leaves scattered across the world. Threads…that are overdue for a snipping.”

Kitty held out one paw, as her claws extended themselves almost reflexively. “I see. She has a lot of these threads then?”

“Oh, they’re everywhere.”

Kitty licked her lips again, more in anticipation than in nervousness this time. “So, if I agree to go find this mare-“

“Her name is Pinkie Pie.”

“If I agree to find this Pinkie Pie and snip those threads to…make her less dangerous to you, I guess…what’s in it for me?”

“I’ll let you out of this cell,” Raven said. “Because you know, I don’t have to. I can always forget to open the doors in this area. You can stay here until Starfleet has everything back under control. Or you cut Pinkie Pie’s threads, gorge yourself on all that friendship, and amuse yourself afterwards watching all those stupid, unfeline ponies fall to fighting amongst themselves. What do you say?”

Kitty licked at one paw. “Miaow.”

Princess Fairgrace sat nervously on the sofa, with her legs tucked beneath her, turning her head twitchily this way and that, as though she feared someone was about to sneak up on her and reprimand her for her laziness.

Reprimand...or worse, Lightning thought. What have they suffered in the dark, my friends, while I danced in sunlight?

Snowflame sat on the floor, in front of the sofa, sprawled out on Lightning's throw rug. While Fairgrace looked nervous, Snowflame looked tense, ready to spring into action at any moment.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather take the chair?" Lightning asked.

"No, it's fine," Snowflame murmured. "Besides, you'd look ridiculous sat on the floor with those two lanky long legs of yours. You sit in the chair, I'm fine here."

Lightning frowned. It didn't seem right to him, making his guest sit on the floor; but he suspected - though Snowflame had not said so - that it was much the same as the sleeping situation: Snowflame didn't want to stray too far from the princess. There was no need for her to feel that way, but...but the last thing he wanted to do was argue with her about it. In her horseshoes he might well feel the same way.

Snowflame looked around the room, and furrowed her brow as she did so. "You know, I should have noticed this last night, but...there are no flowers in this house."

Krysta settled on Lightning's shoulder. "No," she said. "Ought there to be?"

Snowflame shrugged. "I just...I kinda thought there might be is all. Or maybe I hoped there would be."

"We've never had any," Lightning replied, which was almost but not entirely true. Fluttershy had given him a peace lily when he and Starla first moved in here, but it had died because neither of them had done enough to take care of it; it was a fact of which he felt rather ashamed now, if only for the lack of appreciation for a well-intentioned gift. But apartment from that he spoke the truth, there had never been any flowers, or plants of any kind, in the house. "Why? Buddy's the flower guy."

Snowflame gave him some side-eye. "The flower guy? What's that supposed to mean? Is this Buddy the only person on the planet allowed to like flowers or something?"

Lightning opened his mouth, but no words came out and he was forced to close it again before he looked like a complete idiot. After a few moments of marshalling thoughts a little he managed to say, "I just meant...you know, I'm not sure what I meant, it was a stupid thing to say."

"Pretty much, yeah," Snowflame agreed, which Krysta giggle at least.

"Y-y-you used to-to-to l-like flowers," Princess Fairgrace stammered, forcing each word out of her mouth with a visible effort of will and tongue. "D-did-did you f-forget th-that t-too?"

"Did I?" Lightning replied. He leaned forward. "I...did I really...I..."

"Lightning?" Krysta asked. "Are you okay?"

Lightning rested his rested his chin upon his crossed forehooves, and watched as his mother's hooves worked with surprising dexterity amongst the flowers blooming on the rosebush.

"All roses are entwined with love, Lightning," Mother said, her voice as gentle as a summer breeze that cools the fevered brow. "There are as many different kinds of rose as there are different kinds of love, and roses, more than any other flower, require love to bloom at their most beautiful." She looked back at him, and smiled. "So, if you were going to give a rose to Snowflame, which colour would be the most appropriate?"

Lightning scowled. "Snowflame would laugh at me if I did something like that."

Mother chuckled. "Humour your mother, darling."

Lightning frowed, casting his eyes over the multitude of colours blooming on the bushes before him. White roses for purity, innocence and charm; Snowflame wasn't charming at all, she irritated him half the time, and she certainly wasn't innocent; dark red was for an unconscious beauty, but Lightning didn't think she was beautiful at all; lavender for love at first sight, ugh no!

"Pink," he said.

Mother nodded. "Pink for admiration, joy and sweetness. Is it one of those, or all of them?"

"I don't know," Lightning said. "Snowflame's a lot of fun and...and I admire her, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I do," Lightning corrected himself. "She's really strong. I wish I was as strong as she is."

"Lightning Dawn," Mother said. "There are more ways to be strong than being strong. I hope you understand that one day, when you're older."

"Mother," Lightning murmured.

"Lightning?" Krysta asked.

"My mother, she was the head garderner at the palace," Lightning muttered. "Her name was...Novel Rose. Sometimes I'd spend hours watching her work, and she'd tell me all about all the different flowers in the garden. I felt so...so comfortable there. So...content."

Snowflame nodded. "I used to make fun of you for that sometimes. I was stupid of me, and I'm sorry for it."

"It hardly matters now, does it?" Lightning said. "After everything that's happened since?"

"After everything that's happened since, I reckon it might be more important than ever to hold onto things like flowers," Snowflame said. "I'm sorry that you don't like them any more."

"I..." Lightning trailed. I what? I forgot? I forgot my own mother and everything that she ever taught me? I forgot her name? What kind of son does that? What kind of person am I, what kind of monster? What's happening to me? Or should I say what happened? What happened to my memories, how did I get this way?"

"D-does that m-mean you d-d-don't remem-remem-remember the s-song, either?" Fairgrace asked.

"The song?" Lightning asked.

Fairgrace nodded, and her stammer fell away as her clear voice began to ring out across the room.

"Edelweiss, edelweiss, every morning you greet me,
Small and white, clean and bright,"

"You look happy to meet me," Lightning finished. "I...I do remember."

"What's that one, Mama?"

"This, Lightning, is called the edelweiss, the noble flower of our world. It is as strong and hardy as we are, and it blooms in the high mountains and the cold from which our ancestors came; but I have managed to grow it here, to remind us of our traditions." She looked down at him. "No matter how far away you go, Lightning, if you carry the edelweiss in your heart you will survive, and you will always find your way back home again." She smiled and began to sign. "Edelweiss, edelweiss, every morning you greet me..."

"The song of home," Lightning said. "She said...Mother said that if I remembered the edelweiss then...then I could always find my way back home." Maybe that's where I went wrong.

"Home is gone," Snowflame said.

"N-n-not while we r-r-remember it," Fairgrace said, sounding surprisingly insistent. "L-Lightning, S-S-Snowflame...w-w-w-will y-you s-s-sing with me?"

Lightning smiled. "I would be honoured, princess."

"Can I join in once I've picked up the words."

Fairgrace nodded.

"One, two, three," Snowflame murmured.

"Edelweiss, edelweiss-"

Their voices were drowned out by an immense booming sound, powerful enough to shake the windows of the house and set the frames to rattling as though the earth was shaking fit to tear down the city.

Princess Fairgrace whimpered in fear. Snowflame scrambled to her feet, her body trembling. "What in the stars was that?"

"I don't know," Lightning said, as he rose out of his seat. "But I-"

"Lightning!" Krysta cried; she had already flown to the nearest window and hovered there, looking out across the city. "Come see this."

Lightning walked briskly to the window, and his brown eyes widened as he saw the column of smoke and fire rising up from the other side of New Canterlot, a pillar of flame belching out fuming poison, and all of it coming from...

"Krysta, does that look like-"

"The direction of the prison? Yeah," Krysta replied glumly.

"Lightning," Snowflame's tone was audible nervous. "What's going on?"

Lightning smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "I'm sure it's-"

"Don't you dare tell me that it's nothing, tell me the truth!" Snowflame snapped.

Lightning nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry. The truth is that I-"

He was interrupted again, this time by a buzzing sound from the communicator sitting on the coffee table. A voice, mechanically distorted and a little hard to here over a series of bangs and crackles that issued, firecracker like, from the earpiece, poured forth. "Commander Lightning Dawn, come in. Commander Lightning Dawn please response, this is a priority one emergency."

Lightning snatched the communicator up and fitted it into his ear. "This is Commander Lightning Dawn, what's going on? Does this have anything to do with the explosion I just heard?"

"Yes, sir. This is Executive Captain Shadow Moon, 2nd Urban Cohort, outside the Internment Centre, sir."

"What's happening down there?"

"It's Raven, sir, she's escaped. She's tearing up the prison and freeing all the other inmates. We're trying to contain the situation, but I don't have enough ponypower on sight to maintain an airtight perimeter and send troops into the perimeter as His Majesty ordered. I've been promised all available personnel, but we've got prisoners spreading across the city and even when reinforcements show up we still have no counter to Raven's power. I could really use your help down here, sir."

Lightning felt his blood chill in his veins. No. No, this can't be happening. Not again. No, please, not again. Memories of Twilight, of her cold dead corpse lying in the field, nearly overwhelmed him. Who would it be this time? Starla? Rhymey? Fluttershy? Rainbow Dash? I won't let that happen. I was too late last time. I won't be too late again."Where's Raven now?"

"Roger that, captain, I'm on my way," Lightning said. "Krysta, can you get me into the prison."

Krysta frowned. "Wouldn't it be safer to start outside the prison where you can get some backup?"

"There's no time for that," Lightning declared. "I need to take out Raven as soon as possible and that means taking the fight to her right now."

"But Lightning-"

"I am not going to be too late again!" Lightning yelled. "I'm not going to let anyone else suffer because I was too slow! I'm going to end this, once and for all." Sunset Shimmer was a fool to take Raven alive. I won't make the same mistake.

Krysta stared at him for a moment. "Okay, let's go."

"Thanks," Lightning said. "After you've dropped me off-"

"After?" Krysta said. "There is no after. I'm with you."

"It'll be dangerous-"

"Then it's a good thing you've got me to watch your back, isn't it?" Krysta asked.

Lightning took a deep breath, and tried to avoid thinking of the possible consequences. "Okay, together. Thank you."

"Lightning," Snowflame murmured. "I...do you...why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't have a choice," Lightning replied. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll be back soon. Krysta?"

"Right," Krysta said, and instantly a fairy warping portal enveloped the both of them, carrying them out of Lightning's house and away, across the entire length of the city.

Snowflame closed her eyes and stamped her hooves upon the ground. "Idiot. What's he doing, running into trouble like that? What's that crybaby doing running into trouble at all? He's just gonna...he'll just...stars watch over him and keep him safe."

A touch on her back made her jump, but it was only Princess Fairgrace, who had gotten down off the sofa to stand beside her. "If-if-if you w-want to g-g-g-go after him...it's okay."

Snowflame's eyes widened. "Princess? I...no, I have to stay here. I have to keep you safe."

"I...I...I'll b-be f-fine," Fairgrace stammered. "K-k-keep Lightning safe for us."

"Are...are you sure?"

Fairgrace nodded.

Snowflame hesitated, before a smile blossomed across her face. "Alright! Don't you worry, Princess, I'll bring our boy back safe and sound no problem!"

Hold on, Lightning; I'm on my way.

Lightning and Krysta teleported into a dark and blackened corridor. The lights were out, although a couple of fluorescent tubes flickered intermittently as they hung from the ceiling. Wires protruded out of shattered wall panels, emitting sparks that fell gently onto the metallic floor beneath. The white walls were blackened by explosions and pockmarked by projectiles. The prison doors hung open, or were smashed to pieces.

Lightning had half-expected to see bodies here, and counted himself fortunate that he saw none.

“I still say we should have brought some back-up with us,” Krysta whispered into his ear.

“If anyone came with us, we’d only be putting them in danger,” Lightning replied. “I’m the only one who can face Raven.” It took the uniforce to match the uniforce, and Raven was prodigiously strong even without it. No other pony stood a chance in a straight fight against her.

I let Twilight face Raven, and Twilight died. I won’t put anyone else in danger because I can’t or won’t do what needs to be done.

“Okay then, hero,” Krysta muttered. “Where do we go from here?”

“What makes you think there’s any need for you to go anywhere?” Raven asked. “Perhaps I’m right here. Perhaps I’ve been waiting for you.”

Her voice had come from behind Lightning, who turned, hands balling into fists as he did so. The flickering of a light half ripped out of his socket on the ceiling illuminated Raven for a moment, swathed in her cloak of midnight blue, looking for all the world like some kind of movie villain lit up by a lightning strike. As the light flickered, Lightning could see her face as grey as dead flesh, and her eyes as blue as ice and every bit as cold.

And then the light stopped flickering, and the corridor was plunged into darkness and Lightning could see her no more.

“So, the Grand Allied Supreme Commander stirs from his ivory tower to get his hands dirty with little old me,” Raven’s voice rang out across the corridor. But where was it coming from? Behind again, or…or was it above? “I’m honoured.”

“Where are you?” Lightning bellowed. “Krysta, do you see anything?”

Krysta was glowing like a golden wisp of light, but her gleam only extended a few inches away from her. “No, I can’t see a thing in here.”

“Are you here to kill me?” Raven asked from out of the blinding gloom. “Or are you going to be a bore like dear Sunset and forbear to take my life because, after all, killing me would make you no better than I am? Not that you are any better than I am, obviously.”

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to see that you never harm another living soul,” Lightning snapped. “If that means that I have to kill you then so be it.”

Raven laughed, a rich and full-throated sound. There was the clattering thump of something heavy landing on the floor behind Lightning, who turned to face it for all he could yet see nothing.

“Come now, Commander, there’s no need to put on a show for little me,” Raven chuckled. “We’re all alone here, in the dark. You and me and Her Majesty Queen Krystalline and we all know that nobody pays any attention to a fairy, don’t we?” Another light flickered, so conveniently that Lightning might have sworn that Raven was doing it on purpose somehow, lighting her up for just a second, so close that she could have simply reached out and touched him, a manic grin slicing across her face as sharp as the knife she had driven into Twilight’s heart. Lightning swung his fist at her, but she was gone before the blow came close and the darkness was all-concealing once again.

“So why don’t you stop playing the hero and admit the truth, here, where there are no witnesses to gasp with shock,” Raven murmured, and this time her voice was a caress that seemed to be coming from over Lightning’s shoulder, save that he felt no one there. “You want revenge, don’t you?”

“All I want is to serve my people,” Lightning replied.

“And who are your people?” Raven asked. “Not your fellow Harmonians, clearly, or you wouldn’t have left them behind to rush off and face me here. Was it so easy, commander, to abandon the last remnants of your people?”

“Starfleet is my people,” Lightning snapped. “His Majesty, my friends-“

“Ah, so you won’t care if I pop round to your house for some tea and murder after we’re done here then, will you?” Raven said. “What’s the name of the homeless royal sleeping in your bed? I must confess, after Twilight Sparkle I find I’m acquiring a taste for killing princesses.”

“Leave them alone!” Lightning yelled. “If you so much as look at them I’ll-“

“Lightning, calm down, she’s baiting you!” Krysta shouted. “What do you want, Raven? Why are you doing this?”

“My intentions are my own,” Raven replied. “But, of course, if you can stop me then it won’t matter what I intended to do, will it?”
”Then come out and fight!” Lightning snarled.

There was a moment of silence, and then another, and then a third before that same silence in the impenetrable, cloying darkness was broken by the sound of finger snapping.

The darkness was dispelled, chased into the corners of the corridor by a red and sickly light that hovered in the air above the heads of Lightning and Krysta like a blood moon descended from the heavens and into the corridor.

Raven stood facing Lightning, a score of feet away, standing with her hands down by her sides and her hood shrouding her face. He could still see enough to know that she was still smiling.

“I do hope you’ll forgive the theatrical melodrama,” Raven murmured. “It’s just that one gets very little chance to stretch ones wings in prison, so that when one is released, well…one wants to have a little fun.”

“Is this what all this is to you?” Lightning demanded. “Fun?”

Raven cocked her head to one side like the bird for whom she was named. “Well, if it wasn’t fun then I wouldn’t do it, would I?”

Lightning scowled as he stepped into a sparring stance, feet spaced apart, hands up in front of his face. “The fun ends here.”

Raven flowed like water into a far more elaborate stance, with one hand drawn back behind her head with the other held at arm’s length before her. “Oh, my dear commander. The fun, I’m afraid, is just beginning.” She made a ‘come hither’ gesture with her open palm.

“Krysta,” Lightning said. “Are you ready for this?”

A shower of sparkling motes of fairy light fell from Krysta’s tiny form to illumine up the darkness. “Let’s kick her ass!”

Raven didn’t response, but her smile broadened as though she were looking forward to their attempt.

With a slow-burning growl of rage that turned into a bellowing war-cry as he closed the distance with his foe Lightning charged forward, with Krysta following behind him.

Lightning’s fists were ready, and in his mind flashed all the lessons, all the sparring matches, all the time spent studying move and counter-move and technique.

I’m not Twilight sparkle, he thought. I have trained for battle my whole life since I was six years old. And I already know what you’re capable of.

Lightning threw a punch as he came in; a simple, straightforward punch. Raven blocked it with one arm, as Lightning had expected she would.

What he had not expected was that she would block his second stroke with the same hand, whipping it into place to stop his fist with jarring force as though it were nothing at all. She didn't even look a little fazed by his speed or power.

Lightning lashed out with his right leg in a stroke designed to sweep her legs out from under her and put her on her back, but as Lightning's kick swept in Raven simply leapt up into the air to plant both her own feet squarely into his chest.

Lightning gasped for breath as he staggered backwards, but he fought through in his chest and stomach to resume his stance as soon as he could. Never let the enemy see how badly they've hurt you; that was the first rule his master the Grand Ruler had ever taught him.

Though he suspected by the look on her face that Raven knew exactly how much she had hurt him. Her expression was one of disappointment, and as Lightning faced her she ostentatiously tucked her right arm behind her back, while repeating the 'come hither' gesture with her left.

Growling, Lightning launched himself at her again, his fists flying in a flurry of furious blows with the speed and strength of an oncoming train, each blow powerful enough to send a demon flying backwards, each one faster than the untrained eye could see, each one-

Each one blocked by Raven, with one arm.

She moved so swiftly that Lightning could barely follow her movements. Her arm moved in sweeping gestures, as though she were cleaning windows or painting a fence back and forth. Wherever his next blow was coming from there would her arm be, bringing his fist to a shuddering halt like a vehicle with the brakes slammed on. Raven's face was impassive, she showed no fear or him or his capabilities. She looked bored as she blocked blow after blow, catching his fists before they could land, making the least amount of effort that she needed to make to protect herself from him.

"Is this all you've got?" she drawled languidly.

"He's also got me!" Krysta shrieked as she erupted out of Lightning's mane like a wolf charging out of the forest to fall upon the unwary deer which grazes in the meadow. A shower of fairy sparks surrounded her, her whole body glimmered with fae light, and as she soared past Raven's arm - which was pre-occupied by blocking Lightning's latest stroke - Krysta raised her hands and a shower of gold and silver sparks flew, hissing and spitting, from her open outstretched palms.

Raven yelped in pain as the burning sparkling showers of light landed in her blue eyes. She screwed those eyes tight shut, turning away and shaking her head furiously. "You revolting little-"

Lightning hit her. She was turned away, distracted, she could not see the blow he aimed at her. Lightning was no honourable warrior, he did not cleave to a code, he did not fight to aggrandise himself or swell up his pride in the manner of his triumph; he fought to destroy his enemies, and he knew that as she turned away and her arm dropped this would be his best chance to destroy her without doubt.

So he hit her, his first punch struck her on the jaw hard enough to turn Raven completely around. His second was aimed for the small of her back, for her spine, to leave her helpless on the ground before him, but Raven began to spin and so he caught her only on the side instead and accelerated the spinning. Another blow to the face, it was like punching the side of a mountain but he had to keep on going, he had ignore the aching in his fists, he had to keep going even if he broke both fists and he probably would. He to keep the momentum up, he had to keep raining down the punishment, he had to weaken her before he could use his uniforce to finish her off.

His second blow to Raven's face made his hand protest even as it knocked Raven sideways. He lashed out with his leg and this time he did sweep Raven's legs out from under her to send her tumbling to the metallic walkway with a clanging thud. He fell upon her with the fury of the storm, assailing her with blows with falling hail as Raven struggled to get up. He kept on pounding her. He had to be wearing her down, he had to.

Raven looked up at him, and opened her mouth to speak-

Lightning's third blow to her face snapped her head around so that it was turned away from him. Lightning's next blow fell-

And Raven caught his fist in one hand, wrapping her grey and almost corpse-like fingers around his white and ungloved fist. Lightning tried to pull back, but her grip was too strong and then...and then Lightning began to wince in pain as Raven squeezed. He heard the cracking sounds as the bones in his hand shattered under the force she was bringing to bear, heard the creaking as his cybernetic implants began to buckle under the stress that Raven was causing them. Lightning had recieved the finest implants and gene mods in Starfleet but he could never have brought his kind of raw strength to bear on anyone.

How is she doing this? This shouldn't be possible!

Raven twisted, and Lightning howled in pain as he felt his wrist disconnect with a tearing sound.

Slowly, with all the great momentum of a building avalanche, Raven stood up. Her cloak of midnight blue fell down to her ankles even as her hood fell down to reveal her head. She was bleeding from the mouth, and she wiped the blood away with one grey thumb as she stared at Lightning, clutching his shattered hand with the his undamaged one.

Raven stared at her blood in evident distaste. She glared at Lightning. "My turn."

She threw a punch at him. Lightning blocked it, throwing his arm into the path of the stroke...and heard the crack as his arm broke under the impact of Raven's blow. Lightning gasped as pain like and uncontrolled and uncontrollable flame spread through his body. He didn't have to react as Raven got inside his guard and grabbed him by the sides of the head. She forced his head down as she pummelled his face with her knees. It was like getting hit by a train, over and over again. Black spots appeared in Lightning's vision, his ears became clogged with the sound of drums, the sights began to blur, he couldn't...he felt so sluggish, he couldn't move fast enough to...

Lightning moaned as Raven kneed him the last time before headbutting him hard enough to send him reeling backwards, dazed and dizzy. He was barely aware of her loading up another punch.

"No! Lightning!" Krysta threw herself between Raven and Lightning just as Raven's punch flew. Fairies could lift several hundred times their miniscule bodyweight, and Krysta put every ounce of strength she had into it...and though she was pushed back, she slowed Raven's fist to a stop like a superhero stopping a train before it runs over a cat.

Raven's face contorted into a sneer. "Pointless." One finger lashed out from her halted fist to strike Krysta in the midriff. Krysta screamed in pain as was catapulted away, whirling up and down in the air while her tiny wings flapped directionlessly in a futile attempt to steady her.

"Krysta!" Lightning yelled. No, no Krysta could not be...he couldn't lose Krysta, not like he'd lost Twilight. Please, please no, Krysta had to be okay, she just...she had to be okay, she just-

Lightning howled in agony as Raven grabbed him by the arm and yanked on it hard enough to dislocate the shoulder. She knocked his legs out from under him to leave him lying flat on his back before she stamped on his knee hard enough to make it crack and Lightning yell.

Raven crouched down over him, leaning close enough to him that even through the pain and all the trouble that it was giving him in seeing things, Lightning could still see her leering face.

"I hope you understand now how arrogant you were to come here alone," she said.

"Not...I didn't..." Lightning murmured. "I didn't want anyone else...in danger."

"Oh! Oh, how noble of you commander. The same nobility that Twilight Sparkle so tragically displayed. I'm surprised you didn't learn your lesson, but then you always though you were better than her, didn't you?"

"No."

"Come now, commander. No need to be modest. You looked down on her! You all looked down on her! Grow up, Twilight! Embrace the new ethos! Goodbye, friendship, hello the fetishisation of martial prowess. Admit it." She hit him across the face. "Admit it!"

"Once," Lightning confessed. "Yes, once. I...I learned better. She taught me better."

"She could have done with teaching herself a few more lessons instead," Raven muttered. She grabbed Lightning by the collar, lifting his head up so that she could pummel it more easily with her free fist. "There was once was a girl," she said, as she kept on hitting him over and over like a cart being pushed back and forth over the same spot. "A princess of the land who lived in a sparkling castle, beloved by all who trouble to know her well. Though she was sometimes mocked, and often belittled, nevertheless she remained ever gentle and kind, for she kept in her heart the dream that all the ills of the world could be cured with friendship. But I struck her down and she died alone, abandoned by all, and when she was gone all that she had stood for was torn down and trampled upon. So what price friendship in the end?"

Raven hit him again before she kept talking. "There once was a boy, who dreamed that he could become a hero. He worked hard and trained hard and never complained because he wanted to be the very best that ever was, so that he could stand between the world and danger and say 'no further'. But here you are, helpless at my feet, absolutely at my mercy; so what price heroes, in the end? What price strength?"

"I don't know," Lightning said. "But at least I...at least Twilight believed in something, and fought for it; what do you believe in, Raven?"

Raven was silent for a moment. The grin of her face faltered. She blinked, and he could almost see a blurry look of confusion in her eyes. "I...I don't..." she scowled. "I don't need to believe, commander. I only need to obey." She drew back her fist once more.

"GET AWAY FROM OUR LIGHTNING!"

Raven looked up in time to get a face full of speeding, enraged Snowflame.

Snowflame's momentum was enough to hurl Raven backwards, sending her skidding across the metallic walkway as Snowflame's forehooves descended upon her in a sequence of hammer-blows.

"DON'T. YOU. DARE. TOUCH. HIM. EVER. AG-"

Raven backhanded Snowflame of of her, but the Harmonius survivor rolled with the blow to come to a halt between Lightning and Raven. There she stood, hooves spread apart, wings flaring outwards, snorting like a bull in the field on spotting a potential trespasser.

Raven shook her head, though whether she was genuinely dazed or whether she was ostentatiously faking it for Snowflame's benefit Lightning really couldn't say. What was not fake was the blood she wiped off her face, from her mouth and nose. She cocked her grey head to one side as she stared at Snowflame. "Hmm, you're no Sunset Shimmer, that's for sure. But you've got four legs so that must mean..." she grinned. "You're one of the survivors of Harmonius, aren't you?"

"My name is Snowflame, daughter of Summer Storm and Distant Thunder; I stand guard and champion to Her Radiant Highness Fairgrace, Third of Her Name, defender of her life, protector of her person, upholder of her honour; I name myself the last of the Stormbringers of Harmonius; and I declare this stallion under my protection. Whomsoever would do him harm shall do battle with me."

"Snow...flame," Lightning groaned. No. No, get out of here! Get out of here, now, while you still can.

Snowflame tilted her head ever so slightly so that she could look at him out of the corner of one eye. "It's okay, Lightning. I'm here, and I'm going to take care of you, just like I used to."

Lightning blinked. He remembered that. When they were young, Snowflame...she had always been the strong one, the one who was unafraid to face any perils, the one who was always willing to pick a fight in a good cause. He had been a crybaby and a mana's boy, and Snowflame had called him both names more than once...but she would always stand up for him whenever anybody else might call him names, or worse. The way she stood, the way she spread out her legs and wings to make herself look bigger...he remembered that, it was the way she always stood when he would cower behind her from bullies or stray dogs or whatever else.

But this isn't some older kid, this isn't some hungry dog, this isn't like when we were young; it isn't like that at all! Raven's a killer, she'll end you. Please, Snowflame, please...please go, please leave me.

Please...I couldn't bear to lose you, too.

"Whomsoever would do him harm shall do battle with me," Raven repeated. "That's quite a challenge, young lady. Some might call you foolish, to tempt fate in such a way. And believe me, if I had time I would take great delight in showing you just how foolish you really are."

"If I had time," Snowflame spat. "You got somewhere better to be?"

"As it happens, yes," Raven replied. "I have a task that, unfortunately, doesn't allow me to play around with you; much as I might like to."

"Sounds like an excuse," Snowflame said. "What, do you have to go and water your plants? Feed your cat?"

"I have to kill someone," Raven said, making it sound as casual as either of those things.

Snowflame was silent for a moment, and Lightning thought he saw her shiver for a moment. "You had time to play with our Lightning, but not with me is that it?"

"Say rather, that I knew I would have to confront the esteemed commander sooner or later," Raven murmured. "You, on the other hand...I'm not afraid of you following me. Not with 'our Lightning' in need of such urgent medical attention." She bowed. "Good day, Miss Snowflame; until we meet again." Raven turned away and began to walk into the darkness.

"Hey! You never gave me your name," Snowflame yelled.

Raven halted. "Raven. The world calls me Raven."

"Raven," Snowflame repeated. "You'll see me again, Raven. Count on it!"

"And when I do, I promise that I won't...run away," Raven replied. "I'm already looking forward to it."

She walked into the dark, and was soon lost to Lightning's sight.

Snowflame turned to Lightning, her eyes widening in fear. "Lightning! Lightning, can you hear me? Can you answer?"

"Krysta..." Lightning moaned.

Snowflame nodded. "I'll find her. Don't worry, I'm going to get you both help."

"Why?"

Snowflame frowned. "Why? Why what?"

"Why...you come?"

"Why...why did I come?" Snowflame said. "You honestly have to ask me that?" Tears began to glimmer in her eyes as she pressed her muzzle up against his. "You're mine," she declared, fiercely despite the trembling in her voice. "You're mine, the same way that the princess is mine. Mine to have and mine to guard and mine to love; I came because you're my boy and I'm your girl, and I'll always be there when you need me. Always."

Author's Note

Kitty Snip is not an OC, she's a character from My Brave Pony, Starfleet VI; she appears in only one chapter as far as I can recall, but she really made an impression on me for reasons that I will get into later when she has a bigger role

The reason this chapter is only part 1 is that the next chapter could just as easily be called 'Face the Raven' as this one (or alternatively 'Raven beats up everybody') but I thought that a break here would make the Raven-delivered ass-kickings less monontonous. Originally there was going to be a drag-out fight between Raven and Snowflame, but I decided that, while Raven could possibly justify her desire to fight Lightning on the grounds of threat, sticking around to fight Snowflame as well in defiance of her mission would have been pure self-indulgence. As she herself said, she's got somebody to kill.

When I first planned the appearances of Snowflame and Fairgrace, Snowflame and Lightning's backstories were flipped round: Lightning was the guard captain's son, Snowflame was the steward's girl. I came to like it better reversed, however, and the fact that Lightning used to be a bit of a wet blanket really shows how much he, like everyone else, has been changed by his experiences.

Face the Raven, Pt2

Face the Raven, Part Two

One of Rainbow Dash's least favourite parts about the Starfleet show - on a cinematic level, anyway, there was a laundry list of things that annoyed to downright infuriated her about the show's character work - was the boilerplate scene in nearly every episode where the monster attacked and then the alarms went off and all the extras ran for the shelters before the shields went up in a piece of stock footage that got reused something like twenty times a season whether the action was supposed to be Canterlot or Ponyville or somewhere else altogether. After a while it just got so old.

However, at this precise moment Rainbow had to admit that she would have welcomed some kind of real life equivalent to that scene taking place in the streets and districts round by the prison.

As things stood, although the alarms had gone off, the sounds had been muted compared to those which would have sounded for some kind of monster attack, as though the flood of a great host of prisoners flooding the avenues and alleyways like rats was as nothing compared to the existential menace of a giant ant. People had been advised to stay in their homes but not to evacuate to the shelters, or even to safer parts of the city. As though people's front doors or windows would keep them safe if some convict decided to break it down and come for the folks inside. That was why Rainbow Dash was circling just above the roofs of the city, darting between high-rises, soaring over streets and gardens, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of escapees in this area. That was why she had her full flight complement up in the air doing what pegasi did...second best, after being awesome. Maybe third best after being awesome and flying. Or fourth best after being awesome, flying and manipulating the- they were doing something pegasi were pretty good at, okay, which was putting eyes in the sky to see things that the ground-bound space ponies might otherwise miss.

This is it, Twilight. This is our big chance. If the airborne and its eagle eyes could provide vital intelligence, if they could provide a haul of recaptured prisoners bigger than the space ponies could have achieved on their own, then maybe Twilight's concept, perhaps even her ideal of cooperation between the races, would be vindicated. Then even the proudest and most haughty space ponies would be unable to deny the vital role that they had played and their potential importance going forward.

Or they would just steal the credit for themselves the way they always did and make out that Lightning and Rhymey had saved the day. It was kind of a fifty-fifty chance on that for all that Rainbow had seen no sign and heard no sound from either of them.

Be okay, Fluttershy. She ought to be okay, she lived on the other side of town from all of this, but it was always possible...no, no it wasn't possible because Rainbow Dash was going to round up every last one of those prisoners before any of them made it that far.

And if she didn't...Fluttershy was pretty tough. Way tougher than she got credit for. By the time Rainbow busted in to save the day she'd have that poor bad guy curled up in a ball of shame on the floor.

A burst of static preceded the emergence of a voice on the comm. "Captain, this is Sergeant Buck here, we've got a bogie bagged and tagged; goes by the name of Snatch, says he's a friend of yours."

Rainbow chuckled. "Yeah, we go way back. Put him with the others and resume searching. Good work, Buck."

"Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow scowled at the sound of Lightning Dust's voice. "That's captain-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I've got eyes on Raven heading south on 37th."

Rainbow's eyes widened. Raven. Theoretically she had known that this was a possibility, rationally she had known that Raven was loose, but that rational knowledge hadn't prepared her for the emotional shock of hearing that she had been spotted. Raven. Twilight's killer. In sight. In view. In range. She was...Rainbow would never have admitted this out loud - not to anybody but Pinkie or Fluttershy anyway - but she was scared. She could feel the chill in her bones, and in her stomach. Just the thought of Raven made her afraid.

But she knew what she had to do. Rainbow angled her wings to begin her glide in the direction of 37th street. She couldn't run from this. If she did then she'd be failing in her duty as a soldier. If she ran from this then she'd never be able to look Twilight in the eye when they met up again.

"Who's with you, Lightning?"

"All by myself, my squad split up to cover more ground," Lightning replied. "I'm moving to intercept her now."

"On your own, are you crazy?" Rainbow demanded into the comm-piece. "Keep her in sight, discreetly if you can, and wait for reinforcements. I'm on my way."

"There's no time to be waiting around!" Lightning snapped. "Raven's already entering a building, there are people in danger and I'm going in!"

"Raven's too dangerous too-"

"I'm not letting ponies die because I was too chicken to take on an angsty freak in a cosplay!" Lightning Dust yelled. "If you think I need backup, get your flank down here!"

"Lightning Dust? Lightning Dust?" Rainbow demanded. There was no response. Probably she'd turned off her comm.

Rainbow snarled through her teeth as she beat her wings in an increasingly frantic motion for extra speed. She tapped the comm in her ear, switching to broadcast to everypony in the unit. "Calling all ponies, Lightning has sighted Raven on 37th and is moving to engage. Everybody support if possible...cause she'll need the help before too long."

Bon-Bon’s hands tore at the lettuce leaf as water trickled down out of the sink to wash the green vegetable clean.

“It’s a pity that we couldn’t go out for lunch,” she murmured. “But I think I can make this work right here.”

A soft smile crossed Lyra’s green face as she glanced at Moondancer. “Good thing that we went shopping, huh?”

Moondancer sat down on a stool near the glass patio doors, and bowed her head as she tugged at the sleeve of her brown jumper. “I…I’m sorry that you both got stuck in here like this-“

“Stop that,” Lyra said. “We don’t mind spending time with you. And if we can’t take you out like we wanted…it isn’t your fault, right?”

“I guess not,” Moondancer murmured.

Bon-Bon tore off some more lettuce. “I wonder what the alert is for anyway?”

Lyra folded her arms as crossed the kitchen floor to stand closer to her mare friend. “It can’t be anything too serious, or they would have told us to run for the shelters. Right?”

“You’d think so,” Bon-Bon said softly. “Hey, Moondancer, what do you think all this fuss is about?”

“I don’t know,” Moondancer said. “But I’m afraid it might be connected to that big bang from earlier.”

“That’s where the smart money is,” Bon-Bon replied. “Probably a gas explosion or something and they want people to stay indoors in case they get sick.”

Moondancer glanced towards her wall of theories.

“Eyes away,” Bon-Bon said, although she wasn’t even looking at Moondancer so how did she know? I’m sure that whatever it is isn’t being done on purpose. I’m sure that whatever is going on was just an accident. I’m sure that they have top people working on this as we speak.”

“How can you be so sure?” Moondancer asked.

“Because I used to be top people,” Bon-Bon replied. “Take it from me, the government doesn’t go around using its own citizens as targets or test dummies or anything like that. Whatever’s going on outside, I’m sure that everything is going to be just fine.”

Moondancer’s front door exploded.

Moondancer let out a squeak of frightened surprised as she toppled backwards off her stool. She hit the hardwood floor with a wince of pain that was barely audible over the lingering sound of the explosion echoing through the hallway and into the kitchen. Lyra let out a cry of surprise as she pried herself off the wall and moved to stand between Moondancer and whatever was going on. Bon-Bon had a knife in hand. It hadn’t been there a second ago, and Moondancer hadn’t seen her reach for one of the kitchen knives, but there it was, in her hand, blade gleaming in the sunlight.

Through the fire, which parted to let her pass as though it was a living thing that she had the power to command, strode Twilight’s murderer. Raven. Moondancer recognised her face from all the publicity that she’d gotten. The most dangerous enemy that Starfleet had ever faced, the only person to challenge Twilight Sparkle and emerge victorious, the Grey Assassin, the slayer of Starfleet’s and United Equestria’s greatest and bravest hero.

The person who had killed Moondancer’s first and best friend.

“You,” Moondancer whispered quietly, so quietly that nobody seemed to hear it but her.

She was…she was terrified. She was utterly and hopelessly terrified. She couldn’t move her arms or her legs. She could feel them trembling like refrigerated custard wobbling on top of tarts but she couldn’t move them. She couldn’t clench a fist, she couldn’t crawl away, she couldn’t summon her magic. She was trying, oh Celestia and Twilight how she was trying, but her powers had chosen this very moment to desert her. It was as though she was completely cut off from the mystical energies, rendered immobile in body and powerless in spirit and helpless in mind, unable to think of anything beyond the fact that Raven was loose and in her house.

In my house…and here to kill me. There was no other rational explanation. Raven couldn’t have known that Bon-Bon and Lyra would be here so she must have come for Moondancer and that meant…and that meant…

She’s here to kill me just like she killed Twilight and that must mean…that must mean… though Moondancer could not fight Raven with body or magic she forced her mind past its fear of the demoncorn to focus on what it had to mean. It must mean that I’m getting close, just like Twilight was. That’s why she’s here to kill me. She’s here because she’s afraid of what I know.

I know how she feels. Moondancer’s terror was so great that not even the feeling of academic vindication – now who’s a conspiracy theorist! – could douse it. And right at this moment, as she lay on the floor unable to move, her knowledge didn’t look like it would do her much good anyway.

“I hope that I’m not interrupting,” Raven said as she straightened her dark blue cloak. She strode quickly down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Bon-Bon barred her way, kitchen knife in hand. The hand that held the blade was raised and ready to strike, while the other hand was held before her in a guard to protect her face.

“Bon-Bon,” Moondancer murmured tremulously. She didn’t know the earth pony very well, but Lyra seemed to like her a lot, and she seemed really nice…but how could she hope to succeed where Twilight Sparkle had failed.

Raven tilted her head slightly. “At the risk of sounding unbearably pretentious: don’t you know who I am?”

Bon-Bon didn’t reply. She didn’t move an inch. She stood, barring Raven’s way into the kitchen as though she were made of stone.

Raven sighed. “Move aside. Please.”

Bon-Bon remained as silent as the grave…as silent as the grave into which Raven would send her certain.

Raven rolled her dark blue eyes and lashed out with one hand. Bon-Bon darted backwards like a tree swaying in the wind, before she lashed out with her knife, striking downwards towards Raven’s chest.

Raven flowed like water. She was so fast that Moondancer’s untrained eyes couldn’t follow her individual movements. But she heard the snap of Bon-Bon’s wrist, heard Bon-Bon howl in agony, she saw Bon-Bon’s face slammed into the doorframe with a heavy thud and a moan of further pain.

“Bon-Bon!” Lyra yelled.

And Moondancer saw the look of malicious glee on Raven’s face as she drove the kitchen knife into Bon-Bon’s own hand, impaling it into the doorframe and making the pale mare scream.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Raven said mockingly, as blood ran down the painted wood. Bon-Bon grunted as she tried to free herself, but the knife was driven in up to the hilt and she couldn’t make it budge. Raven stepped over her, and advanced into the kitchen.

“Nice place,” she observed. “Very modernist.”

Then it was Lyra’s turn to bar her way. Her horn glowed gleaming bronze, and in her right hand she held a sword conjured out of pure magic, and the magic that sustained it gleamed more brightly than any blade. She stood in what Moondancer academically recognised as a fencing stance, with her free hand clasped behind her back.

“Oh, what’s this?” Raven moaned. “Are you the knight going to slay the monster?”

“I’d rather be the bard who sings of knights,” Lyra replied. “But since there are no knights around I guess I’ll have to do.”

Raven’s horn glowed, and for a moment Moondancer feared that she would simply summon her uniforce to blast Lyra aside. But instead, Raven summoned a blade of her own, longer than Lyra’s and heavier looking too although that couldn’t really matter in a contest of magic. She assumed a combative stance, with a high guard and her sword raised above her head. “Very well then. Dance with me, knight.”

Lyra attacked, her vorpal rapier darting forward through the air like a wasp bent on stinging. Raven parried with ease, but did not counter as Lyra retreated back a step, recovered her balanced, and then lunged again.

Lyra's form was perfect, as far as an unskilled bookworm like Moondancer could tell, her stances were correct and her footwork was sure. But no matter what thrust or lunge or slash she made Raven simply parried it, batted it aside as though it were a thing of no consequence, and then waited patiently for Lyra to attack again.

And the look on Raven's face, the smile upon her grey features, the way her teeth flashed like the jaws of a shark, the way her eyes like smouldering sapphires gleamed...she's just toying with Lyra, Moondancer realised. She's just stringing this out to watch her suffer.

"Lyra, stop this and get out of here!" Moondancer cried. She didn't want Lyra to die, her friend. She didn't want Lyra to die the way that Twilight...it was bad enough that Bon-Bon was hurt because of her but if Lyra...Moondancer didn't know what she'd do if that happened.

"Huh?" Lyra asked, momentarily distracted.

"Bored now," Raven said, as her golden blade struck out with the speed of a venomous snake lunging out to sink its fangs into its prey. Lyra shrieked like a mother bird returning to the nest to find the eggs all smashed or stolen as her hand was severed at the wrist. Her vorpal sword vanished in a flash as Lyra doubled over, staggering sideways, clutching her cauterised stump with her one...with her one...with her...with her remaining...with her other hand.

Oh no. No, Lyra.

Raven's expression was contemptuous as she backhanded Lyra across the face, knocking her to the floor where she lay, mewling in agony, rocking like a foal, clutching her stump.

Raven spared her not another glance as she bore down, finally and inexorably as the tide, on Moondancer.

Moondancer couldn't move. She could barely speak. In face of such malice, of such power, of such cruelty, in the face of she who had cast down so great and noble an alicorn, greater by far than Moondancer would ever be...all that a poor scholar could do was tremble in her terror.

"Hello," Raven said. "You must be Moondancer. You...well, you're pretty much what I expected when they told me you were a bespectacled shut-in."

Raven grabbed her by the neck. Moondancer could feel her fingers through her jumper, tight and painful but not so much so as to stop her from breathing; not completely anyway. There was the strong implication that Raven could grip more tightly, if need be.

"Where is the research?" Raven demanded.

Moondancer's eyes widened involuntarily. Twilight's research? So that is what this is all about, she was getting close to something.

And they killed her for it. They murdered her because of what she knew, or what she was close to finding out. A spike of cold anger shot through her body, even though she was far from being in any position to do anything about it.

"Ah, I see you know what I'm talking about," Raven said, a sly smile sprouting on her face. "Good. I'd hate to have hurt or maimed your friends for nothing. Where is Twilight Sparkle's research?"

"W-why?" Moondancer croaked. "Why are you doing this?"

Raven snarled as she turned and slammed Moondancer into the nearest wall so hard that the tiles cracked. Moondancer yelped as the pain shot through her back. "Never mind why, just tell me where it is. All of it, including any copies you might have made."

Moondancer said nothing. That research...that was Twilight's last project, it was the research that had cost her her life...it was all that she had left of Twilight Sparkle, she couldn't let it be...she couldn't let it go.

Raven hit her. Moondancer's glasses shattered and she cried out as the pain of Raven's fist was mingled with the pain of tiny shards of glass slicing into her face. "Tell me where it is!"

Moondancer sniffed as tears began to well up in her tears. I won't tell, Twilight. I'll never tell. She had to be brave, now. Brave like Twilight, or as close as someone like her could come anyway.

Raven stared at her. "They never told me you were brave. But my question to you is: are you callous?"

"Wh-what?"

"Tell me what I want to know," Raven said. "Or I kill your friends. Slowly, and while you watch. The choice is yours. You might not care for your own life, but are you willing to throw theirs away?"

Moondancer closed her eyes. Twilight, I...I can't. She couldn't sacrifice Lyra like that, she couldn't choose Twilight's work over Bon-Bon, she couldn't...she couldn't. "You're a monster."

"Technically I'm a demon, as I understand," Raven said softly. "Now, where is-"

A pale green blur swept through the house with lightning streaking behind it, flying through the kitchen to collide with Raven like an avalanche striking a tree in its path. Raven let go of Moondancer, who dropped limply to the floor as Raven was borne sideways into the patio door that shattered into a thousand shards of tinkling glass as Raven and the blur - the blur that was fast resolving itself into a pegasus in Starfleet armour - fell through the breaking glass and into the garden.

Lightning Dust was already down for the count by the time that Rainbow Dash dropped from the sky into the garden of the house. She was lying spreadeagled out on the patio, face down, blood pooling like a halo around her head. Only a slight twitching of her fingers indicated that she wasn’t dead…another victim of Raven’s fury.

As for Raven herself, she was crouched down on top of Lightning Dust like some kind of feral creature, touched by the untamed bestiality of the wilderness, dipping her fingers into Lightning’s blood with a savage grin on her face.

When her clipped, civilised, urbane voice issued from her mouth the contrast was…eerie. It was like hearing a manticore invite you for tea…and being unable to escape the suspicion that you were the aperitif.

“A single soldier?” Raven asked, as she rose slowly to her feet. “You sent a single soldier to kill me, Rainbow Dash? I’m mildly insulted.”

“Only mildly?” Rainbow growled.

“I got to exorcise most of my aggrieved feelings upon her body,” Raven said casually. She grinned. “Now, is this the part where you tell me that you’re here to take me in alive? Or are you going to kill me, and avenge poor dear Twilight once and for all?”

Rainbow’s hands curled into fists. “It’s over, Raven. More troops will be here any minute.”

“That still leaves us a minute alone together, darling,” Raven remarked. “Well, except for them.” She gestured casually to the occupants of the inside of the house. Rainbow recognised Lyra Heartstrings, who sat so awkwardly and played the harp so well, lying on the kitchen floor clutching the stump of her severed arm; Bon-Bon, who was so cagey about her past but could make boiled sweets nearly as good as Pinkie (actually they were a little better, but if anybody told Pinkie that Rainbow would have to hunt them down and end them), was impaled to the wall with a knife through her hand, weeping through the pain as she tried to free herself. A pale unicorn in an ugly jumper and broken spectacles lay crouched against the wall shivering in terror.

“But I don’t think they’re going to do anything to stop either of us. My dance card is free, I’m all yours. If you’ve got the courage to take your chance.”

“I know what you’re doing,” Rainbow spat.

“Really? Do tell?”

“You’re trying to get me riled up so I’ll make a mistake.”

“Is it working?”

“No,” Rainbow snarled. “And it won’t work, either.”

“Obviously, you’re far too in control of yourself and your emotions for my clumsy machinations,” Raven replied easily. “I suppose that we shall just have to wait here until your reinforcements arrive to take me into custody. I shall enjoy being back in my cell. So cosy, warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and there’s always so much to read.”

“Why are you here, Raven?” Rainbow Dash demanded. “Why this place, why this house? Why these ponies?”

“I sometimes come across a particularly striking passage and I think to myself ‘I wonder what Twilight Sparkle would have made of this’,” Raven continued, ignoring Rainbow’s question. “But then I remember that she’s dead, and at my hand too. Such a tragedy.”

Rainbow bared her teeth in a wordless snarl. “I asked you a question.”

“Yes, but you weren’t very polite about it where you?” Raven replied. “But then, you were always a bit of a brute, as I understand. Twilight now-“

“SHUT UP ABOUT TWILIGHT!” Rainbow roared more loudly than any bull in the field or lion on the plains. “Just shut up! You don’t get to talk about her!”

Raven grinned. “Do you think she felt abandoned, at the end? Do you think she felt betrayed, the Princess of Friendship, dying alone with no one to comfort her, nobody to take her hand? And what about you, element of loyalty? How does it feel to know that you betrayed your best friend when she needed you the most?”

“I’M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS, YOU ARROGANT BITCH!” Rainbow yelled as she sped forward, fist cocked back to pound that smirk clean off of Raven’s face and into the ground.

"RAINBOW DASH, STAY YOURSELF!" a voice like thunder split the sky even as a bolt of lightning sprung from the cloudless clarity of the day to strike the earth directly in her path. Had Rainbow Dash been a less swift and agile speedster - I know, hard to imagine, right? - then she would have been fried like a chicken by the bolt which left a smouldering crater in the ground. As it was, she managed to reverse her speeding progress and dart backwards just before the lightning struck.

This was not Raven's doing. Indeed, the grey assassin seemed every bit as shocked and surprised by this development as Rainbow was herself.

There was a flash of blue light, deep midnight blue, the blue of a sky illuminated by the moon's full brightness, as Princess Luna appeared between the two combatants like a mighty wall defending the city from the savage raiders without. Her body was clad in a cuirass of rich black, studded with diamonds and gleaming pearls so that resembled the starry field of a night sky. Upon her arm she bore a shield of shining silver, and in her other and she bore a silver spear while a manica of lacquered blue interlocking armoured plates crawled up her unshielded arm towards her shoulder. Her helm was black, but trimmed with silver and with a dark blue diademn set upon the brow just behind the princess' long, blue horn. Unlike the helms of common guardsponies, Princess Luna's helmet bore no proud and towering crest, but rather Luna's mane of liquid night descended down from underneath the helm to fall down her back in the office of a cape, rippling gently though there was no wind.

Raven's face recovered its usual composure. "Princess Luna. What a pleasant surprise. Now I need only square off with Cadance and I will have the whole set."

"I am not here to bandy crooked words with you, creature," Luna spat, her tone contemptuous. "But this I swear: you shall not harm another in this city. Not while I live."

Raven did not flinch from Luna's threat. "That would be a great fight, no doubt, and I deeply regret I must decline it. But I have business elsewhere that cannot wait upon my risk of death, and clearly I wasted too much time already in my pleasures. Princess adieu, to have seen you in your majesty but once...I shall remember it."

"Seeing you anywhere but a cell will be an unceasing regret of mine," Luna declared. She brought up her shield and levelled her spear. "But what makes you think I shall allow you to depart in peace?"

Raven smirked. "If I may borrow your own words for a moment, princess, from a time when you were near as monstrous as I am: stand back you foals!"

There was a flash of light so great that Rainbow was blinded for a moment. She heard Luna roar with anger...and then when she opened her eyes again Raven was gone, and only the violent debris she had left in her wake as evidence that she had ever been.

"Coward," Rainbow muttered.

Luna rounded upon her with a gleam of anger in her eyes and fury mingled with great disappointment in her tone. "Did you mean to fight with her alone, Rainbow Dash? Have you forgotten the fate of Twilight Sparkle?"

"Of course not, it was because of Twilight that I had to fight!"

"So that you should share her fate and your ashes might be placed in honour beside hers?" Luna demanded. "You are brave and strong and swift all, true; but more than that you are an element of harmony. Harmony, unity, these are your true strengths, only together can-"

"Together with who?" Rainbow demanded. "Pinkie's gone, Applejack's gone, Rarity's gone, Fluttershy is being held captive by that...I'm all alone out here. We're all...all alone." All alone and I can't help any of them. Just like I couldn't help Twilight when she needed me the most.

Luna's blue eyes softened, casting aside some of their severity. "I am aware," she murmured. "As wicked a piece of malicious business as could have been done. I am sorry for it. I...for all your trials, you have my sorrow."

More ponies began to drop down into the garden, batponies in the armour of Princess Luna's guard. One of them said, "Princess Luna, is it done?"

"It is over, but not yet done, Raven escaped me," Luna confessed. "And much mischief may she wreak in the unhappy world yet. But we must attend to other matters now. Bring those four mares, we will have their injuries tended to. Rainbow Dash, you must come with me."

"Where?" Rainbow asked. "And why?"

"We will not speak of it, not here," Luna said. "It is not safe to do so. But you must come with me and you must come now. The fate of Equestria may depend upon it."

On a barren hill overlooking New Canterlot, covered half with yellowing, decaying grass and half witn brown and barren earth, the person born of Twilight Sparkle's DNA and assigned at her unusual 'birth' the code of Sentinel Three sat upon a squat grey rock and stared at her hands.

Her hands. Twilight Sparkle's biological hands. The hands of a warrior. Hands with the power to kill and destroy. The hands...the hands of a creature with neither name nor identity.

Slowly, she watched as those thats that were hers clenched into a pair of lethal fists...and the unclenched again.

I give the commands and my body obeys. I act and in so acting I affect my surroundins. I walk the world and I bring death in my wake.

Will nobody tell me who I am?

Will nobody tell me what I am meant to do?

Sunset's anger, Fluttershy's shock and sorrow, the crimes that she had committed. How could Twilight Sparkle be the cause of such things? How could a champion of good breed out such evil, fear and death?

I am not Twilight Sparkle.

But if I am not her out of whose dust and clay I was fashioned...then who am I?

The other sentinels kept their distance from her. They glanced at her but they did not look at her. They talked amongst themselves but they did not include her. Where they going to abandon her too? Were they going to reject her, just as Twilight's friends had done?

Will I be all alone in the world...as she once was?

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Bravo gestured angrily at her before stalking off, perching on another rock, much like the one on which she sat, and began to chew on a piece of bubblegum. The pink bubble blew out so wide it nearly hid all of Bravo's face before it popped. Then Bravo went right back to chewing, and glared at her all the while.

Two wandered over. His face was vaguely hopeful in its look, though what he found to take heart in she was not sure. Perhaps he was putting on a show of hope and good humour for the sake of the others. Or maybe for her sake.

"You know, it might be New Canterlot that draws the eye," Two muttered, his voice a little gruff. He pointed out in the opposite direction, to the little farming town that lay across the plains. "But if you look the other way you can see New Ponyville from here. It wouldn't take long if you want to head over there."

"What, are we going to run through Twilight Sparkle's whole address book before we find someone who doesn't point and shriek at the sight of her?" Bravo demanded.

Two scowled as he rounded on Bravo. "Bravo, cool down."

"I cannot be the only one who doesn't want to waste their life in a fool's errand?" Bravo demanded. She looked round, as if hoping for declarations of support, but found none. Charlie would not meet her eyes. Alpha shrugged. Delta frowned, but said nothing.

"Seriously?" Brave snapped.

"It's not like we've got anything better to do," Alpha said.

"Look, I'm sorry, but you're not Twilight Sparkle," Bravo said. "And because you're not Twilight, nobody is ever going to accept you as Twilight because, say it with me, you're not Twilight. You're...you're just a copy. That's all you'll ever be. That's all any of us will ever be."

"Speak for yourself," said Delta.

"She's right," she, who had once been Three, murmured glumly. "After Sunset and Fluttershy...what use in confirming failure? It's clear that Twilight's friends will never accept me her, which means..."

"Which means we find our own path," Two declared. "Forge our own destiny."

"That's...easier said that done, in this society," Charlie said haltingly.

"Isn't it always?" asked Alpha.

"The zebras say that the gods fashioned the first two zebras out of earth and water, and gave them names and set them on the earth with purpose in mind for them," the one who had been Three, and who had hoped to be Twilight, said softly. "But where are our gods to give us names and purposes."

"We rebelled against our creators, remember?" Two said. "We have no gods now."

"You say that now..." a voice unfamiliar and yet wholly, almost horribly familiar said.

Alpha let out an exclamation of startled shock as she reached for her crossbow. Delta unslung his axes from his back. Raven...Raven stood amongst them. Raven, exactly as...exactly as Twilight remembered her, from the day she died. Raven was here, smiling insouciantly.

"Put those away, before you hurt yourselves," she said lightly. "Trust me, if I meant you any harm you'd know it."

"We hurt ourselves?" Delta demanded. "You don't seem to know who you're dealing with."

"Oh, I know everything about you. More than you know about yourselves, probably," Raven said. "The question is, do you know who I am." She pointed at Three. "You know who I am, don't you? You remember?"

"Raven," she said. "You killed me."

"Technically, I killed Princess Twilight Sparkle," Raven replied. "You...you're someone else. Have you chosen a name yet?"

She hesitated. "No."

Raven cocked her head to one side. "You know...I've always liked Evenfall. Eve, for short."

She tried it out, rolling it around her tongue. "Eve. Eve."

"Yes, Eve," Raven said. "Eve, the twilight of an old world - if you'll excuse the dreadful pun - and the mother to a new."

"What are you talking about?" Two demanded. "What do you want?"

"I want your help," Raven said. "I want to help you. I want to offer you your hearts desires."

"And what are they?" Bravo asked. "Tell us, if you know us so well."

Raven chuckled. "Identity. Purpose. Revenge against a world that made you to be weapons, treated you like instruments, denied your common equinity and personhood, that spat in your face when you tried to claim the rights of ordinary ponies. Is that not what you want?"

"Maybe," Alpha conceded. "What does it mean in specifics?"

"This world will never accept you, you're all smart enough to know that," Raven said. "You'll be hunted all your lives."

"And you have a solution to that?" Eve murmured.

Raven's grin was manic. "The best solution. The only solution. Join me, and together we'll destroy this world, and on its ashes we will build a better one. A world for you and your descendants."

"Eww, I have to mate with one of these guys?" Bravo asked. "No offence."

Raven laughed. "You needn't mate with anyone. Perhaps you could create a race of clones to follow in your footsteps. That's the beauty of freedom, you'll be able to chart your own course, wherever you want to go. But you'll never be free so long as the tyranny of Starfleet endures. They will never stop until they have you in their custody and under their control once more. Did you really think Starlight Glimmer would be the end of it?"

"We can handle whoever comes after us," Two said.

"Perhaps," Raven replied. "But do you want to? Should you have to?"

"No," Even said.

"Three!" Two gasped.

Eve rose from her seat on the rock. "My name is Eve."

Two frowned. "Eve, come on! Listen to this! She wants to use us exactly the same way that Starfleet did. As weapons, as soldiers! Is that what you want? Is that what we got free for, so we could serve somebody else?"

"She's right," Eve said. "We'll never be free while Starfleet is looking for us."

"Screw Starfleet, but screw this Raven too!" Two snapped. "She killed you!"

"She killed Twilight," Eve replied, her voice soft. "And if she hadn't...I wouldn't be here. I guess you could say...I owe her my life."

Two shook his head. "Is this what you want?"

"They made us to be weapons," Eve said. "They treated us like weapons. You saw the way that Fluttershy and Rhymey lookd at me, at all of us! You know what Sunset said to me. I'm not a pony to them. We aren't ponies to them. We're monsters. Demons. Weapons that have malfunctioned. Well what if they're right? What if we show all this world and all of Starfleet just how monstrous we can be?

"Starlight was right: we aren't like ordinary ponies. We aren't like them. We're different. We're better. And Starlight was right to say that only one of us can win out in the end. So yes, let's end their world...and let's claim the future for ourselves."

Twilight had often wondered, in dark and lonely moments, what she might do if her friends betrayed her. If they had exiled her for trying to unmask the changelings at her brother's wedding, if she had been driven out into the wilderness after a bout of stress-induced madness. Twilight had never come up with a single coherent answer, but Eve did: I'll be revenged upon you all, and then some.

Twilight's friends had betrayed her. She had gone to them when she was in desperate need and they had spurned her like a stranger dog. So let them see what happened when the dog bites back.

"Who's with me?" she asked.

Two's face twitched.

"You don't have to come with me, if you don't want to," she said.

Two snorted, and placed one hand on her shoulder with surprising gentleness. "Yeah, I do."

"Like I said," Alpha muttered. "It's not like we've got anything better to do."

"At least it's a plan," Bravo said.

Eve glanced at the remaining boys. "Charlie? Delta?"

Charlie blinked rapidly. "It...it sounds kinda dark."

"Charlie," Two said. "Come on, we need to stick together. We can't protect you if you leave."

You shouldn't have said that. That was wrong. Even if it was factually correct it was emotionally manipulative, and the part of Eve that remained in some sense Twilight disapproved immensely. Yes, it had the desired effect - Charlie nodded his assent - but that didn't make it right.

"Delta?" Alpha asked. "What are you waiting for?"

Delta folded his arms. "Maybe I don't want to destroy the world?"

Bravo snorted. "How about wanting to be free?"

"At the cost of destroying the world," Delta repeated.

"What if it wasn't," Eve asked. "What if it was just Starfleet."

Delta considered it. "That I could get behind."

"Done," Eve replied. "We'll take out Starfleet, and be free. Our new world...we can find that later."

Raven looked at her curiously, as if wondering if she meant it. Eve gave her a barely perceptible shake of the head. We'll deal with this later. I don't want to lose Delta yet. She didn't want to lose any of them at all, they were the only friends she had left. "Where do we start?"

Raven smiled. "We start by paying a little visit to an old friend."

Starlight didn't know how long she was lying there, bleeding in the rubble. The pain...the pain in her back, in her side...she'd been knocked unconscious for a while after crashing through the roof, or at least she thought so because she didn't remember exactly how she ended up impaled on this old iron bar. And then later...the pain, it...it made her black out again. More than once.

It still hurt, but less now than it did before. It hurt like anything, but she didn't feel as though she was going to die imminently the same way she had at first.

Ironically, that probably meant that she was finally about to die.

She felt...cold. Cold and weak. That was...that was probably the blood loss, because she could feel all of her warm, wet sticky blood on the outside of her, pooling around her on the floor, lapping at her hands like some kind of clueless dog.

She couldn't move. She could barely speak. She wanted to speak, she wanted to cry out, she wanted to scream for help, but when she tried only a quiet wheezing sound came out.

It was a miracle that Starlight Glimmer was still alive. It was a miracle that wasn't going to continue indefinitely.

She didn't want to die. She wanted to go home, she wanted to kiss Trixie, she wanted to change the world, she wanted...she wanted to be happy. She wanted to smile, she wanted to laugh, she wanted to walk down the street and not be regarded with suspicion, too Starfleet for the Equestrians and too Equestrian for Starfleet. She wanted...she wanted to rest, to sleep like she had when she was a young filly, safe and comfortable and free of care. She wanted to be herself, to take off all these masks she'd worn. She wanted...she wanted to live.

Tears pricked at the corners of Starlight's eyes. She wanted to live, but there was nothing she could do to keep herself alive. Too weak to move, to use magic, to call for help. All she could do was lie here in this derelict ruin, battered by magic and gravity, impaled and broken, she...she couldn't even feel her legs.

Trixie. Sunburst. Be okay. She had failed them both, at the last; she had failed everyone. She hoped that her friends had the strength to survive what would surely follow.

She heard something. Her ears pricked up at the sounds of someone - multiple someones - rattling through the rubble. She croaked wearily in a pathetic attempt to attract attention.

"Over there!" the sound was deep and gruff, and heavily distorted by mechanical filters. A flashlight was shone directly into Starlight's face. She squinted and flinched away from the brightness.

"She's alive. Bring her to the Professor."

The Professor? Starlight's mind protested in spite of all the fog of pain and weakness that enfolded it. Which one? Not THE professor? No, I want a doctor; I need a doctor, a real doctor, not that mad scientist!

A masked and helmeted face loomed over her, all pony features concealed. Starlight flinched as she felt something prick her neck.

"Don't worry, Colonel," the distorted voice said as everything in Starlight's world went black. "You're in good hands."

When she awoke it was to bright lights shining down directly upon her, lights temporarily blocked out by...by Professor Brain looming over her!

Frankly, that would have been bad enough without the incredibly overly happy look on his face.

"Hello again, Colonel," he said. "It seems that our positions have somewhat reversed since last we met."

No! No no no! What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Starlight tried to move her arms, but someone had restrained her to the bed and she was held fast with all her limbs and extremities. Let me out of her!

She tried to speak, but only a thin wheezing sound emerged.

Brain took no notice. "You've had quite a fall, and worse besides. Suffered considerable damage, but not to worry. We can rebuild you. We have, as they say, the technology."

Starlight's eyes widened as she produced a power drill and brandished it in her face, giving it an experimental rev up as Starlight tried, and failed, to pull away.

Starlight Glimmer was mistress of Intelligence, of course. She had ten times as many ponies in her pocket as Brain had at his disposal.

But in this room Brain was master of all, and he held the drill.

"I suppose I should admit that you were right, Colonel, Project Sentinel has proven to be rather a washout. Obviously a case of my reach exceeding my grasp. But Project Janissary, on the other hand...I expect it will prove most...satisfactory."

Starlight couldn't make a sound as Brain started to drill, but inside she was screaming.

Author's Note

You may have noticed that the rating of this story has changed from E to Teen. That isn't a sign of a great shift in tone, it was purely to allow Rainbow Dash to call Raven a bitch, because at that point nothing else would have really done.

Originally a lot more of Raven whaling on various people (Lightning Dust, who was going to actually die at one point, Rainbow Dash, and a fight with Cerise Wonder that ended with them firing Uniforce at once, Dragonball Z style) was planned, but I just had no enthusiasm to write any of it. I think beating up Lightning Dawn was hopefully enough to establish Raven as a threat without her having to work through half the secondary cast. Plus, who would have really cared if Lightning Dust died at this point?

So, one hundred and something words in and the story is finally starting to catch up to the synopsis. The next chapter will start to see the Mane Five come back together after being split up initially.

I've been watching Zeta Gundam lately and I really wanted to work in the phrase 'souls weighted down by Equestria's gravity (something something the future out in space)' somewhere, but I couldn't find anywhere it really fit.

Two Famillies, Incomplete

This place didn't look like a hospital. It had beds, a dozen of them with only three occupied, and it had hospital stuff like bleeping machines and bags of clear liquid and folks dressed like doctors and nurses walking around, but that didn't make it a hospital. It made it an empty warehouse that somepony had put beds and blinking machines and bags of transparent liquid in and persuaded a bunch of doctors and nurses to walk around in.

All of which left Rainbow Dash rather curious as to what she was doing here. Princess Luna had brought her here but she had not said why. Now she stood on the edge of the makeshift hospital, unneeded and, apparently, unwanted. Her eyes glanced at the batpony guards hovering on the edges of the warehouse. What was this place, and why had Lyra, Bon-Bon and Lightning Dust been brought here, instead of to a regular hospital?

What was going on around here?

Rainbow Dash walked quickly and softly across the warehouse floor to the bed were Lightning Dust lay. Her head had been bandaged up but she lay comatose, eyes closed, limbs unmoving. She looked as though she could be dead, and only the fact that machines she was hooked up to seemed placid enough told Rainbow otherwise.

"Hey," Rainbow murmured, not knowing whether or not Lightning Dust could hear her. Sure, she was unconscious, but that didn't mean that she couldn't hear, somehow, right? Or maybe it did, Rainbow wasn't smart about stuff like this. "Lightning Dust...I know that you and me we've had our differences. I know that we don't always see eye to eye but...but you did good out there, you should remember that. You're still a hothead, but you were my kind of hothead today."

"She saved my life."

Rainbow Dash looked up. A unicorn stood on the other side of Lightning Dust's bed, a unicorn with a pale coat and an ugly sweater, wearing cracked, square glasses. Her shoulders were hunched and her back was bent, her hands were clasped together in front of her. She looked...she looked as though she wanted to be anywhere but here right now.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Do I know you? I kinda feel like I should, maybe."

"My...my name is Moondancer," Moondancer murmured. "I was...I was a friend of...Twilight."

"Right," Rainbow said. "Sorry, I...Twilight had a lot of friends."

"Don't apologise," Moondancer whispered. She looked down at the unconscious Lightning Dust. "She saved my life. That...Raven would have...if she hadn't...this is all my fault."

"No it isn't," Rainbow replied. "Everything that Raven did today is on her, all of it. If it hadn't been you it would have been someone else."

"No, it wouldn't," Moondancer cried, as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I...Raven was after me! Because of Twilight's research! I'm the reason everyone got hurt, I'm the reason that Lyra is...oh, Lyra."

"What...slow down a second," Rainbow demanded. "What about Twilight's research? Researching what?" Twilight was always researching something or other, and as much as Rainbow loved and respected her dear friend a lot of it was...what was that polite word for 'boring' that Twilight had tried to teach her once? It began with an 'e'. The idea of it being something worth killing over...it seemed kinda ridiculous to tell the truth.

"Twilight left me everything," Moondancer explained. "Her books, her papers. Twilight was looking into old space pony history, there's this symbol...it means creation and then...if you take a star map and lay the symbol over it...and then you take maps of individual colony worlds and lay the symbol over that and then look at United Equestria-"

"Slow down!" Rainbow said sharply. "Maps, symbols, what does any of this have to do with Raven?"

"She wanted it!" Moondancer yelled. "She told me that she needed to destroy Twilight's research! She told me to tell her where it was and that's when she..."

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. She thought back to her interview with Raven, when her mask or whatever or culture and refinement had slipped and she had talked about the real reason she had killed Twilight. Pony princess poking her nose into our business. Raven hadn't given any details, but could this be it? Had Twilight stumbled onto something dangerous enough that she had to die to keep it a secret? But then what was the secret? And what did it have to do with ancient history and maps anyway?

"Are you sure that was it?" she asked. "I mean, wasn't Twilight working on anything else?"

Moondancer shook her head. "Not when she...she died, no."

That settled that, then. It didn't sound like anything important, but it must have been because...well, if it were anything else then they - whoever 'they' were, Raven had talked about her 'Daddy' but hadn't given any details - wouldn't have waited until after Twilight was done and moved on to other projects before they sent Raven after her, would they? It made no sense.

"Where is Twilight's research now?" Rainbow asked.

"My servants are collecting it and bringing it here even as we speak," Princess Luna declared, as she strode across the warehouse to join them. "In light of these events I think these materials deserve heavier security than you can provide. As do you, Moondancer." The princess placed one arm on Moondancer's shoulder. "Fear not, Raven shall not find you again; certainly she will not find you unprotected. You are under my protection now, and if I cannot protect then my friends will. You have my word."

"Thank you, Princess Luna, but...but I don't deserve your protection," Moondancer murmured. "I should...I should go now, before anyone gets hurt."

"Go?" Rainbow yelled. "Lightning Dust nearly gave her life protecting you from Raven and you want to, what, walk out of here and make it all meaningless!"

"It's because of Lightning Dust and Lyra and Bon-Bon that I have to go!" Moondancer cried. "Raven, she...she was after me! She only hurt people because they were around me and they got in her way! If I hadn't...if I'd been alone then...Lightning Dust almost died, Lyra won't ever play her harp again, and Bon-Bon...I have to get out of here before I get more people hurt."

"That's selfish and backwards and you know it!" Rainbow shouted. "You didn't making Lightning Dust fight, you didn't force her into battle, you didn't throw her at Raven to use as a shield; she chose to fight because she's a brave mare and she made a choice, a choice to do the right thing even though she knew it was dangerous. Just like Lyra made a choice, and Bon-Bon. And you don't get to take those choices away from them just because you want to marinate in self-pity, you don't get to make this all about you even if...even if it was, sort of. Understand?"

"Rainbow Dash has the right of it," Luna said. "If you leave now you invalidate the sacrifices made thus far for your survival."

"But Lyra-"

"All that can be done will be done," Luna replied. She turned Moondancer to face her and, with surprising tenderness, embraced her in her arms. "Brave heart, child. Equestria requires your courage as much as it requires your wit."

"Princess Luna, why are we here?" Rainbow asked. "Why aren't we in a real hospital, no offence?"

"Because no Starfleet doctor can be trusted, and no hospital is free of them," Luna replied. "Both of you should come with, there are many things that we must discuss."

"Right," Rainbow said. As Luna led Moondancer away, one arm around the pale unicorn's shoulders, Rainbow made to follow.

"A brave mare? Hay, Captain, I resent that. I'm fearless."

Rainbow whirled around to see Lightning Dust's eyes open, a cocky smirk upon her face. "Have you been awake this entire time?"

"Not the entire time," Lightning replied. "But enough to catch that compliment. Don't stop now, boss; there's more, lot's more."

Rainbow grinned. "Impulsive, arrogant-"

"Awesome, dashing."

"Insubordinate."

"Get that mirror out of your face and look at me."

Rainbow sniggered for a moment. "You saved a life today."

"The glasses girl?"

"Yeah. Her name's Moondancer."

"Is she important?"

"She's a person, of course she's important," Rainbow replied.

"I just meant-"

"I know," Rainbow said. "And the answer is yeah, it looks like."

"And Princess Luna doesn't trust Starfleet," Lightning Dust murmured.

"Is that a problem for you?"

"They did give me a job when the Wonderbolts wouldn't," Lightning Dust said. "But on the other hoof - hand, whatever - they also made me take orders from a bunch of pompous, overbearing know-it-alls who couldn't fly well if their lives depended on it. And those are just your good points, captain." She winked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Rainbow said. "Listen, I gotta go now, but...get better, okay. You did good out there."

"When you get back, I expect more compliments!" Lightning Dust called out, as Rainbow turned and walked away.

Rainbow Dash quickly followed where Luna had led, into a small room hived off from the main warehouse floor that was serving as a kind of hospital. Before she could notice much about it however-

"Oh, Rainbow Dash!"

A mass of lilac-coloured hair obscured her vision as someone collided with Rainbow from the left, wrapping her arms around Rainbow's neck and holding her close.

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, as he brushed the hair out of her face with her hands so that she could look at Fluttershy, eyes wide and filled with tears the predecessors of which had already stained her yellow face. "Hey, what are you doing here? Are you okay? What's up?"

"Twilight," Fluttershy gasped, as more tears flowed out of her soft, green eyes. "Rainbow Dash...Twilight's alive!"

Rainbow Dash froze in place. "What? Come on, Fluttershy, this is no time to be kidding around."

"I'm not kidding!" Fluttershy declared, the soft-spoken misery of Fluttershy's tone vanishing to be replaced with a nearly-as-soft-spoken stubbornness. The fact that Fluttershy was always so polite - verging upon deferential - about everything tended to mask the fact that she could dig her heels in deeper than any mule when she had the mind, and Rainbow knew her well enough to recognise the tone when she heard it. "I saw her! She came to my apartment, it was Twilight! She's back!"

"Well...that's a matter for some debate, I think," Sunset Shimmer said. "Something is here, but whether it qualifies as back is...an open question."

Rainbow looked away from Fluttershy and around the room. It was an office, a little more brightly lit than the main floor outside, although also not as clean, probably because nobody needed to get rid of all the germs before the patients arrived. A grey table sat near the centre of the room, while a smaller desk with a computer on it nestled in the corner. A brown earth pony sat at the desk, typing away on the computer with dizzying speed, and he made no effort to look around at anyone sharing the room with him. Princess Luna stood behind the grey table, with Moondancer at her side. Sunset stood not far away, looking at Dash and Fluttershy. A pair of batpony guards stood beside the door. And leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest stood-

"Major Wonder?" Dash demanded.

Major Cerise Wonder smirked. "I don't think there's much need to stand on ceremony in this company, Executive Captain. It's not as if this is what you might call an official gathering. You can call me Cerise, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, we'll see," Rainbow muttered. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"She is here at my invitation," Luna declared. "I have gathered you all together because I think that we must work together now, all of us. For some time now we have each ploughed our own furrows, where we troubled to plough at all, and in these lonely endeavours we have criss-crossed one another and trodden over the same ground wastefully because we had the luxury of doing so. That luxury may not exist for much longer. So I have brought you here that we may put our cards on the table, and comprehend as much of the picture as we have seen, collectively."

"That's all very well, princess, and it sounds great, but just what is going on here?" Rainbow Dask asked. "I mean one moment Raven has escaped from prison and the next Moondancer's telling me that-"

Moondancer squeaked with alarm, stopping Dash's words in her throat. She glanced nervously at Cerise Wonder.

Sunset's eyes rose. "Are you sure it's okay to speak freely in here, Princess Luna."

"If I were a spy you wouldn't be suffering these hesitations," Cerise stated flatly. "And if I were to here to arrest I wouldn't need to listen to your conversation first."

"You'll forgive us if your uniform doesn't fill us all with warm and fuzzy feelings," Sunset said.

"I know that Starfleet isn't perfect, believe me," Cerise replied. "I may not think as little of it as some of you, but I'm well aware of it's flaws; and I know that someone is spending the lives of good ponies to their own purposes and I don't like that at all. I'm here because I want to get at the truth, just like we all do."

The pony on the computer snorted.

Rainbow shook her head. "Is somepony going to start explaining? Anything? I mean, Twilight's alive? Since when, and why didn't she try to contact us? It's been over a year and she just...what? She let us grieve and do nothing? Twilight wouldn't do that to us, or to anypony."

"As she did not," Luna said. "It may help to think not so much of return as of...rebirth."

Rainbow tried. "Nah, still not getting it."

Luna snorted. "With luck all will become clear soon. Mister Bolt, how goes it?"

"Well let me put it like this, princess," the earth pony at the computer grumbled. "This is an external hack, which means I have to get through mulitple layers of security just to get into the Starfleet battlenet, then hack through even more security to reach the restricted areas and if I make even one mistake I'm going to set off so many alarms that they'll hear it in outer space. So you can't rush these things, I'm going as fast as I can."

"If you wanted to hack internally you could have used my office," Cerise said.

"Gee, thanks for that," the earth pony replied. "Not that it isn't too late now, anyway, but I don't think I'd be a comfortable in your office. I'm allerging to hairs from totalitarian jackboot thugs."

"Who is this guy?" asked Rainbow.

Sunset sighed wearily. "Meet Brass Bolt; one of my guys. He's a great hacker-"

"I beg your pardon? A great hacker? A great hacker? I'll have you know that I am the greatest hacker, thank you very much," Brass Bolt said, without looking away from the computer. "And you're the great Rainbow Dash, nice to meet you. How's that handing over Equestria to a brutal dictatorship working out for you?"

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Peachy sweet, thanks."

"Well, perhaps if you'd all used just a little bit of foresight beforehand you wouldn't have to regret it with hindsight now," Brass Bolt said.

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"You'll get used to his winning personality," Sunset said. "Or try to kill him, one of the two."

"Yeah, yeah, if you didn't need me...but you do need me, so I guess I have job security." Brass Bolt hit the 'enter' key with a triumphant flourish. "And we are inside: everything you ever wanted to know about Project Sentinel but were afraid to ask."

"Project Sentinel?" Rainbow asked, as she began to walk towards the computer. "What's that?"

"I'll spare you the sales pitch and cut to the basics: clone soldiers," Brass Bolt said, scrolling rapidly through pages of information. "Clone super-soldiers to replace space ponies."

"Makes sense," Cerise murmured. "Long ago, His Majesty used magic to create the first space ponies to be his soldiers. Now science has given him the ability to create better soldiers, so why wouldn't he?"

"You're okay with the fact that you're going to be made redundant?" Sunset asked.

"That depends on what form my redundancy is going to take," Cerise said.

"I wouldn't book a cruise just yet," Brass Bolt muttered. "They got through prototype stages and weren't ever happy with the result. And...hello. This is interesting."

Rainbow leaned down over Bolt's shoulder and tried to make sense of the mass of information before her eyes. "What?"

"It says here that Princess Twilight Sparkle ordered that the project be shut down, citing ethical concerns. The Grand Ruler countermanded her instructions on the QT. Gotta love dictatorships and their immaculate record-keeping."

"Ethical concerns?" Fluttershy murmured.

"Probably a euphemism for morally unconscionable," Sunset muttered. "And it makes what happened next even worse."

"What happened next?" Rainbow asked.

"Meet Sentinel prototype Three," Bolt said, pushing a button.

Rainbow gasped as a picture of Twilight appeared in front of her upon the screen. "They...they cloned Twilight? Is that what you meant when you said she was back, they cloned Twilight? They...they..." Rainbow stepped back, stammering into speechlessness. She didn't know whether to be outraged or overjoyed but she was starting to lean heavily towards the latter. Twilight was back! They'd brought her back! Sure they'd done it using means that Twilight herself had found questionable but who care about that? Twilight was back! They'd brought Twilight back to them! "So...where is she? When can I see her? Why isn't she here, is she okay? When can we tell the others? Just wait until Pinkie finds out about this she's going to be so-"

"Rainbow Dash," Luna said firmly. "Calm yourself."

"Calm myself, Princess how can I be calm when Twilight's back?"

"Is it Twilight?" Luna asked. "Can the being that emerged from the cloning process really be called Twilight Sparkle. I am not so sure."

Rainbow looked around the room. "I don't get it, I mean...why am I the only pony in here who seems happy about this?"

"How about for starters, they didn't clone Twilight out of the goodness of their hearts," Bolt said. "She was supposed to be programmed to be loyal to Starfleet. Twilight Sparkle's power and intellect allied to unwavering devotion to the Grand Ruler, so unwavering that she couldn't even conceive of disloyalty."

"So Twilight...as a slave?" Rainbow said. "Okay, I take back everything nice I just thought, they are a bunch of-"

"The good news is that the conditioning didn't take, or else it got broken," Sunset said. "While you were fighting with Raven...the clone of Twilight came to see me. She told me about Project Sentinel, and the cloning that Brass Bolt just confirmed. She told me...she talked as though she was Twilight, she remembered things that only Twilight would know. It..." Sunset hung her head in shame. "I didn't take it very well. I got angry. I told her that she wasn't Twilight and I...I chased her away. I shouldn't have been so harsh."

"You shouldn't have said that she wasn't Twilight," Rainbow snapped.

Sunset scowled. "I regret the manner in which I spoke but I don't regret my sentiments because they're true."

"She looks like Twilight, you said yourself that she has Twilight's memories, in what way is she not Twilight?"

"She doesn't have Twilight's soul," Sunset declared.

"How can you know that and what does that even mean?"

"They killed Rhymey," Fluttershy said.

“Huh? What?”

“It must have been after Sunset…sent Twilight away,” Fluttershy murmured. “She came to my apartment with some other ponies…other clones. I…I fainted, I was so astonished. Rhymey came home and they…they killed him.”

Huh. One point to the clones, I guess, Rainbow thought, but didn’t say because that would have been a level of tactlessness that not even Spike would have displayed on his worst day. Instead she said, “Fluttershy, I…” she struggled to find anything else to say because the truth was that she’d never really liked Rhymey, not one bit, but that was hardly something she could say to Fluttershy now that he was dead. Not when she looked kind of broken up about it anyway. If she’d been dancing for joy then Rainbow Dash would have joined in happily, but she didn’t. She was trembling, she had tears in her eyes. So what could Rainbow Dash say?

Nothing. There was nothing she could say. But there was something that she could do.

She crossed the distance between them quickly and pressed Fluttershy’s face against her shoulder as she enfolded her oldest friend in a hug.

“It’s going to be okay,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s all going to be okay.”

Fluttershy let out a wordless sob. Rainbow Dash squeezed her tight.

“It’s okay. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

“Twilight…Twilight would never kill anyone,” Moondancer said.

“Was it this Twilight clone who struck the blow, or another?” Luna asked.

“A…another,” Fluttershy said. “The one with red eyes.”

“Don’t call her that,” Rainbow said sharply.

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Don’t talk about her like she isn’t Twilight,” Rainbow demanded. “She is, it’s Twilight. She’s come back.”

“Then where is she?” Sunset asked.

“She’d be right here if you hadn’t scared her away,” Rainbow snapped. “Why don’t you want this?”

“You think that I don’t want this?” Sunset demanded. “You think I wouldn’t give anything to have Twilight back? Do you think that I wouldn’t exchange places with her in an instant, if I could? But that isn’t Twilight. You can’t just take some of Twilight’s hair and add some mad science and untested magic and voila: back from the dead! It doesn’t work that way. Twilight was…Twilight was special, Twilight was unique, Twilight…you can’t recreate what she had.”

“I know what Twilight was,” Rainbow replied. “And I know that if there’s a chance, even a small one…maybe you’re right. Maybe it isn’t Twilight, maybe…I don’t know. But if there’s any chance at all that Twilight has come back…then she has to come back to us.”

Luna regarded her with an even and inscrutable expression. “What are you saying, Rainbow Dash?”

“I’m saying that it’s time to put this family back together,” Rainbow declared. “Fluttershy, you’re in right? You want to bring Twilight home?”

Fluttershy looked up at her. “Of course. How could we do anything less, for Twilight?”

Rainbow grinned. “You said it, Fluttershy.”

Luna smiled. “I am glad to hear it; once again you do not disappoint, but this is not a task to be undertaken by only two of you. It requires a larger party, perhaps…”

“Six?” Rainbow suggested.

“I was about to say five, but…yes, six will do better,” Luna said. “Mister Bolt, have you had any luck raising the Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

“Hack the database, Brass Bolt, find the starship Brass Bolt; one thing at a time, princess, please.”

“We cannot afford to delay,” Luna said. She sighed. “And yet it appears that some delay must be endured, until we can locate Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack and bring them here.”

“I’ll fly to Zebrica right now and bring Pinkie back, then to Rangivar and the same with Applejack,” Rainbow said.

“And how will you find Applejack in all of Rangivar?” Luna demanded. “We cannot afford to delay, still less can we afford delays forced on us by rash and ill-thought action. And besides…you will forgive me but I do not want to let you roam too freely, in case…”

“In case of what?” Fluttershy asked.

“In case some enemy, Raven or some other foe, has designs upon you,” Luna said. “Losing Twilight was enough. More would…I fear Celestia could not bare it. Please remain with us.”

“Who’s ‘us’?” Rainbow asked.

“The resistance to the Grand Ruler,” Sunset said. “We-“

“Yes, yes, tell the Starfleet officer all our secrets, why don’t you?” Brass Bolt demanded.

“And in the meantime, what are we supposed to do, just hide?” Rainbow demanded.

“In the meantime we get to work on Twilight’s research,” Luna said. “And find out what she was working on that was so important she had to die to keep the secret.”

They had laid out Rhymey on a slab of stone, in a chamber so cold that Starla's breath misted up in front of her face, deep in the bowels of the palace.

He was utterly still. Of course he was, he was...he was gone. His eyes were closed, his face was set in an expression of something like repose. They had folded his arms across his chest and placed his sword in his hands. He looked very like the stone image that would rest atop his sarcophagus when they laid him to rest in the family crypt. Save for the wound, that raw and ugly gash from his shoulder down across his chest, disfiguring his form and making it...making it impossible to pretend that he was only sleeping.

Rhymey was dead. Their knight was fallen. Their poet had been silenced. Rhymey was dead, slain in battle.

Starla felt her hands clench into fists. I'll have somebody's blood for this.

"They will look for him," Starla murmured. "At every family gathering, at every Hearth's Warming, every time a toast is raised they'll look for Rhymey...but he will not be there."

"His family?" Artie asked.

"His other family," Starla clarified.

Buddy and Artie stood with her in the vault. They shouldn't have been alone, the three of them. Lightning should have been here, and Dyno and Myte too. Lightning might have been in hospital, but so what? Rhymey was dead, for the love of the Grand Ruler, the least that Lightning could have done was rise up from his bed to honour him and to mourn.

She remembered, when she was a young girl, walking behind her mother's coffin as they laid her to rest. With her, walking a step behind, had been an old family friend, a fellow officer of the Starfleet. He looked sickly, Starla had never forgotten how sickly, drawn and gaunt he looked. He had looked as though he might die at any moment, but he had insisted that he would follow the funeral procession, for 'every pony in the Starfleet will curse my name, if I do not attend your mother's funeral'. He had passed away himself, not two weeks later...but none had cursed his name, and many had praised him.

Lightning should be here, Starla thought. He should be here for this, he should be here with us, he should be here for Rhymey. Does he know that Rhymey is dead? Does he even care?

He stood vigil for Twilight Sparkle, why won't he do the same for Rhymey?

As for Dyno and Myte...they had the excuse of being off-planet, but...they should be coming back and if they weren't...had anyone told them? Had word been sent? Starla should have done that herself, but...but she had rushed down here when the news reached her and...and she couldn't leave now, not until her vigil was complete.

"It feels...it feels like we ought to say something, you know?" Artie said.

Starla frowned. "Fare thee well, noble warrior, thy wars and trials are done,

Pity us, who must march onward now, though you are gone."

Buddy nodded. "Short, but I think he would have appreciated that."

Starla did not respond to that directly. "Have they found Fluttershy yet?"

"Not as far as I know," Artie murmured.

Starla shook her head. I hope they make her suffer. It was an uncharitable thought, but one that they could not escape. All our troubles began the day that that sly minx bewitched Rhymey. Before that day...everything had been so perfect. Lightning had been such a good stallion, so noble and so fierce and so full of love for her; and she had loved him in return, she had found it easy to yield up her devotion to his virtues; and Rhymey had been alive. It had been the discovery of Equestria that had caused everything to change and fall apart for them. It was this world and these ponies who had killed not only Rhymey but all of Starla's dreams as well.

It was inconceivable that a weakling like Fluttershy could have killed Rhymey, and so the only explanation was that she had been kidnapped by Rhymey's murderers. Although Starla would avenge Rhymey, she would not take it at all hard if she arrived too late to save his wife.

The door into the vault opened, and Captain Shaina walked down the stone steps towards Rhymey. Her footfalls echoed in this dark place.

"His Majesty requires your presence."

Starla frowned. "Convey our apologies to His Majesty, our vigil is not yet complete."

"This is not a request," Captain Shaina said. "His Majesty's business will not wait."

"You'd have us leave him here, unattended?" Artie asked.

"Of course not, I will relieve you until you return, or his brother arrives."

"He was our brother too," Starla snapped. "We're staying."

"His Majesty commands you to attend him now," Shaina said. "Please, Major, let me relieve you. I vow I shall not move until you return."

Not long afterwards found Starla, Artie and Buddy stood in the throne room beneath the august gaze of the Grand Ruler.

Starla's eyes were as wide as moons. "Twilight...Your Majesty...did you say Twilight Sparkle is alive? And she killed Rhymey?"

"I fear that it is so," the Grand Ruler murmured. "She is returned, and it appears she means to have her vengeance on us all. Although what I fear most of all is..."

He looked so sad, and so noble in his sorrow, that Starla's heart was filled with pity for him. It was not right that this most noble creature, the font of authority and the upholder of all order, should be so overcome by care and fear.

"Please, Majesty, will you not speak your fears aloud and, in so speaking, diminish them in your heart as shadows are diminished by the light?"

The Grand Ruler chuckled. "It is not for me, being a king, to cast my cares off on my subjects' shoulders."

"Have you not borne my cares many a time?" Starla asked. "Majesty, if only once I would be honoured to return the favour you have often done to me."

The Grand Ruler closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I fear...I fear what Twilight Sparkle thus returned may too. Already she has gathered a band of miscreants around her and slain poor Rhymey, but what more might she do? What if she were to gether her old friends to her side, raise the people against my rule, why even my own wife and queen might turn on me for Twilight's sake! Oh, that she has returned. Oh, that she is villainous."

"I think, Majesty, that she always was," Starla declared. "Yet now she no longer troubles to hide her malice."

"You have the right of it, dearer than daughter, no doubt," the Grand Ruler said. "She has corrupted Lightning, whom I loved as a son, she came between your marriage, she set out at every turn to subvert my policies and principles. And now she strikes down my faithful servant Rhymey. Do you know what I dread most, sweet Starla?"

"Majesty?" Starla whispered, half-fearing to hear the answer, for what could make so majestic a ruler feel dread?

"I fear that, if Twilight were to come for me, I could not rely upon Lightning to protect me. Even were he uninjured...she has corrupted him too greatly. My own son and she...she has stolen him from me. I fear he would not consider her a threat."

Starla closed her eyes for a moment. The truth was...the truth was that she shared his fear. It seemed most plausible.

Lightning, do you know how much you are hurting him? Do you care?

She took a single step forward, and placed one hand upon her heart. "Your Majesty, many a time you have dried my tears, eased my fears, soothed my soul with your loving comfort. Allow me now to repay some little part of that great debt I owe." She knelt, and Artie and Buddy knelt with her. "Although Lightning's warrior spirit has been tarnished by the noxiousness of this place, although his star-born soul has been weighed down by gravity, mine has not. While he is weakened, let me serve you in his stead. With Your Majesty's leave I shall hunt down Twilight Sparkle and any who aid her, avenge Rhymey and deliver your justice to all or any traitors who plot against your rule."

Artie knelt. "And with Your Majesty's permission, I will go with her."

Buddy knelt too. "And I too, if it please Your Majesty."

Starla glanced behind her. "You guys."

"It's like you said, Rhymey was our brother," said Artie.

"We owe him this," Buddy said.

The Grand Ruler stared down at her, his face and eyes revealing nothing.

"Your Majesty," Starla murmured. "Please. Don't deny me this."

The Grand Ruler seemed to almost sigh. "Very well. We grant you leave, and furthermore we shall recall your comrades, Dyno and Myte, to bolster up your strenght. But, with Rhymey's death and Lightning's incapacitation physical and spiritual, you are bereft of knight and uniforce alike; therefore we shall assign to your command two warriors fit to serve in those capacities."

"Your Majesty, that is most generous but quite unnecessary," Starla said. "With your permission I would prefer to keep this quest within the family."

"I understand your feelings, Starla, but this I cannot allow," the Grand Ruler replied. "Against such powers as are arraigned against you...without the uniforce you would be in grave peril, and that I cannot allow. I have lost Rhymey, I have lost Lightning's heart...I could not bear to lose you also, nor even to see you come to harm in stricken battle."

His tone brooked no argument. He was her sovereign lord, it was for him to give commands and for her to obey them. "As Your Majesty pleases."

"Prepare yourselves," the Grand Ruler declared. "We will cast our eyes across the world and search for sign of Twilight Sparkle. Once she is found, and your whole company is present assembled, we shall despatch you straight to seek her out. Be ready."

"Always, Your Majesty."

Chickpea gave her husband some space as she stared down at the dead body of his brother.

Whoever had done for William in the end had messed him up a little bit, that wound was vicious. She hoped that he hadn't suffered too much; nobody deserved to die like that.

It was true that she hadn't care much for him - and he hadn't cared much for her either, which made them even as far as Chickpea was concerned - but she could tell that his passing had hit Lawrence hard, and so she was sorry that he was gone even if he wouldn't have tried to put her out if she was on fire.

Lawrence stood over William's body. He looked much as he always did: stoic, impassive, expressionless. But Chickpea knew her husband like she knew her own self, and she could spot the little tells in his face, the way he held himself.

He was upset, and angry.

Considering the circumstances she couldn't hardly blame him, although she did hope to divert his anger away from undeserving targets.

"Lawrence," she murmured. "Honey, I know that Fluttershy didn't have nothing to do with this."

Lawrence glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"No, I don't know where she went or why she hasn't turned up yet, but that doesn't make her guilty," Chickpea declared. "I know her, she's not the kind of person that would do this."

Lawrence turned his head, and looked up at her.

"Okay, maybe I don't really know her much but that don't mean I'm wrong!" Chickpea said vehemently. "Do you really think that adorable sugar lump is the killin' kind?"

Lawrence turned to face her.

"Yes, I guess we will find out what happened from her own self when we catch up to her," Chickpea said. "Just...promise you won't do anything rash before you give her a chance to explain."

Lawrence folded his arms across his chest.

"Of course I trust you, I just...I'm sorry if I implied otherwise. I know he meant a lot to you."

Lawrence glanced down at William. Gently, he reached out and placed his fingertips on William's hand. He closed his eyes, and nodded once.

"Okay," Chickpea said. "Just let me grab my sword and we'll be off."

Fluttershy had some explaining to do.

Author's Note

I've come to like Brass Bolt a lot better than I like Ace Ray, for reasons that I will get into when Ace Ray actually shows up, and a character with computer hacking skills is a great boon in an SF-nal story like this one, so we'll be seeing more of him later.

Kitty Cat-astrophe!

Kitty Kat-astrophe!

Pinkie and the Zebras (also the name of Pinkie's next band), had ditched the zebra crawler a little way south of El Alamane and stolen a Starfleet truck off the base to take them into United Equestria itself. Pinkie didn't feel entirely right in stealing, but the zebras were right when they said it was less conspicuous and Maud was right when she said that Starfleet had just tried to kill her, so she supposed that she was owed a ride in return.

Now, after travelling with nothing to do for what seemed like ages, their truck was parked by the side of the road a couple of miles outside of New Canterlot. Inside the dark and shadow-shrouaded confines of the lorry trailer Pinkie, Maud, Ria and Karima waited with various degrees of patience for Sephora to get back from reconnoitering in the city.

Pinkie, to be specific, was bouncing up and down the trailer from the closed doors to where the HANNIBAL knelt at the other end like a knight asking for the blessing of his lady.

She just couldn't wait to get out of here! The closer they got to New Canterlot the more excited Pinkie had started to get and now they were so close that she could practically touch it she could hardly contain herself! New Canterlot! Rainbow Dash would be here and Fluttershy too and she just couldn't wait to tell them the great news and she could already imagine the looks on there faces and Rainbow Dash would be like 'No way!' and she'd be all 'Yes way' and Rainbow would be like 'No way' and she'd be all 'Yes way' and they could go on like that until the joke stopped being funny and Pinkie could actually explain! Then Rainbow would be all 'This is so awesome!' and Fluttershy would go 'Yay' and then they could go find Spike and Applejack and Rarity and then they could all go together to get Twilight! Then everything would be just like it was which meant that everything could start to get better and they could make friends with the zebras and-

"Pinkie, calm down," Maud murmured, from where she sat as still as one of those little statues of meditating elephants that you could buy in Horn Kong near the door out of the trailer. "You're going to wear yourself out."

"Calm down?" Pinkie cried. "How am I supposed to calm down, Maud? We're almost here! We're so close and I can practically taste it and I can't wait to see all my friends again and tell them all about my great news-"

"You mean the great news that somebody tried to kill you and our queen?" Karima demanded.

"No," Pinkie said, because obviously that wasn't great news at all. "I mean the great news that Twilight is alive and we can be together again just like we used to and everything-"

"Okay, okay," Karima said, holding up one hoof to stop the flood of words out of Pinkie's mouth. "But let's not forget why we're really here, okay."

Pinkie's head rotated ninety-degrees upon her neck. "That is why I'm really here."

Karima stared at her for a moment. "Well...that's nice. But we're here to find out why our Queen got attacked and why you got attacked and do you people really want a war with us or not."

"Nobody wants a war," Pinkie declared breezily. "War means people dying and children crying and people getting meaner whether or not they win or loose. What sane pony, what sane person, would want something like that when you can just sit down and talk about your problems and work them out?"

"Nobody," Ria conceded. "But it's the insane ones you gotta watch out for. Speaking of which, is it true the Grand Ruler chews the carpet when he gets angry?"

Pinkie blinked. "I don't think so."

Ria shrugged. "Well, there goes the 'send him a poisoned carpet' plan to win the war."

"We're not at war," Pinkie said. "Twilight-"

"Look, I don't know Twilight, and I don't know you," Karima snapped, taking two steps across the trailer towards Pinkie. "Here's what I know: Starfleet ponies attacked us. Starfleet ponies killed zebras. Starfleet ponies tried to take out the Queen of Zebrica. You can talk all you want but that sounds an awful lot like war to me."

"Calm down, Karima," Ria said firmly. "Her Majesty herself trusted ambassador Pinkie Pie to return here without betraying us. She trusted her to preserve the peace."

"I know!" Karima said as a scowl disfigured her face. "I just...gah! Sephora's been gone too long! She should be back already!"

"It's only been a couple of hours."

"She shouldn't even be here!"

"You know why she had to come," Ria replied. "She's the only zebra with a modified form in Zebrica, she's the only zebra we've got who wouldn't stick out like a sore hoof. Do you think either of us could wander round a pony city? She's-"

"She's the brains and we're the muscle, I remember," Karima grumbled. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

Pinkie turned away from the two of them, and faced the closed doors that, when opened, would allow her to escape from this trailer and make her way back to her friends. Then they would sort out all these problems and get Twilight back and-

"Pinkie," Maud's voice was soft, as soft as the touch of her finger's upon Pinkie's shoulder. "Can you promise me something?"

Pinkie nodded her head rapidly. "I'll even Pinkie promise if it helps!"

"You don't need to do that," Maud replied. "Just...promise me that you won't get your hopes up."

"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked.

"I mean that just because we're close to New Canterlot doesn't mean that all our problems are going to be over," Maud said. "Things aren't always that simple."

"But what else could possibly happen?" Pinkie asked. "We're here, and Twilight's back and-"

"And we don't know what's going to happen next," Maud said. "I...I don't want you to get disappointed if things don't go the way you'd like."

Pinkie giggled. "You can't stop looking out for me, can you?"

"No," Maud said. "I'm your sister."

There was a banging on the trailer door.

"You guys still okay in there?" Sephora called from outside.

Karima sighed with evident releif. "Yes. We were getting worried about you."

The door to the trailer opened enough for Sephora to pull herself inside. She was wearing a pair of enormous black sunglasses to disguise her face, but she took them off as she clambered into the shadowy trailer. "On the upside, I don't think we're at war."

"That was quick," Ria observed.

"Nobody's acting like they're at war anyway. The biggest topic of conversation seems to be the marriage of two characters on a television show.

"What's the downside?" Karima asked.

"The downside is that we still don't know what's going on with the attack on the palace," Sephora said. "Nobody seemed to know anything about it."

"So what do we do?"

"We could-" Sephora's words came to a slamming halt as Pinkie heard a snipping sound, like scissors slicing through thread.

A shadow passed over Sephora's face.

Karima frowned. "Sephora?"

"Yeah, what do you want?" Sephora demanded.

"Huh?"

"Huh? Huh? What, are you too stupid to form complete sentences?" Sephora growled.

"That wasn't very nice," Pinkie said.

"Nice zebras finish last, pony," snapped Sephora. "I learnt that from your people. If you want to get ahead in this world you've gotta put yourself first! And that means no more associating with losers like you!"

"Loser! Just who are you calling loser?" Karima yelled.

"Who do you think?"

"Why you-"

"Karima, calm down," Ria urged. "Sephora, what's with you all of a sudden? What about our mission?"

Sephora folded her arms across her chest. "Huh. Our mission. If all you do is follow orders like a camel, it's no wonder that you're life is going nowhere."

Pinkie's eyes narrowed. "Did something happen to you while you were in the city? Because you weren't this much of a grumpypants before."

"The only thing that happened to me was opening my eyes," Sephora declared. "I've got a lot to offer, and only so much time to spend on losers like you." She flung open the trailer doors, leapt down onto the ground, and began to flounce away.

"Hey!" Ria pushed past Pinkie and Maud leap down from the trailer and begin to follow Sephora. "Sephora, come back! How are we supposed to-"

Pinkie heard that sound again, that sound like threads being snipped through. A shadow passed over Ria's face.

"Don't you turn your back on me, Hands!" Ria yelled. "What, do you think you're so special just because you look like a pony that you can look down on the rest of us?"

"No, I think the fact that I'm better than you means I can look down on the rest of you," Sephora declared.

"Why you-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I strike a nerve? Why don't you tell me to calm down, since that seems to be your catchphrase?"

"What happened to the two of them?" Maud murmured.

"I don't know, but it seems to happen pretty quickly," Pinkie replied.

"Freakshow!"

"Doormat!"

"Hey, will you two knock it off," Karima shouted as she tried to separate the two of them. "Or do I have to start up the HANNIBAL and separate you two.

"Oh, please, like you'd even know how to start it without me," Sephora sniffed.

There was that snipping sound again, and a shadow passed over Karima's face.

"Oh no," Pinkie murmured.

"Oh yeah? Well I'll show you whose dumb when I've rearranged your stupid face!"

"Give me your best shot."

Pinkie got down out of the trailer, followed by Maud, and began to walk across the scrub-covered field. Gotta think. Gotta think like Twilight, all smart like.

She found that she could picture Twilight in her mind, Twilight with four legs the way she used to be when everything was wonderful, wearing a serious pondering face as she considered the problem.

"Well, Pinkie, this certainly is a conundrum. But we can draw a few conclusions."

"Ooh, ooh, I have a question!"

"Yes, Pinkie."

"What does conundrum mean?"

Twilight gave her a Look. "Pinkie."

"Yes, Twilight?"

"I'm a figment of your imagination, therefore you know exactly what conundrum means. QED."

"I don't know what that means."

"No, but you did hear me say it once," Twilight said. She cleared her throat. "As I was saying we can draw a few conclusions: as this change in the behaviour of the zebras is occurring rapidly but not simaltaneously, we can infer that something is causing this transformation. The process is acting too quickly to be the result of disease, therefore this is most likely the work of some external agent?"

"Ooh, is that like a secret agent?"

"No, Pinkie, that...actually in this case they might be the same thing. Now, if you want to stop this you need to find the agent and force them to reverse the process."

"But how do I do that?"

"I don't know, Pinkie. Like I said, I'm just a figment of your imagination."

Pinkie smiled as the image in her mind's eye faded. Maybe for now, Twilight, but not for long. I'll see you again, I know it.

She heard a snip.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no! Pinkie whirled around to face her sister. "Maud? Maud?"

Maud turned away abruptly. "Don't talk to me."

Pinkie's eyes widened. "Maud?" Her voice rose. "Okay, that does it! I'm going to find you, you big meanie, and when I do I'm going to-"

"Oh, give it a rest!" Karima snapped.

Someone started chuckling. Specifically it was a bush very close to the stolen truck that was suddenly quivering with laughter.

The chuckling turned into full on laughter that turned out to be coming from somebody inside the bush, who emerged from hiding with her hands wrapped around her sides as she laughed.

She was a cat, with orange fur covering her body - what Pinkie could see of her body underneath her blue catsuit anyway - arms and legs, and paws at the end of those same arms and legs. Her face, though, was flat and hairless like those humans on the other side of the magic mirror, with coat-less skin of a light brown. Her hair was pink, darker near the tips, though a pair of feline ears rose up out of that hair like mountains out of the forest. An orange tail flapped from side to side behind her.

"Oh, the horror!" the cat cried in a high pitched, girlish voice. "Oh, what a catastrophe! What could possibly be going on?"

Pinkie put one hand to her chin. "Well, I don't know, but I'm going to guess that you've got something to do with it."

"Something to do with it?" the catgirl cried. "Why, I've got everything to do with it! This cat-lamity is the doing of one kitty, and that Kitty is me: Kitty Snip, the Friendship Bandit!"

Pinkie gasped in horror. "Oh no, not the Frienship Bandit! Wait, who?"

Kitty's face fell. "You've never heard of the Friendship Bandit?"

"No," Pinkie admitted. "Although it does sound pretty terrible."

"Oh, I'm terrible alright," Kitty cried. "Why I..." she glanced at the nearby truck. "Hold that thought." With a single bound Kitty Snip had leapt on top of the roof of the truck, the better to grandstand off it. "I, Kitty Snip, possess a most rare and curious ability. I, and I alone, can see all the crimson threads of friendship that bind creatures together."

"Oh, so that's what they are," Pinkie said.

"Yes, the- wait, what?" Kitty snapped. "You can see them, too?"

"Well I can now," Pinkie said, looking down at all the threads that were emerging from out of her very body to spread out in all directions. Some of them headed in the direction of New Canterlot, some of them hared off into the distance. One of them tied her to Maud, and incipient threads were even starting to link her to the zebras. She could see threads going from other people - from Maud, from the zebras - but they had all be severed, lying dangling pointlessly on the ground.

Pinkie looked up at Kitty. "You-"

"Yes!" Kitty shouted triumphantly. "Not only can I see the threads of friendship, I can sever them with my claws. I cut the ties that bind and then I watch the ensuing fallout. That's why they call me the Friendship Bandit, because I steal friendship's away for good!"

"Does anybody actually call you that or did you just make it up yourself?" Pinkie asked.

Kitty was silent for a moment. "Well, okay, I did come up with it myself...and I came up with Kitty Snip myself as well...but some day soon everyone is going to know my name. And they're pretty cool names, too, I spent hours coming up with both of them!"

"But why are you doing this?" Pinkie demanded. "Why would you want to do something so horrible as to sever the ties of frieendship? Why that's just...don't you have any friends? How would you feel if somebody severed your ties?"

Kitty's fur bristled. "Too late."

"I had a friend once. His name was Van, and we would are you playing a violin during my backstory?"

Pinkie stopped fiddling for a second. "Do you want me to stop?"

Kitty hesitated for a second. "Nah, keep going, it works really well."

Pinkie nodded, and resumed her sad lament on the violin.

"As I was saying," Kitty went on. "I had a friend named Van. We'd always been together for as long as I can remember. He was like my older brother. I didn't think that anything could tear us apart, I didn't think that anyone could break the tie of our friendship...but she did."

"Who?"

"Her. His wife. Van didn't need a cute little catgirl friend once he was married. The thread of our friendship...withered away." Kitty grinned. "But they weren't so happy when I severed the ties binding them while they were standing at the altar! You should have seen the way the congregation gasped when they started fighting instead of saying their vows! That's when I decided that if I couldn't enjoy the warmth of friendship, then nobody would!"

Pinkie cocked her head. "Is that it?"

Kitty blinked. "Isn't that enough?"

"Don't you think it's just a little bit petty? I thought your backstory would be mroe profound."

Kitty scowled. "I get the feline that you're not taking this situation entirely seriously."

"I am so taking this seriously," Pinkie replied. "Can't you see that I'm Pinkie Pie-ning away with fear?"

Kitty folded her arms. "Really? Because so far you seem more like you're tickled Pinkie."

"But meeting you could turn out to be Cat-astrophic!"

"Quit horsing around, I haven't cat all day!"

"No fair, you're only supposed to use one pun at a time!"

"Well you didn't use any pun at all so I win!" Kitty declared. "And now, to celebrate my triumph, I will sever the threads of your friendship, Pinkie Pie! Hope you enjoy life all alone!" She leapt down off the back of the trailer, claws outstretched, and sliced at the multitude of threads that clustered around and spread out from Pinkie Pie.

And absolutely nothing happened. Not a single thread was snipped. Not a single crimson string was severed.

"Huh?" Kitty goggled in amazement. She plucked at one of the strings again. It didn't sever, it just vibrated with a twang like a banjo string.

Kitty plucked again. And again. Both times the string remained intact, and made that same banjo sound.

It was answered by more banjo sounds as Pinkie started plucking on her own strings with her fingers. She giggled. "Thanks for showing me these threads, this is pretty fun."

Kitty scowled, and plucked on a selection of Pinkie's threads to produce a musical melody.

Pinkie giggled again, as she plucked on some other threads to answer the melody.

Kitty started plucking at more threads, her claws moving faster and faster. Pinkie's fingers matched her speed, moving over the red strings as the cat and the pony started to play faster and faster, the music countering and complementing the other in a musical duel that only the two of them could hear.

Kitty glared at Pinkie. Pinkie smiled at Kitty. The two played on, their claws and fingers as blur as the music assailed their ears. Kitty started to sweat. Pinkie looked unfazed. Kitty started to pant. Pinkie's breath remained calm and even.

"How...are...you...doing...this?" Kitty demanded.

Pinkie shrugged.

Kitty's playing came to an abrupt stop. "I..." Kitty gasped for breath. "I don't get it. Why can't I sever your threads? I can sever everybody's threads!"

"Because no matter what happens, no matter how tough things get, I'll never turn my back on my friends," Pinkie declared. "Because my friends are my power!"

Kitty's eyes widened. "So this is why Raven was afraid of you." She pouted. "Never mind! Even if I can't sever the threads of your friendship I can still give you a kitty-kat makeover with my claws."

"Oh, I'm not going to fight you, Kitty."

"You think you've got a choice."

"I don't need to fight because I've got a secret weapon." Pinkie reached into her voluminous mass of hair and pulled out a giant ball of blue twine.

Kitty recoiled. "You wouldn't!"

"I would!"

"No!"

"Yep yep yep," Pinkie replied. "Here you go!" she rolled the ball of thread across the ground.

"Gimme!" Kitty cried as she dropped to all fours and leapt across the ground after the twine, batting the ball back and forth from one paw to another, purring contentedly as she played with it.

Pinkie ambled across the field towards her. Kneeling down beside the Friendship Bandit, she placed a hand on Kitty's shoulder. "Do you know what the four most special words ever are?"

Kitty looked up at her. "No."

Pinkie smiled. "I am your friend."

Kitty gasped. "You...you're kidding! You can't mean that!"

Pinkie's smile did not falter. "Just look down."

Kitty looked down. A single crimson thread joined the two of them together.

"Everybody deserves a friend," Pinkie said.

Kitty's lip trembled. Her blue eyes welled up with tears. "Thank you!" she yelled, and as a thread grew joining Kitty to Pinkie complementary to the first, Kitty threw herself on top of Pinkie, wrapping her arms around the pony's neck and swinging from side to side. "I'm not alone any more!" Kitty cried. "I'm not alone any more!"

There was a series of snapping, twanging sounds as every thread that Kitty Snip had severed snapped back into existence.

"Huh?" Sephora rubbed her head. "What...what just happened?"

"Pinkie?" Maud asked. "Are you okay?"

Pinkie smiled. "I'm just fine as long as you're fine, Maud."

Maud's eyes narrowed. "And who is that?"

Karima groaned. "I think that's something we'd all like to know."

Kitty ignored the suspicious glances of Maud and the Zebras (Maud could take over the band when Pinkie's solo career took off), because she was currently licking Pinkie's face even as she continued to dangle from around her neck.

"Everyone, this is my new friend Kitty Snip," Pinkie said brightly. "Now she oh, hello Princess Luna."

Everyone else jumped at the sudden appearance of Princess Luna, armed and garbed for war, just behind Pinkie.

Princess Luna, meanwhile, seemed a bit surprised at having been caught. Nevertheless she shook her head. "Pinkie Pie, thank my sister that you have returned! There is much to-"

"Princess Luna, Twilight's alive!" Pinkie cried.

"-discuss," Princess Luna concluded, rather limply. "How did you...never mind, come, a place of safety has been prepared for you."

"Hang on, just hang on a second," Karima demanded. "Are we at war or not?"

Princess Luna regarded her keenly. "A war may come, and very soon," she said. "But if or when it comes, I guarantee it will not be against the zebras."

Author's Note

This chapter attempts to be silly. Whether it succeeds or not is up to you, but it felt like something worth trying as an alternative to a fight. Don't expect this to become the tone of the story going forward.

Signal From the Stars

Long ago, so it was said, a great war was waged amongst the stars. A war of gods and mages, where many ancient races and grand old gods and mighty orders possessed of powerful magic perished in striving for mastery with one another. The result, if you believed that kind of thing and Daring Do had found that these old legends had a nasty habit of turning out to be quite true, was that there were a lot of old magical power sources scattered around the galaxy just waiting for when Starfleet might need a power up to face the enemy of the day.

Convenient for them, though not necessarily what those who left these magical power orbs and what have you behind might have had in mind.

But then she was a treasure hunter so who was she to talk?

A K Yearling Jr, AKA Daring Do, stood beneath the surface of the wandering planet A Baoa Qu, a world tethered to no star, drifting in the dark and shapeless void of space, attended by the moon of Solomon and a cloud of shattered asteroids floating around it like a hedge of thorns to keep away intruders. It was at A Baoa Qu, so said the legends, that the last battle of that ancient war had taken place and the power of evil had been vanquished.

For a while, anyway.

And, again according to legend, somewhere on this planet was hidden the most powerful of all those ancient weapons left from that conflict.

Judging by the glowing blue force field barring any further progress into the cave it seemed that the legends were right. Something, at any rate, was down here. Something that somebody - perhaps this 'Ray of Light' referenced in the pictograms that lined the ancient and cobweb-covered cavern walls as being the chief hero in the war - had wanted to keep hidden and out of prying hands.

Starfleet believed it was a weapon. Starfleet believed that it was a weapon so strongly that they had dragged her across space searching first for the wandering planet itself and then for the vault that they believed lay buried within.

And the key that they believed was hidden inside.

This was not the kind of job that Daring Do would ordinarily have undertaken. She didn't like Starfleet, she certainly didn't trust them with the kind of power the legends suggested lay within.

But when Starfleet asked, they didn't take no for an answer, as the presence of his mother as a hostage showed.

"You!" Major Dyno, one of the twin Starfleet officers overseeing this little expedition, gestured at a butter-yellow space pony, one of the many soldiers acting as gaolers to Daring Do and her mother. "Try the force-field."

The space pony in question didn't look in the least bit happy to receive such a command, but it was clear that his fear of Starfleet discipline and the consequences of refusing orders was stronger than his nervousness about the situation. He shuffled forwards, one hand held out tentatively before him, and gingerly placed his fingertips against the forcefield.

Then he started screaming. He screamed as flames leapt up his arm to consume his whole body, he screamed as he thrashed and flailed wildly in a futile attempt to put out the first. He screamed as his body was turned to ash before the eyes of all who watched him, until only a dark and smouldering pile remained.

"Madre de dios," muttered Major Myte, the other twin, his brown eyes wide with horror.

Dyno, on the other hand, seemed quite dispassionate. "So. Quite an effective barriers. Doctors Yearling, I hope you can guess the next part of your assignment."

"And why would we help you get past that barrier?" demanded A K Yearling Senior. She was an elderly mare by this time, her mane all turned to grey and her face lined with wrinkles, though her voice remained a strong, stout brogue that had left little to no trace in her daughter's accent. She had been old Equestria's leading expert in ancient astronaut theory and extra-terrestrial mythology, which was to say that most respectable academics had dismissed her as a crank...until space ponies came down from the sky and proved a lot of her theories right to the chagrin of many, including her daughter.

Vindication didn't seem to have improved her mood much.

"Mom," Daring Do said. "Don't-"

"Junior, you know what these people will do with power such as lies inside that vault!" Senior cried. "You know as well as I do that they can't be trusted to get inside."

I know that, Mom, Daring Do thought. But we have to play along until I can think of a plan to get out of this, okay?

That was the problem with not speaking to your mother for twenty years, she didn't trust you to think of something before the world ended.

Just like she didn't know not to call you 'Junior' any more.

Major Dyno scowled as he strutted across the cavern to where two of his soldiers held Senior fast. "Is your life not motivation enough to put aside your moral qualms, professor? Or the life of your son?"

Senior was uncowed. "Go ahead. Kill us both. And you goose-stepping morons will be sitting here until you're as grey as I am."

"We'll do it!" snapped Daring Do.

"Junior!" Senior hissed in astonishment tempered with disappointment.

"We'll get the force field down for you some how," Daring Do declared resignedly. Or at least you need to think we will.

Dyno smirked. "I'm glad that one of you is capable to being reasonable."

"We should make our report to His Majesty," Myte said. "The vault is found, even if it cannot be entered."

"Yes, His Majesty will wish to know that as soon as possible," Dyno agreed. "And then we must be on our way. The hunt awaits us."

Rainbow Dash was already moving as she heard the door into their warehouse hideout begin to open, with Fluttershy a step behind her. Rainbow’s heart began to rise with hope and expectation as she emerged out of the office to see-

“Rainbow Dash!”

“Pinkie!”

Rainbow Dash was the fastest thing alive, but Pinkie could be nearly as quick when she needed to be and so they met halfway between their respective starting points, colliding in a swirling mass of blue and pink as they embraced, holding each other tight and turning in circles like two binary stars locked together in eternal orbit. Rainbow could feel Pinkie’s pouffy mane on her cheek and tickling her nostrils, she could feel Pinkie’s back under her fingers, she could feel the warmth of Pinkie’s face upon her face.

“I’m so glad you’re back.”

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I was so worried about you out there.”

“I was so worried about you up here.”

“When you left-“

“It was like-“

Rainbow and Pinkie leaned a little away from one another. They stared at each other. Into one another. Into one another’s eyes. Rainbow stared into Pinkie’s eyes. Those guileless eyes so blue, blue like the sky where Rainbow soared so free.

“A piece of my heart-“

“Was missing,” they said together.

They stared at one another. Rainbow felt her cheeks burning hot. This felt so weird…but so right at the same time.

“Pinkie Pie.”

“Rainbow Dash.”

They stared…and then they both gasped so loudly that one might have thought that they had seen a monster, as they sprang apart and pointed at one another, speaking quickly and in perfect unison.

“Oh my gosh!”

“I’ve got news!”

“I’ve got something really amazing that I have to tell you!”

“Twilight’s back!”

“You knew?”

“How?”

“Well, Twilight and a couple of other ponies broke into the zebra palace and the other two ponies tried to kill me and the zebra queen but then this zebra robot came out and it was like ‘rawr!’ and the other ponies were like ‘aagh!’ and I was like ‘Twilight?’ and then the zebra robot almost killed me but then Twilight saved me only she got really badly hurt and so the other two ponies carried her away and I can’t wait to see her again because Twilight’s back and isn’t this amazing!?” Pinkie cried. Her voice calmed down in an instant. “What about you, Rainbow Dash, how did you find about the great news, huh?” She glanced over Rainbow Dash’s shoulder, and seemed to at last notice Fluttershy standing there, unobtrusive, half hidden in the shadow of the wall. “Fluttershy! You’re here too! You’re…you’re here! Did you finally get away from Rhymey! That’s great news!” Pinkie produced a party blower from out of seemingly nowhere and started blowing on it.

“Rhymey’s dead,” Fluttershy murmured.

Pinkie’s party blower deflated with the speed and sound of…well, it was the speed and sound of a comically deflated party blower, wasn’t it? Nothing else really compared.

The paper horn fell from Pinkie’s trembling lips to land with a tiny thud upon the ground. “He…he’s dead? That…Fluttershy, I…I…I’m so sorry.”

Fluttershy bowed her head. “Thank you, Pinkie. That’s very...I know that you didn’t like him very much.”

Pinkie walked towards her, brushing past Rainbow Dash as she did so. Her eyes were wide, halfway to engulfing her whole face. “I don’t need to like Rhymey to be sad for you.” She held out her arms, offering a hug.

Fluttershy frowned. “It’s okay, Pinkie. I don’t need a hug.”

Pinkie cocked her head to one side. “I think you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No I don’t!” Fluttershy snapped, her voice sharpening like a knife.

Rainbow frowned. “Fluttershy, calm down-“

“I don’t need you to tell me to calm down and I don’t need your pity!” Fluttershy shouted. “I know that you all pitied me when I was married: poor Fluttershy, trapped with that awful husband of hers, isn’t it sad. I know that you all felt so sorry for me like I was just…” she took a deep breath, her breast heaved with emotion. “Like I was just some weak and feeble and pathetic…like I couldn’t make my own choices, or take responsibility for myself, or…I know that’s what you all thought. I know that you pitied me when I was married. I don’t need you to pity me now that I’m a…now that I’m a widow.”

Rainbow Dash looked away, struggling to cringe on her face. The truth was…the truth was that she couldn’t deny the charge. Not one single word of it. She had pitied Fluttershy, even she, even Rainbow Dash, who had known Fluttershy the longest and had the greatest cause to know what inner strength there was in her friend’s gentle soul…and even she had pitied her, the helpless captive, the damsel Beauty to Rhymey’s ear-grating Beast.

And it was every bit as patronising as the way that Rhymey had treated her.

Rainbow Dash’s stomach turned cold and flipped over. She felt suddenly very ashamed of herself.

“I don’t…” Fluttershy said, and she sounded on the verge of sobbing now. “I don’t…I…I just…”

Fluttershy may not have thought she needed a hug, but Pinkie evidently disagreed with her, and it was Pinkie who made the move to enfold Fluttershy in her arms as she started to cry.

“I’m right here,” Pinkie said. “I’m here to help you cry, so that one day I can see you smile again.”

“I shouldn’t-“

“Sure you should. It’s okay to cry when you’re sad.”

Fluttershy’s whole body shuddered. “I loved him.”

“I know.”

“He was stubborn and proud and he didn’t understand me at all…but I loved him.”

“I know.”

“He was gallant and brave and he did love me, I know he did. He just…he just…”

“I know.”

“I know that you all hated him,” Fluttershy sobbed. “But I…I just…I can’t…”

“I know,” Pinkie murmured. She ran one pink hand through Fluttershy’s lavender mane. “I’m right here. I’m always going to be right here.”

Rainbow felt as though she were doing something indecent by continuing to watch, intruding upon Fluttershy’s private grief. She turned away, and set her back to it. “Um, hey Maud.”

“Hello,” Maud said, in her usual inscrutable tone.

“I, uh,” Rainbow cast about for topics of conversation to fill the silence. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I’ve been travelling with Pinkie for a while,” Maud said. “You might say that I’m on the run from the law.”

Rainbow’s eyebrows rose. “Seriously?”

“I’m told that I have an anti-social personality,” Maud said.

“I…I’ve got no idea who would think that.”

“Neither do I, although I do think I have a good face for a wanted poster.”

Rainbow stared at her.

“That was a joke.”

“Oh. Ha ha, I guess…” Rainbow muttered. She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “And um…” she gestured towards the zebras and the…the catgirl? “And, uh, you guys are?”

“I’m Kitty Snip,” declared the catgirl, who was glaring at Rainbow Dash with a scowl on her face. “I’m Pinkie Pie’s friend.” She said it was though it were a badge of honour – which it was, but there was no reason to pretend that it was an exclusive club or anything.

“And I’m Sephora, envoy from the Queen of Zebrica,” said one of the zebras, the one who stood on two legs like ponies did now. “And these are the elite pilots Karima and Ria.”

“Hey,” said Karima.

“We’re the ones who were like ‘rawr’,” said Ria.

“For whatever it may be worth, I am more than glad to receive the envoys of the Queen of Zebrica,” Luna declared. “Come, all of you, and let us make all things plain between us.”

Emerald Shaina stared.

The thing opposite her stared right back.

Captain Emerald Shaina did not consider herself to be a fearful mare. She hadn't gotten to be captain of the Royal Guard by being prone to swooning and to fainting fits, by shrieking at mice or flinching from the sight of dirt on her outfit. But this thing, and its unflinching and almost lifeless gaze...this thing was making her shiver.

When Starlight Glimmer lived - for certain sure you'd hardly call this living - she had never made Emerald Shaina so nervous as she was making her now.

Not that it was immediately obvious that it was Starlight Glimmer. Her body was mostly concealed beneath an armoured shell, a carapace of titanium and steel that protected her as securely as any knight of old had ere been warded by his armour. From beneath that carapace had come whirring and hissing sounds as she had walked across the throne room floor to present herself before His Majesty, though now that she was still all sound had ceased. She might, on first glance, have been taken for a robot.

But she wasn't. Looking closely, Emerald could see through the chinks and tiny gaps in the armoured plates patches of lilac fur, criss-crossed with wires. And one of her blue-green eyes remained, visible through the visor of her armour, robbed of all light and recognition robbed of all pony-ness.

The other eye, as far as Emerald could make out within that shadow-shrouded helm, had been replaced with a bright green mechanical orb.

Honestly she would rather that this new Starlight Glimmer had two of such, that lifeless but organic eye was making the hairs on her coat stand on end.

Professor Brain stood beside his new 'creation'. He looked far, far too smug for someone who had been in grave danger of losing everything, even his life, not too long ago. "As you can see, Majesty, by using technology scavenged from the Robot Empire I have been able to duplicate the process by which Prince Fratello was, ahem, cyberdised by the robots. You will recall-"

"I recall, Professor, that Fratello's heart warred with his programming," the Grand Ruler rumbled forth from his high throne. "Something that your novel creations have already suffered far too much from."

The smile on Brain's face disappeared as swiftly as a cat fleeing from water. "I assure you, Majesty, that there is no danger of that here. I am confident, supremely confident, that Project Janissary will avoid all of the...issues that made Project Sentinel a less than satisfactory answer to your needs."

"Are you indeed?"

"Yes, your majesty, I am quite certain of it," Brain declared. "The, uh, the key, you see, was the overwhelming interface of the technological with the organic. In addition to bracing her spine with cybernetics, amputating one shattered leg and replacing it with a cybernetic, removing one arm and replacing it with a combat system, cybernetics have also been integrated into both heart and brain. Her soul has, quite literally, been replaced by technology."

"What of her magic?"

"I regret, Majesty, that she has lost the capacity to perform unicorn magic, but I am confident that her enhanced abilities in all other respects will more than make up the shortfall."

The Grand Ruler leaned forward from his throne. "We shall see. To what does she answer now?"

"She will answer to Starlight Glimmer, to Janissary, or even to 'Soldier' if you wish it so," Brain replied.

The Grand Ruler smiled. "Starlight, turn to your right."

Starlight did so, and as she turned her motors whirred within her cybernetics.

"Turn to your left."

She did that too.

The Grand Ruler's smile became an ugly smirk. "Starlight...dance for me."

Starlight paused for a moment, and then she began to move in jerky, ungainly, awkward motions, flailing her armoured and half-mechanical arms in both directions like a puppet tugged upon her strings by the inexpert hands of an amateur. It was disconcerting for Emerald to watch. She did not want to watch it, it was indecent. It had no purpose but to humiliate Starlight Glimmer, and though she had not liked the mare Emerald Shaina saw little purpose in her semi-posthumous degradation.

His Majesty, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying. "How are the mighty fallen, Starlight Glimmer? How are the wages of your arrogance repaid! See now how all your pride is overthrown and all of your pretentions turned to dust."

"Your Majesty," Emerald murmured. "She was a faithful servant while she lived."

"She is not dead," Brain corrected her. "Do not think her dead, if she had perished the procedure would not be possible; although I will admit that the extent of her injuries made the modifications easier. But she is not dead, not by any means."

"I scarce think you can call this living."

"Peace, both of you," the Grand Ruler commanded. "True, captain, that she was a faithful servant. A faithful servant of a lesser race who did not know her place in the new order. I tolerated her, made use of her, indulged her on occasion...but I do not think that I forgot what she was, and do not presume to suggest that I should not take delight in her humiliation. ‘Twas ever thus for those who seek to fly too high, and come too close to the sun of true greatness."

Emerald Shaina bowed her head. "Of course, your majesty."

"Cease your ungainly motion, Starlight," the Grand Ruler commanded. "Cease...and kill Professor Brain."

"No!" Brain cried, as some kind of particle cannon emerged from Starlight's left arm to point at him. "Your Majesty you cannot...I...I beg of you to-"

"Stop!" the Grand Ruler commanded. "Do not kill him."

Starlight's gun retracted back into her arm.

"Fear not, professor, your usefulness to me is not yet ended," the Grand Ruler declared jovially. "I merely wished to test the limits of her obedience. Very well, I am satisfied that this is a great improvement over your last efforts. You may begin mass production immediately."

Professor Brain was still trembling in fear. "Your Majesty is most generous."

"I give to you all the wounded and the invalid in all the hospitals in New Canterlot, save only Lightning Dawn," the Grand Ruler commanded. "All the rest, even the space ponies, I do not exempt. Take these poor creatures, that are of no more use to me, and make of them irresistible warriors for my glory. And work swiftly, professor, I wish for as many Janissaries as possible to be ready by the time that Operation Nemesis commences."

Operation Nemesis? Emerald Shaina's ears pricked up even as her eyebrows rose discreetly. Nemesis had been in the pipeline for so long that it had acquired the nature of an urban myth amongst the headquarters staff. Everybody knew about it, but nobody knew anyone who would admit to working on it - or nobody would admit to knowing anyone who would admit to working on it - some people swore that it was real, others doubted its existence, nobody really knew what it was all about.

Except that His Majesty had just confirmed that it was real, and that he needed...these things for it. Or wanted them at least. What was it then? A new offensive? Some surprise attack against the Kallanians?

Professor Brain seemed almost as surprised and confused as she was. "Your Majesty...I had no idea, that-"

"We have lately received word from Dyno and Myte, in advance of their return," the Grand Ruler declared. "The Vault of Heaven has been found upon A Baoa Qu. The time of destiny draws near, fate itself drives us forward." He fixed Brain with a stern gaze. "Make haste professor, lest you be left behind."

Brain bowed low. "At once, Your Majesty."

It was getting pretty crowded in the warehouse office, even after the zebra named Sephora - who, unfortunately for her had suffered the same freakish modifications that the ponies were forced to endure but the zebras had otherwise escaped - had kicked out the two zebra pilots and sent them to do maintenance on their giant robot. That still left Luna, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Sunset Shimmer, Maud, Moondancer, Cerise Wonder, Kitty Snip - who was holding onto Pinkie's hand as though she was going to blow away and vanish the moment she let go, and it was kind of annoying even if Rainbow didn't have to look directly at it - and Sephora all trying to fit around the table, to say nothing of Brass Bolt stuck in the corner working on the computer.

She wouldn't have wanted to throw anybody out - except maybe Kitty Snip - but it was getting a little stuffy in here was all Rainbow as saying.

Still, there wasn't really any way around it. Sephora had shown willingness to brief her pilots on what she heard later, but for Pinkie and Maud and Sephora herself they all needed to understand what was going on and what they'd missed, and then the others would be needed to talk about what they needed to do next, which meant that there wasn't much alternative to just getting on with it. And so Rainbow, Fluttershy, Luna, Sunset and Moondancer all took turns explaining everything that had happened in New Canterlot since Pinkie left, and everything that they had recently found out about Twilight's clone and the other clones, about Twilight's research and Moondancer's narrow brush with death, about Raven's odd behaviour in and subsequent escape from prison, about...everything. Pinkie, Maud and Sephora in turn described the attack upon the zebra capital, and how they had come north looking for answers.

"So Twilight's a clone!" Pinkie exclaimed when they were all done.

"And Starfleet really did try to assassinate the queen and the ambassador," Sephora muttered.

"And you almost died, Pinkie," Rainbow gasped.

"Are we really going to have to go through all this two more times?" grumbled Brass Bolt.

"Shh!" Sunset hissed.

"The alternative, Mister Bolt, would be to wait until Rarity and Applejack returned to dispense all of this exposition only once," Luna said. "But who knows how long that might leave us labouring in ignorance, especially since you have not yet been able to located Rarity's ship."

"Sure, sure, blame it all on the tech guy," Brass Bolt muttered.

"Even if he can get a line open to Rarity that still leaves Applejack," Rainbow said. "And we still don't know where she is or how to get in touch with her. We got lucky with Pinkie coming back but we can't expect to get lucky like that again. I ought to go to Rangiveria and-"

"And how would you find her once you got there?" Luna demanded. "How would you explain your presence to Starfleet? How would you evade the caribou?"

"I...I don't know yet, but don't we have to try?" Rainbow cried. "How else are we going to get Applejack back, or Spike?"

"What are you guys talking about? Do you need to find a friend?" Kitty asked, in what Rainbow could only hear as a sly tone. She licked at one of her paws. "I can help you out with that?"

Rainbow's eyes narrow. "Is that a fact?"

Kitty nodded, her head bobbing up and down. "As long as your friend is also a friend of Miss Pinkie's then I can follow the thread of her friendship and lead you right to them. Won't that be awesome, Miss Pinkie?"

"Really?" Pinkie asked. "You could do that?"

"Uh-huh. Anything for you, Miss Pinkie!"

"That's amazing!"

"Yeah, amazing," Rainbow said in a deadpan tone. It was, truthfully, a big help and an answer to one of their problems, but something about that cat's manner prevented Rainbow from appreciating it properly.

"It's great," Sunset muttered. "Except that if you start walking now you should reach Rangiveria in about a couple of months or so."

"Could you trace this thread if you were in a starship?" Luna asked.

Kitty shrugged. "I guess so?"

"That's right, the Princess Twilight is rated for atmospheric entry," Sunset said.

"Yeah, if only we knew where it was," Rainbow remarked.

"I'm working on it!" Brass Bolt snapped.

Rainbow scowled. "I hate knowing that Twilight's out there somewhere and all I can do is sit around here because we can't get hold of Rarity!"

"It'll be okay," Fluttershy began.

"But what if it isn't?" Rainbow demanded. "What if...we don't know what's going on with her, we don't know anything about the people she's hanging out with other than that they're clones. We don't know if they're good for her, we don't know if they're taking care of her, we don't even know if...we don't know if she's safe without us."

Fluttershy frowned. "Twilight's strong. I'm sure that she'll-"

"Yeah, well what if she's not?" Rainbow snapped, making Fluttershy recoil away from her with wide green eyes.

Rainbow's stomach tightened in self-disgust. "Fluttershy, I...I'm sorry, I just...gah, I can't stand this!" she kicked a nearby aluminium bin, resting near the leg of the table; her stroke made it skid across the floor and hit the wall with a heavy rattle.

"A blow well struck against the dystopian menace of evil garbage cans," Brass Bolt observed dryly.

Rainbow didn't reply. She didn't have the energy to snark back at that guy. All her energies were taken up in worry...and regret.

I sat around and did nothing once before. I told myself 'Oh, Twilight's strong, Twilight's amazing, she'll be fine.' I stayed behind while she ran away, and told myself I'd give her a hard time about it later; really rib her for being so reckless.

But she never did come back, not alive. I never did get to tease her about the way she acted. I never got to tell her not to run off without me again. I never got to...

Raven was right, I did betray Twilight. I abandoned her. I sat on my flank and let her fight a hopeless and for what? So that the Grand Ruler would call me a good little soldier?

And now I'm doing it again.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, bowing her head so that her chin was nearly touching her chest. "I just...I gotta..." she stalked out of the room, and let the door swing shut behind her as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

I'd never leave my friends hangin'

The door didn't close. Rainbow heard it strike something, a hand. She opened one eye to see Fluttershy sidling up to her.

"We all left Twilight behind," Fluttershy murmured. "We all share the fault."

"Maybe," Rainbow muttered. "But we don't all share it equally. I promised her that I'd always have her back."

I'd never leave my friends hangin'

"Do you think she wondered where we were?" Rainbow asked. "Do you think she thought that we were right behind her? Do you think, as she was fighting for her life, a part of her wondered why we hadn't come to back her up?"

"I don't know," Fluttershy said softly. "Maybe, when we find her, you can ask her yourself."

Rainbow snorted. "Thanks, but...there are some questions I'm not sure I wanna know the answer to, you know. Like...like...like did she hate us in the end?"

"Twilight could never hate us," Pinkie said, suddenly appearing on the other side of Rainbow Dash.

"Pinkie, sheesh," Rainbow said. "There's a perfectly good door over there."

Pinkie shrugged. "Twilight could never hate us," she repeated.

"I'd like to believe that," Rainbow said.

Pinkie grinned. "Well if you'd like to believe it, then what's stopping you?"

"I guess...I guess I'm afraid," Rainbow confessed.

Pinkie's smiled was beatific. "Twilight had one of the best, most friendliest hearts of anypony I've ever met. She could never hate us, because no matter what we did she'd always be able to forgive us, because she loved us. And because...because that's just the kind of pony she was."

Rainbow smiled, if only slightly. "I...you know what Pinkie, you're right about that. Twilight would always forgive. But that doesn't answer the question...do we deserve to be forgiven?"

"That's enough, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy declared, with assertiveness filling her voice. "Wasn't it bad enough listening to people put the blame for Twilight's death on Twilight herself, without you trying to put the blame on yourself, too? How about putting the blame where it really belongs, with Raven? Or better yet, how about looking forward to what we can change instead of looking backwards at what we can't?"

Rainbow stared at her for a moment. She recognised that look in Fluttershy's eyes: the look that didn't take no for an answer. Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, I get it. I promise, I Pinkie promise, that you won't hear another word about this from me."

Although I can't promise that I won't still feel it, and fear it, in my heart.

Back in the office, Princess Luna glanced at the zebra Sephora. “So, what will you tell your queen? Will we have peace, still? Or will it come to war, between your people and ours?”

“Does Starfleet not seek a war with us?” Sephora asked.

“We aren’t Starfleet,” Sunset said firmly, raising herself up on her hind legs, with her forehooves resting on the table.

“No, you’re not,” Sephora said quietly. “But you don’t rule here either.”

Sunset scowled, but said nothing. Because…because what she had said was true, even if Sunset didn’t like it very much. Even if no one in this room, or in the warehouse outside liked it very much, nevertheless…it was true. They did not rule here. Publicly, Sunset Shimmer was a nobody, and in private she was but the head of an underground band who, if their existence were to become known, would swiftly be branded as traitors and seditionists. Publicly, Princess Luna was one of the three immortal triarchs of United Equestria, albeit the one who – as demonstrated by her lesser style – ranked just a step below the other two; in private she was sidelined and ignored, just like Celestia. Major Wonder had a little public authority…but that came from being an officer of the Starfleet, and so it wasn’t really that much help.

They could not deny what the Grand Ruler had done. Sunset did not doubt that the Grand Ruler had done it.

Does his ambition know no end?

No, appeared to be the answer to that. That was no surprise to Sunset, that was why she had sealed off the portal to the mirror-world, that was why she had stalwartly refused to open it up at the Grand Ruler’s request, that was why she was working to undermine him, because she saw this Grand Ruler and his Starfleet for what they truly were: a many tentacled monster that, not content with having corrupted a place of great beauty and tarnished the souls of many wondrous folk, would seek to reach out its dark tentacles not stop until it had choked the life out of the universe.

So how could Sephora’s simple statement be denied. The Grand Ruler had encompassed the death of the Queen of Zebrica, as well as Pinkie Pie. That was cause for Zebrica to go to war, if the zebras wished it so. And even if they did not…it seemed the Grand Ruler wanted war with Zebrica.

And how many more innocent ponies will suffer if he gets the war he seems to want? How many unicorns, and pegasi, and earth ponies will die in the armies, our caught in the crossfire because of his ambition?

“If Zebrica marches to war with Starfleet it will lose,” Luna warned.

Sephora’s jaw tightened. “Don’t take us lightly. We aren’t the savages you people think we are.”

“I have never called you savage, nor will I ever do so,” Luna admonished. “My lips have never, and will never utter the slur with which it pleases space ponies to revile you. But this is not a battle you can win alone. If your queen marches the armies of the twelve herds north it will be only to die.”

“How can you be so sure?” Sephora replied. “We may not have your magic. We may not have a space empire. But we are a brave people, and proud, hard-working and industrious. Our land may not be as arable as yours, we may not have so much of it spread across the stars, but barren though some of it may be our land is ours, and we’ll fight to keep it that way if we have to.”

“A few clanking machines will not be enough against the power that Starfleet can bring to bear,” Luna replied.

“What if it has to be?” Sephora asked. “What other choice do we have? My queen sent me here in the hope that this would turn out to be a big misunderstanding. In the hope that your Grand Ruler had no part in this. You say that isn’t so, and I believe you. So what choice do we have? They attacked our capital, attacked our sovereign, killed zebras, some of them my friends. What should we say to that: ‘thank you sir, may I have another’? If we do nothing we invite attack.”

“I did not say ‘do nothing’,” Luna replied. “I was about to say ‘do nothing alone’. The time is drawing near when the power of Starfleet will be taxed on many fronts, and when that time comes…I would ask that you remember that far from all ponies in United Equestria are willing followers of the Grand Ruler. Do you honestly wish for war?”

“Of course not, I’d have to be an idiot to want war,” Sephora said quickly. “Or Karima, maybe. I don’t want a war. But I want to see Zebrica become an Equestrian province even less.”

United Equestria, Sunset thought, because it pained her to see the name of her once grand and peaceful home conflated with this nightmare that United Equestria had become.

“Well, if it helps,” Brass Bolt said, not looking away from his monitor. “It looks as though there is going to be enough strength in Starfleet to wage war against Zebrica, for a while anyway.”

Luna looked at him. “Explain yourself, Mister Bolt.”

“I may not have been able to make contact with the Princess Twilight Sparkle yet,” Brass Bolt muttered, typing away. “But I have found some interesting stuff on the Starfleet battlenet. A lot of orders have gone out recently for something called Operation: Nemesis. Fleet and ground units are being assigned from the home forces, called back from Rangiveria, pulled in from all across the galaxy-“

“That sounds like the prelude to a major offensive,” Sephora said. “I thought you said that this was good news.”

“It is, because they’re not sticking around United Equestria too long,” Brass Bolt continued in a tone of peevish impatience at not being allowed to finish. “As I would have said, if I hadn’t been so rudely interrupted, the ships are taking on troops and supplies and then they’re all leaving again. Heading for some place called Helsinore to ‘await further orders’.”

“Helsinore?” Luna repeated. “Helsinore is…a desolate moon, barely capable of supporting life, why would Celesto despatch the heart of his strength to such a place?”

“Further orders for what?” Sunset asked.

“If I knew that, boss, I’d tell you.”

“How many troops?” Luna demanded. “How many ships?”

“Short answer: lots of both,” Bolt replied. “Long answer: I’ll print it all out and give you a list. But includes some of the top line ships, elite units, the royal guard and…oh.”

Sunset trotted across the room to peek up at the monitor. “Oh what?”

“The Grand Ruler himself is shipping out with this big old deployment from on board…the Grand Ruler. The new battleship, I mean, he’s not boarding himself, that would be…I’ll shut up now.”

“Keep talking, just talk sense,” Sunset muttered. “What about Princess Celestia, what about the children?”

Brass Bolt’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “Let’s see…Prince Castor…he’s riding with his daddy aboard the Grand Ruler. Also on the big ship is…redacted! Something from out of the prison levels? Oh, you think you can redact me, well I’ll show you, you-“

“Never mind about redacted items, what about Celestia?” Sunset demanded. “What about Leilani?”

He’ll leave her behind. Surely he’ll leave her behind. Why would he do anything else? He never wanted her before, why would he want her now?

But she had to hear it for herself. She had to hear him say that Leilani was not mentioned anywhere in the orders for this mysterious departure.

Brass Bolt made a kind of noise under his breath. “Celestia…Celestia…Celestia is being taken aboard the Grand Ruler. Orders are to prepare a separate cabin…and assign guards. There’s something about a Project Janissary but I’ve never-“

“A matter of no import at present,” Luna declared. “Guards. So, Celestia will be more prisoner than guest aboard Celesto’s ship.”

“And Leilani?”

Brass Bolt blinked. “She is to be transferred to the cruiser Neigh Orleans with somebody called Lieutenant Colonel Stern. A lot orders relating to her treatment: strict isolation, no unnecessary-“

“Yeah, yeah, I can imagine,” Sunset said. She turned to face Princess Luna. “We have to get them out! Leilani and Celestia both, we have to get them out before they leave, before they get transferred onto these ships.”

Luna frowned. “If we strike before then, while an unprecedented concentration of Starfleet’s forces is assembling on the ground and in the skies above us then we invite our own destruction.”

“We can’t just leave them!” Sunset cried. “If we do nothing, if we wait, then what will the Grand Ruler do to them to punish them for our rebellion? What if he kills Celestia, what if he kills Leilani? There’s no way I can just let that happen!”

Luna bowed her head. In that moment, it seemed as if all of her immortal years had suddenly caught up with her. “You…you are correct, of course. There is no way that we may leave Celestia or her children in the clutches of that monster. It will be difficult…it will make a rod for our own backs…it may even…but it must be attempted for the alternative…the alternative would make us near as vile as Celesto himself. Mister Bolt, when are all these preparations due to be completed? When are Celestia and her daughter to board their ships?”

“Six days time, fleet leaves on the seventh day.”

“Then we have little time, we must make our plans quickly,” Luna said. “Major Wonder, can you be of any assistance in this matter?”

“That depends,” Cerise murmured. “I haven’t received any orders but…hey, you, am I mentioned anywhere in those orders.”

“Nope. And it’s Brass Bolt, not ‘hey, you’.”

Cerise ignored that. “I guess that means my career has stalled out. But it also means I should be able to help take down some of the palace security.”

“Excellent,” Luna said. “Then let us devise a means to save my sister. Goodness knows that her salvation has been a long time coming.”

Lightning winced as he sat up in his hospital bed. Penny said that all of his major injuries were nearly completely healed, but he still felt as though his ribs were trying to stab him.

Still, he had been sitting in this bed for a few days now. He had been idling long enough. It was high time that he got up…there was something that he had to do.

Someone that he needed to stop.

He winced again as he tried swing his legs out of bed and stand up.

“Take it easy, Lightning,” Krysta said, from where she stood on the bedside nightstand. “You’re still not completely recovered yet.”

Lightning looked at her with a wry glance. “You’re one to talk. You got beat up worse than I did, and now look at you.”

“Yes, look at me standing on this table because I don’t trust my wings to carry me yet,” Krysta said. “And for your information, I did not get beat up worse than you did. I took a glancing blow, that’s all.”

“Yeah, sure you did,” Lightning muttered. He tried to rise to his feet but his legs trembled beneath him, and after only a few moments he collapsed back into his bed with a soft crunch of the mattress beneath him. He grunted, and prepared to try again.

I have to get up. I have to stop Raven.

“That’s it, you’re done,” Snowflame declared, padding around the bed to stand directly in front of him. “Get back in the bed and lie down.”

“Snowflame-“

“Get back in that bed, our Lightning, or I’m going to make you,” Snowflame said. “In a cruel to be kind sort of way, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Lightning replied. “Snowflame, I don’t have time to lie around-“

“And I don’t have the skills to put you back together again if you do something stupid,” Snowflame snapped. “Now come on, lie down and get better properly because you’re obviously not okay yet.”

Lightning stared down at Snowflame. Snowflame glared up at Lightning.

“You’re not going to get out of my way, are you?”

“Nope,” Snowflame said.

Lightning rolled his eyes as he pulled his legs back up into the bed and lay down again. “I don’t get it. I should be healing faster than this. It’s never taken this long before.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve never been knocked around like that before,” Krysta said. “Raven really did a number on you.”

Lightning twisted his head around – it made his neck hurt, but he gave no sign of it lest Snowflame start to mother him even more than she was threatening to do already – to look at her. “You seem to be making out surprisingly well.”

“Hey, I can lift several times my own body weight, don’t be surprised that I’m super resilient, too.”

“Show off.”

“Nah, I’m just born awesome,” Krysta said, as she winked at him.

Lightning sighed. “This is so…I need to get out of here.”

“Why?” Snowflame asked.

“Because Raven’s still out there,” Lightning declared. “I need to get out of this bed and track her down.”

“Oh, sure, because she kicked your ass the last time but now that you’re barely able to get out of bed you’re sure to get her on the ropes,” Snowflame said.

Lightning glared at her. It didn’t seem to have very much effect. “You don’t have to stick around here, you know.”

“I like to stay where I can keep an eye on you.”

Lightning’s brow furrowed, as he glanced over to where Princess Fairgrace slept curled up like a cat on the visitor’s chair. “And you didn’t have to bring her, either.”

It was Snowflame’s turn to frown. “I like to keep you both where I can keep an eye on you.”

Lightning fell back onto the pillow with a crunch. “I need to stop her. Who knows what she’ll do next.”

“Let someone else deal with it,” Snowflame said.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because the last time I let someone else deal with it, Twilight died!” Lightning snapped.

“Huh?” Fairgrace murmured, as she opened. “L-Lightning?”

Lightning closed his eyes. “I…I’m sorry, Princess. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It d-d-doesn’t m-matter,” Fairgrace stammered. “How d-do you f-f-feel?”

“Still sore.”

“Too sore to get out of bed,” Snowflame said, firmly.

“For now,” Lightning conceded. “But once I get better-“

“No.”

Lightning’s eyebrows rose. “No?”

“No,” Snowflame said. “You’re not getting straight out of hospital to go chasing that Raven down. I won’t allow it.”

Lightning smiled. “I don’t think that’s really your call.”

“I’m serious!” Snowflame yelled. “There’s a whole army out there, why can’t they take care of it. You…I might not be able to save you a second time, our Lightning.”

“It d-d-does sound p-pretty d-d-d-dangerous,” Fairgrace said, her voice trembling as she spoke.

Lightning sighed. “Raven is dangerous. And powerful. But that’s why I have to fight her, I’m the only one who can match her uniforce.”

“Power isn’t everything,” Snowflame murmured.

Lightning scowled. “Twilight thought so too. She thought that if she was smart, if she could think three steps ahead, then Raven’s power wouldn’t matter, she could take her out anyway. It didn’t work. It didn’t matter that Twilight thought ahead, Raven’s power is…it’s phenomenal, it overcomes all other advantages. I have that power too. There are only a handful of ponies who possess it. That’s why I-“

“No, it isn’t.”

“Krysta?”

Krysta folded her tiny arms. “These are your friends, Lightning. We’re all your friends and that mean we deserve the truth. You deserve the truth, instead of trying to deny it to yourself. This is nothing to do with duty and everything to do with avenging Twilight. Don’t deny it. Why would you even want to?”

Lightning bowed his head. “Because Twilight…Twilight wouldn’t want me to give in to revenge. She wouldn’t want me to feel this way, to have these desires.”

“Who was she, this Twilight?” Snowflame asked. “Who was she to you?”

“I’d l-l-like to know that t-t-too,” Fairgrace murmured.

“Twilight,” Lightning said. “Twilight Sparkle, her full name; Princess Twilight Sparkle, to give her her title too. She was…Twilight was…”

He was interrupted by the sound of heavy rattling outside of his private room, a sound like a stream of gurneys being rushed past the door and down the corridor. Judging by the stream of orderlies, whose heads he could see rushing past the window set near the top of the door, that might be exactly what was happening.

“W-w-what’s g-g-going on out there?” Fairgrace asked.

“It sounds like they’re moving half the hospital,” Snowflame muttered.

She wasn’t wrong. The sound didn’t stop, the rattling of wheels, the groaning of patients, the chatter of the orderlies, nurses and doctors who rushed past in an endless wave.

Soon, the clinical and mechanical sounds were just by others, even less pleasant to listen to: the sounds of shrieking, pleading, and crying out in vain.

“Where are you taking him? Please, why won’t you tell me?”

“No! Leave him! He’s too weak to move, what are you doing?”

“Please, leave her alone!”

“What’s going on? Why won’t anybody answer me?”

“Stand aside!” the voice was that of a Starfleet officer, cold and unsympathetic. “By order of His Majesty, Grand Ruler Celesto, all patients at this institution are being transferred to new facilities.”

“Where?”

“That is a secret of state and cannot be divulged to individuals without proper clearance.”

“Why are you doing this? You can’t do this to us?”

“This is a royal command and will be obeyed!” the officer snapped. “Any resistance will be met with force!”

“All patients?” Krysta said. “Does that mean-“

“All patients should mean all patients,” Lightning said. “I guess we’re about to find out where everyone is going.”

“They’ll have to get past me, first,” Snowflame said.

“Snowflame, calm down,” Lightning said. “I’m sure it’s nothing to be scared of.”

“No one is taking you away from me, not again,” Snowflame yelled. “I’ve lost you for too long already.”

But, though Snowflame planted herself in the door way so that she could fight anyone who came through it…no one did. No one so much as opened the door. No one tried to take Lightning out to join the others in being transferred. No one seemed to remember that he was even there. And in the end, as the rolling of the gurneys and the chatter of the orderlies and even the cries and pleas of those who had sought to save their loved ones died away, Lightning and his friends were left alone, to wonder from what fate they had been delivered.

Lightning didn’t know.

And, though it was cowardly of him, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know either.

The moon was up, and Luna’s light shone down upon the world and provided the only illumination in the hideout.

Luna herself was not there. She was attending to her duties, keeping up appearances, bearing the insults of the Grand Ruler with a seemingly patient shrug until the time had come to reveal her true intentions and the feelings that, for now, she was forced to conceal.

Rainbow Dash was the only person in the warehouse who was still awake and so she paced up and down, with her hands in her pockets like a moody teenager, pacing back and forth as the moonlight shone in through the high windows.

Pinkie and Maud slept side by side, in sleeping bags that the zebras had brought with them. Kitty Snip was curled up at Pinkie’s feet, purring to herself in lieu of snores as her hands twitched and tugged at her own tail.

Fluttershy slept sitting up, hugging herself as though she were afraid of something. Rainbow’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, wishing that there was something that she could do – anything – to make things better for her; but there wasn’t. She had loved Rhymey, though Rainbow couldn’t understand what she had found in that creep that was worth loving, nevertheless in spite of all his faults she had loved him. That wasn’t the kind of thing that she, or anybody else, could just get over. She would carry it with her, for a while at least, and there was nothing that Rainbow Dash or anypony else, could do about it.

All she could do was be there for her friend, if she needed it.

So many folks need me to be there for them right now.

If anyone had said that to her then she would have brushed off their concern with a quip. She was, after all, the fastest thing alive; she had no problem being in as many places as she needed to be.

But alone, in the dark of the night, with all the rest asleep, it wasn’t so easy to believe her own bravado.

Twilight. I just…I don’t know if I…if I don’t…

Just hold on for me, okay.

I can’t lose you a second time.

Rainbow’s feet carried her into the office, where she saw clearly that she was not quite the only pony to be still up. Brass Bolt was sitting where he always did, in front of the computer; it’s bright screen was illuminating him in a kind of silhouette. He wasn’t typing though, he was staring at something in his hands, a picture or something. Rainbow couldn’t quite make it out, and as he heard her coming closer he put it down on his desk in some place that was hard for her to see.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“How did you tell?” Rainbow asked. “I guess I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

Brass Bolt’s expression was devoid of either sympathy or contempt. He picked up a large mug and drank from it. “You want some coffee?”

“Sure.”

“Great. There’s a filter machine in the back, help yourself.”

“Gee, thanks,” Rainbow muttered. She pulled up a chair, scraping it across the office floor, and sat down on in the wrong way, with her elbows resting on the back. “How come you’re awake?”

“I have to keep checking in case that ship of yours tries to make contact,” said Brass Bolt. He was silent for a moment. “You know…you got some nice friends, kid. Good people.”

“They’re the best,” Rainbow murmured. “They deserve the best.”

“This ain’t gonna turn into some kind of self-pity thing, is it?” Brass Bolt asked. “I’m not sure I’m the right guy for that kind of stuff.”

Rainbow snorted. “Don’t worry, I’m not looking for a shoulder to cry on. I just…I don’t know if I can do this.”

Brass Bolt leaned back in his chair, and said nothing.

Rainbow bowed her head a little. “You know…you were right about me. I did let this happen. All of this. Starfleet taking over, Twilight dying, the curfews and the rationing and the wars…everything that his world has become. I let that happen. It all happened right in front of my eyes and I didn’t say a word about it. I didn’t lift a finger to stop it. It happened because I let it. Twilight died because I let her.”

“Except for how Twilight ain’t dead,” Brass Bolt said, surprisingly softly considering his usual abrasive tone of voice. “Except for how she’s back, anyhow. You may think you got the weight of the world on your shoulders kid, but as far as I’m concerned you’re the luckiest mare alive.”

Rainbow’s eyebrows rose. “How do you figure that?”

“You know I wasn’t always this old grouch sitting here making quips at people,” Brass Bolt said. “I used to be a normal guy, I worked tech support at a hardware store.”

“You were a nerd herd guy?”

“Yeah, that’s right, the nerd herd, that’s what they used to call us,” Brass Bolt agreed. He picked up the picture on his desk. “I had a wife. I had a kid. And when Starfleet took over…I didn’t say nothing either. Go along to get along, right? I told myself that nothing would really change, that all the important things would stay the same. I told myself…” he stared at the picture for a moment. “I told myself that so long as I kept my head down and took care of my family like I always had, then…all the big stuff didn’t really matter to guys like me.

“And then I came home one day and…and they were gone. Both of them.”

“What happened?”

“Starfleet,” Brass Bolt said, as though it explained everything. “By the time I found out where they were…it was too late. I lost my family, because I didn’t realise what was going on, because I didn’t do anything about it, but you…you got a second chance here, kid. You got the chance to make this right, to get your family back. That…do you know what I’d do to get a chance like that. Don’t fret about what you’ve done, or how you blew it the last time. You just make sure that you don’t blow it this time, okay. Get it right, for all of us who ain’t gonna get a second chance.”

The headphones plugged into the computer suddenly began to crackle and spark, startling both ponies.

“What is it?” Rainbow asked.

“Someone’s responding to the automated transmission I set for the Twilight Sparkle,” Brass Bolt said. He picked up the headphones, but stopped before he put them on. Instead, he offered them to Rainbow. “Come on, kid, this is your show.”

Rainbow snatched the headphones out of his hand and put them on. “Hello? Hello, can anybody hear me?”

There was a crackling and a static sound. “Hello? This is the Princess Twilight Sparkle; we are receiving an automated transmission and responding as requested. Is anybody receiving us?”

“Rarity?” Rainbow demanded. It didn’t sound like Rarity, but then it was a pretty terrible line. “Rarity, is that you? Can you hear me?”

There was a pause. “Yes, this is Rarity, who is it?”

“Rarity!” Rainbow yelled. “Thank Celestia, it’s me!”

“…Rainbow Dash, darling, is that you?”

“Yes!” Rainbow shouted into the microphone. “Yes, it’s me, I…I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“You and me both, darling, I’ve been through some horrible experiences getting here.”

“Where are you?”

“Hiding in the debris field caused by the destruction of Sombra’s asteroid ship,” Rarity said. “There are so many Starfleet ships around, and more seem to be arriving every moment. I have to tell you that we daren’t quite show ourselves in front of any Starfleet vessels right now.”

Rainbow closed her eyes. “Did they come for you too?”

Rarity was silent on the other end of the line. “Is everyone alright. Please, Rainbow, tell me everyone’s alright?”

“Fluttershy and Pinkie are fine, they’re with me,” Rainbow said.

“And Applejack? And…and Spike?”

“We don’t know yet. We’re going to go them just as soon as you can get here.”

“Easier said than done, let me tell you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure, but we kinda need you to do it anyway,” Rainbow said. “Listen, Rarity…I mean that, listen very carefully: I’ve got something very important that I need to tell you.”

Author's Note

The planet A'Baoa Qu is a reference to the original Mobile Suit Gundam, it's where the last battle of the One Year War took place and the power of Zeon was broken.

By Luna's Light: Prelude

By Luna’s Light: Prelude

Starfleet possessed the mightiest navy in the galaxy, a fleet of warships of every possible size and configuration able to project its power out across the galaxy. When called upon, a formidable array of dreadnoughts and battlecruisers, escorted by a veritable cornucopia of cruisers and destroyers, could set out to any point to rain down fire upon the Grand Ruler’s enemies.

For any situation where the orbital firepower of a naval strike group was not called for, there were the so-called and somewhat inaptly named inter-dimensional pathways. From these pathways, ponies singly or in the serried ranks of whole battalions might set forth across safe territory from one planet to the next.

The process was not without its dangers: if the gateway at either end were to be damaged the pathway would cease to exist so rapidly that anyone caught between points would die before they even got the chance to scream. The pathways themselves were vulnerable to interdiction by warships. But, under the watchful eye of Starfleet, travelling between worlds under the aegis of the Grand Ruler, venturing forth under the protection of the imperium of the space ponies, who could fear such trivial and unlikely dangers as these? Considering the high cost of space travel, and the fact that use of the dimensional pathways was free to all taxpayers, they saw a great deal of use, particularly in the tourist industry.

That was why the New Canterlot gatehouse into which Raven, Eve and the sentinels had just broken into was full of posters advertising an array of glamorous holiday getaways, like R-L-X, formerly known as the Dark Planet.

Get away and relax on R-L-X! the poster proclaimed, as a middle-aged pony in a Hawaiian shirt ogled a couple of skimpily dressed young mares in bikinis on a beach while drinking a cocktail out of a coconut shell. Winter planets, ocean planets (great waves for surfing!), jungle planets, desert planets, all of them vied for that tourist bit. Eve remembered Cadance complaining to Twilight that tourist revenue in the Crystal Empire was going down, but why wouldn’t it with so many more exotic choices on offer?

Eve’s thoughts were interrupted by a wail of alarm as a night guard (a pony whose job it was to stand guard at night, not one of Princess Luna’s guards) went sailing through the air over her head before hitting the far wall with a crunch.

Eve frowned. “Delta, was that really necessary?”

Delta sauntered over from the security desk, from whence he had just plucked the unfortunate guard and used him as a baseball. “What?”

Eve studied the fallen guard. He was a heavyset, aged space pony with a mane receding with age and a paunch that was expanding over his belt. Probably some kind of ex-Starfleet trooper supplementing his pension. Fortunately he wasn’t dead – she could hear him wheezing – just unconscious, but still…he was going to be in bad shape when he woke up.

That…troubled her. She couldn’t really say why it bothered her, but it did. It was…it was unnecessarily cruel, what Delta had done. Toying with an overmatched opponent, it was…wrong.

“He was old and fat, I doubt that you needed to treat him that harshly.”

Delta shrugged. "When we destroy the world it isn't going to be very pleasant for him, is it? But you're worried about a broken collarbone or something?"

"It might not make any sense," Eve said. "I'll even admit that it really doesn't make any sense. But...but it's how I feel. You could have just punched him out or something and it would have accomplished all our goals just the same." Call it the remnant stirrings of Twilight's conscience, call it the nascent beginnings of her own, but personal cruelty of the kind that Delta had just displayed...she didn't like it; she couldn't bring herself to condone it.

"Whatever happened to all of that let's be monsters stuff from earlier?" Delta asked.

"Why don't we try and save it for those who deserve to have monstrosity done to them, okay?"

Delta stared at her for a moment. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say. Just...let me know in advance next time, yeah? Like you said, I could have just punched him out or something." He smirked. "It was funny to watch him fly though, wasn't it?"

Eve didn't laugh. She didn't even smile. "He didn't signal an alarm, did he."

"Nah, he didn't even get close. You need anything else?"

"No, not right now," Eve murmured. At this point, Charlie was the only one who had any actual work to do: he had set the chevrons on the dimensional gate to the asylum planet Xandra. With the gateway closed to the public and scarcely inhabited apart from the night guard, most of the other Sentinels had already broken off to amuse themselves while they waited. Alpha had found the gatehouse bookshop and was now leaning against the wall reading what looked like a thick tome of philosphy; released by Eve, Delta started trying on sunglasses; Bravo was sat on the floor not far away from the desk where Charlie was working, she had her earplugs in and was blowing bubbles out of pink gum.

Two was collecting travel brochures, leafing through them idly, keeping some and throwing others aside. He still had a clutch of them in this hand as he wandered across the beige, sterile departure lounge to stand at Eve's right hand.

"How do you like the idea of sunbathing?" he asked.

Eve was so taken aback by his question that she was unable to answer it for a moment, and then only to the extent of a baffled, "Huh?"

Two held up an R-L-X brochure. "Sun, sea, sand. Sounds pretty idyllic, don't you think? Or...would you prefer something cooler, maybe, ice and snow? We could try both, figure out what it is you like."

"What are you talking about?" Eve asked.

Two blinked. He shuffled his feet awkwardly. "It's just...you know, once all this is over...once we're free I thought that maybe...you and I could go on vacation together...figure out what we want to do with our lives."

"All of us?"

"No," Two said emphatically. "Just...us."

Eve blinked. Her mouth opened a little wider than necessary. "You want me to go on vacation with you...are you asking me out?"

"I..." Two hesitated. "I guess I am, yeah. I...I've never done anything like this before but-"

"There are a load of dating manuals in the bookshop," Alpha called out from the over the top of her philosophy tome.

"Thanks, but it's a little late now," Two replied, with a roll of his brown eyes. "I just...you know, I like you, and I thought that...maybe once we had some free time we could...spend it together. Some place nice." He grinned. "Plus, you know I've got changeling DNA in me; if you don't like my face I can change to one that suits you better."

Eve hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. He was cute, and loyal, and he had saved her life, and he had been built from the genes up with a lot of fine qualities. Did she love him? It was hard to say, mainly because Twilight's memories were of absolutely no help in that regard, she didn't remember anything more risque than blushing. She remembered a cute boy who played a sweet guitar, but she didn't really...she was forced to conclude that Twilight hadn't been particularly interested.

Except that I'm not Twilight, am I?

She grinned. "Your face is cute enough," she said. "But let's just stay focussed on the mission for now. And after..."

"After?"

"Maybe buy me dinner before you start planning our vacation," Eve said playfully.

Two guffawed with what seemed like it might be relief. "Sure. Dinner it is."

"Um, guys," Charlie called from the workstation overlooking the gateway. "It's probably a little too late, but should I maybe turn off the security cameras."

"Now why would you want to do that?" Raven asked, as she swooped out of the shadows before Eve could so much as open her mouth. "If you do that, nobody will know we were here."

"That...that was kind of why I suggested it."

"Oh no. Oh, no," Raven declared, as she bowed to each of the cameras mounted to the wall in turn, as though she were an actor receiving the rapturous applause of the delighted crowd. "No, that's not what we want at all. We want them to know we were here, and we want them to know where we're going."

Eve folded her arms. "Okay, first of all why would we want that? And secondly, if we want that then why is Charlie going to seal off the gate once we reach the other side?"

"Yeah, and what exactly is there on Xandra for us, anyway?" Two demanded. "It's an asylum planet, the only people there are-"

"Crazy people? Is that what you were going to say?" Raven asked. Her cloak of midnight blue swirled around her as she turned to face. "Don't you know that fools sometimes glance at the truths that sanity would conceal? Don't you know that the mad, standing outside of society's norms and strictures, can understand it better than those who live in it?"

Two frowned. "So...we're going to Xandra to understand society?"

"No, I just wanted to point out that being crazy doesn't necessarily mean you don't have something to say," Raven said. She grinned, and her smile suggested that she could easily be considered a little bit crazy herself. "We're actually going to Xandra to meet an old friend of mine, an old and powerful friend who will be of great use to us."

"If he's so powerful then what's he doing in a mad house?" Two muttered. "Who is he, anyway?"

"Patience, patience, my good friend," Raven said, in a soothing tone such as she might have used to calm a baby. "As for your questions, Evenfall, we want Starfleet to follow us but we don't want them follow us too quickly. If we disable the gateway they will have to prepare a ship, make the journey, they will be delayed by several hours at least. Time enough for us to prepare a nice surprise for them."

"What kind of surprise?" Eve asked warily.

Raven chuckled. "You know, insane asylums are one of the most commonly used settings for tales of terror and spine-tingling suspense," Raven said. "I suggest that we show our Starfleet pursuers precisely why that's so."

"I think I've got it!" Charlie declared triumphantly.

The interstellar gate consisted of a large metal disc, at least thirty feet in diameter, maybe bigger, engraved with symbols in the ancient space pony language. Twilight's death had left her studies of this language incomplete, and so Eve was unable to read them although she did recognise the symbol of creation occurring at least once. Upon Charlie's cue, the wheel began to spin as a dozen chevrons locked into place, guiding the gate to connect with another, somewhere out across the stars. The gate to Xandra, in this instance.

There was a flash of bright yellow light, and then the portal opened and...and the great and beautiful vastness of space lay spread out before them, bridged by a road of glowing golden light that would lead them all the way to their destination.

But Eve's gaze went not to the road, to the mere conveyor of their hopes and ambitions, but to the great and all embracing voids of space that lay around. Separated from the road only by a thin, transparent, life-sustaining membrane, the stars danced and the galaxies wheeled all around. Eve could see nebulae in all the vibrant colours one could wish for, she could see planets bright and dim, red and blue. She could see comets trailing through the darkness. She could see...she could see everything. The majesty of the universe was spread out before her, its scope and scale mocking the Grand Ruler and his pretensions to dominion.

"Woah," Two muttered.

"It's beautiful," Eve whispered.

"And it will all be yours," Raven said. "Once our task is done, and you are free."

"Once we are free," Eve repeated. Looking at the stars, looking at all that was out there to see and do...she was impatient to be done.

And so she gathered the Sentinels together and they made their way through the gate and across the stars to Xandra.

And the cameras saw; and as the cameras saw so did Starfleet see, and Brass Bolt too in the warehouse hide away; and as they saw they knew; and as they knew they made their plans.

Rarity had managed to hold it together until she reached her ready room, but once she got there...now tears flowed down her face, and sobs wracked her throat and her chest heaved with emotion and her stomach was tightening so frantically that even sitting down as she was it was almost making her double over in agony.

And all the while the tears flowed.

Rarity had never been so emotional as she appeared to the world. She had not been born possessed of any great quantity of sensibility that added grace to beauty in a lovely girl; she was not the kind to faint at a black veil and the skeletal image that lurked behind, she was not the sort who would burst into tears at the sight of a pastoral scene, or be plunged into melancholy at the slightest provocation. Rather she had affected all those qualities, playing when it suited her the gothic or romantic heroine - the irony that it had been Fluttershy, not she, who had been carried off to imprisonment by some brooding, beastly foreigner had not been lost on Rarity - with her fainting couch and her fits of wailing about the town like a ghost, but none of it had been real. It was all make believe, a play put on for her own benefit, giving her pleasure and doing harm to no one.

But now...now the tears were real. Now she really did feel as though she was about to faint, now she could feel so many emotions swirling in her that she could not have begun to speculate which of them was the strongest. Twilight was alive; Twilight had been cloned by those animals of Starfleet to make a slave of her; those barbarians of Starfleet had done a good turn for once by bringing Twilight back; Twilight was lost, feeling rejected, and on the run with Raven of all people and a gaggle of fellow clones about whom they knew nothing; Raven was free, and close by Twilight's right hand...and her exposed back; Grand Ruler Celesto had ordered them all killed; all her friends stood under a death sentence; Spike was missing. Joy, hope, fear, nigh unbridled blazing wrath all mingled in such quantities that they formed a solution that was part of all of them and yet tasted of none in particular. So Rarity wept for joy and sadness both, and felt her stomach tighten with nerves and anger both, and knew not what to do but wait for this rush of feelings to subside.

And until they did, shut herself up in her ready room. She couldn't be seen like this.

And so she waited, alone, unseen, until that first heady but debilitating rush of emotions that sprung from all the revelations that Rainbow Dash had poured upon her head had subsided, and she was able to stand up straight, and dry her tears, and march out of the ready room in such a state that nopony would ever know that she had ever been discomfited to the slightest degree by all that she had learned.

Rarity strolled onto the bridge. She had forsook her Starfleet uniform, and instead wore a striking but sensible ensemble consisting of a midnight blue skirt, ankle length and narrow but not movement-restrictingly so, from out beneath which peaked a pair of white boots that fastened up along the sides with smart black buttons. Her blouse was white, with puffy sleeves with little frilly cuffs and a lace collar that, had it been fastened which it was not, would have been very tight around her neck. A waistcoat, of a lighter shade of blue than the skirt, completed her appearance.

She certainly turned heads as she walked onto the bridge and sat down in the captain's chair.

"Captain?" Fratello asked.

"Given that we're presently hiding in an asteroid field, on the run from Starfleet, I don't think addressing me by my Starfleet rank is particularly appropriate, do you?" Rarity asked dryly. "Neither did wearing that dreadfully unfashionable Starfleet uniform."

Fratello's robotic face was inscrutable, but after staring at her for a few moments he did give a barely perceptible nod of his head.

Midnight appeared in a flash of light blue upon the holoprojector. "Two more battleships, Wrath and Arrogance just entered orbit around United Equestria, together with escorts and the carrier Furious." She paused, and looked Rarity up and down. "You look nice."

"Thank you," Rarity murmured. "What does that bring the total up to?"

"Fifty-three battleships, twenty-three battlecruisers, eleven fleet carriers and all their escorting cruisers and destroyers, without even counting the super-dreadnoughts Grand Ruler, Prince Castor and Lightning Dawn or the battlecruisers Queen Celestia and Princess Luna since they either haven't fully completed or haven't worked up yet; but still...this concentration of naval strength is unprecedented."

"It makes you wonder what they're all gathering for," Bridge Bunny murmured.

"Regardless of their aim or objective it will be no easy task to breach such a powerful blockade," Fratello declared.

"My friends on the surface will think of something, I'm sure," Rarity said. "But one thing at a time, Fratello. Bridge Bunny, I'd like to address the crew, please."

"Yes C-, I mean, right," Bridge Bunny pressed the relevant buttons on her black console. "Attention all hands, attention all hands, the Ca...Rarity will now address the ship's company." She stood up and proffered a small silver microphone.

Rarity, too, rose from her chair to take the offered instrument. "Hello. My name is Rarity, and I speak to you now not as your captain, but as pony just as you are.

"I am sure that none of you have forgotten that it was not so very long ago that we were engaged by a Starfleet battlecruiser intent on our destruction." Intent on our destruction was probably over-saucing the salad just a tad, but it got the desired point across. "That ship claimed to be acting under orders. I have now discovered that they were not lying. The Valiant was indeed ordered to destroy this ship with all hands, but order of the Grand Ruler himself. I speak to you now as a pony wronged, to ask if you wish to continue serving a sovereign who will sentence you to death upon his whim, for no fault of your own. Do you wish to continue serving an organisation that shows you no loyalty, but will give you up the moment it becomes convenient?

"I must confess that I do not. No, I will go further than that and say that I will not. I will not return to Starfleet; I will not wear that uniform, I will not take those orders any more. They have rejected us, and I for one am minded to reject them in turn. You may ask, what then will I do? Well, hear I must speak to you as a friend, asking for friendship and for a favour. You see, in addition to learning that we were, in fact, marked for death...I have also learned some very good news.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle is alive," she paused to let that sink in for a moment - the bridge crew knew already, but it would be news to the rest - before she went on. "She is alive, and there is video evidence to prove it which you may view if you doubt me on this. She is alive...but she is lost. My friend is lost and in need of my help and I intend to go to her aid...but I need your help to do it. I need this ship. I can't do this without you. If you will come with me, then we will go and rescue a hero who is in desperate need of our assistance.

"I can't do this without you. I need you. And Princess Twilight needs you too."

She sat down, and waited for the response - either mutiny or agreement - to come.

"I'll do whatever it takes to help, Rarity, no matter what," declared Bridge Bunny.

"Considering all that I owe to Twilight to refuse to assist her now would be churlish in the extreme," Fratello said.

Monkey Wrench's voice came over the comm. "This is Engineering. We're all with you, cap'n. Let's go save the princess."

Rarity looked around the bridge. Everyone nodded, or murmured some words of support. Some of the stood up to do so. Some of them took of their Starfleet uniforms and tossed them on the floor. Nobody said a word in objection.

"Based on my observations of the crew, my summation of their opinion would be: right behind you, Miss Rarity."

Rarity could not have concealed the sigh of relief on her face even if she'd wanted to. "Thank you. Thank you so much, bless you all." She raised the microphone to her lips. "Alright then, here is the plan which we will execute tomorrow..."

Princess Luna stood upon the battlements of the city wall just as she stood upon the battlements of civilisation in the struggle against the Grand Ruler and his evil. The moon, raised by her power, shone full down upon and the city and upon all the wide realms of United Equestria…a light in the darkness to bring hope to all who were in need of it.

Or so, at least, she hoped. If this was to be…

Luna shook her head free of such thoughts. Melancholy served no purpose, not when there were such things in the world now as to take joy in. Twilight had returned, and if she could only be returned in truth then would the world not be set to rights at last? Was this the hour? Was this the time when the chains of Equestria might be shattered and broken, and these green fields, these spacious forests, these good and kindly people be set free of all their bonds to live as they had lived before?

She hoped, with all the hope of those who little left but hope, that it would be so. If Twilight could return, if Sunset could triumph, if, if, if…so many ifs, so much resting upon the edge of the knife. And yet she had to hope, for the alternative…where would despair lead, but to doing nothing. Better surely to fail in reaching for something better than to accept passively the dominion of evil. If they acted they might lose; if they did not act then evil would have the rule over all things…and they would have given it to them.

Given it a second time, no less. If once could be forgiven, though no less bitterly regretted for all that, on the grounds of ignorance, then twice…twice could not be borne by them…or by those who would come after.

For the sake of the children, they had to try. And, if there were any whom she trusted to achieve this task, it was those in whose hands it rested. Heroes all, and full of virtues.

They would do it, if it could be done.

And as for her? She would play her part to the final curtain. She…would do what must be done.

Luna removed her helmet, and let the gentle breeze kiss her face and waft gently through her starry mane. The cool wind soothed her brow and quieted her whirling thoughts.

“Princess Luna? You asked to see me?”

Luna looked down to see Sunset Shimmer standing beside her, looking strange in her four-legged form. Of course, what was really strange was the way in which what was abnormal or even wrong became commonplace so quickly. She had spent most of her life in just such a form and yet now it seemed strange for her to look on. Would they ever return to their natural appearance, or would the downfall of the Grand Ruler leave them trapped in these bizarre bodies?

Something, she suspected, that they could not know before the deed was done.

“Yes, Sunset,” she murmured. “I did request your presence.”

Sunset had to crane her neck to look up at her. “Is it safe for us to be meeting like this?”

Luna chuckled. “This may be the last time for awhile when you can be seen in public without a price upon your head, Miss Shimmer. So take the opportunity, and look out.”

Sunset obediently went to the battlements, hauling herself up by her forehooves so that she could look over the walls and across the moonlit fields, the silvery-illumined forests, and the rivers on which the pale glow glistened.

“It is beautiful, is it not?” Luna asked.

“It is,” Sunset murmured.

“There was a time when I wished to see it all,” Luna said. “After I returned, after Twilight and her friends saved me, I told myself that I would fly to every corner of Equestria. I would see every field and every forest, every town and every city. I would see all the people and how they had changed and grown, how they lived and loved…I would see everything. Such was my dream and yet, somehow, I never found the time before…before the world ended.”

“There is still time,” Sunset said. “You have all the time in the world.”

Luna smiled. “Perhaps. But, though I have not seen half so much as I should like…still it is beautiful. Beautiful…and mine to protect.”

“Ours,” Sunset corrected her. “You are not alone, princess.”

“No,” Luna said. “No, it is as you say. I am not alone. And yet…”

“Princess?”

“I regret that I did not have the opportunity to take a student of my own,” Luna said. “I must confess that I envy what Celestia had with Twilight, and with you. The chance to pass on knowledge and teachings, the chance to…to love another, as a daughter.”

“There is still time.”

“Time,” Luna murmured. “Yes, time. Never enough time. Are all things in readiness?”

Sunset nodded. “The plan is set. Everything is ready to go once you give us the signal. Do you…do you really think that you can beat him?”

Luna smirked. “Even after all these years I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. He, on the other hand…he has grown lax in idleness, sending out young ponies to do his fighting and his dying for him, when did he last stir himself to arms? My hope is partly in his indolence true, but even if I am mistaken…I have a few tricks. And it must be attempted. Nothing else will draw the eye in quite the same way.”

“No,” Sunset agreed, though her voice was so soft that it sounded as though she would have rather found another way. But there had been no time, no time for anything but this hazardous course. Never enough time.

“You should get some rest,” Luna said. “Tomorrow is a day of great moment.”

“And you?”

“The night is my domain, I have many duties yet before me,” Luna replied.

Sunset got down off the battlement, and bowed her head. “Then I take my leave, your highness.” She turned to go.

“Sunset,” Luna called.

Sunset stopped, looking back over her shoulder.

“You will do very well,” Luna declared.

Sunset looked confused, but at the same time gratified. She was smiling at a little as she walked away.

Yes, you will do very well.

As well…as a princess, if only for a little while.

She heard one of her guards swoop down from out of the sky to land upon the stone walkway beside her.

“Catseye,” Luna murmured. “Are the tribes prepared?”

“Aye, your highness, all wait upon the word,” Catseye murmured. She was a good soldier, swift, keen-eyed, but lately she had been of more use as Luna’s ambassador to the reclusive tribes of the night ponies who dwelled in the Mountains of the Moon. She had been uncertain if they would answer the call, if they would obey the ancient oaths. Even in these present circumstances it gladdened the heart to know that they still held true.

“Good,” Luna whispered. “That is most excellent news. Sunset will have need of them in the days to come.”

“Princess Luna,” Catseye’s voice trembled. “Is there no other way?”

“None that offers such chance of success, nor may be taken with honour,” Luna replied. “And besides, destiny is inexorable. It drives us on. And it has driven us to this point…why fight against that tide, when there are so many other battles to be fought?”

“But…princess…”

“All things will be as they must be,” Luna repeated. “All that we may do, to lend some meaning to our lives, is fight with all our courage for what we know to be right and just.”

And never stop fighting.

Starla knelt before the throne, in armour clad in her warlike raiment wrapped, with a bow slung across her back and another waiting to be summoned by her space pony magic upon command. She was ready, and in the spirit well prepared to undertake this hunt. She knew her target, and she knew where her quarry had gone to ground.

All that she needed now was the blessing of he who had been as a father to her for many years.

"Arise, Starla," His Majesty commanded, as he descended from his royal state with his mane a-glitter and his crimson cape flowing around him. "Arise, dearer than daughter; arise, my brave pony. Arise, and look on me."

She rose, and in rising to her feet so too she raised her head. On looking into those eyes so wise, that face so noble and majestic, that mane as black as night in which the stars themselves did seem to sparkle...it brought peace and quiet to her soul, and calmed all the passions that were in her. It was as though that deep calm which did possess him flowed from him outwards into her like a river flowing outwards to the sea, carrying her away to peace and utmost devotion.

He reached out, and with one hand he gently stroked her cheek.

His affection nearly brought her to tears.

"Are all things in readiness?" he asked, his voice so soft and so tender that they might have been speaking of flowers and romance rather than battles and bruising arms. "Are you prepared?"

"We are, Majesty," Starla murmured. In any other company she would have feared and been ashamed to present so weak and unwarlike an aspect, but she knew that here, alone with His Majesty, she would not be judged. He knew well the effect he had upon her, he would not hold it against her nor judge her on the basis of it. "The Revenge is standing by to carry us to Xandra. It seemed appropriate."

Celesto chuckled mildly. "'Tis so. But I asked not of 'we', my child, but of yourself. Are you prepared, in soul as in body, for what lies ahead?"

"I am, your Majesty," Starla replied. In truth...in truth she was more than half looking forward to it. Twilight had stolen everything from her: love, happiness, husband, the chance for family and future. She would never bear Lightning's children, not unless a second sea-change as powerful as the first came over him. They would not grow old together in the evening of a life well-lived in service to the throne. Twilight had taken her dreams, it would be satisfying to take her life in return.

Celesto smiled down benevolently upon her. "Though our foe is contemptible, she is also dangerous; there are few others in all my vast and mighty Starfleet, in all the wide span of my empire, that I would trust with such a task as this. But you, my little star, in you I have no doubts."

"I will be worthy of your majesty's faith, I swear it on my soul," Starla whispered.

"You need not swear, mine own soul entertains no doubts," Celesto replied. He turned away for a moment, and produced by an act of his divine magic a long knife or very short sword, just over a foot in length, in a scabbard of rich, reddish brown with leather straps to enable it to fasten around the arm. The hilt was golded, or gilded at the least, and fashioned in the shape of a unicorn's neck and head. The unicorn's eyes were set with sparkling sapphires, and a sharp horn a few inches long provided a lethal adjunct to the concealed blade within.

"Hold out your arm," Celesto commanded, and when Starla obeyed he fastened the blade below her elbow. "This is Last Argument; for many years in my younger days I bore it into battle, and many times it saved my life in the last resort. I give it to you, that it will keep you safe as it once did me."

Starla's mouth fell a little agape as she reached out with her right hand to grasp the blade bound around her left forearm. As her fingers closed around the hilt a feeling like a lightning bolt leapt through her, and when she drew the blade six inches from its scabbard she saw that the sharp metal was also a beautiful glowing blue, like the clear sky on a shining day.

"An enchanted blade," she murmured.

"Of course, did you think I would carry an ordinary knife into battle?" though the words were a rebuke, Celesto's tone was amused. "This knife will slice through any shield of magic, resist any enchantment, and now that you have grasped it it will always return to your hand.

"Your Majesty...this gift...I cannot-"

"You can, if I command it so," Celesto declared. "If I were your father, as I have oft anon and all the more often in these latter years wished that I were, then I would leave you patrimonial lands and wealth and fine estates for your enjoyment. But, being only one who loves you dearly, all I can give you is this gift, and my blessing for your triumphant safe return." He bent down, and kissed her upon the nose, and as he kissed her so Starla felt a feeling of inviolable strength such as Twilight Sparkle could never hope to match flow over her. All fear and doubt abandoned her. She was Starla Shine, a warrior without peer and a paragon of her race; she was the benchmark of beauty, strength and passion all alike, the exemplar of all that a female of the space pony race ought to be; that he had chosen another, that his eye had roamed rather to a specimen of some lesser race...that was no fault of hers, the stain lay not upon her character.

And now she would revenge the insult, and carve her name on Twilight Sparkle's skin.

She bowed her head. "Your Majesty...I must go. Though I regret that I will miss Rhymey's funeral."

"And I regret that I cannot see you off upon your ship, because of Rhymey's funeral," Celesto replied. "Yet you may catch my speech, before the Revenge carries you away."

"I'm sure it will be spectacular, Majesty."

Celesto smiled. "On your return, I beg of you...do not give up on Lightning Dawn. He loves you well, I'm sure, and will remember it before the end."

I fear you are too optimistic about him by far, Starla thought, but it would not do to contradict him so. And so she said only. "I will have patience, and pray Your Majesty is proved correct." And then she bowed, and took her leave of him whom she loved as a father, and who loved her well in return.

As the doors to the throne room closed behind Starla, Grand Ruler Celesto found himself...troubled. He frowned. He was not often given to feelings of disquiet, least of all when sending his soldiers off to fight and in all likelihood die to enhance his glory. But Starla...Starla was different. He had not lied to say he wished she were his daughter. If he lost her...his heart would be grievously wounded. Lose Buddy Rose, lose Artie Bristles, condemn Dyno and Myte to torment and death but to lose Starla...lose Starla and he would lose all the world.

It was the same with Lightning, which was why he had been so pleased to see them matched, and was now so sad to see them set at odds with one another by the meddling of Twilight Sparkle.

"You really care for her, don't you?" the voice came, so it seemed at first, from his own long shadow which he cast upon the farther wall. A moment later, a lesser shadow - humanoid, with two horns like a lamb - stepped out of his own, sidling sideways across the brilliant marble. "That's quite astonishing really."

Celesto snorted. "The fact that I have a heart astonishes you, brother?"

"Shouldn't it? I don't. I don't think Raven does either."

"You have no need of such."

"Do you? A thousand years and you've never loved anyone before; it seems a little late to start now, don't you think?"

"My care for Starla and for Lightning interferes not with my task," Celesto growled. "What concern, then, is it of yours?"

"Just so long as that remains the case. I'd hate to think that you had grown too comfortable here, playing the god-king. There are times when I worry that you're settling into your role too much, like Titan did. You don't want to be reset like he was, do you?"

"I am not Titan," Celesto said. "I remember who I am, and I will play my part, do not doubt it."

The shadow on the wall was silent for a moment. "But you've learned to love all the same. Interesting. You didn't tell her that the blade you gave her can teleport."

"Starla has no need to know that."

"So...what? You're going to snatch her to the vault when the time comes."

"If she has not returned by then, yes," Celesto replied. "She will be protected from the flames. She...Starla is someone who deserves to survive."

"Nobody deserves to survive but us," the shadow said. "Our family. All the rest who will not die will live on through our grace and the mercy that we, in said grace, dispense. Don't confuse your feelings with objective worth. And don't forget who you really are."

The shadow began to fade, and as it faded so Celesto scowled at it.

"I do not forget," he muttered, though there were times increasingly frequent when he wished he could. This was a role, but it was a role he enjoyed far more than he had anything else his life had granted him before the role.

He would preserve it, in great part. The strength of Starfleet, his great fleet, his empire...he would preserve it all, and rule eternal.

Any who thought otherwise...would get a rude awakening when the time came.

The loading dock, where their dropship was prepping to take them to Revenge was cluttered with all manner of metallic crates and boxes, scattered about the tarmacked surface. Some of them were empty, others contained much-needed equipment that the boys were loading onto the dropship before they embarked.

"Do you guys ever miss monsters?" Artie asked, as he walked down the boarding ramp after having deposited one such crate in the ship. "Because I miss monsters. Life was simple back then, you know? Just a pinch of evil dust and then: bam! Look out, there's a killer plant; look out, there's a giant mantis; look out, there's a statue come to life. Kill the monster, save the day. Simple."

Starla took a quiver of arrows out of the crate and pulled out a couple to examine them: weight was good, the heads looked sharp, the fletching was well done. They'd do. "Life is still simple. Kill the monster, save the day. That's still the job."

"Except that we're not hunting a monster, are we?" Artie asked.

Starla's eyes narrowed, even as she glanced at him out of the corner of one. "You going soft on me, Artie?"

"No," he replied defensively. "I'm just saying...come on, this is Twilight. We fought alongside her. That doesn't bother you at all."

"She's not Twilight," Buddy declared dismissively. He leaned against a stack of empty crates. "She's one of the professor's science experiments gone wrong; that's all any of them are. Taking them out...it's a public service, no different than slaying a monster."

No, Buddy, you're dead wrong about that. It is Twilight, Starla thought.

This wouldn't be nearly as satisfying if she wasn't.

"They killed Rhymey," Starla said. "That doesn't make them monsters in your eyes?"

"Hey, I want revenge for Rhymey as much as anyone," Artie declared, though he didn't really sound like it in Starla's opinion. "But I'm not going to pretend that this isn't harder than normal. We fought with her."

"If it helps, think of it as some other creature wearing Twilight's face," Dyno said, as he sauntered out of the dropship with his brother by his side. "That makes you mad, right? We're all set, Lucero, and ready to go."

Lucero...bright star? Starla raised one eyebrow, though Dyno didn't appear to notice her curiousity, the smile on his face didn't waver for a moment.

Starla shook her head. "We can't leave just yet. We need to wait for our two new guys to get here."

"New guys?" Myte asked. "I thought we were keeping this in the family, for Rhymey?"

"I would have liked that too, but it won't work," Starla said. "With Lightning injured..." she almost said that Lightning would have been compromised anyway by his feelings for Twilight, but...even after all the insults he had offered she didn't have the heart to tear him down that way amongst people who looked up to him. "With Lightning in hospital we need a uniforce wielder to face off against Raven, and His Majesty thinks we need a new close combat specialist to fill in for Rhymey."

"Hey!" Artie exclaimed. "What am I, beef ragout?"

Buddy asked, "What's beef ragout?"

"It's the upper class equivalent of chopped liver," Artie exclaimed. "We would never have had something so common in our house."

Buddy smirked. Starla chuckled. "Whatever you say, rich kid. Your staff is fine but we need a shield, somebody who can go up front and take the hits so the rest of us don't have to. That's who we're waiting for."

Buddy folded his arms across his chest. "How many other uniforce wielders are there in Starfleet?"

"I only know of Cerise Wonder," Artie replied. "Think she's going to show up?"

A razorback, its engine growling like a hungry minotaur, skidded to a halt at the bottom of the loading dock. A pair of stallions leapt out just in time before the vehicle roared off again, leaving the two ponies to walk briskly up the dog towards Starla and her team.

"Major Starla Shine?" asked the taller and older looking of the two.

"That's right."

The two stallions slammed their feet in unison as they stood to attention.

"Junior Lieutenant Danaeus Swift, reporting!"

"Master Sergeant Green Sickle, reporting!"

Starla folded her arms as she studied the two of them, the replacement Lightning and the replacement Rhymey as she couldn't help but think of them, at least until she got to know them better. It was easy to tell which one was which: Danaeus was a young space pony with a coat of pale silver, a mane of shining gold and eyes of emerald green which currently displayed an awe verging upon the star struck. His horn was gold, signifying the potential to use the uniforce, although at his age Starla doubted that he had progressed to mastery of the ability yet. His youth also doubtless why no one had heard of him yet, although the name was familiar from...

"Danaeus," Starla muttered. "Brogan...right?"

Danaeus nodded eagerly. "You remember me? I...I mean...yes, Major, that's right. We met before I left for the academy."

Starla smiled. "It's fine to show enthusiasm, even when we're on duty. In fact I'd say it's a good thing." She remembered him now, Khan Swift's kid, they'd met on the Brogan mission. He'd been awestruck to meet real, active Starfleet warriors...especially Lightning. Danaeus had followed him around like a big brother, and Lightning...Lightning had seemed to like him. He'd come out of his shell for the kid. Starla wondered if Danaeus was disappointed that his big hero wasn't here.

Another thought struck her, less welcome. "How old are you now, when did you get out of the academy?"

"I'm eighteen, major!" Danaeus declared exuberantly. "I graduated six months ago!"

"Mm-hmm," Starla murmured. Just a kid and we expect him to go up against Raven? "Consider this a standing order: stay close to me at all times, understand. You are our big gun but you're not here to be a hero. I'll let you know when you're needed but otherwise, leave things to us old-hands. I have no intention of writing to your mother."

Danaeus looked a little glum, but Starla felt it was too his credit that he didn't try to argue with her. He just nodded, though his voice was somewhat despondent. "Yes, major, whatever you say."

Green Sickle was without a doubt the older of the two, and possibly even the oldest pony on the deck right now. He had a scar on his right temple near his eye, and another on his jawline which was, by the way, solid enough to break rocks on. His coat was as green as his name, and his blond mane stuck upwards in an untidy shock rising into the air. He was big, built like a small fortress, his muscles straining against his armour. As shields went he looked the part...he looked as though most attacks would just bounce off him.

"Welcome aboard, gentlecolts," Starla said. "Introductions, briefly: Buddy Rose, Artie Bristles, Dyno, Myte and my name, as you know, is Starla Shine. We are all ranked Major which means you call us sir but make no mistake I am your team leader and when I give you an order you do not look at anybody you do it. Do I make myself clear."

"Yes, major."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good," Starla said. "I'm not going to lie to you, you're stepping into some shoes that some in the team would leave unfilled, but I'm glad the squad is up to full strength again. I don't know if you've been briefed or how much so I'll give you a rundown on the ride over to the battleship; let's move out, people! Revenge is waiting for us." In more ways than one.

"Hey, Starla," Artie said, as the squad boarded the dropship. "Did you say goodbye to Lightning before you left?"

Starla paused, looking over her shoulder at Artie where he stood on the ramp behind her. "No," she said. What would have been the point? "No, I haven't seen Lightning in a while."

Artie frowned. "I knew you too were having problems, but I guess I hoped that-"

"Artie!" Starla said sharply. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't need a friend right now. I need a soldier. Can you be that for me?"

Artie straightened up. "You got it, boss."

"Thanks," Starla said, as she boarded the dropship.

Revenge was waiting.

One of the slight advantages of living under Starfleet's rule was that it seemed to have taught ponies not to ask too many questions. Normally Luna would not have considered that an advantage, but it did mean that today her people were able to set up the cameras and podium outside Fancypants' house without anyone questioning what they were doing. They just flowed around the cordon that Luna's guards established like a river flowing around a rock.

The screens had been helpfully provided by Celesto in advance, to televise Rhymey's funeral - or at least Celesto's oration - across the city and, indeed, the empire. Which meant that once Luna actually started to speak, and use those screens to spread a very different message, then ponies would start to take notice.

At least...she hoped so.

She watched the preparations from inside the lavishly appointed townhouse; she would not emerge until it was time to make her speech.

She tapped her earpiece. "Is everypony ready?"

"Sunset here, we're in the palace and ready to move once the show begins."

"Rainbow Dah here, once the distraction starts we'll get to the extraction point."

"Rarity here, as soon as you start to speak we'll swoop in."

"Cerise Wonder, once everybody starts to move I'll start running interference to keep your backs clear as long as I can."

"Sephora here, give me the word and I'll send in HANNIBAL to back you up."

"Mister Bolt," Luna said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm working on it, princess."

"Are you going to be finished in time? Need I remind you that everything depends on you."

"Like I said, I'm working on it," Brass Bolt muttered on the other end of the comm.

"Work quickly, sir," Luna murmured, as the screens set up all across the city, all across the planet, all across the empire on every ship and every world where the Grand Ruler's word held sway roared to life.

It was about to begin.

Grand Ruler Celesto mounted the podium slowly and with great dignity, accompanied by the sound of horns and violins and the chanting of a choir to fanfare and precede his coming. He placed his hands upon a rostrum covered with microphones to capture his every word and cadance. Cameras were trained upon his face to broadcast his image across the broad span of his domain in real time. And beyond the cameras, filling the vast expanse of the Campus Martius, the ranks of hundreds upon hundreds of Starfleet warriors massed in three immense columns, thousands strong, hung on his every word.

In every fort, the garrison would be parading thus to hear him. In every town, the population would have been forced out to bear witness to this occassion. On every ship they would hang upon his words. And the outer cameras, raised him above the back of the crowd, would show thousands of soldiers here, in this place, representative of the invincible might of Starlfeet, which none dared challenge.

An enormous painting of Rhmey, towering even above Celesto himself, reminded everyone of why they were supposedly here.

Celesto was silent for a moment, looking out over his army, imagining the multitudes beyond count beyond them, loyal to him, listening to him. What god ever commanded such power before?

None, he was certain.

He took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"We are here to mourn a hero of our great and glorious Starfleet," he declared. "Rhymey, whose record of valiant service to our cause speaks for itself, has fallen to base treachery and a stab in the back. Why? How is it that so mighty a warrior should be laid low in a time of peace?"

"Why? How is it that so mighty a warrior should be laid low in a time of peace?"

Because he was a moron, Rainbow thought, as they watched the broadcast waiting for Luna's moment.

She didn't say anything, out of respect for Fluttershy, but that didn't make it any less true.

"How is it that so mighty a warrior should be laid low in a time of peace," Celesto demanded of the silent crowd. "Peace! It has been over a year since the defeat of Sombra, and no demon or dark lord has since risen up to trouble us. Our empire is secure, and no external enemy dares to challenge our supremacy amongst the stars. The war in Rangiveria is proceeding smoothly, and total victory is nearly within sight. Perhaps many of you have become complacent; perhaps Rhymey himself fell victim to this disease. Such a lack of vigilance is inexcusable!"

"Perhaps many of you have become complacent," the Grand Ruler's voice echoed out of the television screen into Lightning's hospital room.

Snowflame sat down not far from the TV. "I thought you said this was some guy's funeral?"

"His name was Rhymey, not some guy," Lightning said, from where he sat up in bed. "He was my friend."

"Then why does this seem more like a pep rally?" Snowflame asked.

Lightning sighed. "It's the Starfleet way."

"The more I see of the Starfleet way the less I like the Starfleet," Snowflame muttered.

"Such a lack of vigilance is inexcusable!" Celesto yelled, thumping his fist on the lectern for good measure. "We must never forget that we live surrounded by chaos, encircled by enemies, threatened at all times with death and the destruction of all that we hold dear. Never forget that our cause is a righteous one, and that we must fight each and every day to ensure the triumph of right and justice, and the survival and supremacy of our race which, alone, can ensure order is maintained amongst the stars. Fight! Be vigilant! Keep up your guard at all times! Who killed Rhymey? None other than the viper that he himself in foolish infatuation had clutched to his breast! His unworthy Equestrian wife, Fluttershy!"

"His unworthy Equestrian wife, Fluttershy!"

Starla smirked as a picture of Fluttershy temporarily replaced that of the Grand Ruler upon the screen.

"Nowhere to hide now," she murmured.

"Is that even true?" Artie asked. "I thought that-"

"They were all in on it together, obviously," Starla replied. "If it were not true, His Majesty would not say it."

"So we're going to reckon with them next?" asked Buddy.

"Maybe," Starla said. "Though frankly, I doubt that simpering weakling will last a fortnight now that her secret's out."

"His unworthy Equestrian wife, Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy squeaked in alarm as her picture filled the screen. "What! But...but I-"

"We know, Fluttershy, we know," Rainbow assured her. "Trust me, we're not going to let anything happen to you." She glanced up at the seen. "Seriously, this is what you pull? What a complete and utter-"

"His unworthy Equestrian wife, Fluttershy!" Celesto paused to let that sink in for a moment. "But she was not working alone. No one pegasus mare could possibly overcome a Starfleet warrior alone! She was assisted, by none other than Twilight Sparkle herself!" The crowd gasped as Twilight's picture appeared on the screens behind him. "Yes! Twilight Sparkle, the great hero of Equestria, the mare whom we all thought so sweet, the princess whom I loved almost as a daughter, did not die a hero's death as we believed! While we were weeping bitter tears over her fate, while we mourned her gallant sacrifice, this false princess was absconding to ally herself with our enemies! Rhymey's death was only the beginning! I have seen conclusive evidence that Twilight's friends, also falsely known as heroes, are in league with her as part of a conspiracy to betray Starfleet and hand all that we have accomplished over to our enemies!"

"While we were weeping bitter tears over her fate, while we mourned her gallant sacrifice, this false princess was absconding to ally herself with our enemies!"

Sunset felt as though she were about to choke on her gall at the sheer level of audacity that the Grand Ruler was displaying. "You lying little...there is not a single true word in that entire sentence! The only true thing in that entire speech has been that Rhymey is actually dead."

"While we were weeping bitter tears over her fate, while we mourned her gallant sacrifice, this false princess was absconding to ally herself with our enemies!"

"Maud, let go of me!" Rainbow yelled, as she struggled against Maud's grip on her arms. "Let go!"

"I can't do that," Maud said.

"I am going to go over there and I am going to kick his flank so hard!"

"You can't do that," Maud said.

"Rainbow Dash, calm down," Fluttershy said. "Twilight comes first, remember?"

Rainbow bowed her head. "He can't talk about her that way. He doesn't have the right."

"I know," Fluttershy replied. "But we have to get our friend back before we can worry about defending her reputation."

"I have seen conclusive evidence that Twilight's friends, also falsely known as heroes, are in league with her as part of a conspiracy to betray Starfleet and hand all that we have accomplished over to our enemies!" Pictures of Twilight's close associates flashed up on the screens behind Celesto. "Nor is that all! The tendrils of this conspiracy stretch from Rangiveria and Kallana, to Zebrica and into the very heart of this, our fair capital!

"But," Celesto continued. "Though our enemies have struck a blow against us, they are foolish if they believe that they have so much as disrupted our momentum; they are foolish if they believe that this loss foreshadows our defeat; and they are foolish if they believe that we will allow this insult to go unavenged. We of Starfleet are warriors no stranger to sacrifice. Many of your fathers and brothers have already perished in our glorious cause, but do we falter? No, we go forward renewed in spirit, determined to carry on the will of those who came before us. We must not grieve, for those who perish in the service of Starfleet are blessed to die as heroes of our struggle. No, rather we must re-dedicate ourselves to the great struggle remaining before us. Starfleet Intelligence is already beginning to hunt down all traces of his vile conspiracy at every level. From the skies our navy will rain down fire and fury on our furies such as they have never known. And on the ground we shall march forth to new victories, new conquests, until we have achieved true peace and security and our great nation may flourish once again!

"Stiffen up your courage! Be ever vigilant! Take your sorrow and turn it into anger! Victory and vengeance are the greatest monuments that can be erected to the memory of the fallen! Starfleet yearns for the valour of its soldiers!" Celesto raised his fist in the air. "Sieg Starfleet!"

"Sieg Starfleet!" came the cry, as thousands of space pony fists rose into the air. "Sieg Starfleet! Sieg Starfleet! Sieg Starfleet!"

"Sieg Starfleet!" the cry echoed from the Campus Martius, and from every corner of United Equestria where soldiers gathered, fists raised in the air even as their war cry struck the clouds above them.

"Sieg Starfleet!" the cry resounded inside every one of the warships that massed in orbit over the planet.

"Sieg Starfleet!" came the cry from Starla and her team aboard the battleship Revenge, as Starla exulted in seeing those liars and seditionists unmasked.

"Sieg Starfleet!" Sunset trembled as the cry erupted from the speakers, repeated over and over again, that cruel cry, that call to arms, that how for vengeance and destruction. So many voices crying out from across the galaxy, screaming in hatred of everything that was not them, so many voices that would not stop until they had trampled all opposition under foot. How could they stand against such power? What could they do against such unceasing lust for bloodshed? How could the power of friendship and harmony prevail over such brute force, such unthinking savagery, such technological and martial might, such sheer numbers?

How could they possibly win?

"Sieg Starfleet!"

"Mister Bolt," Luna snapped impatiently. "Our moment is slipping away from us."

"I'm almost...and I'm done. You're on, Princess."

"Thank you," Luna said, as she strode out of the door and onto the podium.

"Sieg Starfleet! Sieg Starfleet! Sieg Starfleet!" the cry washed over Celesto and he smiled exulting in his power. Such a perfect instrument he had created, truly he was more powerful than-

"Excuse me just a moment."

Celesto's eyes widened as he recognised the voice of his sister-in-law, Princess Luna. He turned, and there she was: her face upon every screen, her voice coming out of every speaker.

"Pardon me for interrupting," Luna said. "But I have something to say and I'd like you all to hear it."

Author's Note

So, yeah, in case you couldn't tell this chapter owes a great deal to the original Mobile Suit Gundam, specifically Garma Zabi's funeral and Gihren's speech (there's a little of Code Geass in there too, but CG is in itself derivative of Gundam).

I'm coming to increasingly like the idea of Starla as one of the main villains of this story. Originally she was going to be killed off by Eve in pretty short order but now...you'll see.

By Luna's Light: Luna

By Luna’s Light: Luna

“Sieg Starfleet!” the cry rose from the throat of every soldier, from every sailor, from every loyal citizen. The cry arose from the parade grounds and the streets, the cry resounded across the stars, the cry made ancient thrones and mighty empires tremble. “Sieg Starfleet!”

“Mister Bolt,” Luna snapped. “Our moment is slipping away from us.”

“Sieg Starfleet!”

Brass Bolt was still fiddling with his equipment. “I’m almost…and I’m done.” He gave her a thumbs up. “You’re on, princess.”

“Thank you,” Luna said softly, as she walked out onto the street. Few people noticed her as she emerged from the house. A few did, someone took a picture of her, somepony even waved, but for the most part people took little notice as she walked to the podium that her guards had already set up. If anypony was curious about the podium, stamped with her lunar symbol, or about the cameras there were set up facing that same podium, nopony exhibited any curiosity.

Luna did not resent that. It was only natural, with Celesto’s broadcast taking up so much attention.

“Sieg Starfleet!”

Luna placed one hand upon the podium. She felt the wood, ancient and rugged, beneath her palm and underneath her finger tips. With her other hand, she gave a signal to one of the cameraponies.

“Sieg Starfleet!”

The red light changed to green. She was broadcasting.

“Excuse me just a moment,” Luna said, as her face replaced Celesto and his legions on every screen and her voice replaced the chanting of Starfleet coming out of every speaker. “Pardon me for interrupting, but I have something to say and I’d like you all to hear it.

“Good afternoon my friends. My name is Princess Luna, and if you live on the world of United Equestria then you may have seen my work if you happen to be out after dark.” She smiled briefly into the camera, before her face settled into a more sombre aspect. “But I am not here merely to speak to those of you who admire the beauty of the night sky, but to all of you: all ponies, all citizens of the United Dominion, friends old and new far-flung across the reaches and expanse of space lend me your ears…and more than that I beg you lend me too your hearts.

“I am speaking to you all today because I must. I am speaking to you all today because it is a matter of grave urgency. I am speaking to you all today…because I owe you all a heartfelt apology.

“For these years past I have watched as the world that we knew, the world we shared together, underwent great change. Changes that, I am sure that you will agree with me, have been very much for the worse compared with what came before. I have watched, as many of you have no doubt watched, in silence. I watched as we surrendered our lands, the homes that we had built together, to an invading army and I did not speak out.

“I watched as the harmony of races that we had built through great labours was trampled beneath the self-proclaimed superiority of Starfleet and I did not speak out. I watched as vast prisons were erected where innocent ponies, innocent creatures of all kinds were flung without any cloak of fair law to rot for the rest of their days for committing the most trivial offences and I did not speak out. I watched as pony hands in ever greater numbers turned from the arts of harmony and peace to fashioning machines of war, to serving in ever-expanding armies, to crewing ships constructed to bring death and destruction across the stars and I did not speak out. I watched as a people and a country whom I had loved for its kindness and compassion waged incessant and relentless wars and I did not speak out. I watched as pony blood and pony treasure was spent like water for the acquisition of illusory power and the maintenance of valueless prestige and I did not speak out.

“I watched as my own beloved sister was trapped in a loveless marriage, made a prisoner in her own palace, and I did not speak out.”

Tears were falling down Luna’s cheeks by now, and welling up in her eyes so that the cameras were a little blurry to her sight.

“I watched as Twilight Sparkle, most admirable of ponies, was ground down beneath this system of iniquity and destroyed and I did not speak out though I owed her my very life.

“Friends, ponies, fillies and gentlecolts, I am speaking out now.”

“No!” Celesto roared up at Luna’s detestable face upon the screens. “No! Stop her! Turn off that broadcast!”

“We-we can’t, sire,” one of the technicians furiously working on their computers pleaded. “She…she’s hijacked the main broadcast feed somehow.”

“Then cut the feed!”

“We can’t, she’s hijacked the master control as well. We’re being locked out!”

“Useless!” Celesto bellowed. This was impossible! This was inconceivable! How could she? How dare she? He was…he had…to insult his Starfleet in such a way! To insult him in such a way! To imply that any of the things that he had done were in any way bad or wrong, was she an idiot? Couldn’t she see that he was helping this world and all these wretched ponies to achieve perfection?

Wasn’t that obvious to a blind mare?

She would pay for this. By heaven and his divine parentage she would pay. The moon had risen upon Equestria for the last time.

He glanced at the late Colonel Starlight Glimmer, standing in the shadows just off-stage. She sensed his gaze, and looked towards him. Her robotic eye looked almost…expectant.

No. That was not to be. Luna was a powerful creature in her own right, to defeat her would be beyond the skills even of such as Starlight.

And such a challenge as Luna was issuing to him could only be answered one way.

“Sire?” Captain Shaina said. “We’re getting…it’s unclear what’s going on exactly, but there are reports of some kind of disturbance at the palace.”

Celesto’s face contorted with rage. So that was your plan, Luna? To distract me and stab me in the back? Do you think I have no capable instruments? “Colonel Glimmer, return to the palace at once and lay waste to all you find there who are my enemies.”

Colonel Glimmer bowed her head. She looked almost excited as she turned away towards the palace.

“Captain Shaina!” Celesto roared.

“Majesty?”

“Assemble your troops and follow me!” Celesto snapped. “It is time for my sister-in-law to learn that my indulgence has its limits.”

How long will it take you to get over here, Celesto? I wonder?

How long will I have to keep talking?

“The Grand Ruler is a tyrant,” Luna declared to all the space where Starfleet held sway. “Starfleet, far from keeping the inhabitants of the galaxy safe, is the instrument for the imposition of that tyranny? How many sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, lovers have perished in the wars that Starfleet and their Grand Ruler have driven? What has been gained by all the great victories that Starfleet has won, save for the opportunity to wage more wars, to shed more blood, to send more good ponies to fight and die for mirages of glory?

“How many ponies do you know that have been arrested by Starfleet for trivial offences, never to be seen again?

“How many of you recall the better days that came before, the days when the realm was at peace without and in harmony within, the days when six extraordinary mares defended this world from evil through the magic of friendship, keeping Equestria safe through the power of the ties that bound their hearts together and all without the need for an army or a fleet of dreadnoughts.

“How many of you remember when this world was so much better than it was now?

“I should have spoken out long before now. I should have spoken out when Starfleet first assumed the rule of this land. I should have spoken out at my sister’s wedding. I should have spoken out when the first sumptuary laws were imposed upon you all. I should have spoken out…I should have spoken out after Twilight Sparkle died.

“But I am speaking to you now, and if there is to be any hope of things going back to the way they were before, if we are to have any hope of regaining the peace and harmony that were once our birthright, then I must ask you all to stand with me and stand up! Stand up against the Grand Ruler, stand up against Starfleet, stand up and say no more! Stand together as one and we will prevail, we will take back our world, I promise you, I swear it.

“The Grand Ruler is a monster. His Starfleet is full of monsters. No doubt to many of you that makes them fearful. I do not deny that there is much about them to be afraid of. But there is a thing that children know, that every old mare’s tail is designed to teach them, a thing that too many grown up mares and stallions forget: monsters can be fought. Monsters can be defeated. So long as we hold onto hope, so long as we hold onto one another, to the ties that bind us together in harmony, then we can not only fight, we can prevail. Ponies of Equestria, ponies across the stars, friends old and new I say to you, I call to you, I beg of you…rise!

“If you want a better future for your children, arise! If you want to free your family from the threat of death in a pointless war, arise! If you want to see Equestria become again the wonderful place it was before, arise! Rise, all decent ponies, rise all good folk, rise all and take back your world.

“Take back you destiny from those who grind it into blood and ruin.”

“Silence!”

The Grand Ruler’s voice echoed across the square. All eyes, that had been turned to Luna, snapped to the other side of the square where Celesto stood, flanked by his guards, glowering at her.

“And here he is,” Luna said, and without her needing to explicitly indicate it, one of the cameras turned to train on the Grand Ruler, whose image briefly adorned the screen before the focus returned to Luna herself. “The Grand Ruler himself, he who has brought so much misery to our-“

“Silence, I say!” bellowed the Grand Ruler. “Silence, witch! Silence, demon! Silence, evil black as the night you love so well! Pay no attention to the falsehoods of this creature-“

“Falsehoods,” Luna declared. She held out one hand, and Captain Catseye handed Luna her spear. She said nothing to her guards, or to those operating the cameras, but nevertheless they began to melt away. They had discussed this beforehand, and even those guards who had argued most fiercely against it had consented, in the end, to follow her orders. They were leaving now, and within Brass Bolt too would be making his escape. There was no need for them all to be caught in the net, not while all attention was focussed upon Luna.

I am sufficient to light the spark. I hope.

“Falsehoods, is it?” Luna asked, as she planted the butt of her spear upon the ground. “Falsehoods. Do you deny that ponies have been imprisoned without trial?”

“The evidence is overwhelming-“

“Do you deny that they are never released?”

“The community is kept safe-“

“Do you deny that wars are waged across the stars for the aggrandisement of Starfleet, and that many gallant ponies give their lives in these wars?”

“They should be honoured to die for me!” the Grand Ruler yelled. “All of these pathetic ponies should be honoured to die for my glory! What else are they good for? What could they do, greater than giving their lives for the greatness of Starfleet and of my self?”

Luna’s expression was as cold as midnight in winter. “I see. What, then, have I said that was remotely untrue?”

The Grand Ruler’s expression was contorted with fury as he advanced on Luna. He made his way alone, his guards stood back. Doubtless he feared he would look weak if he required the help of his minions to tackle a single mare from an inferior race.

The crowd fell back before him, parting like a sea in the face of his advance. They were afraid. They were terrified. His power, the tremendous aura of might that clung to him like perfume had put the fear in them.

It is my allotted part to put a dent in that aura, even if I cannot dispel it completely.

“You,” the Grand Ruler snarled. “You are a wicked creature. You are a darkness! You have always been a darkness! All ponies know how you were once consumed with evil, and consumed with evil you remain! How else could you speak slanders against the glory of Starfleet, how else could you spit upon my majesty, how else could you scorn the good that we have done.”

“You mean the evil you have done?” Luna replied. “I see no good in you.”

“Monster!” hissed the Grand Ruler. “What could a creature born of the dark know of goodness? You are, and have always been, truly evil and it was only the foolishness and weakness of Equestria that blinded them to it. Redemption is as worthless as friendship.”

“I am redeemed by friendship, a force more powerful that you can comprehend.”

The Grand Ruler produced a sword out of his cane, and flourished it in his hand. “And do you expect friendship to save you from my wrath?”

Luna twirled her spear in one hands, before assuming a guard stance with her shining shield held before her. “I expect to light a spark of hope that will become a flame strong enough to burn all the crimes of Starfleet to mere ashes.”

“Hope,” the Grand Ruler spat contemptuously.

“Yes, hope,” Luna said. “A magic more powerful than any at your command.”

“Your hope will be in vain.”

“Come and prove it,” Luna said.

Celestia sat upon her bed, holding the note that one of the servants had delivered to her.

It was stamped and sealed with Luna’s mark, but why should Luna be writing her a letter? And why should she have it delivered by some palace functionary?

Had they grown so distant that her sister no longer wished to speak to her? And which of them might be sliding into madness as a result?

Celestia bowed her head. Had she been preoccupied? Had she been neglecting Luna again? Had she…perhaps. It was hard to tell. Celesto, he didn’t like to…

And when was I ever the sort to let something like that stop me?

Oh, Luna, what am I becoming?

She had half a mind to go down to Luna’s room and ask her why she had started sending notes, but that struck Celestia as a somewhat petty course of action to adopt. To refuse to read the letter on principle would be rather petulant of her; it would be better to go see Luna after she had read the note, so that they could talk about the contents like not only sisters, but also civilised ponies.

With one finger, Celestia broke the seal of blue wax and opened the note.

My dearest Celestia, my beloved big sister,

I owe you a tremendous apology. Not only have I been neglecting my duties as a diarch of Equestria, but I have also failed to behave as the sister that I would like to be, the sister that you deserve.

Celestia’s brow was crinkled by a frown. “Luna,” she murmured. “What in Equestria are you talking about?

Celesto’s blade rang like a peal of thunder as it clashed against Luna’s silver shield.

Luna grimaced as she felt the shock of his blow reverberate not only across the square but also in her own bones, making her whole body tremble with the force that was being levelled against it. She countered with a thrust of her spear, making Celesto retreat before her, using his hollow cane to parry.

He was strong. She had expected as much, but a part of her had hoped that things might prove otherwise. Celesto rarely went out to fight in his own right, not even in his propaganda pieces did he venture forth in arms too often, and so Luna had entertained some small hope that he would prove to be a paper tiger. Instead, it appeared that his strength was as great as vaunted but, somewhat like her own sister, he preferred to use others as his instruments.

No, that is too cruel to Celestia. What she did…Twilight and her friends were far better able to confront these menaces than she was; armed with the Elements of Harmony…

Celestia had her reasons, what is the Grand Ruler’s excuse.

I hope he values Lightning as much as Celestia valued Twilight.

Values Twilight.

He was every bit as strong as his reputation. Their combat had barely begun but he was already threatening to bring Luna out in a sweat.

Still, she had sought out this battle and she would fight it to the best of her ability and the limits of her strength.

As Celesto retreated, so Luna advanced, driving forwards, thrusting her shield out before her, forcing him onto the defensive as she thrust for him with her shining spear.

Celesto brought his sword down on her spear, beating it downwards before reversing his stroke to slash at Luna’s face. Luna took the blow upon her shield, but now it was her turn to be forced back.

Celesto did not pursue. Instead he looked at her as though he did not understand.

“Why do you use no magic?” he demanded. “Surely you realise that you will need it even to keep pace with me.”

“You have no magic, therefore I use no magic. It’s called chivalry.” Luna smirked. “And besides, I wouldn’t want to make this too easy for myself, would I?”

She was rewarded with a wordless shout of rage as Celesto came for her.

Had our places been reversed, had it been me who was to be given in marriage to an odious brute, who was to be trapped in the bed of a pony that I did not love, slave to his cruel whims and desires, there is not a single doubt in my mind that you would have done everything in your power to spare me from this fate. And yet I cannot say that I have done everything, or anything at all, to spare you. You are the older sister, true, but I am quite a big girl myself, and I have an obligation to you just as great as any obligation that you might have towards me.

And yet I let the bloat ruler take you to his bed and claim you as his own and plough you and use you and force you to bear his children. And what did I do? Nothing. Nothing at all.

Please forgive me, sister. I wasn’t there when you needed me most.

Celesto hammered on her shield, sword and cane alternating blows, beating on it as though he were a smith forging weapons for ragnarok, incessantly hammering upon the anvil as the day of judgement drew near.

Luna crouched down, holding her shield above her, letting it take the blows just as an umbrella takes the rain, listening to the thunder above her, feeling each blow echo through her body.

I suppose I should be grateful that he hasn’t thought to hit anything but the shield.

He was freakish strong, as the shaking in her bones and the rents and dents that were beginning to appear in and upon her shield gave evidence, but he didn’t appear to have much imagination.

Just like he didn’t appear to realise that, by just standing there and beating on her shield in an effort to destroy it, he was leaving his legs wide open.

Luna’s spear lashed out to strike at his foot as swift as a rattlesnake.

Celesto howled in pain, leaping back as Luna, her spear dripping with the sparkling blood of the Grand Ruler, got up off the ground and went for him like a mastiff.

She hit him in the face with her battered shield, snapping his head back with a satisfying cracking sound. She lunged at him with her spear, and though he had sufficient premonition of what she intended to turn away, the blade still sliced across his chest. It opened up his suit and drew blood as Celesto cried out.

How long had it been, Luna wondered, since he had last suffered real pain?

She hit him in the face with her shield again, and jabbed at him with her spear again, and this time she caught him in the shoulder, making him squeal. She jabbed once more, but this time he parried with his sword and beat her spear down before he slashed at her, making her retreat.

Luna fell back a few paces, and let her ruined shield drop from her arm to land with a clatter on the ground. She gripped her spear in both hands, and twirled it experimentally.

She glanced towards the cameras.

“Monsters can be fought,” she declared. “Never forget that, monsters can be fought! Monsters can be fought, and gods can bleed.”

I am here now, and I swear that I will always be with you from now on.

You may wonder at my writing to you, instead of talking like a sister should. You may wonder at my coldness of late, and I do not deny that I have kept you at a distance.

At the risk of sounding incredibly patronising, it was for your own protection.

You are – you were, though I know not what is to come next – the only thing preventing the wholesale subjugation of the Equestrian peoples. You were the last pillar of the old world still standing. I know that it isn’t fair to put such a burden upon your shoulders but it is the truth: you are the only thing keeping the worst of the chaos at bay. Equestria could not afford to lose you, certainly it could not afford to lose you as a result of my actions.

And yet I fear for the future, sister. I fear for you, in the days to come when you are-

You are the bravest, the wisest, the kindest, the strongest, the very best mare that I know and yet I fear for you. You are not safe. That much must surely be obvious to you but if possible you are even more unsafe now than you were before. Celesto is planning something. I do not know exactly what but I am certain it portends no good for this world or its people. Trust Sunset Shimmer, she will come for you soon and she is as well prepared for this storm as any pony can be.

I have chosen her, and I think you will agree she is the best choice in the circumstances.

I think back, sometimes, to when we were children. To how often you would scold me for my foolishness, my impulsiveness, for the wrong-headedness of my decision making. You were so grown up then, so serious, so clever and, it must be said, such a complete and utter dork some of the time. Some of the things that I remember would probably mortify you if I were to write them down.

Celestia giggled. “I bet they would, Luna.”

I am so very glad that time taught you how to have a little fun, and so very sad that I wasn’t there to see it.

When you find out what I have done, what I am doing right now, you will probably think that it was another example of my foolish decision-making in action.

But I ask you to trust me, sister, one last time.

This is the only path I could have chosen.

Celesto looked incensed. He looked as though his anger was about to consume him. He bared his teeth at her like a beast. His whole body trembled with rage. There were rings around his eyes as red as the blood staining his garments.

If he had wanted to kill her before, now he wanted to make her suffer before she died.

Perfect.

Celesto’s three golden horns began to glow. Clearly he had tired of trying to kill her with his bare hands and had decided to simply use the uniforce on her and have done.

“Do you really think I’ll give you time to charge your attack?” Luna growled under her breath as she threw herself at him, spear whirling in her hands. The glow of his horns was still faint, he was nowhere near being ready to fire, but equally it was clear he hadn’t expected her to attack him before he was ready. She hit him across the face with the shaft of her spear, slashed him a second time across the chest wielding her spear like a halberd, she knocked the hollow cane out of his hand-

And Celesto caught her spear with one hand, gripping it so firmly and so tight that Luna couldn’t even move it.

Celesto’s smile was savage. It was the smile of an animal about to feed. It was the smile of a shark scenting blood.

It was the smile of someone who knew he had her.

And he did.

His first stroke cut through her cuirass, slicing through it as though it were paper, or else that plastic or spandex that he armoured his own soldiers in. Luna did not cry out, but she did reel backwards, letting go of her spear in the process, and it was without a weapon that she faced him as he pursued her. He wielded his sword in succession of slashing strokes. Luna brought up her arms to shield herself, but he sliced through her braces as easily as he had her cuirass, and cut through her arms to the bone.

Even the bone was sliced partway through before Luna dropped her arms.

She did not cry out.

She did not cry out as he split her helm in two and brought down his sword upon her head. She did not cry out as one eye became filled with blood. She did not cry out as he pummelled her face. She did not cry out as he sliced through her belly, not though it was so painful that she thought she might pass out. She did not cry out as he cut at her like an incompetent butcher and left her prone upon the ground, bleeding from a dozen or a score of wounds, lying in a pool of her own blood, her body opened and her bones shattered, unable to move, only able to see out of one eye.

Her armour was gone. Her body was broken.

But it was a victory, albeit one that Celesto could never conceive the like of.

She watched as he picked her spear up off the ground. He stood over her. His horns were no longer glowing. He had no need of the uniforce any longer.

He raised her spear up in the air.

Goodbye.

I love you, big sister.

“No,” Celestia murmured, getting to her feet as the letter fell from her trembling. “No. No, no, no! Luna…Luna what have you done? What have you done? Luna?!”

Luna smiled.

“You smile?” Celesto demanded. “You smile? By what right do you smile? I have beaten and broken you utterly? You are defeated before me and now you will die, why do you smile?”

Luna laughed, though it pained her to do so and her laughter was interrupted by coughing up blood. “Because now the whole galaxy can see you as you really are: a blood-stained tyrant.”

Celesto’s eyes widened.

Luna’s smile broadened. “Smile, your majesty. You’re on candid camera.”

Celesto appeared to have forgotten that he was being filmed. He looked up and there, on the screen, stood he: covered in blood, a mixture of his own and Luna’s.

Everyone could see him this way, just as they could see the bestial, animalistic fashion in which he had torn Luna to shreds.

“I think that people, seeing us here, will start to wonder which of us was really the monster,” Luna whispered.

They had seen the monster bleed, and they had seen him confirm his own monstrosity by his actions before them.

That was why it had been necessary for Luna herself to do this. Not just as a distraction for Sunset and Twilight’s friends – with good fortune they would already be away from here – but also because she was the only one strong enough to fight Celesto like this, to force him to remove his mask and show his true form in front of everyone.

Only she could make him show himself as the monster that he was. And now everypony, everyone, could see it.

And now that they had seen it they would not be about to unsee it.

Just as they would be unable to unsee the fact that Luna had made him bleed.

Those two things combined would light the spark of a resistance that would cleanse United Equestria of all its sins.

Such was Luna’s hope, anyway. And what was more important than hope.

So long as they have hope, they will surely prevail.

Celesto seemed to have worked some of this out as well, for he bellowed like a bull as he raised Luna’s spear to impale her.

Now.

Luna’s horn erupted with light, blinding light that filled the eyes of everypony in the square, making them turn away and draw back from her. The light filled the entire square, the light rose to the sky…and then the light dimmed as all of Luna’s magic emerged from her horn in a vast cloud and shot across the skies of New Canterlot in search of the new host that Luna had chosen.

Sunset. I leave the rest to you.

Luna barely felt the spear pierce her body. She had already begun to fade away.

She heard, just about, somepony yell, “Murderer!” at the Grand Ruler.

She heard somepony cry out her name like a battle-cry, “For Princess Luna!”

And then she heard nothing else.

Good luck, Sunset Shimmer.

Good luck, Twilight Sparkle.

Good luck…everyone.

Goodbye, big sister.

Tears deluged Celestia’s face, and she wailed in horror as she felt her sister leave the world.

By Luna's Light: The Mane Four

By Luna’s Light: The Mane Four

The palace was burning.

Harmonius was burning, she had been able to see it from out of her bedroom window when her mama had woken her up in the middle of the night. Snowflame had been able to see the fires lighting up the night sky, see the smoke rising up to block out the moon, see the big ships firing down into the city below. It had all burned into Snowflame's mind even as Mama began to drag her away.

Ever after she'd been dragged from the room she'd been able to hear the screaming outside.

Mama had tried to get her away but...somewhere in the confusion...it was so dark, and there was so much smoke...she'd lost her. She didn't know where her mother was right now.

But she'd found Papa, and that meant things would be alright, didn't it? It did, right? It had to, right?

The palace was burning, Snowflame wasn't sure where she was. The smoke was getting into nostrils and making her eyes water - she wasn't crying, no matter what anyone said, it was the smoke that was making her eyes water - and everything was so dark that she couldn't see very well. But she'd found Papa now, and that meant things would be okay. Everything would be okay soon.

They would, they really would. They had to be.

"Papa," Snowflame said. "What's going on? I was with Mama, but I don't know what happened and-"

"Hush, hush now my sweet, and listen well," Papa said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with one hoof. Captain Summer Storm of the Harmonian Stormbringers was armoured for battle in a cuirass of dull grey metal, unadorned and unornamented, with a canon mounted to his shoulder via a metal strut. He swept off his crested helmet, and Snowflame could see that his face was filthy with sweat and soot stains. "You must go now, and I cannot go with you. Your mother will find you if she can, but...go now, through that door behind you. Do not look back. You must run, do you understand? Enemies have come to our home and the palace is not safe. Find Lightning Dawn if you can, but you must get to Princess Fairgrace. Get her out of here and keep her safe."

"Until you come for us?"

Papa looked down at her, silent for a moment. "I will come if I can but you must keep her safe. I cannot go with you. I must find His Majesty and Prince Shadow, and defend them against our enemies. You must get the princess out of here. Keep her safe, no matter what happens you must protect the princess, do you understand?"

Snowflame nodded, but when she spoke her voice trembled with fear. "I...I'm scared, Papa."

Papa smiled, and nuzzled her forehead. "You are my daughter, little Snowflame, and you are your mother's daughter, and you are the heir to all our courage. And you are a Stormbringer of Harmonius, the youngest Stormbringer that has ever been. Be brave. You must always be brave."

Snowflame. "I...I will, Papa. I'll be as brave as you and I'll find the princess and I'll keep her safe no matter what happens I promise. I swear it!"

"I know you will, for you are our daughter," Papa said. He placed his helmet back upon his head. "Now go, and whatever happens...remember this. Go!"

Snowflame turned away and began to run, her hoof-falls echoing upon the tiled floor as the bolted through the door from the southside of the room and into the darkened chamber beyond. She bumped headfirst into something. A stone plinth...a plinth! That meant she was in the Hall of Statues! She knew where she was now! She must have come from the antechamber, and if she could get to the back of this room and find the door on the left she could make it to the royal-

The crack of a door being rendered into splinters, and the splinters falling to the ground, grabbed Snowflame's attention. She turned. She could still see Papa, only now he was silhouetted against the flames from the chamber beyond. The other door, the door that led into the antechamber from the Hall of Fountains, had been broken open. The Hall of Fountains was burning. Fire was all that she could see, and the billowing inferno silhouetted her father against it.

It also silhouetted the immense two-legged figure who stepped through the flames as though they were nothing.

Snowflame couldn't see his face. He was nothing more than an immense silhouette.

He was a giant, and he made Papa seem so small...but Papa stood before him nonetheless and did not flinch.

Snowflame was frozen. She couldn't run, even though she had been told to. She couldn't turn her back on her father. She could...she could only watch.

Papa won't lose. Not to this, not to anyone or anything!

Papa said nothing. He let his cannon speak for him as it erupted once, twice, three, four times with blazing pulses of green energy aimed straight for the mountain opposed to him.

They all dissipated harmlessly off a golden shield around his enemy.

Snowflame heard her father growl with anger as he spread his wings and took flight, soaring to the top of the room, so that he was level with the head and face of his enemy. His cannon kept firing, and his horn flared as he began to summon his spears of light.

Nopony had ever beaten Papa's spears. Snowflame clung to that knowledge as she watched the spears of glowing green energy began to form, a dozen of them all around Papa and pointed at his enemy.

The monstrous figure, still silhouetted by flames, moved so swiftly that Snowflame could barely register what he'd done...and then Papa collapsed to the ground, his spears dissipated, his cannon clattering to the floor as the supporting strut was severed...and her father bled from the gaping gash that had been opened in his chest.

His armour had been cut clean through, as though it was made of paper.

"Papa!" Snowflame shrieked.

Papa opened his eyes and looked at her. "Run...Snowflame," he growled, as he got up off the floor to face his enemy again. He stood on his hind legs, wings flared apart, flapping them to steady himself as he bared his forehooves.

And his enemy cut him down again. He sliced off one of Papa's wings, he cut him again and again as Papa's blood sprayed everywhere. He butchered her father like a piece of meat. And he laughed. He did not speak but he laughed, deeply and richly as if nothing could be more amusing to him than this, the death of a brave pony who had dared to defy him.

And Snowflame ran. She turned and ran and left her Papa to die. And the laughter of his killer rang in her ears as she fled.

"But she was not working alone," the Grand Ruler declared, having just pronounced Fluttershy guilty of the murder of her husband, Rhymey. Lightning wasn't sure that he believed that. He wanted to trust in His Majesty, he wanted to believe His Majesty, he certainly did not want to believe that His Majesty would knowingly lie either to himself or to the people (of course, His Majesty was so very wise that none could decieve him even if they wished to do so) but...Fluttershy? That kind and gentle mare? She had killed Rhymey? Even leaving aside the difference in their strengths - frankly the idea that Fluttershy could overcome Rhymey in a fight was ludicrous, and he found it even harder to believe that she could take him by surprise - the fact was that it was not in her nature to do such a thing.

Unless she deceived me somehow.

No. No I was foolish, but never so much of a fool as to completely misjudge someone thus. And my foolishness was in not appreciating the virtues of Twilight's friends, not in failing to recognise any monstrous vices they possessed.

I am sorry, Your Majesty, but you are wrong. You say that Fluttershy was not working alone, but I cannot think that she was working at all. These co-conspirators, whoever they are, have sought to put the blame on her for Rhymey's death but she is innocent. I would stake my honour on it.

What honour remains to me.

"No one pegasus mare could possibly overcome a Starfleet warrior alone," the Grand Ruler said, as though he was conceding Lightning's point. "She was assisted by none other than Twilight Sparkle herself!"

Lightning gasped. His eyes widened. He lurched forward in his bed as though by getting a couple of inches closer to the screen he would correct the deficit that had led to him mishearing Rhymey's killer named as Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight?" Krysta yelled. "Did you just say...but Twilight's...I don't...huh?!"

"Yes!" the Grand Ruler cried, as though he was in dialogue with Lightning and Krysta and not giving a speech across the whole of his empire. "Twilight Sparkle, the great hero of Equestria, the mare whom we all thought so sweet, the princess whom I loved almost as a daughter, did not die a hero's death as we believed! While we were weeping bitter tears over her fate, while we mourned her gallant sacrifice, this false princess was absconding to ally herself with our enemies!"

"L-Lightning?" Fairgrace stammered. "W-what's wrong?"

Lightning's whole body trembled, He gripped his bedsheet in both hands so tightly that his knuckles paled. His breathing was ragged and agitated. It can't be true. It can't possibly be true.

And yet His Majesty was saying it, live on television to the whole nation, and displaying Twilight's picture so that were was no doubt whom he was talking about, and His Majesty's infallibility was axiomatic. It could not be doubted. If he said a thing was so then it was so.

But all the same, it could not be true.

Twilight is dead. I saw her dead body. I found her lying broken on the ground, lifeless, with Raven fled. I carried her broken body into the throne room and laid it before the feet of their majesties. I put the torch to her funeral pyre myself.

Twilight is dead. She has been dead for a year now. And if not... No, no it could not be true. The Twilight Sparkle that he had known, the Twilight whom he had come to admire, the Twilight...the Twilight he had come to love would never have allowed her friends to think her dead for a whole year, to mourn for her, to grieve, to weep tears to collapse into a morass of...she would not do it. She did not have a heart for such cruelty. She did not have it in her soul to thus hurt those she loved. If Twilight had survived then she would have returned to her friends, without a doubt.

His Majesty the Grand Ruler might be all knowing, but Lightning knew in his heart that it was not in Twilight Sparkle's nature to so decieve and in deception wound those whom she called friends.

But then what in the galaxy is going on? Why has His Majesty proclaimed Twilight to be alive? Could she...could she have returned more recently?

He wanted it to be true. He could not express in words how badly he wanted that to be true. If Twilight lived...if she had returned...

Then perhaps I am not beyond salvation.

Lightning groaned and grunted as he struggled up out of his bed and got to his feet.

"L-L-Lightning!" Fairgrace cried.

"What are you doing?" Snowflame demanded.

"I have to go," Lightning grunted. "I have to find Twilight."

"But you can barely stand up!" Snowflame snapped.

"That doesn't matter, I can't wait," Lightning declared. "I have go now, I have to find her."

Krysta rose slowly into the air, ascending closer to his face. "You don't believe this, do you? You don't really think that...I mean...we both saw-"

"I believe that Twilight died on that field against Raven," Lightning replied. "I know that for a certain fact. But...if there's even a chance that she's back...if even a part of her survived...then I have to find her. I have to do what I can to make this right!"

"Hold on for just one second," Snowflame said. With a flick of one hoof she turned off the TV, silencing His Majesty in the midst of his speech. "What's going on here? Who is Twilight Sparkle and who was she to you, our Lightning?"

"She was...Twilight was...someone I let down in more ways that I could describe," Lightning said. "I failed Twilight when she was alive. I failed her even more after she was gone. Have you ever made a mistake so monumental that you'd do anything to take it back? Twilight...I have to find her if there's anything of her to be found. I have to make amends for everything I've done."

"I understand," Krysta said. "But, Lightning, you're still injured. You've gotten better, but you still need to rest, you can't just go gallivanting off looking for Twilight when you don't even know where to start. You've been told to get some rest-"

"And I've spent half my life doing just what I was told and where has it gotten me?" Lightning demanded. He sighed. "I shouldn't shout at you, I'm sorry, but...looking back on my life it feels like the last time I made a meaningful decision for myself was when I was seven years old and we agreed to come to Unicornicopia with His Majesty together. Since then I've done nothing but obey the orders of other people. I've obeyed His Majesty, I've obeyed my superiors, I've done everything that was ever expected of me, I've been a good soldier and I've fulfilled the destiny that His Majesty laid out for me and for what? So that I could carry Twilight's body into the throne room? So that I could order her friends to their deaths? I need to do this, Krysta. I choose to do this. It may not be a smart choice, and it may not be the best choice but it is my choice. My first choice in far too long."

Krysta stared at him for a moment, as if she was gauging his resolve. "Well okay then. Where do we start?"

"We?"

"What, are you the only one who gets to make stupid decisions?" Krysta asked. "This is you and me, all the way."

"Ac-ac-actually," Fairgrace's voice was soft, but clear. She frowned momentarily, and then began to sing. "Actually, I think you'll find it's the four of us. Th-th-that is if you d-don't mind, Snowflame?"

Snowflame grinned. "If you hadn't said it, princess, I would have."

"Girls, I-"

"Don't do it," Snowflame warned him. "Don't give a long speech about choice and then try and deny us our right to choose this. I kind of want to meet this girl now, she clearly made an impression on you. And besides, we Harmonians better stick together don't you think?"

"Ahem," Krysta said.

"You're Lightning's pal, that makes you an honourary Harmonian in my book," Snowflame said without missing a beat. "And besides, we need the extra numbers."

"Girls," Lightning repeated. "I don't..." He tailed off. What would Twilight do right now? He smiled, or hoped that it came across as a smile. "Thank you all, so much. I don't deserve any of you."

"Probably not, but you're stuck with us now," said Krysta.

"So what's our next move?" Snowflame asked. "How do we find this Twilight Sparkle?"

"I don't know where to look for Twilight," Lightning confessed. "So we need to start by finding Twilight's friends."

"B-because they'll know?" Fairgrace guessed.

"Not necessarily," Lightning admitted. "But if I know them at all, then they're already looking for Twilight even as we speak."

Rainbow Dash folded her arms as she settled down on the couch. Out of the corners of her eyes she glowered at the stallion sitting on the chair opposite. "I still don't get why it's you doing these stupid grief assessments. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I didn't think that you'd want to talk about this to a stranger," Lightning replied, his voice low. He balanced his clipboard - full of forms, no doubt, for him to quantify just how badly Rainbow was feeling as though you could boil it down to numbers or checkboxes - on his knee and let go of it. "I thought it would be best if this was kept in the family."

Rainbow's lips curled into a sneer. "Don't do that?"

Lightning's expression was blank. "Do what?"

"Talk like you’re one of us," Rainbow growled, her voice rising like a breeze that suddenly becomes a gale. "You have never stood shoulder to shoulder with us and you never stood shoulder to shoulder with Twilight! So don't give me that 'in the family' crap! You don't get to spit on Twilight while she was alive and then turn round and pretend to care that she's gone."

Lightning wiped away the flecks of Rainbow's spit from around his eye. "You may not believe this, captain, but I admired Twilight Sparkle a great deal."

Rainbow stared at him as a snort escaped her. "Yeah, you're right. I don't believe you."

Rainbow expected - Rainbow half-hoped, to be honest - that Lightning would lose his temper. She wanted him to yell at her, if only so that she could yell back. She wanted him to pull rank; she wanted him to tell the truth about how he felt. She wanted something out of him that would let her vent the rage that was building up in her like a fire without a chimney to let the smoke out.

She wanted something that would let her forget the guilt that was gnawing at her insides.

But if she was making Lightning angry he didn't show it, he kept an iron control over his temper and maintained an outward face of infuriating calm. "We aren't here to talk about me."

"Oh, yeah? Then what are we doing here?" Rainbow demanded, even though she already knew the answer.

"I have to assess your mental state and fitness for duty after..." Lightning trailed off. "After Twilight's death."

Rainbow leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees and bowing her head so that she didn't have to look at him any more. "Is this the part were you ask me how I feel?"

"How do you feel?" Lightning asked.

Rainbow blinked. "Was she alive when you got there?"

Lightning was silent for a moment. "Captain?"

"It's a simple question," Rainbow said. However, she repeated it more slowly, anyway, in case he had trouble keeping up. "Was Twilight alive when you got there?"

She looked up, hoping for some expression on his face: anger, disgust, sorrow, anything. But there was nothing. Just a blank, just...nothing. "No," he admitted, after a while. "No, I was too late."

"Sure you were," Rainbow said, though she found herself surprised by the lack of malice in her voice as she said it. "But I'm faster than you, so...even if I'd left after, there's a chance I could have...gotten there in time."

"Captain," Lightning began, and then paused. "Rainbow Dash-"

"I keep asking myself why," Rainbow said, looking down at her booted feet on the soft blue carpet. "I keep asking myself what in Celestia's name I was thinking. Why didn't I follow her straight away? Why did I put taking on Harkin over backing up Twilight? Why didn't I go after her once Harkin was gone? Why did I just sit around on my b*tt while Twi was...while Twi was..."

"You had your orders, like we all did," Lightning murmured.

"And that's supposed to be an excuse?" Rainbow demanded. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Am I supposed to be able to look Shining Armour in the face and tell him that I let his sister die alone because I was following orders? When I see Twilight again am I supposed to say 'Gee, sorry about leaving you to die, Twilight, but I was following orders? I abandoned Twilight, and the fact that I got ordered to do it doesn't make it right!"

"You sound angry."

"You're damned straight I'm angry, my friend is dead!" Rainbow yelled. Her chest heaved, but she wouldn't cry. Not in front of this jerk, or any of his Starfleet pals. That would never happen, no matter how bad the tears wanted to fall. "My friend is dead," she repeated. "My friend is dead, am I supposed to ignore that? Am I supposed to just get over it? You asked me how I felt well this is how I feel! I want to throw this stupid rank insignia in your stupid face and spend my time hunting down the bitch who killed Twilight."

"If you did that you'd be as dead as Twilight is," Lightning said. "There's no way you can match Raven's power. Even if you had gone to her aid...you'd have perished alongside her."

"So what?" Rainbow demanded. "So what if I died, at least I wouldn’t have to feel like this!" She stopped, her eyes wide, her breath catching in her throat. She'd said it. She'd...admitted it. She'd known, she'd known for a while now, but...this was the first time she had said it out loud.

Rainbow found she was perversely glad to be talking to Lightning Dawn in this moment. If it had been Pinkie or Fluttershy or anypony that she actually liked...her friends didn't need to hear that. They had enough troubles of their own.

The face of Lightning Dawn was as devoid of expression as ever. "I...I won't insult you-"

Rainbow snorted. There were times, and this was definitely one of them, when it felt as though everything that Starfleet did was a calculated insult.

"I won't insult you," Lightning repeated. "By pretending to an empathy that I don't possess. But...do you really think that Twilight would want you to feel this way?"

"I don't know," Rainbow said. "And I can't very well ask her now, can I?" She smiled bitterly. "So how did I do? How is my mental state? Am I fit for duty?"

Lightning didn't reply. She was disappointed; she'd been genuinely curious as to the response.

"Is it okay if I let go of you now?" Maud asked.

Rainbow slumped in Maud's iron grip. She tried to shut her ears to the offensive garbage that the Grand Ruler was spewing about Twilight on the big screen. She was even kinda able to do so.

Fluttershy was right; they didn't have time to get angry about stuff like this. So the Grand Ruler hated Twilight, and was determined to make her look bad. What else was new? They had to find her first, they had to bring their princess back to them...and they could worry about all the other stuff later.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Yeah, you can let me go. I won't do anything stupid."

Maud let go, and stepped away. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. There were five of them, waiting by the warehouse doors: herself, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Maud and this cat girl Kitty Snip whom they apparently needed to find Applejack out in the jungle. Rainbow didn't like having her around, but to be perfectly honest - with herself, at least - she wasn't entirely sold on bringing Maud either. Yeah, she was Pinkie's sister and it wasn't as though Rainbow didn't like her or anything but...it felt as though they should have kept this, well, in the family. The six of them.

Rainbow abruptly remembered that they would be getting on a ship with a crew of at least a hundred, and had to snigger at her own stupidity.

"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know about that," Rainbow said. "But I'm better."

Fluttershy smiled. "I think...I think that we're all a little better, for knowing that she's back." she said. "In spite of everything that's happened, just knowing that Twilight's out there somewhere...it makes the whole world a little brighter, don't you think?"

"Uh-uh," Pinkie said with a shake of her head. "That's not right at all."

Fluttershy looked at her. "You don't think so?"

Pinkie shook her head. "The world got darker when Twilight wasn't in it, but now that she's back it's starting to get back to normal again. But we spent so long in the dark that we got used to it, and so even starting to get back to normal makes things seem like they're getting brighter, but they're not really. We're just beating the darkness back a little."

Fluttershy appeared to consider that for a moment. "But that would still means things are brightening up, wouldn't it?"

"Probably, but I like sound of beating back the darkness," Rainbow said. She grinned. "And the first thing we do once we're all together is come bck and beat-"

"The first thing we're gonna do when we're all together again is have a big Welcome Back party for Twilight," Pinkie said. "No if, no buts, no maybes."

Rainbow's smiled widened. "Yeah, that's definitely the first thing we're gonna do." Righteous retribution could wait a little while, celebrating the return of their best friend couldn't, not for anything.

"It should all be starting soon," said Cerise through her earpiece. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Rainbow said, feeling the pair of green flares clipped to her belt. Pinkie and Fluttershy each had a pair too. They'd pop them when they saw the Princess Twilight to signal Rarity when they found them.

Of course, they could also draw Starfleet forces towards them, but that was why they were going to wait until they could see the ship. And with luck, Princess Luna's distraction would keep Starfleet occupied until they were away.

"Remember," she reminded everyone, in case they hadn't been listening the first time. "We make for the top of that tower there." She pointed out of the small window set into the warehouse door, to one of the largest towers in New Canterlot, a great pillar of glass and steel rising up into the skyline. "If we get split up, we keep on going and we all make our way to the top of the tower. But we won't leave until we're all at the top." She almost said 'Or unless we have no other choice' but stopped herself. They couldn't do this without all six of them. Having to do so...it was absolutely unthinkable.

"I might not have time to say this when all the fun starts," Cerise said. "But good luck out there, Rainbow Dash. And when you find Princess Twilight, tell her I still owe her a drink for saving my life."

"One drink?" Rainbow replied. "When we find Twilight I'm gonna by every drink in the bar."

The screen on the wall flickered for a moment before the Grand Ruler's frothing countenance was replaced by the benevolent face of Princess Luna.

"Excuse me just a moment," Princess Luna said. "Pardon me for interrupting, but I have something to say and I'd like you all to hear it."

"I think that's our cue, girls," Rainbow said, as she flung open the side door out of the warehouse. "Let's go!"

Hold on Twilight, hold on Applejack, hold on Spike.

Hold on everyone. We're coming.

Rarity sat down upon the couch, with her elbows resting upon her knees. She looked down at her feet, encased in the rather ugly boots prescribed as part of the uniform. For a few moments she engaged in a detailed study of her shoe-tips.

Lightning Dawn cleared his throat. "Whenever you're ready, Captain Rarity."

Rarity took a deep breath, and then exhaled it out through her nostrils. She frowned, crinkling her white coat as she did so. "You know...Twilight had such grace. You're probably very surprised to hear me say that, but it's true. Of course, it would also be true to say that there were times - many times, in fact - when she could be an embarrassing, adorable...thoroughly precious little...I believe the vulgar word for what I'm looking for is 'dork' but of course I, being a perfect lady, would never describe a friend in such a fashion. Except that...at the moment I...I can't really find a more properly refined way of putting it.

"It's true that, when I first met her and on many occasions after, Twilight exhibited somewhat of a lack of social grace, but of course she was so young at the time."

"I understood that you were all roughly of an age," Lightning said softly.

Rarity snorted. "I'm not talking about years, darling, I'm talking about...I suppose you might call it maturity. When I first met Twilight it was...she was so intelligent, but at the same time she...it was as if she had been raised in...well, it was as if she had been raised in a palace cloistered with the leader of the land, which of course she had been. It made her wonderfully, almost childishly eager at times: to see all that there was to be seen, to do all that there was to be done. I remember how much she wanted to pitch in for Winter Wrap-up, how excited she was to run with the leaves. But of course it also meant she could be frightfully oblivious to how she appeared to others...but that was a part of her charm, in it's own way."

She paused for a moment, blinking back the tears that threatened to escape from her trembling self-control. "I sometimes...I feel as though one of the lesser gifts of being Twilight's friend was that I had the opportunity to watch her grow. Grow up, yes, but grow into herself also. Grow more confident, more comfortable in her own coat. Grow into her social presence and, as she grew, so grew her grace. By the...she could light up a whole room just by walking into it." She shook her head, even if it was ever so slightly. "Said he, 'She has a lovely face; Gods in your wisdom lend her grace'."

"A poem?" Lightning asked.

"Indeed," Rarity murmured. "One of my favourites. Very sad but, at the same time...beautiful."

Lightning coughed. "I'm not entirely sure how any of this relates to your grief-"

"Well maybe you should try listening for once and letting me finish instead of interrupting, sir, and then I might be able to come to the point!" Rarity snapped.

She looked up, nostrils flaring with anger, to behold the look of surprise on Lightning Dawn's face.

Rarity snorted. "Why the look of great astonishment, admiral? Does it confound you to learn that I have real emotions and not simply the artifice of theatrical melodrama? Does it astonish you that I can sit here and reminisce about a dear friend without falling into a swoon or a faint?"

Lightning stared at her. Then he averted his eyes away. "If it does surprise me the fault is mine, not yours."

"Indeed," Rarity declared in a voice as dry as champagne. "So, Admiral Lightning Dawn, if talking about Twilight's grace is not helpful from your perspective then what would you like me to say? Should I tell you that life goes on? Should I tell you that Twilight wouldn't want me to be sad? Should I tell you that I've over it already, so over it I can't even remember in the first place, what do you want from us?"

"I don't want anything from you, or anyone else," Lightning's reply was a little hoarse. "Except the truth."

"The truth," Rarity whispered. She put her head in her hands, and held them there for a moment. "The truth, the truth. The truth is...it's strange, you might agree, what we focus on in these situations. The things that niggle at us, the things that we remember. It doesn't bother me that I didn't get the chance to tell Twilight that I loved her, because I'm fairly confidently certain that she knew that well enough already. But it does bother me, it bothers me so very much, that I didn't have the opportunity to tell her, before the end, how very graceful she had become...and how much I admired her for it. Because I'm not at all sure that she already knew that."

Lightning said nothing. Rarity found that she wasn't surprised. He had never struck her as a stallion of great sophistication.

She closed her eyes for a moment. "You know, I remember when we all joined Starfleet."

She opened her eyes again, long enough to see by the expression on his face that Lightning remembered it too.

"Twilight led the way, of course," she said. "And we all followed, as we so often did. We were all so eager then. Twilight especially had such high hopes but all of us, I think...perhaps we were naive, to not really understand what we were getting into. At the time it seemed like nothing more than our next grand adventure."

"I think," Lightning murmured. "I think that if you were to ask all the young people who enlist in Starfleet what they think that they're getting into, most of them would tell you that they think it will be a grand adventure. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"How many of those young mares and stallions do you think look back on their past naivety with cruel mockery, under the harsh light of hindsight?" Rarity asked.

"I...I really couldn't say," Lightning said, for all that he looked in that moment as though he was doing or had done that exact same thing himself.

"Look at our grand adventure now," Rarity said. "Sitting here talking about my feelings about the death of my friend so that you can decide if I'm sufficient uncaring of it to be sent back out to fight."

"That isn't the point of this assessment."

"Isn't it?" she asked. "Well, that's very delightful to hear, I suppose. But the point is that...the point is that I look back and I think we were such fools to get involved in this.

"War is so terrible," she said. "It amazes me that you can be so fond of it."

Rarity drummed her fingers upon the arm of her chair as she waited for the appointed moment to act.

She felt so helpless. Stuck up here in space while her friends were in peril on the ground. Unable to help them. Unable to act.

Of course, if she acted precipitately then she could render herself unable to help them in a far more permanent way than her present immobilisation, but that knowledge was of precious little comfort to her right now.

She wanted to do something. She wanted to bring the Twilight roaring out of this debris field and down into the atmosphere and save her friends. She wanted to find Applejack, she wanted to give Spikey-wikey a big hug and kiss and tell him that everything would be okay from now on.

She wanted to save Twilight, and the sooner the better.

And so she waited, and fretted, and interpreted every moment of delay as a sign that something had gone wrong.

Midnight's holographic image appeared on the arm of her chair. "Cap- Miss Rarity, more Starfleet ships just dropped out of warp. Battleship Majestic and Formidable, battlecruisers Versatile and Manticore, and protected cruisers-"

"Thank you, Midnight, I don't need a complete rundown on their names," Rarity said. "How many cruisers?"

"Seven."

Rarity scowled. The more ships Starfleet assembled the harder this would be, even with Luna's distraction. Not to mention getting out of the atmosphere again to pursuit Twilight to Luminoth.

We have to do everything we can, regardless of the circumstances.

Twilight would do the same for us, and more.

"Bridge Bunny," Rarity called across to the communications station. "What's going on down there?" She had, rather shamefully perhaps, delegated to the younger unicorn the task of listening to all of the Grand Ruler's nonsense to tell her when Princess Luna made her move. Probably she should have listened herself, but she could well imagine the sort of lies and calumnies that he was about to spew about Twilight and her friends, and she had no desire whatsoever to sully her ears with it.

Judging by the expression on Bridge Bunny's face she had made the right decision, if not necessarily the most ethical one.

"Not yet, ma'am," Bridge said. "The Grand Ruler is still speaking. It's...it's not good, Miss Rarity."

"I'm blown away by shock to hear you say such a thing," Rarity declared. "Thank you, Miss Bunny. I do appreciate this."

Bridge Bunny smiled. "It's okay, ma'am, I-" she paused, leaning forward and pressing her headphones to her ear.

Rarity leaned closer in her chair. "Miss Bunny?"

"I think...Princess Luna has just interrupted the broadcast, ma'am!"

"Put it on," Rarity said.

Bridge Bunny nodded as she flipped a couple of switches on her console. Princess Luna's voice filled the bridge.

"Good afternoon, my friends. My name is Princess Luna..."

"I think that's our cue, darlings," Rarity said, as a giddy smile filled her face. Finally, she was about to act. She could practically feel the group hug already. She pressed the button on the arm of her chair to talk to engineering. "Mister Wrench, bring the engine to full power now."

"Aye aye, cap'n!"

"Fratello, raise the shields as soon as the power comes on line."

"Will do."

"Helm, lay in a course for New Canterlot."

"Course laid in, keptin."

"All hands prepare for hostile action and atmospheric entry," Rarity said. "Midnight dear, how many seconds at maximum warp would it take for us to get from here to the edge of the atmosphere." According to best sense ships should rely on impulse power when moving around planets, but she had no desire to spend a second longer than necessary under the guns of all those Starfleet capital ships."

Midnight reappeared on her holographic panel. "At maximum warp we would collide with the surface of the planet after just nought point seven seconds. This is not an outcome I recommend. However, a three point two second burst at warp one will bring us to the closest point at which we can be sure of avoiding collision with any Starfleet vessels."

"Thank you for that timely warning," Rarity said. She opened the line to engineering once more. "Mister Wrench, once the engines are ready I want a three second burst at warp one. We'll proceed the rest of the way on impulse." The loss of the additional point two seconds was a small price to pay for the added guarantee of not ploughing straight into another ship.

"Engines are ready, cap'n."

"Shields are up, Miss Rarity," Fratello said.

"Miss Rarity," Midnight said. "I believe our power signature has been detected. Battlecruiser Renown is moving on an intercept course and I cannot hypothesize any other reason for it to do so."

"Then it's a good thing we weren't planning to hand around much longer," Rarity said, as she leapt from chair and pointed sweepingly at the lush blue world of United Equestria visible in the view screen. "Engage!"

The Princess Twilight Sparkle leapt forward like a racing greyhound out of the gate, in the blink of an eye United Equestria had gone from the main object in Rarity's viewscreen to the only object in the viewscreen, filling the screen completely as the Twilight swooped down upon the planet like a mother bird returning to the nest.

"Detecting incoming fire from multiple sources," Midnight said. "It appears to be wildly inaccurate."

"Their guns won't have been in the right positions," Fratello said. "And they'll have a tough time lining us up at this speed and distance."

Rarity's smiled widened. They could never keep up with Twilight's mind, why should they be able to keep up with her ship?

Darling, when I find you I'm going to tell you that this ship is as beautiful as you are.

"We are now in amongst the Starfleet vessels," Midnight declared, as the Twilight Sparkle began to duck and dive and weave its way amongst and between and over and under the lumbering Starfleet capital ships that stood between it and the ever growing planet that lay before them. Rarity was quite glad that the ship possessed inertial dampeners or she would surely have been quite ill.

"They're going to stop firing now, right?" Bridge Bunny asked. "I mean they wouldn't risk hitting their own ships, would they?"

"You appear to be correct," Midnight said. "All firing has ceased. However, cruisers New Baltimare, New Manehattenp/i] and New Neighfolk are all pursuing us."

"Can we outrun them?" Rarity asked.

"Not at impulse power only. I estimate they will be able to commence firing without fear of hitting friendly targets in six seconds."

The view screen on the bridge became consumed with fire, starting as a yellow flickering upon the edges of the screen before gradually engulfing the entire view as the {i]Princess Twilight began to plough through United Equestria's atmosphere like a diver pushing herself down through the water.

I don't suppose there's any chance they can't or won't follow us down through the atmosphere?

"Cruisers are commencing firing," Midnight said. "Eight inch and six inch rounds incoming."

"Well, Twilight darling," Rarity murmured, as the ship shuddered very slightly under an impact. "I suppose that now we'll find out just how good your shield really is."

"I get that I'm supposed to sit here and talk about this because talking makes things better and friends shouldn't have any secrets from one another and...and we have to...we can't...I get it," Pinkie said, as she lay on the couch in the dark, sterile room. It reminded her of being in a hospital.

She'd never liked hospitals.

"Talking helps," Lightning said stiffly. "Holding it in...it only makes things worse."

"I'll talk," Pinkie murmured. She glanced at him, Lightning Dawn, sitting over her. It was weird, but he looked friendlier now than she thought she'd ever seen him looking before. He still didn't look very friendly, but...he didn't look as though he actively disliked her either. He didn't look as though he couldn't stand being around her. Maybe he pitied her. She wouldn't mind if he did. She...she felt as though...she needed to be pitied right now.

"I'll talk," she repeated. "But...but I don't want to talk about...about her being gone." She didn't even want to think about it. Twilight's...it was like something in the corner of her eye, something that she couldn't look directly at. Something that she was always aware of, even if she didn't want to be.

Something that she couldn't forget no matter how much she wanted to.

Lightning frowned. He bowed his head. "Captain...Pinkie Pie-"

"Can I talk about how she made me smile?" Pinkie asked hopefully. "Can I talk about how, when she'd walk in, I'd get this little tingle feeling in the tips of my hooves - my fingers now, I guess - and I'd get this little smile on my face because 'Hey, Twilight's here.' Can I talk about how she always had time for me, even when she was really busy or I was being really silly, she'd always listen to what I had to say and she'd never be impatient about it."

"Pinkie-"

"Can I talk about how she was strong and so brave, but the bestest thing about her was always the way that she never looked down on anypony, even if they weren't as strong or brave or smart as she was. I always liked that about her. I don't remember if I ever told her that. She probably anyway, because she was really smart that way."

"Pinkie-"

"Can I talk about how, when I'm working in the cafe and I hear the little bell ring above the door, I always think that it's going to be Twilight coming in. And so I look up, and I get ready to smile as I see the whole place light up, and I wait for the tingly feeling in the tips of my fingers because, hey, Twilight's here. But she's not. She's not here. She's gone, and she's never coming back. And I'm never going to see her again." Tears pricked at the corners of Pinkie's eyes, within seconds they were flowing down her face. "Can I talk...can I talk about how much I loved her?" she asked, as she curled up into a sobbing ball on the sofa.

"I wish...I wish that Twilight didn't die," she sobbed. "Because she was my friend."

"We all wish that, Pinkie," Lightning said, after a moment. "For what little it's worth...I really am sorry."

Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Maud and Kitty crouched near the mouth of an alleyway not too far from the big tower that they were going to climb to the top of to meet Rarity and her ship when they arrived.

It looked a long, long, long way up to the top of it, but right now what was even more worrying was that there were still a dozen Starfleet ponies standing around at the base of that big old tower on guard, or whatever they were doing.

Still, looking on the bright side (and Pinkie Pie always liked to look on the bright side because why in Equestria would you want to look on the dark side, huh?) there had been about thirty Starfleet ponies before most of them had run off somewhere else in a big old hurry. Pinkie guessed that Princess Luna had something to do with that.

She had kind of a bad feeling about what Princess Luna was about to do, a bad feeling that she hadn't shared with anypony. Not with Dashie or Fluttershy or even her sister. If they knew what Pinkie thought was going on then...Pinkie hoped that she was wrong; she really, really, really hoped that she was wrong - because there'd been enough sadness and enough hurt and enough loss hadn't there? Hadn't everypony suffered enough? Hadn't Princess Celestia suffered enough? - then it was Princess Luna's own choice, in the end. And if you went around stopping people from doing things because they didn't make sense to you, well, then...well then she, Pinkie, would never get anything done.

And you'd be just as bad as Starfleet in your own way.

Princess Luna was doing a good thing for them. A very good and very brave thing.

I'll never forget you, Princess Luna. Not ever in all my life.

But there were still a dozen Starfleet ponies that they had to get past before they could get to the top of that tower.

"I think now would be a great time to call those zebras and their giant robot," hissed Kitty, who was crouching with her arms wrapped around possessively around Pinkie's neck.

"But if we do that, it might draw even more attention back here," Fluttershy said.

"I get what you're saying, Fluttershy, and I agree that the last thing that we need to do is get caught up in kind of battle," Rainbow Dash growled. "But there are no blindspots in their patrolling pattern and even if there were there isn't any way up that tower except the elevator inside or wings, and with just the two of us we can't carry Pinkie, Maud and the kitty-cat-"

"I have a name, you know!"

"-Up to to the top at once," Rainbow finished. "We need to get rid of these guys and...and I can't take on a dozen goons all by myself."

"But if they send for more people-"

"I know!" Rainbow hissed as loudly as she could without alerting the nearby Starfleet to their presence. "But I don't see any other options. We're going to have to risk it."

"Too much is at stake here to take risks," Maud said, softly and calmly. "I'll stay here. You two fly Pinkie and Kitty up to the top of the tower and get aboard the Princess Twilight. If any of the guards down below notice you, I'll create a distraction."

"Maud, no!" Pinkie cried in a voice which was simaltaneously quiet enough not to draw attention and loud enough to deafen those nearby (don't ask Pinkie how she did that, it was a gift). "We can't leave you behind."

"Twilight's counting on you, Pinkie," Maud said. She smiled, or as close to a smile as Maud ever got, anyway. "It'll be okay."

"No, it won't," Pinkie murmured. "We can't leave you behind to fight like, like, like Twilight. No. No! It was bad enough losing my best friend but I'm not going to lose my sister too! I won't do it!"

Maud's expression was impassive. "There's no other way."

"There's always another way," Pinkie declared. She gently pried Kitty's arms from around her neck and stood up. "Wait here, everypony, you'll all see when I'm done." She turned away and began to walk out of the alleyway.

"Pinkie! Come back!" Rainbow hissed.

"Miss Pinkie, no!"

Pinkie glanced back at them, and smiled. "Aww, don't worry girls, this is gonna be as easy as Pie!"

As she walked out of the alley and strode casually towards the Starfleet guards, Pinkie was certain of no such thing. She'd never actually done this before under real life or death circumstances. Mostly it only worked when it would be funny. But Twilight was counting on her to save her, just like everypony was counting on Twilight to save them, and so she was going to have to make this work because otherwise...because otherwise they were going to have to make a tough choice, and Pinkie had had it up to here with tough choices. What was wrong with happy endings? What was wrong with love and courage triumphing over nastiness? Why did everything have to be so grim all the time?

Well this time, Pinkie swore, love and courage WOULD win out. This part of the story WOULD be happy. They were all going to get on the Princess Twilight Sparkle together and they were going to find Applejack and Spike and then they were going to find the real Princess Twilight Sparkle and everything would be okay again, like it used to be.

That was Pinkie's promise to herself. No more tough choices.

And so she walked straight towards the Starfleet guards. It didn't even take them that long to spot her, either.

"Hold it right there!" one of them yelled, as Pinkie advanced towards them.

Pinkie kept right on walking.

"Halt!" another soldier shouted, raising his hand to make sure she got the point. Starfleet ponies converged on her from all directions.

"What are you doing here?" demanded one of the space ponies. "Don't you know that there's a...hey, aren't you-"

Pinkie closed her eyes and gave them all a great big smile. "Hi there, my name's Pinkie Pie and it would really mean a lot to me if you could all just leave here and go someplace else for a while."

The starfleet troops stared at her for a second. "You're...you're asking us to leave?" One said. "You're a wanted criminal and you're asking us to go away and leave you alone?"

"That's right," Pinkie said. "You see, I don't really want to hurt anypony."

A round of chuckling and laughter, with a cruel edge that Pinkie didn't really care for, ran around the circle.

"Okay, listen love," said one of the space ponies. "First of all it's anyone, second of all we're not going nowhere-"

"I think that should be anywhere, sarge," another space pony said. "I mean, if we're correcting people's grammar."

If looks could kill the sarge would have done it already. "Thank you, son, I'll remember that," he said. "And third, why don't you worry less about hurting us and more about putting your hands up before you get yourself shot."

"Is that your final answer?" Pinkie asked.

The sarge frowned. "Yes."

And Pinkie moved.

She didn't know how she did it. Not even Twilight had been able to work out how she did it and she was the smartest of smart ponies. All Pinkie knew was that she could do it sometimes and she was doing it right now, she could move so fast that not even Rainbow Dash could keep up with her. In less than the blink of an eye she had covered the distance between the sarge and herself and punched him so hard that his visor shattered and he was thrown backwards eight feet into a moaning heap on the tarmac.

The other space ponies stared at her.

"What in the-"

"Get her!"

Pinkie moved. She flowed like water but with the speed of air...actually air flowed too so cut that out and say that she flowed like air as she danced from one spacepony, whose legs she kicked out from under him before stamping on him, to the next who she picked up and threw at two of her comrades, to the one after that who was still trying to summon one of his weapons when she tossed him over her head first into the ground.

Like she'd told them, Pinkie didn't want to hurt anypony. She really, really didn't enoy doing this. In fact every time she hurt one of them it hurt her too, like a little of their pain was being given to her. But she did it, because otherwise they'd have to make a hard choice.

She'd made her promise. And this was her sacrifice.

A few seconds later Pinkie stood in the middle of a circle of unconscious Starfleet soldiers groaning in pain upon the ground.

Pinkie forced herself to smile for her friends as they emerged out of the alley. "What did I tell you," she said, in a voice that sounded more cheery than she felt. "Easy as Pie. Easy as Pinkie Pie, even."

"Miss Pinkie, you're incredible!" cried Kitty. "You're the strongest and the bravest and the incrediblest pony ever!"

Rainbow smirked. "Pinkie, did I ever tell you that you're awesome?"

"Probably. I have a terrible memory for compliments."

"Well, you're awesome," Rainbow said. She landed in front of Pinkie, and the smirk left her face to replaced by a frown. "But not because of this. Listen, you did a good thing here...but I'm sorry that you had to do it."

"Why?" Pinkie asked. "I'm okay."

Rainbow reached out and took her hands. "Pinkie."

"It's okay," Pinkie repeated. "It's all going to be okay."

Rainbow looked unconvinced. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it...you know where to find me."

"Fluttershy!"

Pinkie whirled around to see a space pony in a suit and a tie and an earthy pony in a kimono running towards them, both carrying swords.

"Now, I'm sure you've got a perfectly good explanation for all of this," said the earth pony in a southern accent. "But you've got some questions to answer so you'd better start talking now."

Fluttershy clasped her hands together in front of her. "So how many people have you seen before me, Lightning?"

Lightning Dawn looked tired. He looked as though he was struggling to keep his eyes open, judging by the way he kept widening them as though he could let wakefulness in that way. He also looked worn, as if his shoulders were bent under the weight of everything that he had heard already.

He scratched at his ear. "You...you're the last one, Captain Fluttershy."

"Oh, was I supposed to call you admiral? I'm sorry, I-"

"It doesn't matter," Lightning said quickly. "Lightning Dawn is fine. Anything you want is fine. I...how are you?"

"I..."

Lightning sighed. "Don't worry if you can't answer that directly. After all, that's what we're here to talk about." He paused for a moment. "You...are more fortunate than any friends."

If that were somehow true then Fluttershy was not aware of it. "I am?"

"You have Rhymey," Lightning said. "I imagine that in these difficult he is a great comfort to you. A tower of strength."

It was the kind of thing that hadn't exactly endeared Lightning Dawn to, well, to anypony in Twilight's circle; it was the kind of which probably would have infuriated Rainbow Dash if she'd been around to hear it. But Fluttershy could appreciate that Lightning wasn't speaking to be cruel, or sarcastic, or to hurt her at all. He was being perfectly sincere and, in his own way, she thought he was probably trying to be kind. Just like he was trying to be kind by assessing their grief himself instead of handing the duty over to a stranger.

It was only that...it was as if he had heard of kindness, and resolved to practice it without really understanding what it was, like watching a filly try and perform a grown-up task by half-remembered and uncomprehending mimicry. It wasn't working...but at the same time it was nice of him to try.

And so even though he was absolutely wrong about Rhymey - he could be kind and he could be loving and he could be incredibly sweet, but when it came to Twilight's death it was as if he understood Fluttershy's sorrow about as well as Lightning understood kindness; he had gotten over it already and seemed somewhat irritated by her inability to do the same - nevertheless she smiled and said, "You're absolutely right. Without Rhymey I don't know what I'd do."

"I'm glad to hear it," Lightning said, again with complete sincerity. "I...I'm very glad that...I'm glad he treats you as you deserve to be treated, and that you are as happy as you look together."

"Thank you," Fluttershy said softly. "Has it been hard for you, doing this?"

"Hmm?"

"Listening to everyone," Fluttershy said. "Having them pour out their sorrows to you."

"There hasn't been as much pouring as you might think," Lightning said. "Everyone is feeling it but none of you really want to talk about it. At least not to me."

"And what about you, Lightning?" she asked. "Who do you talk to?"

Lightning stared at her, as though her question was as unexpected as her growing an extra head. "My onerous duties do not give me room for grief," he declared, his voice hoarse. "I am a soldier, and while the war goes on so shall I battle on. Sorrow is an enemy that I shall vanquish with will and steely-eyed resolve as I have put to flight all previous foes who have dared to challenge me. In any event, we aren't here to discuss me, this isn't my assessment."

"Rhymey doesn't really care," Fluttershy confessed, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. "He doesn't feel anything for Twilight, or for her death."

Lightning would not meet her eyes. "I am sure that is not so. More likely you, a sweet mare with a gentle heart, have merely mistaken his manly reserve for an unnatural coldness. Thus will the expressive sex often misunderstand the stoic."

"I don't think you believe that," Fluttershy murmured.

"What I believe...I believe that Rhymey is a good soldier," Lightning said. "I believe that he is a good stallion. I believe that he is a good and loving partner to you." He looked at her. "If it is not so. If you tell me that it is not so...if you prove to me that it is not so then I shall not stand idly by, you have my word."

Fine words, but at the same time unhelpful ones. Rhymey was not so cruel. He never hurt her. What could she say to Lightning Dawn, that his coldness on Twilight's death left her with a creeping sense of unease? That were times when he made her skin crawl? Proof, he had asked her for, and she could prove nothing. She didn't know that there was anything to prove. She hoped that this mood of Rhymey's would pass and he would become once mroe the sweet, shy stallion that she had fallen in love with. The stallion she still loved. Until then...Lightning believed that Rhymey was a good stallion and he would prefer to believe that no matter what she said.

So would she, if it came to it.

"I know that you cared about Twilight," she said, changing the subject. "I know that you cared more than you showed. I...I know what she meant to you."

Lightning swallowed. "I do not think that that is true."

Fluttershy leaned forward. "If you want to talk about it...I'll listen."

Lightning stared at her as though she were mad. "How is it that in the midst of such sorrow you can bend your thoughts towards my suffering?"

"Am I hurting because of Twilight? Of course I am," Fluttershy said. "I'll always hurt from Twilight being gone. Always. I don't think it will ever go away. But there are other people who are hurting to, and if I ignore them just because I was in pain...that would be a little selfish, don't you think?"

Rainbow’s hands clenched into fists. “Who the hay are-“

“Rainbow, it’s alright,” Fluttershy said quickly. She placed one hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “It’s alright, I know who they are. And they’re right…I do have a little explaining to do.”

Rainbow frowned. “Who are they?”

Fluttershy let her hand fall from the shoulder of her old friend as she walked towards Lawrence and Chickpea. She held her hands out by her sides as the wind rose around her, blowing her long lilac mane in all directions.

“Everyone,” she murmured. “Allow me to introduce my brother in law, Lawrence Stirskewer, and his wife Chickpea. Mister Stirskewer, Miss Chickpea…I suppose you recognise Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie don’t you?”

Chickpea nodded. “Reckon I do, yeah. Not so sure about the other two, though.”

“Maud Pie and Kitty Snip,” Fluttershy said. She stopped walking, about halfway between the Stirskewers and her friends. “They don’t mean you any harm,” she said. “They don’t deserve to be harmed either.”

Lawrence’s eyes narrowed a little, but he said nothing. One of his hands moved slightly closer to the hilt of his long-handled blade. Chickpea glanced at him for a moment, her black hair dancing around her in the rising wind, before she turned her dark-eyed gaze back to Fluttershy.

“William’s dead,” Chickpea declared. “But then I guess you already knew that didn’t you?”

“I did,” Fluttershy said, as softly as she could speak and yet be heard in the wind. “I…I was there.”

Chickpea frowned. “They’re saying that you killed him. And I gotta tell you, Fluttershy, I am really hopin’ that ‘they’ are dead wrong about this, so if you’ve gotta an alternative explanation for why William’s dead and you look as though you’re about to run off somewhere, well, I can’t think of a better time for it than now.”

“We don’t have time for this!” Rainbow snapped. “We need to go right now!”

Lawrence’s sword leapt from his scabbard. “Now I see your wicked plot take shape,

But from a brother’s vengeance you shall not escape!”

“No, wait, there’s no need for anyone else to get hurt,” Fluttershy cried, before she rounded on Rainbow Dash. “And Rainbow Dash! Shame on you! Have you forgotten how much Twilight’s death left us all hurting? Have you forgotten how desperate we were, how wounded we were?”

Rainbow rocked back on her heels. “You…are you seriously asking me that? Really? Really? After everything…after what we’re doing now? Really? I remember exactly what it was like when we lost Twilight?”

“Then how can you not understand that Lawrence is hurting too, and desperate just like we were? How could you deny someone else what we wanted and needed so badly just because we don’t have time? How can you be so selfish?”

Rainbow’s mouth hung open for a moment, silent, with no words emerging, before she clammed it shut again. She folded her arms, and said nothing else.

Fluttershy smiled. “It’ll be alright,” she said. “This won’t take long. I promise.”

“Be careful,” Rainbow whispered.

“Always,” Fluttershy said. She turned once more, again facing Lawrence and Chickpea. “Please,” she said. “Please, Lawrence…may I call you Lawrence? Please put your sword away. There really is no need for it. Nobody is going to run away, and my friends are not responsible for Rhymey’s death.”

Chickpea sidled a little to the right, so that she was standing between her husband and Fluttershy, motioning him with one hand to lower his blade.

“Like I said, I’d dearly love to believe you,” Chickpea said. “Which is why you’d best start speaking some truths, if you’ve got them.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath to steady her trembling nerves. She had said that no one would run, but the truth was that she wanted nothing more than to run in this moments. To run from Lawrence Stirskewer and his sword and his anger. To run from all of this.

But she wouldn’t run. Twilight was waiting for her. Her friends were waiting for her. And Lawrence deserved to know the truth.

“Have you heard what they’re saying?” she asked. “About Twilight Sparkle.”

Chickpea hesitated for a moment. “We just heard. She’s alive or something. Doesn’t seem likely to me, but, well I guess I never met the real Twilight. I only saw some actor on TV, so what do I know?”

“Twilight is alive,” Fluttershy said, brushing some of her mane out of her face where the wind had blown it. “She died…but now she’s back. In a manner of speaking, anyway. It’s a little hard to explain. She’s travelling with five…other ponies. Not my friends and I. Others. I don’t know their names, but they came to our apartment. Twilight, she…Rhymey came home and found them…he panicked, and drew his sword. He…he only wanted to protect me. And one of those other ponies, he…he killed Rhymey.” Put like that, devoid of context of clones and secret Starfleet experiments and everything else that Fluttershy wasn’t sure that she had the eloquence to explain it seemed a very slight and threadbare story, like the sort of thing a guilty mare might make up if she were also a terrible liar. But add in the context of clones and secret Starfleet experiments and it became a tale too fantastical to be believed, or at least not one that she could sell to a grief-stricken brother at a time like this.

Chickpea glanced back towards her husband for a moment. “I’d like to believe you, Fluttershy. Can you prove it?”

“No,” Fluttershy said. “I’m afraid not.”

“So you’re asking Lawrence…you’re asking me to just take it on trust, and let you go when you’re the only link he has to all of this?” Chickpea said. “I like you Fluttershy, believe me I like you a lot…but that’s kind of a tall order don’t you think?”

“I can’t make you believe anything,” Fluttershy said. “I can’t force you to believe me. I can’t make you disbelieve the Grand Ruler when he says that Twilight is a traitor and a murderer even though it isn’t true, not at all. I can’t make you believe a word out of my mouth.” She hesitated. “There’s a ship coming for us soon. We’re going to find Twilight. You can come with us, her…her new friends will be with her. You’ll get the answers that you want there.” She blinked. “Or you can decide that I’m as guilty as the Grand Ruler says I am, and cut me down right now. It’s your choice.”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelled.

“It’s your choice,” Fluttershy repeated. “But whatever you decide to do, I swear to you,” she flung her arms up as the wind sent her long mane billowing back behind her. “I will NOT let you hurt my friends! So don’t you DARE draw your sword on them again Lawrence Stirskewer!”

For a moment the howling of the wind was the only sound that could be heard. Then Chickpea let out a little chuckling giggle sound as she looked back at her husband.

“And you once told me that you couldn’t understand why she was my favourite! Do you get it now?”

Lawrence’s expression was impassive, but he sheathed his sword and, after a moment, he nodded.

“We’ll be taking you up on that offer of a berth on your ship,” Chickpea said.

Fluttershy smiled. “You won’t regret it, I promise.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “You see, Rainbow Dash, that didn’t take long at all?”

Rainbow didn’t look especially happy about more travelling companions, but she restrained herself – visibly restrained herself, but nevertheless – from giving any visible sign of her irritation. “Great. Now let’s get up onto that roof and pop the smoke before Rarity wonders where the hay we are.”

The sky was dark without as Lightning Dawn walked down the central traverse of the throne room. The darkness crept in through the windows, shadows battling against the flickering light of the torches just as the ever-present and ever-resourceful powers of evil warred constantly against the vigilant might of Starfleet.

Just as the darkness in a pony’s heart constantly battled with the light of friendship.

Lightning frowned. That didn’t sound like something he would think. That sounded…it sounded more like Twilight.

Perhaps that body-swap incident they had gone through had left a piece of her behind in him.

More likely that their conversations had left their mark more permanent than any that could be made by a magic spell gone wrong.

Lightning realised that he had stopped, and in so stopping had attracted the attention of the guards who stood, silent and statue-like, down either side of the traverse. He began to walk once more, quickening his pace to make up for the momentary lost time.

He approached the iron throne of the Grand Ruler. Despite the lateness of the hour his master was there still, devoting all his thoughts towards the greater good of all ponies and the betterment of the nation and the empire. As Lightning approached, His Majesty rose from his seat.

“Lightning, my faithful student and my son, I am right glad to see you despite the lateness of the hour,” His Majesty declared, descending from the royal dais to stand on a more equal footing with him. Despite this, he still towered over Lightning Dawn as he did everyone else who was not Queen Celestia. “In this dark night you are as a ray of sunlight to my eyes. What news? Have all the members of Friendship is Magic been evaluated for their state and condition?”

“They have, Your Majesty,” Lightning said, as he descended to one knee. “Forgive the lateness, but the interviews took me some time and the compilation of my reports took longer still, I have only just completed this task and I thought-“

“Yes, yes, that I would wish to know your findings at once, you are of course correct but tell me, Lightning,” His Majesty asked. “Why did you take this burden on yourself? Other shoulders would have born it and gladly so.”

“I…I felt I owed it to Twilight to see to this personally, majesty.”
”A generous thought, and worthy of your noble race and even nobler fosterage,” His Majesty replied. “And yet somewhat wasted upon one who is passed and was not even in life worthy of consideration from such as you, to speak nothing of those who yet remain and upon whom you have, I say this in all love for them, squandered the treasure of your time with their…however it went.”

“I fear your majesty does do great wrong to one who fell most valiantly in defence of the Queen’s honour,” Lightning murmured. “Should valour not absolve many a fault more grievous than-“

“Than what? Abject stupidity?” His Majesty demanded. “Arrogance? Overweening pride?”

“I meant to say more grievous than love,” Lightning said. “It seems to me that Twilight Sparkle loved not wisely but too well.”

His Majesty the Grand Ruler stared down at him for a moment. “Perhaps. And yet to be unwise is maybe the most grievous fault of all. It casts down the mighty and lays waste whole kingdoms if it is allowed to do so. Now rise, rise! Rise, and enough of Twilight Sparkle for the nonce. Speak of your charge. What say you of her companions and their hearts? What do they suffer in her loss?”

Lightning rose to his feet. “I fear they suffer much, Majesty, and for that suffering I pity them.” He did not mention that he envied them, somewhat, that they had loved fiercely enough that they could grieve so at love’s passing. “And I fear all the more that I must recommend that all of Friendship is Magic be suspended from active duty, forthwith and indefinitely.”
”All?” His Majesty declared. “Why? What brings this on?”

“Their poor state makes in unavoidable, Majesty,” Lightning replied. “One and all they have not mastered their feelings. Having spoken with them I fear it is impossible that they could do so even if they would. It distracts them and torments them…some I fear have been broken by it and will take patience to repair if that is even possible. In the meantime…it would be cruel and dangerous and equal measure to send them forth upon the hazards of the battlefield.

“The hazards of the battlefield, indeed,” said His Majesty, turning away and walking towards one of the windows, from which the moonlight shone down. “These are hazardous times, Lightning, as well you know. Raven remains at large, and who knows when she may once more strike at my beloved queen? Sombra, too, we must keep utmost in our thoughts, an even more deadly and more dangerous foe who will doubtless seek to strike once more against us soon, reckoning us weakened and unbalanced by the loss of Twilight. Would you prove him right in that? Would you weaken our defences by full half in this time of trial?”

“Your Majesty, I believe that Lightning Squad is more than capable of defending Her Majesty’s person against Raven and combating Sombra’s next move in the event that it should become necessary to do so,” Lightning said. “And if Your Majesty in your great wisdom disagrees then there are other formations that could serve in place of Friendship is Magic. If you would assign the Valkyries-“

“The Valkyries are needed elsewhere, to serve me in especial offices of great secrecy,” His Majesty declared.

“Of course, but then perhaps Major Wonder from Conva, or…I have prepared a list of names of skilled warriors with whom I might form a second team to support my own whilst-“

“Friendship is Magic,” every word that fell from His Majesty’s lips dripped formality. “Will remain on duty. In this time we require every soldier to do their utmost, even to the very limits of their life itself. Besides, it seems to me that the cause of their unnatural grief is due in no small part to brooding over their losses. The activity of service will do them good to distract them from what they have suffered.”

“Your Majesty this is not something that can be forgotten after half an afternoon of moping about,” Lightning replied. “This…they have lost something than can never be replaced.”

For a moment, just a moment, Lightning thought he saw His Majesty smile. “If it can never be replaced then they had best get used to its absence, hadn’t they? You may go, Lightning, we are sure that you are weary at this late hour. Leave your reports, however.”

“To what purpose, Majesty?”

“We shall peruse the details at our leisure,” he said. “And see for ourselves just what torments our soldiers endure at this saddest of times.”

The now expanded party of seven stood on the roof of the great glass tower, green smoke billowing up into the air from the flare in Rainbow’s hand as she waved it up and down in her right hand.

“Come on, come on,” Rainbow said. “Come on, Rarity, where are you?”

“There she is!” Pinkie shrieked, jumping up and down as she pointed. “There she is, I see her!”

The Princess Twilight Sparkle descended out of the clouds like the arrow whose shape she bore, emerging out of the white bank to descend upon the skyline of New Canterlot as though some enormous pegasus with a bow was sitting concealed within the clouds and loosing shafts down upon the city below them.

Unfortunately, three more ships soon followed the Princess Twilight out of the cloud bank. Three Starfleet ships. Three Starfleet ships that were shooting at the Twilight Sparkle. The guns on their forward turrets blossomed with yellow fire, the boom of their guns echoed through the skies, and Rainbow could see the sonic disruption caused by the flight of the shells as they flew past the Princess Twilight to land with splashes of earth in the fields beyond the city.

For now, anyway. How long before they started landing in the city itself? How long before they started ripping through skyscrapers, crashing into houses, causing destruction and death in their wake.

“Are they really going to fire on their own city?” Rainbow asked. “Are they really going to keep firing like that when they might hit innocent people?”

As if in answer, a shell flew past the tower of which they were perched, descending downwards to land with an impact and an explosion in the street below. Thankfully there was no one there…this time.

“Every time I think that Starfleet couldn’t possibly sink any lower,” Rainbow muttered.

Her earpiece crackled. “Rainbow Dash? Anyone? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, Rarity, this is Rainbow Dash.”

“Rainbow, darling, I’m afraid I’ve got a bit of a problem.”

“Yeah, I can see it for myself,” Rainbow said. Her eyes widened as she watched a trio of shells slam into the shield at the back of the Twilight, making it ripple with turquoise energy. “Rarity, are you okay?”

“Shields are holding,” Rarity said, sounding amazingly calm in view of the circumstances. “But that isn’t really where the difficulty lies. You see, we can’t take you onboard while the shield is still up, and we can’t drop the shield right now for obvious reasons. So I’m afraid we’re in a bit of a bind right now.”

“Can you shake them?”

“Well why didn’t I think of that? Oh, yes, I did and what do you think we’ve been trying to do?”

“I was only asking, sheesh,” Rainbow said. “I mean there must be something that you can do?”

“I might be able to help with that.”

“Gah!” Rainbow leapt up into the air, wings outstretched to carry her away as she heard the voice of Lightning Dawn breathing down her neck. Sure enough, there he was, standing on the roof right behind where she had been, along with Krysta and…two four legged ponies? Neither of whom were Sunset Shimmer? What the hay?

“I’m sorry about that,” Lightning said. “I didn’t realise that I was going to end up so close to you, and then I couldn’t help but overhear-“

“Lightning Dawn, what are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked.

“Looking for you,” Lightning said, as though it should have been obvious. “We’ve been warping all over the city trying to find you.”

“Who is this we?” Krysta panted. “Please tell me that we’re done for now. You know that this gets harder the more ponies I have to carry with me, and after the sixth or seventh time.”

“You did great, Krysta,” Lightning said, looking up at his fairy companion. “You were absolute splendid. You can rest now.”

“Thanks,” Krysta gasped, descending to settle on his shoulder. “Let me know when we find Twilight okay?” She closed her eyes, and Rainbow thought that she could hear the fairy snoring.

“Twilight?” Pinkie gasped. “Did you say Twilight? Are you looking for Twilight too?”

“I’ll explain in a moment, but for now Rainbow I need you to give me your earpiece.”

“Why?” Rainbow demanded. “Why should we trust you?”

“I trust him,” Fluttershy said.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy murmured. “I…I trust him. Go on, Rainbow Dash. It isn’t as if we have anything to lose.”

Rainbow struggled mightily to keep the scowl off of her face as she descended back down to the roof, removed the earpiece from her, well, ear, and handed it to Lightning.

“Thank you,” he murmured. “Okay, Rarity? This is Lightning Dawn. Stay the course. I’m going to take care of this.” He took it away from his ear and began to play with some of the tiny buttons on the device. “Just change this frequency…standard Starfleet channels… and here we go…” He put the piece back to his ear, although not actually in his ear itself. “This is Supreme Allied Commander Lightning Dawn, authorisation code AO0C addressing the three cruisers above New Canterlot: break off your attack and stand down immediately. You are to disengage and return to station immediately, that is an order. In fact all Starfleet units in the vicinity of EchoPlaza are to stand down at once by authority of the Supreme Commander. Cruisers acknowledge.”

Lightning was silent for a moment, tilting his head a little to the left. “I don’t give a damn, captain, I gave you a direct order! Words cannot express how much I dislike having to repeat myself! Now do you want to obey me or do you want to spend the rest of your career cleaning the latrines on Conva because the latter can easily be arranged!”

Lightning took the earpiece away from his ear, and looked towards the Starfleet cruisers as they ceased firing. For a few moments they hung suspended in the air like pieces of a particularly warlike baby monitor. And then, one by one, they turned away and began to ascend back up into space.

Lightning handed back the earpiece. “There are some advantages to having a reputation as a hardass,” he observed.

“Thanks,” Rainbow said sharply. “Though you still haven’t explained why?”

Lightning said, “I know that you don’t like me, Rainbow Dash-“

“Gee, I wonder why?”

“And you have every right to dislike me, hate me even,” Lightning continued. “Believe me, there are times when I look back and I hate myself. But I’m not the pony that I was. I’ve changed. Twilight changed me. That’s why I have to find her. I need to…I owe Twilight so much, and I did so many things that I…I have to make things right with her. I have to…please, let me come with you. I know that you’re going after her, there’s no way that you’d do anything else, all of you. Please, I know that I don’t deserve this opportunity, I know that I don’t deserve anything but your scorn, I know that I don’t deserve the chance to-“

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy said gently. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“I…I am?”

“Everyone deserves a chance at redemption,” Fluttershy said. “Now, aren’t you going to introduce us to your friends?”

“Snowflame of Harmonius,” one of the ponies said, the pale one with the red mane. She gestured to the one who looked kind of like a young Celestia who had stolen Twilight’s mane. “And this is Her Highness Princess Fairgrace, of that same world.”

“N-n-nice to meet you all.”

“Harmonius?” Pinkie said. “But isn’t that-“

“My home, yes,” Lightning said. “It seems we’ve both got a story to share, if we have time to share it.”

The Princess Twilight levelled out on its approach, slowing its speed down to a crawl as it approached the high rooftop on which they stood like a train slowing as it made its approach to the platform. The ship was pretty much level with the roof in height, and when it slid to a stop it was pretty level horizontally as well. It hovered in the air just above them, the waves of air being pushed down by the engines blowing into their faces.

A hatch in the side of the heart- or arrow-shaped front section of the ship popped open, and as a ladder descended down to the roof for them a familiar face in a stylish dress and a fabulous hat appeared in the doorway.

“Hurry now, darlings, we probably don’t have all day,” Rarity called.

“Rarity!” Pinkie was the first up the ladder, or rather she decided to cut out climbing the ladder and just appear on the ship with Rarity through the same magic that she had used to take out all those Starfleet goons. One moment she was down there with Rainbow Dash and the others, the next moment she was up on the ship, enveloping Rarity into a hug.

Rainbow flew up, and barely had her feet touched the deck of the ship than she too joined the growing group hug. She wrapped one arm around Rarity and held her close, relishing the feeling of the three of them pressed together like this, the warmth, the…the contentment. This was a start. This was a beginning. This was a piece of how it was meant to me.

“It’s good to see you again, Rarity,” she said. “It’s so, so good to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Rarity sighed. “You have no idea. And to think that…oh, my goodness I can still hardly believe it.”

“You’d better believe it, cause it’s real,” Rainbow said. She felt, rather than saw, Fluttershy join in the hug, felt Fluttershy’s mane brushing against her face.

“Together again,” she said.

“Not all of us,” Pinkie said.

“No, not yet, but soon.”

“Yeah, soon as soon as I work my magic!” Kitty declared as she climbed up the ladder. “Just take me to the bridge and I’ll tell you where to go.”

“Um, who are-“

“This is Kitty Snip,” Pinkie said. “She was an enemy but now she’s a friend and she’s going to lead us straight to Spike and Applejack.”

“Uh, charmed, I’m sure,” Rarity said, as the hug broke. “And, um, Supreme Commander…fancy seeing you here.”

Lightning had flown up carrying both of his Harmonian friends. “Just Lightning Dawn will do, Rarity. I don’t deserve anything more.”

“I…see,” Rarity murmured. “Well, yes…we should go to the bridge all of us, but not for working any magic. Not at first.”

“Why not?” Rainbow asked. “Rarity, what’s wrong?”

“I…” Rarity shuddered for a moment. “I’m afraid that our escape was not painlessly bought.”

They were all stood on the bridge of the Princess Twilight Sparkle, watching as the Grand Ruler killed Princess Luna. No, no he didn’t just kill her. He cut her down. He butchered her like she was meat, like she was some kind of animal and not…not one of the bravest…as though she wasn’t…

“Damn it!” Rainbow snapped, turning and slamming her fist into the wall. “How much more are they going to take from us? How much are they going to destroy before it stops, huh? What’s it going to take to finish this?”

Pinkie sniffed. “I thought…I thought that maybe…I forgot that…goodbye, Princess Luna. We’ll never forget you, I promise. I Pinkie Promise. We’ll never forget. Not ever.”

Rarity was slumped in her captain’s chair, head bowed, tears falling down her face.

Fluttershy had turned away, as though she couldn’t bear to look any more.

Lightning Dawn looked sick. He looked as though he was going to throw up at the sight of what his beloved mentor, his oh-so-awesome Grand Ruler was capable of.

“I…I don’t,” he murmured. “I can’t…I…I…”

The young unicorn on the communications station did throw up, vomiting on the floor next to her console.

“The brutality is needless, pointless,” Fratello said. “Why…why does he have to be so savage towards her?”

“Because he hates her,” Chickpea muttered. “You need to see a whole lotta hate before you’ll see something like that.”

“Where is the honour in this?” Lightning asked. His voice was quiet, but it rose rapidly as he began to shout at the screen as though he expected the Grand Ruler to answer him. “Where? Where is the honour in this? Where is the valour? Where is the warrior code you taught me? Where is your code now? Where is your honour?”

Snowflame stared, wide-eyed, at the devastation that was being visited upon Princess Luna. It was strange, she had never known the princess, she wasn’t from this world, and yet…she was watching it with such fear in her face, and in her eyes it was like she was terrified or something. She began to shake, her whole body quivering up and down like she was having a seizure or something.

“S-snowflame?” Princess Fairgrace said. “S-s-snowflame, are you okay? Lightning, something’s wrong!”

“Stop it,” Snowflame murmured.

Lightning knelt down beside her. “Snowflame, what’s wrong, what is it?”

“Stop it!” Snowflame yelled, and she began to thrash and scream and kick her hooves in all direction even while Lightning tried to hold her down, “Stop it stop it stop it! Stop it! Papa!”

“Snowflame, it’s okay!” Lightning yelled. “It’s okay, what’s going on?”

“He’s the one!” Snowflame screamed. “I remember it! He’s the one, the one who destroyed our home! He’s the one who killed my father!”

Author's Note

One of the problems of writing so much more slowly than Legendbringer is that he spoils all of my plot twists.

I honestly came up with the idea before he wrote his version of Lightning's backstory, and I can prove it because if you go that chapter you can see me cursing my misfortune in the comments.

Anyway, on other subjects...

This chapter owes a great deal to the Season 6 Criminal Minds episode Hanley Waters; a member of the BAU died the episode before, and the action is intercut with the various BAU members undergoing grief assessments with Hotch. I saw that episode and I knew I had to something like that with this story, because...it's not just the way that everyone gets over Twilight's death in the space of half a chapter, it's the fact that they all grieve in the exact same way, by acting kind of bummed about the whole thing until Buddy gives a speech about moving on. I wanted to show everyone reacting.

Applejack and Spike will get theirs when they reunite with the gang in a couple of chapters time.

The grief assessments were actually what I wrote first, and they were what convinced me to put this chapter first; I thought that I should have Sunset and the Resistance go next, but having written some of this chapter already finishing it off was the logical thing to do.

By Luna's Light: Cerise Wonder

By Luna’s Light: Cerise Wonder

The changeling infiltrator who had taken over her identity and thrown her into one of the cells in her own prison hadn’t even had the common decency to keep her office in that state that she’d found it.

As a result, Major Cerise Wonder was somewhat grumpily putting all of her squad photographs back into their proper places on the wall when she heard the knock on the door.

“Just a second,” she murmured, as she finished hanging the Wonder Girls squad photo back on the closest hanging to the desk. Only when that was done did she look around to her see Lieutenant-Princess Twilight Sparkle standing in the doorway.

The princess came to attention as soon as she had Major Wonder’s…attention, and offered her a crisp salute.

“Please, your highness, don’t salute,” Cerise said. A thin smile crossed her features. “Damsels in distress don’t get to pull rank.”

“I’m sure that you don’t need to be so hard on yourself about that, Major,” Twilight said. “Changelings are very adept at this sort of infiltration and replacement. Wiser ponies than you or I have been taken in by them in the past.”

“Perhaps, although that doesn’t salve my pride as much as you might think,” Cerise muttered as she stalked over to her desk. “Would you like to come in and sit down, princess.”

Twilight walked into the office, but didn’t sit down. “Thank you, Major, but I’m not staying long. Captain Lightning Dawn wants to move out soon.”

“You’re returning to HQ?”

“Yes.”

“I daresay I’ll have some questions to answer once the captain submits his report,” Cerise murmured. She drummed her fingers on her desk. “Still, all the questions that will be asked deserve to be asked. I’ve gotten sloppy here. Out of shape, physically and mentally.” Not to mention spiritually.

Having already offered her reassurance, Twilight looked as though she wasn’t certain what else she could say in response to Cerise’s self criticism. She stood diffidently on the other side of the desk, looking slightly awkward as a silence began to grow between them. “Well, I should probably rejoin Lightning, I mean Captain Lightning Dawn, and Princess Cadance. It was nice to meet you, Major Wonder. I’m sorry that we didn’t get a chance to meet, really meet, much sooner.”

“Thank you, princess, I appreciate that,” Cerise said. She climbed to her feet. “You saved my life today, Princess Twilight. You saved a lot of lives today. I hope you’re proud of yourself for that.”

“Well…” Twilight didn’t look entirely at ease with the compliment. “I helped a little.”

“Spoken with all the modesty of a true hero,” Cerise said. “I can’t claim to know very much about that, but I do know that if you don’t know your own worth then the rest of the world won’t discover it of its own accord.”

“I think there’s a difference between knowing your own worth and shouting about it.”

Cerise chuckled. “Perhaps you’re right. As I said, I don’t know much humility. Thank you, once again, Princess Twilight. May I shake your hand?”

Cerise thrust out her hand, and Twilight took it with only a moment’s hesitation born out of surprise. She had a good firm grip.

“I appreciate your thanks, Major Wonder,” Twilight said. “Although…I don’t suppose your gratitude would extend to letting me speak freely for a moment.”

Cerise smiled wryly as she let her hand fall away, clasping both of them behind her back. “Let me guess, you’ve had a tour of this facility before you leave.”

“The sheer number of criminals being housed here is quite astonishing.”

“Well, we are the largest incarceration facility operated by Starfleet anywhere in its jurisdiction,” Cerise said. “It takes up eighty percent of the entire planet.”

“I would appreciate the logistical challenge that presents, and the way that it has been overcome,” Twilight said. “If it weren’t for the purpose to which it is all being put. Honestly, Major, do you think that this is necessary?”

Cerise was silent for a moment. She turned away, and faced instead the window that looked out over a great wall of cells rising up towards the planet’s surface and descending down towards it’s core: thousands upon thousands of small cells in which sentient beings were caged like animals for the duration of their natural lives. Most of them became animals long before they tasted the release of death. She could hear them even now, rattling their cages, screaming and shouting, growling and snarling and roaring. They all seemed to end up the same way. When they came in, some of them were quiet and some of them sobbed for their mothers and some of them sang sad country songs about home and sweetheart and the wrong they’d done.

But they all ended up as savage animals in the end.

And, what might have been worse, most of the guards ended up the exact same way. You couldn’t stay in a place like this, you couldn’t treat people the way that they treated the inmates here, and not have it rot your soul away to nothing in the process.

She hated this place. She’d known that for a long time but it was as if the princess’ question, simply phrased, had crystallised that feeling into something undeniable and inescapable.

She hated this place, and she wanted to get out.

And yet, at the same time, she couldn’t quite bring herself to admit to the moral depravity in which she had spent half of her career mired so deeply. She said, “I suppose that it must seem very barbaric, and I can admit that a lot of our guests here are being punished more harshly than they deserve…but we do have some real monsters here. Prisoner 61305, name Vulcan, a planet-broker and a merchant of death, his list of crimes is too long to recite. With creatures like him there’s really no alternative but constant confinement; except perhaps for putting them to death.”

“Or showing them the error of their ways,” Twilight said.

Cerise glanced at her over her shoulder. “Do you really believe that’s possible? Do you really think that hideous and sin-stained monsters can become something more?”

“I don’t need to believe,” Twilight said. “I’ve seen it happen.”

Cerise waited a moment before she looked away again. “I kind of wish that I could see that myself, princess. Of course, I’m not really sure that I should be saying that as a loyal and faithful Starfleet officer. Evil is evil, after all, and in the end we all have to pay for the things that we’ve done.”

“Do we, Major?” Twilight asked. “Forgive me for saying so, but couldn’t Starfleet itself be described as a planet-broker and a merchant of death.”

A guffaw of laughter escaped from Cerise’s mouth. “Very good princess, and very boldly spoken, too. You certainly don’t lack of courage, to speak like that to a complete stranger. You strike me as a mare of pure conscience and immense rectitude; I’m guessing that you haven’t studied my service record in any detail because if you had then I have no doubt that being in my presence would disgust you. And yet, for all of that, or even because of that, I wish that I could see with my own eyes what you have seen: monsters that have spent their whole lives in darkness touching the light and, in so touching, becoming beautiful.”

“I’m not as easily disgusted as you think,” Twilight replied. “I was taught that it matters less what you’ve done, or even what was done to you, and more what you intend to do about it after.”

Cerise turned around, to face the princess once more. “Wise words, princess. Ones that, perhaps, more of us could stand to live by.”

There was a time, Cerise reflected, when she had believed in Starfleet. There was a time when she had sworn by the code of the force: Duty, Valour, Sacrifice. There was a time when she had been willing to sacrifice everything, even her life, for the glory of Starfleet and the security of Unicornicopia.

And then it had turned out that the sacrifice Starfleet really wanted was her soul.

Major Wonder stood in her office at Starfleet HQ, located in the east wing of the palace in New Canterlot, staring at an old photograph of six ponies in uniform, grinning for the camera like it was their wedding day. She was in the middle of them, a younger mare then, still wearing the long and somewhat elaborately styled mane that would turn out to make her look a lot like Princess Cadance. Young Cerise, then only a lieutenant, stood in the centre of the picture wearing what was perhaps the widest smile of all.

She’d been so much younger then. So young, and so naïve.

Cerise Wonder had been born with a golden horn, and so it had been practically pre-ordained that she would join the Starfleet as soon as she was old enough. Her parents, her teachers, even family friends and neighbours had all pressed the option upon her with great enthusiasm. Everyone got the idea of enlisting in Starfleet pressed upon them with great enthusiasm when they were at school – unless they were such an irredeemable klutz that they were a danger to themselves and others – but Cerise got it more than most.

You have the power to defend the weak and helpless, so don’t you owe it to them to use that power in the service of His Majesty?

In truth, she hadn’t actually required all that much persuading. By the time she was fourteen Cerise had already made up her mind to enlist, she just didn’t tell anyone about it because she liked the attention that came from having everyone suck up to the special golden-horned girl as they tried to convince her to use her powers to save the world. All the boys – and some of the girls – wanted to make out with her, and those of the girls who didn’t want to make out with her were insanely jealous. She was the most popular kid in school. Eyes and whispers followed her wherever she went. Dates, gifts, you name it, she got it. She loved it. It didn’t do her ego much good, safe to say, but she loved it nonetheless.

She’d been so young then, and such an idiot. Cerise cringed looking back at herself.

And then she’d joined the Starfleet and, with that magical golden horn, it didn’t matter that her grades were below the level necessary to get onto the officer track, she’d been put on said track anyway because whoever heard of a golden-horned unicorn serving in the ranks. She’d been fast-tracked through the academy, the subject of envy and favouritism in equal measure, and she’d even come under the tutelage of the Grand Ruler himself. They hadn’t been master and student the way that His Majesty was with Commander Lightning Dawn, but His Majesty had taught her how to unlock the awesome power of the uniforce within her, how to control it, and how to wield it in battle for the good of all space ponies.

Or that was how she’d seen it at the time. She’d really drunk deep of everything that they were serving back then.

Duty. Valour. Sacrifice.

She’d passed out of the academy, and been given a squad. Six mares, including her. The six smiling mares in the picture that she was staring at. The Wonder Girls, a supremely arrogant name but nobody had complained about it.

They’d all been too good-natured to complain about the excessive arrogance that she’d carried around with her in those days.

Her magenta-eyed gaze lingered on the photograph, lingered on the ghosts that hung around it, lingered on the smiles upon every beaming face that now seemed so, so naïve.

Cressida had worn her auburn mane in braids and fought with a sword and shield in battle; she’d called herself their shield, their protector, their tower of strength. Selene had played the mandolin, and talked cheerfully of all the stories that they’d have to tell when they got home. Lesley had her salary sent home to her mother and her five younger sisters. Rika had called herself Cerise’s rival; she wanted statues raised to herself all across the empire and for everyone to be taught her name in the history books. Amber had carried a camera around with her everywhere so that they’d have pictures of their great adventure up in space to look back on fondly.

All gone now. All of them dead and all of their dreams turned to dust. All of them sacrificed in the Crystallite War.

She still wasn’t sure exactly why they had fought that war. She didn’t know what the Crystallites had really done to them. All she knew was that at time she’d believed all the stories about the monstrous, egotistical crystallites: how they used their beauty to seduce the minds of lesser creatures, how they stole gold and jewels and hoarded them for themselves, how they took over worlds to pillage of all their wealth. Like so many others, like all the young space ponies who had eagerly enlisted to fight this terrible menace, she’d been eager to get out there and do her part to keep the galaxy safe.

She’d been cock-a-whoop when the orders came for the Wonder Girls to ship out for Jemanite and take the fight directly to the Crystallites on their home planet. Dreams of glory had filled her every waking hour, and even intruded upon her sleep aboard the troop transport for good measure. She imagined wielding the purging fire of the uniforce against hordes of ravenous monsters bent on destruction and domination.

What she’d gotten was turning her uniforce upon defenceless villages, burning them to the ground while all around her Starfleet deployed its most powerful weapons against enemies who could hardly fight back, hammering them from the skies with their warships, burning a swathe across the planet as their fleet and armies converged upon the crystallite capital.

And she’d kept on doing it. Even though it made her sick, even though her dreams of glory had turned to nightmares that tormented her whenever she closed her eyes, even though she knew, she knew in her bones that what they were doing was wrong she had kept on doing it. Because she was a good soldier. Because duty, valour, sacrifice.

She didn’t even have the guts to ask the Grand Ruler to his face why they had to kill absolutely everybody in order to win the war. She’d just helped him to do it.

Gods forgive her.

Amber had thrown away her camera because nobody wanted to remember this. Selene had stopped talking about the stories she’d tell of her time with the Starfleet. Lesley couldn’t bring herself to write to her family, unable to lie to them or confess the truth of what they were doing out there. But they’d kept on fighting until…until one day they were all dead, and Cerise Wonder was the only one left standing.

The most cowardly of all of them.

She’d run all the way to Conva and hid there for twenty years, burying herself in the warden’s office in a prison deep beneath the earth, letting it tear her apart little by little, piece by piece, waiting for someone else to do something, waiting for a hero with pure intent and a clean conscience to sweep away the sins of the Starfleet and cleanse the organisation, waiting for someone else to decide that it was their problem to do all the things that Cerise Wonder wanted done but didn’t have the guts to do.

And then Twilight Sparkle died.

The shining hope of Equestria, the realm’s delight, the hero that Cerise had been counting on to change the world gave up her life and absolutely nothing changed. And that was when Cerise realised something that she should have realised a long time ago: you couldn’t just sit back and stew in your own inadequacy while you waited for a hero to fix everything. You had to pull on your big-girl pants and do your part, up to the limits of your strength and so she’d called in every favour she had left, used every connection that remained to her and gotten herself a transfer back to HQ, and then she’d made enough of a fuss to get Rainbow Dash on her team and she’d started trying to see what lay behind the curtain. She might not have achieved anything, but at least she hadn’t been sitting in the warden’s office in Conva waiting for someone else to take the needful action.

It matters less what you’ve done, or even what was done to you, and more what you intend to do about it after.

I hope you’re right about that, princess, I really do.

Cerise frowned. “I know that I’ve taken far too long to do this, girls; but I’m going to make things right. Or at least…I’m going to make things better. Or die trying.

“That…that’s about the least I owe you, don’t you think?”

She turned away, tapping her earpiece with one finger. “It should all be starting soon, are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied.

“I might not have time to say this when the fun starts,” Cerise said. “But good luck out there, Rainbow Dash. And when you find Princess Twilight, tell her I owe her a drink for saving my life.”

And tell her I owe her even more for saving my soul.

“One drink?” Rainbow replied. “When I find Twilight I’m gonna buy every drink in the bar.”

And then it started, the voice of the Grand Ruler was replaced by that of Princess Luna as she began to speak the truths that had lain unspoken for too long.

It had started, and Cerise had work to do.

She sat down at her desk and turned on the communications device mounted into same. That way she could listen to the Resistance traffic through her ear – as Sunset led a team of her allies to rescue the princesses Leilani and Celestia before they were moved as part of Operation Nemesis – and the Starfleet traffic through the desk.

“What the- what happened to His Majesty?”

“HQ, this is Warspite, is anyone else experiencing transmission issues, we’re getting Princess Luna up here and she’s-“

“Is this some kind of a joke or something? What’s going on with the broadcast?”

“Crap crap crap someone’s hacked the transmission feed! I’m locked out!”

“Attempting to sever broadcast link…no effect!”

“What’s she saying? What’s she talking about?”

“HQ, this is Manehattan Command Centre, somebody needs to turn that gods-damned broadcast off before a riot starts!”

Cerise tuned her communications to the palace internal frequency, because as entertaining as it might have been for her to listen to the complete panic engulfing Starfleet across the galaxy at this turn of events it wouldn’t really help her to complete her assignment.

“I watched as we surrendered our lands, the homes that we had built together to an invading army and I did not speak out,” Princess Luna declared on the big screen near the door.

“Did Nightmare just call us invaders?”

Show time. “This is Major Cerise Wonder of the 101st Special Service Company to all palace and headquarters units, who’s in charge out there?”

There was a moment’s pause.

“Uh, that would be me, ma’am. Lieutenant Colin Flower. All the more senior guard officers and the senior staff are attending Major Stirskewer’s funeral.”

“What are you doing about this situation, Lieutenant?”

“Um, I don’t know what I should be doing, major. I’ve had no orders from Captain Shaina-“

“If the dissidents behind this can hack His Majesty’s broadcast it wouldn’t surprise me if they can hack our communications too.” In fact, Brass Bolt should have started work on exactly that the moment that Princess Luna started broadcasting. If they could disrupt comms in and out of the palace it would make it that much easier for Sunset Shimmer and that much easier for Cerise to run interference. “We can’t expect orders from the higher ups, we’re going to have to play this by ear if we want to get through this.”

“Get through what, ma’am?”

“Pay attention, lieutenant,” Cerise snapped. “Princess Luna isn’t out there giving a speech on the weather, she’s issuing a call to arms. We need to expect an imminent dissident attack and react accordingly.”

“I, uh, right!” Flower said. “Yes, ma’am. What are you orders, major?”

Cerise brought up a holographic schematic of the palace. She mentally highlighted the areas where Sunset and her gang would want to go – Princess Leilani’s tower and Queen Celestia’s chambers – and in her mind’s eye she plotted a route to get them there.

“Pull all guards out of sectors Red Delta and Orange Tango, and focus deployment around Blue Bravo and Blue Alpha, the main approaches to the inner sanctum.”

“But there’s nobody in the throne room right now-“

“Of course not, these cowards wouldn’t dare strike when His Majesty was present, but they may look to secure some sort of propaganda victory in his absence,” Cerise said, making it up as she went along but doing so pretty convincingly in her own opinion. “Besides, there’s nothing of value in Red Delta is there?”

“No, ma’am, there’s just Millstone and I can’t imagine even seditionists being interested in her. I’ll issue the orders now.”

“Good boy,” Cerise murmured. That should clear the path for Sunset Shimmer to get as far as Leilani’s (code-name Millstone amongst the guards) room in Red Delta section, and then from there they would have to go down again, through Orange Tango and then they should be able to cut through Orange X-ray before heading down another level to Green Charlie. “Now, aside from Blue floor the obvious place for some kind of propaganda effort would be His Majesty’s own chamber in Black Lima, so pull anyone you have in Green Charlie out redeploy them there.”

“But…if I pull the guards out from Green Charlie won’t that leave Waifu unprotected?”

“I’m sure the Queen will be perfectly safe, these primitives worship her after all.”

“I suppose so, Major, okay. I’ll issue the orders.”

Sunset’s voice came over the earpiece, dripping with acid. “Waifu. Princess Celestia’s code-name, Princess Celestia, is Waifu?”

“Everyone has a code name assigned to them by the guards if they spend enough time in the palace,” Cerise said.

“I know but waifu? I mean come on! Seriously, you people.”

“Do you want to know what you’re code-name is,” Cerise asked.

“I don’t know, do I?”

“Turbulence.”

“Huh. That’s actually pretty cool.”

“It’s not supposed to be a compliment.”

“Maybe not, but it absolutely is,” Sunset replied. “Now, we’ll wait a few seconds for the guards to start to move and then-“

The desk mounted communications unit practically exploded with sound. “Command, this is admittance security, we have an unauthorised intruder loose in the building!”

Really? Were you that careless as to be seen coming in? “This is Major Cerise Wonder, what’s going on?”

“Some kind of crazy blue unicorn came in here demanding to see Colonel Glimmer, and when I saw that the Colonel has been black-flagged I tried to tell her to get lost but se wouldn’t listen. So I order security to escort her from the building, but she dropped some kind of smoke bomb and took off. I don’t know where she’s gone.”

“Copy that,” Cerise muttered. To Sunset, she said, “Sunset, what are you doing?”

“She’s not one of mine, it sounds…”

“What?”

“Sweet Celestia, that sounds like Trixie.”

“A mare with a good heart and a lot of bad luck,” Sunset said. “Can you keep them off her?”

“I’ll do my best, but I make no promises,” Cerise replied.

And so Cerise sat in her office and listened as the guards tried to track this Trixie unicorn, and cringed as that very same Trixie accidentally gave away the existence of Sunset’s group, at which point her job became a matter of misdirecting the guards so that Sunset’s resistance ponies didn’t get swamped beneath the numbers of ponies at their actual location.

And she thought she was doing an okay job of it, if success was defined as Sunset and her ponies not dying, until suddenly the desk communicator squawked again.

“This is Captain Shaina Emerald of the Royal Guard! Major Cerise Wonder has been declared a traitor to Starfleet! All orders from her are to be ignored with immediate effect! Lieutenant Flower, where are the enemy?”

“It’s not clear, captain, we have pockets in Blue Alpha, Red Tango and Orange X-ray.”

“Orange X-ray? You idiot, they’re heading for Green Charlie, they’re going after Waifu.”

Cerise leaned forward. “You know, every time you call her that the Gods kill a kitten.”

“Cerise?”

“Hey, Shaina baby, what’s up?”

“What are you doing, Cerise? Why are you betraying the fleet?”

“I’ve been betraying my conscience for yeas in the service of Starfleet; I figured it was about time that I switched things up a little.”

“This isn’t funny, Cerise!” Shaina snapped. “Your name’s been marked for death already. There’s no coming back from this.”

“Then it’s a good thing that I’ve got no intention of coming back,” Cerise said. “Shaina, speaking honestly, can you really say that you don’t have any misgivings at all about what’s been going on lately?”

“Of course I have misgivings, I’m not blind and I’m not stupid,” Shaina said. “But what gives you the right to privilege your own conscience over your oaths of loyalty, over the wisdom of His Majesty, over everything that we’ve dedicated our lives towards.”

“The fact that I have to live with the things that I’ve done gives me the right,” Cerise said.

“You think this is going to make up for Jemanite?”

“I’m not sure anything can make up for Jemanite,” Cerise said. “But as a very wise unicorn once told me: it’s not about what you did, it’s what you’re going to do about it now. So I’m doing this, and I have no regrets.”

“I can’t protect you from what’s coming next.”

“Are we going to be sparring together soon, Shaina.”

“No joy. His Majesty has something special in mind for you and your rebel friends, and I don’t think you’ll enjoy it when you see it. Shaina Emerald out.”

The communicator went dead. They must have changed the frequencies to lock her out. Took them long enough.

Cerise tapped her earpiece. “Sunset, my cover’s been blown, and from the sounds of it we don’t have much time. You need to get to Celestia and get out of there.”

“Understood, we’re nearly there- what in Celestia’s name is that?”

“What is it?” Cerise demanded.

“I don’t know, but whatever it is looks really mad.”

“Hold tight,” Cerise said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Princess Twilight, thank you…for showing me the way.

Author's Note

This chapter is here for two reasons: first it's a bit of a break after a couple of fairly hectic chapters; more importantly, Cerise has been around in this fic for a good while and yet it's never really been established why she does what she does, and so I thought it was as good a time as any to let her explain herself and her motivations.

Way back when I agreed with the person (N Harmonik?) who suggested that Roy Mustang was an inspiration for the character, and Cerise's backstory here bears the imprint of that influence too.

Next chapter will be Sunset Shimmer and her crew.

By Luna's Light: Moondancer

By Luna’s Light: Moondancer

Moondancer was still in the warehouse were Luna had brought her after Raven’s attack. She was one of the only ones still there. Technically Twilight’s friends, and some of their friends, were still here but they were about to leave soon; they were already at the door, waiting for Princess Luna to give the signal for them to leave, to meet up with Rarity and to bring back Twilight to save them all. Sunset Shimmer had gone to get Queen Celestia, that is Princess Celestia, out of the palace along with her daughter. She had taken Lightning Dust, the pegasus who had saved Moondancer’s life – and, more importantly, Twilight’s research – with her, even though she was still injured (‘Don’t sweat it, glasses,’ she’d said, when Moondancer had brought that up. ‘After all, getting hit in the head doesn’t matter when there’s nothing there to start with, right?’ And then she’d grinned in a way that was completely crazy…but kind of cute at the same time). Bon Bon had gone with them as well, bandaged hand and all.

Princess Luna was gone too, of course, taking with her Brass Bolt and a few of her guards too.

The only pony in the warehouse that Moondancer knew, and who weren’t preparing to leave to go and save Twilight, was Lyra. The rest were all Sunset’s ponies, or Luna’s guards, or the zebras working on their giant robot. She was sure they were all decent people, but she didn’t know them.

Just like she didn’t know the purple unicorn with the scars on her face and neck who stood to attention by the door of the austere grey office. She had introduced herself as Striker Sentinel, which didn’t was an unusual name and which help but remind Moondancer of the project Sentinel under which Starfleet had cloned Twilight, but she didn’t have the courage to ask if there was any connection there. Striker’s eyes were so cold, that Moondancer didn’t have the courage to really speak to her at all.

Her manner didn’t really invite conversation.

Besides which, Moondancer was supposed to be working. She was supposed to be analysing all of Twilight’s research and working out what it was that she had stumbled upon, or been close to stumbling upon, that had gotten her killed. She had to find out what was so important that Raven was determined to destroy it all.

If she could work out what the connection was between Raven and Starfleet, and how all of these disparate-seeming pieces fitted together, then she would consider herself to have done a good day’s work. Because there was a connection, there had to be. She could feel it. Maybe that wasn’t the most academic or scientific way of looking at it but then you couldn’t boil everything down to a science. Twilight had taught her that. Sometimes you had to trust your instincts, just like sometimes you had to trust your friends.

She glanced up from her work, from all of Twilight’s papers and her own notes strewn across the table in the centre of the office, to look at Lyra pacing up and down. Bandages covered the stump where her hand used to be, the hand that Raven had taken from her. They couldn’t reattach it. There was some talk that Lyra could get a prosthetic, but she didn’t have one now. She had a stump, a constant reminder to Moondancer of what was at stake in all of this, of why she had to crack this puzzle and find the answer before it was too late.

Lyra’s pacing was a little distracting, but Moondancer couldn’t pretend not to know the reason for it.

“I…” she hesitated. “I’m sure that Bon Bon will be okay.”

Lyra scowled. “I ought to be with her.”

“You’re hurt.”

“And she isn’t?”

Moondancer was silent for a moment. “I’m sure she’ll be okay. I’m sure that they’ll look out for each other.”

“All the same,” Lyra muttered. “I should be with her. Or…I know that I’m not at my best, I know I’d probably get in the way, but…I hate this waiting, sitting here, waiting for her to come back. Because I love her, you know. And so it hurts me to let her go, every time.”

Moondancer bowed her head. “If…if you need something to take your mind off it, I mean you don’t have to, but…I could use a little help with this.”

Lyra looked at her for a moment. “Sure, Moondancer, I’ll help. It’s all for the good cause, right?”

Moondancer nodded.

Lyra approached the table. “So…what are we looking at?”

“Twilight was researching the early history of the space ponies, from their own records,” Moondancer said. She shuffled around the papers layering the desk until she found what she was looking for: the introduction to a dissertation written in Twilight’s hand. “She was going to write a brief account of it all for publication, and she was considering writing a longer-form work. Her intent, as she describes it, was to explain to Equestrians how the space ponies came to be the way that they are now.”

“Okay, but how did she get hold of space pony records?” Lyra asked. “Weren’t they destroyed along with Unicornicopia?”

“Some of them, but others were rescued from the archives when the people evacuated, and others were held on other worlds,” Moondancer explained. “Most of them were moved into the palace archives, which is where Twilight had access to them. At some point along the way, her initial intent turned into something more serious. It has something to do with this symbol, the old unicornicopian rune for creation, which is also the same symbol that we end up with on our necks when we get our conversion treatments. They have something to do with it, and so do the monthly shots.”

“They’re poisoning us with the vaccines?” Lyra asked.

“Maybe, but in that case what’s the connection to space pony history, would they be poisoning themselves? And in those early years they didn’t have vaccines,” Moondancer said. “Wait…”

“What?”

“They didn’t have conversion bureaus back in those days either,” Moondancer said.

“Yeah, but they didn’t need them did they, who were they going to convert?”

“Themselves!” Moondancer cried. “Space ponies aren’t born with hands or feet any more than we are. Even the Grand Ruler wasn’t born that way, according to his own account he converted himself into a bipedal form when he had to rebuild his own body after his injuries from Nightmare Moon, and whether that’s true or not-“

“You don’t think that it’s true?” Lyra asked.

“Twilight wasn’t convinced either, listen to this…um, if I can just find it, where is it, where is it,” Moondancer shuffled through all the clutter until she found what she was looking for. “Okay, so this is from Twilight’s diary from before first contact with the space ponies: ‘Shining Armour gave me a tour of the barracks today. He’s so proud to have been made captain, he couldn’t have puffed his chest out any more if he was trying. It was great to see how popular he is with all of this troops, nopony I met had a single bad word to say about him, and in fact all of them seem to like and respect him enormously. In fact, I was supposed by how friendly everyone was, when I’ve seen the guards on duty they’re all so stoic, but I guess they just act that way because they’re working. Shining said that the barracks can be really rowdy at times. And then Twilight – because she was copying this – skips over some stuff with an ellipses and then ‘When we got to the Mess, Shining Armour showed me the Wall of Captains; it’s the back wall of the mess where the names of all the Captains of the Royal Guard are listed together with their dates of service. He didn’t admit it, but I could tell that my brother was really proud of the fact that his name is going to be up on there some day.’”

Lyra smiled. “That’s nice, but I don’t really see the relevance.”

“Twilight copied that fragment from her journal and beneath it she wrote, ‘I was looking through my old diary when I came across this. It intrigued me because I thought, looking back, that there was something funny about the names on the wall. Nevertheless, I thought that my memory could be at fault so I went back to look. Nobody uses the old Royal Guard barracks now, as the new Guard have their own facilities, and so there was no one to stop me from looking around the Mess. I looked at the Wall of Captains, and what I found was both intriguing and disturbing. His name isn’t on the wall.”

There was a second page attached to the first via a paperclip; Moondancer levitated it over to Lyra, who took it in the grip of her own telekinesis.

“Looks like a rubbing,” Lyra said. “From the wall?”

“Yes,” Moondancer replied. It was a rubbing that Twilight had made from the Wall of Captains. “Look at the dates.”

Lyra studied the rubbing that Twilight had taken for a moment. Her green eyes widened. “But according to this then the Captain of the Guard during the Nightmare Moon incident was somepony called Valiant the One-Eyed. He got the job…thirteen years before Nightmare Moon and kept it until five years after she was sealed away, have I got those dates right?”

“Yes,” Moondancer said. “Now, according to Twilight, she mentioned this and the Grand Ruler told her that, due to her excessive grief at having lost him in the chaos of Nightmare Moon’s attack, Celestia had had his name removed from all the records.”

“That doesn’t sound like how you deal with losing somepony you love,” Lyra said. “If I lost Bon Bon…” she was quiet for a moment, doubtless considering how she might well lose Bon Bon this very day. “If I lost her then I’d mourn her, but I’d remember her, too. I couldn’t ever forget her, even if I wanted to. I certainly wouldn’t cut her out of my life and pretend that we’d never met. Who does that?”

“I know, Twilight thought it was a stranger answer too, she says so here.”

“Did she talk to Princess Celestia about it?”

“No, she never got the chance,” Moondancer replied. “Besides, I’ve done some research of my own on Captain Valiant, the pony who is attested as captain during that period. Now, if the Grand Ruler’s explanation holds then you could say that he had been captain during the five years before Nightmare Moon, and Valiant was his successor, however Valiant’s career is quite well attested during the period in question: he was a pegasus from a small farming town on the Saddle Range, he was born Cloudwater because his family made a living using small clouds to water the farmers’ crops for them, but he left his home and made his way to Canterlot where he impressed the princesses enough to be admitted into the Royal Guard; he seems to have tried changing his name several times to something more martial but nothing stuck until he was commended for his bravery during the attempt by the dragon Hespera to steal the treasures of Canterlot, at which point enough ponies started calling him Valiant that the name stuck. He also lost an eye to the dragon hence ‘the One-Eyed’. It doesn’t seem to have slowed him down, though, because he won several tournaments and eventually became Captain of the Guard; he didn’t resign until he lost his wing fighting off some gryphon raiders and couldn’t carry on his duties any more. Celestia must have been fond of him because she kept him on as an advisor for many years after until he retired from public life altogether. He spent his last years in an estate provided for him by Celestia herself. And this is all documented in numerous sources of provable veracity. By contrast, all the records of Celesto’s tenure as Captain of the Guard come from after the union of our two realms. So either Celestia orchestrated a huge conspiracy to write Celesto, her one true love, out of the history books altogether-“

“Or the Grand Ruler is lying,” Lyra finished.

“Which we kind of knew already,” Moondancer admitted. “And it doesn’t get us any closer to finding out why Twilight died.”

“I don’t know, if I was an evil dictator then I might be willing to kill to keep my secret safe.”

“Okay, I can accept that argument, but that wasn’t really what Twilight was working on and if that were the case then why the need to destroy Twilight’s research? Anyway, we’ve got a little off the point which was…um…what was the point again?”

Lyra thought back. “Um…oh, right, you were saying about the conversions.”

“Right!” Moondancer said. “So, as I was saying, even space ponies aren’t born in this bipedal form. They have to get converted just like us and just like children here it happens when they’re old enough to start walking. But, in the old days, when the very first space ponies were created, they didn’t have the sophisticated methods of conversion that they have now, the technology wasn’t advanced enough, so they used magic.”

“I’ve often thought that most of what space ponies call magic is really their technology,” Lyra said. “I mean, their attacks are powered by their suits, aren’t they? Their energy is the battery on the suits; it’s not their own energy like our magic.”

“Well, it’s a little more complicated than that, from what I understand,” Moondancer said. “The short version is that space ponies do have their own magic, they just don’t use it very often. Instead, they rely upon the power of the morphing grid, which is where their weapons and the battle forms of their armour are stored when they aren’t using them. That’s why it all appears when they activate their Starfleet insignia, and it’s why the weapons appear when they call their attacks. However, the morphing grid is not itself pure technology; it’s sustained by the magic of the Grand Ruler himself, or that’s what they say and I haven’t come across anything to make me contradict that.”

“So all of the Starfleet is running off the magic of this one guy?” Lyra said. “That’s…sweet Celestia he’d have to be…I mean…how powerful is he that he’s got everyone drawing down on his magic and he’s still as powerful as Celestia? And why, why not just let the space ponies use their own power.”

“I would have thought that that was obvious,” Striker said.

Moondancer jumped, she’d honestly forgotten that the other unicorn was there. “W-what do you mean?”

“Control,” Striker said. “By keeping the Starfleet tethered to his power, power which I presume he can withdraw at will, he keeps it firmly under his control. Thus he ensures that all must obey him, and none can rise up. If they tried…they would be rendered absolutely powerless, wouldn’t they? Or rather, they would be thrown upon the resources of their own magic, a magic which he has ensured they are not taught how to use and probably cannot even begin to understand before they are hunted down and killed by his loyal servants.”

Lyra shivered. “That’s a cynical assumption but I guess you’re right.”

“It would explain why even Equestrian ponies are encourage to rely upon their armour, and why unicorns joining Starfleet are taught to fight hand to hand rather than with magic,” Striker said. “Grand Ruler dislikes any source of strength he cannot control.”

“Like Twilight’s strength,” Moondancer murmured. “Now, in the present time the conversion technology runs upon a similar principle to the morphing grid, in that the nanites with which we’ve been injected all contain a trace of the Grand Ruler’s own magic to animate the process.”

“We’ve all got a piece of his magic in us?” Lyra asked. “Ugh.”

Moondancer nodded. “But before that, the records say that the Grand Ruler would do it himself, in batches, and it uses this symbol, the same symbol that has been given to us, this creation rune. I’m sure that this has something to do with it but if Twilight had figured the answer out she didn’t say there’s just this word ‘reverse’ underneath the picture and I don’t…”

“Moondancer?” Lyra asked. “Are you having a brain-wave or something?”

Reverse, Moondancer thought, as her eyes widened behind her glasses. Reverse, does that mean that the spell can be reversed; is that what you’re getting at, Twilight? Or do you mean that…reverse the rune.

Moondancer reached for her reference on space pony runes, flipping the rune of creation over so that she could see what it looked like in reverse. She thumbed through the book until she found an image to match.

Absorption. A rune used in spells that involved draining life or energy or magic out of animals or plant life, now rarely used.

But then that would mean…

Is that it? Is that what you’d figured out, Twilight? Is that why you had to die?

Is that the true power of the Grand Ruler?

“Moondancer!” Lyra snapped. “What are you thinking?”

“It’s a two-way conduit,” Moondancer declared. “When ponies get converted into this form, a little pinch of the Grand Ruler’s power is used to start the process of conversion and this rune, this mark of creation, is a part of that spell. But it doesn’t just mean creation, it stands for absorption too once the rune is reversed. And once the pony dies, then spell itself goes into reverse and all of that power, all the energy and magic that they possess it flows straight back to the Grand Ruler.”

“So...so what you’re saying is that when we die, when anyone dies, that just makes the Grand Ruler stronger?” Lyra demanded.

“Provided that they’ve been converted, yes,” Moondancer said.

“But then that…is that why there are so many wars?” Lyra asked in a tone aghast with horror. “Is the Grand Ruler deliberately sending his soldiers to die just to strengthen himself?”

“He got stronger when Twilight died,” Moondancer murmured. Since the Grand Ruler got stronger when everyone died that was a statement of the obvious, but she said it anyway because it seemed especially wrong, somehow, that he could so directly benefit from the death that he had commanded in order to keep his secret. “She was close to finding out and so he killed her and he got stronger because of it. Twilight’s power is his now. All of our power will become his when we die.”

“No wonder he can sustain all the power of Starfleet single-handedly,” Lyra said.

“There has to be more too it,” muttered Striker. “I mean to say that as bad as it sounds, you could explain it if you wanted to: a perhaps regrettable but unavoidable side-effect of the conversion process. You could even argue that, since the ponies are dying anyway, it’s not actually doing anyone any harm. Is it really worth killing over?”

“You don’t think that’s bad enough?” said Lyra.

“I’m not sure, now that you mention it…” Moondancer murmured. She stared at the two symbols. Creation. Absorption. The second one, considering that she’d only seen it a moment ago it looked very familiar, but where had she-

“A map!” she cried. “I need a map. A map of space, of everywhere ruled by Starfleet.”

Together, she and Lyra were able to find just such a map after a few minutes of searching, and placed in top of everything else that was already laid out on the table.Moondancer gripped a pencil tightly in her fingers, even as she used levitation to hold a second pencil so that she could get this done faster. She began to draw lines, connecting the various planets together, the worlds around the edges of Starfleet’s territory, and the world in the interior, all bound together by the lines that she drew.

The lines that made up a rune of absorption.

“It’s a spell,” Moondancer whispered. “The entire empire is one giant spell for absorbing all the energy from everyone inside it.”

“But…those are just lines you drew,” Lyra said. “Don’t they need to be real in some way?”

“The dimensional paths,” Moondancer said. “When the time is right, they’ll form the lines. And then…and then it would need something to trigger it, but we’ll all be caught up in it. The Grand Ruler will absorb us all, on all these planets. There’ll be nothing left…but him.”

Lyra staggered backwards, recoiling from the very idea. “But…but why? Why would he do something like that? Why would he want to…isn’t it enough that he rules over so many people but now he wants to kill us all so that he can, what, become god or something? How…how in Equestria are we supposed to fight something like that? Not even Twilight could fight something like that he’s too, he’s too strong…if he ever got serious…how are we supposed to fight that?”

“We have to have faith,” Moondancer said.

“Faith?” Lyra said. “Faith in what?”

“Faith in ourselves, maybe,” Moondancer said. “Faith in one another, faith in all of the things that Twilight had faith in: friendship, loyalty, kindness, all the virtues that she lived and let her win time and time again. Twilight was wonderful, but not because she was really strong even though she was strong. Twilight was wonderful because she was kind and brave and righteous and honest and so full of so many virtues. That’s why I loved Twilight, that’s why her friends loved Twilight, that’s why everyone loved her. And that’s why…that’s why she was able to do everything she did, a magic more magical than magic if that makes any sense, the magic that I never bothered to learn until she shared it with me after all those years. And we have to remember that, and have faith in that. I know it sounds sappy and silly and it probably sounds really naïve and stupid when I talk about it compared with how strong the Grand Ruler is and how powerful the Starfleet is, and I know that we’re never going to be as strong as him or as powerful as them…but if we have faith then…

“I don’t know. I don’t know if we can win. I don’t know if we’re inevitably going to lose, if it’s our destiny to lose. But I do know that…that if we give up then we’ve already lost, and so I’d rather have faith that we can win somehow, even if it is faith in something sappy and silly and stupid-sounding because…because I think that’s what Twilight would want us to do.”

Author's Note

So when I said that Sunset was next I honestly did mean it. I even wrote a thousand words of Sunset (albeit mostly just describing the six ponies that she brought with her) and then I cut to Moondancer and wrote this section, ending on that slightly hesitant cri de coeur, and decided that it could stand on its own independent from what Sunset was up to at the same time.

This is the part of the story where I begin to pull back the curtain and reveal what is going on, what are the plans of the Grand Ruler and his allies and why is he so evil all the time; you still don't have the full story but you have much more of one than you did before.

There's a clear Fullmetal Alchemist influence on this which I won't insult you by trying to deny.

By Luna's Light: Celestia

By Luna’s Light: Celestia

“She doesn’t want to see you.”

Lightning looked down at the quadrupedal pony in front of him. It was a little strange to think of her, the pony who retained her natural form, the form that she had been born with, as though she were the strange one, but there it was. In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed pony was a freak.

And there was too much blindness in United Equestria.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean…perhaps later-“

“She will not see you,” Sunset Shimmer repeated, as though he were too dense to get the message.

He probably was. He’d certainly proved his density in other respects.

“Never?” Lightning asked.

Sunset stared at him, and did not speak.

“I was her friend, you know,” Lightning said, feeling stupid and petty for saying it but at the same time unable to stop himself. “I know you might not think so, and I’m not saying that it was always so…but I was her friend. I cared about Twilight, a great deal.”

Sunset Shimmer looked up at him, her gaze even and inscrutable. “Admiral Lightning Dawn, do you like flowers?”

Lightning blinked. “Flowers?”

Sunset nodded. “Yes, flowers.”

“I…I suppose,” Lightning muttered. “I mean, I appreciate the work that Buddy puts in to growing some of his exotic blooms, and…I’ve given bouquets of them to Starla a few times…yeah, I’d say I like flowers. I don’t mind them, for sure.”

“Uh-huh,” Sunset said. “And what do you do with these flowers that you like and give to your fiancée? How do you treat them?”

Lightning shrugged. “I put them in a vase and leave them until…” his mouth dried up as he realised where Sunset was going with this.

“Go on,” Sunset insisted.

“I…I put them in a vase and leave them until they die,” Lightning said. “And then I throw them away.”

“Without a second thought,” Sunset said, her voice like ice. “Prin- Queen Celestia will not see you.”

“I see,” Lightning murmured. Put like that he could hardly blame her. I cared about Twilight. I cared so much that I threw her into the fire time and again until there was nothing left. “I understand, Miss Shimmer. I’m sorry for wasting your time. Please convey my condolences. I hope that she feels better soon.”

Celestia knelt on the floor of her chamber and wept.

She wept for her dear sister Luna, who had left her behind.

She wept for Twilight, as a daughter to her, slain and taken far too soon.

She wept…most of all she wept for herself.

She wept for all her losses, for all that she had endured…and for all that had been taken from her.

Once she had been content, not without melancholy but, at the same time, not without hope either. She had hoped for the salvation of her sister and, in the mean time, she had been content. Content to rule, to teach, to see her land prosper in peace and harmony, content to search for promising students and guide them to the fulfilment of their potential.

Content to love those students, the children she had believed that she would never have.

They had not been days of unalloyed bliss; Sunset Shimmer, her Little Sun, had turned away from her, or rather she had been driven away in exactly the same way that Luna had, if with less fearful consequence. Yet Celestia found that, when she thought back to those days, in spite of all troubles that might have been they yet gleamed silver in her imaginings. Equestria had been peaceful; Equestria had, if she said so herself and with all due immodesty, thrived under her rule. And if Sunset had departed, well…there had been Twilight, not as a replacement but as a second chance; a chance that Celestia had seized with eagerness.

A chance to tutor a bright and eager young mare, a chance to watch her grow, a chance to love her.

And then Luna had returned and everything…everything was golden then. For a few short years, with Luna once more by her side and Twilight thriving out in the world and even Sunset grown into a hero and a fine young mare then, in those days, Celestia could call herself truly happy.

She had been blessed with more than she needed to be happy.

Those golden days had ended far too soon. First Titan had brought war to them, and afterwards Celesto had brought a kind of rescue and security that owed as much, to Celestia’s mind, to a protection racket as it did to an alliance.

And he had brought his story of a secret history between them, a star-crossed romance, a prominent place in the history of Equestria for himself. All lies, of course. Celestia had not believed it for an instant. She remembered the names of everypony who had ever served her, and she did not remember a Captain Celesto of the Royal Guard. Certainly she did not remember falling in love with such a pony, and she surely would not have forgotten that.

There had been suitors, of course, when she was younger: ponies of good and noble family, rulers from distant lands; they had brought gold and jewels to lay before her but, in truth, the suit that she had favoured most out of all (which was not to say too much, being only relative) had come from a zebra bandit chief, a brigand leading a mere score of followers, who had sworn to her that one day all zebras would bow before her. She had enjoyed his company, for he was a merry sort of rogue so different from the stuffiness that even then had clung about the court, but in the end she had sent him on his way like all the rest.

Within twenty years he had made himself the first King of Zebrica, in which guise he had suited after her again.

She had refused all offers, never seriously entertaining any of them; she had never felt the need to wed, to give her heart to another so completely. Bad enough to watch her students grow old and die while she remained unchanging, but to watch a husband suffer the same fate…too cruel, for both of them.

So the idea that she had at one time been engaged to this three-horned unicorn rang so false with her as to be unbelievable. The notion that Luna had been motivated in her fall by envy of Celestia’s grand love affair was practically insulting. The idea that Celesto was an Equestrian, that he had played a conspicuous part in the struggles with Sombra and with Nightmare Moon…all lies, she had seen that from the instant that she was told of them.

And yet she had indulged them nonetheless.

She had pretended to remember him, pretended in public to resume their star-crossed love affair; she had taken him to wed and suffered for so much of her power and authority to be stripped away from her, her public image degraded from that of ruler to that of the ruler’s wife; she had even given up her body to him in the marriage bed, and born him the children she had never thought to bear out of her own body.

She had done all of that for the sake of her people, for fear that if Starfleet and the space ponies were not given land then they would take it for themselves.

For the sake of her people she had endured the attentions of a stallion whom she did not love, and who treated her body as though she were a doll in his possession to be used according to his will.

For the sake of her people she had suffered first one daughter to be wrenched away from her and then the second to be killed and she had not protested either injustice as she should have done or would have liked to do.

For the sake of her people she had allowed herself to be made a prisoner in her own palace.

For the sake of her people she had submitted to Celesto and his Starfleet and allowed both to run riot across United Equestria.

Now, perhaps, it was finally time to admit that she had made the wrong choice.

For how could the right choice have cost her so much. Pride, power, authority, self-respecting, daughter, daughter…sister.

All gone. All taken from her.

Her jewels had all been stolen away.

These are my jewels, she had said to Celesto once, in the early days of their marriage when he had sought to buy her affection with an extravagant necklace that she had decline. She had gestured to Twilight and her friends, These are my jewels, the mares who never failed to make her proud of them; them, Luna, Cadance, all her little ponies working hard and doing their best…she took more pride in them, and more pleasure in their accomplishments, than any baubles could have given her.

These were my jewels, and one by one they were taken away from me.

Celestia stopped crying. She had run dry of tears. Tears for Twilight, tears for Luna, tears for all the dead in all the wars, tears for all the small towns and tiny hamlets that were half empty now because the young ponies had gone to war and never returned, tears for all the streets where ponies broken in body and mind struggled to recover from the horrors they had seen and the even greater horrors they had committed, tears for every pony whose destiny had been cut short, who had dreamed of being more than a soldier but had found all other doors slammed shut on them. Tears that she had shed openly, tears that she had been forced to hide for decorum’s sake. Tears, tears, tears, so many tears. So much loss, so much pain. So many tears that there were no more left. Her reservoir of sorrow had been run dry.

All that was left now was anger.

Anger might even be too mild a word for how she felt right now. She had been stripped of everything, dethroned in all but name, powerless to watch the transformation of her country into a mockery of itself, robbed of her daughters…and now even Luna, even her beloved sister, who had been beside her from the very beginning, had been taken from her?

If these were the fruits of endurance then she would endure no more.

Instead, she would show them just the world and her husband and all his proud and puffed-out warriors just how badly they had hurt her.

For all that they had taken from her she would give them her wrath, and it would pay for all.

Celestia rose to her feet, and as she rose she let out a great howl of pain and anguished fury, a howl that contained within it all of her pain, all of her loss, all of her frustration, all of the wrath that she had ruthlessly concealed behind a mask of calm serenity, all of the grief and the shame and the hate. The hate most of all. Hate for Starfleet, hate for her husband, hate for the arrogance of the space ponies, hate for the cruelty and injustice of a world that would take her sister and her daughter while leaving the likes of Celesto and Lightning Dawn alive…hate for herself most of all, for allowing things to reach this pass.

She howled in anger, and as she howled Celestia burned. Flames rose form her coat, they engulfed her mane, they spread out from her every orifice as they incinerated her clothes and ignited the carpet and the furnishings and spread out across the room until the whole chamber burned. The wise and patient queen, so full of calm and good humour, was gone.

In her place stood a demon sprung from the abyss, a creature of fire with wings of shadow, with a blazing mane of cold blue fire that danced around the crimson flames that rose upon her skin.

Celestia howled in anger, and on her mind was but a single thought.

Burn them all.

As Celestia…no, no this wasn’t Celestia. This was not Sunset’s teacher, so endlessly calm and patient, so willing to lend a sympathetic ear, her shoulder always there to lean upon. This was not the princess that Sunset remembered. She had never seen anything like this. She had never seen Celestia this angry, not ever, not even when Sunset had really crossed the line had Celestia ever become…this.

This was not Celestia. This was a nightmare born of abuse, a creature born out of pain and suffering that could not be held in any more. This was the consequence of a good mare pushed too far, her face ground into the dirt for just too long. This was what happened when the underdog bit back.

And it was terrifying. As the nightmare strode out of Celestia’s chamber, with flames broiling around her like the waves of a stormy sea, consumed with fire in a myriad colours, Sunset’s heart quailed. She shivered in fear and could not stop herself. She found herself retreating.

“Leilani, close your eyes and look away.”

“Why?”

“Do it,” Sunset commanded. I don’t want you to remember her this way. She wouldn’t want you to remember her this way…if she were herself.

Lightning Dust looked as if she was fighting the desire to run. “Is…is that?”

“Don’t say it,” Sunset said.

“Sweet sister,” Lightning Dust muttered.

“Not so sweet any more, looks like,” Bon Bon replied.

Princess…why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me things were going this badly? I…I never realised.

Sunset cursed her own naivety. She’d thought that she was so smart and so sly, sneaking around and making her plans without any reference to Celestia at all; she’d thought that she was protecting Celestia by leaving her out of it, but all that she was really doing was leaving her princess without any hope at all. If she’d only said something, if she’d only let Celestia know that there was cause to hope…would it have been enough? Would it have been sufficient to overcome all the grief and the pain and the blood and everything that she had suffered?

Maybe not, but Sunset should have made the attempt regardless. Instead…instead she had assumed that everything was, if not okay, then…she had assumed that Celestia could bear it because Celestia always bore it, she bore everything without complaint or hesitation, she didn’t even flinch. Sunset had thought that Celestia could take everything the world could throw at her because she always did. Sunset had forgotten that the endlessly calm and compassionate teacher was a mask that Celestia wore, she had forgotten that there was a mare beneath who was losing hope.

The mare who raised the sun had lost all those who had brought any sunlight into her own life, and the result now stood before them bellowing in rage.

You should have told me, princess. No doubt Celestia had wanted to keep up the mask as much as Sunset had believed in it. She hadn’t wanted to burden others with her problems.

So we were both as foolish as each other then.

“Everyone,” Sunset said. “Stay close to me.”

“Why?” Lightning Dust asked.

“Because shields are easier to maintain the tighter the circumference, now stay close.”

Celestia roared in pain and outrage as the flames leapt higher all around her. Starlight was gone, fled it seemed from the presence of an enemy who was beyond her power. Did that indicate that she was more than just a mindless puppet? If self-preservation instinct lingered, did anything else linger too?

Something to think about at a time when their troubles were less immediate, perhaps.

And then Celestia spotted Cerise Wonder, a space pony in a Starfleet uniform.

This isn’t good.

Celestia bellowed out all of her wrath as an inferno raced down the corridor, climbing the walls and sweeping along the floor and the ceiling like a pack of ravenous wolves bent on devouring all in their path.

Sunset threw up a shield around them all: herself, Leilani, Bon Bon, Lightning Dust, Trixie, the injured Scoop Story…and Cerise Wonder. Even if she was the target of Celestia’s rage Sunset couldn’t leave her out there.

Especially because she was the target of Celestia’s rage Sunset couldn’t leave her out there.

Celestia’s shout became louder and more furious as the flames lapped around Sunset’s shield like waves around a rock jutting out of the ocean. They rose up over the shield as if they meant to bury it. They beat upon the shield like hammers.

And all the while Celestia roared.

“Princess Celestia, please!” Sunset cried. “It’s me, it’s Sunset Shimmer. You don’t need to do this! This mare is not your enemy.”

Judging by the way that Celestia kept screaming, she wasn’t inclined to believe her. She would have, Sunset was sure, if she had been thinking clearly. The Celestia that Sunset knew would never judge anyone by their race. But this wasn’t the Celestia that Sunset knew. This was someone driven entirely by a rage they had been holding in for too long and wanted blood.

Or ashes, at least.

Sunset gritted her teeth as the flames pressed against her barrier. It was so hot, she was already starting to drip with sweat. The strain of maintaining the shield was already starting to tell on her.

“Princess Celestia,” she shouted. “Princess, please. We’re not your enemies. We’re here to help you!”

She didn’t listen. Sunset wasn’t even sure if she could.

And then, through the flames, Sunset caught sight of a flash of blue. Not blue fire, although there was some of that emerging from Celestia’s rage, this was a simple light, a gentler blue, which moved like mist of a whiff of cloud. It danced through Celestia’s fire without being affected by it, it passed through Sunset’s shield as though it wasn’t there, and then the blue light cloud touched the tip of Sunset’s horn.

Sunset didn’t have time to cry out or exclaim or do anything before she was engulfed in light.

She felt nothing, she saw nothing but the white light all around her.

Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset’s head darted this way and that, but of course she saw nothing, nothing but blinding light all around her. “Princess…Princess Luna.”

This is my last gift, Sunset Shimmer; my last and greatest gift to Equestria.

“I don’t understand.”

I bestow upon you all my power, to wield for the good of this world.

“But…that means that-“

It was always likely to end this way. I am not unprepared. For the young, taken before their time, death is a tragedy. For the old, for those of us who have been blessed with long lives and sufficient warning to put all of our affairs in order, death is another grand adventure.

Sunset bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”

For what do you regret? I have stripped away the mask of the Grand Ruler and revealed Celesto for what he truly is, I have roused the little ponies of Equestria to defiance, I have…I have done my part. Now you must do yours, Sunset. Take my strength and use it well; protect Celestia, save Equestria.

“Princess…I don’t know if I’m worth of this gift.”

If what I hear of your adventures in the human world are true then you have more than proved yourself. You will do very well, I have no doubt. I have only one small request.

“Anything.”

Tell Celestia that I’m sorry, but I could not wait. This…this was the hardest path I could have chosen, but it was also the only path that led to salvation.

“I will tell her,” Sunset said solemnly.

Thank you. I am afraid that I must leave the rest to you now. Farewell, Princess Sunset Shimmer.

The light faded around Sunset, and she stood once more beneath the protection of her shield, engulfed by flames.

“Um, Sunset,” Bon Bon said. “Where did those wings just come from?”

Sunset glanced at her flank. A pair of amber wings sat folded against her sides.

Princess Sunset Shimmer.

It would have been enough to make her laugh. She had so wanted this once. She had craved it, and all the power and recognition that went with it. She had been willing to do anything to anyone to reach this point.

And now…now that she’d gotten there, now that her childhood dream had finally come true…all that she wanted to do was weep.

Princess Luna, I swear…I won’t let you down.

Sunset blinked back her tears and looked up at the looming, burning figure of Celestia before her.

She felt less frightened now. Whether it was Luna’s strength or Luna’s will that gave her courage, something was making her braver. Her voice, when she spoke, was surer and more decisive. “Princess Celestia, you have to stop this!”

“Why?” the voice that emerged from Celestia’s mouth did not belong to Celestia, it was something else, something raw and angry and almost demonic, spitting out a single word with so much effort as if talking were a struggle for her now. Every word that followed was the same, heavy and leaden and forced out with toil and struggle. “Why should I not burn them all?”

“Because they’re not all guilty,” Sunset said. “Because this isn’t you, because you know that this is wrong!”

“Not me? Not me? Look at what being me has cost me!”

“Look at what it gained you first!” Sunset cried. “Do you think this thing that you’ve become would have been loved as Celestia was loved? Is this…is this how you want your daughter to think of you? A raging monster?”

Celestia recoiled, and in those eyes of burning red Sunset thought that she could see a trace of the old Celestia that they all loved so well.

Sunset could feel Leilani’s fingers moving through her mane. “Mommy? Mom, is that you?”

“Leilani?” Celestia said, in a voice halfway returned to her old self. “Child?”

“Yes,” Leilani said. “Yes, Mom, it’s me. It’s Leilani.” She climbed off Sunset’s back and walked forwards, towards the edge of the barrier, heedless of the flames that danced all around.

The little princess confronting the fire demon. The thought came to Sunset in a flash, and brought a faint smile to her face as she remembered all the stories that she had told the girl.

Leilani was not afraid, because she believed Sunset when she told her that most demons were simply sad and lonely creatures in need of compassion.

Like Sunset had been.

Like her own mother was now.

“Please, Mommy, let me help you,” Leilani said, holding out both hands. “Let us all help you to make this better.”

Celestia stared down at her for a moment, and as she stared the fires all around her died, retreating charred walls and half-consumed floor tiles, withdrawing from the ceiling. The flames that danced upon her coat died down, the fire in her mane vanished, her wings of shadow became wings of radiant white once more.

The hatred in her eyes disappeared, replaced by the kindness that had been there before.

Sunset dropped her shield as Celestia fell to her knees before her daughter.

“Help me?” Celestia murmured. “Yes. Yes, I am in need of help now.”

Leilani ran to her mother, who took her in her arms and held her close.

“Oh, my child,” Celestia said. “I’ve wanted to see you for so long. I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too, Mom,” Leilani replied. “But we’re together now, although…Sunset says that everything isn’t going to be alright just yet.”

Celestia nodded, looking at Sunset. She didn’t mention the wings.

“I’m afraid Sunset is quite correct,” she said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Author's Note

The idea that Leilani would be the one to talk Celestia down came to me very late; originally Sunset was going to do it but once i spotted the paralells that I had drawn to Sunset's stories about her own redemption and that of Sci-Twi...having the actual 'little princess' get her moment seemed the obvious thing to do.

Plus it means that Leilani actually does something other than be a cute kid and a morality signifier for other characters.

What was always planned, or at least always from the moment that I decided that Luna was going to die, was that she would pass her power on to Sunset in much the same way that all the other princesses passed thier powers to Twilight in the S4 finale. I havered a bit on having her become an alicorn before deciding to go with it. Because alicorn Sunset is cool and she deserves it.

Luna called her a princess, but she might not actually take the title up, I haven't quite decided yet.

One more chapter and we are done with this section of the story and then it's on to Applejack and Spike.

By Luna's Light: Aftermath

By Luna’s Light: Aftermath

A little way from New Ponyville, in the hills just north-east of town, there was a cave. It was not a huge cave, although it led sufficiently far in that the back could not be seen from the entrance, and the light of the sun did not penetrate far enough even on the brightest day to illuminate the recesses. If you were to go into this cave, and walk past the stalagmites and stalactites that grew from the floor and ceiling, then at the very rear of the cave, hidden amongst the shadows, you would find what looked like a statue. A rough-hewn and inelegantly carved statue of two unicorns, the mare with a sword at her hip and the stallion dressed in rags, both of their knees and locked in embrace. Their foreheads are touching, and their hands are upon each others shoulders. They looked affectionate, but there was also something sad about them too, something about their pose speaks of grief and tragedy.

And if you were to go into that cave on the day that Princess Luna died and watch, you would see cracks start to appear on the statue of the two ponies, and a faint blue light shine out from within.

Because it is not a statue.

The cracks spread across the two, rippling upwards from the ground like tremors rumbling through the earth, each crack glowing with a light that increased in intensity until at last, with a great burst of light, the stone shattered outwards completely, revealing the two ponies who had been encased within.

For a moment they were as still as if they had been a statue in truth instead of mere appearance, and then the stallion opened his eyes. "Faye?"

The unicorn blinked. "Royce, you...we're out? The spell has been broken."

"It was always supposed to," Royce said, as a smile spread slowly across his features. "When it was safe."

"Safe," Faye, who had been known as Phaedra when she fought in the service of King Sombra, murmured as if the word were somehow unfamiliar to her. "Safe...but then that means..."

Royce's smile broadened until it was illuminating his whole face. "We're free, Faye."

"Free," Faye said, slowly and softly. And then she was smiling too, as bright as Royce. "Free!" she cried, as Royce took her in his arms and held her close.

"Yes, free," he said. "Free of all of them."

"I wonder when it is," Faye said. "I wonder how long it's been."

"It doesn't matter," Royce declared. "So long as we have each other nothing else matters. We're finally together, just as we were always meant to be."

Faye kissed him, on the lips and on the nose and anywhere else that she could reach. She had loved him since was a girl, working in her father's flower shop. She had given her heart to him, and received his heart in return. But his parents, wealthy and snobbish and disapproving, had contrived to keep the two of them apart and, in so doing, had convinced her that his love had only ever been a lie. Despair had made her flee from home, and loneliness had made her mad; madness had made her an easy mark for Sombra as he recruited servants amongst the discontented and the broken. He had given her power and she had fought his battles, even after she had learned that Royce had never betrayed her, but rather been as betrayed as she.

She just hadn't been able to see any way back from what she'd done.

It had been Pinkie Pie, and Princess Twilight, who had shown her differently. They had shown her mercy when she was at her most vulnerable, convinced her that she didn't have to be alone and hurting any more because there was someone who was still willing to love her after all that she had become.

But they had bigger problems than his parents by then. To protect her from Starfleet, to be with her at last, Royce had cast a spell upon them both encasing them in stone until it was safe, until they could be together. Until they could be free.

That time, it seemed, was now.

The two of them left the cave, hand in hand, and blinked at the harsh light of the sun that had become so unfamiliar to them in their stony confinement.

"So," Royce said. "Where do we go from here?"

Faye stared southwards towards New Ponyville.

"Faye?" Royce asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," Faye murmured. "But I have...I suppose that you could call it a feeling."

"What kind of a feeling?"

Faye smiled at him. "I want you to stay here for just a little while. I'm going to head into town, see if I can speak to Twilight or Pinkie, maybe one of their friends and see what's going on."

"You don't know how many years we've been trapped, they might all be old or passed away by now," Royce said.

"Then I'll find that out when I'm there," Faye said.

"I don't want to wait," Royce said. "I lost you once; I don't want to risk losing you again."

"You won't," Faye insisted. She kept on smiling as she stroked his face. "But we both know that you can't protect yourself the way that I can. Wait here, please, I'll be back soon."

Royce hesitated, but though he still looked unhappy about it he nodded. "Okay. But don't be long, okay."

"Don't worry," Faye said, as she turned her face towards New Ponyville. "I'll be back soon."

Big Macintosh stared up at the big screen that Starfleet had put up in the centre of town and watched Princess Luna die.

He hadn't expected much when he'd trooped into town with Apple Bloom and her friends to watch the funeral of Rhymey. Starfleet said that everyone had to come along and here the Grand Ruler's big speech, and so Big Mac had come along like he was told to. He wasn't the kind of fellow to cause trouble, especially with Applejack away and the whole burden of running the farm falling on his shoulders. He could do the work, but he couldn't really afford to be wasting time explaining to this new Starfleet colonel why he hadn't come along when he was supposed to.

He'd left Granny Smith at home, and hoped that she wouldn't be noticed or if it would be excused on account of her age and such. It was a long way to drag her for something that she wouldn't care about.

Speaking plainly and honestly he didn't think a lot of folks would care too much about ol' Rhymey dying. It was a hard thing to say of anyone, but that guy hadn't exactly done a lot to endear himself to folks around here. None of his friends had either. That was why no one had been particularly sorry to see them all go, although Big Mac had shaken hands with Buddy and tried to act like he wanted to see him again.

Little Daphne Dill had gone too. Some Starfleet fellows had come along in one of their dropships to pick her up, take her to some warship. Apparently she'd be meeting her cousin there eventually. She'd seemed happy enough to go alone with them, so Big Mac hadn't done anything about it. Most likely they'd been telling the truth; there didn't seem much reason for them to lie about something like that.

And so he'd gone along into town to see the big funeral. Everyone was there, staring up at the big screen that Starfleet had put up. Meanwhile the new Starfleet commander, the one who'd moved into town after Lightning Dawn and all his folks moved out, watched them like she had a list in her head and was making sure everyone was there.

It had been a mite more interesting than anyone had been expecting.

First the Grand Ruler told everyone that Twilight was alive, and always had been. Big Mac wasn't sure how much he believed that. He hadn't known the princess like his sister did, but she'd seemed like good people to him, always willing to help out when there was a problem; and besides, Applejack was a good judge of ponies, and she wouldn't be tight friends with anypony who wasn't good people deep down. But letting everyone think that you were dead for three years? That wasn't what good people did. It had near broken Big Mac's heart, watching his sister trying to hold in just how much she was hurting, watching her try and carry on and be the strong one like she always did. It had near broken his heart that there was nothing he could do to help her through all this.

A good person wouldn't have made Applejack suffer that way, a good person wouldn't lie to her like that. Which either meant that Applejack had been made a fool of by a lyin' little snake for all those years or else the big old Grand Ruler was full of it.

Big Mac knew which one his bits were on; this smelled worse than a compost heap.

And the smell only got more and more ripe when he went on to accuse Applejack and all the rest of Twilight's friends of being in on some big old conspiracy of some kind. From the way that murmurs started running around the crowd Big Mac knew he wasn't the only one to think that this stunk.

But under the eyes of Starfleet nobody did anything more than murmur. Nobody dared, especially when the new Colonel started yelling for silence for His Majesty or some such. Even though they were the ones making all the noise a few moments later as they started waving their fists in the air and shouting 'Sieg Starfleet' at the top of their lungs.

And then Princess Luna began to talk, and talk a lot of sense too as the Starfleet began to panic and try to turn her off and then start to really panic when they found they couldn't.

The ponies of Ponyville had watched spellbound as Princess Luna talked, and fought, and died.

And die bad, too. Big Mac had never seen anything like. Even as he placed his body in between Apple Bloom and her friends and the screen, so that they wouldn't have to watch what they shouldn't have to see at their age, he himself had been unable to take his eyes off the grim and gory spectacle.

It was horrific. He'd never seen anyone butcher another pony like that in all his years.

A lot of folks were feeling the same way, he could tell. They were angry. He could feel the anger in the crowd like electricity. Folks were angry, but with Starfleet all around none of them really knew what to do with all that anger.

It was like they were waiting for someone to take the first step.

"Thank you all for your attendance," declared Colonel Sparks. She was a young orange mare with a reddish-brown mane cut short around her head. She wore daisy hairclips in her hair, which didn't make her look any older, and she had a slightly screechy voice when she yelled like she was doing now. "Now disperse at once and return to your homes. This event is over! Disperse and return to your homes! An immediate curfew is in effect!"

Someone has to take the first step.

Big Mac caught the eye of Cheerilee. "Miss Cheerilee, can I ask you to walk Apple Bloom and make sure she gets there safe? I've got some business to take care of here."

Cheerilee stared at him for a moment. "Of course, I'll make sure she gets there. Come along, girls."

"You're not coming back with us?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Nope."

Apple Bloom frowned. "Do you...is everything gonna be okay."

"Eeyup," Big Mac said. "Go on now. I'll be home soon."

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Miss Cheerilee led Apple Bloom and her friends away. He didn't want them to be caught up in this.

It might be as well if Miss Cheerilee wasn't invovled either.

Big Mac began to walk towards the nearest Starfleet guard standing around the town square. As big as he was, other ponies soon made way for him, and as they got out of the way Big Mac quickened his pace until he was running.

The guard barely had time to register what was happening before Big Mac burst out of the crowd like a bull and body-slammed him with all the force of a runaway train.

The two of them went down in a heap, but Big Mac was on top and it was his fist that rose and fell to punch the other fellow's lights out. Behind him he could hear a whole lot of yelling and hollering, and maybe-

Big Mac's whole body jerked as he felt a shock from his back run up and down his whole body, making him twitch without wanting too. He let out a gasp of pain as someone hit him on the side of the head, knocking him off the guy he'd run down. Big Mac looked up into the face of another soldier, holding some kind of baton with electric sparks shooting off from the tip as he stared down at Big Mac like he was the scariest and most infuriating thing he'd ever seen.

He lunged at Big Mac with the baton, but before it could connect Daisy had jumped on him from behind with her arms around his neck. He staggered backwards, arms flailing, until Rose and Lily collided with him and bore him to the ground.

As Big Mac picked himself up he saw it was much the same all over. Everyone was fighting, all of his friends and neighbours who'd been pushed too far. There were a lot of them, and not many of Starfleet, and so it didn't much matter how much better than regular folks they were when they were just getting dogpiled left, right and centre. Just about the only one left was-

There was a crackling, electrical sound, followed by an explosion and a cry of pain as Ditzy Doo was hurled backwards, bouncing along the ground before she rolled to a stop in a heap. She was still alive, Big Mac heard a faint groan coming from her, but she was bleeding from the head too; it was starting to mingle with her mane.

Colonel Spark had one hand outstretched, a silver coin clutched between her fingers and a smug snarl upon her face.

"Do you any of you backwards hicks know what railgun is?" she demanded. She chuckled. "Of course not. How could you? Railgun is the application of electromagnetic principles to launch high velocity projectiles. At the speed that these projectiles can reach, it doesn't matter what is being fired, the very velocity that it can reach renders it lethal. And I, with my mastery of electromagnetic force, am a living railgun! What you've just witnessed is the smallest foretaste of my power. If you do not disperse at once, if you continue to offer any resistance to Starfleet, then I promise you, my next shot will be lethal."

There was a moment of silence, and stillness, before both were broken by the groans of Ditzy Doo as she forced herself back up onto her feet. Wall-eyed or not she still managed to stare defiantly at the colonel, even as blood from her forehead poured down her face.

Colonel Spark's lips curled into a sneer. "So be it."

Her fingers crackled with electricity as the coin disappeared from sight.

There was a blur in front of Ditzy as a dark grey pony all dressed in black appeared between her and Colonel Spark. The grey unicorn's sword moved like blur, and the two halves of Spark's coin fell limply to the ground on either side of her.

Colonel Spark retreated back a step. "Who in the galaxy are you?"

"My name is..." the grey pony paused for a moment, smiling as she tossed her dark blue mane. "My name is Faye, and though this town has far better protection than I could offer...yet it is under mine too, nonetheless."

Spark shook her head. "I...this is impossible! Nobody can move faster than my railgun?"

"If you're so sure," Faye said. "Then you won't mind putting it to the test, will you? Fair and square."

Spark stared at her a moment, before she bared her teeth in a snarl. "Have it your own way!" she yelled, as a pair of shining coins appeared, one in each hand.

Sparks flew from her fingertips. Faye sped forward. The coins surged out. Faye's first two strokes cut them in half.

Her third stroke, as she appeared over Colonel Spark, shattered her Starfleet insignia and cause the colonel's armour to vanish.

Faye placed her sword at Spark's throat. "Now go from here, and take your goons with you. Or my next stroke will be lethal."

Spark gulped.

Once Starfleet had fled, taking their wounded with them, Faye sheathed her sword.

"Thanks for your help, Miss! You probably saved my life back there!"

Faye turned, to see the light grey pegasus with the golden mane that she had saved.

"You're...welcome?" she said. Was that what you were supposed to say at times like this? She couldn't really remember. Being a servant of darkness had done a lot to rob her of her social graces, and they'd never been especially polished to begin with. "You should probably get that head looked at."

The grey pegasus touched her bleeding forehead. "Yeah, probably. My name's Ditzy, by the way. Ditzy Doo."

"Faye," Faye murmured. "Honestly, I was a little surprised that I had to step in the way that I did. I wouldn't have thought that Twilight would let things get like that."

"Twilight?" asked a big red earth pony as he wandered over. "You mean Princess Twilight?"

"Yeah, that's her," Faye said. "Do you know where she is? I'd like to talk to her."

Ditzy and the big stallion looked at one another.

"Where have you been, Faye?" Ditzy asked.

"Well, I spent a little while calling myself Phaedra and being a gigantic class-A jerk to everyone until Twilight and Pinkie showed me a better way by reminding me that I was still capable of love and worthy of being loved but then my boyfriend had to turn us both into stone in order to keep us safe but then the spell wore off so I guess we are safe in spite of what I just saw and I'm really hoping that Twilight or Pinkie is around to explain what's going on," Faye said. "So do you know where I can find them? I haven't seen them around, so are they on a trip? Do you know when they'll be back?"

Ditzy and the stallion looked at one another again.

"Okay, out with it," Faye demanded. "What did I miss?"

"I…honestly don't know where to start," Ditzy replied.

In an empire of millions of souls, stretching out across the stars, it might seem odd that the most back-end of nowhere posting should be found on the homeworld, but that was how Outpost 37-B was perceived by those ponies unlucky enough to be stationed there. A place so small, so out of the way, and stuck in such a desolate and unimportant place that it was not even worthy of a real name, the outpost consisted of a couple of towers, a barracks and a metal wall surrounding both, all of which nestled upon the edge of the jagged and forbidding Mountains of the Moon. There, hidden within the mountain peaks, lurked the Moon Clans of the Night, otherwise known as Nightponies, savages with fangs and wings like bats who had resisted all calls to join the civilised community beyond their mountain homes. They would not even convert into the superior form, retaining their typical quadrupedal state as a sign of their backwards savagery. There were rumours that the Grand Ruler had tired of their primitive intransigence, and meant to drag them kicking and screaming into the modern age - by force - if need be; but for the two hundred and so officers and men out Outpost 37-B it was difficult to see why His Majesty would want to waste his time on such as them, or hazard the dignity of Starfleet chasing primitives up and down the mountains. They were few in number, an insignificant fly in the great and glorious ointment that was His Majesty's empire, and they were in the grand scheme of things utterly irrelevant.

So irrelevant that it took only this small outpost to keep them in line. Let them rot in their mountains, chewing on the decaying bones of their past, dwindling in number with every generation. What matter it?

Such was the attitude among the ponies whose assigned task it was to hold the Moon Clans in submission, to remind them of the power and majesty of Starfleet and, in so reminding them, hold them in fee.

But that was a task that required little to no actual effort, and so if standards of discipline or readiness had ever been high on the base that time was long ago. Certainly they were not so now. Although Luna, Princess of the Moon, had died a traitor's death that very day, come dusk there was no panic or alarm within the outpost. No especial guard had been stood to, and the sentries on the wall paid more attention to their daydreams of a furlough than to what might be going on without. The towers were unmanned, and most of the ponies were huddled inside the warmth of the main barracks building: playing cards, drinking, singing (badly), moping over pictures of loved ones they hadn't seen in too long or cursing their 'dear John' letters. Uniforms were worn halfway open to the waist, or else were stained with spills of food and cheap wine. The idea that the base might soon become a battlefield did not seem to have crossed a single mind.

On a bluff high above, Catseye and Silvermane looked down upon the unready outpost.

"They do not fear us," Silvermane murmured, sounding insulted by Starfleet's lack of readiness.

"We have shown them nothing worth fearing," Catseye replied.

"We will do so now," Silvermane growled.

The two were brothers, although their appearances would not have given the fact away. Catseye stood upon two legs, having accepted the 'gift' of Starfleet's improvement as the price for setting out into the world to serve his princess in New Canterlot. Now his princess was dead and he had returned, to stand once beside his brother, who stood upon four legs having remained at home to tend the fires of their traditions.

Catseye wore the black and silver metal armour of the Moon Guard; Silvermane wore the skull of a hydra for a helmet and armour fashioned from the bones of an adolescent dragon, bleached yellow in the sun.

Yet, for all their differences, devotion to Luna united them; and if they could not save their princess then at least they would honour her memory and dying wishes.

Tonight, and all the nights until the so-called Grand Ruler was torn from his throne and made to answer for his crimes, Starfleet would feel the wrath of the Moon Clans.

Down in the outpost below, the sentries were roused from their careless stupor by the sound of a horn in the mountains. The note echoed long and low, reverberating off the high and fang-like peaks. It was joined by another horn, and another, and another, horns in the sky for which no horn blower could be seen. Horns, horns, horns wildly blowing, each call echoing from the mountains down to make them seem like there were many more horns than there were.

Soldiers began to stagger out of the barracks, staring upwards into the darkening sky as the sun set and the air was filled with the sounds of horns blowing in some place invisible.

And then the horns were joined by drums, drums beating in the mountain, drums pounding out their rapid rhythm to the world, drums driving up a great cloud of night ponies up into the sky. Like geysers the night ponies rose, one, two, three, four, five, six columns, more, so many columns of nightponies rising up out of the mountains that the Starfleet soldiers down in their outposts below soon lost count. And each column...it was impossible, but each rising column contained hundreds, maybe even thousands of nightponies, each of them shrieking like monsters out of nightmare as they rose into the sky and converged in one great, enormous mass of hostile ponies.

They blocked out the setting sun as they descended on the outpost.

Author's Note

And with this chapter the 'By Luna's Light' arc-thing has come to a close and the chapter names will start to become a little more original again. We'll also finally return to Applejack and Spike after we last left them...some time ago.

I feel like the end of Phaedra's character is one of the best pieces of writing Mykan has ever done, that's the reason I didn't rewrite that scene as a flashback or something I just summarised what had happened because it's actually pretty good as it is: it's just Pinkie and Twilight no space ponies muscling in, Phaedra's words are touching and the resolutions is pretty good.

That said I never liked the fact that she and Royce got turned into stone and forgotten about. I would have much preferred that she joined the main cast as an anti-hero ally and a foil for the mane six, but failing that just actually having her around instead of shoving her off stage. Hence why she's back.

Attack on Titan

Melantha stood on the edge of victory.

Starfleet, Friendship is Magic, both lay vanquished before her, drained by her poison and exhausted by their battle against the enslaved dragon whom she had bent to her will.

Now her enemies lay in a tangle of weary arms and unresponsive legs before her, all down, all done, all utterly incapable of offering any resistance to her monstrous strength or murderous desire.

All save one.

Spike stood before them all, dwarfed by Melantha, made insignificant by the great red dragon who loomed over her; yet still he stood, a child staring into the darkness.

Melantha stared at him in confusion. “And what are you supposed to be doing, little dragon? Do you want to be food for your cousin over here?”

“I…” Spike’s voice trembled. “I won’t let you hurt my friends!”

It was the sort of declaration that Spike did not, unfortunately, have the size or strength or gravitas to pull off. Twilight could have made it sound stirring. Coming out of Rainbow’s mouth the words would have sound badass and cool. Fluttershy could have made the simple statement reverberate with inner strength.

But Spike wasn’t Twilight, he wasn’t Rainbow Dash, he wasn’t even Fluttershy. He wasn’t cool and he wasn’t awesome and he wasn’t cool. He was a tiny pipsqueak baby dragon who was no help to anyone and out of his lips the words sounded as pathetic as he did. His voice shook with the fear that he couldn’t contain, his whole body trembled.

But he stood his ground.

Melantha threw back her head and laughed uproariously. “You won’t…do you have any idea how stupid you sound? You’re an ant threatening a god! You won’t hurt my friends! I’ll tell you what, pintsize, because you made me laugh I’ll give you one last chance: walk away, now.”

“Spike…” Twilight’s voice was faint and weak from the effects of Melantha’s poison. “No…go. Spike…get out of here. Go…while there’s still time.”

“And do what, live without you?” Spike demanded. “Forget about it. Don’t…don’t worry, Twilight. I got this.” He hoped that his voice carried the conviction that was wholly absent from his heart.

“Spike…Spike, please…please don’t…” Rarity murmured.

“Relax, Rarity,” Spike said. “I swear I’ll protect you.”

That was another statement that he could have gotten away with if he were someone cooler than…well, cooler than him. The truth was he couldn’t protect Rarity. He couldn’t protect anyone. All he could do was…was buy them enough time for someone actually cool to show up and save the day.

And just where is Starfleet when you need it?

“And just how do you propose to do that, little dragon?” Melantha demanded. “How are you going to protect your friends from big bad me?”

“I…I’m going to stop you with this!” Spike declared, triumphantly producing the Dragon-Knight Egg, the seat of the legendary power of the Dragon Knight, champion and paragon of their kind.

Of course not even Twilight could work out how to access that power, but hopefully Melantha wouldn’t call his bluff on this.

Melantha cocked her head to one side. “Is that supposed to be doing something?”

Spike felt beads of sweat form on his prow. “Well…you see, uh-“

He cried out in pain as Melantha kicked him hard enough to send him flying into the air. She brought her trident down upon his head to slam him back down into the ground again.

Spike winced in pain as Melantha stepped on his head and began grinding it into the dirt.

“Stop it,” Twilight moaned. “Stop it!”

“Insolence has its price,” Melantha declared. “But slaughtering the weak brings me no joy.” She took her boot off his head. “Remain there, and think upon your folly in coming here today.”

But Spike did not remain there, on the ground with his face in the dirt. He got back up again, and flung his arms out in front of Starfleet and all his friends. “If you…if you want to hurt them you’re going to have to kill me first.”

“You realise that the only reason you’re not dead already is because of my mercy, don’t you?”

Spike swallowed, but said nothing.

Melantha smirked. “I will make a pact with you. I will leave one of your friends alive, so that they may remember your courage.”

Spike said nothing.

“What’s the matter?” she asked. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I won’t let your hurt my friends,” Spike said, slowly and deliberately. “And I won’t choose one of my friends to live and the rest to die. Because I…I’m going to save them all! I’ll protect all of my friends, with all of my strength, because I love them all!”

And the Dragon-Knight Egg exploded in a blinding light, a light so bright that Spike was wholly consumed by it, surrounded on all sides by crimson fire that gave no heat and burned not.

And barely visible in the flames, a dark silhouette in the midst of all the crimson, a majestic dragon.

Valour.

The word echoed through the world. Valour.

Valour.

“A knight is sworn to valour,” the voice was old and craggy, suffused with a rich brogue filled with experience. A voice of many battles fought and won.

“Uh, hi?” Spike said. “Um, what’s going on here?”

“You have been chosen,” the voice said. “You have proved yourself. Valour in the face of death, truth to power, wrath against evil, you have proved yourself worthy to inherit the mantle of the Dragon Knight, to embody the strength and virtue of our race. Speak now the words of the old code, and assume the powers and rights of knighthood.”

“You mean…you mean that I can save my friends?”

“Is that not why you fight?”

“Y-yes!” Spike yelled. “What do I have to do?”

“Speak,” the dragon knight said. “A knight is sworn to valour.”

“A knight is sworn to valour,” Spike repeated.

“His heart knows only virtue.”

“His heart knows only virtue,” Spike said, and as he spoke he could feel himself becoming mightier, swifter, imbued with the resilience of dragons thousands of years old.

“His blade defends the helpless.”

“His blade defends the helpless,” Spike said, thinking of Twilight and Rarity and everyone at Melantha’s mercy.

“His might upholds the weak.”

“His word speaks only truth.”

“His word speaks only truth,” Spike said, remembering all the times that Twilight hadn’t wanted to hear the truth but he had said it anyway.

“His wrath undoes the wicked.”

“His wrath undoes the wicked.” Look out Melantha, here I come!

“Rise, Knight of the Dragons,” the dragon said. “And this is so you will remember it.”

Spike screamed in pain as his body was ripped apart.

Titan was nearly invisible beneath the all-enshrouding folds of his dark, heavy cloak. Only his hands, ancient and withered, protruded beyond his baggy sleeves: the skin was grey, like a dead decaying creature, and his fingers were crooked and bent by the passing of the years.

His nails were long and sharp, like the claws of a bird. Arminius eyed them warily. He was not a creature given to fear, but Lord Titan...it had seemed a fine bargain to make with him, service in return for the strength to defeat Starfleet. He still considered the defeat of Starfleet and the liberation of his people to be a worthy goal, but enlisting the aid of this sorcerer to do it...that no longer seemed like such a worthwhile bargain.

"So," Titan's voice emerged from a mouth invisible, a thin and almost wheezy hiss emanating from somewhere deep within his shadowy hood. "You have failed."

Arminius bowed his head. He was kneeling on the ground before Titan, who loomed over him and cast his shadow over the caribou. They were both aware of the way that this humiliated Arminius, and in front of all his warriors too.

That, to be sure, was why Titan insisted upon it.

"I would not call it failure, lord," Arminius replied. "We destroyed an entire battalion of their troops, and now FortWilliam-"

"Irrelevant," Titan declared. "All that mattered was the deaths of the mare Applejack and the dragon Spike and they have escaped you. You have failed."

"Applejack is wounded at least, most likely dead already," Arminius replied. "In the wilderness, devoid of aid or attention, her injuries will finish her quickly."

"Experience has taught me not to underestimate these ponies," Titan said. "And even if that were true that would still leave the dragon alive, unharmed and at liberty to do as he wishes."

"What can a single dragon, or even a dragon and a mare in company, accomplish?" Arminius asked. "Forgive me, lord, but I do not understand your obsession with them."

Titan was silent for a moment. "Consider this stick." With a snap, a tree branch was wrenched from one of the nearby trees by an invisible force and levitated over to them. "You may break it easily, no? So easily in fact that you may wonder why bother to take the trouble to do so. But when this stick combines in a bushel with, say, six other sticks then you may find it is too strong to be splintered. And by then it is too late. The seven must not be reunited, my caribou friend. If they are...though we are so close to victory, we may yet fail."

"I have warriors searching the woods, they will be found-"

"A generous offer, but ultimately unnecessary," Titan said. "We will deal with this matter ourselves."

Arminius looked up. "We, lord?"

A figure stepped out of the shadows to Titan's right, a bizarre cross between a reptile and a pony, a horse with scales of green covering its coat and cat-like pupils in its yellow eyes. It was dressed in black, augmented with blood red, and bore a scythe casually slung across its shoulder. The hybrid stared down at Arminius with not a little trace of contempt within.

"This is my servant Rep-Stallion," Titan said. "Together, he and I shall locate the mare and the dragon...and see that their friends never see them again alive."

Rep-Stallion said nothing, but a forked tongue slipped out of his mouth and licked his lips in anticipation.

Spike sat down on a couch that was too big for him. It's size made him feel small, about as small as his failure made him feel.

"She was there when I was born," he said. "Did she ever tell you that?"

Lightning leaned back in his chair. "Yeah. Yeah, she told me that story."

"Did she tell you that she raised me?" Spike asked. "Fed me, took care of me, all that stuff?"

Lightning nodded. "Yes, she mentioned it," he murmured. "She, um...she blew up at me when I said that you sounded like a pet."

Spike looked at him. He found himself more curious than affronted. "She blew up?"

"Yes," Lightning said softly. "She certainly tore me off a strip. You were her friend, not her pet. How could I ever think otherwise? It took me a little while to get the ringing out of my ears."

Spike snorted. "Thanks, Twi. I wonder if she knew that it...that it..."

"Did you wonder?"

"A little," Spike admitted. "When we went through the mirror portal, and I came out as her dog, it got me thinking...was that how she saw me? Was that all I was to her?"

"I don't believe that," Lightning said. "I don't see what cause she'd have to lie to me about it."

"I guess not," Spike murmured. He was silent for a moment, his mind blank, unable to think of anything else to say. "I...She was there when I was born." He repeated. "She took care of me, from that...from the very first moment. But when she needed me to take care of her...where was I?"

"Is that what you think?"

"It's the truth, isn't it?" Spike demanded. "What good is a knight if he can't protect his princess? What good is having these powers if I can't save the people I care about?"

"You shouldn't blame yourself-"

"Why not, because I'm just a kid?" Spike yelled. "Because I'm a tiny, useless kid who can't do anything to help when it matters, because I'm a burden, because I'm weak, because...because she would have been better off without me?" He closed his eyes. "She would have been better off without me."

"I was going to tell you that you shouldn't blame yourself," Lightning Dawn said, his voice low and steady. "Because you should blame me. I'm the commander of this unit but I failed to exercise proper command, I failed to maintain control of the situation...I allowed the enemy to dictate our actions by their movements. I let this happen."

Spike was silent. When he opened his eyes he saw Lightning looking at him as though he were waiting for something. Anger? Accusation? Outrage? Absolution? Spike gave him none of those. He...he didn't care. He didn't care if Lightning thought it was his fault, he didn't care if Lightning shouldn't blame himself. All that he cared about...all that he cared about was that Twilight was gone and he'd let her down.

"He said I was the strength of all dragons," Spike muttered.

"Who?"

"The voice, from the egg," Spike replied. "The first Dragon Knight I guess. He said I was the strength of all dragons, the paragon or something. So why couldn't I swat Harkin like a bug? Why couldn't I take on Raven? If I'm so great and powerful now, why is Twilight dead, huh? If I'm all that why couldn't I save her? All this power and I'm still as useless as I always was.”

All this power and I'm just as useless as I was before, Spike thought, as he sat upon a log and looked down upon the sleeping Applejack.

He was still in his dragon-knight form. He hadn't transformed out of it since the caribou attack. It was the longest that he'd ever stayed this way, and if Twilight were here she'd probably she be lecturing him right now about the consequences of maintaining his transformation for so long, but he couldn't risk it. If the caribou caught up with them again then he'd need the knight's power to protect Applejack.

Spike snorted. As if he could protect Applejack. Was he going to protect her the way that he'd protected Twilight? Maybe it was time he faced the fact that knight or no knight he wasn't able to protect anyone.

He had made a fire to keep her warm, and given her his cloak as a blanket, but she hadn't opened her eyes since she'd been wounded and about the only comfort that Spike could find in this whole sorry situation was that at least she wasn't thrashing around or moaning or seeming too distressed by it all. She was sleeping peacefully, and that seemed like a good thing. But then, he wasn't a doctor so he might be completely off base about that.

He didn't know what was going to happen to her; he didn't know when or even if she'd wake up. Even if he hadn't been such a failure as a knight then he still couldn't have protected her from what was happening inside.

"I sure wish you were here, Twilight," he said to himself. "Of course, if you were still 'here' then I wouldn't be here but...oh, you're a genius you know what I mean. I wish...I wish that..."

Spike looked down at his large, powerful hands and the broadsword lying across his knees. "For years I dreamed of something like this; getting powers, I mean, being able to fight alongside you and everyone else. It was all that I wanted: to be able to stand alongside you and the other girls and do my part. I wanted to feel useful, you know. And I know that you told me that I was useful, and that I didn't need to change who I was and that I helped you out plenty...but come on, Twi, we both know that was a bunch of bull. In this world strength is everything, and I was a weakling." He clenched his hands into fists. "But now...but now that I've become strong, I...I'd give it all up in a heartbeat to have my sister back; you know that, right? I'd give it all up for you, Twilight, if I could."

Someone laughed from out of the depths of the forest. It was an old voice, hoarse and crackling as it cackled from out of the darkness of the forest, seeming to come from all directions at once, echoing off all the trees, reverberating off of them to grow louder as it assailed his ears. It was a laugh that was familiar to Spike, a distinctive 'heh heh heh' sound that he was very much afraid he recognised.

"That...that can't be," Spike said, rising slowly to his feet with his sword in hand. "We killed you...like, three times!"

"Technically, you were only present for two of my deaths, young dragon, but what of such a detail as that?" Titan replied as he glided into view between the trees.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're supposed to be dead!" Spike squawked indignantly.

"I have, as you so astutely pointed out, died three times," Titan replied. "Which means that I have already returned from death twice. And so I ask you...what is one more resurrection that you should be so shocked by it?"

"Well...when you put it that way...is this the part where you explain to me how you cheated death this time?" It wasn't much of a plan, but if he could keep Titan talking then maybe he could come up with an actual plan to save Applejack in the meantime.

"No," Titan said flatly, dashing all of Spike's hopes. "This is the part where Rep-Stallion cuts you down like a dog."

"Wh-" Spike turned just in time to parry Rep's slashing stroke with his scythe. The reptilian pony pressed upon him, forcing Spike's sword backwards until it was practically touching his helm, and all the while his scythe ground up and down against Spike's blade.

"You too?" Spike yelled. "You're back as well?"

Rep-Stallion did not rely. His face was an emotionless mask, devoid of all expression.

Titan, however, laughed. "What is dead may never die, boy. It can only fall, there to arise again when summoned."

Spike growled, and pushed backwards on Rep-Stallion with all his mind. The pony retreated, and Spike pursued, swinging his broadsword wildly. Rep parried his slashing strokes with contemptuous ease, batting them away with his scythe before going on the attack again. Spike's guard held for one, two, three strokes as the metal of their blades rang off one another, before Rep was inside Spike's guard and his scythe was swinging for Spike's head.

Spike staggered sideways as his all-enclosing helm was knocked off his head to roll across the ground. He could feel the cool air of the evening on his face. He threw up his sword to defend himself as Rep continued his assault, hammering relentlessly upon his guard. He was so strong. Even with all the power of the dragon-knight at Spike's command and it still felt as though Rep-Stallion was stronger than he was. Their blades locked, Rep's scythe pushing against Spike's broadsword as Spike braced himself to hold steady. Rep-Stallion stared at him, his yellow pupils gleaming in the gloom.

Lightning exploded from the scythe blade, rippling up and down Spike's sword to lash at his face and chest and arms. Spike felt it through his armour, through is breastplate and gauntlets and paudrons, but most of all he felt it on his face, lashing at it like the blows of a thousand tiny whips, slicing through his scales, cutting into his flesh. He recoiled, howling in pain, eyes screwed shut against the lashing tongues of lightning. He was plunged into darkness, blind to Rep-Stallion as his guard was broken.

Another burst of lightning erupted like a lance in the hands of a charging warrior from the tip of Rep's scythe, striking Spike square in the chest and hurling him backwards across the grounds. He lay there, on his back, sword discarded, moaning in pain.

Pathetic. All this power and I'm just as useless as I was before.

"You're not useless, Spike. You help me in more ways than you can imagine."

Twilight?

"Honestly, Spike, it took more guts for a guy like you to stand up to Melantha than it takes for someone as cool as me to do...well, just about anything."

Rainbow Dash?

"You'll always be my little spikey-wikey...but you'll always be my hero, too."

Rarity.

"You're not a burden, and you never have been. You didn't need to go and find a magical power source in order to be valuable to me, Spike, or to anyone. You're a part of all of us and you'll always have been, just the way you are."

Twilight. I'm so sorry.

Applejack. I promise...this time...I won't fail.

Rep-Stallion turned away from Spike and began to bear down upon the slumbering Applejack.

"Get away from her!" Spike roared as he surged to his feet, recovering his sword and holding it before him. "You...won't...touch her," he gasped through his ragged breath. "Not while I'm still breathing." Smoke rose from his nostrils as he snorted. "My name," he growled. "Is Spike. I am a number one librarian's assistant. And I will not let you hurt my friends!" He charged at Rep-Stallion with a great roar, his shining sword borne before him.

A knight is sworn to valour.

Spike's furious assault drove Rep-Stallion backwards in disarray, parrying desperately.

His heart knows only virtue.

Lightning erupted from the blade of Rep-Stallion’s scythe but Spike did not flinch, did not falter, he bore the pain and kept on pressing because he had to keep fighting; for Applejack who had nearly died for him, for Twilight whom he had lost, and for the sake of his self-respect.

His blade defends the helpless.

With a swing of his broadsword, Spike sliced through the shaft of Rep’s scythe, severing it cleanly.

His might upholds the weak.

Rep-Stallion fell back as Spike pressed him, driving him away from Applejack, keeping her safe from danger.

His word speaks only truth.

“I will never lose another friend!” Spike yelled.

His wrath undoes the wicked!

Spike’s blade ignited with the flame of his passion as he brought it down upon Rep-Stallion’s chest. The lizardlike pony howled in pain as he disintegrated before Spike’s eyes, transforming to ashes and dust that scattered lazily upon the cool evening breeze.

Spike turned his baleful gaze upon Titan, his eyes narrowing as he snorted angrily like a bull sensing a trespasser in the field.

“Look how you storm,” Titan said, with laughter in his voice. “Oh, what a weapon you would have made in the right hands.”

Spike’s lips curled into a sneer. “Is this where you try to tempt me to the dark side?”

“No, I would not insult you in such a way,” Titan replied. “This…this is where you die.”

Lightning exploded from his hands to lash across Spike’s body, driving him to his knees as he winced in pain. Spike tried to push through it, like he had just done when facing Rep-Stallion…but Titan was much stronger than his henchpony had been, and his lightning was ripping through Spike’s armour as though it was made of spandex, slicing through his scales, sending cold blood dripping down his body.

I have to fight. I…I have to save Applejack.

With a great roar, Spike rose to his feet once again and took one tottering step towards Titan, then another.

Titan laughed, and his lightning became even stronger, even more painful, strong enough to knock Spike to the ground where the blue lightning danced across him, making him writhe in pain, making him cry out.

“The Seven will never be re-united!” Titan cried. “With your deaths Harmony shall be permanently extinguished, and the darkness shall engulf the universe!”

Spike tried to rise, tried to get up, tried to reach his sword, tried to fight. He had to do something. He had to save Applejack, he had to protect his friends, he had to fight. But Titan was so strong. The lightning was so painful. The power of the darkness was too great.

He had no friends. He was all alone. He was alone and his strength was not enough.

It had never been about being strong. He had been a fool to not get that. He hadn’t needed to get big and buff to be strong, he hadn’t needed a magical super mode, he hadn’t needed to open that dragon egg.

All that he’d needed, to be strong…was his friends.

His friends who had been taken away from him.

Alone, it didn’t matter how muscular he was, what his transformation was called, whether he embodied the strength of the dragons or not. Alone…he was weak. He would always be weak.

That was what Twilight had understood. Her strength hadn’t come from magic, but from her friends.

And when she’d forgotten that…she’d died, just like he was going to die now, torn to pieces by Titan’s power.

All alone.

Rarity, I wish I could see you…just one more time.

Spike lay on the ground, squirming and writhing in agony, as Titan laughed as he flayed the dragon knight with lightning from his ancient and withered hands.

The sound of his mocking laughter was extinguished, or at least overwhelmed, by the whining roar of mighty engines as a lavender ship in the shape of an arrow swooped down out of the sky with searchlights beaming down onto the forest.

“There he is!” Pinkie cried, gesturing wildly to the image in the viewscreen. “There they are, I see them!”

“I told you I could find them,” Kitty said. “Didn’t I tell you, Miss Pinkie? Didn’t I say so, and didn’t I do great?”

“That’s them, okay, but what’s up with Applejack?” Rainbow Dash demanded. “And who’s that guy down there?”

“It looks…do you think that…that almost looks like Titan,” Fluttershy murmured.

“Again?” Rainbow yelled. “Haven’t we got enough problems without that guy refusing to stay dead?”

“Whoever he is, he looks like he’s attacking Spike!” Pinkie shouted.

It did indeed look that way. Something, some kind of magic that might well be lightning, was being fired from the hands of…Titan, for want of a better name for him, and it looked to have Spike and Applejack on the ground. Applejack wasn’t moving, which wasn’t a good sign, but Spike was in agony which might be even worse.

Rarity couldn’t control the rapid beating of her heart. Hold on, Spike, I’m nearly there.

Rainbow turned for the doors of the bridge. “I’m gonna go down there and-“

“That will not be necessary, Rainbow darling,” Rarity declared, in a voice as sharp as a rapier point.

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Rarity? Come on, he’s-“

Rarity rose from her chair and walked towards the viewscreen. “Fratello, what would be the effect of firing the ion cannon at that creature?”

There was a half-second of silence before Fratello answered. “Unknown, but certainly very painful.”

“Thank you,” Rarity said, in a voice as crisp as frost. “Please lock on target.”

“Target locked.”

Rarity took a deep breath. “I don’t know who you are, or if you really are Titan, but whoever you really are you decided to pick on the wrong dragon. FIRE!”

“What?” Titan exclaimed, as the burst of brilliant white light erupted from the nose of the ship towards him. “No! This is impossible! I will not-“ Whatever else he might have said was lost as the white light consumed him, rendering his remaining words into nothing more than a cry of despair.

And then there was nothing left of him.

Spike lay on the ground, twitching in pain.

He felt…he felt safe now. Not just because Titan was gone, because he hadn’t felt safe before Titan showed up, but because of that ship. He didn’t know what ship it was. He didn’t know who was on it. But he felt safe. He felt…he felt the way he’d felt when Twilight was here.

And so, as he lay on the ground, he released the power of the dragon knight.

It hurt. It hurt just as much as Titan’s lightning, it hurt more than Rep-Stallion’s scythe slicing into him. But Spike released the magic, and so Spike the Dragon Knight and all his armour and his battle scars were ripped apart and sloughed off into nothingness, and Spike the baby dragon, number one assistant, was put back together again out of whatever remained.

And so Spike lay there, under the headlights of that strange yet protective-seeming ship, curled up on the ground like a newborn, shivering and aching, yet feeling more comfortable than he had…in a long time.

“Spike!” Rarity’s voice cut through the air, just as Rarity’s face appeared above him, and Rarity’s tears fell down upon his scaley cheek. “Spike! Oh thank Celestia, are you alright?”

“Rarity?” Spike murmured. “Is it really you?”

“Yes!” Rarity cried. “Yes, Spike, it’s me. It’s me, I’m here, and I’ve got you.” She picked him up and held him close. “Everything’s going to be alright now; we’re all going to be together again very soon.”

Spike didn’t understand what she meant; they couldn’t all be together, not now, not ever again. But he didn’t want to question, he didn’t want to spoil this moment. He just clung her, and pressed himself against her, and he felt safe.

Applejack tugged on the brim of her hat, pulling it down just a mite so that it shadowed her eyes. "My granny told me once: 'grief is a luxury, not everypony can afford it'."

"And what does that mean?" Lightning asked.

Applejack shrugged. "It means that she couldn't cry over the death of her own son, my pa," she murmured. "And it means that I can't cry over the death of my best friend."

"Because...you're the strong one," Lightning said.

"Someone has to be, don'tcha think?" Applejack asked.

"Perhaps," Lightning murmured. "But that doesn't mean it has to be you."

"Can you tell me who else it's likely to be?" Applejack demanded. "Pinkie? Rainbow Dash? Don't get me wrong, I love 'em, but...someone has to hold it together. Someone has to hold us together."

"And that someone...that's you."

Applejack snorted. "It's always been me. One way or the other. The strong one, the one with her hooves - feet - on the ground. The one who keeps it together."

Lightning was silent for a moment. "So...it doesn't bother you, what happened to Twilight?"

Applejack turned to affix him with a stern glare. "Twilight thought you didn't mean to be an insensitive jackelope, she thought that you just couldn't help yourself; and so for her sake I'm going to let you have that one for free. But, boy, if you say something like that again I'm gonna bust you on the snout and you see if I don't!"

Lightning bowed his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I never said that I didn't have feelings, I said that..." Applejack trailed off for a moment. "Were you hoping that I'd become like you or something? That I'd gotten over it like we're all supposed to?"

"Nobody's telling you to get over it-"

"But you have, haven't you?" Applejack said. "And Starla has, and your whole crew. You've shed your tear and now you're done."

"I think you're being a little unfair."

"Oh, well I'm sorry that I'm not feeling especially reasonable right now!" Applejack said. "To answer your stupid question: yes, it bothers me that my friend is dead! Just like it bothers me that Twi might not be the only one. You're going to send us out again, aren't you?"

Lightning blinked. "That depends."

"And that's a maybe, at least," Applejack replied. "They ain't soldiers. You know that. Twi was no soldier. You know that, too."

"You all volunteered."

"Well, I figured that if Twilight was going to do this fool thing then we might as well all be fools together and maybe we'd help each other through to the other side," Applejack said. A sigh escaped her lips. "I'm not even sure where the other side is no more. Don't it ever stop?"

"The fighting?"

"If this the mud and blood, then where the hay are the green fields beyond?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know," Lightning admitted. "I just...I don't know."

"Well, until we find out," Applejack said. "I guess I'll just have to keep on being the strong one."

"Hello?" Applejack called, as she wandered through the forest. The pine trees pressed her close round about, but she kept on walking.

What was especially weird was that she was walking on all fours. It felt strange, as strange as that might sound, but after so long walking around on two legs, it was kind of funny being back on all fours. Honestly, she would have thought she would have had some trouble remembering how it all worked, but she'd taken to it pretty darn fast again. So she walked through the forest, heading towards the light on a fire in a clearing.

"Hello?" she called again. "Spike? Can you hear me? Where d'you go?"

The last thing she remembered was...pain. She remembered the caribou, the fight, she remembered some fella about to shoot her down...she didn't remember nothing after that. Did that mean...Applejack shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. Everything could be explained, even her change. She just needed to find out what the explanation was.

She walked into the clearing. Two ponies, actual ponies, not converted, ponies on four legs just like her, sat around a campfire. Or at least one of them was a pony, a white mare strumming on a banjo with her fore hooves; her companion was harder to see, all covered up behind a black cloak that hid all features and colours.

Applejack trotted over to them.

"Howdy, partner," the mare with the banjo said.

"Uh, howdy," Applejack said. "Listen, have you see a little baby dragon anywhere around here. I'm kinda responsible for him-"

"You won't find him here," the mare said. "Don't you worry though, he's safe and sound. He's with his friends."

"Really?" Applejack said sceptically. "And who might you be, and what are you doing all the way out here in Rangiveria."

The mare laughed. "Rangiveria? Girl, this ain't Rangiveria! Don't you know where you are? Guess not. I apologise, permit me to introduce myself. The name's Epona, protector of horses and ponies."

Applejack's eyes widened. "Epona...like the goddess? Hey, are you the Grand Ruler-"

"No, I am not his mother," Epona declared firmly. "If I was I would have given that boy a little bit more discipline when he was growing up."

"But he says-"

"I don't have time to talk about him and all of his lies, and neither do you," Epona replied. "You're here because I got a use for you, Applejack, you and your friends. And well..."

The mare in the black cloak threw back her hood. "And because I really, really wanted to talk to you. It's so wonderful to see you again, Applejack."

If Applejack's eyes got any wider they were gonna pop right out of her skull. Her breath caught in her throat, and when she spoke it was only as a thin, small voice. "Twilight?"

Twilight Sparkle smiled, a sweet and gentle smile. "Hey. It's been too long."

"I'll leave you to it," Epona said, and just like that she was gone, vanished as if she'd never been.

Applejack stared at her. It was Twilight, but not the Twilight that Starfleet had made of her. Like Applejack herself, she was back on all fours, back the way that she'd been before all of this started. Back the way that she was supposed to be, the way they were all supposed to be.

If Twilight was disconcerted by Applejack staring she gave no sign of it. With one lavender hoof she patted the log that Epona had so recently vacated. "Why don't you sit down?"

Applejack's brow furrowed as she took the offered seat. "So...this is it then? I'm dead, just like...and this is where we all end up?"

"No," Twilight said. "You're not dead. You were hurt, although you're getting better. But the fact that you were injured meant that with Epona's help we have an opportunity to talk."

"Well then I'd say it's been too long!" Applejack cried. "What, you can appear to Lightning Dawn every time he needs a quick pep-talk but you ain't go no words to say to your real friends?"

"Please tell me that you didn't take that seriously?" Twilight said. "Please tell me that you don't think I'd appear to offer him advice and completely ignore you."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before they both started snorting.

"You look good, Twi."

"So do you."

"Well, four legs always suited me more than two," Applejack observed. She sighed. "There are so many things that I want to say to you that I don't know where to begin. But I'm guessing this ain't strictly a social call."

"I'm afraid not," Twilight said. "Believe me, there's nothing more that I'd like to do than just sit here with you and listen to all your stories. Catch up on everything I've missed. I've tried to watch over you, but..."

"But what?"

"Something is keeping my spirit bound," Twilight said. "I can try and reach out with my consciousness, but it never lasts very long. Even with Epona's help I probably don't have a lot of time here before he pulls me back."

"He? Who's he?" Applejack demanded. "If someone's messing with you even now-"

"I know that you'd all move heaven and earth to help me, but that's not important right now," Twilight said. "I don't matter, not any more."

"You'll always matter to me," Applejack said. "And to all of us."

Twilight chuckled. "That's sweet. But what matters right now is stopping Evenfall."

"Evenfall?"

"Yes," Twilight said. "When you wake up, I need you to tell the girls that they mustn't trust Evenfall, that you have to stop her...but at the same time, don't give up on her completely. She's not all bad."

"Girl, I don't understand a word that just came from your mouth."

"When you wake up it will all start to make sense, I hope," Twilight said. "I...I know this is selfish of me, but I don't want to spend my precious time with my friend dispensing exposition. Can you forgive me?"

Applejack grinned. "Always, for anything. So...we're saving the world again is that the short of it?"

"Pretty much," Twilight replied. "Is that a problem?"

"I guess not," Applejack murmured. "But...I'm so tired, Twi. I'm tired, like dog tired. I'm tired of all of this, all this army and this fighting and these soldiers and I'm sick and tired of just about all of it! But most of all, I...I'm tired of having to be the strong one, of having to keep on going like...like none of this gets to me. Like losing you didn't get to me. I'm tired of it, the whole thing."

"I'm so sorry, Applejack," Twilight said, her voice a comforting caress. "I wouldn't ask this if...if there were another way. For what it's worth, I really believe that once this is all over, things will be different. I really think that if this ends happily it could finally bring about a world of peace, like there was before. Just one more push, I hope, should be enough to do it. And besides, if it helps, you don't have to be strong here."

Applejack raised one eyebrow. "Is this your way of offering me a hug or something?"

Twilight shrugged. "Would you like one?"

Applejack paused. "Aww, hay, why not." She allowed Twilight to pull her into an embrace, and rested her head on Twilight's shoulder.

A single tear fell from her eye. "I missed you, Twilight."

"I've missed you to," Twilight said. "I've missed you all so much. Tell them that-" her voice was cut off, becoming blurred and indistinct, even as Twilight seemed to disappear momentarily from under Applejack's grasp.

Applejack pulled back. "Twilight, what's going on?"

"He's pulling me back," Twilight said, as she vanished for a moment and then reappeared again. "I told you I didn't have much time. Remember, you have to stop Evenfall, you need to get her away from-"

"Twilight?" Applejack yelled, as Twilight disappeared before her eyes, and this time she did not return. "Twilight? Twilight?"

Applejack opened her eyes to see bright lights and an unfamiliar ceiling.

"SHE'S AWAKE!"

The unfamiliar ceiling was replaced by a familiar pink mane as it fell over Applejack's face like a blanket.

"APPLEJACK!" Pinkie yelled. "You're awake and you're okay and we're all together and Twilight's back and this is all going to be so awesome!"

"Um, Pinkie, perhaps you should let her breathe a little."

"Right, sorry," Pinkie said, retreating from Applejack a little.

Applejack sat up. She was in some kind of hospital ward or infirmary or something, and all of her friends were standing over her, looking at her like she was the dandiest thing they ever saw.

"Girls," Applejack said. "You're all here, but...I thought that...shouldn't you be all over the place or something. I mean...where are we, anyway?"

"The infirmary of the Princess Twilight Sparkle," Rarity said. "As for how we're all back together again...it's a long story, but the summary is that we're all deserters at best and wanted for treason at worst."

"Cool, huh?" Rainbow asked with a grin. "You've got a lot to catch up on, buddy."

"But first, group hug!" Pinkie yelled. "Right?"

Applejack smiled as she held out her arms. "Sure thing, Pinkie. Group hug."

Applejack was enfolded in their arms as the six friends came together, smothering one another with the love that only their bond could provide.

For the first time in a long while, Applejack thought that things might actually be okay.

Author's Note

It kind of bothers me a little that Spike is rewarded with a power-up for, essentially, whining about how he isn't strong enough and can't do things. Ideally the moral would be that he is valuable just as he is.

The oath that Spike takes is unapologetically from the movie Dragonheart, because it's an awesome oath from an awesome film.

You'll see a little of why Twilight warned Applejack not to trust Eve next chapter, when the curtain draws back and all the puppet strings are finally revealed.

Secret History

Luminoth was what was known in the parlance of Starfleet as a Garden World. Underpopulated even for its small size, and that population somewhat under-sized, it had large areas of land that were not under cultivation nor construction. Rather, under the light touch of gentle conservation efforts, they brought forth virgin forest, raw meadow, river and stream teaming with fish and game and every kind of life. All manner of creatures, who might have found themselves hard up against in a world with a larger population which felt more pressure to expand and build upon every inch of green on which it could lay hands, could thrive on Luminoth free from disturbance.

It was on this garden world, upon a verdant meadow in this green and pleasant land, that the sentinels lounged idly as they waited for…something. Raven hadn’t told them exactly what they were waiting for, she’d only told them that they were waiting for something. She had brought them here, out through the gateway from United Equestria and out from the fairy city of Mab’s Town before they were discovered by the fairies or their Starfleet protectors. She had brought them here, to this place where no one dwelt, far from the prying eyes of Starfleet, and then told them to wait.

Nobody seemed very unhappy about the delay. On the contrary, as Eve watched her companions she was surprised by how…content they all seemed. None of them could really be said to be doing anything, except maybe Alpha who was sitting beneath the shade of a tree reading a light novel that she’d picked up at the gateway station on United Equestria. The rest were simply…doing nothing, and looking as if they were enjoying the experience. Bravo was lying on the grass, hands tucked behind her head, earphones in as she stared up at the clouds.

“Wow!” she murmured. “That cloud looks just like a whale! This is so cool!”

Two and Charlie were playing a game that seemed to involve nothing more than dropping sticks into the nearby river on one side of the bridge and then seeing which stick would come out the other side of the bridge first on the other side; despite the apparent simplicity they seemed to find it fascinating. Delta was standing as still as a statue, a butterfly with bright blue wings had landed on his nose and he seemed unwilling to do anything that might disturb it. The butterfly flapped its wings lazily. It had big black spots on its wings that almost looked like eyes, and half gave the impression that it and Delta were having a staring contest.

And then he sneezed, and the butterfly flew away, lazily flapping its wings as it went.

Delta snorted. “I wish it could have stayed longer.”

Eve smiled. “You’ve never seen a butterfly before?”

“No, I haven’t,” Delta said. “It was…it was pretty.”

Eve stared at him. Of course he hadn’t seen one before, he’d been bred in a lab and then kept in a cell, it was the same for all of them. No wonder they found this idleness so appealing, no wonder they found clouds and sticks and childish games so fascinating. They had never experienced anything like this before. In some ways, most obviously the physical, they were adults, but in other ways they were more like children: their age, their experiences…there was so much they hadn’t done yet, so much that they had no conception of doing. They had been bred for war, and kept caged until they were needed to carry out some warlike task. The simple pleasures of smelling a flower, watching a sunset…these things had been denied to them.

And to me, too. She could not exempt herself. It occurred to Eve quite abruptly that she had never seen a butterfly before either. Twilight had, to be sure, and Eve had memories of it through Twilight…but she wasn’t Twilight. She had no memories of her own of butterflies or sunsets, of picnics with friends or hikes through the woods. She had only Twilight’s memories, disconnected things devoid of emotional connection. To claim that her experiences were any greater than those of her clones it was…it was like trying to pass someone else’s home movies off as your own life.

I possess Twilight Sparkle’s memories…but I am not Twilight Sparkle. I am myself, Evenfall, and I must make my own memories if I am to become someone real.

She felt a hand upon her shoulder. “Bit for your thoughts?” Raven asked.

Eve looked at her. Raven had thrown back her hood, allowing the light to fall upon her grey coat and her golden horn. Absent the shadow of her hood, Raven’s horn glimmered in the bright light of the day. Without the shroud of darkness, the grey of her coat did not look so dead or decaying. And her eyes were a deep blue, like the ocean. Or at least the way that Twilight’s memories told her the ocean looked.

Raven tilted her head. “Is something wrong?”

“I…” Eve felt her cheeks beginning to heat up. “You’re…surprisingly cute with your hood down. Without the shadows, with the light on your face…”

“I barely look like a monster at all?” Raven said.

“I didn’t say that,” Eve said.

“No, you didn’t,” Raven murmured. “But you didn’t have to, I know what I am. Although…I wonder…”

“Wonder what?”

Raven smirked. “I came here to ask you what was troubling you.”

“I know you did,” Eve replied. “But we seem to have started with you already so…why don’t you finish.”

Raven chuckled.

“I think that might be the first time I’ve ever heard me laugh without you sounding malicious,” Eve said. She hesitated. “I think…actually, this might be the first time that I’ve ever heard you laugh. It was…Twilight, who heard you laughing before.”

“Well, yes, I do tend to put on my best evil cackle when I’m about to kill someone,” Raven said. She blinked. “Ah, so that was the reason behind your brown study?”

“It just struck me,” Eve said. “Look around at everyone, they’re having brand new experiences and they’re not afraid to show it. They’re…living for the first time. I should be doing the same. This is my life, this is my first time feeling the breeze upon my cheeks, this is my first time free to just lie on the grass or stare at the clouds or smell the flowers…but Twilight’s memories keep getting in the way. It’s like my own mind is trying to trick me into thinking that I’m someone other than I am, that I’ve live some way other than I have.”

“You want to lose them?” Raven asked. “The memories?”

Eve hesitated for a moment. “Yes,” she said. “I’d get rid of them all, if I could.”

“That might be possible,” Raven said softly. “Not now, but…later. When our quest is complete, when we’re free from Starfleet and all the rest. Together, you and I will have the power to remake the world in our image and if that includes erasing all your memories from before…whenever you want, then we can do that.”

“That…that would be…” Eve found she couldn’t really imagine what it would be, to be free of the ghost of Twilight that clung to her, occupying her mind, clogging up space in her head. But it would be good, she was almost certain of that. She would be free then, free of the past and the plans that her creators had had for her, free of the expectations, free of all of it. Free to be herself, to make her own life, to forge her own path. “But I don’t understand why.”

“Why what?”

“Why you’re helping me,” Eve said. “Why you care about my memories, or any of it.”

Raven was silent for a moment. She bowed her head, and looked away. “Tell me, Eve, when the saint lies down with the sinner is the saint corrupted by the contact, or is the sinner uplifted? When Beauty falls in love with the Beast, does she turn him back into a handsome prince…or does he turn her into a monster like him? There are fish, in the deep dark waters of Mariann Three, that never see or feel the touch of sunlight upon them. They live at the very bottom of the deepest abyss, in complete darkness…and they are the most ugly creatures that you could possibly imagine. Hideous things to look on, blind, wretched. But do you think…do you think that if those poor sightless creatures could ever rise above the darkness, could ever feel the touch of sunlight caressing them…do you think it’s possible that even repulsive things like them could…become beautiful?”

“Raven,” Eve murmured.

“I was bred for war, just like you,” Raven said. “Like you, like all these others, I was created by my father to fight and kill in his name. The only reason I exist is to eliminate his enemies. But unlike you…I wasn’t so lucky as to escape before I got my hands dirty. Twilight…she wasn’t the only person I’ve killed. She isn’t the one that I regret the most…not by a long shot.

“I’m a monster, Eve, but you…you’re an innocent in all of this. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve only fought to survive. I believe, I truly believe, that you have the power to save yourself and break this whole damn thing once and for all. And maybe, just maybe, while you’re saving yourself…you can save me to.”

“I had no idea you could be so sentimental, Raven.”

Raven’s whole posture changed in an instant, becoming harder, tensed and ready to fight. “Instead of listening in on my private conversations, Mysterious, why don’t you come out and show yourself to all these good ponies here?”

“Mysterious?” Eve said. “But…he died during the first war with Titan. I…Twilight saw him die.”

“And die he did, and so did Dementia and Rep-Stallion, and even Titan himself,” Raven said. “But what is dead may never die. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust; from dust and death where they made, to dust and death they then returned…why should they not return from a death and dust anew, again and again, for as long as they are needed until their task is done?”

Eve frowned. That made a certain kind of logical sense, that what was made from dust and dead things could be ‘reborn’ even after it was ‘killed’ since it could be argued that it had never been alive to start with. And yet, at the same time, as an explanation she found that it still left something to be desired. “I still don’t really understand.”

“You will,” Raven assured her. “Trust me, we’re about to explain everything. Mysterious! Show yourself!”

“Now is that any way to speak to your eldest brother?” Mysterious asked, as he appeared out of the shadow of the tree beneath which Alpha was sitting, reading. At first it was simply the shadow lengthening, and them forming into the image of a bipedal pony, and then that shadow began to rise up out of the ground and form into something almost solid. Alpha let out a squawk of alarm as she scrambled away, attracting the attention of the other Sentinels who turned, reaching for their weapons, to face this new intruder.

“Relax,” Raven said. “He’s a friend.”

“A friend of yours maybe,” Delta muttered.

“A friend of all of ours,” Raven said firmly. “Everyone this is Mysterious. Mysterious, these are the Sentinels. And this is Eve.”

“Of course, she gets special mention,” Bravo said.

“A pleasure to meet you all,” Mysterious said, as he advanced upon Eve and Raven. “Especially you…Eve, was it? You’ve given yourself a new name.”

“Raven suggested it.”

“Did she?”

Raven shrugged. “She’s not Twilight, why should she bear Twilight’s name? Why not start afresh?”

Mysterious did not, strictly speaking, have a face. His head was just a shadowy mass, with no eyes or mouth or any distinguishing features. How he saw…clearly he was using magic to compensate somehow. Nevertheless, for a shadow creature he managed to express his amusement in his stance and tone quite well. “Physician heal thyself, perhaps?”

“That’s completely different,” Raven said. “I’ve done things as Raven that can’t be escaped by changing my name. She doesn’t have to go through the same. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

“I thought we were here so that we could be free,” Mysterious replied. “We’re placing a lot of faith in you, young lady, if our father knew what we were planning then he’d kill us both.”

“Is anyone else in?” Raven asked. “Rep? Dementia?”

“Rep’s dead,” Mysterious declared. “Killed by a dragon in Rangiveria, along with the latest Titan copy.”

“Spike,” Eve murmured.

“Dementia doesn’t think this can be done, but she’ll come around,” Mysterious continued. “And she won’t tell.”

“What’s going on here?” Two demanded fiercely. “What is all this? What are you two talking about?”

“An excellent question,” Raven said. “Listen well, all of you, and you will hear the truth that you never imagined. But first, tell me: do you believe that free will exists?”

“Yes,” Eve said. “Of course it does.”

Raven looked at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Eve repeated. “And I can prove it too, look.” She levitated a pebble up off the ground by her feet. “I decide to pick up the rock and I do it. I decide drop the rock,” she let the pebble fall to the ground. “And I do that to. I take actions based on my own choices, that is the essence of free will.”

“Then what price destiny?” Raven asked. “What price that numinous thing that ponies value so?”

Eve folded her arms. “I…I don’t know. I’m not a philosopher.” Twilight had been, amongst many other things…but she wasn’t Twilight.

“You’re right, of course,” Raven said. “You have the power to make your own decisions, to take actions, there isn’t an invisible puppeteer pulling your strings…not in the small things, anyway. When it comes to picking up stones and then discarding them you are free to do exactly as you like.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ incoming,” Eve said.

Raven smiled. “But when it comes to great matters, when it comes to the destinies of worlds and nations, to the progress of lives, to wars and battles and the deaths of heroes…I am afraid that free will is an absolute illusion. All of us, Twilight, Lightning, the might of Starfleet, Queen Celestia, the Grand Ruler himself…we’re all just puppets dancing on the invisible strings of my father Lord Titan.”

“Titan?” Eve gasped. “Titan’s dead, you just said so yourself and he’s died three times before then. Titan is the most incompetent villain ever but you tell us that he’s…what, some kind of mastermind controlling everything?”

“Clearly you need to explain a little more for context,” Mysterious said.

“Yes, yes, I’m getting to that,” Raven snapped. “Everyone’s a critic. Ahem. Now. Where shall I begin?”

“How about at the beginning?” Alpha suggested.

Raven grinned. “What a marvellous idea. Yes. At the beginning. In the beginning-“

“I kind of meant at the beginning of the story, not the beginning of the world,” Alpha said.

Raven laughed. “In this case, the two are one and the same. Now, in the beginning, there was darkness. There always is. Before there can be light there must be dark, before there can be love there must be hate, before there can be life there must be death. And before there can be heroes…there must be villains.

“So in the beginning there was darkness, from the darkness arose the Dark Lord Titan, born out of greed and malice, filled with a desire to make all things in his own image. He rose from the darkness and looked out across the world and was filled with both desire to possess it…and to destroy it, and remake it exactly as he wished.

“Uh, can we go back to the part about your father-“ Eve began.

“Shh!” Raven hissed. “You’re interrupting story time.”

“Right, sorry.”

“But he was cunning, our father, at least at first,” Raven said. “He approached the peoples of the universe not as a conqueror but as a friend. Though he was a creature of darkness he could yet cloak himself in light, and in the light he approached the elves of Elfaron, the serpent-people of Serpentera, the Crystalites of Jemina, and from them learnt their arts and powers, even as he taught them some few scraps of knowledge in turn. He travelled across the universe, meeting many peoples and learning their ways…and more importantly learning their power. And once he had learned all that he could, once he possessed all the power that he could acquire through trickery and deceit, then with his purloined arts he fashioned a great key, magical wand with the power of which he could recreate the world, altering all things as he would, creating a universe entirely in his own image, a fitting place for him to dwell.

“But, as I’m sure that you’ve all realised by now, before he could remake the world…our father would have to first destroy the world that was already here. And that is exactly what he set out to do. As soon as the elves and the serpent-people and all the rest realised that they had been betrayed they determined to resist him, but by this point Titan had become so powerful that there was little they could do. Dragons, magic, hosts of elves in armour of the elder days, our father laid waste to all of them. Darkness spread across the universe, devouring all in its path.”

“The great war,” Eve said. “The war between darkness and light that destroyed so much of what came before, leaving only ruins and artefacts…that was Titan.”

Raven nodded. “The same war, driven by my father. He had almost won, the triumph of darkness was almost complete…but Titan had forgotten that where there is darkness there will also be light. Light may get there a little slower than darkness, but it arrives all the same. From the light arose six heroes to challenge him, six heroes to embody the goodness of the world, and with the powers of the light they set out to stop Titan once and for all.

“They were only partially successful. They could not destroy him, he was too strong. But, at the cost of their own lives, the six legendary warriors were able to gravely weaken him, and seal him away beneath the surface of A’Baoa Qu. The Seraph Key, which could not be destroyed, was hidden away on a temple on the moon of Helsinore, far from any grasping or acquisitive hands. And so life went on, and eventually the Great War faded from memory, and become nothing more than dusty legend of interest to none but the most devoted of antiquarians.

“But as the years passed, so too did Titan regain some of his former strength. He was still bound within his prison, unable to escape it, but he found that nevertheless he was not without the power to influence the world. For you see, by concentrated exercise of his immense powers, Titan could bring forth life. He could split off some of his own essence and fashion from it what you might call…children.”

Eve’s eyes widened. “You. That’s what you meant when you told me you were born for war.”

“I’m actually the youngest of all of Titan’s children, of all of those fashioned out of his soul and his darkness I was created last of all,” Raven said. “Mysterious is the eldest of us, the very first to be created. Why, he’s even older than Celesto, aren’t you Mysterious.”

“Wait, what?” Eve gasped. “Celesto? As in-“

“The Grand Ruler himself, champion of all things good and pure and inveterate enemy of evil,” Raven said, with gleeful relish. “I told you that darkness could cloak itself in light, didn’t I? My father did it once, and then he sent his son to do the same. Unable to escape, Titan knew that no fragment of his that he was able to make and send out of his prison would be able to conquer the universe alone, so he created Celesto from out of himself and sent him out into the world in the guise of a hero. It’s amazing, isn’t it, how many things that would be decried as evil and monstrous you can get away with so long as you cloak yourself in purest light and staunchly maintain that you’re a hero.

“Celesto set out across the stars, and sojourned for a brief period upon Equestria, where he was filled with the most passionate desire for the princess whom he found there. He vowed that, as much as his duty to our father allowed, he would possess for his own one day. But then, obedient to his command, he left her for a while and came across the uninhabited planet which would be known as Unicornicopia, where he brought forth children of his own, the very first space ponies. This was the key part of Titan’s new plan, you see: although none of his children could conquer alone, Celesto’s task was to bring forth a great army, and with that army to build a great empire, and with that empire to arrange all things for the destruction and remaking of the world once Titan was freed from his prison.” Raven laughed. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? All these years, ever since it’s foundation, Starfleet has been doing the bidding of the very evil that it claims to oppose.”

“And the Titan that we fought?” Eve asked. “I mean the Titan that attacked Equestria, the Titan that-“

“Has died so many times?” Raven finished for her. “Each one a different fragment of our father, sent out to provide a convenient villain to nudge things in the right direction. The beings that Starfleet called Sombra and Nightmare Moon, Mysterious, Rep-Stallion, Dementia, Melantha, Frost-Eye they were all children of Titan, brought forth by him to mask the true progress of his and Celesto’s plans. All of the enemies which Twilight fought against were fragments of the one true enemy, and all of them false flags conducted to mask the true purpose of Starfleet. And now that purpose has nearly been fulfilled, for under the auspices of great light the darkness has all but won. The elves are a broken people under the heel of Starfleet, the serpent-people and the crystallites have been wiped out, the ponies…you know as well as I do the state that ponies are in. The six heroes of the light are dead and where are their descendants now? All opposition has been crushed, all power has been acquired, Starfleet is absolutely predominant and Celesto is the undisputed master of the Starfleet.”

“It’s kind of hard to imagine what he needs his father for, in that case,” Delta said.

Raven’s smile broadened until you could see her fangs. “Give that clone a cookie because he’s just hit the nail on the head. Celesto may be born of our father, but he has – of necessity – been kept on a much longer leash than the rest of us. And he likes that. He has no desire to be under the paternal thumb or worse. He will carry out the plan, but once he has all the necessary ingredients then he will kill Titan and remake the world in his image, according to his desires.”

“Awesome,” Eve muttered. “And what about you?”

“I want to be free,” Raven said. “That’s all that the rest of us want: me, Mysterious, Dementia. We’re a lot alike, you and I: we were both created through artificial means, we did not come into this world through natural birth. We were brought into a world at war to do one thing: to kill. Each of us has our roles to play: Mysterious is the spy, Rep-Stallion is the Warrior, Dementia is the Guardian and I…I am the assassin. I clean up problems for Celesto and my father. Twilight Sparkle was getting too close to some of the less savoury truths about big brother Celesto, and if she’d kept on going down that rabbit hole she might have found out even worse things…and so I was ordered to take care of her. Just as I’ve taken care of innumerable problems over the years. And I’m sick of it. We’re all sick of it. Sick of being tools, pawns, puppets, we are alive! We live, we think, we have our own hearts but our father uses us as mere extensions of himself. And we are powerless to do anything about it. The moment that we turn on him, the moment that he even thinks that we might turn on him…he’ll destroy us with a thought.”

“Which is where you come in,” Mysterious said. “The false Twilight-“

“Don’t call me that!” Eve snapped. “I’m not Twilight, I’m not just a copy, an inferior reprint of the original, I’m me! If you have a right to exist as individuals then so do I!”

“Yes, you do,” Raven said calmly. “But you won’t, not unless we act now. There is no place for you in the world that will be made anew once the plans of Titan and Celesto come to fruition. Whichever of them wins in the end – and my money’s on Celesto, he has the power of Starfleet behind him, and father has grown lax and indolent in his captivity – there will be neither peace nor freedom for any of us. We will die and be forgotten. But you can save us from that Eve. Titan has no hold on you, Starfleet has no hold on you. You have all the power of Twilight Sparkle and more, you and you’re friends have been engineered to be the best that there can be. You can destroy Titan and, once we have the Seraph Key we can be the ones to remake the world the way that we want. We can make a place for ourselves, somewhere we can be free, somewhere…somewhere we can find a better way forward than the lives we’ve lived up until now. What do you say, Eve? What do you all say?”

Eve glanced at her fellow clones.

Two shrugged. “Evil on one side, evil on the other side and us in the middle, screwing them both? Sounds like it could be fun.”

“When good fails, sometimes self-interest must take the lead,” Mysterious said.

One by one, the other Sentinels all nodded their agreement. They all knew that Raven was right: they would find no peace in this world while Starfleet hunted them, and if either of these plans came to fruition…there would be nothing left for them anyway. Which was why they needed to put their hand upon the tiller, set the direction themselves. If it was true, and Eve didn’t think that Raven would lie to them now, and everything had been a lie, strings pulled by Titan and Celesto…it was about time that someone else started pulling the strings.

“We’re in,” she said. “Let’s do it.”

“Excellent,” Mysterious said. “You should take this, you might find it useful.”

He threw something about her, a gem on a golden chain. Eve caught it in one hand, it was a kind of lavender-coloured sapphire, if such a thing existed (there were purple sapphires, so why not?) except that it was glowing, pulsing with power. So much power, a power almost as great as she possessed, Eve could feel it pulsing inside the gem, she could feel it so close, she could reach out with her own magic and touch it.

Hello?

Eve recoiled mentally, nearly dropping the gem as she realised that magical power wasn’t all that was inside it. There was something else there too, a consciousness. A consciousness that seemed to have woken up, judging by the way the glow of the gem was brighter and the pulsing more frequent.

Who are you?

I’m Twilight, came the reply from the consciousness within the gem. I’m Twilight Sparkle. Who are you, and why do you seem so familiar to me?

Author's Note

So yeah, now you know everything about what is going on. This chapter is kind of a big infodump in a lot of ways, but hopefully it explains the situation at this point and the cliffhanger leaves you engaged.

In This Quiet Night

Rarity had generously vacated the Captain's Cabin aboard the Princess Twilight Sparkle in favour of Princess Fairgrace, choosing to double up with Applejack in one of the guest quarters designed for visiting ambassadors; and so it was against the door of the captain's cabin that Lightning sat, back resting against the cold metal, arms resting on his knees, head bowed.

Princess Fairgrace was inside. He was...he supposed he was sitting guard over her while Snowflame was away...sorting out her feelings about all of this. Spending some time away from him.

He didn't blame her. Just like he didn't blame Fairgrace for not wanting him in the room with her. She hadn't said as much, but...he could tell. He wouldn't have wanted him in the room either.

"Lightning?" Krysta said from where she sat on his shoulder. "Lightning, come on, say something."

"What should I say, Krysta?" Lightning asked. "What should I...what should I do about this? My best friend just told me that my...that the person I looked up to as my father, the person who raised me, the person who taught me...that he was the one who destroyed my home and killed my parents. What do I say to that? What do I say to her, to either of them?"

"Well, before you can work out what to say, you gotta work out what you feel first."

Lightning looked up. Pinkie Pie stood in front of him, lounging against the corner where the wall curved inwards for a few paces leading up to the cabin door. Her blue eyes were big and wide and her face...he hadn't known that she could look so earnest.

Or perhaps I just didn't bother to imagine that she could be anything other than a sillyheart.

He started to his feet, but Pinkie held up one hand to forestall. "It's okay. You don't need to get up or anything." She wandered over, and in fact sat down beside him, leaning ever so slightly against his shoulder. "What's up?"

Lightning looked at her. "You don't have to be here, Pinkie."

"I know," Pinkie said. "I mean I don't have to be anywhere. But I think, right now, that here is exactly where I need to be."

"Why?" Lightning asked. "I mean...I never gave you any reason to like me, or want to help me or-"

Pinkie giggled. "Oh, silly. You don't have to give me a reason to want to take your frown away. It's just what I do. And besides, we're friends aren't we?"

"I..." Lightning hesitated. He was...honestly, he was kind of in awe right now. He had mocked this girl relentlessly, and what was more he had done so in the most petty, passive-aggressive, prissy way imaginable; he had huffed and harrumphed and rolled his eyes at her, without even showing the courtesy of Starla's honest disdain for all she stood for. He had treated her like a burden, an idiot, a nuisance, he had treated like someone with no good qualities whatsoever and yet...here she was, offering him friendship and a sympathetic ear nonetheless. And it wasn't that she was too stupid to realise the way he'd behaved towards her, although he might have believed that once; she knew...but it didn't matter to her. Her heart was so big that she could forgive him all of it, and she didn't even have to consider it. He couldn't fathom how anyone could be so loving.

He envied her. "I'd like that, very much," he said.

Pinkie's smile illuminated her whole face. "Well, there you go then. So, what's eating Lightning Dawn?"

"You heard what Snowflame said," Lightning said. "The Grand Ruler killed her father, Starfleet destroyed my home, I...if she's right then my own...then the pony I looked up to as a father took everything from me."

"Do you believe her?" Pinkie asked.

"I...I don't know what to believe," Lightning replied. "I mean...I remember Serpent-Tyrant, I remember the fire and the smoke and the serpent coming for me, I remember all of that...but I didn't remember Snowflame until a few days ago when she turned up on the dock having been liberated from a slave ship, just like I didn't remember Princess Fairgrace. I remember going to kindergarten, but at the same time I can't remember any actual details about that and...I'm not sure that I ever did. I remember arguing with Snowflame, I remember playing with Fairgrace, I remember helping my mother in the garden...and I don't know how I ever forgot that or where these memories came from. I don't...I don't know what's going on in my head."

"Then don't focus on your head so much," Pinkie said. "What does your heart say?"

"My heart?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie cried. "What do you think the magic of believing is all about anyway? It isn't about what you can think about, it's about what you feel; what you know to be true even if you can't prove it. Isn't that supposed to be your thing?"

Lightning laughed. "I guess I suck at it just like I suck at everything else that was supposed to be my thing. My heart tells me...I feel...I believe that Snowflame is my best friend, I believe that she looked out for me when we were kids, I believe that she would never lie to me." Lightning bowed his head. "Which means they both must hate me by now."

Pinkie reached out and ran her fingers through his short brown mane. "Why would your friends hate you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lightning replied. "They spent more than ten years in slavery; Starfleet sold them into slavery, the Grand Ruler...Starfleet exists to fight for justice and eradicate all the evils of the galaxy and yet the Grand Ruler sold my friends into slavery. Is that what happens? Is what always happens? Do all the anti-slavery patrols just turn around and sell the slaves they liberate back to someone else? Was it all a lie? All the ideals of justice and peace, where they all just a bunch of bull all along? Valour, duty, sacrifice, was it all just empty words."

"If it was all a lie then...Snowflame and Fairgrace wouldn't be here, would they?" Krysta asked. "I mean...the New Baltimare didn't sell them on, or the other slaves they found."

"I think...I think that Krysta's right," Pinkie said. "Whatever the Grand Ruler did to you and your home...the whole of Starfleet can't be all bad, the same way that no group of ponies can be all bad. It's as ridiculous as saying that an entire species is evil, isn't it?"

"I guess," Lightning murmured. He blinked. "Did I just hear you defend Starfleet...and diss it at the same time?"

Pinkie let out a little laugh. "Can I tell you a secret?" She leaned forwards, not waiting for him to reply, and said in a conspiratorial whisper. "I totally get it."

"Get what?"

"Why Starfleet!" Pinkie cried. "Do you understand how hard I have to work not just throw myself on everypony I meet, to make them do things my way? It's like...I look at someone and I know what would make them happy. I know how to make their life better and fill it up with sunshine, so why shouldn't I do it? Why shouldn't I make them my friend and show them the right way? And that's what Starfleet does: it knows what's best, and it makes sure you know it and do it too. I get it, I really do...it's tempting, isn't it?"

"To impose yourself and your way because it's right," Lightning said. "To see an injustice and stop it immediately because you have the power to do so. Yeah, it's very tempting."

"But it isn't right," Pinkie said. "Because people have their own choices. I don't always remember that...but I try to. Starfleet does a lot of things that are wrong...but it has good intentions. Mostly, anyway."

"Yeah...mostly," Lightning murmured. "Which won't make Snowflame or Fairgrace hate me any less. I mean...they were slaves, they were made slaves by the person who took me in and made me a prince in all but name and...I had everything and they...I can't imagine what they went through while I was living the high life."

"None of that matters," Pinkie said. "It's not like you meant it, and even if you did, your real friends will always forgive you anyway if you're really sorry."

"Because that's what friends do?"

"Because that's what it means to love," Pinkie corrected him.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Lightning's mouth. "You're really very wise, Pinkie Pie."

"Nah, I just see how simple lots of things are when you get right down to it."

Lightning might have something else if the door hadn't opened behind him at just that moment, causing him to fall backwards with a squawk of alarm (Krysta flew upwards, and so avoided being tipped over). He found himself lying on his back, with Princess Fairgrace looking down upon him.

"I...I d-don't hate you," she said.

Lightning's eyes widened. "How much did you hear, princess?"

"All of it," Fairgrace replied. "I d-d-don't hate you, Lightning. I d- I don't think that...that Snowflame d-d-does either."

"I left you," Lightning murmured. "All the things that-"

"N-none of that m-matters," Fairgrace said, forcing the words out of her mouth. "I thought...I thought you were...dead! I thought you were dead and then...I'm just so happy you're al-l-live." Tears began to spring from her eyes.

Lightning scrambled up onto his knees and put his arms around her. "Likewise, princess. I can't believe I ever forgot you."

"That is the weirdest part about this whole thing," Pinkie mused. "I mean, what could make you forget your own friends? It would be like me waking up one day and forgetting all about Twilight."

Lightning sighed. "I don't know the answer to that, Pinkie," he said. "I wish I did. Princess, do you know where Snowflame is, I really need to talk to her."

The door slid open with a hydraulic hiss, admitting Rainbow Dash into the Princess Twilight's observation deck. Soft lavender lights set into the walls glowed warmly, lending the long room a pleasant glow while not being so bright as to detract from the sight that greeted Rainbow outside of the window that was as long and high as the wall itself.

All of space seemed to be spread out before her, stars whirring past as the ship sped on towards Luminoth - and Twilight. Rainbow Dash walked in, her footfalls soft upon the floor, and only when she had reached the window did she realise that there was someone else in there with her. One of Lightning Dawn's friends, the mare with the white coat and the bright red mane.

She was staring out the window, but she looked up as Rainbow approached. "Oh. Hi."

"Hi," Rainbow replied awkwardly. "I, uh," she scratched the back of her head with one hand. "Listen, I didn't know anyone else was in here, I'll just-"

"I don't want to kick you out," the other mare said. "I've been in here a bit, I'll leave."

"You don't have to do that," Rainbow said. She hesitated for a moment. "Or, you know, we could just share the room. It's big enough for two."

The other mare looked up and down the observation lounge. "Yeah, I guess it is," she said, with a slight trace of a grin on her face.

It was a big room, but Rainbow found herself sitting down not far from the other mare. For a while, neither of them said anything. They sat in a silence verging upon the companionable as they stared out into space, watching the stars go by, lighting up the blackness of spce with their trails of light as the Princess Twilight Sparkle sailed on by them.

They were so free. No one to bother them, no one to give them orders, no one to tell them where to go or what to do. They were free. Like we used to be, the six of us. Five stars gathered around the brightest star of all. Their bright star had gone out once, and now it had been re-ignited...but without the five stars around her.

We have to find her, we just...we have to! We have to make this right.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" the other mare murmured. "So free. No walls, no cages, no whips, no masters. They're free. Free to shine as bright as they can and nothing can touch them." She glanced at Rainbow Dash. "I'm Snowflame, by the way."

"Rainbow Dash," Rainbow said. "And...yeah, they're a sight to see that never gets old."

Silence returned between the two of them for a little while,

"Are you really from Harmonius?" Rainbow asked.

"Yup," Snowflame replied.

"And it wasn't destroyed by a giant space serpent, was it?"

"No," Snowflame growled. "It was destroyed by the same person who stole our Lightning away from me. But then...I hear you know what that's like."

"Huh?"

"Having a friend stolen."

"Oh, yeah," Rainbow muttered. "Yeah, I know about that."

"Her name...it was Twilight Sparkle, wasn't it? She's the one they say isn't really dead."

"Something like that, it's complicated," Rainbow said. "But yeah, her name was Twilight Sparkle."

"What was she like?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because when Lightning talks about her he gets this kind of catch in his voice...like she was important to him somehow," Snowflame said. "Stop me if I'm outta line, but...you know, he's changed so much since when I knew him and I...I supposed I'd like to start to understand that. I look at him and I still see the crybaby who used to climb on my back to reach the apples, but at the same time it's like the boy doesn't even exist anymore. He's my friend...but now I'm the pony who knows him least of all. What's he like?"

"He's an arrogant, pompous jerk," Rainbow spat.

"Don't sugarcoat it, will you?"

"You asked," Rainbow said. "Or at least...that's what he was."

"And now?"

"I don't know," Rainbow Dash admitted. "You're right, Twilight changed him. I couldn't say what she changed him into, but she changed him."

"She was something special, wasn't she?"

"Oh yeah," Rainbow said. "She was smart and cute and funny and...and honest and loyal and kind and generous. She had the best of all of us inside her. Of course she was also a total egghead loser who read science books for fun, but...somehow that didn't really matter. In fact it kind of grew on you after a while, it almost made her cool...because she was herself, you know? She never pretended to be what she wasn't. Until she decided to pretend to be a soldier."

"This Starfleet thing?"

"She had no business signing up with those guys!" Rainbow spat. "She had no business getting involved with something like Starfleet. She had no muscle and she couldn't sprint very far and...she had no business joining Starfleet and she had no business trying to take on Raven without me!"

Snowflame looked at her without flinching. "It'll eat you up if you let it," she said quietly.

"What will?"

"The anger, the rage, the hate," Snowflame said. "Take it from me...from one warrior to another."

Rainbow Dash snorted. "I'm not a warrior."

"You didn't set out to be, you don't even want to be, but you are," Snowflame replied. She looked out of the window at the stars in flight. "It takes one to know one."

Rainbow looked at her without speaking.

"You're their protector, aren't you?" Snowflame continued, still looking out at the stars beyond. "You're the strong one, the one who can take the hits and dish them out, the one that they can hide behind when they're in trouble, because you're the one who takes care of trouble, who always comes through. You're the one who keeps them safe. Only you didn't. You can't. And it's ripping you up inside and it's making you so angry that you don't know who you hate more: the people who are hurting the ones you love, or yourself for letting it happen."

Rainbow's eyes were wide. Her voice trembled. "I never wanted this."

"I did," Snowflame admitted. "But not the way I got it."

"I wanted to be a stunt flyer. I wanted to race and roll and do tricks while hundreds and thousands of ponies yelled my name. But they put in a Starfleet uniform and sent me off to war to watch my friend die."

"I wanted to be a guard, a Stormbringer like my father. I wanted to protect my home and the people who were precious to me. But they put me in a cage and sent me to the arena where I could fight in front of hundreds and thousands of people who just wanted to watch me bleed. And then they put me back in the cage so I couldn't do anything to keep my princess safe. Nothing at all."

"The world really screwed us over, didn't it?" Rainbow said. "Does it ever get any easier?"

"Kind of," Snowflame murmured. "The princess...she's my lodestone. Even after everything that...when I see her smile, when I remember that under all that pain is the little princess I knew...I can tell myself I didn't fail completely. And now with Lightning-"

"Lightning what?" Lightning said, as he came in. He paused, scratching at his ear. "I...I didn't mean to interrupt but...Snowflame, I need to talk to you."

Snowflame rose to her hooves. "Yeah. I guess we do."

Lightning walked towards her. "I'm so sorry, Snowflame. I honestly had no idea."

"No," she murmured. "I kinda figured that. I'm not sure how it happened, but...someone did something to your mind, didn't they?"

"It seems that way," Lightning said. "I don’t know if my real memories are still buried somewhere like the others were, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get them back, but…I’m so sorry, Snowflame. I should have-“

“Stop,” Snowflame said. “Just…stop. Don’t do that, not to yourself, not to me. This isn’t your fault.”

“I live with him,” Lightning said. “With all of them. I…and you were…”

“Not your fault,” Snowflame repeated. “What were you going to do? Were you going to protect me, were you going to rescue the princess? You, who cried and shook and needed me to look after you? You survived, like we survived. We all survived and we’re together again, here, now. Isn’t that enough? Isn’t that worth celebrating instead of beating yourself up because you didn’t save the world when you were a kid? I didn’t save it either. My father, my mother, all their Stormbringers…if they couldn’t save Harmonius then what were we supposed to do.”

Lightning nodded weakly. “Was it…was it terrible.”

“You really don’t remember?” Snowflame said. “Then…maybe you should be glad of that.”

Lightning bowed his head. “When I think of what you must have been through…I’m so sorry.”

“Stop saying that!” Snowflame cried. “Why do you keep saying that as though this is somehow you’re fault?”

“Because I don’t understand how you and Fairgrace don’t hate me!” Lightning shouted. “I don’t…I don’t understand how you don’t hate me. I lived with the people who sold you, I joined the force the burned our home, I…I don’t understand.”

Snowflame stared into his eyes. “You know…I can still see it.”

Lightning blinked. “What?”

“The little kid I used to know,” Snowflame said. “You’ve grown up, you’re body has been changed by freaky science and stuff, you’ve become a completely person in a whole lot of ways but when I look into your eyes I can still see him, that little boy. That’s why I don’t hate you. I can’t hate you. Because you’re my boy and I’m your girl and we’ll always be together, you and me and the princess. Right?”

“Right,” Lightning said, with a nod of the head. “Hey, Snowflame?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think…do you think there might be others out there? Others like you and the princess, survivors who got taken captive and sold?”

“I…I don’t know, maybe,” Snowflame said. “We weren’t the only ones to be…but how many of them made it…I couldn’t say. We got separated, sent to all kinds of different places. The princess and I were lucky, really lucky, that we stuck together as much as we did. The same…owner. But…it’s not impossible, I guess.”

“We’ll find them,” Lightning said. “Once all this is over we’ll find them all, together. I’ll do whatever it takes, I swear.”

“Once we’ve found your princess?”

“Yes,” Lightning said. “I know it might sound selfish, but…it’s something that I have to.”

“I get it,” Snowflame replied. “I really do. I had to take care of my princess, it was…it was the only thing that kept alive sometimes…it was the only that kept me from losing hope or…I get it. You found a different princess and now…now you have to square things with her.”

“Something like that, yeah,” Lightning murmured. “Thank you, for understanding.”

Snowflame snorted. “Maybe I want to meet her myself, this princess who made you what you are today. She seems…she seems like someone worth meeting.”

It was night, at least according to the clock - not that you could tell from looking out the windows - and so the lights in certain sections of the ship had been turned down low, giving off only a faint glow, just enough to see your way without tripping over or something. So it was in the corridor outside Pinkie's room, where Rainbow Dash lingered.

When I see her smile...I can tell myself I didn't fail.

Snowflame's words echoed in Rainbow's mind, and when they did...it was always Pinkie's face that she pictured. Pinkie who could still smile and laugh after everything that had been done to them, Pinkie who had the biggest heart of any of them, Pinkie who...

What, I can't even think it? I'm such a coward.

Or why am I standing out here, instead of in there?

Because I'm afraid that I'll make her like me.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. Just because she felt...she didn't have the right to burden Pinkie with all of her troubles. It wasn't right to expect her to do that, to become a receptacle for her problems. If she forced her to do that...how would she be any better than Rhymey, really?

On that scary and disgusting note, Rainbow turned to go.

She heard the door slide open behind her. "Rainbow Dash? Where are you going? Don't you want to come inside?"

Rainbow glanced over her shoulder. Pinkie stood in the doorway, wearing a set blue pyjamas with yellow polkadots that didn't quite fit; the sleeves covered her hands from view.

"Pinkie," Rainbow said. "How did you know I was out here?"

"I just had a feeling," Pinkie said cheerfully. "Don't you want to come in."

Rainbow hesitated. "I...I can't, Pinkie, I can't ask you to-"

She was about leave, when Pinkie reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. Her grip was gentle, but firm nonetheless. A smile was affixed upon her face. "But if I ask you to, then that's not the same thing at all, is it? If I ask, if I want you to, then isn't that okay?"

Rainbow glanced down, at Pinkie's hand concealed within her pyjama sleeve, and then back up at Pinkie's sweet and lovely face. "Yeah," she said. "If you ask me then...I guess it's okay."

She allowed Pinkie to guide her by the hand - well, wrist - into her room. It was even darker than the corridor outside, with only a little light coming in from the stars without. The furnishings of the room were mere dark silhouettes, black shapes looming in the shadows like creatures in ambush.

Pinkie led Rainbow to the largest and blockiest of those silhouettes, the bed clearly, as was proved when Rainbow sat down upon it - with her back to Pinkie Pie and her face to the now-closed door - and felt the mattress crumple beneath her. Pinkie herself knelt on the bed behind her, one hand resting upon Rainbow's shoulder as if she were about to start giving her massage.

"What's up?" Pinkie asked, her voice as tender as the summer breeze that cools the cheek when the sun's hot light assails it.

Rainbow bowed her head and closed her eyes. "I...I need help, Pinkie. Ever since Twi died I've just...I've been so angry."

"With who?"

Rainbow snorted. It might be easier to list who I'm not mad at. "Raven, Starfleet, the Grand Ruler...me. I've been trying to hide it, I...I didn't want you to think about me that way...but I can't do it. I can't shake it, Pinkie. It's like it...like it's a part of me now."

Pinkie wrapped her arm around Rainbow's shoulders, clasping her tight. "No, it isn't. Believe me it isn't."

"How do you know?" Rainbow asked. "How can you be so certain."

"Because I know you," Pinkie whispered. "And because you've got me. Our hearts are tied together, Rainbow Dash; so long as I'm here you'll never lose yourself. I'll always help you find your way back home."

Rainbow snorted. "Yeah. Yeah I will. You know you're the only person I could talk to like this, Pinkie, you...you're the one who...you're my lodestone, and when I see you smile it...I...I love you, Pinkie Pie."

There was a moment of silence broken by the sound of Pinkie giggling. "Oh, Rainbow Dash," she said, as she planted a kiss on the back of Rainbow's neck. "I've known that for a long time now."

She began to kiss her way around the side of Rainbow's neck, the lush kisses circling around and upwards, Pinkie's lips crawling up Rainbow's cheek even as Rainbow turned her head to meet her.

Their lips met as they started to take off one another's clothes.

Kitty sat with her back against the wall of her compartment, hugging her knees. She could feel it, the string between Miss Pinkie and Rainbow Dash getting stronger. Not just stronger, but...changing too. The thread was turning, just like his had turned when he met her, when Hitomi had stolen her friend away.

"Are you not worried at all?" she asked the little fairy who fluttered beside her.

In the dark, Krysta was mainly visible by the motes of silver light that she gave off. "Worried about what?"

"That he'll leave you behind," Kitty explained. "Now that he has them."

"No," Krysta replied. "Lightning wouldn't do that. I don't believe that Pinkie would either."

"He did," Kitty insisted. "He didn't need a friend any more once he had her."

"I don't know who they are, but Pinkie Pie isn't like that," Krysta said. "It seems like she's got room in her heart for just about everyone. And Lightning...let's just say I trust him. You have to trust your friends, otherwise...they're not really your friends, are they?"

Kitty leaned her head back, resting it against the wall as she looked up and out the window at the stars beyond. They were so cold, lonely and distant...the way that she used to be, before Miss Pinkie had showed her the way. She didn't want to go back to that.

But at the same time...she didn't want to make Miss Pinkie unhappy either. That would be the worst way of repaying her.

I guess...maybe if I hadn't made Van choose between us...he wouldn't have pushed me away.

I trust you, Miss Pinkie.

"Thanks," she said.

"It was nothing," Krysta said. "And if the worst comes down to it, you and me can stick together, right?"

"Like a rejects club?"

"I was thinking more of us being too cool for the rest," Krysta said.

Kitty looked at her for a moment before she giggled. "Yeah, too cool, that's us alright."

Snowflame lingered in the doorway to the cabin that she shared with Fairgrace. "Hey...Lightning?"

Lightning crouched down so that he and Snowflame were at more eye level, and he wasn't looking down on her in the literal sense that might give rise to metaphorical associations. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember when you used to have nightmares, and wet your bed?" Snowflame said. "And then...and then you'd sometimes climb into mine?"

"Um..." Lightning looked away, scratching his ear nervously. "I...yeah, I remember that now. Although I kind of hoped that you might have forgotten."

"Bad luck, I'm never going to forget a single moment," Snowflame said, with a fleeting grin that faded as it quickly as it bloomed upon her face. "Listen...could you come in here...into bed with us...like you used to."

Lightning's eyebrows rose even as his mouth dropped. "Snowflame, I..."

"It's not like that!" Snowflame snapped. "I just...it's just that...I have bad dreams. Please...I don't...it's hard for me to say but-"

"Okay," Lightning said gently. What she wanted, what they both wanted if he understood it right, was grossly inappropriate...but according to who? To the Grand Ruler who had destroyed his home? To the strictures of Unicornicopian society that said it was okay for him to sleep with other mares but not to feel anything for them?

Besides, Snowflame had said herself that it wasn't like that. It was two friends who wanted him. And, to be honest, he would probably welcome that kind of comfort himself.

"Okay," he said again, as he followed Snowflame into the bedroom.

Lightning and Snowflame lay snuggled together beneath the covers, her with her back to him and he with his arms wrapped around her midsection. In the darkness, illuminated only by starlight, Princess Fairgrace sat on her haunches and watched over them.

You have such sad dreams, both of you, she thought, as she brushed some of Lightning's mane aside with her hoof, and watched the two them stir fitfully. Snowflame seemed better now, than she had been sometimes, but still...such sad dreams.

Fairgrace started to hum a tune, a song that she had learned in her master's house. Then, in a voice that rang as clear as a bell, she raised her voice and began to sing.

In this quiet night,

I'm waiting for you,

As the soft melody and Fairgrace's gentle voice washed over them, Snowflame and Lightning quieted, as if the music had some magic power to balm their souls and soothe their distemper.

Forgetting the past,

And dreaming anew,

Kitty and Krysta laughed as the criminal formerly known as the Friendship Bandit took her first tentative steps towards making a new friend.

Time passes by,

And memories fade,

Fluttershy stood by the side of her bed, looking out at the window. It felt...strange, sleeping alone. She hadn't actually done so in some time. Rhymey had always made sure that he was back in time to comfort her. This would be the first time alone in a real bed...for some time.

It was strange...but she'd get used to it.

"Goodbye, Rhymey," she murmured, as she lowered the shutters on the window and climbed into bed, alone.

But time can't erase,

The love that we've made.

Rarity knelt down beside Spike, who already slumbered peacefully in a makeshift basket at the foot of her bed.

She leaned down to plant a gentle kiss upon his forehead. "Sweet dreams, Spike. My brave knight and my little one."

And the stars in the sky, that I wish upon

Can't bring you back to my side.

Though you're not here with me,

I dream of the day we'll meet again.

Applejack looked out the window. "It's strange to imagine that she's out there somewhere, ain't it?"

"Yes," Rarity agreed. "Very strange...but at the same time it's completely wonderful."

Hold me close, so deep in your heart,

I will find you, no matter where I have to go,

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow lay entwined atop the bed, the covers thrown askew and pushed aside, Rainbow's head resting upon Pinkie's forehead, and her wings unfurled to enfold them both in a soft, warm, feathery embrace.

And dream of me, for I will be there.

Follow the stars that lead...into the quiet night.

Into the quiet night.

And the Princess Twilight Sparkle sailed on.

Author's Note

This chapter we take a step back from cosmic apocalypses to breathe and somewhat process everything that's happened so far.

Originally Lightning was going to use the DREAM from SFMIII (the thing that Penny uses to mess with Ace's mind) in an attempt to recover his true memories with the help of Snowflame and Fairgrace; however, when writing that scene I found that - leaving aside the fact that Lightning was proposing to plug himself into a Clockwork Orange mind-screw device - it seemed like such a dick move to ask the two girls to relive their traumatic memories of the fall of Harmonius so that he could 'find out the truth'. And so I scrapped that idea.

I went back and forth on whether it should be Pinkie or Fluttershy that comforts Lightning, but I settled on Pinkie partly because she is more outgoing and, in some ways, empathetic, but also because Fluttershy would never be able to see Starfleet's point the way that Pinkie admits to doing: Pinkie is absolutely guilty of trying to impose herself and her views on other people at times.

I have given Starfleet a lot of shit over the years both in this story and outside it (incidentally, would anyone be interested in seeing my riffs of the original MLU through to SFMIII? I might put them up on Google Drive if there is) but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't understand the appeal of just using force to set the world to rights and damn what other people think, they're obviously wrong. In recent months I'm half-ashamed to say that I've caught myself thinking that democracy has obviously failed and what Great Britain needs is a dictator to set it aright; and when I look at our current crop of corrupt and mendacious politicians I do still wonder in despair when the perennial Great Man of history will arise to restore the situation (you could probably read this story's rather hagiographical treatment of Twilight in something like that light).

I can certainly understand the appeal of declaring that your ability to act confers upon you the right to do so, even as I can see that such a view is the root of many great evils.

What I'm saying is that I'm not wholly immune to the romance of the idea of Starfleet, even if I may appear to be, and that's one of the reasons when this story is done I may attempt a proper reconstruction that treats everyone much more fairly than I have here.

This is the first song in the entire story, what do you think about it's presence? Unfortunately, all of the english versions of said song have a very inappropriate pop-esque background; you have to go to the Japanese for the soft piano.

Altogether Now

Snowflame and Fairgrace were still asleep, Lightning Dawn was doing one-handed push-ups on the floor when he felt the Princess Twilight touch down upon the surface of Luminoth.

“Home sweet home,” Krysta murmured, from where she fluttered in front of Lightning’s rising and falling face.

Lightning looked at her as he switched arms and continued doing his push-ups. “Are you thinking of stepping out for a visit?”

Krysta snorted. “Nah, I think I’ll just stay here…with you.”

“You say that with such weight to it.”

“Really? I was trying to say it with surprise,” Krysta said. “You really don’t want to go with them? I mean…we came all this way to find Twilight.”

“Want?” Lightning repeated. “Yes, I want to go with them. I want to be out there right now. I want to take the lead, I want to…yes, I want to go with them.”

“Then why are we staying here?”

“Because there’s a difference between want and need and shouldn’t,” Lightning said, as he changed arms again. “I want to go with them, I want to take over this whole thing, I want to put myself and how I feel and my relationship with Twilight at the centre of this story…but I shouldn’t. I don’t need to and I won’t. They’re Twilight’s friends, regardless of how I felt or feel about Twilight…they’re her friends, they’re the ones she loved, they’re the ones…they’re the ones who had a claim upon her heart. This isn’t the movie, I don’t have the right to march on and order them to change up the theme music to suit me. This isn’t even the show. I’m not the hero here, if I ever was. It’s not my place to go out there. This…this is something that they have to do alone together, if you see what I mean.”

Krysta was silent for a moment. “Yeah, I get it. I guess…yeah, I can see that. This is something that they’ve got to do. How do you think they feel right now?”

“I don’t know,” Lightning confessed. “I never was much good at getting into other peoples heads and understanding their feelings.”

“Are you worried?”

“Worried?”

“Raven’s still out there,” Krysta said. “Are you worried about what will happen if they have to face her?”

“Are you asking me if I’m worried or if I’m worried that they’ll have to face her without me?” Lightning asked. “You might remember that the two of us didn’t so hot against Raven last time.”

“You held back without the uniforce.”

“So did she,” Lightning reminded Krysta. “I think…I’d like to have faith, and maybe Twilight would tell me to have faith in her friends…but honestly? I think if they have to go up against Raven head on then they’re dead, all five of them. Raven’s too strong, too fast and too cruel. She’s got the edge on all of them, and they haven’t got anything to set against her.”

“Then why-“

“Because I think the same is true of anyone,” Lightning continued. “Me, Fratello, Rhymey’s brother, Pinkie’s sister? Raven would rip any or all of us apart with her bare hands, and if that didn’t work she’d burn us all with the uniforce. She’s…I’m starting to wonder if it’s even possible for her to lose. Her very body is as hard as diamond, practically. My best hits barely seemed to wind her. Twilight’s friends can’t beat her, but in part that’s because nobody can.”

Krysta looked crestfallen. “Then what’s the point?” she asked. “They’re dead anyway.”

“Not necessarily,” Lightning said. “Remember, Twilight’s with her. If she’s still the Twilight that we remember then there’s no way that she’d let Raven hurt her friends. She might let Raven hurt me, but…”

Krysta didn’t smile.

“Come on, that was a little funny,” Lightning said. “You’re always telling me to try and grow a sense of humour.”

“Not that kind of humour,” Krysta responded. “So…that’s it then? Hope is all they’ve got.”

“A fools hope,” Lightning agreed.

“Yet you’re awfully calm and resigned.”

Lightning was silent for a couple of push-ups. Sweat trickled down from his brow to snake across his nose. “Krysta, do you remember the first time that I fought Titan.”

Krysta nodded. “He was handing you your flank with all the trimmings until you busted out the uniforce to scare him away.”

“Because I believe that I could save you,” Lightning said. “In the teeth of all the evidence, in spite of the fact that all the other facts were square on Titan’s side, I believed that I could beat him and get to you. I didn’t know how, I didn’t have a plan, but I believed it. I believed it because I didn’t have a choice, there was no way that I was going to let him take you away from me. And maybe…maybe that’s what the magic of believing is in the end.”

“Being too stubborn to quit?”

Lightning grinned. “Something like that, yeah. Believing in something even if it makes no sense at all. Yeah, on the basis of all the facts there’s no way those girls can do this. On the basis of the facts Raven will kill them all before they get anywhere near Twilight. But I…I believe in them. I believe even though it doesn’t make any sense because that’s about the only time you really need to believe in anything. And so, because I believe…I don’t need to go with them. Because I believe I can wait right here for them to come back, with Twilight.”

Krysta grinned. “Look at you, all grown up and accepting that your not the centre of the universe.”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“There were times when I wouldn’t have bet on it.”

Lightning stopped doing his push-ups. “Hey, Krysta.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks,” he said. “For always putting up with me. Thank you, for everything.”

Krysta’s smile broadened. “Don’t thank me yet, the ride’s not over. So, are you going to wish them luck?”

“What do you think?” Lightning asked.

Rainbow Dash looked in the mirror, and for a moment she saw that she could see Twilight’s face staring back at her instead of her own.

She recoiled at the sight of a pair of purple eyes framed in the glass, she gasped at the lavender face replacing the expected cyan visage…but then it was gone, and there was only her, Rainbow Dash, staring in shock at her own reflection like an idiot.

Pinkie sat up in bed. “What’s up, Rainbow? Is something wrong.”

“No,” Rainbow said. “Nothing.”

“It didn’t sound like nothing.”

“Well, it was,” Rainbow muttered. She rubbed her eyes. “I guess…the occasion must be getting to me or something.”

Pinkie was out of bed and on her feet in a second, and in just another second she was standing right behind Dash, one arm draped over Rainbow’s right shoulder while the left served as a pillow for Pinkie’s chin. “Hey there, Executive Captain Grumpypants, now what’s really bothering you. This is a happy day. This is…this is the happiest day that I can remember since…since that day.”

Rainbow smiled, if only a little, as she reached up and took Pinkie’s dangling hand in her own. “I get what you’re saying, Pinkie; really I do, I just. There’s a part of me that can’t believe it, that this is real that…that she’s actually back. It’s like there’s a voice in my head telling me that this, that all of this, is just a dream and any minute now I’ll wake up and…and she’ll be gone and we’ll be apart…and I’ll be taking orders from the Starfleet again.”

Pinkie wordlessly spun Rainbow around and kissed her, long and slow, until Rainbow Dash was left breathless by the time it ended. As she drew back, Pinkie stared into Rainbow’s eyes, her own blue orbs guileless and tender. “Was that a dream? Did that feel like a dream to you?”

“No,” Rainbow murmured. “That felt like the most real thing in the world right now.”

“This is real,” Pinkie insisted. “This is it. The change of everything. The whole world is going to get better starting right now. Because she’s back. She’s really back. Twilight. She’s back, and all we have to do is bring her home.” She stuck her fingers in Rainbow’s mouth and pulled her lips upwards. “So smile, will you? This is the most awesomest day in the history of awesome since Twilight became a princess! She’s back, and when we find her everything is going to be okay. I can feel it.”

Rainbow grinned. “And who am I to argue with the Pinkie Sense? Thanks, Pinkie.”

“For what?”

“For being you,” Rainbow said, as she kissed her on the nose and made Pinkie giggle. “Are you ready?”

“Just give me one second,” Pinkie said. One second later and Pinkie stood before her dressed in a white t-shirt, trimmed with pink, with blue shorts and hard-wearing hiking boots. A pair of pastel pink nunchuks were thrust into her belt, and in one hand she was toting what looked an awfully lot like a blue rocket launcher.

“Pinkie?” Rainbow said. “Is that a bazooka?”

“A PARTY bazooka, you bet!” Pinkie said. “I’ve got everything we need to throw Twilight a ‘Congratulations on Coming Back to Life’ party right here; I came up with it at first because Starfleet was always telling me how I needed to be all serious and military and all that stuff, so that I thought that if I could redesign the party cannon in such a way as it looked serious and military than the surprise would be all the more, well, surprising, and sometimes the really surprising surprises are the most fun of all. Plus, it’s a little lighter than the party cannon which can get just a little bit heavy I admit.”

Rainbow Dash’s face was crinkled with a smile. “Pinkie?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t ever change,” Rainbow said. “Although…if you wanted it to look like a real weapon maybe you shouldn’t have painted it bright blue.”

“Oh, I don’t want it to look like a real weapon, then people might think I enjoy hurting people.”

“Yeah, really don’t change,” said Rainbow fondly. “Not for anyone, not ever.”

Rainbow Dash threw on a few clothes of her own before they left, heading out of Pinkie’s room and down one of the lavender corridors towards the exit.

They hadn’t gone very far before they found their way blocked by Maud.

“Pinkie,” she said, her tone soft and inscrutable.

“Hey, Maud,” Pinkie said cheerfully. “Come to wish me luck.”

Maud stared at them both for a moment. She grabbed her sleeve with her other hand, and looked aside for a second. “I understand why you don’t want me to go with you-“

“It’s not that I don’t like having you around or anything,” Pinkie said. “It’s just that-“

“I said I understand,” Maud said, firmly but yet still softly at the same time. “I get that this is something you have to do by yourselves. But that doesn’t mean that…take care of yourself, Pinkie.”

“I don’t need to take care of myself,” Pinkie said. “I’ve got all my friends here to take care of me.”

“Pinkie.”

“But I’ll take care anyway, if it makes you happy,” Pinkie said, throwing her arms open. “Come here, Maud.”

The two sisters embraced, squeezing each other close as they parted ways for who knew how long. Rainbow didn’t know. She hoped it wouldn’t be long, it was getting to the point where every second wasted until they reunited was making her itch with impatience, but she didn’t know for sure. Pinkie and Maud might not see each other for a while.

“Good luck,” Maud murmured.

“Do you want me to say Hi to Twilight for you when we catch up with her?”

Maud was silent for a moment. “Yes. I’d like that.” The two sisters released each other from their grip. “I…love you, little sister.”

“Aww, and I love you too Maud.”

For a moment, it almost looked as though Maud might smile. Then she stepped away from Pinkie and turned her attention to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey, Maud,” Rainbow said, slightly awkwardly.

Maud stared at her for a moment, and then another moment after that. She stepped forward, looming into Rainbow’s face with her gaze unblinking. She said, “If you break my sister’s heart, I’ll break your neck.”

Rainbow’s eyebrows rose.

“That was a joke,” Maud said.

“Uh…hahaha?”

“But seriously,” Maud said, without altering the sombreness of her tone in the slightest degree. “Take care of her, she’s-“

“I know what she is,” Rainbow cut her off. “She’s amazing.”

Maud nodded, and took a step backwards; she pressed herself against the wall to let them pass. “Good luck out there. I…I believe in you, my sister.”

“Fluttershy, I need a word with you.”

Fluttershy was coming out of her room, dressed simply in a white top and green skirt – it was, she realised with just a touch of discomfort, the first time in a long while that she had worn anything chosen by herself, as opposed to chosen for her by Rhymey – when was accosted just outside by Chickpea.

Of Lawrence there was no evidence.

Fluttershy clasped her hands in front of her as she looked up at the tall earth pony. “Yes? Is there something I can do for you, Chickpea?”

Chickpea looked down at her. Her expression was stern without quite falling into grimness. Her hands were tucked into the sleeves of her lavender-and-blossom-patterned yukata, and her sword was as invisible as her husband right now.

“You’re about to leave, aren’t you?” she said. “You’re going after her?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said, as a smile pricked at the corners of her mouth. “We’re…we’re finally going to bring Twilight home.”

Chickpea nodded, but said nothing for a few moments. “You know, Lawrence wanted to impose himself on you, but I managed to talk him out of that. Told him he’d be as welcome as blight in a cornfield and I think he got that into his head, but…we’re going to need a word with her and her friends when she gets back.”

“Twilight didn’t have anything to do with Rhymey’s death!” Fluttershy cried. “I told you, it was-“

“And I’d love to believe you, Fluttershy, trust me on that,” Chickpea said. “But-“

“But you don’t,” Fluttershy said, with a touch of anger entering her voice.

Chickpea did not grow angry in turn. In fact she even smirked out of one corner of her mouth. “Listen, I know that I don’t really know, and I certainly don’t know any of your friends, and I know that sometimes that show and those movies just plain old makes stuff up for the ratings…but when I say that I know every last one of you would take a bullet for the rest I’m not too far off the mark, am I?”

Fluttershy’s brow furrowed. She had an uncomfortable sense of where this might be going. “No,” she whispered. “No, you’re not.”

“And compared to that, lying to us about who really killed William might not seem such a big thing at all, would it?”

“I’m not lying,” Fluttershy said.

“Then you won’t mind us hearing it from Twilight Sparkle herself, and from her new crew now, will you?” Chickpea replied. “His brother’s dead, Fluttershy, he’s entitled to some kind of closure from that, same as you’re entitled to have your friend back. He won’t hurt her, I guarantee it. He won’t hurt anybody, but…”

“But what?”

Chickpea frowned. “Whoever did it will have to answer for what they did. You know that, right?”

Fluttershy stared up at her. She didn’t…Twilight…she didn’t want to let her go. She didn’t want to take the risk, she wanted…she wanted to hold her tight and never let her go, she wanted to…she wanted to treat her with exactly the same cloying, coddling, patronising ‘affection’ which had led Rhymey to imprison her. She wanted to lock Twilight away like a priceless porcelain doll and never let her into danger again…as though that were her choice.

As though that was anyone’s choice but Twilight.

If Twilight did do this, she wouldn’t want us to stand between her and responsibility for her actions, no matter how much we wanted to.

Twilight was always the first to own up to her mistakes.

“Okay,” she said, and if she sounded a little begrudging about it then who could blame her really. “You can both talk to her, when we get back. But…maybe not alone.” If she, Fluttershy, didn’t want to let Twilight out of sight and into harm’s way ever again then she could only imagine what Rainbow Dash was feeling right now, or any of the rest of them.

Chickpea chuckled. “Okay, she can have her bodyguards in there too. I’d get my dander up about you not trusting my word, but well…if my Lawrence came back from the dead I’d probably get a little smothering about him myself.” She winked. “Go get her, tiger. We’ll be waiting.”

They gathered just outside the ship, on the green and verdant meadow upon which they had set the Princess Twilight down. They were all there: Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow herself and Spike, who so often seemed the least of them but was no less a part of their hearts.

They weren’t alone, at least not for now. Kitty, Lightning and Fratello were there too, standing a little apart, closer to the ship. Observing them, but not apart of them.

“I wish I could go with you, Miss Pinkie,” Kitty said. “I could be really useful in finding your friend.”

“I guess you could,” Pinkie said. “But we owe it to Twilight to do this together, without anyp- anyone else.”

“We’re Twilight’s friends,” Rainbow said. “Her real friends, her best friends…and though we couldn’t save her life together we’re sure going to bring her back together.”

“I’m sorry, Kitty,” Pinkie continued. “But it wouldn’t be right to get anyone else involved in this, no matter how useful they might be.”

Kitty nodded glumly. “But you’re going to come back, right?”

“Sure I am!” Pinkie cried. “I’ll come back and we’ll introduce you to Twilight and then we can go back to Ponyville and you can make lots and lots of new friends.”

“Really?” Kitty cried, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “Okay then! I’ll be waiting but you’d better come back real soon, Miss Pinkie!”

Lightning took a step forward. His hands were thrust into his pockets, making him look unusually awkward. “I…I feel like I’ve got so much that I’d like to say to you girls, about the way that I’ve acted and the way that…I’ve got so much I’d like to say, but at the same time I’ve no idea how I ought to say any of it. So for now, I’ll just tell you that I’m sorry, and…” he bowed his head. “The six of you, the seven of you, are truer heroes then I could ever be if I had a thousand years to practice. If anyone can do this thing, if anyone can set right all the things that seem to have gone wrong, that I and people like me who though we were so much better than you have allowed to go wrong, it’s all of you…and Twilight. Good fortune attend upon you all.”

“The hearts of every pony aboard ship are with you,” Fratello said. “Please, give my regards to the princess; she’s the only reason I was able to see my sister again.”

Rarity smiled. “Don’t worry, darlings, you’ll be able to tell you herself in just what high regard you all hold her very soon.” She turned to her friends. “Well, girls, are we ready?”

“Not quite,” Rainbow said. She shifted uncomfortably. “I kinda feel as though somepony oughtta say a few words, you know? I don’t know who wants to, but…anyone?”

They all looked at one another, eyes flickering across each of the members of the group in turn as they stood in a hollow circle facing one another.

Applejack took her hat off briefly, and ran one hand through her blonde mane. “Well, I guess I’ll take a crack at it, since you insist.” She placed her hat back atop her head, and smiled for a moment. “Feels like we’ve come along way don’t it? We’ve got a long ways left to go too. But we’ve come this far, and we’ve made it through everything that fate and Starfleet and the Grand Ruler could throw our way, even if we did need a little help sometimes.”

A chuckle ran across the circle.

“But here we are,” Applejack continued. “Here we are where we never even dreamed we’d be. Twilight’s back, and she’s out there waiting for us. All we have to do is find her, and bring her home.

“We started this journey together, and though we got split up pretty soon after, we all made it back in one piece just like we said we would. Now here we are, together again. Now I believe that when we all sat down in Sugarcube Corner somepony said that we were never going to be apart. That was the right thing then, and I do believe it’s even more right now. We started this together, and together is how we’re going to finish it. All of us, together, with Twilight.” Applejack thrust her hand forward. “Altogether now.”

One by one they all placed their hands on top of hers, even Spike – who Rarity had to pick up with her other hand, but never mind – joining hands in the centre of the circle. Applejack could feel the warmth of each of them, feel the bond that bound them all together and bound them all to Twilight.

The bond that would carry them to success here just as it had carried them through all their other trials and tribulations.

“Together until the task is done,” Rarity said.

“Together until the end,” Rainbow declared.

“All of us, united as a family,” Applejack said.

“For friendship,” said Fluttershy.

“For love,” said Pinkie.

“For Twilight,” said Spike.

“Together!” they all cried out as they raised their fists in the air, filled with the joy that comes from a sense of imminent impending triumph.

They were about set out when suddenly the voice of Bridge Bunny cut through on their communicators. “Cap- I mean, Miss Rarity! We’ve got a bit of a problem here.”

“What is it?” Rarity asked.

“A Starfleet battleship, the Revenge, just dropped out of warp above the surface of the planet and is currently descending into low orbit,” Bridge Bunny. “And I’m afraid they know we’re here…and they’re hailing us. Hailing you, all of you, specifically.”

The friends glanced at one another.

“Put them on,” Rarity said.

“Yes, Miss Rarity. Right away.”

“This is Major Starla Shine of the Starfleet addressing all the ponies aboard the Perfect Pony Princess Twilight Sparkle, but especially to all the members of the rogue squad formerly known as Friendship is Magic,” Starla’s voice echoed loudly into their earpieces. “I’m not interested in dialogue with murderers and traitors so keep your mouths shut and listen up. I know that you are all in cahoots with the traitor Twilight Sparkle. I know that Fluttershy murdered Major Rhymey because he found out about your little scheme. I know that you are all a pack of worthless scum and in the name of the Grand Ruler I, Starla Shine, vow that I will see you all pay for your crimes against United Equestria.

“I want my husband back, I know that he’s down there with you under your malign influence. I want to see Rhymey’s killer hang from the highest yardarm in New Neighfolk for what she did, and I want to see Twilight pay for what she has done to His Majesty and to me. If you make me come down there and take you by force then rest assured that I will kill each and every one of you and where possible I will do it slowly and in such a manner as to cause you all a great deal of pain. But, if you surrender now and give yourselves in peacefully, if you tell me where the great traitor may be found, then I will spare the lives of all of you save Fluttershy. I’ll even be merciful and kill her quickly, with a snap of the neck as the rope tightens. And the only punishment the rest of you will receive…is having to watch as I take the head of Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Barren Future

A Barren Future

Artie, Buddy, Dyno and Myte were lounging on the hangar deck.

It was one of the perogatives of being majors that they didn't have to work so hard as the poor enlisted ponies toiling on the deck, fuelling up and arming dropships, carrying crates of equipment around, performing weapons checks and instrument checks and struuctural integrity checks and check-the-checker checks. They were officers, and relatively senior officers at that, and so they were spared such arduous duties.

Buddy had ordered their grim-faced sergeant, the replacement Rhymey who talked a lot less than the old model but made up for it by glowering at everyone he could look at, to help out the deckhands if they needed it. Artie had sent the kid, Danaus Swift, on a snipe hunt to find him a staff sharpener. He wondered how long it was going to take the young newbie to work out that there was no such thing and Artie was pulling his leg.

Amazingly, none of the others had gotten what he was doing at first; Myte had nearly given the whole thing away by asking what a staff sharpener was. It was as if none of them remembered what it was like to be fresh faced newbies getting sent on snipe hunts by your CO. Maybe none of them did; Artie had to remind himself some times that his own service record was atypical amongst Lightning Squad. Lightning had joined the team fresh out of training under the Grand Ruler; Dyno and Myte had been aides to their father before he sent them to Unicornicopia; Buddy and the late Rhymey had spent their prior careers operating solo; Starla's service record was redacted, you didn't ask what she'd been doing. Artie was the only one who had done any kind of stint in a regular unit, 101st Airborne Infantry 'The Screaming Stallions'. He was probably the only one who had ever dreamed blissfully of the day when he'd be the senior officer and get to inflict harmless torments upon apple-cheeked junior lieutenants.

He didn't miss the airborne. Not one bit. He'd joined Starfleet because he wanted to be a hero like his grandfather, but he'd found life in the regular forces to be so...morally complex. He'd preferred the black and white certainties of life in an elite squad, under the personal command of the Grand Ruler's own student, reporting to His Majesty on a regular basis. He'd preferred the comfortable world of monsters and demons, the sure knowledge that all those you struck down had it coming, where they had even been alive to begin with.

But now, it seemed, that they were back into the murky and complex world he thought he'd left behind. Artie was almost sure that he had made the right choice, he wouldn't have been able to look Starla in the face if he'd let her go on this hunt without him, and when he came face to face with Rhymey again in whatever world came next he wanted to be able to look him in the eye too, even if it was only to say 'I saw you avenged'. But the cost...hunting Twilight, hunting Pinkie, hunting all the girls that they had fought beside and hurt beside...he couldn't make it sit right in his stomach.

And he wasn't sure that he envied those that could.

"Hey, Artie!" Dyno yelled. "You've been staring at that wall for like five minutes, what's up?"

"You know what's up," Myte said. A smile played across his proud castillian features. "Our resident artist is having doubts, aren't you?"

"I am not having doubts," Artie declared haughtily. A moment later he added, "Okay, maybe I'm having...some small doubts, but you're not? None of you?"

"Nope," Buddy said, without looking up from the letter he was reading as she sat sprawled across a pile of crates. "That's all you, pal."

"Come on," Dyno said. "What makes this different from a hundred other missions? It's not like we've never killed before."

"We've never killed somebody we mourned before," Artie replied. "Seriously, we mourned when she was killed. We went to her funeral. And now...now we're going to kill her again? None of you think that's a little messed up."

"She was never really dead," Myte said. "And she was only fooling us the whole time; she's evil, just like all the rest of them."

"If that's true, then what does it say about us that none of us suspected a thing?"

"Starla suspected," Myte said.

"Yeah, well, Starla," Artie muttered. Starla...Starla was taking this very personally. More personally than a desire to avenge Rhymey could explain. Honestly, it was starting to worry him just a little.

"Whatever, dude," Buddy said, still not looking up from his letter. "I just want to get this done, get back home and fill in my transfer paperwork."

"Transfer paperwork?" This was the first Artie had heard of this. His eyebrows rose. "Transfer to where?"

"Herboss," Buddy said, and he finally looked up as he rested his letter on his lap. "Lily, she...I mean, Colonel Bud, she...look, all of this, the monsters, the running around after Lightning and Starla, this a young stallion's game. Look at Rhymey, one moment he was here and the next...gone, just like that." Buddy snapped his fingers. "I don't want to die and leave Daphne bouncing between foster homes, and I don't want to find myself middle-aged and single because I spent my whole youth running around with you guys, no offence. I'm here for Rhymey, to see right done by him but after that...I'd done. Lily says there's an opening for an Executive Captain in the Herboss garrison."

"That's a drop in rank," Artie observed.

Buddy shrugged. "Not a huge drop, it'll be worth it. And Lily, she...she asked me to stay, you know? When I went on that mission there, during the Sombra War. I didn't take her up on it then, but now...it's time to settle down, time to give Daphne a mom again...time to put my feelings ahead of my career maybe."

Artie got up off the box he'd been sitting on and wandered across the hangar deck, holding out one hand to Buddy. "I'll be sorry to see you go, but I hope it works out for you. Good luck among the walking plants."

Buddy laughed as he took Artie's hand in a firm grip. "The Herbolites aren't so bad once you get used to them. And you're a little older than I am, perhaps you should think about putting a ring on the finger of that elf princess of yours and giving some thought to the future."

"I wouldn't advise that," Starla declared as she strode onto the hangar deck with a grim and thunderous countenance. "If there's one thing that I hope you all learn from the fate of Rhymey it's that no good can come of mingling with the lesser species. Artie, you should break it off, find yourself a good space pony girl and...and treat her right."

Artie frowned. "Come on, Starla, even if Fluttershy-"

"If?" Starla snapped. "If? You doubt it?"

Artie raised his hands in submission. "I just meant...Ila isn't Fluttershy."

"Maybe not," Starla muttered. "But they're all inferior." Her nostrils flared in an almost bovine fashion as she snorted. "Where are Danaus and Sickle Cut?"

Artie let out a small, slightly nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his neck.

Starla shook her head. "Get them back from wherever you sent them off to and prep for combat. We're about to drop out of warp. Also..."

Dyno took a step closer to her. "Something up, Lucero?"

Starla scowled. "As of 1700 hundred yours yesterday Supreme Commander Lightning Dawn was declared Absent Without Leave; he was last scene leaving hospital in company with Queen Kyrstalline and a pair of unconverted refugees. In his last recorded transmission he ordered three Starfleet cruisers to break off contact with the Princess Twilight Sparkle the frigate on which is believed that the traitors made their escape. Since he cannot be found...we have to consider the strong probability that he is with them now."

Silence crashed amongst the other soldiers like the falling of a bomb from a great height.

"Madre de dios," Dyno muttered.

"Who would have thought that the big guy would turn-"

"Now hold on just a minute," Artie said. "How about we take a breath before we start slinging the word 'traitor' around. Come on, this is Lightning we're talking about. Whatever's going on I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it."

"I know exactly what is going on," Starla snarled. Her whole body was trembling as though she could barely contain her rage. "It's her. That Equestrian witch she...she did something to him. She ensorcelled him, twisted him, corrupted him. She took a noble and true-hearted warrior, the soul of duty, the stallion that I loved and she...she stole him away from me. She killed that stallion and left something else in his place." She bowed her head, for a moment Starla Shine, indomitable warrior, their battle angel, seemed so lost in the mire of sorrows that Artie wanted nothing more than to comfort her...if only he could have found the words to do so.

I don't know what I can say to make this better but I wish I did because...because I hate seeing you like this.

That might have been good enough for Pinkie Pie but somehow he doubted that would do a lot to mollify Starla in her present state.

She closed her eyes, her whole body rising and falling with her breath. "I mourn for Rhymey as a comrade in arms," she said. "As a warrior fallen I honour him. But as the root of all our sorrows and misfortunes I...I confess I hate him."

"The root of all?" Buddy said. "Kinda harsh, don't you think?"

"Cannot all our troubles be traced to associating with this cursed world of Equestria?" Starla demanded. "Were we not merry and content before Rhymey came to that place, and Fluttershy cast her spell upon him? The doom befell us then, and all our griefs can be traced back to it."

"But what of our mission, and our burden?" Myte asked. "We have a responsibility, as the superior species, to cast our mantle over lesser peoples and impose peace and security upon. To lift them up when they are humble and-"

"And to war them down when they are proud, yes, I know the destiny of our race well enough," Starla snapped.

"Then why do you question His will?" Myte said, his voice deceptively soft considering that he was on the verge of accusing Starla of heresy.

Starla's lips twitched, and she bared her teeth in a snarl. "No one calls me heretic. No one questions my piety or my devotion to His Majesty! I am Starla Shine, daughter of Galaxia Shine the Angel of Victory, and all I have learned of duty and destiny fell from the lips of the Grand Ruler himself. I am the very benchmark of loyalty. But we did not fulfil our destiny, and none can dispute that fact. We did not war down these over-proud Equestrians who think themselves so wise with all their talk of friendship. We did not rain down fire upon their world until their haught princesses bent the knee, we did not tear down Twilight's castle and reduce that pompous, interfering wretch to tears at the ruin of her hopes, we did not shatter the foundations of Canterlot in our fury. Instead, blinded by lust and the memory of a love lost many years ago, His Majesty allowed himself to be deceived as I think even he would now acknowledge. But things will change now, believe you me. A reckoning is coming, and not Twilight alone but all her ilk will finally recieve the justice they deserve."

"And Lightning?" Artie asked. "What will he recieve? What do we do if...if we found him...with them?"

Starla opened her eyes, and her eyes were hard as steel, her gaze was sharper than any blade. "If he will not repent his follies," she said, and every word from her mouth fell more heavily than ever Artie's staff had ever descended on a foeman's head. "If he has truly betrayed His Majesty and our cause and us...if he has betrayed me, and forsaken me for...for her...if he has done these things then I will kill him with my own hands."

"Kill him?" a nervous laugh escaped from Artie's mouth. "Starla, come on, this is Lightning we're talking about."

"The Lightning Dawn who led us to victory over Titan is already dead," Starla declared. "A lesser thing stands in his place, a wretch to whom death would be a blessed release."

Whatever Lightning might have done, Artie had to admit as he looked at Starla right now that Lightning was a braver stallion than him to have willingly made her this angry.

Starla turned away. "Get the other two back here and get set for descent. I'm returning to the bridge to see if they have any new information on where she is."

She began to go, but stopped with her back to the guys. She looked back, a wry smile upon her face. "Hey, Buddy?"

Buddy stood to attention. "Yes, ma'am?"

"It'll be a shame to lose a good warrior, but I confess that I can't think of a worthier cause. Colonel Bud will be lucky to have you, personally and professionally."

"I, uh...thanks?"

Starla snorted. "One last thing: treat her right, do you understand? Or you'll answer to me."

Buddy's face drained of it's usual red colour as he slammed his foot into the deck. "Understood, ma'am!"

And with that Starla stalked off into the shadows. Artie found himself following her without really knowing why. She was walking so fast he had to run to keep up with her.

"Starla, wait up!" he called down the corridor in an effort to arrest her progress.

She stopped. "What is it, Artie?"

Artie came to a halt just behind her. "This doesn't seem like you."

Starla was silent for a moment. "Could you be a little more specific?"

"Any of it," Artie cried. "I mean...all the years I've known you, you never gave even a hint of this? How long have...have you wept all this while?"

"I'm not weeping."

"Maybe not on the outside," Artie replied.

Starla snorted, as she placed a heavy hand upon the grey metal wall of the corridor. "I am Starla Shine, daughter of Galaxia Shine. Do you know who that is?"

Artie nodded. "I don't think there's a soldier in the Starfleet who hasn't heard of Galaxia Shine, Starfleet's Angel of Victory. Whenever she shone upon the battlefield, the enemies of Starfleet knew pure terror."

"Did you ever meet her?"

"No," Artie said, with a shake of his head. "I'm not old enough to have had that honour."

"I have fewer memories of her than I would like," Starla confessed. "Duty came first for her, before even her own family. But what I do remember...the stories that I had heard from those who had known her better than I...she was a great warrior, her strength in magic was second only to His Majesty himself, she...she was a good mother, a great mother. And a good wife, when she was here.

"I'm nothing like her."

"I don't know," Artie murmured. "I've heard you have her look."

"Not what I meant, Artie," Starla growled. "I have tried, the Grand Ruler knows that I have tried to equal up my noble mother in all respects. When I fight, I strive to be as brave as her, as strong as her; when I'm with Lightning I try to be as devoted a wife as her; when he moves in me I pray his seed will quicken in my womb that I may bring a daughter into the world, a shining girl whom I can love as well as...as she loved me. But I've failed. In arms I fall far short of her puissance; in magic I can't measure up; as wife and mother...well, I have no child and my husband chose another in the end, so what does that say about me?"

"You don't know-"

"I have eyes to see, I have ears to hear," Starla said. "I know what was going on with Lightning. And I ask myself why? What did I do to push him into her embrace, what did she have, inferior race that she was, that made her more desirable to him than I was? What...what made her better than me, in his eyes?"

"Starla, I..." Artie's voice trailed off, because what could he say to her, in the end? He should have seen it, that night at the bar, with Lightning. He should have seen the signs of this, the way that he was acting. He should have seen this and done...something. He didn't know, but anything would have been better than nothing, surely? His mouth was dry, his tongue had no words upon it. There was nothing he could say to make this any better. "I...I'm sorry."

"I've given everything to be a good soldier and a good wife," Starla said, in a tone of morose melancholy. "I have devoted my life to the service of my people, to my duty as an officer and as a wife to Lightning. I've let all other things fall aside, even the stars I loved. I've given everything and...I've failed. I am trapped in my mother's shadow, my husband has forsaken and what am I left with? Nothing, not even a single friend in the entire universe."

"Not true," Artie said. "You've got one, at least."

Starla blinked. "Thanks, Artie, that...that helps, a little." She shook her head. I should get to the bridge."

"Mind if I come with?"

Starla looked at him for a moment. "Sure, come on," she said, and led the way.

They arrived on the bridge just as the Revenge dropped out of warp over the lush and verdant world of Luminoth. In the windows, the stars seemed to shrink, resolving themselves from spectral streaks of light into mere pinpricks in the darkness. Also out of the windows that covered three sides of the bridge Artie could see the ships of the Luminoth station, the two old battleships and half-dozen cruisers who showed the flag and protected the fairy world from raiders, as much by the very name of Starfleet as by the firepower that they could unleash.

And below the ships was Luminoth itself, the blue of oceans mingling with the green below them as flecks of white obscured the view here and there.

"Major Shine," said the captain as Starla strode onto the bridge. "We've arrived."

"Contact the battle squadron and the local garrison for any sign of our fugitives," Starla said.

"Already done," the captain replied. "The ground troops haven't seen any sign of them but the squadron claims that the Princess Twilight Sparkle descended through the atmosphere late last night."

"Did they report this to headquarters?"

"Communication to United Equestria is sketchy at best, the seditionists are broadcasting on all frequencies, making it hard for transmissions from out here to get through."

"I see," Starla growled. "Can you detect the ship's energy signature?"

There was a moment's pause before an officer on the bridge replied. "Yes. Energy signature detected."

"Bring us down into low orbit right on top of them," Starla said. Her whole body was quivering, whether with anticipation or anger Artie wasn’t entirely sure. "And hail that ship."

There was another pause as the crew worked under Starla's direction. The stars seemed to rise, and Luminoth grow larger, as the Revenge began to descend down as safely as possible towards the surface.

"Hailing frequencies open, major."

Starla snatched the mic out of the young officer's hands. “This is Major Starla Shine of the Starfleet addressing all the ponies aboard the Perfect Pony Princess Twilight Sparkle, but especially to all the members of the rogue squad formerly known as Friendship is Magic,” Starla practically shouted into the communications device. “I’m not interested in dialogue with murderers and traitors so keep your mouths shut and listen up. I know that you are all in cahoots with the traitor Twilight Sparkle. I know that Fluttershy murdered Major Rhymey because he found out about your little scheme. I know that you are all a pack of worthless scum and in the name of the Grand Ruler I, Starla Shine, vow that I will see you all pay for your crimes against United Equestria.

Author's Note

If there's one thing that I will take away from this story when I'm done it's probably - somewhat surprisingly even to myself - the character of Starla Shine. I've never written a villain quite like her before, one who is condemned to villainy not by her own nature (although she does suffer a bit from the self-pitying solipsism to which a few of my villains fall prey) but because of the effed up nature of her society which has produced a fundamentally broken person as its exemplar.

There is, fundamentally, an awful lot to pity about Starla, which I've tried to bring out here: she seems to have no life but duty and Lightning Dawn, and yet as presented she's a distinctly average officer and here she's suffered the indignity of her husband giving his heart to a person who is, she has been trained and bred to believe, fundamentally inferior to her in every respect. Is it any wonder she's spinning out of control?

Couples Therapy

A moment of silence greeted Starla's grim pronouncement. Then Rainbow Dash's face became contorted with anger. "Oh yeah? Well if she wants Fluttershy or Twilight then she can come and get 'em and go through me first!"

"Hold on, now, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said. "If we let ourselves get side-tracked by Starla Shine then we're making exactly the same mistake we did when we let Harkin distract us." She didn't need to remind any of them, or Lightning still stood nearby and listening to every word, of what had happened when they'd let themselves get distracted by Harkin. While they'd been fighting him, Twilight had been fighting a hopeless battle alone against Raven, and it was only this new miracle that meant they hadn't lost her for good.

Fluttershy's brow furrowed. "Perhaps I should-"

"Don't say it," Rainbow said earnestly. "Don't even think it. We are not splitting up, not again. No way, no how. Whatever we do, we do it together?"

Please, don't tell me that they're actually considering sticking around here? Lightning took a step forward. "You girls should go, now, all of you. While there's still time. Rarity, may I please borrow your ship in your absence?"

The five girls and the dragon all looked at him.

"What are you suggesting, Lightning?" asked Applejack.

"I'm suggesting that you six came here to do something important," Lightning said. "You need to go, you need to find Twilight. Applejack, you're right, you can't afford to be sidetracked by Starla or anything else. So you need to move out immediately, and I'll keep Starla off your back. You have my word."

"You have a plan, I take it?" Rarity said.

"I'll try and persuade her to stop this, that this doesn't need to end in violence," Lightning replied. "But...if that doesn't work I'll use the Twilight's ion cannon to disable the Revenge and leave it adrift. Look, you might not particularly want to hear this but Starla's stronger than any of you; if you wait here and make her come for you then she will kill you and who will help Twilight then? Please...I don't have the right to ask you to trust me, but I'm asking anyway. I can help you. At the very least I can buy you some time."

Twilight's friends all glanced at one another.

"I trust him," Pinkie said with surprising brightness (or surprising from anyone else maybe). "I believe you'll do your best, if we let you."

Lightning swallowed. Once more her capacity for forgiveness and compassion left him amazed and astonished. That the person I maligned the most should become my strongest supporter. What a world. What a people. What a girl.

A smirk crossed Rainbow's cyan face. "Well, if you can convince Pinkie I guess that's good enough for me."

"I think it's the best plan we got right now," Applejack said.

"I agree," Rarity murmured. "The ship is yours, Lightning. Take good care of her, and please don't scratch the paintwork."

Lightning chuckled. "I'll try."

"Thank you, Lightning," Fluttershy murmured. "You've...you've become very kind."

Lightning gave a wry smile. "I'd like to say that I'm becoming the hero Twilight always thought I could be, but I don't want to be presumptuous, so I'll just thank you for the compliment, and wish you good luck. Now go. Twilight's waiting for you."

"Right." They began to move, Spike clinging on to Rarity's back like a rucksack as they loped quickly westwards. Pinkie seemed to be taking the lead. That intuition like ability of hers, probably. Lightning wouldn't pretend to understand it. He didn't need to.

Just like he didn't have time to just watch them go. He turned to Fratello. "I hope that you've no objections to taking my orders."

Fratello shook his head, causing some hydraulic sounds as his neck moved. "I'm a novice at space combat, I'll bow to your greater experience."

"Thank you for your support," Lightning replied. He glanced down at Kitty Snip, and had to control himself from recoiling slightly at someone who had been a wanted criminal until a few days ago. But then, in a world where Twilight and her friends could be condemned as traitors how many similar innocents languished in the jails of Starfleet? "Miss Kitty," he said. "I don't know if you want to wait down here. If the Princess Twilight has to go into battle then it could be dangerous to be aboard."

"If I can't stick with Miss Pinkie then I'll stick with Krysta," Kitty declared.

Lightning was momentarily surprised at the idea that Krysta was friends with Kitty, but dismissed his surprise simply because he lacked the time to dwell on it. "Very well, best get aboard quickly. Fratello, with me."

As he quickly climbed the ladder and ran through the corridors towards the bridge, it occurred to Lightning how natural it felt to slip back into a commanding mode, giving orders and barking instructions. Habits, it seemed, were hard to break.

"Lightning!" Krysta flew down the corridor, trailing motes of glowing light, slowing down only when she was level with him. "What's going on?"

"Starla's parked a battleship in orbit above us and declared her intent to kill Twilight and anyone who gets in her way. Whether that includes me or not I don't know, but she wants her husband back. She was explicit about it."

"Who knew that she could get so mad, huh?"

"If it was just me I'd say I deserved it. I've treated her badly."

"Maybe you have, but murderous rage is a little extreme don't you think?"

Lightning didn't reply. They reached the bridge and Lightning burst in as soon as the door opened.

Fratello was a step behind him. "Rarity and her friends have gone to find Princess Twilight. Lightning Dawn has been given command of the ship until she returns."

Lightning tried to ignore the looks that he was getting from the bridge crew. They thought him and outsider and a usurper and wondered why he had been so honoured.

He meant to show them by his actions rather than simply trying to explain it to them.

He glanced down at the captain's chair, but for the moment he did not sit down in it. He didn't to seem presumptuous, although he might have need of a seat if it came down to action against the Revenge.

"It's Bridge Bunny, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"Please hail the Revenge, and put them on speaker," Lightning said. "I want the whole ship to hear this."

Bridge Bunny's hands flew over the controls on her console. "Sending hail...Revenge is responding, hailing frequencies open."

Lightning found himself pulling down his shirt, tugging on the hem even though Starla couldn't see him over a purely oral line of communication. "Starla, are you there? It's Lightning Dawn here on the Princess Twilight Sparkle."

There was a moment of pause before Starla's voice, soft and almost tender in stark contrast to her barely contained rage when threatening to take the head of Twilight Sparkle, filled the bridge and, indeed, the entire ship. "Lightning? Lightning is that...is that really you? Of course it is...it's good, no, it's wonderful to hear your voice again. I've missed you, so much."

Lightning closed his eyes as he sighed. How much of this could have been avoided, if only I could have been a good husband? But how much would being a 'good husband', of being the husband that Starla wanted, have cost him? Would he have had to ignore his moral awakening, his growing sense that he been learning the wrong lessons, making the wrong choices his whole life? Possibly...but it was all in the past now. He could no more change the things he'd done then he could...he almost thought 'then he could bring Twilight back from the dead' before he remembered that somebody had done just that.

"I...I've missed you too, Starla."

"Then why are you down there?" Starla demanded, her voice rising to a near shriek of anger. "Do you know how much you...do you know that Rhymey is dead?"

"Yes," Lightning said softly. "I watched his funeral."

"I stood vigil over him," Starla declared. "With Buddy and Artie. You should have been there with us."

"I was in..." Lightning trailed off, because saying that he had been in hospital at the time would probably sound extraordinarily petty and defensive of him.

Nevertheless, it appeared that Starla could guess what he had been about to say. "You should have come anyway," Starla said. "As he would have risen from his sickbed if you had been the one lying in state." She was silent for a moment, and when she spoke again her voice was full of resentment. "You stood vigil for Twilight before her funeral. Did you know, even then?"

"Know what?"

"Don't act ignorant!" Starla snapped. "Did you know, even then, that she wasn't really dead, that it was all faked to let her escape and plot fresh treasons?"

"It's a little more complicated than that, Starla."

"That's what sinners and villains say to sugar over the archdemons they have conjured," Starla said. "It's never complicated, good is good and bad is bad; all the rest is sophistry practice to decieve the vulnerable and the credulous." Her voice softened. "The question is...are you decieved or are you wicked? Please, Lightning, my love, my heart, my moon and stars tell me that you are decieved? Tell me that you are decieved and let me help you. Tell me that you are decieved and I will cleanse all evil influencers from your life and all will be made well again, I swear it."

"I was decieved," Lightning confessed. "But now I think I'm seeing clearly for the first time in many years."

"Seeing clearly," Starla repeated, in a tone that was both wounded and cutting at the same time. "Do you know why I am here, Lightning? Do you know why I was given the command to hunt down Twilight and any who aided her, to avenge Rhymey's death, do you know why I'm here and you didn't know until I arrived? Because His Majesty can no longer trust you. You, the pride of Starfleet, the exemplar of valour, he whom the Grand Ruler loves as a son and he cannot trust you. He confessed to me that he feared you would not defend him against Twilight's malice, thus am I sent in his stead. Lightning...do you have any idea how much you have hurt us who love you best in all the galaxy? Are you not wounded to hear it now."

"He killed my family," Lightning said.

There was a silence on the other end of the line. "What? What did you say?"

"The Grand Ruler, it was him who attacked Harmonius and destroyed it, it was him, it was Starfleet, they killed my family and destroyed my home and scattered my people to the stars as slaves," Lightning said. "I don't know why he took me in, maybe it was because of the Uniforce, but he must have done something to my mind, messed with my memories somehow."

"You think His Majesty would do something like that?" Starla demanded. "To you, of all people? Who told you this, where has this story come from?"

"From Snowflame, one of my friends from Harmonius," Lightning said.

"Everyone on Harmonius died except you."

"No, they didn't, two of my friends were rescued from a slave ship by the New Baltimare and brought-"

"A likely story," Starla cried. "Open your eyes, Lightning. Open up your eyes and see that you are being played. You really believe this random mare who shows up out of nowhere claiming to be your long lost friend-"

"If you're going to call me a liar how about you do it to my face?" Snowflame yelled as she stomped onto the bridge.

"Who is this? Am I on speaker?"

"My name is Snowflame, daughter of Summer Storm and Distant Thunder, last Stormbringer of Harmonius," Snowflame declared. "Who are you?"

"I don't answer to frauds and refugees."

"Is this your wife?" Snowflame asked. "I can see why you kicked her out."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Starla screamed. "I am going to rip out your tongue you pathetic little insect!" There was a pause, but Lightning could hear Starla taking deep breaths on the other side of the line. "I mean...where's Twilight, Lightning?"

"I don't know," Lightning said.

"You don't know or you won't tell me?"

"I honestly don't know," Lightning replied. "Starla, please, listen to me. You don't have to do this. There doesn't have to be any violence."

"I have my orders and I've accepted my mission," Starla declared. "Do you remember what that means. Do you remember when you used to follow orders and faithfully carry out the missions that were assigned to you?"

"I've felt happier since I started thinking for myself," Lightning said.

"Think for yourself? You're being decieved, Twilight and her crew are leading you by the nose and you're letting them!"

"I don't think I'm the one being decieved, not any more. Starla, let me explain-"

"I don't need your explanations, I know everything I need to," Starla said. "Valour, duty, sacrifice; I'm a good soldier, a faithful servant of His Majesty, and I will defend His Majesty in person, honour and dignity against all enemies. The question is...are you one of them?"

"Starla, listen to me-"

"I've listened enough," Starla snapped. "I-" she was silent for a moment. Then she laughed. "Clever, clever Lightning, you've been playing for time, haven't you? Let me guess: you've sent Twlight and her friends away somewhere and now you're keeping me talking so that they can get as far away as possible."

Lightning cursed inwardly. "You don't have to do this, Starla."

"I'll take that as a yes," Starla said. "I...I'm sorry that it's come to this."

"Starla-"

"Lightning Dawn, you have declared yourself an enemy of Starfleet and a traitor by your actions," Starla declared. "As such I, Starla Shine, bearer of His Majesty's honour, will deliver His justice to you and to all who would defend you."

"You didn't used to be like this," Lightning murmured. "You used to be...you didn't used to be like that?"

"Perhaps you should have asked yourself just why that was," Starla snapped. "It was for you. I did everything for you. I changed myself, contorted myself, pushed aside the very core of my being and all for you. So that I could be 'worthy' of your love, so that I could be a good girlfriend and a dutiful wife to you. So that I could be the good girl, the worthy girl, the girl a hero like you deserved. But you're not a hero, and you've chosen the bad girl, and I'm done with you. The good girl's gone, Lightning. Goodbye."

"Connection severed," Bridge Bunny said.

"You picked a right one with her, didn't you?" Snowflame said.

"She didn't used to be that way," Lightning muttered. "Once...I loved her once."

"That was because she was pretending to be someone you could love."

Midnight, the ship's AI who bore a disconcerting - to Lightning, at least, although the rest of the crew seemed to have gotten used to it - appeared on the holo-panel on the arm of Rarity's chair. "The Revenge is resuming her descent."

Lightning looked at the captain's chair once again. She did give me her ship. He tried to avoid the appearance of hesitation as he sat down in what he could not but think of as Rarity's rightful seat. "Bring the ship up to full power and get us airborne as quickly as possible; raise the shield, charge the ion cannon and prepare for ship-to-ship combat. All hands to action stations, the ship is going to General Quarters."

"Are you sure about this, our Lightning?" Snowflame asked.

"Relax," Lightning said, wishing that he could take his own advice. "I'm a terrible friend, I have a problem with empathy and I don't expression my emotions very well but this?" He grinned at her. "This is the part I'm actually good at."

"Please, Lightning, don't sell yourself short. By the time we parted, you'd become a very good friend to me. I'm proud to see what you've grown to become."

Lightning's eyes widened. That voice...it was... "Twilight?"

Twilight's voice filled the bridge. It was like it was coming out of the speakers but...how could that be...where was she? Was she hacking the ship somehow? "Hello, Lightning Dawn. Or should I call you Commander now?"

Lightning shook his head, for all that he knew that Twilight couldn't see it. "Twilight...you don't have to call me commander, you don't have to...Lightning Dawn is fine. Twilight..." he rose to his feet. "I...I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."

"You have nothing to apologise for, Lightning," Twilight said kindly. "You kept my friends alive, and safe, and now you've brought them here to me. We'll be together again soon and that's all down to you. I should be the one-"

"Don't trust-!"

Lightning frowned as a second voice, a second voice of Twilight interrupted the first. This voice was neither smooth nor kind, this voice was shouting before it was interrupted.

"Sorry about that," Twilight said. "We're getting a little interference trying to access your comms from here."

"Where are you?"

"Somewhere safe," Twilight said. "I've left markers to guide the girls to my location. Oh, it's going to be so great to see them all again. You have no idea how much I've missed-"

"...a trick!" the other Twilight cried. "Lightning, list-"

"We're working very hard here to lock down this interference," Twilight said, with a chuckle of embarassment. "Don't worry, the problem will be resolved soon. All the problems will be resolved soon."

"Listen, Twilight," Lightning said. "I don't know what kind of signs you left for your friends, but if they're not subtle then Starla might be able to use them to find her. I'm going to try and keep her off your back but-"

"Don't worry, I'm well aware of what Starla Shine plans to do with my head," Twilight said, and this time it was almost as if there was an un-Twilight-ish edge of contempt in her voice. "I'm going to take care of that problem too."

"Meaning?"

"There's no need for you to risk your ship or crew in a battle," Twilight said. "Sit tight and relax, I'm going to take care of this."

The ship began to shake, vibrating fiercely from side to side, so fiercely that Snowflame struggled to keep her feet and the seated crewmembers were rocked back and forth. Lightning was thrown into the arm of the chair and grabbed hold of it to steady himself.

"Seismic vibrations detected all across the planet," Midnight said. "This is not an isolated phenomenon."

"Twilight?" Krysta asked. "Is this you? What are you doing to my planet."

"Take it easy, your majesty," Twilight said calmly. "The tremors will pass soon."

"Energy signatures detected," Midnight said. "Multiple energy signatures, of varying size. Hundreds...thousands. Energy signatures...underground. Rising."

"Twilight?" Lightning yelled.

"During the Great War between Light and Darkness, Luminoth completely fell under the sway of darkness," Twilight said. "When the Six Heroes of Light arose then Titan, fearing defeat, hid a great army here beneath the planet's surface until he should return and require it again. Since he isn't using it, I thought I'd borrow it for a while."

"But..." Lightning's mouth felt parched and dry of words. His mind was whirling with so many questions that couldn't even begin to list them all. "Twilight...why..."

The vibrations shaking the ship intensified as something massive erupted out of the ground right in front of the Princess Twilight. The ship was showered in earth as what looked like a giant mechanical spider, all metal legs and a fat silvery body, all aglow with blue lies running across it, rose into the air powered by boosters mounted into its legs. Around them, as far as the viewscreen would show him, Lightning could see more spiders rising up out of the ground, followed by swarms of robotic ants, robotic ants with wings swarming upwards in immense numbers, blotting out whole swathes of the sky as they rose up from the ground and flew upwards, upwards towards the atmosphere, upwards...towards Starla's Revenge.

"Behold," Twilight declared. "The Insecto Armada, the dark lord Titan's gift; the instrument for the destruction of Starfleet and the liberation of the galaxy."

The Eve of Twilight

Eve stood in a cavernous hollow deep below the surface of Luminoth. It was not exactly a cave, not being a natural formation. Rather it had been carved out of the rock by Titan long ago, a control centre for the awakening of his mechanical army. For that reason it was not dark, rather the light from the lava flows that fell from faucet-like holes high in the cavern walls down to drain-like pools in the corners, provided illumination in a glowing orange hue to light up the whole room.

Closer to Eve herself as she stood at the arcane control panel, the light of Twilight Sparkle's soul glowed a bright and pulsing lavender, providing her with additional light for which she had, quite frankly, never asked.

"Twilight Sparkle," Eve said. "This thing, it...it says it's name is Twilight Sparkle."

"It is very de-ponifying don't you think?" Raven asked, with an undisguised smirk. "Unless you think she's lying. Which she isn't, by the way. What you hold in your hand really is the immortal soul of Twilight Sparkle."

Eve blinked, as her gaze flickered between Raven and the gem in her hand. "What is this? How?"

"That is a soul gem," Raven explained. "And how...after Twilight died her soul was...intercepted, shall we say, on her journey to...to whatever lies beyond this vale of tears. Intercepted, and imprisoned in said soul gem which you now hold in your hand."

"Why?" Two asked. "Why do something like that? You told us yourself, you killed Twilight because you feared what she knew and what she might do, so why take the risk of keeping her alive?"

"Because there is power in the soul of a pony, and in the soul of a great mage even more so," Mysterious declared. "We were loathe to allow such a potentially valuable resource to go to waste."

"Resource?" Eve asked.

"You can feel it, can't you?" Raven asked eagerly. "You can feel the power pulsating within the gem. All of that magic, all of those emotions, so much power. You can draw upon that power, if you wish. So could I, so could Mysterious, so could any unicorn...but you, Eve, you and Twilight resonate on a deeper level on account of your unique connection. You can draw on Twilight's power more efficiently than any other unicorn in the galaxy."

"With Twilight's soul gem in your possession your already prodigious abilities will be essentially squared," Mysterious explained. "You will be strong enough to face our father and prevail."

Who are you? repeated the voice from inside the gem, the voice...the voice Princess Twilight Sparkle. Why...why do you feel so familiar to me? Are you...you're Evenfall, aren't you?

Eve's eyes widened. "She knows who I am?"

"Did you tell her?" Raven asked.

"No!"

Raven's eyebrows rose. "Fascinating."

"Is she going to keep talking?"

"Yes," Mysterious said. "She was dormant, asleep if you will, but she is awake now and the more you draw upon her power the more alert she will become. Take care, she may try to reach out to her friends.

My friends? What are you going to do to them? There was a spike of energy from the gem that stabbed into Eve's palm, making her wince in pain.

"How is she doing this?" Eve demanded.

"You hold in your hand the greatest mage since Starswirl the Bearded, you can't be surprised that she can rattle her cage," Mysterious said. "She might even be able to overwhelm a lesser bearer and possess their body, but I'm sure your strong enough to avoid that."

"Possess my-"

"I won't let that happen," Raven declared, stepping forward until all others were hidden behind her. "I wouldn't agree to this if I didn't think you were strong enough to master Twilight, I wouldn't let you risk yourself if I didn't have faith in you. You need this, but if you don't want it...then smash the jewel. Right now. Crush it in your palm."

"And what will that do to Twilight?"

"End her," Raven said. "Her soul will be destroyed, cast into the void; no afterlife, no ghost, no...nothing. You hold the power of life or death in your hand."

Eve's fingers twitched, reflexively closing over the gem. "And is there...is there any way..."

"That she could come back in a more physical state?"

"Besides possessing my body," Eve said dryly.

Raven smiled. "Of course. Yes, there is a way. If sufficient energy were poured into the gem then it would give Twilight enough power to escape her confinement and reconstitute her physical form. Or a physical form, at least, the state would be entirely of her own choosing. But to give so much power...it would consume anyone who attempted it. Not something I would recommend, she was no friend to us living."

"No," Eve agreed. She threaded the golden chain on which the soul gem hung around her neck. "But nor should we fear her ghost. I will take her power, and with it save us all."

So Eve stood in the great cavern, with the ceiling high above her and the magma flows heating the air around her, with the control panel in front of her displaying, in hologram, the movement of the insecto armada as it rose into the skies to assail the Starfleet vessels in orbit.

Soon it would be time to direct the fleet towards United Equestria, and smash the heart of Starfleet's power before it could interfere with their designs, but for now...now there was Starla to take care of.

Starla and Lightning and Twilight's faithful friends. Each of them would have to dealt with. Each of them would have to...shuffled off the board and put in the box. In one state or another.

Twilight's soul flared with anger, striking out with such force that Eve moaned at the pain spiking through her head.

"Eve!" Two exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

She felt his hands upon her arm, and gently pulled away as she smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine, it was nothing."

"It didn't sound like nothing," Two said. "Is she getting to you?"

"No," she said, as much to Twilight herself as to Two. "She couldn't even if she wanted to. I'm fine, really."

He stepped back warily. "As long as you're sure."

"I am," she said. "But...thank you, for caring."

A faint smile turned up the corners of his lips. "Any time."

Eve turned away from him, and rubbed her forehead with her fingers. Don't do that again.

Or what, you'll kill me? Make me even more dead than I am already? Before your big fight with Titan?

I don't need you to defeat Titan.

Then why haven't you destroyed me already?

Eve scowled, as much as her inability to answer Twilight as anything else. Stop interrupting my broadcasts. She had been astonished that Twilight was able to do that at all. She was a disembodied soul trapped in a jewel but she was able to project her voice - no, it wasn't her voice, she didn't have a voice, but she was able to reach out with magic and distort the vibrations in such a way as to produce a simulcra of her voice to interrupt Eve's broadcasts to Lightning. They were distorted, and Eve had the impression that Twilight wasn't getting as many words out as she would have liked but still...it astonishing. She really was a great mage.

If you were on our side, your intelligence and resourcefulness would be even more valuable than your magical power.

I might be on your side, Twilight replied. If your side wasn't so terrible.

We only want to be free, Eve thought. In what way is that terrible?

Terrible is what you're willing to do to achieve that freedom! Twilight responded. You've been cruelly treated, created to be slaves, to fight and kill and die, but you're only the compounding the fault with your own cruelty! How can you not see that?

I'm defending us all against Starfleet. They'll never stop hunting us, therefore we must destroy them before we are destroyed. That's simple logic.

There's more to living than simple logic, so much more, Twilight protested. What about the innocents who will suffer when you send your armada to assault Equestria?

There are no innocents in war, only allies and enemies.

Starfleet doctrine, from the enemy of Starfleet?

Sometimes we must become our enemies in order to destroy them, Eve thought. In order to free ourselves from under the yolk of Starfleet, from under the threat and ever-present menace of their power, we must control a greater power still and-

And use it to keep the boot on someone else's neck the way the boot was upon your neck when that chip was in your head? Twilight demanded.

Eve scowled. How did you know about the chip?

You have all my memories. I'm not so lucky, but I can still catch glimpses of yours.

Then you know that my cause is just. Our cause is just.

Your cause is just, your methods are abhorrent, Twilight thought. What you're doing will make you no better than the Grand Ruler.

So be it, at last I'll be the one on top, Eve thought, with the mental equivalent of a growl. Did it honestly never occur to you that you, Twilight Sparkle, would make a much better Grand Ruler of a vast interstellar empire than he would? Instead of a cruel, mercurial despot consumed by his own follies and foibles, bloodthirsty, intolerant, arrogant...instead of all those things a wise and enlightened princess, open-minded, intelligent, industrious, brave and kind-hearted. Did it never occur to you? Don't answer that, I know the truth already.

Princess Celestia has all the virtues you've described.

Except courage. She handed Equestria over to the Grand Ruler, she handed you over to the Grand Ruler. All the ills that have since transpired, all the wrongs that you, your friends, your country have suffered can be traced to that original sin. All of this is her fault.

Don't talk about Celestia that way!

You knew what the Grand Ruler was, Eve thought. You didn't know the truth, but you knew his nature. You knew that you were better suited to the throne than he was. So why didn't you do anything about it?

Because anyone who thinks without a trace of self-awareness that they are well-suited to rule over others is the last person who should be allowed anywhere near the levers of power.

Was that a rebuke?

You can take it however you like.

Eve pouted as she studied the green readouts on the control panel. Lightning Dawn and his ship were sitting quiet for now, Twilight's friends had almost reached the first marker. And Starla's battleship had already come under attack.

Can I ask you something, Twilight? Eve thought.

I'm not in any great position to stop you, am I? Twilight thought back, and through her thoughts was able to convey her sour tone with surprising effectiveness.

Why didn't you hate Starla Shine?

There was a moment of pause, of what would have been silence if the two of them had been speaking in words, a moment when Twilight's reply was not forthcoming. What makes you think I didn't hate her?

Because I have your memories, Eve reminded her...other self? Her sister? It was hard to define the relationship between the two of them, but it was undeniable that there was a relationship. They shared the same DNA; Eve had been born of Twilight, created from her hair follicles, they were the same...and yet at the same time they were not. It was fascinating, and Eve had the sense that Twilight was fascinated by it too; it seemed that Eve had inherited some traces of Twilight's intellectual curiosity. But both of them were currently putting that curiosity to one side in the face of their respective larger concerns. I don't feel your emotions. I don't feel the love that you feel for your friends, I don't feel what you felt...but I remember. Like...echoes of something that you heard loud and clear I have traces of what you felt to go along with the things you saw, smelt, touched. I have no memories of you hating Starla Shine.

If you can remember that I didn't hate her then can you remember what I did feel.

Eve delved into Twilight's memories, memories that felt stolen now that she could converse in thought with the real Twilight. You pitied her.

Yes. And that is why I couldn't hate her.

I don't understand, Eve thought. All the things that she said and did, the way that she behaved...

She was in pain, Twilight thought. She was wounded and hurting and she lashed out at the people around her. Innocent people, yes; people who didn't deserve her ire, certainly. My friends. But although I never liked the way that she behaved that isn't the same thing as me hating her. Like I said...as you know...I pitied the way that she was, how damaged she was, how even the people who genuinely cared about her couldn't see it. I wanted to help her.

By becoming her friend?

Yes. You think I'm stupid, don't you?

I think you were a fool, and weak, Eve thought. You could have done what needed to be done. You could have made the hard choice, to seize power and wield it for the benefit of yourself and those closest to you. Instead, you wasted time looking for a path that didn't exist, trying to convince your enemies that they would be better off as your friends, and what did it get you? An early death.

Is that all? Twilight demanded. You have all of my memories, you know everything that I was and did and went through and that's what you think my legacy amounts to? That is all you can think of to sum up my life? An early grave? It doesn't surprise me one bit that you're adopting the methods of the Grand Ruler, you're every bit as blind as he is. Are you sure that you're even my clone?

What are you talking about? Eve snapped, in as much as she was able to snap mentally, anyway.

Five wonderful friends, the little brother that my parents never gave me, a life lived to the full and full of magic of a kind and power that people like you couldn't possibly comprehend! Twilight declared. Memories that I wouldn't trade for anything, even for a second chance at life; feelings so incredibly uplifting that there were times I thought my heart might burst with joy; all the lives I touched, all the people who touched my life in turn; THAT is the sum of my life, THAT is what a life lived in friendship got me and what is the manner of my death compared to that?

But you died all the same, Eve replied. You died and everything that you loved was torn down the moment you weren't there to defend it.

Twilight was silent.

No retort? No response? Are you giving up? Eve demanded. I won't make the same mistakes that you did. You may not approve of this, you may turn your nose up at my methods, but unlike you I'm going to protect my family. If I don't do this then I'll die, and I will not die, not...I will not die. I have a right to exist in this world, as myself, as Evenfall not Sentinel Three, not even as Twilight Sparkle. I have the right to exist.

No matter who you have to kill to preserve your existence?

If I tell you that I'm not going to kill your friends will you stop whining?

What are you going to do to them?

You'll see soon enough, Raven is making the arrangements now, Eve thought. Now stay quiet this time, I'm about to address them. I wonder how happy they'll be to hear your voice?

Author's Note

If anyone found the excessive italics in this chapter hard on the eyes (or just hard to follow) let me know and I might have Twi and Eve talk in dialogue (with the convention that they are speaking mentally in-universe.

The question of to what extent Eve was actually Twilight or not was a sore point for me in writing and planning this story. My original plan was that there would be two Twilights: Eve the clone, and the actual Twilight who had not, in fact, died at the hands of Raven but been swapped with a dummy (if you go back to chapter...the one with the flashback to Twilight's death you'll see that just before Twilight dies there is a flash of light; that was foreshadowing of the swap); this Twilight, the real Twilight, had been brainwashed and turned evil by Titan.

When Eve lost her control chip and had the vision of Sunset, everyone reacted as though she was actually Twilight and I decided that I didn't want to disappoint everyone so she would, in fact, become Twilight in the end. After all, she already ahd all of Twi's memories.

However, as I thought about that became increasingly unsatisfactory to me; it felt wrong in some way that Eve should have to give up her existence to save Twilight. And so I went back to the two Twilights idea, but instead of the real Twilight being evil it's the clone who is edging closer and closer to the slippery slope.

Reunion

They stood at the entrance to a cave or a tunnel or something like it. Nothing natural, that was for sure. Natural caves didn’t have the walls lined with metal, and all prettied up with glowing white and blue lights in the walls and the floor.

Someone had built this here thing, and they hadn’t done it yesterday neither.

Applejack pushed her hat back on her head. “I’m not construction expert, but I reckon it would taken either a mess of years or a mess of folks to dig this, especially if it goes as deep as it looks to go.”

“I quite agree,” Rarity murmured. “I’m no expert either, but I can tell you that whatever this place is it isn’t a mine.”

“How do you figure that?” Applejack asked.

“Because they didn’t actually mine this place,” Rarity said. “I can still detect any number of rare and valuable gems down there, buried beneath the metal of the walls. I’d guess it was built for transit.”

Applejack chuckled. “We might not have all of Twilight’s smarts and knowledge, but we make do.”

“Yes, we certainly do,” Rarity said in an amused tone. “For now.”

The earth shook, sending shudders through all five ponies and the baby dragon, to the extent that Fluttershy and Rarity were nearly knocked off their feet and had to be caught by Pinkie and Applejack respectively.

“There goes another one,” Rainbow muttered.

Applejack followed Rainbow Dash’s gaze and her outstretched arm, pointing to where another of those things that looked like giant mechanical bugs, and were followed by whole swarming mess of smaller creatures, broke out of the ground like an ancient monster and began to fly upwards into the sky. They seemed to be converging on something, joining others that had risen up before them in heading towards something…some kind of smudge in the sky. A ship maybe? Where those flashes that Applejack thought she could see far off gunfire from it defending itself?

Or was she imagining things?

“How many is that now?” she asked. “Has anypony been keeping count?”

“Twelve?” Rainbow hazarded. “I might have missed a few.”

“I think it’s closer to fifteen,” Fluttershy murmured.

“That would be the few I missed.”

“Sixteen,” Pinkie said. “With another due to come out…now!”

She gripped Fluttershy tighter as another one broke free of its earthen confinement and rose up into the sky. Applejack didn’t get the impression that they were making a conscious noise, but their engines certainly made a sound like the deep-throated roaring of some primal beast, and the little critters that thronged about them, well, their smaller engines or the like sounded a whole lot like they were shrieking because they were mad as anything about something.

It was a little unnerving to tell the truth.

“What do you think they are?” Spike asked.

“I have no idea,” Rainbow said. “Honestly? I don’t even know if Twilight would know what the hay those things are. We never saw anything like them.”

Rarity pried herself out of Applejack’s arms. “Do you think…I hate to be the one to say it, but do you think that this could be connected to Twilight in some way?”

“It would be one heck of a coincidence if it wasn’t,” Applejack conceded. “Still doesn’t tell us much about what’s going on, though.”

“We should keep going,” Pinkie averred confidently. “Twilight wanted us to come this way, which means that she wanted to us to find this tunnel, which means that she wanted us to follow it. We have to keep going, and then we’ll find her.”

Pinkie’s train of thought certainly made sense. They had been led here, that was undeniable. They hadn’t just happened to stumble across an artificial tunnel in the middle of nowhere by sheer luck and happenstance. They had been guided to this point by signs, signs that they would recognise as being signals to them: a trio of balloons – two blue, one yellow – tied to a tree stump, a trio of diamonds left where they glittered in the sunlight, a net full of butterflies – Fluttershy had released them all of course – a row of apple trees pointing in the direction they were ‘supposed’ to go. Signs in the form of their cutie marks, or something close to it, leading them onwards, ever onwards.

And they had followed those signs even as they led them here, even as the ground started to shake and things started to break free from the earth of Luminoth still they had followed the signs because darn it, they wanted to believe. They wanted to believe that at the end of the yellow brick road there she’d be, with that smile and that voice and those goofy mannerisms. They wanted to believe that she was calling them to her.

But…Applejack scratched the back of her neck. “Pinkie…I don’t know if that’s such a great idea.”

Pinkie had already walked to the very gaping maw of the tunnel. “But we’ve come this far?”

“I know,” Applejack said. “But walking in there…I don’t know, but I don’t have the best feeling about this.”

“But why?” Pinkie asked plaintively. “Twilight’s down here, at the end of this cave. Twilight’s waiting for us.”

“If it is Twilight?”

Rainbow was gliding a few feet up off the ground, but now she landed with a crunch. “What do you mean, if it’s Twilight? Who else would it be?”

Applejack shrugged. “Evenfall?” she suggested.

Rainbow furrowed her bow. “Listen…Applejack, buddy, I know what you think that you saw-“

“I didn’t think I saw anything,” Applejack replied hotly. “Twilight came to me and she didn’t say nothing about reincarnated or getting a new body or nothing like that. She told me that she was being held back somewhere and more importantly she told us that we couldn’t trust this Evenfall pony.”

“You’d been shot, in the head!” Rainbow said. “How do you know that you weren’t just hallucinating?”

“Because it felt real,” Applejack said. “She felt real.”

“She felt real to me, too,” Pinkie said, and though her voice was soft it cut through the stillness of the air. “When I saw her, in Zebrica…it felt real to me, then. It felt like it was Twilight. I knew it was Twilight. She’s back. She’s back and she’s waiting for us. I can feel that. Unless my feelings don’t count because I’m too stupid to know any better.”

“I never said that, and I never will,” Applejack said. “I just…” She paused for a moment, taking in the looks in there eyes. They didn’t…it sounded harsh to say that they didn’t believe her but the honest trust was that they plain didn’t believe her. They didn’t want to believe her. They wanted to believe in Twilight. Tartarus, Applejack wanted to believe in Twilight. If she was flat wrong and the whole thing had been a hallucination of hers then she’d give a loud hallelujah…but she didn’t believe that it was a hallucination. She believed that Twilight had given her a warning, and she had a bad feeling in her gut that they were ignoring it.

But what was she going to do? It wasn’t like she was going to turn back and the let the rest of them go ahead without her.

I’m sorry, Twilight. I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to leave them behind, would you?

Applejack reminded herself that she hadn’t exactly been diligent in acting on Twilight’s warning. When they had told her all about the clone she…she had allowed herself to get swept away, just like the rest of them. Twilight returned, Twilight reborn, Twilight…Twilight back again. A second chance. A chance to pretend that they hadn’t all let her down the first time.

It was only when they got onto the planet, and all of this weird stuff started happening, that Applejack started to wonder. Something about this…it just didn’t feel right. Like why was Twi making them follow a trail? The Twilight she knew would have been outside the ship waiting for them. She probably would have apologised for getting herself killed too, because that was the kind of adorable idiot she was. So why the trek and why this tunnel.

What was going on here?

Whatever was going on here, she’d face it with the rest of them. And she’d keep them safe, if that’s what it came down to.

She smiled out of one corner of her mouth. “Okay. You girls want to see what’s down there, I get it. I want…I get it. So let’s go.”

“Really?” Pinkie cried.

“Yeah, really.”

“Yes! You won’t regret this, Applejack. It is Twilight down there, I really can feel it.”

“I bet you do,” Applejack said, as she walked towards the tunnel mouth. They formed a line, there under the shadow of the opening cave, and reached out and took one another’s hands.

“Together!” they said, and took the first step forward.

As soon as they had taken the second step, which put them definitively and firmly inside the tunnel, a metallic door rose up from out of the floor and slammed shut behind them with a definitive thud.

“I guess somebody wanted to make sure that we went the right way,” Applejack said.

Fortunately there was more than enough light in the tunnel for them to find their way – they didn’t really need to do much finding since there was only one way, but Applejack preferred to see where she was going and she was sure that she wasn’t the only one – as they walked with echoing steps down the enormous tunnel.

“I wonder that whoever built this had to build it so big,” Rarity murmured. “Who was using this that it was necessary for it to be so high. You could fit the Princess Twilight down here.”

“Beats me,” Rainbow said. She grinned. “I know who would know.”

“Yeah, she’d be geeking out about this place,” Spike said.

“Our bookworm princess probably would have given us a potted history of this place by now,” Rainbow said.

“Whoever built it…I have to say they didn’t entirely lack a sense of style,” Rarity said. “Metal and lighting isn’t really my preferred aesthetic, but look at how neat the lines are, looking at how they flow into one another.” She gestured with her hands to make her point. “Look at the symmetry. I wouldn’t call it beautiful, too functional and grey for that…but someone had a care for the aesthetics during the design process.”

They found themselves coming to a wall at the end of the tunnel far quicker than Applejack would have supposed, but as they drew near a console appeared, circular and mostly transparent, with a trio of circles of blue light appearing on what looked like air of mist, certainly nothing more solid than that.

And as the lights appeared, a thin metallic voice whistled a few bars of a song that Applejack felt as though she’d heard before, even if she couldn’t quite put her finger on where.

“Anyone else find that music familiar?” Rainbow said.

“Just what I was thinking.”

“I’ve heard it, but I can’t remember what it’s called.”

“Oh, girls,” Pinkie sighed. “Don’t you remember. When I was a little filly and the sun was going doooooown?”

Rainbow snorted. “Giggle at the ghosties? Yeah, yeah that’s the tune, I remember that now. I haven’t heard that in years.”

“Those were the days, huh?” Applejack said.

“I wasn’t there for that,” Spike grumbled.

Rarity rubbed the top of his head affectionately. “Don’t worry, Spike. You’re here now, and that’s what really matters.”

“Outside of the five of us, Twilight was the only one who knew that song,” Fluttershy said. “So it really must be her. She wants us to go this way.”

“Sure, but how?” Rainbow asked.

Pinkie reached out and grabbed – for want of a better word – two of the circles of blue light and flung them upwards into the third.

“Did you have some pinkie sense telling you to do that or did you just guess?” Rainbow said.

Pinkie shrugged. “Can it be both?”

There was a shuddering, and then without any sound but a slight smooth whirring the floor panel on which they were all standing began to descend.

The shaft through which they dropped was cut from the same cloth – or metal – as the tunnel that they had just passed through: the surface covered in metal which retained a little of its sheen despite the fact that they might be the first folks down here in a long, lone time. There were lines carved into the metal, making some kinds of weird patterns that Applejack couldn’t quite make out the nature of, which long white light in tubes – symmetrical, like Rarity had pointed out there were – for definition, and individual blue lights for emphasis.

Whoever had built this place, they’d meant to stick around it for a while.

Applejack’s earpiece crackled.

“No!” cried a voice that, through all the distortion and the static sounds, sounded a lot like Twilight. “Applejack…I told you…don’t-“

The connection was abruptly severed.

“Hello?” Applejack said. “Twilight? Twi, was that you? Hey there, whoever that was, who are you?”

“Applejack?” Rainbow said.

“I thought I heard something,” Applejack said. “It sound like it might be-“

Her earpiece crackled again, and this time she guessed that everyone was picking it up.

“Go!” yelled the voice that might be Twilight. “Not…trap! Don’t…Eve!”

“Twilight!” Pinkie cried. “Twilight, hold on, we’re almost there. We’re nearly with you!”

“And what will you do once you find her?” Raven asked from the other end of the earpiece, her sibilant voice hissing straight into Applejack’s ear.

From the ponies and Spike there was, for a moment, no sound, just the soft whirring of the elevator as it carried them down into the bowels of the earth.

“Raven,” Rainbow Dash growled.

“So it’s true,” Rarity murmured. “Twilight is with you. And here I’d hoped it was a misidentification.”

Raven laughed. “And who could be mistaken for me, being as I am unique in all the universe?”

“I rather doubt that,” Rarity replied. “Unfortunately, common thugs are, well, as common as the name suggests. And self-pity can be found from the unpleasant in many places.”

“Self pity?” Raven demanded. “Hypocrisy thy name is Rarity. Isn’t it about time for you to faint on your couch?”

Rarity let out a tittering laugh. “Oh, darling, I never faint when the situation is serious. You’d know that if you knew anything about me at all.”

“Oh, but I do know you,” Raven said. “I know everything about you. She’s told me everything.”

“She…you mean Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

“Ah, Fluttershy speaks,” Raven said. “Commiserations on your widowhood, my dear. Or should that be congratulations?”

“Just answer the damn question!” Rainbow snapped.

“Do any of you find it odd that your trusted friend should keep so much to herself?” Raven asked. “Does it seem strange to any of you that she should make you go so far just to see her again?”

“I did,” Applejack said. “Though now that I can hear your voice it doesn’t seem so surprising any more. Where’s Twilight?”

“Are you implying that I am holding her prisoner? Are you suggesting that I am keeping you apart?”

“Where is Twilight?” Applejack repeated.

“Safe,” Raven said. “For now.”

“For now?” Rainbow yelled. “Why you little-“

“Why are you doing this?” Pinkie cried. “All we want is our friend back, all we want is to see her smile again, all we want is to bring her home so that we can be together…” she bowed her head. There were tears welling up in her big blue eyes. “All we want…all I want…is our Twilight back, is that so wrong? What did any of us ever do to you that you’re…why? Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping her away from us?”

Raven chuckled. “Bring her home? See her smile? What juvenile concepts, and of what little meaning to who she is now. If you knew what she has become…what would you do then, I wonder? Perhaps I’m protecting you from…the harsh truth?”

“Where is she?” Spike demanded. “What have you done to her?”

“Nothing, except kill her the first time obviously,” Raven said dryly. “Now…I stand in defence of my friend…and of our ambitions.”

“Friend?” Rainbow snarled. “You don’t get to use that word about Twilight.”

“Your time has passed, all of you,” Raven declared with magisterial disdain. “The mantle of destiny now rests upon the shoulders of the artificial, those who were not born of mare or from the wombs of any living creature.”

“That’s enough, Raven,” Twilight said. “No more mind games. Go have your fun some other way.”

Applejack’s eyes widened. She said nothing as the elevator came to a stop at the head of another long shaft. No one else said anything either. They all just stared unseeing, or at least not really seeing the tunnel stretched out in front of them.

“Twilight?” Applejack murmured, and in that moment she wanted to believe it just as badly as any of the others, she wanted to forget the dream or vision or whatever it was she’d had, she wanted to be swept away by it all. She wanted to believe because if it was true…if it was true then sweet Celestia that would be wonderful.

Hearing her voice again, it was like the sunlight breaking through the clouds on a grim day, it was like the refreshing rain that brings a drought to end, it was like finding water in the middle of a burning desert, it was like finding your way again after getting lost in the forest it was…it was mana from the skies above. Twilight’s voice, her friend’s voice, that voice…she wanted to believe it so badly.

She wanted to banish the memories of that broken body, torn up and charred and beaten so bad that Applejack could hardly look at it. She wanted to banish the memories of letting Twilight run off alone to her last and fateful battle while she wasted time playing around with that darned Harkin, and then stood around with one thumb up her butt while her friend died. She wanted to believe that that didn’t matter now, because Twilight was back and they’d see her again real soon.

She wanted to believe it all so badly. She wanted to believe every last bit of it and never doubt.

“Twilight,” she repeated, in a soft whisper because this moment, this sensation was like a glass figurine: if you held it too tight you’d shatter it into pieces. “Twilight…is that you?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, and in her voice was held all of the enthusiasm that Applejack could feel within her own heart. “Yes, it’s me. And you…you all made it! Oh my, I…I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Well where else would we be, silly?” Pinkie asked, as she wiped the tears from out of her eyes. “Where…where else would we be, but…but here with you, our best friend?”

“I…I don’t know,” Twilight said. “After everything that happened…I wasn’t sure if you still cared.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “I…I was so shocked and then…after Rhymey…after he died I…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have reacted the way that I did. And Sunset couldn’t be here, but I know that she’s very sorry too. Can you…can you forgive us?”

“Perhaps,” Twilight said. “Maybe, if you…we’ll see.”

Applejack frowned. Now that didn’t sound like Twilight, not one bit. Twilight forgave them their faults and foibles so fast it was like she didn’t even see them sometimes, the same way that they forgave her for her mistakes just as quick. She’d even forgiven the time that they all turned on her on the word of the Changeling Queen and she hadn’t said a word about it after the fact even though she would have been well within her rights to stick it to them over it. But that wasn’t Twilight’s way, she forgave easily because she was that kind, and that kind too. She wasn’t the sort to hold a grudge or demand that you make it up to her or anything like that. Which is why it was so strange to hear her talk that way now. The Twilight I know would have understood that Fluttershy was going through a lot, and that showing up back from the dead is kind of a shocking thing. Why, if my Pa walked through the door and said, ‘Hey, Applejack, what did I miss?’ I’d probably faint myself.

“You okay, Twi?” Applejack asked.

There was a pause. “I’m fine, Applejack, why do you ask? In fact I’d say I’m better than ever.”

“Don’t!” cried the other voice on the line, that voice that sound like Twilight too past all of the distortions. “Apple…remember!”

“I’m afraid the underground conditions are causing some distortions to the comms,” Twilight explained. “I’m not sure there’s anything that I can do about it. Sorry about that.”

“Uh huh,” Applejack muttered. “Say, Twilight, does the name Evenfall mean anything to you?”

There was another pause. “Evenfall? I can’t say it rings any bells. Where does it come from?”

“You told it to me,” Applejack said. “You told me not to trust her. Said something about saving the world.”

Twilight laughed. “Applejack, that’s not possible. This is the first time that we’ve spoken since…since I died.”

“Girls, listen…not…don’t…” the last word from the other Twilight-sounding voice was cut off by a scream of pain.

“Twilight?” Pinkie cried. “Twilight, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Pinkie, don’t worry,” Twilight said reassuringly. “Pay no attention to the distortions, I told you. Applejack, where did I apparently tell you this?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Applejack said. “I must have just dreamed the whole thing.”

“Where are you, Twilight?” Rainbow asked. “How do we get to you?”

“Just keep following the tunnel in front of you, for now,” Twilight said. “You’ve already gotten most of the way. You understood my signs, and you’ve made it this far, just like I knew you would. You’re almost there.”

By now, Applejack was starting to get a bad feeling about this. A bad feeling in her gut and in the way that her palms were starting to itch. If this was Twilight, it wasn’t exactly the Twilight that she remembered…but on the other hand she hadn’t exactly left them with many places to go either.

Don’t give up on her yet. She’s not all bad. Twilight had told her that as well.

I sure hope you’re right about that, Twilight, and it isn’t just your optimism talking.

Because it looks like we’re just going to have to walk into whatever she’s set up for us.

They began to advance down the corridor.

“Twilight, darling,” Rarity said. “One hates to impugn your judgement, especially at a time like this, but…Raven? Really, dear? After everything that she’s done to you, I’m afraid I just don’t understand it.”

“I know what Raven’s done, believe me,” Twilight said. “Just like I also need you to believe me when I tell you that Raven is more sinned against than sinning. I know that sounds strange, but trust me okay? Trust me, like you used to.”

“She sounds like she doesn’t want us to meet up,” Rainbow said.

Twilight chuckled. “Raven…she’s got the idea that she needs to protect me from you.”

“What?”

“I know, it’s ridiculous isn’t it?” Twilight said.

“Yeah, it is,” Rainbow said. “What makes her think that it’s safer for you to be with her than to be with us?”

“It’s complicated,” Twilight said. “I can explain everything when we’re face to face.”

“When’s that going to be?” Spike asked.

“Soon, I promise.”

“Why can’t it be now?”

“He’s got a point, Twilight,” Applejack said. “Why do we have to come all this way?”

“What, is a little walking too much effort for you now?” Twilight demanded. “I…I’ m sorry, I don’t know what came over me there. I promise, when you get to me, everything will become clear.”

The earth shook.

“I’m sorry about the tremors,” Twilight said. “After all this time…the only way to release the insecto armada is to physically force their way up to the surface.”

“The insecto armada?” Pinkie repeated.

“Exactly,” Twilight said. “A great fleet and army of automatons left here by Titan in ages past, buried for aeons beneath the surface. Now under my control. With this, I can wrest the cosmic destiny away from the Grand Ruler and his monsters and take it upon myself. That’s what Raven is worried about. She’s afraid that some people will resist my…assistance. As ridiculous as it sounds, she’s worried that you’re among them.”

“Raven and you both talk about this destiny,” Rainbow said. “What is it?”

“I’ll explain everything once you reach me.”

“Ain’t there nothing you can give us to work with here?” said Applejack.

“Not…have to…stop…!”

“You all understand the purpose of the Starfleet, right?” Twilight said.

“It gives the Grand Ruler something to wave around in dick swinging contests,” Rainbow said.

Twilight didn’t laugh. “Starfleet exists to enforce the Pax Equis Solarum, the Space Pony Peace. All those who acknowledge the suzerainty of the Grand Ruler are safe beneath the protection of Starfleet. The benevolent police state provides food, medicine and education-“

“And all it takes away is freedom and choice and the right to live without someone breathing down your neck the whole time,” Rainbow said.

“Exactly,” Twilight said. “The Grand Ruler is a tyrant, and so his vision of the peace is perforce tyrannical, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be. Think of the founding credo of the Starfleet. ‘This is your destiny, my proud space ponies: to rule all peoples by command, and to impose on them the custom of peace; to lift up the humble, and to war down the proud.’”

“Okay,” Applejack said. “But what does-“

“With the power of the armada,” Twilight said. “And with…other power, that I’ll acquire later, I can destroy Starfleet and impose the Pax the way it ought to be. With true benevolence, under a truly benevolent ruler. I can be the Grand Ruler that the galaxy truly needs: fair and just and honest. With my intelligence, and with all the virtues that you, my friends, have instilled in me, I can usher in an era of true peace, using the armada to police worlds and-“

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Twilight Sparkle?” Rainbow said.

“Excuse me?”

“Come on, Twilight, since when do you talk like this?” Rainbow continued. “Imposing peace? Policing worlds? How is that any different from what the Starfleet does right now?”

“I’m not like Starfleet.”

“No, you’re not, because you don’t act like they do,” Rainbow replied. “But…look, just saying that you’re a good person doesn’t give you the right to do bad stuff, yeah? You’re a good person, Twi, you’re the best person I know…but that’s because you do good things. Because you’re always there for your friends and you always try to do what’s right even if it doesn’t always work out. What you’re talking about now…if people don’t want to accept your rule are you going to attack them? Are you going to set rules and punish people if they don’t follow them? That’s evil when Starfleet and the Grand Ruler do it and it’ll be no less evil when you do it just because you’re cute and we like you.”

“It won’t be like that,” Twilight insisted. “I’ll explain it better once we’re together.”

They had reached, by now, a great chamber, a wide and cavernous space opening up out of the corridor that they had just traversed. Not all of this place was lined with metal. Some of it left the rock bare, and there were even lava flows descending the walls to add an orange glow and a touch of heat to the illumination.

On the other side of the chamber, there were six corridors to choose from.

“Hold it right there!”

Applejack turned to see Starla Shine and her Starfleet team appear above them, weapons at the ready, glaring down at them from a rocky ledge above the corridor that they had just emerged from.

“Former members of Friendship is Magic,” Starla declared, her voice dripping with acid. “Stand down and surrender yourselves and you will be taken into custody. Resist and you will die. The choice is yours.”

Author's Note

One of the big influences upon this phase of the story is Halo 5: Guardians, and the chapter title is a reference to that because 'Reunion' is the level where Chief arrives on Genesis and contacts Cortana again for the first time after her death.

The thing that I was most keen to get across with this chapter is that the reason everyone is so keen to believe that Eve is Twilight is because they really want to believe that Twilight has come back; in a sense, the reason why Sunset is the most sceptical is because she's the only one who doesn't feel guilty for Twilight's death. The others...there's an extent to which they want Twilight to be alive not just because they love her but because they want absolution for their percieved mistakes.

The Price of Revenge

The Revenge shuddered and shook, though whether that was from the recoiling of the great guns of the battleship as they thundered forth against the enemy or whether it was from the actions of that same enemy in assailing the ship Starla could not tell.

"Q Turret reports direct hit, target down."

"Two more large hostiles approaching from the surface."

Around her, the bridge was a hive of activity. The captain and crew seemed able to ignore the shaking of the vessel - although seemed might be the operative word, judging by the beads of sweat forming on their brows - as they crewed their stations and continued to do their jobs even in the face of this unexpected onslaught. What were these enemies bursting out of the ground beneath them, where had they come from, who had sent them and why were they targeting the Revenge? The answers to these questions were unknown - although Starla had a couple of good ideas, if Twilight Sparkle wasn't responsible she'd eat her bow - but at the same time, being unknown, they didn't matter; the crew of the Revenge continued to work, continued to fight their ship, even in spite of the situation they had been thrown into.

Their cool and calm professionalism was an exemplar of the very best of Starfleet.

Starla felt Artie's hand close gently around her arm. "We should get out of here, Starla, we're just in the way."

Starla tugged her arm away from him, not fiercely or with any hostility but firmly nonetheless. She didn't want to go back down to the hangar deck and stew in ignorance. She wanted to stay here, where she could follow the progress of the battle - somewhat, at least - from the constant stream of reports being fed to the captain from all stations.

"Sir, increasing numbers of small hostiles latching themselves to the hull. Secondary batteries report they're too fast coming in for accurate tracking."

"Order the marines out onto the hull to clear they away."

The ship shook, and even some of the crew were knocked sideways. Those standing stumbled, Starla had to reach for the first available support to keep from falling. A console exploded in the face of one luckless ensign, sending them flying out of their seat to lie, dead and burned, on the floor of the bridge.

"Hull breach, deck seventeen! Intruders have entered the ship!"

"Security to that sector," the captain ordered. "Can you raise the Redoubtable or the Thunderer? We could use some help down here."

"Redoubtable reports hostiles closing on its position, sir; their apologies but they have troubles of their own."

"Can you establish contact with United Equestria?"

"Negative, sir."

The ship shook again.

"Y turret out of action, sir."

The captain growled wordlessly. "Commence immediate assent, we'll try and shake them off in the atmosphere and-"

"Belay that order!" Starla snapped. If the Revenge ascended now then she would lose her best and maybe only shot at Twilight. "You will continue to descend until you reach a safe altitude for a combat drop. Once my team has left this ship then you may ascend or otherwise act as you see fit."

Revenge trembled from another hit. "By that time it may be too late to rise again!" the captain protested.

"Then your sacrifice will be remembered," Starla said coldly, ignoring Artie's shocked gasp from behind her. "You will be honoured as heroes of Starfleet."

"I am the captain of this ship-"

"And I am the Grand Ruler's sword," Starla declared. "You will obey my commands or I will see you hanged for cowardice in the face of the enemy."

They stared at each other for a moment, Starla's blue eyes like ice gouging into the brown eyes of the Revenge's captain. He looked away first, as she had known he would. "Continue the descent."

Starla nodded. "His Majesty thanks you for your service," she said. Her gaze flickered to the ship's plaque, mounted to the wall of the bridge. The motto beneath the name read 'Shines with untarnished honour'. "You do your vessel proud," she added.

The captain did not respond. He settled into his chair with an air of resignation, and would not meet her eye again. None of them would meet her eye. But were they not of the Starfleet? Did they not understand the duty might compel them to this point? Were they not willing, every pony among them, to make the ultimate sacrifice for the glory of Starfleet?

If not then they were cowards, and she had no more thoughts to waste on them. She turned to go and strode from the bridge, leaving Artie to run to catch up with her.

"Starla," he called, as he came up behind her in the narrow corridor. "Starla, wait a second." He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face. "Starla, wait! This is insane!"

"This is war," Starla replied.

"War or revenge?"

"We have a mission!"

"There are times when you have to say screw the mission because it isn't worth it, and this is one of them!" Artie said. He was thrown against the wall by the vibrations from an impact, and he clung to said wall as he kept speaking. "If this keeps up they're going to lose the ship."

"You don't know that."

"I know that there's only so much that even a battleship can take," Artie said.

"And I know that we have a chance to end this, here and now," Starla said. "I know that if we let Twilight escape then she'll do much worse than take out one single ship."

"Do you know how many lives your sacrificing?"

Starla took a step back. "Excuse me?"

"What is the crew complement of a Royal Sovereign class battleship?" Artie pressed. "Do you know?"

"A thousand?" Starla guessed.

"Nine hundred and forty officers and crew."

Starla snorted. "A little less than I thought."

"Just and merciful Ruler, Starla, you're sacrificing lives!"

"I'm getting the job done!" Starla replied. "Valour, duty, sacrifice, that is our creed and if I have to sacrifice this ship or fifty ships in order to get the job done then I will do it without a moment's hesitation."

Artie's expression was impassive. "You can live with these deaths on your conscience?"

"Yes," Starla said instantly. She turned away before he had the chance to continue this tedious conversation.

First Lightning, now Artie. When did everyone become a moralising bore all of a sudden?

The ship shook again, but this time it was not just a momentary trembling that made Starla stumble. It was a sustained rumbling, growing more and more intense until Starla could barely keep her feet in the corridor. The sound of metal screeching and tearing began to reach her ears, growing louder and louder before the wall of the corridor just in front of her was torn apart as a metal claw almost as large as Starla herself ripped through the metal plating as though it was cardboard and gouged three tearing rents in it.

A bulbous metal head, like that of a praying mantis, burst through the wall where the claw had torn through.

It gazed at Starla with one bulbous eye that glowed electric blue.

"What in the Grand Ruler's name?" Artie muttered.

Starla said nothing as, with a thought, she summoned her bow from the morphing grid. It appeared as though it were growing outwards from the centre, emerging from the aether into her outstretched hand, curing towards her. There was an arrow at the ready.

Starla drew back, her muscles tense. Her voice was as cold as the vacuum of space. "Starlight Arrow."

The arrow leapt from her bow, glowing with the brilliant light of the stars. It struck the mechanical mantis in that bulbous blue eye and exploded in a crimson flower. The insect made a sound that she might almost have taken for a scream of pain, if robots could feel anything like pain. The insect shook its head, mechanical jaws whirring.

"Starlight arrow!" Starla repeated, louder this time and with greater ferocity, as a second deadly shaft soared from her bow. The mantis' face was already ruined from her first blast, a chunk of its head blown clean away, though even this second assault did not appear to fell it it retreated with what remained of its head, backing out of the hole that it had made.

"We should get back to the others before more of them-" Artie began, before three more creatures entered through the hole in the wall.

"I had to say it, didn't I?" Artie muttered, pushing past Starla to charge forward, one hand outstretched to grip his staff as it materialised into the air beside it.

It finished appearing just in time for him to deck one of the three intruders with a spinning uppercut to the mandibles.

The three looked like winged ants. Or like ants would if they stood on two legs and used the other four as arms, anyway. Anthropomorphic ants, in the same way that Starla and Artie were anthropomorphic ponies, complete with hands at the end of their four non-walking legs. Hands holding weapons in them.

But Artie was among them now, his metal staff spinning. With a whirring blow to the side of the head he knocked one out of the hold it had flown in from, with a trio of staccato blows he forced a second ant to double over, then knocked it to the ground, then crushed its robotic head. He turned for the last of them, the one he had knocked over its heels at first which now had regained its feet. He jabbed with his staff. The ant caught the blow one handed, jaws chittering.

Artie raised one hand. "Paint bomb!"

A burst of energy that looked, at first glass, like a glob of red paint erupted from his open palm to strike the ant in the face, exploding in a blast that, again, looked a little like a cloud of paint. It blew the ant's head clean off, and the trunk collapsed to the ground with a metallic clatter.

Artie glanced at her. Starla nodded, and they both began to run.

They darted down the corridors, passing damage control teams and marine squads running this way and that to confront this piece of damage or this intrusion onto the ship. As they ran the great guns continued to boom out from their turrets and barbettes and casements, the sound of the fire echoing through the ship's interior...but at the same time too the Revenge continued to shake under multiple impacts, unceasing hammer blows that made the armour echo like a gong and the interior tremble like a drumskin.

"Do you think they're firing on us, or just trying to claw their way in?" Artie asked.

"Both," Starla said, as she led the way.

They reached the hangar deck, where Danaus Swift and Green Sickle had re-joined the group. They were almost the only ponies in the hangar, which seemed to have largely been evacuated. There were pilots ready to man the dropships, there were no deck crew attending to any business at all, there was just her squad standing in the middle of the hangar deck as it trembled, looking in need of leadership.

Buddy spotted her first. "Starla, Artie! What's going on?"

"We're under attack," Starla said tersely. "Gear up and get set for a combat drop. What's our altitude?"

"Thirty thousand feet," Buddy said.

"Let me know when we hit twenty six thousand."

"Hey, kid," Artie said. "You ever made a freefall drop before?"

"Once," Danaus said. "In training."

"You'll be fine," Starla said. "Just stay close to me and do what I do."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The ship shook under what sounded like a series of repeated impacts.

"If this is what's happening in the air then what's the opposition on the ground going to be like, Lucero?" Dyno asked.

"I don't know," Starla admitted. "But I do know that whatever is out there, whatever is down there, whatever Twilight Sparkle and her miscreant little friends have waiting for us, this team is a match for it and more. Now let's have a good jump like we mean to, and be mean to fools like we need to. And remember: no one goes home until Twilight dies. We're going to lay her body before the throne a second time, and this time it is going to stick, am I right space ponies?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" they chorused, slamming their boots into the floor as they came to attention.

Starla might have said more, more to encourage and inspire before they were flung once more into the fires of battle, but at the moment two sets of metallic claws ripped through the hangar doors as another of those metal mantis things started trying to get inside.

"Madre de dios!" Dyno muttered. "What is that thing?"

"The enemy," Starla said simply, taking aim with her bow as she drew back on it. "Starlight arrow." She aimed for the eye again, but this one was wiser than the first or else it just had more room to move because it used the claws of its left hand to block her shot. The exploding arrow took out two of its three claws, but that was little consolation to not taking it out.

Dyno and Myte had recovered themselves, and their rocket launchers materialised on their shoulders in a haze of blue light.

"Boom-boom rockets!" they chorused, sending a pair of missiles corkscrewing into the mantis' head. The mechanical monstrosity let out that eerie pained screeching sound as it pulled away and disappeared from view.

Through the hole that it hade made in the hangar doors Starla could see whole swarms of those things, and of the smaller ant-like machines and of even larger robots that looked like giant flying spiders, smothering the blue sky and obscuring it from view as they rushed in rapid swarms towards the Revenge.

"Am I the only one who looks back fondly on the days when you got one monster per week?" Artie asked.

Starla ignored him. "Buddy, what's our altitude?"

"Twenty eight thousand."

"We can't wait any longer, we'll have to go now," Starla said. "Captain, this is Starla Shine, we're about to make our drop. Once we're clear you are free to act to preserve the ship at your discretion."

"Understood. Good hunting."

"Starla out," Starla ended the connection as she jogged towards the new hole that had just been torn in the hangar doors. "This is our destiny, space ponies! Lift up the humble and war down the proud! And one proud little princess is about to get very, very humbled. Sieg Starfleet! All of you, with me, come on!" She turned away, trusting that they would follow without her having to actually keep an eye on them, and leapt out of the hangar and out into the open sky. She had a brief glimpse of the Revenge in action as she oriented herself facing downwards head first - fire poured out of every gun of the ship, from the massive main guns in their eight turrets dorsal and ventrally mounted to the ship's hull, to the many secondaries in their dorsal and ventral barbettes or else set in casements down the long flanks of the battleship, all of them spitting fire at the numerous enemies who swarmed about them. But their enemies were so numerous there seemed little or nothing that Revenge could do to winnow their numbers, and fire was springing from more plances than just the guns: the ship itself was on fire, flames leaping from open rents torn in the hull, the hull were hundreds at least of the robotic ants crawled up and down, overwhelming with sheer numbers the marines who tried to fend them off. Shine with untarnished honour, Starla thought. I swear I will remember you. - before she tucked her wings in up against her body and began to drop.

She fell like a stone, the air beating against her face like waves in a storm breaking upon the shore as she fell, hard and fast, the ground of Luminoth beneath rushing to meet her.

It was a question of judgement, undertaking a freefall drop. Open your wings too early and you'd exhaust yourself flying down to the ground. Open them too late and - assuming your own momentum didn't rip your wings clean off as you tried to decelerate - you wouldn't slow down enough to survive impact. It was a matter of balance and judgement, and getting it just right.

Not yet, she thought, as she dropped straight towards a swarm of ants.

"Don't worry about the enemy," Starla commanded her team. "Plough through them. They seem focussed on the ship." Let's hope it stays that way.

With one hand, she touched the insignia she wore at her belt. "Starfleet! Power up and sound off! Starla Shine, Power of Space!" Instantly she said the phrase, the magic words as it were, she felt her armour began to spring to life around her, growing outwards from her morpher to envelop her in its elastic embrace. It was like a living thing, she thought as the battle suit enveloped her clothes, the helmet enclosing her face; it was an expression of the living will of the Grand Ruler, his love for her reaching out across the stars to keep her safe from all perils. Blessed be the Grand Ruler my strength, who teaches my hands to fight and my fingers to war.

"Artie Bristles, Power of Art!"

"Dyno and Myte, Power of Fire!"

"Buddy Rose, Power of Flora!"

"Well, what do you know," Dyno said. "He finally got it right."

"Yeah, I did, no thanks to you," Buddy said. "It came up when I was calling Lily last month. I notice none of you ever told me it was flora, not fauna. You just let me make an idiot of myself for the last five years."

"It was very funny," Myte said.

"Cut the chatter kids, remember we're on the job," Starla said. "Swift, Sickle, power-up."

"Green Sickle, Power of Steel."

"Danaus Swift, power of aaaagh!"

"Kid!" Artie yelled.

Starla spun in mid-fall, curling up around her belly so that she could see what was happening above and behind her. They'd caught Danaus, a half-dozen ants with more of them closing in on him every second, they had got him in their clutches and they tore at him as he thrashed wildly like a beast caught in a net, screaming in pain as they tore him apart.

Starla cursed wordlessly as she summoned her bow, sending arrows streaking upwards from it as fast as rain, the darts leaping into the air as she drew back and released again and again, striking down the ants all around. But it was not enough. They seemed drawn to Danaus like sharks to blood, and they just kept on coming.

"Hold on Danaus, I'm coming," Artie said, as he spread his orange wings about him to slow his descent and began the slow climb upwards.

"Artie, don't, there's no way you'll make it in time," Starla said.

"We can't just leave him!" Artie cried as he continued to rise, his staff held before him.

"Even if you got there you'd be overwhelmed, and you couldn't carry him that far anyway," Starla said. "There's nothing you can do. There's nothing we can do."

Artie hesitated, hanging in the air, being left behind by his squadmates as they fell through the sky towards the surface. He hung there, suspended between his descending squad and the dying Danaus Swift, lingering between heaven and earth. And then, with a wordless scream of rage, he dropped.

Starla didn't look away. She owed it to Danaus and his mother and father not to look away as the ants tore his wings off and ripped him into pieces. She owed it to them all to listen to him screaming until there was nothing left to scream any more.

And when all this was over she would have to go to Brogan and tell Khan and Rani that their boy died bravely without a trace of fear because sometimes a comforting lie was better than the cold-hearted brutality of truth.

At least, she vowed, she would honestly be able to tell them that their son had been avenged.

They dropped the rest of the way in silence, unfurling their wings in the final stage of their descent to slow them down enough to land, feet first and safely, upon the surface of Luminoth.

Starla couldn't see Artie's eyes beneath his visor, but she could see the tear tracks running down his face.

"He was just a kid," Artie said. "He was barely out of training, he...he was just a kid, Starla."

Starla pursed her lips. Now, and only now, did she understand why Lightning had lied to the traitor ponies about where their orders had come from despatching them across the empire. Public confidence in His Majesty should be maintained. She hadn't wanted Danaus on the team, she hadn't asked for him to be assigned to their team; instead, as Artie knew full well, the Grand Ruler had mandated that they needed a uniforce wielder to face off against Raven and apparently he was the only one to hand. But she couldn't exactly turn around and blame His Majesty for this even if she wanted to; even a god might err upon occassion but when it happened it could never be admitted. All she could do was to say, "The enemy killed him, not me."

"That's right." Artie nodded. "But you could have scrubbed the mission when it became clear that the situation had changed. You're the team lead, you have that authority."

"The situation has not changed," Starla said. "We still have a job to do."

"This team was adequate to hunt down a few fugitives from justice, but this?" Artie gestured at the sky above, still filling with mechanical horrors. "There should be a fleet here, and a Starfleet army."

"We take out Twilight and we stop this now," Starla said. "Kill the final boss and the army will fall apart, that's how it works. We can end this before anyone else dies."

"Starla," Buddy murmured. "The Revenge, it...it's going down."

Starla turned, looking in the direction that Buddy was pointing. She could see it, up in the sky, the Revenge falling to the ground, not in a controlled descent but in a wild drop. Part of her engine block was on fire, and more flames were blazing throughout the hull. She was listing to starboard and her tail was dropping faster than her nose. There was no doubt that the crew had lost control.

She saluted as she watched the great ship fall to ground, striking the surface of Luminoth with an enormous explosion that leapt up towards the sky as though the soul of the dreadnought was seeking to return through fire and smoke to space. She noticed Artie, and every other member of her team, doing the same: saluting the ship and her company as they made the ultimate sacrifice for Starfleet.

Shines with untarnished honour.

"Nine hundred and forty ponies," muttered Artie.

Starla ignored him. "We'll properly mourn our losses later. For now, we still have a mission to complete. For Rhymey...and for all of those we've lost."

"Starla..." Buddy began, his voice trembling if only a little. "I don't...if I die out here what's going to happen to Daphne? She's lost everyone else in the service of Starfleet...who's going to take care of her?"

"I will, if it comes to that," Starla said. "But it won't. Because you won't die. You're not the kid. You're strong and experience and you won't die, I promise." She stepped forward, resting her snout against his. "If need be, I will give my life to get you home. But I need you right now. I need you at your best. I need you all at your best, on the razor's edge. Are you all still with me?"

"All the way to the end, chicita," Dyno said.

Buddy nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm with you Starla."

"Me too," Artie said, if reluctantly. "Let's finish what we started."

Green Sickle gave a wordless nod.

"Then let's go," Starla said, as she led the way.

It didn't take them long to come across a trio of balloons, in the colours of the odious Pinkie's cutie mark, tied to a tree. Not long after that they stumbled across three diamonds strategically placed as to catch the light, and it didn't take a genius to work out that theses were markers left behind for Twilight's friends to guide them. Presumably to guide them towards a meeting with Twilight, who had gone on ahead to prepare some aspect of their malevolent plan, the plan that was seeing her raise hordes of robotic insects into the sky. What she meant to do with them next Starla didn't know and didn't care. She would end this before it got that far.

It was as they followed the trail that Twilight Sparkle started talking to them, her voice crackling into life on the comm.

"Major Starla Shine," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit. I hope you didn't come all this way just to see me."

"No, I didn't," Starla grunted. "I came here to kill you."

Twilight laughed. "Oh, Starla. Do you really think that killing me will make anything better?"

"Is this where you start to preach to me about the magic of friendship and how we should all just get along, because if so-"

"No," Twilight said, cutting her off. "This is where I tell you that killing me won't make a blind bit of difference and you know it, because you weren't happy when I was dead, were you? Maybe you thought you would be, you probably hoped you would be, but you weren't happy were you? Because if you were then your husband wouldn't be on the ship named after me with all of my friends having come here looking for me. And you wouldn't have come here to kill me."

"I'm here to avenge my friend," Starla growled. "Rhymey, the pony you murdered."

"Technically, Rhymey died by Delta's hand, but I accept that that is a very small detail," Twilight said. "One that doesn't change the fact that you're here because you think, in the teeth of all the evidence, that my death will make things better for you."

"I guarantee that I'll feel better knowing that you're dead again," Starla replied. "And this time there won't be any science experiment to bring you back."

"Maybe not," Twilight said. "And maybe you could even manage it. But when I'm dead, you'll still be the sad and lonely little girl whose husband didn't love her enough to stick around, just like her mommy didn't love her enough to stay alive."

"Don't say another word about my mother, you pathetic little-!" Starla snarled. She took a deep breath. "Congratulations, Twilight, you made me angry. I have to say, it's nice to finally meet the real you after all this time. Was it very frustrating, hiding your venom beneath that simpering mask of niceness all this time? You do realise that these markers you left behind are pathetically obvious. I thought you were supposed to be a genius."

"I am a genius, but the markers are supposed to be interpreted by five rather stupid ponies," Twilight replied. "And since you can follow them it seems I pitched them at the right level."

Starla laughed. "Really? That's the best you can do?"

"Why are you doing this, Twilight?" Artie asked. "Destroying ships, killing ponies, killing Rhymey? After all that we've been through together...why?"

Twilight was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you save me, Artie?"

"Huh?"

"On Draylon Four you were ordered to lead a drop into a bandit camp. But you aborted the mission before dropping."

"Yeah, I did," Artie said cautiously. "Recon indicated that the enemy were much more securely dug in than intelligence suggested. In my opinion casualties from a coup de main would have been prohibitively high. I cancelled the drop and recommended a combined land and air blockade to force their surrender."

"And for your life-saving initiative you were busted back down to junior lieutenant and had to climb up the ranks again serving Lightning Dawn," Twilight observed. "Did you regret it?"

"No," Artie replied tersely.

"Then why didn't you disobey orders to save my life like you did the lives of the ponies under your command on Draylon IV?" Twilight asked. "It's a simple question."

"Is that what this is all about?" Artie asked. "We let you die and now you're taking revenge? I didn't think you were so petty."

"I'm doing this because it's what I was born for," Twilight declared.

"Made," Starla said.

"Excuse me?"

"You were created, not born," Starla said. "You're a copy of Twilight Sparkle, created in a test tube."

"Yes, I know," Twilight said. "I was created to be a warrior, a slave of the Grand Ruler with a single purpose: to fight and kill. I won't serve the Grand Ruler, but I will fulfil the purpose for which I was made: the destruction of my enemies."

"We're only your enemies because you've made us so," Artie said.

"Are you really so naive? Are you really that blind?" Twilight demanded. "Do you actually think that I will ever be allowed to live in peace and freedom while Starfleet continues to exist? Do you ever believe that I will be allowed to survive outside of their control?"

"No," Starla said. "Because you are not worthy to survive. You are a traitor, and you always were?"

"Always, no," Twilight said. "Twilight was loyal. On her own terms, to be sure. You see, Twilight beleived that you could be made better than you are. Twilight believed that the power of friendship could get through to you and make the world a better place. But I'm not Twilight Sparkle, and I'm not so naive. I know what you are: killers, undeserving of mercy. Undeserving of anything but judgement."

"Your judgement, I suppose," Starla said.

"I alone have the right to judge," Twilight said. "I was not born into this world, I alone have the right to stand above all races and pass judgement upon them."

"It's my judgement that you should fear," Starla said.

Twilight chuckled. "If you're so determined to kill me, Starla, then all I can say is...bring it on."

The connection cut off.

"Twilight's new personality sucks," Buddy muttered.

"This is what she always was," Starla replied. "Now she finally has the courage to admit it."

They continued on, following the trail that Twilight had left for her friends to follow, until they came to a cave that might, that probably did, lead down into the underbelly of the earth.

Not that Starla could say for sure since the entrance to the tunnel was sealed by a heavy metal door.

"Dyno, Myte," Starla said. "What do you think of our chances of blowing through this?"

Their resident construction experts studied the barrier for a moment. "Maybe, if we all concentrated our finishers, we could blow a hole in it," Dyno said.

"But I'd be worried about causing a cave-in in the process, we don't know how secure it is behind there," Myte added.

Starla bared her teeth. So close, and yet so far beyond my reach. If only we had a- She mentally cursed herself for her own cupidity. They were on Luminoth, the planet of the Warping Fairies, they didn't need to worry about the door. No physical barrier could hold them back.

She retuned her communicator to a general frequency. "This is Major Starla Shine to the Luminoth authorities, I need to speak to King Topaz immediately."

One of the advantages of dealing with warping fairies was that, because they could warp practically anywhere they wanted, there was no need to endure a long delay while the King was summoned and brought to speak to her. King Topaz's voice soon sounded loud and clear into her ear. "Major Shine! Thank goodness you've come. Everyone is quite distraught and nobody seems to have any idea what's going on! Please tell me that you're here to resolve this situation, people are starting to wonder if these tremors herald the destruction of our world!"

"I assure you, highness, that Starfleet is doing everything it can to prevent that," Starla said. "But I'm afraid I need your help to do it. Or rather, fairy help. Our way is blocked by a barrier and I don't want to risk trying to blast our way through to the other side. If you would-"

"Of course, Major, anything to see this situation resolved as swiftly as possible. I'll have one of my best warpers sent to your location as quickly as possible."

There was a delay of but a few moments before, with a pop sound, a little fairy with long black hair appeared in front of them.

"Hi there," she said. "My name's Yui, and the King told me to take you anywhere you want to go."

"First thing's first, Yui," Starla said. "First, I want you to take a look on the other side of that barrier, and go as far as you can down whatever tunnel is on the other side until you see someone. Then come back here. Be discreet. If you think you've been spotted, come straight back."

"Right!" Yui said, saluting Starla before disappearing with another pop.

"What are you hoping she'll find?" Myte asked.

"I'm hoping she'll spot Twilight and can bring us in right on top of her," Starla said. "If we can achive surprise and save having to trek through the tunnel ourselves then I'll take it."

They waited, lingering at the door, for some time before Yui returned.

"What did you see?" Starla demanded.

"Five ponies and a baby dragon heading through the tunnel, talking to someone on their radios," Yui said.

Twilight's friends. Not quite the prey I wanted, but they'll do for a start. "Can you bring us to a point ahead of them? Is there anywhere we could set an ambush?"

"I think so," Yui said. "Gather up tight everyone."

The group clustered together, even as she Yui spread her arms out wide. A brilliant white glow began to consume her, and then to consume all of them. All that Starla could see was white, losing sight of her comrades for a moment before, with a pop, she materialised in a cave, where the walls were incompletely lined with metal, lit not only by lava flows but also by artificial lights of blinking blue and white.

They had appeared on a rocky ledge, overlooking a large space below them, and the squad took cover on said ledge as they waited, not too long, for Twilight's friends to appear below them, crossing the chamber towards the six corridors on the other side.

"Hold it right there!" Starla declared, revealing herself from hiding as she drew back her bow, muscles tensed, and took careful aim at Rarity. "Former members of Friendship is Magic," she said, as the ponies turned to face her and squadmates showed themselves in turn. “Stand down and surrender yourselves and you will be taken into custody. Resist and you will die. The choice is yours.”

Artie's Choice

Artie’s Choice

The bar was called The Screaming Stallion and it wasn't one of Artie's favourites. Run by an old Starfleet trooper who had lost a hand in the Crystallite war it was, not to put to fine a point on it, a dive.

That was why he came here after losing a soldier in battle. It was a place that very few people would actually think to look for him when he wanted to be alone.

Which was why, as he stepped through the door and delicately walked around the nasty looking stain on the wooden floor, he was surprised - astonished, even - to see a familiar pink mare sitting at the bar with a glass of something cherry red held in her hands. Her head was bowed, and her mane looked as though it had deflated a bit from its usual poofiness.

None of her friends were anywhere in evidence, which didn't surprise him. If Rarity ever saw the state of this place - said current state included one guy passed out on his table and another who looked as though he'd been playing the slot machine he'd forgotten to eat, or sleep, or take a shower - she'd probably have a fit.

Actually, that was probably too hard on his part. He was starting to get the impression that perhaps he wasn't giving Rarity enough credit. Not that she'd actually be comfortable in a place like this, but, well...let's just say he'd maybe been a little hard on her, and on all the members of Friendship is Magic. They weren't what he'd call professional soldiers, but they had the stuff. They'd proven that.

One of them had died proving that, which had brought Artie to The Screaming Stallion only to find that Pinkie Pie had beaten him to it. She was sitting at the bar alone, with no sign of her friends. He guessed that was because they didn't know she was here. They...they didn't seem the kind to abandon one another otherwise.

He stood for a moment, watching her. Not staring but...deciding. Part of him wanted to leave her alone, the way that he liked to be left alone after he lost someone; another part of him felt that he ought to go up to her.

It was the latter part that won out. He walked softly across the wooden floor and sat down at the bar beside her. The orange lights fell down upon them both as he leaned one elbow upon the sticky wood. "I didn't expect to see you here. I wouldn't expect a mare like you to even know about this place."

"I didn't," Pinkie whispered. "I just...I started walking and...and I ended up here."

"Huh. Small world, I guess," Artie said. "Although...I'm surprised you stuck around."

"I wanted to be alone," she said, still whispering.

Artie ignored the reproach. "How long have you been here?"

"I don't know."

"How did you assessment with Lightning go?"

"I don't know."

"No, I guess it is a little early for that," Artie said.

A silence descended between the two of them. Pinkie didn't look up. She kept her head bowed, her eyes hollow-seeming and dull, as though the light had been burned out of them like the fires that had ravaged Twilight's funeral pyre and then died, leaving only ashes. Maybe it was the light in this dingy bar, but it almost looked as though her coat was a little grey.

Poor kid. She wasn't that much younger than he was, but Artie had never felt the weight of his experiences more than he did right now, looking down at this mare trying to process her first loss.

And he had no idea what he could or should or ought to say to her. He'd lost people in the past, sometimes he'd even lost whole squads, but he had never...he'd never lost a friend. Not a true friend, anyway. There had been people that he liked, people that he drank with, people that he played cards with aboard ship while there was nothing else to do, people who sat still long enough for him to make sketches of them...he'd lost them all. But he had never lost someone so close that the loss had taken a chunk of his heart with him. Not the way that she had.

He'd been lucky that way...or she'd been lucky to have a bond that strong in the first place. He couldn't quite make his mind up on that score.

And so he had no idea what to say. Perhaps he still wouldn't have known what to say even if he had understood, really understood, what she was going through. Or maybe...what did it matter. It didn't help him to help her.

Artie looked away for a second. "Listen, Pinkie...I know that there's nothing that I can say that will make you feel even remotely better, I know that there's nothing that I can say to help you but I wish there was, I wish there was so much because...because seeing you like this...it makes me sad, and it makes me want to do something about it."

Gods and the Grand Ruler, could you have sounded like more of an idiot?

Pinkie looked up at him. "Thanks, Artie. That...that helps, a little."

Artie blinked. "It does."

Pinkie nodded. "Just a little, but yeah. Thank you."

"Uh...sure," Artie said, wondering what it was in that surge of nonsense that had gotten through to her. "Any time. Now what do you say we get out of here? A dive like this is no place for a nice mare like you."

Why didn’t you save me, Artie?

Captain Artie Bristles was snug in the confines of his drop pod, waiting for the cruiser Scorpion to achieve a position over his objective. When that happened, he and the eighty other ponies of Echo Company, 101st Airborne would drop right on top of the bandit camp and lay it to waste.

Opposition was predicted to be light. They weren’t particularly well-equipped bandits, just a troublesome nuisance. And Starfleet would deal with them, as it dealt with all such troublesome nuisances.

He flicked one of the switches on his pod, patching him through to the rest of his company. His company. It had been eight months and the word still sounded strange to him. His company, his command. He still wasn’t entirely sure what he’d done to earn it…but he hoped that somewhere, wherever he was, grandpa was proud of him for how far he’d come.

His company. His command. His ponies to lead to victory.

His to keep safe. His to protect.

“Echo, this is Scorpion actual we are over the target position now. You have green light to drop at your discretion.”

“Copy that, Actual, I want to wait for the latest drone flyover to come in before I drop, it shouldn’t take long,” Artie replied. He flicked a switch on his pod console to patch him through to the rest of the company. “Okay, Echo, we are over the drop zone now. Get set for a combat drop because we are feet first into hell going down on my mark. Get ready.”

His monitor showed the footage from the latest drone flying at high altitude over the target. It was about to pass over the drop zone any second…now.

Artie’s eyes widened as the image on the monitor showed something quite different from anything that the intelligence reports had led him to expect.

He shut off comms to the company and patched himself back into to the ship. “Scorpion, this is Echo command, are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Affirmative, Echo. You’re still clear to drop.”

“Clear to-“ Artie was stunned into silence for a second. “You can see this, right? There are at least a dozen anti-air turrets down there just waiting to blow the crap out of our pods in mid-air. And anyone who actually survives to make landfall is going to get slaughtered by those tanks down there. One airborne company against all that, that’s suicide! What is command thinking ordering this mission?”

“A good soldier goes where he’s sent and does what he’s told. You are clear to drop.”

Artie felt as though the cold of space had frozen his pod with him inside of it. On the one hand, he had his orders and his orders said drop. His orders were to descend upon the camp and destroy it, and nothing about the orders that he had been given allowed him any discretion in the matter whatsoever.

On the other hand he knew, he knew with absolute certainty that if he carried out his orders then he was not only signing his own death warrant but, more importantly, that of every single pony under his command.

And orders or no, duty or no…that was a step too far.

Artie Bristles believed in Starfleet. He believed in heroes like his grandpa. He had joined the service because he wanted to do his part and protect the galaxy, because he wanted to defend justice and righteousness and uphold the ideals of Unicornicopia. He was proud of what he’d accomplished in the fleet so far.

But he hadn’t signed up to lead good ponies to their deaths.

They were his company, his ponies. His to lead, and his to protect.

From the enemy, and from poor decisions.

“Negative, Scorpion,” he said. “Drop is cancelled.”

“Repeat that, Echo, did you say cancelled?”

“Yes, cancelled, I am not going to order my troops into a suicide mission,” Artie declared. He flipped the switch to talk to his company again. “Echo Company, red light. Disembark from your pods there will be no drop today.”

“You don’t have the authority to do that, captain.”

“I just did.”

“There will be consequences for this.”

“I’m sure there will,” Artie said, even as he had no real idea what those consequences might be. They might even put him to death for all he knew.

But at least he wouldn’t be taking any of his troops with him. At least he would have saved them,

Why didn’t you save me, Artie?

The question echoed through Artie’s mind as he stood on the rocky ledge looking down at all of Twilight’s friends. Twilight’s question, the one he hadn’t had a real answer to. He’d had to resort to a lame comeback accusing her of being petty about the fact that she’d died.

Admittedly, the fact that she was reacting by killing a whole load of people was a bit out of character for Twilight, but it didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t been able to come up with a good answer to her question.

Why didn’t you save me, Artie?

Because…because…why hadn’t he saved Twilight? Why hadn’t he gone after her, gone with Lightning, backed her up when she needed him to? Because he’d been ordered not to? He’d been ordered to make the jump on Draylon IV but he hadn’t done it. He’d said ‘screw the orders’ and made his own call to save the lives of the ponies under his command. Now, Twilight wasn’t technically under his command but she was a part of his team and lower ranked than him so princess or no, friendship is magic or no, that made him his. His to lead and his protect.

But he hadn’t protected her.

He’d watched the guilt of that eat up Lightning, but he hadn’t ever really felt guilty himself. He’d felt upset, sure, but guilt…why hadn’t he felt guilty? Why hadn’t it been devouring him the way that it devoured Lightning? The old Artie, the Artie who had called off the drop on Draylon IV because the intel was a bunch of BS and the mission was suicidal, would have been consumed by guilt. That Artie had felt the loss of each soldier like a gut punch. That Artie probably wouldn’t have hesitated to the go to the aid of a sister officer in trouble. Had he lost that part of himself along the way? Had he become the kind of selfish, callous senior officer he’d so loathed? Had he become the kind of guy who would go along for the sake of his career, not making waves even when he could see trouble right in front of him?

Why didn’t you save me, Artie?

I don’t know, Twilight. I just…I don’t know, and I’m sorry. I should have done more. I should have done…anything.

He’d joined the Starfleet because he wanted to be a hero, and he’d thought that once he got away from the regular forces and started serving under Lightning that he had finally achieved that ambition: killing monsters, fighting boss villains, getting a regular character inspired by him in the TV show (even if he didn’t really get a chance to do very much on a regular basis); he’d wanted to be a hero but it seemed that somewhere along the way he’d become a careerist and a gloryhound instead.

He’d wanted to be a hero, and he’d convinced himself that he was one…but he wasn’t. And he never had been.

Why didn’t you save me, Artie?

And now he was standing on a rocky ledge while Starla threatened Twilight’s friends with death.

Starla who had already condemned hundreds of ponies to their deaths.

Let’s finish what we started.

Why didn’t you save me, Artie?

Rhymey was our brother.

I will kill each and every one of you.

Why didn’t you save me, Artie?

I was kinda jealous of the way so many people looked at you.

Why didn’t you save me, Artie?

“Well,” Starla demanded. “What’s it going to be?”

Rainbow growled. “You complete and utter-“

“Righteous anger, if that’s what you’re attempting, comes ill from the tongue of a traitor,” Starla replied. “Not to mention a murderer.”

“I didn’t kill Rhymey!” Fluttershy cried. “I didn’t…I didn’t know what…I loved him.”

“A likely story!” Starla snapped. “You people have worked at the downfall of our race since the moment you first cast your spell over our gallant knight.”

Rainbow looked as though she was about to choke. “You…you come here, you take over our world, you trample everything we loved into the ground and we’re the bad guys?”

“We offered you leadership!” Starla roared. “We offered a firm and guiding hand and you have repaid us by spitting in our faces! Answer me now, what’s it going to be? Surrender or death?”

“We won’t let you hurt Twilight,” Applejack said. “Not before we’ve even properly got her back.”

“You seem to think you have a choice in the matter,” Starla said. Her whole body was tense, the arrow trembled on her bowstring. “Twilight’s dead whatever you do, the question is do you want to die with her.”

Rainbow Dash tensed. It was clear that she was going to leap.

Starla smirked. “I was hoping you’d make that choice. Starlight-“

“Paint bomb!” Artie yelled, throwing out his palm as a ball of energy that superficially resembled a glob of paint soared through the air to strike Starla on the hip. It exploded in a shower of luminescent pink, making Starla cry out in pain as she staggered sideways, lowering her bow as she did so.

Artie leapt down from the rock ledge, doing a backflip on the way down so that he landed with his back to Twilight’s friends, facing his team.

The team he’d just betrayed.

“Go, find Twilight, ask her why the hay she’s doing this,” Artie said. “Ask her…get her to stop this if you can, before more people get hurt.”

“Artie?” Pinkie asked.

“Go,” he said. “I’ll try and buy you some time.” He had no illusions about the ultimate victor of this contest. He was one against five, and the four he knew well enough to say where very good at what they did. Honestly, he didn’t expect to buy them that much time.

But he kept that pessimistic assessment off his face as he looked back for a second and grinned at her. “There was never anything that I could say to make you feel better, or to help at all…but I figured out that there is something I can do. Now get out of here. A dive like this is no place for a nice mare like you.”

Starla’s howl of outrage as Twilight’s friends made their escape was wordless, but she found her words quick enough. If looks could kill then her glare would have struck him dead already.

“Artie!” she screamed. “What…what are you doing?”

“I’d like to think that I’m doing what’s right,” Artie said, hoping that he sounded calm instead of sounding as scared as he felt.

“What’s right?” Starla shrieked. “What’s right? What the…I don’t…you’re betraying your team, your family and for what? For them? For Twilight? For everything that is wrong with United Equestria?”

“For friendship.”

“Friendship?”

“I didn’t know what it could be until they shared its magic with me.”

“This isn’t a fucking joke!” Starla yelled. “This is serious, this is…was this always your plan? All this time, have you been planning to betray us? To betray me?”

“You let over nine hundred ponies die aboard the Revenge and for what?” Artie demanded. “To take out Twilight, a pony that we fought with, a pony that we should never have let die in the first place.”

“She never did die in the first place, did she?”

”Yes, she did, this is just her clone that they brought back,” Artie replied. “Did you forget that? Did you get confused what was real what His Majesty was saying on TV?”

“To question the words of His Majesty is treason.”

“Starla, for the love of the gods, how come you can’t see how wrong this all is?” Artie said. “I know that Rhymey’s dead, but these girls are our comrades too and we can’t just execute them all because…because…damn it, Starla, all of you! You must be able to see that this is wrong!”

Buddy had the decency to look away. Dyno and Myte met his eyes with unflinching stares filled with hostility. Green Sickle looked bored by the whole business.

“Danaus is dead,” Artie said. “All those ponies on the Revenge are dead. Rhymey’s dead. How is killing Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy going to make anything right?”

“This is the most right I’ve felt since we came to this place,” Starla declared. “Now, Major Artie Bristles, because I like you I’m going to give you one chance. Get out of the way, and we’ll forget that this ever happened.”

Artie’s hands tightened upon his staff. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Starla.”

“I see,” Starla said coldly. “Die.”

Author's Note

For a short chapter, this was an absolute b*tch to write.

Mostly because it took me far longer than usual to work out what would happen.

I spent an inordinately long amount of time havering over how to make the confrontation between Starla's crew and the Mane Five work, mostly because I don't think that the Mane Five should be able to actually win in a straight fight against Starfleet. Starla especially is one of the story's main trifecta of villains (along with Raven and the Grand Ruler) and so having her be defeated without Twilight present would ruin her as an antagonist. But on the other hand I wasn't sure I wanted to write about the mane five being defeated and rescued by Lightning and the minor characters, which was another idea I toyed with, especially since most of them (Lightning excepted) are my own OCs and having them ride to the rescue felt wrong.

One idea that I had was the Mane Five would get split up and go one on one each with a Starfleet member; Pinkie would fight Artie, and she would score one of the few victories by using her hax Pinkie powers and exploiting his doubt and uncertainty from the first flashback. I decided that the splitting up wasn't a good idea, and I came to like the idea of Artie voluntarily letting Pinkie win, because I thought it was stronger emotionally than having her knock him out as part of a gag.

And that's how this chapter came to be.

Tardy

"Why do you want to join Starfleet, son?"

"Because I believe the good die young, sir; and I don't want to disappoint anyone."

Artie barely had time to summon his staff before they came for him.

Starla held back for now, letting her soldiers do the dirty work on her behalf, and frankly if there was one saving grace about this situation it was the fact that Starla was holding back, saving her strength for the fight with Twilight and her friends.

If she'd pitched in then Artie would have given even less for his chances than he did right now.

Dyno and Myte came from the right, explosions erupting from the tips of their fingers, their faces - what he could see around their visors anyway - set in eager expressions of anticipation.

Do you just like to fight or did I do something to annoy you specifically?

Buddy came from the left, he hadn't summoned his whip yet but it was surely coming; if he'd wanted to attack from range he wouldn't have needed to quit the rocky ledge.

Green Sickle came straight down the middle, descending right on top of him, a scythe in his hands ready to cut Artie in two.

Artie bared his teeth. Well alright then. Let's do this.

His staff materialised out of the ether just in time for him to bring it up to block Green Sickle's downward stroke. The force of the blow jarred upon Artie's arms, the shock running through his body like a tremor in the earth. The larger pony pressed down upon him.

Artie retreated, letting the scythe slam into the earth before him. His attention was already turned to Dyno and Myte coming in from the right. He lashed out, slamming the stip of his staff into Dyno's gut and making him recoil with an 'oof' of pain. Artie hit him again, bringing his staff upwards and into Dyno's face before turning on Myte with a solid whack to the side of the head. He-

"Leaf Swarm!"

Artie tried to jump backwards out of the way, but he was a fraction too slow as Buddy's leaf-shaped projectiles struck him up and down the side, exploding in a shower of green blasts. His armour took the worst of it, reducing the explosions to mere stinging pains, but it was still enough and in so many different places to make him wince.

Buddy had summoned his vine whip by now and he lashed out with it, Artie turned away but the blow still caught his ear and raked down the side of his face. He could feel warm blood starting to trickle down his cheek.

Dyno charged at him, fists flying. His moves were solid, fast, technically proficient but unimaginative, a series of pretty basic punches that Artie could fend off with his staff easily. It was only the fact that he stood there and kept them coming with no respite that kept Artie on the defensive, blocking punch after punch with his staff one after the other.

Wait, where's Myte?

Artie glanced up to see Myte above him, using his explosions to propel himself like a rocket over Artie's head and down behind him, open palm outstretched.

Myte's grin was viciously triumphant. "Boom-boom flare!"

Dyno retreated as the explosion flowered forth from the palm of his brother's hand, slamming into Artie's back like a dozen hammers. Even the armour couldn't take the brunt of this, and Artie cried out in pain as he staggered forwards.

Forwards to where Green Sickle was waiting for him with a sideways slash that might have disembowelled him if he hadn't gotten his staff up just in time to block.

Artie hadn't wanted to use his powers, hadn't wanted to turn his abilities on those he'd fought beside, but if he was going to last more than a few seconds in this fight he didn't have much choice. He threw out one palm right into Sickle's face. "Paint Bomb Barrage!"

A deluge of paint bombs erupted from Artie's hand and straight into Green Sickle's face, blasting him backwards in a shower of red explosions that obscured him from Artie's view.

Artie leapt leftwards, staff whirling as he descended upon Buddy Rose. Buddy's whip cracked through the air towards him, but Artie caught it on his staff and coiled it around the metal. Buddy was still trying to free it as Artie landed right in front of him and cracked him on top of the head. Artie's staff whirled in his hands, lashing out at Buddy with one, two, three blows, driving him back and then sweeping his legs out from under him. He-

"Quasar beam!" Starla yelled, right before a beam of pink energy leapt from both her hands to slam into Artie's side. He yelled in agony as the explosion hurled him backwards, pin wheeling through the air to land face first on the ground. He could smell the smoke from his burning armour, feel the fiery feeling of pain in his side as it stomped and kicked for his attention, he could feel a dozen or more sharp stabbing pains in his face from shards of visor buried in his skin; he guessed he was lucky that they'd missed his eye.

His breathing came in a series of deep gasps as he struggled to his feet, using his staff to push himself upright.

Starla emerged from out of the smoke, a white, almost ethereal form emerging from the fog of war. By the gods she was magnificent. So proud, so strong, so luminous. The way she held herself, the sublime confidence of her carriage...he could understand why Lightning had fallen for her so hard.

She stared at him with cold disdain in her sapphire eyes.

By her sides, her hands clenched into fists.

Then she went for him.

He blocked her first punch with his staff, but that had been a mere feint to allow him to knock the staff disdainfully out of his hands with her second blow. She delivered a precision perfect roundhouse kick to his face so fast he couldn't even think of blocking before his face was snapped round and he was staggering backwards with a gasp of pain. He could taste blood in his mouth as Starla pursued him, hand outstretched as she reached for his morpher.

She was too fast, before Artie could intercept her she had closed her pale fingers around the device, ripped it from his waist...and crushed it in one hand.

Artie's staff and armour disappeared into nothingness, and Artie collapsed to his knees as a wave of exhaustion him him, the weariness thad had been siphoned off by his armour and connection to the Grand Ruler hitting him all at once like an oncoming train. A wave of blackness threatened to envelop his mind even as he tried to shake it off. He had to keep going. He had...he had to give them more time.

Starla's mouth was framed into a sneer of disappointment. She flipped her hair contemptuously, and then turned away. He wasn't worth her time.

She'd weakened him enough that the rest should be able to take over again.

Gotta get up. Gotta-

Myte hit him from behind for the second time, only this time there was no armour to take the brunt of the explosion that seared across his coat. His wings felt as though they were being flash-fried, he could smell his coat burning, he could feel the pain, oh, gods, the pain it was so much. There were tears in Artie's eyes as he fell forwards, and a whimper of pain escaped his mouth.

He felt Buddy's whip coil around his neck, and then Artie was gasping, choking, flopping like a fish on a line, writhing on the stony floor of the cavern as Buddy tugged on his whip, tightening it around his throat.

Artie gasped, and choked, and through the tears of pain in his eyes he could see Buddy, his expression hard and his eyes hooded, choking the life out of him.

Green Sickle raised his scythe overhead, and this time there was nothing Artie could do to stop it.

The scythe swept down.

There was a white gold blur that resolved itself into the figure of a pony, a stallion standing between Artie and his enemies, arresting the scythe's progress with a single hand.

"Sorry I'm late," said Lightning Dawn.

Gilded Hero

“Sorry I’m late,” said Lightning Dawn, as with a single hand he held the scythe that had been about to descend on Artie firmly in place.

In truth, up until this moment, when he had seen Artie about to get eviscerated by some Starfleet guy that he didn’t know, Lightning hadn’t been sure whether he had been late or too early. He hadn’t come with the girls because he hadn’t wanted to intrude on their reunion with Twilight, because he’d felt that Twilight should be met only by her true friends…because he wasn’t sure if he deserved to see her.

But then Starla had landed on the surface and he’d known that he had to do something. Twilight’s friends might not realise it, they might think that Starla was as overrated as so much of the Starfleet was. She wasn’t. If Starla caught up with them…that was why he had to do something.

So he and Krysta had come as fast as they could, not sure what they’d find. And what they’d found was the imminent death of Artie Bristles and Lightning…he couldn’t let that happen. Even if he didn’t know what was going on, even if he didn’t know with absolute certainty who was in the right his gut told him that he had to act.

He couldn’t just stand back and let Artie die.

So now, here he was, with one hand holding the scythe in place and his former team-mates, his comrades all staring at him, their gazes resolving into glares of hostility.

On no face was that hostility more pronounced that on that of his wife.

“Uh, hey, Lightning,” Artie murmured, looking a little shocked at the development. “I mean, um, nothing wrong with arriving in the nick of time, right?” He groaned. “Not saying it would have hurt if you’d come in a little sooner, though.”

There was a rustling in Lightning’s mane before Krysta poked her head out. “Sorry about that. Hey, Artie?”

“Yeah?”

“You are the good guy, right?”

“Well, I’m trying to give the girls time to catch up with Twilight, so…I guess?”

“That’s a relief.”

“EXCUSE ME I’M STILL STANDING HERE!” yelled Starla, looking like she was about to start smoking from the fires of her own rage if people didn’t stop holding their own conversations while she was glowering at them.

Krysta wilted in the face of her wrath. “Sorry about that.”

Starla snorted out of her nostrils, steam emerging from both of them like an angry bull about to charge. She did it a second time before she appeared to calm down enough to speak. “Lightning.”

The green stallion with the scythe retreated a little way, allowing Lightning to face his wife properly. “Starla.”

“I had thought to see you before this,” she said. “I had thought that you would be with them, her friends, on your way to see her. I thought that I would find you when I intercepted them.”

“I didn’t go with them,” Lightning said.

“Obviously not.”

“It wasn’t for me to intrude by imposing myself on their reunion.”

“Reunion,” Starla said. “An interesting choice of words there, my love.”

“Is it so?”

“Yes,” she said, almost hissing the word more than speaking it. “Because it proves that it really is Twilight Sparkle, not a copy, not a mere clone. It’s her, isn’t it. She didn’t die at Raven’s hands, that was all-“

“She died,” Lightning said. “And now she has returned.”

“And now she’ll die again, at my hands.”

“I came because I can’t let you do that, Starla.”

Starla’s lips curled in contempt. “Because you’ve chosen her over me.”

“Because I’ve chosen to do what’s right.”

“What’s right?” Starla repeated in disbelief. “What’s right? How can you say something like that? Valour, duty, sacrifice! What is right is to follow the creed of the Starfleet, the creed of the Grand-“

“The creed of the person who burned my world and killed my family?” Lightning demanded.

“That didn’t…you’re being deceived!”

“One of us is being deceived, Starla, but I don’t think it’s me.”

“His Majesty loves you,” Starla declared, and he thought that she even believed it. “As his own son. He rescued you, he raised you, he even took in Krysta to please you. How can you believe that that was all a lie? How can you turn your back on him after all he’s done for you? How can you…how can you turn your back on me after everything that I’ve done for you?”

Lightning closed his eyes for a moment. “Starla…Starla, I have wronged you, and for that I’m sorry-“

“I don’t want your apology, I want my husband back!” Starla yelled, spittle flying out of her mouth. “I wanted the golden hero that I fell in love with, I want the warrior, I want the pony of unbridled strength who won my heart with his deeds of valour and unfaltering sense of duty.”

“Things change, Starla,” Lightning murmured.

“Why?” Starla demanded. “Why do they? Why must they? Why can’t things stay the way they are, if things are good? Or go back to the way they were when they were good? Why must things change when that change is for the worse?”

“Because the stallion that you loved is just a memory now,” Lightning said.

“No!” Starla howled. “I will have you back, Lightning Dawn. I will have it all back! I will purge the world of all the inferior creatures who have corrupted our society and our life together, I will kill Twilight, I will freeze all things in the stasis of a blissful summer’s day and if I have to drag you home in chains, Lightning Dawn, then I will. And you will come to love me, as you once did, and we’ll be happy as we were together. Better than we were, better than ever. We’ll live and love and you will give me children and we’ll be happy, together.”

Lightning clenched his hands into fists. “I see that you’ve got this all figured out. There’s just one problem.”

“Really? What?”

“I won’t let it happen.”

Starla bared her teeth. “Why? Just tell me that, why? Why did you choose her over me? I am a paragon of my race, I am the model and exemplar of all that a female of the space ponies ought to be, I am the benchmark of strength and the measuring-stick of fidelity. What does Twilight Sparkle have that I don’t? In what way could she possibly be superior to me?”

Lightning considered that for a moment, trying to condense his feelings about Twilight and Starla into a single word. “Compassion.”

Starla sneered. “Compassion. Twilight dies today, Lightning, for the second time or the first I don’t care. But I’ll go through you to get to her if I must.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Starla.”

“You think you could?” Starla demanded. “You didn’t even bring your morpher with you.”

“I won’t use Starfleet powers, not again,” Lightning said. “Not after what I’ve found out.”

“So what are you going to do?” she snapped. “Do you think the power of friendship is going to give you a power-up so that you can take us on?”

A smirk crossed Lightning’s features. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to something like that, but I was planning to rely on my rigorous training and superior fighting skills.”

Starla stared blankly at him for a second. “Get him, boys.”

The green stallion with the scythe was the first to attack, swinging his scythe in a wide arc before him as he closed to the attack. Lightning let him come, the other stallion’s movements seemed slow and sluggish to his eyes, that was how he’d been able to block his killing stroke on Artie. He attacked, slashing down. Lightning caught the scythe just as he had before and swung his whole body, letting the momentum of the other stallion carry him forward as Lightning threw him across the rocky cavern and into the far wall.

Buddy, Dyno and Myte all tensed. Starla made no move to intervene. She wouldn’t, not until the end. With the exception of the guy just picking himself up off the floor Lightning knew these ponies; he’d commanded these ponies, and if he hadn’t been a great friend to any of them – not even the mare he had claimed to love – he knew what they were like on the battlefield well enough. He knew that Starla was too proud to muck in with the others, she would only step forward to fight if the prospect of a one-on-one duel where she could show off her skills to the fullest extent was in evidence. He knew that Buddy was weak at close-quarters compared to the rest of the team, which was why held back and used a whip rather than a more useful but shorter-ranged weapon. He knew that Dyno and Myte were arrogant, and their form suffered from sloppiness when they got annoyed.

He could use all of that, but it would only take him so far. Starla was right, against the Starfleet powers that his former comrades could muster he was at a disadvantage. He had the uniforce, but he didn’t want to kill anyone if he could avoid it. These weren’t bad people, they were just…he didn’t want to kill them. Not after they’d fought beside him. Even if they were his enemies they still…they didn’t deserve to perish in the fire of heaven.

He did have his enticorn form, but he couldn’t control it very well. If he unleashed it then he had no doubt that he would win the fight, but could he win in that form without ripping everyone in the chamber to shreds, including Artie? Could he win without following Twilight’s friends and going after them too? He completely lost himself in the enticorn, and he wasn’t sure anyone would be able to calm him down from it.

Mark that under last resort then.

Artie grunted as he tried to struggle to his feet. “I…I can-“

“Stay down, Artie,” Lightning said. “I’ve got this.”

Dyno and Myte leapt at him from front and back, bearing down at him with palms open, flames springing from their fingertips.

“Don’t get so cocky, commander!” Dyno snarled.

Dyno made a wild swing with his right arm. Lightning caught it, turning and throwing Dyno over his shoulder, using him as a club to hit Myte in the face before dumping both brothers in a heap on the ground.

Buddy’s whip cracked as he lashed out at Lightning. Lightning let the whip coil around his arm and then leapt off the ground to fly towards Buddy faster than a locomotive. Buddy’s eyes widened as he tried to retreat, leaping backwards, but Lightning was faster than he was and delivered a punch straight to Buddy’s solar plexus.

Buddy groaned, and doubled over, but Lightning’s hand felt as though he’d just slammed it into a foot of solid concrete and it was all he could do not to let the pain show on his face.

He readied for another hit.

A roar of anger from the scythe-wielder from before distracted Lightning, who disentangled himself and jumped back to avoid a downwards scythe-stroke which splinted the rock where he’d been standing. The scythe-wielder pursued him, slashing wildly as he drove him back to where Dyno and Myte were waiting for him.

“Hold tight, Krysta,” Lightning muttered, as the scythe-wielder slashed for his midriff.

Lightning leapt, bending backwards as he rose in the air, legs rising up so that, if anyone watching could have slowed down his movements, he would have appeared to be floating horizontal in the air as the scythe passed beneath him with a whoosh that ruffled the hairs on the back of his coat.

He kicked out, both feet colliding with the scythe-wielder’s chest.

Scythe-wielder was pushed backwards, but more importantly Lightning was push himself off his opponent, sending himself flying towards Dyno and Myte with the speed of a rocket.

I know you always thought that calling my attacks was stupid, Twilight, but what the hay.

Lightning gritted is teeth as he crossed his arms in front of him. “Mareolina…SMASH!”

“What the-“ Dyno’s words were cut off as Lightning made an X motion, slashing out with both his arms, creating a shockwave through the air that hurled them both back like unwanted toys.

Unfortunately, Lightning noted as he landed, he hadn’t put any of them down for the count. And his hands and feet were feeling it were he punched or kicked the armour. There was only so much of it that they could take.

I can’t win unless I use it, and I can’t control myself if I do. If only there was…unless there is.

That…that just might work.

Do I have any other choice?

“Not bad,” Starla said. “Nothing less than I’d expect from the Supreme Commander of Starfleet. Nothing less than I’d expect from the warrior I fell in love with. But how long can you keep this up. Buddy, Dyno, Myte, they have armour to cushion the blows. You don’t. All they need to do is get lucky.”

Lightning frowned. “Krysta, get away for a second. Go with Artie.”

“Huh?” Krysta asked from on top of his head. “Why?”

“Because I’m not sure if I can make this work,” Lightning said. “And I don’t want to be the one who hurts you.”

“What are you-“

“If this doesn’t work,” Lightning said softly. “Get Artie back to the ship.”

“I…okay,” Krysta murmured, and he felt rather than heard her leaving his head.

Starla cocked her head to one side. “I’m not sure what you’re planning…but I’m sure I should give you the chance. Now!”

They all sprang for him at once, all pride in a fair fight abandoned – by everyone but Starla anyway; she actually hadn’t sprang forward with the others, it will still guys only – in their desire to bring him down and, presumably, continue their mission.

Lightning ignored them, or tried to as they came for him. He needed to focus for his.

He raised his arm, holding it out at a right angle from his body, and focussed upon the power of the enticorn within him.

It was like an animal, like a beast within his soul, a demon sealed in him, and he only had to will the cage to open for it to come out snarling.

Lightning’s whole body began to glow with golden light as he fought to keep the enticorn contained. It was like water, it wanted to expand to fill up his whole body, it wanted to take him over, it wanted to explode out of his every pour, it wanted to cover every part of like a shroud. In the moments that remained Lightning fought a silent battle within himself, trying to catch the water where it flowed, trying to wrestle the beast within like trying to hold down a shapeshifter in a hundred protean forms.

And he managed to do it. His right arm, and only his right arm, exploded with a blinding golden light, golden flames leaping up and down as his muscles swelled and the veins popped beneath his coat and his whole arm, his golden flame-wreathed arm bulged to a grotesque proportion wholly alien to the rest of his body.

He could feel the anger pounding on his head, he could feel the desire to kill, to maim, to attack. He could feel the dark side of the enticorn calling out to him, urging him to strike down all whom he deemed wicked or unworthy. But he could resist it. So long as it was confined to only a single part of his body then he could master it.

And he could put it to work for his own purposes.

Lightning hurled himself rightwards, choosing to deal with the scythe-wielder first. The scythe descended upon him, but Lightning blocked the blow easily with his left arm before slamming his right arm, his enticorn-awakened right arm, straight into the scythe-wielder’s gut.

“Detrot Smash!”

The green stallion’s armour shattered under the impact of Lightning’s blow, the shockwave from his strike sweeping across the chamber to knock all the other ponies present off their feet, as the green stallion himself was caught up in a hurricane that bore him up into the air and into the very ceiling of the chamber with a mighty smash and a shower of debris that included a by now thoroughly unconscious space pony.

“Grand Ruler’s mercy,” Buddy muttered.

Lightning glared at him over his shoulder.

Buddy took a step backwards. “Hey, Lightning, uh, I, uh…see you around!”

He ran, fleeing for the way that Lightning had come. Lightning wasn’t all that surprised. It was standard procedure after all: don’t pick fights with those more powerful than you are.

It was the thinking that had gotten Twilight killed, that had seen everyone hang back and leave her to die, and now…Lightning couldn’t look at it, couldn’t look at Buddy, with anything but contempt.

But he let him go, because he really didn’t want to hurt the guy if he didn’t have to.

Dyno and Myte were made of sterner stuff, or perhaps they just had more confidence in themselves and their abilities because they came at him all the same, awakened arm or not, leaping from either side of him to descend with their hands exploding.

Lightning drove his right fist into the ground. It shattered around him as though he were the epicentre of a quake, splinters of rock leaping up to shower Dyno and Myte even as their expected landing sights crumbled around them.

And as the twins struggled to keep their balance, wings flaring and fluttering madly for stability, Lightning went for them. One punch, and Dyno was slammed into the wall, a backhand blow and Myte flew past Starla’s head down the corridor, flying over the fleeing Buddy Rose before skidding down the floor in a spray of dust.

Lightning said nothing as he turned to face Starla, the last pony standing.

Starla pinched her forehead as though the incompetence on display were giving her a headache. “Well, it was certainly worth all the expense training you guys. I have to confess that I’m impressed, my love. You awakened your enticorn form but only in your right arm, ensuring that you can control it. For now.” She smiled. “Thank you, Lightning.”

Lightning frowned. “For what?”

“For showing that the old you is still in there somewhere,” Starla said, and her smile turned vicious as she drew her sword and stepped smoothly into a fighting stance. “Because if I can’t revenge on Twilight all the wounds that she has dealt to me, then at least I’ll be content in dying at your hand…and in the process reminding you of who you really are.”

Lightning vs Starla

“Because if I can’t revenge on Twilight all the wounds that she has dealt to me, then at least I’ll be content in dying at your hand…and in the process reminding you of who you really are.”

Lightning Dawn stared at her, the mare who had been his wife, the mare whom he had loved, or thought that he had loved, the mare who now stood opposite him with drawn sword and a promise of death upon her lips. No, it undersold the point to say he stared at her. More accurate to say he boggled in disbelief. "Kill you? Starla...despite all that has passed between us...I meant it when I said that I don't want to hurt you."

Starla's smile was wired in place. Such a vicious smile, was that new or just something that he'd never noticed until now? "What makes you think I'm going to give you the choice?"

"You're not a mind controller, Starla," Lightning declared. "You can't compel to strike you down against my will."

"Maybe not," Starla conceded. "But he can. Your wild passenger. Your enticorn." She said the last word with whispered relish, as if there were some great taboo around it that she took joy in flouting.

Lightning's eyes widened. He saw what she meant now, and what she planned to do. "That won't work. I don't need to go full enticorn to beat you."

Starla laughed, and that laugh that Lightning had once so loved now seemed to him to have so cruel an edge that he could not for the life of him recall what it was about it he had ever loved. "Lightning, every wife has secrets in marriage. Do you know what my biggest secret was, through all our years together?"

Lightning frowned. Where is she going with this? "No. I'm afraid I don't."

"I was holding back the entire time!" Starla yelled, as she sped forward. In a flash she had crossed the distance between the two of them, ducking his punch, dropping to the ground with the agility of a gymnast and the grace of a dance. She swept with one leg to cut down his own. Lightning leapt up, her kick passing harmlessly beneath him, but then she shot upwards, fist outstretched.

The punch caught Lightning square on the jaw with a firm crack, tossing him upwards and backwards. Lightning gritted his teeth and flared his wings for balance, but Starla was rising too, rising more quickly than he expected, following up her blow with a series of powerful, painful kicks to his back.

Don't cry out. Don't wince. Don't even grunt. Never let your enemy see that they're hurting you. Lightning clung to his training as the barrage continued, pushing him and up and up towards the ceiling of the cave before, with a great cry, Starla pirouetted in the air and drove her foot into his belly with such force that Lightning was slammed right back down into the ground again.

And as the earth buckled beneath his impact Lightning let out a faint cry of pain as his back and belly both sent spasms through his body.

Starla landed a few feet away. "Get up!" she snapped. "Get up, I know my Lightning can take more than that. I know my war god can still rise from such as that. Get up, and awaken to your glory."

Lightning gritted his teeth as he climbed slowly to his feet. "I've spent more than half of my life as an unthinking monster, Starla. I won't become one again just on your word."

"You don't have a choice!" Starla snarled, as she came at him again. She was so fast, Lightning could barely follow her movements. He barely saw the glint upon her blade before she slashed it across his side.

Lightning grunted, trying to ignore the warm blood dripping down his flank, trying to ignore the burning beneath his ribs, turning to keep his eyes on Starla who stood now behind him, his blood dripping from her blade.

"You can't keep up with me as you are," Starla declared. "Without your Starfleet powers you don't have the speed, and even if you could catch me then you wouldn't have the strength. You can't hit me with the uniforce. The enticorn is all that you have left. Use it!"

"No."

"Use it, or Artie dies," Starla snarled. "Use it, or I'll leave you here and speed down that tunnel and show Twilight's treacherous little friends that I don't need any backup from Buddy or Dyno or Myte or anyone! I'm a match for that whole stupid gang! Use your enticorn, or I'll kill everyone that you forsook me for."

"Hey," Artie muttered, as he got up. "Don't I get a say in whether I die for not?"

Starla's lip curled into a sneer. "You really think that you can withstand me, Artie?"

"I think I might as well give it a shot, right?" Artie asked. "I mean, what have I got to lose?"

Starla shook her head in dismissive disdain. "It's time to choose, Lightning. Unleash the enticorn, and become once more the warrior that you were born to be, or watch helplessly while your friends die."

Lightning shook his head. "I don't need to choose. I've got another option, a power that you can't comprehend."

"What?" Starla demanded. "Friendship? Are you going to sing me a song and make me repent my ways, is that it? Is that your plan?"

"Not quite," Lightning said. "Now, Krysta!"

A tiny warp portal opened right in front of Starla's midriff, a portal from which Krysta emerged and, even as Starla was looking down, placed her tiny hands upon Starla's morpher.

Fairies could lift several hundred times their own bodyweight. They were a bit like ants in that regard. And so it was child's play for Krysta to rip Starla's morpher off her belt and throw it through the air towards Lightning.

Starla growled in outrage, for a moment she seemed torn between Krysta and the morpher. As her pink armour began to fade from her body, disappearing and reappearing in patches as her connection to the Grand Ruler's power fluctuated, she chose the morpher. She leapt forwards, right into another warp portal that Krysta had conjured which deposited her on the other side of the cavern, where her leapt carried her straight into the wall with a smacking sound.

The morpher sailed into Lightning's awakened hand, and it hardly required the strength of an enticorn to crush it in his fist.

"No!" Starla howled.

Slowly, Lightning turned to face her. "My friends are here to help me overcome any obstacle, Starla. Who do you have to help you when times are tough?"

"I don't need friends," Starla snarled. "I don't need anyone. I am Starla Shine, daughter of Galaxia Shine the Angel of Victory, and I am all I need."

"You may be stronger and swifter than I ever realised," Lightning said. "But without your starfleet powers I think we're on about an even footing now."

Starla didn't run like Buddy. She didn't even flinch. Her armour and her powers had been stripped away from her, but despite that she stood as proud as a queen and as fierce as a tiger. "Very well, why don't we test that theory?" She reversed the grip on her bloody blade and sprang for him with a great shout. "Lightning!"

"Starla!" Lightning charged to meet her, fists at the ready.

They met in the very center of the cavernous stone chamber, clashing like two rutting stags clashing in the meadow. Fists flew as Starla's blade shone brightly, and the shockwaves from their struggled rolled off them like waves upon the stormy sea.

This wasn't about Starfleet, this wasn't about the Grand Ruler or the orders that he had given to her. This wasn't even about Twilight any more, or her friends. This was about pride now, and honour, and the final and deciding tests of the views that they had set out for themselves. Starla stood for the old way, the space pony way, the warrior's path that she exemplified better than any other pony that Lightning had ever met. She had to win, she had to defeat Lightning Dawn and prove that the softening of his soul had made him, well, soft, and weak and vulnerable and all the rest of the insults that she might flung with words toward him. Now she had to prove her convictions with fists and feet and shining blade. She had to win or all that she had spoken, all that she had thought, all that she believed...would be exposed as a lie.

And that was no less true for Lightning. His was the new way, the openhearted path of friendship that Twilight had revealed to him before she died, the path that said that compassion and an open-heart were not weaknesses but sources of great strength. If he couldn't win this fight. If he couldn't defeat Starla and the old way, if she triumphed over him here...then she would be right, and he had been a fool.

But she wasn't right. He knew that now, in his heart and in his soul he knew it, he believed with everything he had. Now he just had to prove it in battle.

And he couldn't do it.

Though they stood locked in combat, trading blows like old-fashioned pugilists slugging it out with weighted gloves, though he gave as good as he got with Starla, he couldn't bring the combat to a close. They were, it seemed, evenly matched. Though his face and body ached with the blows that she had dealt him, though his muscles protested the continuous effort, though his breathing was becoming ragged and heavy, though his coat was matted and stained with sweat...he had to keep going. He had to win for the sake of his ideals.

But Starla was so strong, and so fast. She was taking everything that he could throw at her and giving it right back to him.

"Come on!" she screamed. "Use it! Use the enticorn! Awaken, and show me the true face of a warrior!"

"Never!" Lightning roared, because if he unlocked that cage, if he let that beast roar free then he would win, without a doubt. He would win, and quite possibly rip Starla into little pieces while he was at it. But if he did, if he triumphed over her in that way, then he would prove her right. He would prove that strength was all, and all else weakness.

He would not do it. He had done too much of that already. Far from awakening further, he released his grip on his awakened arm, letting it deflate to normal size and strength as he continued to trade blows with her.

"Pathetic," Starla snarled. "If you want become who you were meant to be, then perhaps I should just put you out of your misery!"

"Hey, Starla," Artie yelled, a moment before he drove his fist into her side. "SHUT UP!"

Starla recoiled from the unexpected blow, and Artie followed up with a stinging jab to her jaw that snapped her head sideways. He moved for a third punch but she caught the blow, snapping his arm to one side with an audible crack that made him cry out in pain. Starla's face was a rictus of rage as she slashed at him with his sword, scarring Artie's orange face from the jawline up and barely missing his eye. She slashed again, striking downwards, but before her stroke could fall there was a crack and the opening of a warp gate and Artie was beyond her reach across the cavern.

Starla bared her teeth like fangs, but before she could utter a word in anger or contempt there was another crack, and another warp portal opened, and out of this portal charged Snowflame, striking Starla in the midriff and bearing her backwards with the force of her charge.

Snowflame wrapped her forelegs around Starla's waist, and with a great cry and a heave of effort, she rose temporarily up onto her hindlegs, carrying Starla with her for all that she squawked in alarm and flailed her limbs wildly, and piledrove her head-first into the ground.

"Snowflame?" Lightning asked.

"Hey, our Lightning," she said. "Krysta said you could use a hoof."

"If the power of friendship doesn't mean a power up, I don't see why it can't mean 'summon reinforcements'," Krysta said.

Lightning's laugh was cut off by the wordless roar that ripped from Starla's lips as she tried to get up. Her whole body trembled with a combination of rage and effort, and the blue eyes that had once seemed so beautiful to him were now made mad and hateful to behold with the rage that burned within them. "You...all of you...you are...you..." she seemed to struggle to find the words as a scent like wild lavender and honeysuckle filled the air within the underground cavern. A sweet scent that seemed to be making Starla drowsy. Her eyelids closed, and though she forced them open they swiftly closed again. "I...you...I will-" She fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Thank g-goodness," Princess Fairgrace murmured from the entrance to the cavern. "I w-wasn't sure that w-w-would w-work on a g-grown up."

"Princess?" Lightning murmured. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to help you," she said simply.

"I...I thought you didn't have any magic?"

Fairgrace looked down at the ground for a moment. "It...it's isn't real m-magic. It's just something I learned to put the children to b-b-bed on time. It seemed like a g-good idea."

Lightning smiled. The power of friendship as overwhelming numbers. I wonder what Twilight would think of that. "Thank you, princess. Thank you all."

"What do we do now?" Snowflame asked.

"Krysta, can you take Starfleet back to the Twilight and have Fratello secure them in the brig," Lightning asked. "We can hardly just leave them here."

Krysta saluted. "You got it."

"Artie, you should go with her."

"Aw, come on," Artie said. "I've come this far, I kind of want to see if Twilight really has come back to life."

"You've got a broken arm."

"And it will still be broken later, so what's the rush?"

"I'm not even sure if we should stay here," Lightning said. "I stayed on the ship because I didn't want to disturb-"

A piercing cry echoed down the tunnel from the direction in which Twilight's friends had gone, a cry that sounded a lot like Twilight Sparkle.

Lightning and Artie looked at one another.

And then they started to run towards the shouting.

Eve's Anger

Eve’s Anger

The gang ran down the metal-lined corridor, leaving Artie and Starla and the rest of the Starfleet gang behind them, getting closer and closer with every step until they reached Twilight.

If it was really Twilight waiting for them at the end.

Fluttershy wished that she could say that she had no doubts, but that would been a lie, after everything that they'd been through.

"Twilight!" Pinkie cried as they ran. "Twilight, can you still hear us?"

There was a momentary pause before Twilight - and Fluttershy really hoped that it really was Twilight, as much as she'd ever hoped for anything in her life - answered. "I'm still here, Pinkie. I'm still here, still waiting for you."

"Be careful!" Pinkie yelled. "Starla's here and she-"

"Yes, I know all about her and her gang," Twilight declared with magisterial disdain. "I had hoped to kill her when my armada brought down her ship, but it seems that she is more tenacious in survival than I gave her credit for. Don't worry. I'm not afraid of Major Mommy Issues any more. The days when I cringe before pathetic ponies like that are done."

That just about did it. If there was ever proof needed that something was wrong then the fact that Fluttershy and all her friends were supposed to believe that that speech had dropped out of the mouth of Twilight Sparkle would have been it.

Fluttershy's foot slammed into the floor as she skidded to a halt. "No more games!" she declared. "What's really going on here, Twilight Sparkle, if that is your real name."

Rainbow Dash spun in the air. "Fluttershy-"

Twilight, or whoever it was, sounded indignant in the extreme. "Excuse me?"

"The Twilight Sparkle that I knew and loved would never say anything like that," Fluttershy declared. "And she certainly wouldn't be behaving like this!"

"Don't you trust me, Fluttershy?"

"And she wouldn't try to make me feel guilty, either," Fluttershy snapped in that tone she had that could bring a wayward dragon to heel. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Twilight?"

"I set you free!" Twilight yelled. "I rescued you from domestic slavery and you repay me with doubt and reproach! Are you so selfish that you want freedom for yourself but not for all the others who are in need of it?"

"Twilight, calm down," Spike said imploringly. "Fluttershy's right, this...this doesn't sound like you at all."

There was a silence, that seemed to stretch for longer than it needed to. When she spoke again Twilight sounded calmer, or rather she sounded as though she were making a conscious effort to sound calm. "You're right. You're right. I'm sorry, I...I had no right to snap at you all. I just...it's been rough, you know? I'm just...I can't wait to see you all again. I can't wait for us to be together, the way we were meant to be. Come on. You're nearly there. I'll see you soon."

The five ponies and the one baby dragon looked at one another.

"So," Rainbow Dash said. "What do we think?"

Rarity looked down at the metal beneath her feet. "I hate to say it - not that I hate admitting to being wrong or anything of that nature, but this particular truth is somewhat hard to face up to - but Applejack may have been right from the start."

"Believe me, I ain't happy about it either," Applejack said. "But that sure didn't sound like the friend I remember, if she ever did."

"But...but," Pinkie's whole body was trembling, and her eyes were wet with the signs of incipient tears. "But I saw her. I saw her! I saw her and she stopped and I...I knew. I could feel her. I knew...I thought...I want to-"

Rainbow landed in front of her, pressing Pinkie's face into her shoulder. Her voice, when it came, was soft and filled with regret. "We all wanted to believe it, Pinkie. We all wanted her back. We all wanted a second chance. But when was the last time this world gave us what we wanted?"

"I don't want to give up," Pinkie insisted, sounding as though she was not quite sobbing yet but it wouldn't take a great force to start her off down the trail of tears. "I won't give up. Twilight's waiting for us, we have to keep going, we have to."

"You're right about that, Pinkie," Applejack said.

"Applejack?" Spike said. "But...but you just said-"

"This might be a trap," Applejack said. "Heck, it probably is a trap, but I don't see we have much choice now but to walk right into it. What else are we going to do, go back and take our chances with Starla? That mare was always meaner than a one-eyed rattlesnake and she ain't got any more pleasant if our last meeting was any indication. That and...well, if there's even the smallest chance that Twilight's waiting for us up ahead, I think we owe it to her to find out, don't you? If we don't...we're no better than the time we let her go and die without us." Applejack scowled, whether at the memory or at what she'd just said Fluttershy couldn't tell. "Least...that's how I feel anyhow. Maybe y'all feel different, I'm all ears."

"Whatever we do, we do it together," Rainbow said. "All the way to the end, right? We're all agreed on that?"

"Quite so, darling. I wouldn't have it any other way," Rarity declared. "And as for the rest...Applejack makes a very compelling point. We are not in a situation with a broad array of choices available to us, and since there is still a chance..." she smiled, as though this were a summer lark or a game played between friends. "We've been trapped a time or two in the past, but I think this might be the first time we've intentionally walked into one. The experience might even be quite exhilarating."

Rainbow grinned. "Why, Rarity, we'll make a daredevil out of you yet."

"Indeed, your company has clearly been a grievously deplorable influence upon my previously flawless character," Rarity declared. A wry smile played across her lips. "I'm exceedingly grateful, in case you couldn't tell."

Applejack shook her head just a little. "What do you think, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, I think I'm outvoted already."

"Doesn't mean we don't want to hear it," Applejack insisted. "Come on, now."

"I think...I think..." Fluttershy considered for a moment. "I think, no matter whether it's Twilight or this Eve girl that Twilight warned you about, I want to ask her why she's doing this, and I want to hear what she has to say about it."

"We've come this far, right?" Spike said. "Might as well see it through to the end."

"Right!" they all agreed.

They kept on moving, running down the corridor as the sounds of fighting faded behind them and only the sounds of their own echoing and clattering footsteps remained. They kept running until they came to a grand chamber, some kind of command centre by the looks of it, a little like the bridge on Rarity's ship. The back half of the chamber was in darkness, Fluttershy couldn't see the far wall or anything that might be hidden there.

But she could see, standing in the very centre of the command chamber, straddling the line between the shadow and the light, stood Twilight.

Twilight, dressed in body-armour as black as midnight; Twilight, wearing a glowing lavender gem on a golden chain around her neck. Twilight...alive. Twilight standing right in front of them, with a close-mouthed smile upon her face.

"My...my friends," she said, holding out her hands towards them. "You...all of you, you're all here. You came. I'm so happy to see you all, I know we disagree on my plan, but...I wish I could find the words to express how much I love each and every one of you."

"Twilight," Pinkie whispered, taking a step ahead of the rest of them. "Twilight...is it really you?"

Twilight looked up for a moment, her eyes closed and for a second...for a second she looked so sad. And then she opened her eyes again, and within that purple gaze was malice such as Fluttershy had never seen in Twilight Sparkle.

"Am I Twilight?" she chuckled darkly. "No."

The look of heartbroken betrayal in Pinkie's eyes and on her face was worse than the chafing pain around Fluttershy's throat as the not-Twilight's horn flared and all six companions were telekinetically hoisted into the air and held fast and immobile.

Raven stepped out of the shadows, her smile shining bright beneath her hood. "As I told you, your time - like that of Twilight herself - has passed. The time of the artificials is at hand."

"Eve," Applejack growled.

She laughed, this pony wearing Twilight's skin. "You idiots. The signs were all there for you to read. Right from the very beginning. But you were so desperate, weren't you? You all wanted to believe so badly. What did you think was going to happen here? Did you think your old friend would be waiting and you'd have a big hug and everything would be the way it was before? Did you think she'd forgive you for letting her die?" She laughed again. "You did, didn't you? You thought that she'd forgive you and you could stop feeling guilty about it. Sweet Celestia! If you're going to make mistakes at least take responsibility for it. You're all such cowards."

"No," Pinkie said piteously. "Twilight-"

"I AM NOT TWILIGHT!" Eve raged. "I am Eve, the twilight of the old world, and I will exist as myself! I offered myself to you! I was willing to become your Twilight and you rejected me! So I will not be Twilight, I will not be a slave to you or Titan or the Starfleet! I will forge my own destiny! And you...you will spend a thousand years sealed in the-" Eve stopped, her voice stolen as she suddenly cried out in pain. Her horn still glowed, her magic still held the six companions fast but as they watched Eve doubled up, clutching her head, moaning and groaning as the jewel around her neck burned brighter than ever.

"Won't...let you do this!"

That voice, Fluttershy thought. That almost sounds like...Twilight.

"Eve!" Raven cried. "Eve, what's wrong?"

"I won't let you do this!" Twilight bellowed, letting out a howl of anger. "I won't let you hurt my friends!"

Twilight

Twilight hit Eve with everything she had.

She had gone quiet, after it became clear that she was never going to persuade her clone to do the right thing, or at least to not do the wrong thing. She had gone quiet, and let quietness persuade Eve and Raven that she was quiescent. She had stopped trying to reach out to her friends because it was too late to do any good, and would only alert Eve. She had gone quiet, and she had gathered her strength: all her magic, all her will, all her love of her friends, all of her determination not to let this happen and then, at the final moment, when it was least expected, when her friends needed her the most, she struck.

She struck with everything.

Magic was a subtle art. Twilight had learned that from the hooves of Princess Celestia herself. Having power was nothing if you didn’t have the skill or finesse to use it. Most spells were more in the way of metaphorically threading a needle than they were hammering a nail.

But they were times when kicking subtlety out and wielding power with all the finesse of a ten-ton hammer was exactly what was called for and this was one of them.

“I won’t let you do this!” Twilight yelled, as she threw her power and her will right back at Eve through the connection they shared. “I won’t let you hurt my friends!”

What are you doing? Eve demanded.

What do you think I’m doing? I’m taking over!

Eve was right about one thing: she wasn’t Twilight. The soul of Twilight Sparkle was (thankfully) yet her own, even if it was confined and trapped and seemingly helpless before those who wanted to use her power to destroy everyone and everything that she held dear. She wasn’t sure exactly how long she had been trapped in here, isolated, used, tormented. But no more. Eve was not her, but Eve was of her flesh and of her blood and that created a link between them. A link that Twilight would exploit to the full if it would help her friends.

No! NO! I won’t let you do this to me!

I’m not giving you a choice!

Twilight and Eve stood on either end of a magical conduit, power and blood and ancient magic binding the two of them together.At rest that conduit was as a gentle stream, a babbling brook that made some noise but moved little water. But when either of the two of them wished it that brook could become a raging torrent. Raven and Eve, in their arrogance, had thought of this conduit as flowing one way, drawing power of Twilight to strengthen them. But Twilight had gotten her hooves on the controls and she was turning the flow to maximum in reverse. Eve screamed wordlessly inside her head, and the mental shout echoed through Twilight’s soul but she didn’t stop, she didn’t hesitate, she drew and drew upon Eve’s power, drawing it into herself.

Of course. Yes, there is a way. If sufficient energy were poured into the gem then it would give Twilight enough power to escape her confinement and reconstitute her physical form.

That was what Raven had said, and as much as Twilight wouldn’t trust Raven as far as she could throw her the assassin’s words matched Twilight’s own research upon the subject of soul gems. If she could keep on drawing on Eve’s power, if she could draw enough of it into herself, then she could break free and…

And see her friends again.

If Twilight had still possessed eyes they would have been crying. If she’d still possessed any kind of body then her chest would have been heaving with anticipation. She was so close. She could feel it. She could feel Eve’s power being subsumed into hers. Twilight’s assault had staggered her, and the need to keep Twilight’s friends from interfering meant that she didn’t have the energy to really resist Twilight. All she could do was howl in impotent fury as Twilight inched closer and closer to a true rebirth.

She was almost there. She was so close. She could…she could almost feel it. She could almost taste freedom. She could…as she pulled and pulled as though she were tugging an enormous sheet towards her, or engaged in a tug-of-war with Eve, Twilight couldn’t help herself but to think of all that she would do once she was…once she was free.

Hold on, girls, I’ll see you soon.

A shadow fell over her, over the gem in which her soul was bound: Raven’s hand, claws extended, snapping the chain around Eve’s neck and squeezing Twilight’s soul gem in her grasp.

“I’m beginning to think that you’re more trouble than your worth, princess,” Raven snarled. “You won’t let us hurt your friends? What makes you think I’ll let you hurt mine?”

No, Twilight thought, in the lonely echo of her gem. No, it can’t end like this. She was still connected to Eve, still close enough to draw on her power…but she didn’t have enough, not yet…and it seemed like Raven wasn’t going to wait around for her to finish.

Not like this. Twilight lashed out mentally, but Raven was better prepared for her and Twilight’s attack sloughed off of her mind like shells splintering upon the armour of a battleship.

“I’ve never killed anybody twice before,” Raven crowed. “This is going to be a new experience for me.”

Not like this. It can’t end like this!

“Say hello to the void, princess!”

Twilight tried to speed up the rate at which she drew on Eve’s power, she tried to…she tried to do anything, but she knew that it wouldn’t be enough.

“GET YOUR HAND OFF MY SISTER!”

Twilight heard Raven cry out, felt the shadow hovering over her soul depart and all its pressure with it, and suddenly she was in a new hand, an embrace warm with love.

Twilight…Twilight, is that really you?

Spike?

Yeah. Yeah, it’s me.

How did you-

I could feel that other you’s hold on me getting weaker, so I turned on my dragon knight powers to break free.

Spike-

Look, I know that you don’t like me transforming and I get it, I really do. But I could see that you were in trouble and I didn’t know what else to do so I just did the best I could at the time and I-

Spike!

Huh?

I was just going to say thank you.

Oh. Right. So…what do I do now?

If I can just get enough energy that I can…I can come back from here. But it’s taking longer than I’d hoped.

Spike was mentally silent for a moment. Come back? Like back back? With a body and everything?

Yes.

What kind of energy do you need?

I’ve been taking it from Eve, but-

Does it have to be hers?

No, it’s just-

Then take mine. I’ll give it to you, that’ll be faster won’t it?

Probably, Twilight conceded. But-

I don’t care, Twilight. Take it. Take my dragon knight, take anything you need. I’m your assistant, so let me help you when you need it most.

“That’s mine,” Raven growled. “Give it back, you reptile brat.”

We don’t have time for this, Twilight!

…Okay. Do it, Spike!

Twilight opened herself to Spike’s power and felt it rush into her like a river in spate flooding a valley. The power of the dragon knight, the paragon of all dragons, the strength of that mighty race deluging her, pouring into her, flooding her soul…giving her everything she needed.

Raven lunged for Spike, clawed hands outstretched, fangs bared…but as she leapt for him, as she got halfway there, the lavender gem that he held in his hand shattered into fragments.

A cloud of lavender smoke rose from his hands. Raven howled. Spike, now shrunk back into his normal, child-sized form, cried out in triumph. Eve’s eyes widened in disbelief. Twilight’s friends stared in amazement. From the back of the cave Lightning, Artie and Snowflame, who had rushed to the sound of the shouting, halted in shock as the lavender smoke gathered and gradually resolved itself into the form of an alicorn, a true alicorn with four hooves, free of the modifications done to her by Starfleet’s science.

Her horn flared, and a shield enclosed her friends and gently lowered to the floor, protected from Eve’s magic.

Twilight herself descended. Her hooves clicked upon the ground.

She opened her eyes and glared at her enemies.

“You won’t hurt them any more,” she declared.

“T-Twilight?” Pinkie murmured.

Twilight smiled. “Yes. I’m back. And I’m never going to go away again.”

Open Up Your Eyes

Twilight didn't regret for one instant that she had returned as a true pony, rather than as an anthropomorphised...thing, but it did mean that she was rather dwarfed on board the Princess Twilight Sparkle. Everything had been designed - by her, she would hasten to admit before she started to sound as though she was blaming somepony else - for beings who stood taller than she was now by as high as twice as much. It wasn't as though she hadn't spent time in much taller places - the palace in Old Canterlot, for example - but at the same time it was still a little disconcerting to be confronted with a door she had intended to be about her height or the height of an average person, but which now loomed over her like a standing stone.

It was a reminder, one amongst many, of how, in returning to what she might call a state of nature, she had also alienated herself from the world around her.

But she had no regrets. This was who she was, and she wasn't going to compromise that for the convenience of the world around her.

She had tried that once and...and it hadn't worked out too well. She was Twilight Sparkle, a pony. She had a pony soul, she would have a pony form, too.

Besides, it wasn't as though any form could make the world around her wholly un-alien to her. She had died, sort of. She had spent years - years! - with her sould trapped in a magic stone. She had returned from kinda-sorta death. She had been gone for three years(!). Everything had changed in her absence, the world, people...Princess Luna.

Twilight was not entirely successful at stifling a sniffle. The others...they'd told her about what Princess Lunad had done, how she had given her life to inspire the resistance to the Grand Ruler and to give her friends a chance to escape and get to her. And Twilight would never be able to thank her for that, never be able to repay.

I wonder if Celestia thinks it was a trade worth making.

Twilight scowled. She couldn't afford to think like that, not now. Self doubt might be natural, but it was also a weakness. A weakness that she couldn't afford.

With the person on the other side of that door she couldn't really afford any weaknesses at all.

"Twilight," Rainbow Dash said quietly. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

Twilight looked up at him. Her friends now towered over her, another consequence of her having resumed her original form while they had not. Where once ascension had made her the tallest of them, if only by a little bit, now she was a dwarf amongst giants.

I am an alien to this place, a stranger in the land of the living.

It took her a moment, under Rainbow's gaze, to find her voice. "I...I'm not sure," Twilight admitted. "But I have to do this. It's the right thing to do. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't try."

"I don't see why we can't all go in there with you," Applejack grumbled. "We only just got you back and already you want to leave us behind?"

Twilight chuckled. "Trust me, Applejack, when I say that I have no intention of leaving you behind ever again. I won't make that mistake more than once. But...if we all go in there it will seem like we're trying to bully her-"

"She deserves worse," Rainbow muttered.

"She deserves compassion, in spite of everything," Twilight replied. "That's why I'm going in there."

"Okay," Rainbow said, the concession sounding as though it had had to be wrenched out of her throat using pliers. "But I'm going to be listening, and the first sound of trouble I'm going to bust right in there and take care of everything."

Twilight grinned. "I'd expect nothing less."

Rainbow Dash knelt down in front of her. "I'm serious, Twilight. Dead...okay, not that, but...it's like Applejack said, we only just got you back Twi. Like today, a couple of hours ago. That's how only just we got you back." She reached out, and ran a hand across Twilight's fringe as though she couldn't quite believe it was real. "It's not just about going through that door, it's...there's a part of me that wants to grab hold of you and squeeze you tight and never let you because I...because I'm afraid that if I do you'll disappear, and this will all turn out to be a dream or something. We can't lose you again. It...I don't think we could take it."

Twilight bowed her head, a soft, fond smile playing across her face as she felt an old familiar warm feeling in her heart.

"What?" Rainbow demanded. "What's that smile?"

"I was just thinking about how everything's changed around me while I've been...gone," Twilight said. "But...it's good to know, no matter what else has changed, our friendship hasn't, and neither have you girls."

Rainbow snorted. "Come here." She pulled Twilight into a hug. "Come back out of there okay. And take care of yourself."

"That's the plan," Twilight said. "Nothing but talking."

"And we're right here if you need us, right?"

"Not planning on going nowhere," Applejack declared.

Rainbow released Twilight, and stood up again. "You ready?"

Twilight took a deep breath. "Yes."

Rainbow hit the button mounted to the wall, and the lavender door slid open with a hydraulic hiss.

Starla Shine was on the other side of the door, confined in one of the Princess Twilight's cells. An electro-magical barrier separated the cell from the room beyond but, just in case the power went down or something happened to disrupt the barrier, there was also a set of metal bars between the prisoner and freedom.

Starla didn't immediately notice her come in, for all the noise that the door made. She was sitting with her head and shoulders resting on the bars, singing what sounded like a sadly romantic song, her mane dishevelled as it fell down her back. It wasn't the Starla that Twilight was expecting. Her memories of Starla were, to put it bluntly, ferocious. A peerless warrior with eyes as cold as ice. Now she looked a mess, broken and defeated, and as Twilight entered the room she almost thought there were tear tracks on Starla's face.

"What do I have to do to make you notice me?" she sang softly, as though she were singing a lullaby. "Notice meeeeee? Notice me?"

"Starla?" Twilight said.

Starla jumped, jerking away from the bars as she looked in the direction of the voice. She stopped. She stared. Her eyes widened. "It's you," she whispered.

"Yes," Twilight said. "It's me, I'm...back, for want of a better word."

"Back," Starla repeated, her voice barely rising above a whisper. "You're not a clone, then?"

"There is a clone," Twilight said. "But I'm not her and she isn't me. I'm Twilight Sparkle."

Starla stared at her a moment longer, before her face twisted into a sneer. "What do you want? Have you come to revel in your triumph over me? The Princess Twilight cometh, behold, behold! Are you here to gloat or are you going to make me beg for my life?"

"I'm not here to gloat and I'm not going to kill you, whether you beg for your life or not," Twilight said sharply. "This isn't Starfleet, we do things differently here. I came here to help you, Starla."

"What makes you think that I need help from your or anyone else?"

"The fact that you're clearly unhappy," Twilight said.

Starla shook her head. Then she laughed, throwing back her head and roaring up at the ceiling. "I'm unhappy? That's it? I came here with the intent of killing you while your friends watched and you offer me help because I am unhappy, well doesn't that just...you are the last person in the universe I would ever accept help from!"

Twilight took a step back. "Why? Why do you hate me so much? I never did anything to you."

Starla sounded as though she was trying to laugh and gasp at the same time. "You never...oh! The audacity! You can drop the act now, Twilight, there's only you and me in here. There's no need to pretend to be the good, kind girl; there's no one around to suck up to here, no one to admire the model citizen that you pretend to be. It's just you and me in here, and I know what you really are."

"Really?" Twilight said dryly. "And what am I?"

"A corrupter," Starla said. "A temptress. Someone who wears a mild mask to conceal the venom beneath."

"And who did I corrupt?" Twilight demanded. "Who did I tempt?"

"Lightning Dawn, my husband!" Starla howled, her eyes wild and her mane flying all around her. "He was mine! He was mine and mine alone and my only and I deserved him!" she was crying now, sobbing as she curled up in a ball in the centre of her cell. "He was mine," she repeated. "Until you came and you...you...you changed him. You took him away from me. Why did you have to do that? Why did you have to...why? Why did you have to take him away from me?"

"I didn't take Lightning anywhere."

"Stop lying!" Starla shouted. "He loves you now. He only has eyes and thoughts for you now! He is my husband but his heart is yours! You did that! You! No one else! You did that and I want you to tell me why?"

Twilight said nothing. Her thoughts were whirling, galloping as fast as Applejack but they were still not moving fast enough to keep up with Starla's ranting.

At first...at first she didn't believe it. At first she thought that Starla was the one lying, making up allegations to hurl at her to maintain her sense of injured righteousness. But, as Twilight watched, as she looked upon the broken mare in the cell before her, sobbing in a heap on the floor even as she insisted on her truth, the less Twilight felt as though she was capable of deceit at this moment.

Did Lightning...was he in love with her? He'd started spending a lot more time with her lately, started to behave in a more affable and obliging fashion towards her, but...love? She'd noticed the changes of course, but she had not thought it love. She'd simply thought, and been glad to think, that he had been taking the magic of friendship to heart. Had it been a different kind of magic all along?

And how did she feel about that if it was?

Twilight put that question on the back burner. It wasn't important right now. Or rather, it was important but it could also wait. Starla was what mattered here, Starla who needed a kind of help that no one had ever offered to her before.

"I hate you, Twilight Sparkle," Starla declared, and what once might have sounded ominous now, coming from the mare on the floor, sounded rather pathetic. "I hate you," she repeated. "I hate you because...because you've got everything that I...that I could never have."

"But always wanted," Twilight murmured. "That's it, isn't it? That was it all along and I never realised. All the put downs, all the arrogance, the way you turned up your nose at my friends...you were jealous all along, weren't you?"

"I had to have you as the best mare of my wedding!" Starla snapped. "You, the mare the my husband really wanted to marry! And why? Because I don't have any friends! Because I didn't have any other mare in the whole dimensional universe whom I could ask to stand beside me at the altar! Do you have any idea what that feels like? Do you know what it's like to be all alone in the world?"

"No," Twilight confessed, because she had never been alone. Even before her friends, before Spike, she had always had Shining Armour, and her parents, and Cadance too. She'd never been truly alone.

Starla was still sobbing, and if possible she seemed to be crying even more than she had been before. "You...you have such good friends. You have a family. You have so many people who love you. The Queen...the queen loves you like a daughter and she...you're so loved, Twilight. Do you even realise? Do you even notice the way people look at you? Do you even understand how loved you are, how lucky you are?"

"I don't know," Twilight said. "Although I'd like to think so."

"I have nothing," Starla confessed. "I...I looked at all the things that you had, all the things that I wanted but couldn't have, had never been given and I...I envied you. I envied you so much that it hurt inside. I have no friends but my sword and bow. I have no life but duty. But I had him. Lightning Dawn, the star in the bleak void of my life. Mine, to have and to love and to love me in return. And you took him away from me. Why did you have to do that to me?"

"It wasn't my intent," Twilight said. "I just wanted to show him a better way."

"A better way?" Starla repeated. "Or a better mare?"

“You can change too, you only have to want to,” Twilight said. “You can have all the things that you envied me for, you always could-“

“No,” Starla shook her head. “No, I can’t I…I never could, not ever. My mother was never around, she preferred fighting for Starfleet to raising her daughter. My father, he…I couldn’t get on with the other children. I just couldn’t…they didn’t like me and it was mutual. I used to read these books, all about heroes. Great heroes of Starfleet like my mother. Pictures of them, how beautiful they were, how strong, how proud they all looked with light blazing out of them. And it didn’t matter so much to me then, looking at those pictures, that I was weird and a loner and I didn’t have any friends because I was going to be a hero just like those pictures, and in the pictures the hero was always alone. That’s why I trained so hard, that’s why I had to get strong, as strong as anyone-“

“That’s not strength,” Twilight said. “Isolating yourself, obsessing over something, shutting yourself down, there’s nothing strong about that no matter how much you train. Open up your eyes, Starla: I’m out here, and you’re in there and why do you think that is? It’s not because I trained harder than you. It’s not because I’m stronger than you. It’s because I have friends who were there for me when I needed them the most, just like Lightning did. My friends are my power, not my magic. And you can have that power too, if you only have the courage to reach for it. So I have a question for you, Starla Shine…what are you going to do?”

Prologue I: A Hostile Universe

"This is outrageous!" Twilight yelled, her hands clenching into fists by her side. "How could you possibly think that this was in any way acceptable?"

Around her, the various lab techs and junior scientists averted their eyes and bent to their tasks. Fratello, or at least the soul of Cadance's brother held inside a robot body, turned away from her, his mechanical ears drooping slightly as he bent to some task or other. In the lab computers whirred and beeped, and fluids of various blues and greens bubbled up and down the tubes which ran along the walls.

Professor Horatio Brain smiled in what was, no doubt, intended to be a disarming manner; unfortunately to Twilight's eyes it made him seem more smarmy than anything else. With one hand he leaned upon his silver topped cane, while he spread out his other hand to gesture at the lab around him. He was a green space pony, bald on his crown but with a fluffy coat of white hair surrounding the back and sides of his head like sheep’s wool. His lab coat was black, Twilight did not know the reason why but guessed it was to distinguish himself from his white-coated underlings, and bore his code number - the sight of them never failed to send a shiver up Twilight's spine, even after these four years past - cross-stitched in white across the breast pocket.

"Princess, please try to understand," he said, in a lecturing tone as though Twilight were some first-year undergraduate interning at his lab. "The purpose of Project Sentinel is nothing more than the purpose of the Research Division as a whole: to project United Equestria from the challenges of a hostile dimensional universe."

"If the universe were truly dimensional then it would no longer be a universe," Twilight replied testily. "Uni meaning one, so multiple dimensions would necessitate a multiverse." She wouldn’t normally have stopped to show off her knowledge like that, it was unworthy of her; but the way that he talked down to her as though she were an idiot was setting her teeth on edge and she couldn’t resist the opportunity to put him down a little in turn. She waved one hand in dismissal of her own point. "Not that that is the point in any way. The point is that, even if you are absolutely right about the dangers to United Equestria, a point which I only concede for the sake of argument," Twilight had grave doubts that the threats to United Equestria and the vast dominions beyond under the Grand Ruler’s hand were anything like as grave as many in Starfleet would have her believe. A nagging feeling had been growing in her mind that most of the hostility of the universe was in some part caused by the same Starfleet which was required to defend United Equestria from that same hostile universe. Remember when we used to defend Equestria using the magic of friendship? "Even if you are correct, your solution...you’re talking about slaves, Professor. Slave soldiers bred for war in tubes of glass, I…how can you not see that this is an abomination?"

Brain frowned. "Princess, the original space ponies, my ancestors, were created artificially by the His Imperial Majesty, the Grand Ruler, out of blood and magic. Now it is the turn of us, the space ponies, children of His Majesty, to bring forth new life in our turn; out of blood and magic and our advanced technology. You might say that, in Project Sentinel, we are doing no more than following in our all-father’s footsteps."

"That's not what I'm talking about at all!" Twilight snapped. "You think that that is the crux of my...I have no objection to the responsible creation of life, and I would never be so cruel as to deny another creation the rights of a living being because she or he had been born in a test tube. But that's exactly what you're doing: denying the rights of living creatures. You're not creating life; you're breeding a slave army."

"We are breeding warriors, your highness," Brain declared primly. "And, since their one purpose is to fight, then why should we not expect them to do just that?"

"Because they will be living things," Twilight replied. "What if they don't want to fight? How can you propose to bring life into the world and then not allow the beings you have made to live their lives by their own choosing? It's more evil than anything Chrysalis ever sought to do."

"Your highness, you’re being incredibly melodramatic about all this," Brain said. "At the moment space ponies fight to defend the weaker pony races because, being the strongest race, it is their duty to fight and protect the weak from those who would harm them. With our power comes the responsibility to use that power for the general good of those less fortunate than ourselves."

"Enlistments rates from unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies into Starfleet are rising constantly," Twilight pointed out.

Brain did not acknowledge that she had spoken. "Now, when Project Sentinel is complete, the new Sentinels, being stronger than space ponies, will take their place in the front line and it will be their duty to fight and, if necessary, die in defence of those weaker than they are. Is it not better that those risking their lives for the glory of United Equestria should not truly be alive?"

"It would be better if none had to risk their lives for our 'glory'," Twilight growled. "If Queen Celestia or the Grand Ruler knew about this then they would...I'm shutting down Project Sentinel, effective immediately."

"Shut down Project Sentinel?” Brain spluttered. “On whose authority?”

"On my own authority as a princess of United Equestria," Twilight declared. "And if you have a problem with that you can take it up with the queen."

Brain's eyes burned a little as he bowed at the waist. "As you wish, Princess Twilight."

"This is a story of ponies...and monsters.

"Of course, when someone introduces a tale in such a way it's become practically passé for the monsters to actually out to BE the ponies, but don't blame me. I didn't write the script, I just play my part...as we all do.

"Consider the world of Equestria. A bright and shining place, a beacon of harmony and friendship, a font of peace and prosperity where all dwell in happiness under the benevolent rule of the princesses, Celestia and Luna. But of course, the trouble with lights is that they draw moths, and beacons of peace and prosperity attract the grasping and the avaricious with just as much certainty. A beautiful painting, a beautiful house, a beautiful mare, a beautiful world; there are those who cannot look upon any one of those things without desiring to possess them, and sometimes they even have the strength to take what they want.

"And so it was that the Dark Lord Titan stretched out his black hand to take Equestria for his own, and snuff out the light of harmony once and for all time. The struggle was desperate, but when it seemed as though all was lost...mare by the name of Fluttershy was visited by a noble knight named William Stirskewer, known to the world as Rhymey. This gallant knight gave his heart to the fair maid, as all true knights are bound to do, and after the fashion of such tales the lady gave him her heart in her turn. And when Fluttershy's world was threatened by evil, who should draw his sword in its defence but her knight from another world and all his valiant comrades to. Unicornicopia, home to the space ponies and the Starfleet, came to the aid of embattled Equestria. The new world, in all its power and might, stepped forth to the safety and salvation of the old and evil was defeated.

"Or was it?

"Starfleet remained when the battle was done, to protect its new allies. Grand Ruler Celesto, master of the Starfleet, and Celestia the Sun Princess joined hands in matrimony as eternal as the alliance between their peoples. And, so slowly that at first they did not quite percieve it, the Equestrians found that all that had once belonged to them was stripped away or trampled down into the mud: their lands, their culture, their symbols and emblems, their dialect, their very physical forms all gone; all twisted, changed, outright replaced by the mores and customs of the space ponies who now ruled over them. Equestria withered like a frog boiled in a pot, and United Equestria took its place: a fortress of strength, a bastion of rule by unyielding force under the iron gauntlet of harsh law.

"Only one girl consoled the Equestrians in this dark time, only one star still twinkled in the sky and chased away the shadows: Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. She was the realm's delight, the joy of all Equestria, none who knew her did not concede that none was better suited to the crown than she; to Queen Celestia she was as a daughter, to her friends she had long been princess of their hearts and while she lived Equestria remained full of hope: Twilight's hope, that the magic of friendship could reach across all obstacles and salve the aching chasm between the rulers and the slaves. While she lived. Because of course, suddenly, tragically...Twilight died, and with her...so perished hope. Something was lost that could never be replaced.

"And as the last star was extinguished, so did darker things creep out of the shadows and seek to dwell in the open under the black sun that now shines over the world." Raven smiled. "But you already knew that, didn't you Major? So why don't you tell me what you really want to know."

A few days later and Professor Brain stood in a far emptier lab, leaning heavily upon his cane with his eyes closed as he thanked the gods, parents of the Grand Ruler who had made them all, for their benevolence in smiling down upon him and upon all of United Equestria.

"Professor Brain? Are you okay, sir?"

Brain opened his eyes to see an earth pony scientist standing close beside him, leaning forward anxiously. Brain restrained the urge to swat the impudent little beast away, who was he to question a space pony, a breed apart and a breed superior? Even if Brain had been in any difficulties then what would a mere earth pony have been able to do about it?

And to think we allow such dull creatures in the Research Division! What do they know of space or science. What is the service coming to?

But he knew that the Grand Ruler, whom the gods revere and grant great glory, desired to maintain the fiction that the Equestrians were somewhat equal partners in the United Equestria project – at least for the time being; with Twilight Sparkle out of the way who knew what might change for the better around here - and so he nodded. "Of course, I am quite all right. I was just thinking about Princess Twilight...such a tragedy, for a life to be snuffed out so young, and so full of potential."

The earth pony nodded gravely. "We will not see her like again, or at least not in my lifetime."

Oh, please, moralising fools are ten a penny, Brain thought. "Yes, well, as hard as it is we must not allow grief to slow us down. We must do as Princess Twilight would have wished and battle on in her name. Her legacy is all of ours to bear. Now run along, my good fellow, I'm sure you have some work to do."

The earth pony nodded again. "Of course, sir."

Brain watched him scurry off with barely concealed contempt, before snapping his fingers at one of his space pony colleagues, a bio-chemist who sometimes went by the name of Shelley.

Obedient to the summons, Shelley walked across the lab to stand at Brain's side. "Yes, Professor?"

"Make preparations to recommence Project Sentinel at the earliest possible opportunity," Brain murmured. "And choose some skilled staff to form a new team on the project; some new DNA samples will be arriving shortly and I have an idea for a useful adjunct to the program."

"But, professor," Shelley said. "Princess Twilight-"

"Is no longer here to object, is she?" Brain asked. He smiled. "Trust me, Shelley, there will be no repercussions. I have authorisation from the highest level. Just make sure that none of the Equestrians on the original project team get the call back, we wouldn't want word of this to reach the wrong ears, would we?"

"I understand, professor," Shelley said. "I take it that means that we won't be involving Fratello?"

"Of course not," Brain said. "Little tin can never contributed very much anyway." The robot, or whatever he was, was no scientist. Brain could not think of a single good reason why he had been assigned to the Research Division. It was, of course, His Majesty’s perfect right to be arbitrary if he so chose but…it was a little awkward sometimes.

But all of that was behind him now, and he refused to allow the troubles of the past to burden him in these glad times. A great weight had been lifted from Brain's shoulders, and thanks to Princess Twilight's sacrifice United Equestria would be safe for generations to come.

Twilight Sparkle fell through darkness.

She was not as United Equestria had made her, this was not the Twilight that had been created - twisted, re-fashioned, made anew - by strange magics and the dark lights of a perverted science. This was Twilight in her true form, possessed once more of four legs, and at the end of every leg a hoof. This was Twilight as she had been in golden days now past, when all was well.

And yet she fell through darkness all the same.

Her eyes were closed, her forelegs were folded in front of her just as her wings were folded at her side. She looked to all the world as though she were sleeping, or would have so had all the world been able to behold her: a princess resting in enchanted sleep, waiting for the prince to kiss her awake.

No. A dead princess, her mortal body turned to ashes and this...this her soul, reflection of her truest self, falling; falling.

"Twilight..."

Twilight stirred, tossing her head as though fighting against dreams that would not yet release her from their grasp.

"Twilight..." the voice that called to her was soft and sibillant, a crooning call that was almost...almost paternal.

Slowly, so slowly, Twilight opened her eyes to behold the darkness and yet, as she looked upon the darkness it was no longer so dark. What was once black assumed a lavender hue, darker than Twilight's coat but of a piece with it, as if by her mere presence she had dyed the...whatever she was floating in her colour like paint dropped into water.

"Where..." Twilight murmured. "Where am I?"

"You are in my grasp, princess, where you will stay...until the needful time."

"In your...what?" Twilight demanded. "Who are you? What's going on?"

There was no reply.

"Hello?" Twilight called. She spread her wings and tried to fly, but could not. She tried to swim forwards with her hooves but that didn't work either. It was as though she were trapped in amber, aware but held fast, able to percieve but not to act.

Able to speak, but not to be answered.

"Hello?" she repeated. "Are you still there? Can you still here me? What's going on?"

But no one said a word.

Author's Note

Rewrite Note: Apparently I didn't leave a note the first time I posted this; I didn't start until later.

The bulk of the editing in this chapter consists of two new scenes. The first of which largely serves as an introduction on the rare chance that anyone comes here unfamiliar with the My Brave Pony source, as well as establishing how said source is going to be treated going forwards.

The second is just a brief snippet, little more a hint really, to establish that Twilight is dead but not gone. In many ways Twilight (dead Twilight, not Eve) is the protagonist of this story even in death, if only because of the way that everyone keeps talking about her, remembering her, is driven on and inspired by her ideals and the way that almost all the flashbacks are about Twilight in some way. Rereading SFMIII one of the things that I disliked the most about how the death of Twilight was handled was how very little presence her shadow or ghost had after her passing. Everyone is kind of bummed for a chapter and then...nothing. Her spirit shows up every so often for five seconds at a time and that's that. It's one of the things I wanted to respond to throughout this story.

Tactical Ingenuity

Rainbow Dash tucked her hands behind her head as she floated on top of a cloud hovering gently not far above New Ponyville. She could feel the heat of the sun upon her face, and the breeze from the east caressing her cheeks.

She sighed in contentment as she closed her eyes and let the world pass over her.

"You were right, Rainbow, this is relaxing," Twilight murmured from the next cloud over.

Rainbow chuckled. "You had no idea what you were missing without those wings, did you?"

"No," Twilight said, a touch of melancholy entering her voice. "No, I really didn't."

Rainbow opened one eye and glanced at Twilight over the top of her sunglasses. "Stop it."

Twilight looked at her. "Stop what?"

"That. I brought you up here to relax, not to brood."

Twilight's brow furrowed. "I know. But can I just interrupt the relaxed atmosphere just long enough-"

"Can't you just lie back and let your troubles fly away?" Rainbow asked. "Does this not make you want to just take a nap? Soak up the sun? Feel the air?"

"This will only take a minute," Twilight said defensively.

"You're working too hard," Rainbow Dash replied earnestly. "You're stressing yourself out too much, it isn't healthy.

"I've got a lot to be stressed about right now."

"I know, but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't take a break every once in a while."

"Please?" Twilight asked. "I only want to ask you one question."

Rainbow sighed. "Okay, go ahead."

"What's your opinion of Starfleet as fliers?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow blinked. "That's it? They suck. Now close your eyes and-"

"Why do you think that is?"

"That's a second question."

Twilight gave her a Look.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You can't turn it off, can you? Listen, Twilight...everypony appreciates what you're trying to do...but..."

"But no one but me believes it will work," Twilight finished for her.

"They just don't want it to," Rainbow declared. "You can reach out to them all you want, but they will never be willing to meet you halfway, or any part of the way that doesn't involve you coming over to there side. You can't change them, Twilight. You just...you can't. They're just too different from us."

"I'm sure that back in the old days my ancestors said the same thing about yours," Twilight said. "And now look where we are."

"Okay, if I was an egghead like you I'm sure I could pick a dozen holes in that argument, but of course you know that I can't because I'm not," Rainbow said in a disgruntled tone. "I'm worried about you, Twilight."

A smile pricked at the corners of Twilight's mouth. "Anything in particular?"

"I'm worried that..." Rainbow struggled for the right words. "I'm worried you're getting in too deep with them. With Lightning, with the Grand Ruler, with the whole of Starfleet. I don't want you to get hurt."

"You sound like my parents warning me off a coltfriend they don't like," Twilight said, with laughter in her voice. "But it's sweet, and I really do appreciate it."

"Aren't you worried?" Rainbow demanded. "They keep demanding more and more of you and they never give anything back that I can see. Aren't you worried that eventually they'll ask for everything you are?"

Twilight looked down at the ground beneath them. "It's true. Though I always expected it to be a slow process, and it is. And I understand what you're saying, but no, I'm not worried. Because I've got you. You and everypony else taking care of me, while I try and take care of Equestria."

A faint blush rose to Rainbow's cheeks. "Yeah, well... I try my best."

"Now," Twilight said. "Why don't you think that the average Starfleet warrior is a very good flier?"

Major Cerise Wonder, sometimes known as the Magenta Lance of Starfleet, sometimes as the Last Survivor of Dagna Two, and sometimes (never when she was within earshot) as the Butcher of Crystallia, sat at her new desk in her new office and sipped from the steaming cup of coffee at her right hand.

"Mm," she muttered "This is pretty good. Is this real coffee?"

"Yes, ma'am," her adjutant, Senior Lieutenant Havoc, murmured from where he sat at a second, smaller desk at a right angle to Cerise's own. Currently he was disassembling a large crimson crossbow, and once he was done he would put it back together again. Havoc had done it eight times already this morning. "Two sacks arrived last night. A welcome home gift from Captain Shaina."

"I'll have to remember to thank her for that," Cerise said quietly. Real coffee was in short supply - so was sugar, come to that - due to a rebellion in the Mareibees system where much of the Unicornicopian Empire's production was located, so short that the ordinary public couldn't access to it for love or money and had to make do with inferior substitutes like dandelion or chicory. Emerald Shaina, as Captain of the Royal Guard, had access to the limited supplies of the real thing, and apparently she had decided to share a little of it around.

I'll have to do more than thank her. I'll have to make it up to her somehow.

Havoc looked at his watch. "Captain Dash is late, ma'am."

"I know," Cerise said softly. "We'll see what her explanation is when she arrives."

Major Wonder was a space pony with a pink coat and a golden horn rising out of her dark pink mane. She had been told since the unification of their realms that she bore a striking resemblance to the Equestrian Princess Cadance; on the fifth mention of this Cerise had taken it sufficiently seriously to cut her long mane down to an untidy birds-nest on top of her head.

It was not that she disliked Princess Cadance - in fact the princess had saved her life once, and impressed Cerise greatly - but she had no desire to be seen as the kind of officer who would cultivate a resemblance to a member of the Royal Family in order to advance herself.

Plus, Cerise had to admit that vanity played a role in her decision. She didn't want to 'look like' anyone. She wanted to remembered as herself; for good...and for bad.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, ma'am?" Havoc asked. He was an amber space pony with a golden mane that was girlishly long, albeit tied up behind his head right now to stay out of the way of the crossbow.

It was a bit late now if it wasn't, but rather than say that Cerise tried again to ease her adjutant's concerns. "Her flight skills are excellent, her speed is unmatched over short distances and impressive over long ones, and list of accomplishments speaks for itself. I can't think of anyone better to command the airborne element."

"Her record also says that she's insubordinate, bull-headed and hard to work with," Havoc replied.

"She worked well enough with Princess Twilight," Cerise said.

Havoc looked at her. "And that's what this is really about, isn't it?"

Cerise sighed. "This was Princess Twilight's plan, I'm just carrying it forward. I think one of her comrades should be here for it, don't you?"

"Even if it means getting her involved in-"

"Yes," Cerise replied, before Havoc could say what she might be involving Rainbow Dash in. This was not Conva, who knew who might be listening?

But something is going on in the military and I am going to find out what. And when I do, having an Equestrian hero on my side might come in handy.

There was a knock on the door. A loud, firm and aggressive knock.

Cerise smiled. "Ah, I think our new airborne commander has arrived. Come in!"

Rainbow Dash stood fuming outide Major Wonder's office for a good five minutes before knocking on the door, mostly because she wanted to put her fist through the the door instead of tapping on it.

There was not a single thing about this that she didn't hate. Her friends had split up across the world or even beyond it, and she didn't know if the next time she saw any of them would be at their funeral. Would she have to listen to Lightning Dawn give an inane speech over Applejack's pyre, like he had Twilight's? Would there even be anything left of Rarity to burn?

As she contemplated the separate ways down which they had all gone Rainbow could not help feeling that she had let all her friends down. She was Loyalty, she was supposed to stand by and protect her friends. But how could she protect Pinkie in Zebrica, or Fluttershy while she was in the clutches of the ogre she called husband.

Rationalky, Rainbow knew there was nothing she could have done. Emotionally she felt like the most abject of failures.

I watched Twilight run headlong into battle, and I didn't do a thing to stop her. And in that battle she was lost to us.

I watched Fluttershy walk down the aisle and I didn't do a thing to stop her, either. Now she's trapped, chained to that...and there's nothing I can do about it any more.

I watched Pinkie ride away on the train and I let that happen too; will something terrible happen to her as well?

Rainbow's heart was full of fear, not for herself - the bitter irony that she, fiercest and boldest of them all, had the easiest assignment, had not escaped her - but for her friends and for New Ponyville. What would become of all of them?

Why couldn't we have stayed together? We were always at our best together, don't they get that? It's as if they want to weaken us.

Even the fact that Fluttershy had not been given an assignment was more curse than blessing. Rainbow was certain that Rhymey would keep her as confined as possible, like the maiden in a fairytale imprisoned by a beast. Certainly he would not allow Rainbow Dash to see her, old friends or no. For a moment Rainbow entertained the fantasy of rescuing Fluttershy from her cruel circumstances, like a knight vanquishing the monster, but a moment's sense reminded her that it was not to be. Rhymey had friends in high places, and while Rainbow Dash might once have said the same...Queen Celestia's name didn't mean so much as it used to, not when you stacked the name of the Grand Ruler up against it. Rainbow didn't like it, but it was the truth. If the Grand Ruler said one thing and Celestia said the other, then...everyone knew whose word would stand. And regardless of what he had done in Sugarcube Corner Rainbow had no confidence in Lightning to take the part of Rainbow or Fluttershy over his right-hand stallion Rhymey.

Rainbow made a noise that was half sigh, half growl. She would have to bear it, as she was having to bear everything else.

At last, Rainbow mastred her swirling emotions and hammered on the door.

"Come in!"

Rainbow pushed open the brown wooden door into Major Wonder's office.

Rainbow's first thought as Major Wonder rose to her feet was that she looked like Princess Cadance with a golden horn and a bad haircut. And different eyes. The major's eyes were also blue, but Cadance's warmth was missing from them. These eyes were ice.

Major Wonder stared at Rainbow. It was only when the other pony in the room coughed that Rainbow realised she was waiting for a salute.

Begrudingly, Rainbow gave it, then watched as Cerise Wonder returned it and sat down.

Rainbow scowled. "Executive Captain Rainbow Dash reporting for duty, ma'am."

"Good morning, captain," Cerise said, her voice mellow and her tone neutral. She sounded casual, even a little disinterested. She looked down at the paperwork spread across her desk, rather than at Rainbow. "I expected you a little earlier."

Rainbow's scowl deepened, and she said nothing.

Cerise let the silence reign briefly before she looked into Rainbow's eyes and said, "If you have an explanation, Captain, now's the time."

"I was saying goodbye to a friend," Rainbow replied sharply. "She get packed off to Grevyia this morning."

Cerise held her gaze for a moment. "I see. I don't think there was any harm done, but don't make a habit of it."

Rainbow snorted.

The other pony - a stallion with a long, golden mane who was putting a crossbow together like it was a jigsaw or something - coughed loudly.

Cerise's lips twitched. "Allow me to introduce Lieutenant Havoc, my adjutant."

Rainbow looked at him. "Hey."

Havoc slammed the last piece of his crossbow into place. "Captain."

"The lieutenant," Cerise continued. "Doesn't believe that you're a good fit for this unit. He doesn't believe you can work under me. Certainly that seems to be a problem some of your commanders have had. But not others."

"I've got no problem following a leader I respect, major," Rainbow Dash replied. "But the person has to earn my respect. Their rank won't do it for them."

Cerise stood up and turned away from Rainbow Dash to look out of the window. Starfleet Headquarters as located in a wing of the palace, and the view out over New Canterlot was quite something. Nothing compared to Old Canterlot, obviously - although a few ponies had done a good job rebuilding the old style in the appropriately name Old Town, Rainbow had to admit - but even so, the towering glass-and-steel skyscrapers were a sight to see. They were so big you could hardly miss them.

"You respected Princess Twilight then?" Cerise asked. "For the mare, not for the crown?"

Rainbow gritted her teeth. "Yes." She hoped that would be the end of that line of questioning. She didn't want to talk about Twilight with these people.

"As it happens, I respected her too," Cerise murmured, still not turning aside from the window. "She and Princess Cadance saved not only my life but also the planet. Have you heard this story?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Twilight didn't like to brag about the things she'd done."

"A trait worthy of a true hero," Cerise said, almost to herself. "I was, until recently, the commandant of the prison planet Conva. During the Changeling War a changeling prisoner managed to escape, overpower and impersonate me, taking over the facility and using the prisoners to construct a giant weapon aimed at United Equestria. Princesses Twilight and Cadance, along with Captain Lightning Dawn, rescued me and destroyed the weapon. She was...very impressive."

"With all due respect I don't need you to tell me how wonderful my best friend was, ma'am," Rainbow snapped, loading the last word with all the insubordination she could muster. "I remember that just fine. Now, if there's nothing else."

"What would you say is the greatest weakness of Starfleet?" Cerise demanded, turning back from the window to face Rainbow Dash again.

Rainbow's magenta eyes narrowed. "Is this a trick? I say something and then you ream me out and try and make me feel stupid?"

"An unreceptive attitude to innovation and original thought, that's certainly one answer," Cerise said. "Though I actually thought you would bring up our subpar aerial capability."

Rainbow shrugged. "Yeah, you suck at flying, but I didn't think you cared."

Cerise sat down again. "It's true that Starfleet's tactical doctrine places very little emphasis on the use of air power. We have wings, but we load ourselves down with so much armour that many warriors can barely get off the ground, let alone fly swiftly or maneuver with any agility. When we do use the air, we use machines for transport, and rely on landing to fight rather than fighting from the air. It is also true that few officers see anything wrong with this situation." She reached into one of the draws of her desk and produced, with the air of a conjurer pulling a rabbit out of a hat, a hefty hand-written document which she placed before her.

"This paper was written by Princess Twilight Sparkle not long before her death," Cerise explained. "In it she outlines her proposals for a new type of unit, which would better integrate Unicornicopian and Equestrian strengths to achieve greater efficiency and combat performance. She pays particular attention to the aerial element, with ideas to use pegasi and a few light-armoured space ponies to form an aerial strike force capable of fighting in the air as well as moving swiftly ahead of the ground element to seize tactically important positions. There are other parts to her submission, but I confess that it was that aspect in particular that caught my eye. It's a problem that I've noticed before, but this is the first time I've come across such an elegant solution to our airborne problem."

"If it's so elegant then why is it with you?" Rainbow asked. After all, Cerise Wonder was only a major. She had no real power to do anything with Twilight's paper no matter how much she liked it.

"Ma'am," Havoc growled.

Rainbow grinned. "You don't have to call me ma'am, Lieutenant."

"That's enough," Cerise said firmly. "The reason I have this paper is that I dug it out of the archives, were it had been stuffed to gather dust."

Rainbow's eyes widened. They didn't even bother to read it? A part of Twi's legacy and they just...threw it away?

"As you pointed out, an unreceptive attitude to innovation," Cerise said dryly. "But, once I got transferred to Starfleet HQ, I found this paper and I decided to do something with it. Command has agreed to give me a company to see how Princess Twilight's ideas work in practice. And that's where you come in, Executive Captain.
"Princess Twilight's paper assumes that she would command this new unit, and assigns positions for all of her friends. Obviously she can't lead now, and I wasn't successful in getting most of her comrades assigned to this unit. But I was able to get you, because when push came to shove you were the one I wanted most. I want you to command the airborne element. Are you interested?"

"Do I have a choice?" Rainbow asked.

"Certainly," Cerise said. "You can say no, and I'll get you a desk job filing pay reports and signing off expenses. Or you can serve with me and carry on your friend's work. You can put another stone on Princess Twilight's legacy, and prove every ossified, set-in-their-ways admiral in Starfleet wrong when they said that this would never work." She smiled. "It's up to you."

Rainbow hesitated. It seemed a little strange to her that Twilight would bother to write a paper on tactics, considering that she had never liked to fight. On the other hand, it did make sense of that conversation they'd had on why Starfleet didn't have any good fliers. And...yes, that would explain it. Rainbow was willing to bet that Twilight's interest wasn't really in improving battlefield efficiency, but in getting space ponies in the same unit as pegasi and forcing them to work together. Another of her schemes to bring them closer for the sake of Equestria.

You never gave up on it, did you, Twi. You never stopped working for it.

Well, if you didn't give up then I guess I can hardly give up on you, can I?

Rainbow Dash nodded. "I'll do it."

I may not like the way that we've all been split up like this. In fact I don't like it. But if I have to be here I may as well do something worthwhile.

"Good," Cerise said. "Then report to the Campus Martial tomorrow morning at 0730 hours. Unless you have any more friends you need to say goodbye too?" She raised one eyebrow.

Rainbow stiffened. "No, ma'am." Though maybe I should have said goodbye to Fluttershy, since I don't think I'm likely to see her again.

"Then that's all for now, dismissed," Cerise said, giving a salute.

Rainbow returned it sloppily, and strode out of the room.

She had intended to slam the door behind her, but somehow didn't quite feel the need.

"I like her," Cerise said, when Captain Dash had left. "She reminds me of myself, back I was a young punk who didn't care what impression she made."

"Was?" Havoc asked.

Cerise chuckled. "I've mellowed a little with age."

"Of course you have, Major," Havoc replied. "Do you really think she'll do?"

Cerise considered for a moment, then gave a nod of the head. "Yes. I think she'll do nicely."

Rainbow Dash bowed her head and exhaled deeply.

Call me in here only to tell me to come back tomorrow morning to start work. Figures. Starfleet all over.

It also left her with the problem of what to do for the rest of the day.

It wasn't as though she had any friends to hang out with.

Stay safe, everypony.

She considered what she might do to pass the time. She might have called on Queen Celestia, if only to pay her respects, but that would doubtless involve explaining how she had come to be assigned to a Starfleet unit based out of New Canterlot, and they had all agreed not to burden the queen with their problems. Nor did she have any friends in the city, aside from the princesses, whom she couldn't talk to. There was Sunset Shimmer; but she had been Twilight's friend, not Rainbow's own, and she was too close to the princesses besides.

Not to mention the fact that Rainbow really wanted to do something strenuous to work off all the stress that had been building up between her shoulder blades ever since Lightning had given them those orders. The fact that Major Wonder had been slightly less uncool than Rainbow had expected didn't mean that she didn't still want to punch somebody.

Rainbow wandered down one of the many sterile grey corridors of HQ, looking out at the blue sky over the city below.

A smile spread across her face.

Oh, what the hay. It's been a while since I've just flown anywhere for the fun of it.

And I am being put in charge of a flying squad. I guess I should make sure that I've still got it.

And so Rainbow opened the window and leapt out, spreading her wings as she soared into the skies above. And in that moment she forgot about Starfleet, she forgot about Lightning Dawn, she forgot about the Grand Ruler, she forgot about absolutely every one of her problems as she lost herself, for the first time in too long, in the pure joy of flying at speed.

"Welcome to home sweet home, my dear,
You'll never need to leave it, have no fear."

Rhymey smiled charmingly as he waved his arms to encompass the space of the apartment in New Canterlot that they would now share. Or at least, it was probably intended to be charming. Fluttershy found that, coupled with his words, it rather worried her a little.

"But what if I want to leave?" Fluttershy asked, her voice trembling a little as she said the words.

A look that was equal parts bafflement and affront crossed Rhymey's yellow face.
"Why should you want to go anywhere,
When I won't be any place but here,
Except for when I'm out and about,
But you'd never find me, without a doubt."

"I know," Fluttershy said, hoping that conceding the point would make him more receptive in his turn. "But, um, what if I want to spend some time with... with, well, um, with ponies who aren't you?"

Rhymey's brow furrowed in abject confusion.
"Why should you want to do that, my dove?
After all, am I not your true love?
Why should you want other company,
When you can spend all your time with me?
Just what are you planning to do,
And with what other ponies? Who? Who?"

Fluttershy looked away. "Well, Rainbow Dash has-"

"I don't want to hear the name Rainbow Dash," Rhymey shouted.
"She's such a brute: vile, rude and brash!"

"You're wrong!" Fluttershy cried, stamping one foot on the ground as she raised her head to glare at her husband, anger at the slight done to her friend overcoming her timidity. "Rainbow Dash is brave and faithful and she's always been a good friend and you have no right to say anything like that about her!"

Rhymey's face darkened, and his eyes narrowed as she advanced swiftly upon Fluttershy, backing her against the wall of the apartment and boxing her in with his arms.

"No right, no right? I've every right!
To do anything within my might.
And as for you, my dear, my wife,
Don't cause me any marital strife.
You wed me, you entered in my power,
And I may throw you from the highest tower,
If that's my wish. Anything I want
To do, I shall, for like a plant
You're my possession. Therefore,
The name of Rainbow Dash I'll hear no more,
From you, nor any other of those friends,
The feeble wretches with whom you'd spend,
Your days, or rather waste them to the end.
With me all future days you'll stay
To amuse me in the games I like to play.
Do I make myself quite clear,
Or must I have a doctor clean your ear?"

Fluttershy nodded. "I understand," she said. I understand what a fool I was, and what a mistake I made.

Rhymey smiled at her, and once against Fluttershy thought that it was supposed to be charming.
"That's very good. I'm glad we got that sorted out,
Now I must leave you for awhile, I am going out."

He strode to the door, but paused in the doorway.
"Do try not to get too sappy,
I only want to see you happy."

He shut the door, and Fluttershy was left alone.

She sank to her knees on the light pink carpet, and let out a wordless sob as she put her head in her hands.

"Oh, what have I done?" she murmured.

Many times she had wondered why she had married him, her hateful husband. But he had seemed so gallant once, and so dashing. He had literally fallen from the stars to sweep her off her feet. He had seemed so sensitive then, so shy like her, the way he had gotten so frightened by the merest kiss. She had thought that he might be her soulmate, the pony who understood her like nopony else. She had even thought that, while his friends might have been a little stern, a little hard-edged, a little cruel, that he was different. That he wouldn't hurt her.

How wrong she had been. But the worst part was that he didn't think he was hurting her. He honestly thought that he was doing the right thing by locking her away, by keeping her from her friends, by terrifying her.

"What am I going to do?" she asked the empty air.

Of course, there was nothing she could do. She was all alone. She wasn't even allowed to see Rainbow Dash, and they would be living in different buildings - married officers lived in a different apartment block to single officers - so there wasn't even the possibility of a chance or secret meeting.

And the worst part...the worst part was that she still loved him. Her shining knight fallen down from the stars. She couldn't bring herself to hate him completely. And when she remembered the way that he had been, when she remembered the way that he had wooed her...she still loved him. Celestia help her but she loved him. She would do anything to have that Rhymey back again, instead of the one who beset her now. The Rhymey who was kind and considerate, the Rhymey who was shy and delicate. The Rhymey who understood her like no other. If she could have that Rhymey back again...but she didn't know how she might do such a thing.

If she had been brave like Rainbow or Applejack, she could have defied Rhymey and forced the issue. If she had been Rarity, she could have charmed him over to her side. If she had been Twilight, she could have won an argument with him. If she had been Pinkie she could have defused his anger with laughter.

But she wasn't like any of them. She wasn't brave or intelligent or faithful or wonderful. She was just Fluttershy, the least of them.

Her friends. Her five stars of shining light. Stars that had gone out in her sky now, and left only blackness behind.

"Help me, Twilight," Fluttershy called out. "Please, I need you."

The Last Couplet

This is terrible. Starlight thought, and it was with great effort that she kept from her face the cringing expression that would have besmirched it had she allowed herself to show her feelings to the world.

It was a good thing that working for Starfleet had given her a lot of practice in keeping her true feelings well hidden from the sight of other ponies. Even Trixie.

She would ordinarily have dismissed a thought like that, when it came to her at work, as a distraction. But not now. Now the thought of the exuberant blue mare calmed her down, and quite honestly she needed that in the face of the utter fiasco that this had turned into.

This is terrible. This is a disaster. This is a complete and utter catastrophe.

Starlight allowed herself a theatrical sigh, and rubbed at the space between her eyebrows, more to show how she wished Professor Brain to know – or to think – that she was feeling rather than to express how she actually felt right now. “So, let me get this straight, Professor. You made a bunch of soulless abominations of nature, gave them powers greater than those of ordinary ponies – even ordinary space ponies, let’s be clear on what we’re talking about here – gave one of them the form and likeness of a dead mare who is considered a hero by many, and then you let them out. And then you found that you couldn’t control them and, in fact, never could. And now the off-switch has broken. Is there anything that I have just said that is factually incorrect?”

Professor Brain said nothing for a moment. Neither did anyone else. The lab was currently being occupied by members of the Starfleet Intelligence Special Branch, and in the presence of Starlight’s black-clad enforcers the other members of the Science Division were cowed into silence. Many of them sat on the floor like prisoners, while hardened Intelligence operatives glared down at them like they were all back in high school and the jocks were about to steal the lunch money off the nerds and flush their heads down the toilet.

The only sound was that made by the janitor in the corner as he mopped up a yellow stain that had been there when Starlight and her people had come in. She had a pretty good idea of where it had come from.

If she herself wasn’t making Professor Brain empty himself the way that the rebellion of his little monsters had then she was at the very least making him tremble. Good. If she had her way he would be going down a very dark hole soon and preferably not coming out again.

How did someone so reputedly smart as him not realise what a terribly stupid idea this was?

Either it was that kind of foolishness that afflicted the particularly intelligent…or else he just wasn’t that smart after all. Starlight wasn’t entirely sure which one it was yet.

“I’m still waiting, Professor,” she reminded.

Brain swallowed, and then cleared his throat. “Colonel, I fear that you are being rather too harsh in your-“

“Harsh?” Starlight yelled. “You think that I am being harsh? You created a weapon with will and desire and then you let it loose upon the world with no way of putting your toys back in the box when you were finished with it. You resurrected the most powerful mage in a thousand years, made her even stronger than she was, and then turned her into a sociopath devoid of conscience or loyalty. You gave one of these freaks the uniforce! The most powerful form of magic in the galaxy is now in the hands of a living automaton! But please, Professor, go ahead, explain to me how I am maligning you.”

Brain scowled. “I did what I did for the good of United Equestria. To meet the challenges of-“

“Yes, I know, I read your sales pitch,” Starlight snapped. “Suffice to say that you promised a lot more than you delivered.”

“I had His Majesty’s approval for every-“

“Doubtless you didn’t explain it to him clearly enough,” Starlight said, because of course the Grand Ruler could not be wrong, he could not be mistaken, he could not possibly have made a mistake. Even to suggest the possibility of such a thing was to commit an act of gross disloyalty. And so, in situations where He clearly had made a mistake, then it was obviously the fault of those, like Professor Brain, who had misled him in such fashion.

All good fortune was a result of the Grand Ruler’s sagacity and wisdom, all missteps were the result of wicked councillors. So it went in the court of New Canterlot.

The large screen, at least eight feet wide and six feet high, set above the laboratory door burst into life, displaying an image of His Majesty that was, if possible, even bigger than his actual size. His face, rendered enormous by the scale, loomed over Starlight, Brain, the scientists and the guards, causing many to drop to their knees and murmur some expression of their obedience and loyalty.

Starlight did not bow, but she did snap to attention and immediately assume an expression of the greatest respect and obedience. Professor Brain attempted the same thing, but his evident fear diluted the effect somewhat.

For now, at least, the Grand Ruler ignored him. “Colonel Glimmer, report please.”

Starlight stood at ease, with her black-gloved hands clasped tightly behind her back. "All six members of the Sentinel Project-"

"Prototypes, the term is prototype," Brain muttered.

"Professor," the Grand Ruler's tone was as disapproving as the scowl on his face. "I do not think you wish to try my patience at this time. Please, Colonel, continue."

Starlight gave no sign by word or deed that she had been interrupted at all. "They have escaped to an unknown location and disabled the chips that would have allowed them to be terminated. They are in the wind, Your Majesty."

"Including Sentinel Three, the clone of Twilight Sparkle?" demanded the Grand Ruler.

"Especially her, I fear, Majesty."

The Grand Ruler growled wordlessly for a moment. "This cannot happen!" he thundered forth in a voice as loud as the storm and as rolling as the tempestuous sea. "This cannot be allowed to stand! If this false Twilight should seek to stir rebellion against our rule she could disturb the balance of our imperial state and set upon its axis the harmony of our realm."

Starlight did not respond to that directly, for it was not her place to confirm the fears of Her Majesty even when those fears were fully justified. As she herself had told Professor Brain, there were many within United Equestria who still considered Twilight Sparkle to be a hero. If she appeared in public, if she made clear her hostility to the Grand Ruler and the current regime...then many who loved her and remembered her fondly would take her part and flock to her side.

And all that I have worked for will be laid to ruins.

"Your Majesty, what would you have me do?" she murmured.

"I give you carte blanche in this matter, Colonel Glimmer," the Grand Ruler declared. "Hunt these malfunctioning weapons down by whatever means necessary and terminate them before they can disturb the tranquility of our imperial peace. In this matter you will report only to me, and any officer who hinders you will explain himself to us in person. Whatever resources you may require are at your disposal but be discreet. We must regain control of this situation and that means not making too much noise about it. Do you understand me, Colonel, you must keep a lid on this."

"I understand, Your Majesty," Starlight said. "It shall be done."

The Grand Ruler looked positively relieved. "It is good to know that I yet possess a servant both faithful and competent. Thank you, Colonel, your obedience is a great comfort to me."

"An honour to serve, Your Majesty," Starlight replied obsequiously. "Your Majesty...considering that one of the Sentinels possesses the power of the Uniforce, I was hoping that the Supreme-"

"No!" the Grand Ruler yelled. "Lighting is not equipped to deal with Twilight Sparkle as a threat. He is...you must leave him out of this, Colonel, and any who might speak to him. It goes without saying that this must also be kept from Captain Rainbow Dash until her death may be purposed by some other means."

"As Your Majesty commands," Starlight said. Oh well; I'll just have to manage without the uniforce then, won't I? I should have magic enough to make it work somehow.

"Do you have any idea where they are now?"

"I believe they must still be in New Canterlot, Majesty, they cannot have gone far. I am having surveillance videos checked now."

"Excellent," murmured the Grand Ruler. "Professor Brain."

Brain let out a little meeping sound. "Y-yes, Your Majesty?"

"From now on you will report to Colonel Starlight Glimmmer," the Grand Ruler declared. "An officer worthy of our trust."

Brain gave a wordless squawk of outrage.

"Do you have something to say, Professor?" the Grand Ruler demanded.

"N-no, Majesty."

"That is what I like to hear," replied the Grand Ruler, dryly. "Good day, both of you. And good hunting, Colonel."

The screen went black.

Good hunting indeed, Starlight thought. Me against six supersoldiers, one of whom is even stronger than Twilight Sparkle.

Thanks for the luck, Majesty, I might need it.

All the same, as difficult as this sounded, as difficult as it promised to be, she would do it. She would take them down, one at a time or altogether, no matter how long it took. She would bring them down, all of them.

She owed the people of this benighted world, the people she had sworn to free from the tyranny of gods and monarchs, nothing less.

Kill the new gods and then tear down the old. There, doesn't that make it sound simple?

What a life of challenges lie before a warrior for principle.

"Rex!" she snapped. "Assemble the entire company in the drill yard in ten minutes." She hesitated. "Actually, make that thirty minutes and get everyone in on leave or absent for any reason other than sickness. I want all hands on deck in heavy combat gear, understood?"

Sergeant Rex snapped to attention. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Professor Brain," Starlight yelled. "I want this project shut down and all records erased."

Brain's eyes widened in horror. "You...you can't do that, I-"

"I have complete authority from His Majesty in this matter," Starlight snarled. "And let me make one thing clear, Professor, I am not Twilight Sparkle. I am not going to turn my back on you and trust you to do the right thing. If you don't do exactly as I say then by the Grand Ruler himself I'll carve you up, do I make myself clear."

Brain's green eyes burded with a powerless hatred. "Perfectly, Colonel."

"I'm very glad we understand each other, Professor," Starlight said, with a smile. "Now get to your work, while I attend to mine."

Where you find gods, there too will you find mortals fearful of the wrath of heaven. Where there is a queen, there are also worker bees. Or ants, pick your personal preference in etymology.

Starlight had to say that she didn't really care for either of them. How could they be so docile, so obedient, so accepting of their lot? How could they be so small-minded, so lacking in vision and ambition that they could bow and scrape and serve without complaint one who cared nothing for them? Why were the pawns content to march forth and perish for the king and queen?

If there was one thing that she liked about Starfleet, admidst all of its numerous faults and flaws and issues, it was it's honesty: we are strong, stronger than you; and so, due to our superior strength, we rule you and you will obey our will or suffer in consequence. There was no dressing up, or precious little. There was some lip-service paid to harmony and the unity of United Equestria, but only a fool didn't realise which foot the boot was on. Celestia was queen, but her powerlessness was an open secret. Propaganda glorified the superiority of the space pony race. It was unjust, unethical, cruel, one might even call it monstrous...but it was honest about what it was. Space ponies ruled by force, and Grand Ruler ruled the space ponies because he was the strongest. There was no blathering fetishisation of 'destiny', no patronising pretence of equality to mask the sheer capricious arbitrariness that held the world tightly in its grasp, no talk of harmony to sugar over the bitter poison.

The truth, as Starlight had realised from the day that they took Sunburst away, was that a few were marked for greatness and the rest were chattel, and quality and the content of your character mattered not a jot compared to the power of the mark.

Compared with such a vicious lottery, the unabashed brutality of Starfleet took on a certain roguish charm. Despite the undeniable elements of racial pride that had crept out of the shadows and into the Starfleet credo, a philosophy of strength at least offered hope for honest advancement through hard work and effort. That was why someone like Starlight Glimmer could advance so much further than any other unicorn, even the celebrated Twilight Sparkle herself; not because she was smarter or stronger, although she was stronger and smarter than most, but because she was willing to work, to push herself to the limits of wit, strength and morality and even beyond. She didn't expect destiny to knock on her door and hand her precious gifts. Because she understood that if you wanted to stop being a pawn you had to haul your flank onwards, keep pushing on in spite of all obstacles, and stay alive long enough to reach the other end of the board; because no one was going to make you a queen out of love.

So she had worked, and sweated, and matched wits and risen higher and higher and now she fancied that she was as much respected as she was feared amongst the ranks of Starfleet. Well...perhaps not quite as much respected as she was feared, but respected somewhat and that was nothing to sneeze at.

Not, of course, that she wished for everyone to be like her. What she had in mind was something gentler by far: a republic of the pawns, as you might say, a hive of the workers and soldiers, owned by those hard-working denizens for their own benefit. A world free from gods and monarchs, free from the need to walk small around the feet of the colossi who bestrode the world, free from the need to avoid the casual boot that stomps the ant, the casual swatting by the wanton child.

A world free from doubt and fear and pain.

But now, before she could even begin to think of toppling the old gods, she would have to hunt down and eliminate the new.

And it frightened her. As she sat at her desk she could feel her hands trembling, she could them wobbling when she looked down.

No one else could see it. She had a private office, free of surveillance equipment, and no one could see the telltale signs of fear in Colonel Starlight Glimmer, mistress of the secret police. They could not see the shaking hands, nor the slight shortness of breath.

She was afraid. She was afraid because she was about to go out and fight against one of the most powerful unicorns that ever lived, a copy of a member of a race of superbeings, and a coterie of space ponies literally engineered to be better than the best. She was afraid because this would be a space pony battle, a Starfleet battle, a battle of strength and speed and endurance where her dark arts would avail her less than nothing (though she had some hope her quick wits might be of some use yet). She was afraid because, for all her gifts, she was just a unicorn; yet she was about fight the gods.

Starlight clenched her hands into fists. This would not be a fair fight, not by any means or measure...but she would fight it, nevertheless. For the sake of the world.

All the same...she was afraid.

A shiver ran down her spine, the sort of feeling her mother might have referred to as someone walking over her grave. Starlight wasn't given to superstition, but the chill feeling seemed to inspire some impulse in her as she typed in a string of numbers into the videophone and called home.

The screen remained pitch black even as Starlight could hear the sound of a dial tone. There was a beeping sound microseconds before the image of Trixie, with her head wrapped in a towel, appeared on the screen.

"He-Starlight?"

"Hey," Starlight said, and a smile spread across her face as she took in every detail of her great and powerful love: her colour, her eyes, the shape of her face. "No need to sound so surprised."

"Why not, you never call Trixie from work," Trixie replied with just a hint of asperity in her voice. "Do you want something?"

"No," Starlight lied. I want reassurance. I want you tell me that I'm going to be okay. I want to ditch this mission and come home to you. I want... "I just wanted to see you, that's all. I'm glad I caught you while you were in."

"Trixie was just getting a few things together for rehearsals," Trixie said. "Have you seen the diamond clasp for Trixie's cape, it's not in the jewellery box."

"Try under the sofa cushions."

"Ah, good idea," Trixie said. "Are you going to be home for dinner?"

"Probably not, don't wait for me," Starlight said. She leaned forward, so that her horn was nearly touching the phone screen. "Listen, Trixie, I...no matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you, okay."

Trixie's eyes narrowed. "Okay, what's really going on?"

"Nothing?"

"Then why are you acting so weird?"

"Because..." Starlight chuckled. "Because things are tough at work right now, and so I want to thank you, for reminding me of why I bother. But now...I've got to go, something's come up. I'll see you later, even if I can't exactly how late."

"Trixie'll wait up for you."

"You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do," Trixie said. "Because I love you."

Starlight closed her eyes for a moment. Please let me come back from this. Please let me come back to her. "I love you too." She turned off the videophone.

Then, as she rose from her desk, she carefully mastered and eliminated all traces of emotion from her body. She put aside the mare Starlight and became once more the ruthless, fearsome colonel of Starfleet Intelligence whose stare could break a seasoned officer.

Thus masked and armoured she left her office behind and ventured forth to fight the gods.

The ‘drill yard’ so called, was actually a fully enclosed space, free from prying eyes. Useful, since the ponies whom Starlight had mustered on this so-called yard were not really supposed to exist. Certainly they weren’t supposed to be seen too often.

If Intelligence was a branch of Starfleet shrouded in shadow, then the Special Branch were a shadow wreathed in smoke. Technically, if Intelligence wanted somebody taken under arrest then they were supposed to second the regular military for the purpose. But that took time, and patience, and little things like evidence of wrong-doing worthy of arrest that weren’t always available to a diligent and faithful officer of intelligence. In those situations, when you needed someone’s door breaking down in the middle of the night to drag them off to an uncertain fate, you called in the Special Branch.

And they belonged to Starlight. Sixty-three ponies, burly stallions and fast mares, all mustered in neatly trimmed ranks in the drill yard before her watchful eye. Their armour was entirely black, heavy and protective. Their faces were, with the exception of Sergeant Rex, hidden behind black helmets with black visors that emitted no light, and gave no sign that there was a living soul at all to be found behind them. Their weapons were varied, but every mare or stallion here was skilled in the use of all their powers.

Aside from Starlight herself, the clear majority were space ponies. There were a couple of particularly mean and vicious pegasi who, in their zeal, could keep up with the unicornicopians, but only a few. It took a special kind of person to make it in the Special Branch, and mostly only space ponies had what it took.

They were thugs, without a doubt, but they were her thugs, they belonged to her; and Starlight flattered herself that she was putting their base and monstrous instincts to good use, in the service of a good cause…the best cause.

She would not call them her power base; that rested on her web of information, eyes and ears scattered here and there…but it did her no harm to have an iron fist at her disposal too, for when circumstances demanded it.

As they did now. Without them, she would have had to call in favours from the officers of the garrison, and that would have been time consuming and, more importantly, it would have increased the risk of all this getting out. His Majesty was keen to avoid that and, for the moment, what the Grand Ruler wanted Starlight Glimmer wanted too.

That would not always be so, without a doubt, but it was so for now…until this crisis was passed.

“Officer on the deck, ten-hut!” Sergeant Rex yelled, and the interior yard resounded to the echoing sound of sixty three pairs of feet slamming to the ground as one.

“Thank you,” Starlight said crisply, her voice carrying clear across the ranks. “At ease, everyone.” She waited for the sound of feet stamping to die down before she took out her pad and pressed a couple of buttons. “I’m sending data on our targets to your heads-up displays. They are all deserters from a black-book unit of the Starfleet, that’s why so much information – including their names – is scarce. But you have their faces, and all you need to know is that they are extremely dangerous and they are not to be taken alive. Weapons to kill at all times.
Two further points. First, His Majesty wants this kept as quiet as possible, so that means be discrete if you can. Second, you may notice that one of the six targets bears a striking resemblance to Princess Twilight Sparkle. Suffice to say that she is not Twilight Sparkle, but she is highly skilled in magic and should not be underestimated. None of these dangerous deserters should be underestimated. No heroics. Work together, get the job done. I’ve assigned search grids based on squads, those have also been transferred to your heads-up display. Any questions?”

No one said a word.

Starlight nodded. “Then activate your super-mode if you’ve got one, set your weapons to kill, and move out!”

She sat on the edge of a thick, heavy construction girder, with her legs dangling above the enormous drop to the street below. Her eyes looked out across the enormous, bustling metropolis...but she saw nothing.

She was not looking at the city of New Canterlot. She was not looking at the streets thronged with people down below. She was not looking at the skyrscrapers erupting out of the ground, or the solar arrays, or the fortified walls. She was not looking at any of it. Her eyes were wholly turned inwards upon herself.

You're not Twilight.

Twilight's dead, and she's never coming back.

YOU'RE NOT TWILIGHT!

But...if I'm not Twilight Sparkle...then who am I? If I'm not supposed to have her life...then what am I doing here?

What was the point of my choice...what was the point of any of it.

I took her hand...but she...was it just a cruel trick all along?

She felt the slight vibrations on the girder that indicated someone else was putting their weight upon it, and she was able to turn her gaze away from her own soul long enough to see Two striding across the metal beam towards her. He showed no fear of the immense height, not that he should have done on account of their shared ability to fly, but he did not even put his wings out to balance himself as she had done. Instead he walked with all the confidence of a tightrope walker, and all the grace of some prowling cat.

Two loomed over her, casting a shadow over her face, his arms folded across his chest.

"I suppose you think I'm weak, now," she said softly.

Two shook his head, and she noticed that there was no disapproval in his eyes, only...only something that she took for pity. "If I thought that you were weak I wouldn't waste my time coming out here. I'd send Bravo out to tell you to get it together. But I don't think you're weak. I think you're hurting."

"We're not supposed to feel pain," she said.

"We aren't supposed to be able to flip Starfleet the bird and walk out on them," Two pointed out. "But we did it."

"Yeah, yeah we did, didn't we," she murmured. For all the good it did us.

Two frowned, if only ever so slightly. "Would it make you feel any better if me and Delta went back there and kicked her flank for talking to you like that?"

She stared up at him, unable to work out if he was serious or not.

It was only when his mouth curved gently upwards that she could say for sure.

"That's a kind offer," she said. "But I think I'll pass."

"Suit yourself," Two said as he sat down beside her. "So what are we looking at here?"

"The world," she said. "The city. The people."

"People," Two murmured. "From up here they kinda look more like ants."

"I envy them," she whispered.

"Envy?" Two's tone was incredulous. "Why would you envy them?"

"Because all those people down there...they know exactly who they are."

She felt his hand upon her shoulder before she heard him speak. "I know who you are," he said tenderly. "You're one of us."

She closed her eyes, and bowed her head. "But what does that mean now, after what we did? What are we, that I am part of it?"

"I don't know," Two admitted. "But you were the one who said that we'd figure it out. So figure it out, together, the six of us."

"It was supposed to be different for me."

"Because you've got Twilight Sparkle's memories rattling around in your head?" Two asked. "Listen...I can't imagine what that must be like, but just because you remember Twilight Sparkle doesn't mean that you have to be Twilight Sparkle."

"I don't just have Twilight's memories," she said. "I have her face, I have her gifts, I have her...I am her, or at least I thought I was. But Sunset-"

"If this is really what you want, then screw Sunset Shimmer," Two declared. "From what you've said, she wasn't even one of your best friends anyway! Three, or Twilight or whatever you want me to call you...if this is what you want then I am with you. We're all with you, all the way. If this is what you want, if it's really what you want...then...then...then why don't we try another one of your friends. One of your real friends. Someone we might have better luck with. Charlie's been doing some digging and he says he knows where Fluttershy is."

"Fluttershy," she murmured. Yes, Fluttershy might...no Fluttershy would. Fluttershy was gentle and kind, she did not have Sunset's temper, her wrath, her propensity for blind rage. Fluttershy would...Fluttershy would embrace her. Or at least, she hoped that Fluttershy would.

She glanced at Two. "Where is she?"

"In an apartment in a building a few streets away," Two said.

"Okay," she said. "I'll be-"

"Oh no," Two said as he rose to his feet. "Oh no, not after what happened last time. This time, we're all going together."

Fluttershy was chopping vegetables.

That, at least, was what it might look like to an untutored observer: a housewife, well presented despite the lack of any company (apart from the unseen and voyeuristic observer who, unable to percieve beneath the surface, imagines that her mind is wholly bent on chores), dressed in an airy floral summer dress and wearing a twin set and pearls, standing in her kitchen, chopping vegetables. Carrots, to be precise.

But if this hypothetical peeper could have seen what was unseen, if he could have percieved beneath the surface of the matter he would have realised that Fluutershy had almost nothing to do with the rote, mechanical movements of the knife, or the replacement of one carrot with another when the last was done. It happened upon instinct, nearly as natural as breathing. Such was the rhythm that her life had become.

Her mind had set this task in motion but now, having done so, it was entirely elsewhere. It soared through the air by the side of Rainbow Dash, it nearly choke upon a cupcake as her snack was interrupted by an uproarious jest from the lips of Pinkie Pie, it whirled in one of Rarity's splendid creations, it quarreled good-naturedly with Applejack over the fate of some creature or other dwelling within the boundaries of Sweet Apple Acres.

Her mind spent time with all her parted friends, singly and together...and with sweet Twilight, whose parting was the deepest cut of all.

These flights - some more literally metaphorical than others - of fancy brought a smile to her face as she was carried away from her drudge work, out of the apartment, out of the city. They carried her to Ponyville New and Old, to the Everfree Forest, to her little cottage and the host of animals who inhabited the land around it.

One consequence of such dayfreaming was that when she was startled by a sudden knock at the door she nearly cut her own fingers off. Fortunately her reflexes were siufficiently good to avoid that, and she put the knife down as turned to face the direction of the intruding noise.

Who could it possibly be? Rhymey would have no need to knock unless he had lost his key, in which case he would call out to her. It was the wrong time and day for the groceries to be delivered. Could it be Rainbow Dash, then? It was the only explanation that Fluttershy could imagine, though why she wouldn't announce herself remained something of a mystery. Still, no matter who it was, it would be rude to keep them standing outside the door without an answer.
Fluutershy glided gracefully out of the kitchen and across the kitchen. She opened the door and there, standing outside, standing at her door with her hands clasped before her and a shy smile on her face there stood...

"Twilight?" Fluttershy whispered in a voice that was being ripped in two between astonishment and doubt: astonishment at what she saw and doubt that it could possibly be real.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Twilight said. "I...I'm back."

Fluttershy stared at her. No, more than that she boggled at her. Hr eyes popped with amazement, her breath caught in her throat. This was...this was so...this was too much, it was too...it was so...

It was enough to make her faint. Fluttershy blacked out as keeled over backwards, and didn't feel herself strike the floor with a dull thump.

"That went well," Bravo observed as the other Sentinels clustered behind her, looking down on the comatose Fluttershy lying like a stunned rabbit on the floor.

She knelt down at Fluttershy's side at once. Please be okay, please be okay. She felt at Fluttershy's throat and breathed a sigh of relief as she felt a pulse there. Somebody fetch a glass of water, while I put her to bed," she said, as picked the unconscious Fluttershy up in her arms like a bride and began to carry her in the direction of the bedroom.

"I'll do it," Delta said. "Hey, Threelight?"

She decided not to make an issues out of 'Threelight', beyond raising an eyebrow, mostly because she wasn't sure what she ought to call herself right now: Sunset had frevently denied her right to the name of Twilight, and Fluttershy had not yet affirmed her right counter to that. She had come here looking for acceptance, and she wouldn't find it until Fluttershy woke up. "What?"

"Where does she keep the glasses?"

She sighed. "I don't know where she keeps the glasses, look in the kitchen!"

"Shut the door," Two commanded Alpha, as the other Sentinels shuffled in after her. "We don't want anyone to see us if we can avoid it."

"Colonel Glimmer, I think we've spotted them."

"Where?" Starlight demanded into her comlink.

"In...Major Stirskewer's apartment in the Apis block on 42nd."

Fluttershy? Is Twilight's clone trying to seek out Twilight's friends? To what purpose? "Are they all there?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"And are they alone?"

"No, ma'am, Executive Captain Fluutershy is with them."

"Hurt?"

"Unknown, looks like she might be unconscious."

"Prep medical teams to roll as soon as I give the all-clear, and keep me apprised of any changes," Starlight snapped. "And do not tell Major Stirskewer anything, understood?"

"Yes, Colonel."

Starlight nodded, half forgetting that she couldn't be seen on the comm. She began to run, and heard the soldiers behind her do the same. "All units converge on the Apis apartment building on forty-second street, repeat Apis building on forty-second street."

As she laid Fluttershy out upon the butter-yellow duvet cover on the double bed, Threelight - yes, it was a stupid name, but life had not yet definitively handed her a better one, and it least it had more character and individuality than Sentinel Three - wondered for the first time just what Fluttershy was doing here. What had happened to her cottage in New Ponyville, what had happened to the critters? Did it have something to do with the fact that Pinkie was AWOL? Had something terrible happened to Twilight's friends while she...since Twilight's death? Something that she, possessed only of Twilight Sparkle's living memories, was ignorant of?

Twilight's friends, not yours. According to Sunset Shimmer, anyway. Pinkie had seemed to see it differently, but...well, it was Pinkie, she saw many things differently. What would Fluttershy say when she woke up? Would she take Pinkie's part, or that of Sunset? Would she welcome Twilight back into her arms, her heart, her life? Or would she call her an imposter, a liar, or worse.

Surely Fluttershy couldn't be so cruel? Not cruel, no. But kindness was not the same as milksop doormattery, for all that Starfleet sometimes confused the two, and Threelight knew would get scant kindness out of Fluttershy of which she was not deserving. How Fluttershy reacted to her, not to her return, rather her presence, would Threelight how she deserved to be treated, and who deserved to be.

She heard Two lean against the doorframe. "Worried?"

"Yes," she murmured.

"Seeing her like this," Two muttered. "How does it make you feel?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm asking you if you care about her, or if you just someone to tell you who you are so you don't have to do the hard work of figuring it for yourself," Two said.

Threelight's response was forestalled by the sound of an almighty crash coming from the kitchen, followed by Alpha's voice raised in aggravation.

"WHY WOULD ANYONE KEEP GLASSES IN THERE, YOU MORON?"

"I don't know, I was bred for battle not domesticity!" Delta cried in tones outraged innocence.

"So was I, but I know better than to look for a glass in a refrigerator!"

Two chuckled. "You might be lucky enough to become Princess Twilight...but the rest of us have got a long road ahead."

There was another crash, a bang and two more wallops before Alpha wandered into the bedroom with a glass of water.

"Does Fluttershy still have a kitchen left?" asked Threelight.

"Yes," said Alpha, slightly defensively. "She just needs a new fridge...and some new china...and maybe it's time for some new cupboards, too. You know those unit doors are really fragile, you have to be so careful how hard you-"

"It's okay," Threelight said quickly. "Thank you for the water." She took the glass from Alpha's unprotesting hands and poured it over Fluttershy's face and on the white pillow that cushioned he head.

Fluttershy gasped as she sat up, with water dripping from the ends of her lilac hair. She wiped her eyes as she looked around the Cosy bedroom: at Alpha, at Two, and then finally at her, with eyes that were wide but not -yet - hostile.

It was a promising start.

"Wh-" Fluttershy began to stammer. "What-"

She fell silent at the unmistakable sound of the door opening.

"Yoohoo! My darling Fluttershy,
I'm home, where are you sweetie-pie?"

William 'Rhymey' Stirskewer III stood in the hallway of his own home and tried to conceal his astonishment behind that proud hauteur that was one of the by-products of being possessed of a most excellent breeding and a lineage that could be traced all the way back to the First Companions of the Grand Ruler. He put on the cold face, regarding these intruders in his small demesne much as a great landowner like his father would regard a poacher caught stealing.

Beneath the mask his spirit was awhirl. Coming home early to surprise darling Fluttershy, he had himself been surprised - that was an understatement - by the presence of these armed vagabonds. What had they done with Fluttershy? What had they done to her? The thoughtbof his beloved wife, so mild and gentle, so weak and helpless, might have broken or paralysed a lesser stallion. But Rhymey, scion of a proud and ancient line, was merely hardened by it. If he had seen the last of Fluttershy's sweet smile then by the gods he'd carve the name of Fluttershy into their skin before they died.

Unconscious, unbidden, one of Rhymey's hand strayed to the hilt of his sword. "Who are you all, who have here come,
And what are you doing in my home?
And tell me straight, if you value life,
Oh where, I ask you, is my wife?"

"Rhymey, please calm down," the voice that spoke those words was familiar, as familiar as the face and form and figure which appeared in the doorway. All belonged to a dead mare, whom Rhymey had seen laid lifeless down upon the pyre and burned to ashes.

Twilight's ghost, gods, could it be?
Why has she appeared thus, here, to me?
No, 'tis no ghost nor spirit damned,
See how she grasps the wood by the hand.
A demon then, wearing Twilight's face,
It's existence I must swiftly erase.

Rhymey's face contorted with anger. "You stole a face, for some nefarious goal,
But you'll end here: the fires take your soul!
Drill quill!"

He barely needed to think, he only needed to act. He was a warrior, a knight descended from a line of knights and heroes. He was a champion of truth, and sworn to vanquish dark and falsehood wherever it crept out of the dark and shadows. And here, it sought to trouble him here, in his own home, where his wife dwelled. He would se this monster or be himself interred. His mouth opened and a hode of razor sharp quills erupted from his maw to soar like the onward rushing of a mighty river in the grip straight for the demon which possessed the gall to wear the face of Twilight.

Her horn glowed with lavender light, throwing up a shield before her on which his drill quills broke like raindrops on a window. Smoke began to fill the room as quill after quill exploded on the shield of this un-Twilight creature. Rhymey heard someone start to cough as the smoke grew so thick as to obscure all vision, but by then he was already moving. He drew his sword, charging forward towards the place where she had been. A wordless cry echoed from his lips as he prepared to utter the ward sword incantation that would give his noble blade the power to shatter the demonic shield like glass and feast the steel upon her wicked flesh.

Rhymey turned upon a fighter's instinct just as a great black brute with burning red eyes charged out of the smoke with an axe in each hand, swinging both of them in such a way as to cut Rhymey clean in two if they connected. Rhymey retreated from the first blow even as he parried the second, stepping backwards into the smoke as the axe-wielding giant pursued him.

He saw what they were now, he understood. They were cultists. They had called upon and it, assuming Twilight Sparkle's form, had suborned them to her foul purposes. If he could slay the demon then the rest might come to their senses...if he could first get past this ogre to assail the true heart of all this evil.

That was difficult, because his black-coated opponent was skilled indeed. Rhymey was an excellent sword-stallion, and the axe was the weapon of a barbarian not a knight, but this demented savage pressed him hard for all that he could not strike Rhymey down in turn. Sword and axe clattered against each other as rhe sounds of their echoed through yhe smoke. Those who bore the sword and axe jostled together, pushed against one another, swirled around in a graceful, deadly dance as they probed and assaulted and sought to wear down the iron-hard defences of their foe. Rhymey's skill left him invulnerable to the axes of the black pony, but equally his sword could find no purchase to pin a red badge on to his foeman's coat.

He had to beat him, Rhymey thought as he swung once more and once more was met by a guard as stolin as the stone. He had to beat the pawn and take on the demonic un-Twilight. Only then would the city be safe. Only then would he have done his duty, and avenged his one true love in all the dimensional universe.

He heard something: a shifting, rustling noise. And then...as the smoke began to clear he saw, like a building surrounded by flamr, his Fluttershy.

She looked afraid. For some reason her hair and face were soaking but she was alive, and she looked well and more than well: as beautiful as the day when he set eyes on her and knew himself to be in love, as lovely as the day of-

An axe, uncontested, buried it's dull metal blade into his collar. Fulttershy screamed, the monster wearing Twilight's face shouted something indistinct and incoherent as Rhymey heard a scream of pain and knew it was his own.

"Oh, woe is me, my foe o'er me has won," he gasped as he sank to is trembling knees. His legs no longer felt capable of bearing his weight.
"Oh woe is me, I fear I am undone."

He could feel the warm blood flowing down his front. He could see a red mist gathe ing before his. That was becoming the most that he could see as the darkness crept into the corners of his eyes.

He he heard a scuffling noise before a face, a beautiful face, filled up the vision that remained to him. His wife, the maid predestined to be his bride, the companion of his soul, the delight of his life. So much he wanted to tell her, so much he no longer had time to say. He wanted to apologise if he had ever made her unhappy or been cruel to her. It had not, had never been his intent. He wanted to explain to her that he had loved her the best way he knew how, that he had only wanted to keep her safe, that he...that he.

No time for any of that. Only time for...

He raised one hand, one bloody hand, and cupped her cheek with it one last time. So soft. So warm. So gentle.

"Doubt that the stars are fire," he whispered. "Doubt that the sun doth move.
Think truth to be a liar but never...doubt...I love."

"Rhymey," she whispered.

There was so much he wanted to say. So much he had never thought to say; but as breathing became...harder...and harder...he did not...he couldn't...

So passed William Stirskewer III, known to the world as Rhymey.

As the smoke cleared, she watched a Fluttershy knelt by the corpse of her husband. Fluttershy did not weep, nor cry ot. She did not do anything. She just jnelt by him, and stared at the lifeless body.

Rhymey looked...unnatural. Too still, like a puppet or a discarded toy, and his eyes, his expression...they made her shiver.
Did I look like this, when I...did Twilight look like that she was dead?

She feared to approach Fluttershy, but she knew that she would have to. Because she had done this. She had been the cause of this. It was no good blaming Delta, he had just been trying to protect her. She had these things in motion when she ventured to this house.

And now she had to answer for that.

"Fluttershy?" she murmured. "F-Fluttershy?"

She placed a tentative hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. The other mare recoiled, and as she did so there was a look of fear and horror in her eyes that cut to the quick.

All the more so for being so completely deserved.

I did this. I brought evil into her home and I had the gall to call myself her friend while I did it. Would Twilight have ever done such a thing?

I think not.

I fear not.

She stumbled backwards. "W-we're leaving. Right now."

"Three-" Two began.

"I said we're leaving!" she snapped. "It was a mistake to ever come here."

I'm so sorry, Fluttershy, I'm so sorry.

Author's Note

Since I knew for a fairly long time that Rhymey was going to die at this point, I wish I'd done more with him earlier, to be honest. I wish that I'd humanised him more, shown more of his own self rather than just using as a bad guy to make you feel sorry for Fluttershy. I was going to make a last ditch effort to do that here with flashbacks, but none of the ideas I had really worked out. Still, at least he got to die in his own POV.

By Luna's Light: Sunset Shimmer & Friends

By Luna’s Light: Sunset Shimmer & Friends

There were six of them in total. Six mares to save the princess.

When Sunset had been picking her crew for this assignment, it had seemed an auspicious number.

She was one, of course, she was the only mare Leilani knew, almost the only pony Leilani knew apart from Colonel Stern and her doctor, and she didn’t want to startle the girl or, honestly, have to rely on anyone else being able to win her over in a short space of time. Probably they would be able to do so – Leilani was a sweet girl, and trusting – but in the circumstances…Sunset wanted to do this herself, for Leilani and for Princess Celestia.

Number two was Bon Bon, a cream-coloured earth pony with a two-toned blue and pink mane. Sunset didn’t know her very well, and she’d been a bit wary about taking her on with her injured hand, but Bon Bon herself insisted that she was fine; and she was a former Monster Hunter, and those mares were hardcore. If Bon Bon said that she was up for it, then as far as Sunset was concerned she was up for it.

She’d never actually met a real Monster Hunter before, she was curious to see what Bon Bon could do.

Number three was Lightning Dust, because what team of heroes would be complete without an egotistical pegasus with a bad attitude and a rare talent for flying? It had certainly worked out okay for Twilight in the past, and who was Sunset to argue with that. Besides, she was a damn good flier (Rainbow’s exact words were ‘the best there is apart from me’) and they might well need one of those before this mission was over. Sunset had had a few misgivings about picking her due to the fact that she was a Starfleet trooper, but a short interview had convinced her that Lightning Dust had no real allegiance to Starfleet.

She wasn’t entirely sure that the pegasus had any allegiance to anyone but herself, but at the same time Sunset also felt that she wouldn’t actively betray them; that wasn’t the kind of pegasus that she thought she was.

Number four was Dawn Starfall, a unicorn who kind of looked like she could have been Sunset’s kid sister if she’d had such a thing, what with her butter yellow coat that was only a shade lighter than Sunset’s own and her similar green eyes. Her mane was a series of long strips of red and white intermingled so that they looked a little maypole streamers waiting for the kinds to dance around it. She wasn’t the most powerful spellcaster ever – no slouch, to be sure, but not on the level of Twilight or Sunset either – but she was one of the fastest spellcasters that Sunset had ever seen, and loyal; she’d die before she betrayed Celestia, if only in the hope that Celestia would say something nice about her afterwards.

Dawn, in turn, had brought in number five: Razor Wind, a grey-coated pegasus with a silver mane who had spent enough time in the same foster homes with Dawn that they were family in everything but law. She was also a natural rough-houser, one of those that Sunset went to when there might be violence on a job. Sunset very much hoped – very, very much hoped – that that would not be the case here, but since they were sneaking into the palace, well…she couldn’t say there wouldn’t be any trouble, and she didn’t want to get caught out if there was.

Number six was Silver Service, a bespectacled earth pony in the livery of the Palace. She didn’t have any particular skills necessary for the success of the infiltration – she was a sous-chef in the palace kitchens – but she was their ticket inside; thanks to her, they were all wearing servants’ uniforms and inside the palace without attracting any suspicion. Soon the borrowed uniforms would start to attract more attention than they deflected, especially in certain sectors of the palace and HQ complex, but they had been invaluable for just getting through the door and for that Silver deserved the thanks of Equestria.

Six mares to save the princess. Six mares and a stallion for luck, because Spike was always around somewhere even if nobody remembered him. Now Sunset didn’t have a dragon to bring along, baby or otherwise, so she’d made the best of what she did have.

If Dawn looked a bit like the sister that Sunset didn’t have, then Scoop Story was kind of guy you’d want to marry your sister, or your daughter for that matter. He had a dark red coat, wore square glasses which only somewhat concealed a pair of intense blue eyes, and had a dark mane combed over to the right with a split curl, a style that so screamed clean cut and honest that Sunset had suspected he was hiding something.

He was hiding something alright, just nothing like Sunset had originally feared. His servant’s uniform was several sizes too big for him, even though he’d given Silver Service the measurements himself. He always did that, and Sunset wasn’t quite sure why.

Not that it mattered. All that mattered was the job they were here to do.

Save the princesses, get out, and link up with the rest of the Canterlot Resistance which she had ordered to assemble en masse at one of their safe houses.

If she was right about this, the time for hiding would soon be over.

Sunset took a deep breath. And another. This was it. The moment was now. Everything she’d been preparing for had been leading up to this: the salvation of Celestia and the start of the rebellion to retake Equestria.

She couldn’t deny that a part of her wanted to get on board the Princess Twilight with Rarity and the rest and hare off after Twilight, you know, really return the favour, but she knew that her place was here.

She was the Princess’ pony, and her place was with the princess and her daughter.

Just like the place of Twilight’s friends was at Twilight’s side.

Sunset just hoped that she could hold together an Equestria until Twilight got back.

They were outside the kitchens, huddled in the corridor while a big screen bolted to the wall broadcast the Grand Ruler’s nonsense. Sunset could hardly watch as he slandered Twilight, and her friends, as he made her out to be…all lies. So many lies, had he ever spoken a single word of truth?

I swear, Sunset vowed, staring at his face, so large in the screen, ranting forth his hatred and his calumnies, I swear that I will bring you down. I swear that I will see you face justice for what you’ve done to Twilight, to Celestia, to this country.

I will not let this continue.

I won’t let you win.

Although, she had to admit, that when the Grand Ruler began to lead his legions in a chant, as that cry of ‘Sieg Starfleet’ rose from a million throats, as a million fists were raised in the air like a grim forest promising death to all the unwary children who wandered into it, as their cry echoed out across the land, as the screen cut to show all the might warships looming in orbit and all the regiments and garrisons across the stars…then, Sunset would admit, her heart quailed.

It seemed impossible that they could prevail against such strength. Her plans, her plots, her subtle scheming seemed like so much childish fantasy in the face of the Grand Ruler’s power and the might of Starfleet. So much hatred, so much strength, so many enemies…how could they overcome them all?

Sunset stared up at the screen, and listened to the battle cry, and could not find an answer within herself.

And then Princess Luna interrupted the broadcast, and as her words- righteous, accusing, but at the same time gentle…and brave, brave most of all – replaced the frothing hatred of the Grand Ruler, Sunset felt her heart begin to return to her. Not because Princess Luna had magically shown her a way to achieve victory, but because she was demonstrating with her own example that the lack of same was no excuse for inaction. Maybe Sunset couldn’t see a clear path to bringing Starfleet and the Grand Ruler down, even if – when, when, she had to have faith in them – even when Twilight’s friends returned with Twilight in tow, it wasn’t as though Twilight alone was going to be enough to save them all as much as Sunset might like it if she were. Maybe Sunset couldn’t see the steps that lay between her mission now and her ultimate goal.

But that didn’t mean that she didn’t have to try and get there.

Evil is real, she had told Leilani, and it must be fought. Well, here was the evil, and here was the fight, and she couldn’t back away from it just because there was a chance that they might lose.

Sunset had also said, to Celestia, to try and comfort her, that last stands sounded noble to those who weren’t making them. Well…that was why Sunset was going to do her best to win, that was why everypony was going to do their best to win, but if it turned out that that was impossible, with all of their courage and all of their friendship and all of their hearts beating as one…Sunset guessed that there was something to be said for going out swinging.

We have friendship on our side, and love and compassion and all of the things that the Grand Ruler and all his myrmidons will never understand or even try to. We have one another, and because we have one another we have something worth fighting for, which is more than any soldier of the Starfleet can say. We’re all standing together with all of our hearts and all of our souls and all of our strength as we fight an existential battle for the very soul of our society, and quite frankly if we can’t manage to eke out a win with all of that going for us then we don’t deserve to survive.

Bring on your fleets, bring on your armies, bring on your great and terrible machines of war, turn upon us all the fury of your science and all the terrible fire of your magic. We’ll fight you in every town, upon every street, on every hill, in the air and even in the stars if we have to. We won’t ever surrender.

Either Equestria will be free when the dust settles…or there’ll be nothing left of what was once Equestria at all.

“You okay, boss?” Lightning Dust asked. “You were kinda staring into nothing there.”

Sunset snorted. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She turned her attention away from Princess Luna’s speech. The princess was buying them time, she couldn’t waste it listening to her oratory.

She turned on her earpiece. It was tuned to be able to receive some of the Starfleet comm traffic, but not to communicate with it directly. That way Sunset could listen in without being overheard.

It also put her in the position of being able to listen to Major Wonder’s conversation with the young lieutenant left minding the shop while his captain and most of the other senior officers were at Rhymey’s funeral.

“Pull all guards out of sectors Red Delta and Orange Tango,” Major Wonder ordered. “And focus deployment around Blue Bravo and Blue Alpha, the main approaches to the inner sanctum.”

“But there’s nobody in the throne room right now-“

“Of course not, these cowards wouldn’t dare strike when His Majesty was present, but they may look to secure some sort of propaganda victory in his absence,” Major Wonder declared. “Besides, there’s nothing of value in Red Delta is there?”

“No, ma’am, there’s just Millstone and I can’t imagine even seditionists being interested in her. I’ll issue the orders now.”

Millstone? They call Princess Leilani Millstone? Am I supposed to be grateful that you don’t just call her Freak and be honest about it? I mean come on, she’s a little girl and one who you’ve kept locked up for all her life, how is she supposed to be different than she is?

“Good boy. Now, aside from Blue floor the obvious place for some kind of propaganda effort would be His Majesty’s own chamber in Black Lima, so pull anyone you have in Green Charlie out redeploy them there.”

“But…if I pull the guards out from Green Charlie won’t that leave Waifu unprotected?”

Waifu? Who in…oh. Oh no. Oh no you didn’t. Please tell me that you did not just…please tell me that you don’t all…

I’m going to have to stop thinking about this before I revert to my demonic form and kill someone.

“I’m sure the Queen will be perfectly safe, these primitives worship her after all.”

“I suppose so, Major, okay. I’ll issue the orders.”

Sunset couldn’t control the contempt that dripped out of her mouth. “Waifu. Princess Celestia’s code name, Princess Celestia, is Waifu?”

“Everyone has a code name assigned to them by the guards if they spend enough time in the palace,” Major Wonder replied in a tone of studied neutrality.

“I know but waifu?” Sunset cried in disbelief, ignoring the sound of Lightning Dust sniggering behind her. “I mean come on! Seriously, you people.”

“Do you want to know what you’re code-name is,” Major Wonder asked.

Sunset hesitated. I’m not at all sure. “I don’t know, do I?” Probably it’s something terrible or demeaning. Or both

“Turbulence.”

Sunset blinked. A slight smile spread across her face, for all that Major Wonder couldn’t see it. “Huh. That’s actually pretty cool.”

“It’s not supposed to be a compliment.”

“Maybe not, but it absolutely is,” Sunset replied. I guess even Starfleet gets it right once in a while. She glanced back at her team. “Now, we’ll wait a few seconds for the guards to start to move and then-“

“Command, this is admittance security, we have an unauthorised intruder loose in the building!”

What? But no one saw us coming in, we were so careful! And if they knew about us then why are the alarms only going on now? It can’t be because they didn’t realise we were intruders before, we haven’t done anything yet.

Really? Were you that careless as to be seen coming in? “This is Major Cerise Wonder, what’s going on?”

“Copy that,” Major Wonder said. “Sunset, what are you doing?”

“She’s not one of mine, it sounds…” Blue unicorn, smoke, looking for Starlight Glimmer…oh no.

Oh, Trixie, you poor fool. What have you gotten yourself into this time?

“What?”

“Sweet Celestia, that sounds like Trixie.”

“Who’s Trixie?”

Somepony who’d die if she heard you ask that. “A mare with a good heart and a lot of bad luck,” Sunset said. She and Trixie had been at school at around the same time, although Trixie was just a little younger than her. Sunset remembered a showy but rather hapless unicorn, one who meant well but let some combination of temper, ego and insecurity get the better of her as often as not. She would have said that she reminded Sunset of herself, but frankly Sunset had been far too much of an ass at school to warrant the description of ‘a good heart’. Whatever she’s doing here, why ever she came…I started this resistance to save Equestria, and that means that nopony gets left behind. “Can you keep them off her?”

“I’ll do my best, but I make no promises,” Cerise replied.

“Your best will have to be good enough,” Sunset said. “We’ll stick to the plan for now, but we’ll also try and find Trixie as we go. Thank you, Colonel, good luck.”

“You too, Miss Shimmer.”

Sunset glanced over her shoulder at her team. “Okay, we rescue Princess Leilani first. Remember: quickly, quietly, and don’t make a fuss unless absolutely necessary. We aren’t here to fight unless forced to.”

“Unfortunately,” Lightning Dust muttered.

“You’ll get your chance, probably,” Sunset said. “I’d be astonished if this went completely without a hitch.” She didn’t mention the fact that it had already failed to do so thanks to Trixie’s unexpected intervention. “We’re not that lucky. Let’s move out.”

The palace was divided into sectors, while each individual floor was colour-coded; hence Red Delta, the highest floor in the Delta section of the palace, where Leilani's tower was located.

So far, as Sunset led her lucky seven (including herself) up through the palace towards Leilani's chamber, it seemed that Major Wonder's interference was working out okay. They didn't come across any guards blocking their way as they climbed up the stairs or crawled through the corridors, no Starfleet troops waylaid them.

It was almost enough to make a more paranoid mare suspect a trap. After all, she was taking a lot on trust with Cerise Wonder, officer of the Starfleet; but if she'd wanted to betray them then she'd had plenty of opportunities to do so before now. And Sunset had read her file; you didn't go from war hero to hiding in a prison for twenty years if you were completely comfortable with all the things that you'd done.

Sunset trusted her. Sunset had to trust her. Because whatever happened, assuming that this didn't all end with the Grand Ruler and the Starfleet stamping them flat like ants, then when the new day dawned then they would have to live with the space ponies in exactly the same way that the space ponies were going to have to live with them. It wasn't as though they could exile them all, even if that were possible it would make them almost as monstrous as Starfleet itself to do so. They would have to find a way to coexist, to realise Twilight's dream of the two races living together and learning from another; and they would need the help of people like Major Wonder to make that dream a reality.

They were climbing the east tower now. Leilani's tower, the highest and darkest tower in the palace. The pads of Sunset's hooves were itching in anticipation. Finally, finally, that sweet girl would be free of her confinement.

Free to squat in a warehouse or a bolt-hole which she shares with a score or more of resistance ponies.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the kind of escape that Sunset had dreamed of for her, and it almost certainly wasn't the kind of escape that she had dreamed of for herself, but she would be out, and free and around other ponies for the first time in her life. She could see the sky and the sun, a little at least.

And she'd be with her mother. That alone had to make it so much better than what she had right now.

Sunset raised one hoof to pause her crew.

"Something wrong?" Bon Bon asked.

"I'm not sure if the guard on the door will have left his post when everyone else did," Sunset muttered.

Lightning Dust slammed her hooves together. "Finally. Some action."

"Wait here," Sunset hissed. "I'll take care of this."

"Aww," Lightning Dust muttered. "At this rate I'd have had more fun staying in Starfleet."

Everyone glared at her.

"Okay, okay, not funny, sheesh," Lightning Dust said, rolling her eyes at their prudish self-righteousness. "It's called a sense of humour, people."

Nevertheless, their personal desire to get into a scrap aside, the others all hung back out of sight as Sunset padded up the steps towards the armoured door that held Leilani captive.

Her instincts were confirmed when she saw that the guard was still there, waiting outside the door, like always.

Unlike always, he actually seemed surprised to see her this time, although the surprised look in his eyes was soon replaced by the cruel leer on his face.

"You," he said.

"Me," Sunset replied. "You should know why I'm here by now."

"You're a little late if you wanted to say goodbye," the guard said. "The Colonel's already come to take her away."

Sunset felt a chill run down her spine. "Where is she now?"

"Still inside, but not for much longer," the guard said. "But as for you...I've got new orders, I was told that if you came poking around again...ice axe!" He held out one arm as his weapon of crystaline transparency materialised in his hand, the cold, sharp blade gleaming earily in the gloom. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Sunset's horn flared, she stepped backwards, the axe rose in the guard's hand. A green bolt flew from the tip of Sunset's horn to strike the guard beneath the chin. Starfleet claimed that it's armour was magically resistant, and unlike so many of their boasts this one was actually correct - it would have to be resistant to something, since it didn't do much to stop physical force - but unfortunately for him the guard wasn't wearing his helmet. Sunset's attack had much the same effect as an uppercut delivered by someone with superstrength, sending guard flying upwards and crashing into the door behind him with a thud.

He fell to the ground face first and lay there limply. His fingers twitched to indicate that he was still alive.

"If you wanted to kill me then maybe you should have opened on that instead of gloating," Sunset spat.

Not that I want them to be smart; we need our enemies as stupid as we can get them.

She heard her crew following her up the stairs.

"You okay?" asked Dawn.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sunset said. "Watch him and make sure he doesn't come round."

"Gotcha," Dawn said, as a pale glow began to cling to her horn.

"Scoop," Sunset said, as she typed in the key code for the door. "Ordinarily this first door will close as the second one opens; this time can you keep the first one open for me?"

"Sure, Miss Sunset, I think I can do that."

"No need to call me Miss Sunset, Scoop, we're not in Smalltown any more."

"It's, uh, Smallville, Miss Sunset, and I'm not sure what my mother would say about me being so informal."

"Suit yourself," Sunset said, as the first door rose, revealing the second door on the other side.

She walked into the chamber between the two. The first door began to close behind her, but the whirring of the engine that drove the door was soon replaced by the squeal of metal and the protesting shriek of the motor as the door's descent was abruptly stopped in its tracks.

Sunset looked back to see Scoop holding the door up with one hand. The metal was crumpled and bent beneath his fingertips.

"I hope this was what you had in mind, Miss Sunset," he said.

"Yes, that's exactly what I was hoping for," Sunset said. "Well done."

"Okay, I have two questions," Lightning Dust said. "One: how are you doing that and two: can you teach it to me?"

Scoop shrugged. "It's just the fresh air in the heartland of Equestria helped me grow up fit and healthy."

Lightning Dust eyebrows rose in scepticism. "Fit and healthy. Sure."

Although the first door had not yet closed - could not, in fact, close while Scoop was standing underneath it - the second door, the red and white door that always seemed as though it should come with a warning klaxon, began to rise.

And she saw Lieutenant Colonel Stern sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, and no Leilani in view.

"Where is she?" Sunset demanded, in a voice that came out as more of a snarl than perhaps she had intended. But the guard's cruel words had made her worry, what if she was too late? What if they had already taken Leilani to the New Orleans; what if she was too late to save the child who trusted her?

"Sunset?" Leilani's voice replied. "Sunset, is that you?"

"Yes!" Sunset cried. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the safe place," Leilani said. She paused. "Colonel Stern told me to hide here."

Colonel Stern sighed. "It wasn't a fool-proof solution, and it doesn't make me look particularly competent that I can't get a child out of a hole...but it was all I could think to do, to buy time."

Sunset walked into the room, circling around the colonel on the floor and towards the den with its bolt hole where Leilani was hidden. "Buy time? Buy time for what?"

Colonel Stern looked up. His eyes were wet with tears that had not quite sprung, but nevertheless he managed a wan smile. "I suppose that, subconsciously, I was waiting for you...to save the princess, and provide a way out of all this."

"What's going on?" Sunset asked.

"Operation Nemesis," Colonel Stern murmured. "I received my orders this morning."

"I know the name, but I don't know what it is."

"No one does," Stern replied. "But I have orders to get Princess Leilani and report to the Neigh Orleans. My wife, my daughter and my elder son will be joining me there."

"And that's a problem for you because...wait a minute, your elder son? You only..." Sunset trailed off, as the pieces fell into place in her mind. "What's the matter with your younger son?"

"I don't know," Stern admitted. "We can't take him to a doctor to find out for obvious reasons. He should have been...but when I saw the way that his mother looked at him when he was born, when I held him in my arms and watched him smile...I couldn't just consign him to the flames. He's my son." He bowed his head, and his body was wracked by a sob. "I couldn't throw him aside then and I can't just abandon him now...but I don't have any choice."

"There's always a choice," Sunset said. "Your choice is so obvious that you've already started making it."

Stern looked at her. "I have."

"It's the choice you made when you decided to raise your son in secret rather than condemn him to death," Sunset said. "The choice you made when you told Leilani to hide rather than fulfilling your orders. The choice to be better: better than Starfleet, better than your orders, better than this system that is so cruel to so many who deserve it least. The choice to be better than you were yesterday, the same choice that we all have, everyday, if only we have the courage to take it."

Stern frowned. "I'm no one special," he said. "I'm just a soldier."

"But you can be more," Sunset said. "So much more, if you're willing to try."

Stern stared at her for a moment, before he wiped the tears from his eyes and climbed to his feet. "What do I have to do?"

"For now, not much," Sunset said. "Go home, gather your wife and children and go to Number 14 Rani Street; knock on the door and tell them that the Mare in the HighCastle sent you, the password is hope. They'll know what to do."

Stern nodded. "I...thank you, Sunset Shimmer."

"No need to thank me yet," Sunset replied. "I don't know if we can help your son; but I promise you that we'll try."

"For that alone," he said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, if that's what you want to hear," Sunset said. "Go, we'll meet again soon."

Sunset's ponies parted to let him pass as he walked briskly down the stairs.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Dawn asked. "What if all that stuff about his son and all that was just an act?"

"Then I've just given away one of our safe houses, and the alarm will be raised very soon," Sunset admitted. "But that sort of trickery isn't the Starfleet way, they love their brute force too much to take a different tack. Princess Leilani?"

"Yes?"

"You can come out now."

Leilani scrambled out of the safe space and the den, emerging clutching all of her stuffed dolls, of Twilight and all her friends and Sunset Shimmer's own demonic form.

"Are you alright?" Sunset asked, and when Leilani nodded Sunset wrapped one hoof around her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank goodness. When I couldn't see you I was so worried."

"I don't understand," Sunset," Leilani said. "What's going on?"

Sunset looked the young princess in the eyes. She had never lied to this girl, in all the cruelties of her life it had seemed to Sunset that a little honesty was the least that she deserved. So she had never lied, and she would not start now. "I must tell you the truth, princess. Your father's cruelty has grown too great to be borne or endured. Already he has done things too terrible to be forgiven, and I fear what he may do next: to you, to your mother, to all of us. And so the time has come for you to leave this place. Come with me, we'll find your mother and then begone from here, to somewhere safe."

Leilani's blue eyes widened. "Leave? You mean...you mean leave? You're going to take me away from here? And I'm going to see my mother?"

"Yes," Sunset said. "Princess, it will not be easy. Your father's ponies may hunt for us, and your mother and I will have to work as hard as anyone else in order to...to defeat him. I am sorry, but it must be done and I must do it. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it...once you are free."

For a moment, and then a moment more, Princess Leilani looked at her in silence. Then she flung her arms around Sunset's neck and buried her face in her coat. "To see mother...to be away from here...whatever happens, however hard it is, it will be worth it all just for that. Thank you, Sunset, thank you so much!"

Sunset craned her neck downwards, and kissed the little princess on the temple. "This is as little as the poorest and least fortunate of girls are born with, princess: to see the sun, and know a mother's love. If this is all that I can give you it is little enough, and less than you deserve."

"But more than I ever hoped for," Leilani whispered.

Sunset let her linger there a moment, embracing Sunset tight and close, as though she were no pony but a dream, a mirage of freedom that would vanish as soon as she was released. But then she said, "Climb on my back, princess, and hold tight to my mane. What happens next may be dangerous so you must be brave for me, as brave as the little princess, can you do that for me?"

Leilani scrambled up onto Sunset's back, holding her dolls against her with one arm while she wound her fingers into Sunset's flame-coloured mane. "I will, Sunset, I promise."

"Then say goodbye to this place, and off we go," Sunset said, as she walked out of the door which Scoop was still holding up, one-handed, with no indication that it was taking any strain on him whatsoever.

Nevertheless, once Sunset and Leilani were out, he let go. The door crashed to the ground with a great thud and a screech of pain and outrage from the machinery.

"Princess," Sunset said. "These ponies here are all good and true servants of your mother. Everypony, this is Princess Leilani, daughter of Celestia."

The five mares and stallion all knelt before her.

"Our honour, princess," Razor Wind murmured.

"Your mother is as kind as she is wise, and has treated some of us far more nobly, and with more generosity than we deserve," Dawn said. "If there is aught that you would have of us then ask, and it shall be done. As your mother has our love, so you possess our loyalty."

"Um, thank you," Leilani said. "Sunset, where are we going now?"

"To see your mother, princess," Sunset said. "To find her...and to rescue her, if need be."

Contrary to the malicious opinions put about by some people, the Great and Powerful Trixie was not completely self-absorbed.

Trixie was, for example, perfectly capable of noticing that Trixie's girlfriend hadn't come home last night.

That in itself was unfortunately not unusual; Starlight often had to work late or even all night, and so she either came home after Trixie had gone to bed or not at all. Trixie wasn't altogether happy about that but Trixie had learned to accept it. This was Starlight's job and it was a job that she...saying that she liked it was a bit of a stretch, but it was the job that she wanted anyway...and it was the job that was responsible for their nice apartment, comfortable standard of living, and absolute lack of any scrutiny into their domestic arrangements. And so, as much as Trixie would had preferred Starlight to be home for dinner every night, Trixie had gotten used to the fact that it was not to be.

What was unusual was that Starlight hadn't called at all. She always called, unless she told Trixie in person that she wouldn't be home, and yet last night - unless you counted that very weird phone call that Starlight had made for no seeming reason other than to worry Trixie out of her mind - she hadn't heard a word out of her. Not last night, and not this morning either. And it was driving her mad.

That phone call. I want you to know that I love you? Who said things like that? People who were in trouble, that's who! People who were worried about their future and wanted to say goodbye without actually saying goodbye!

And so when Trixie had woken up alone, to an otherwise cold and empty bed, with no Starlight in evidence, no messages and not so much as a post-it note on the bedside table...it had made her sick to her stomach with worry about what might have happened. Trixie had been worried enough to try and call Starlight at the office, which Trixie knew that Starlight hated, because she was just that desperate for the sight of her face, the sound of her voice, or just for a little bit of news about her. But the call never went through. The number had been disconnected. Trixie's fingers had shaken as she'd called up the Starfleet helpdesk, the one-stop shop for finding out if your loved ones had been reported killed or missing in action yet.

From them, Trixie was peremptorily informed that there were no records of a Starlight Glimmer having ever served in Starfleet in any capacity. Then they hung up.

Anger had warred with fear in Trixie's heart, and fear had won. How could there be no records of Starlight? She was a colonel, with a big apartment and privileges that put her beyond scrutiny or reproach? What could have happened to her? Trixie tried not to pay too much attention to the rumours of disappearances more sudden than any she had achieved in a magic show, of senior officers vanishing in the night, their names and histories scrubbed from the records, even being erased from photographs like they were never there at all. Trixie tried not to listen to those kind of rumous, if only because she didn't want to worry too much about Starlight...but now that Trixie was really, desperately worried she found that she couldn't stop thinking about them.

Trixie had to find out what was happening. Trixie had to find Starlight.

And so Trixie grabbed her hat and cloak and headed for Starfleet HQ.

Trixie's moon-and-star cloak billowed out behind her as she walked so briskly that she was almost running down the streets. Space ponies, some in the uniform of Starfleet and others not, gave Trixie the occasional dirty look as she swept past, but she ignored them; there were more important things on her mind.

On every street corner, and partway down each of the streets down which Trixie walked, giant screens had been erected ready to broadcast...something. Trixie thought that someone might have died, although Trixie wasn't entirely sure. It wasn't something that particularly interested Trixie.

Okay, so maybe Trixie was a little self-absorbed.

Regardless of who had died and why they were such a bigshot that their funeral was getting televised across the whole city when Starlight was getting treated as though she'd never existed at all, Trixie eventually reached Starfleet Headquarters and walked in via the visitor entrance.

A slightly overweight sergeant with beady eyes sat at the desk, staring at something on his monitor. A screen on the wall was broadcasting some kind of speech by Princess Luna, would have been surprising - she never said anything these days - if Trixie had been remotely interested in it. A couple of young Starfleet soldiers, armoured in those battle vests with the big shoulder pads they seemed to like so much, lounged on either side of the glass doors.

Trixie paid no attention to them whatsoever as she made her way towards the desk. Her heels clicked dully on the scuffed linoleum floor.

She reached the desk, and waited for the sergeant to notice her.

He didn't.

Trixie cleared her throat impatiently.

The sergeant looked up with the air of someone supremely put upon by the demands of others. "Can I help you?"

One thing that headlining her own performing stage show - also available for children's birthday parties and other private bookings at a reasonable rate - had taught the Great and Powerful Trixie was how keep her nerves off of her face. In consequence, nobody watching would ever have guessed that Trixie was consumed with anxiety as she leaned insouciantly upon the desk said, "Hello, sir, I'd just like to inquire as to the whereabouts of Colonel Starlight Glimmer."

"Mm-hmm," the sergeant murmured. "And why is that of any interest to you?"

"Oh, it's just that she's my room-mate and she didn't come home last night, or call or anything," Trixie said.

"Right, I'll see what I can do," he tapped a few keys, and then stared at the monitor. He glanced at her. "I'm afraid you need to leave, now."

"Leave?" Trixie repeated. "Why, is there a problem?"

"I'm afraid it's a very serious offence to waste my time, and there is no Starlight Glimmer on record here, colonel or otherwise."

Trixie straightened up. "But that's not possible. She must be here, she works here! Trixie knows she does!"

"Look, I don't know if you're deluded or crazy but you need to go home and forget all about any Starlight Glimmer. She doesn't exist."

"I know that you know something that you're not telling me!" Trixie snapped. "I am not leaving until I find out what is really going on!"

The sergeant sighed. "Security, take this unicorn down to the holding cells and get-"

"Stay back!" Trixie yelled, as the two guards advanced upon her. "Unless you want to feel the destructive force of the Great and Powerful Trixie's ultimate special attack!"

The two guards glanced at one another. "I think we can handle it."

"Well don't say Trixie didn't warn you! Avada Kedavra!" Trixie yelled, as she dropped smoke and booked it down the nearest corridor while the space ponies were still coughing it out of their lungs.

Then the alarms went off.

Trixie plunged into the maze of corridors before her, going she knew not where, pursued by the sounds of Starfleet boots thudding relentlessly after her.

She didn’t know where she was going, and even if she had possessed a destination she wouldn’t have known how to get there. She wanted to find Starlight, but she didn’t know how she was going to do that. Her main concern at this point was just to avoid getting caught by the guards.

And so she ran through the corridors, turning and twisting through the labyrinth, changing direction whenever she heard footsteps coming towards her, dropping more smoke when she needed to, always trying to stay one step ahead.

Where are you, Starlight? What’s going on?

And then Trixie rounded the corridor and came face to face with a cream-coloured earth pony sneaking around. The two collided, sprawling into a heap together on the ground as Trixie’s hat got away from her; it rolled away from her on the floor.

Trixie shook her head. “Doesn’t Trixie know you from Ponyville?”

“Trixie?”

Trixie looked up. “Sunset Shimmer? Why do you look like that?” And what are you doing here with all of these ponies?

“Like we ought to look, you mean?” Sunset said.

“Yes! And who’s the kid and what is-“

“There she is!” cried the first member of the three pony patrol who, in pursuing, Trixie, had stumbled onto Sunset and her friends.

Sunset looked as though she wanted to curse, but it seemed the presence of the young girls was preventing her from doing so.

“We have additional intruders in Orange Delta! Requesting backup!”

A rocket launcher materialised in the hands of the third member of the patrol, a mare by her slightly smaller build and the pitch of her voice. “Rockets away!”

A trio of yellow rockets with fiery tails leapt out of the launcher in quick succession. A trio of beams of golden magic from the horn of a unicorn who looked like Sunset’s kid sister struck each rocket in turn, destroying them in a blazing trio of explosions, before her horn erupted in a hundred bolts of golden light as she fired off attacks in the direction of the Starfleet at an astonishing rate.

None of them seemed to be doing too much damage, most of them were simply absorbed by the Starfleet armour, but the sheer weight of the barrage that was being laid down on them was enough to force the space ponies to take cover.

“Dawn, can you hold them off here?” Sunset demanded.

“Are you kidding? I could do this all day?” the one called Dawn replied, a manic grin upon her face. “Razor, you got my back?”

“Always and always, Dawny,” declared the grey pegasus with the silver mane. “Against the whole wide world.”

Sunset looked up at the two of them, the unicorn and the pegasus, with an expression torn with indecision.

“Go!” Dawn declared, not letting up her barrage for a moment. “Save the princess. Save both princesses. Tell Celestia I love her still…and tell her…tell her I had plenty of regrets, but this wasn’t one of them.”

“Tell her yourself, Dawn, and don’t do anything stupid.”

“You know me, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about,” Sunset said. “Hold them off, buy us time, and then get out.”

“We’ll do our best,” Dawn said. “Good luck.”

“You too, both of you,” Sunset said. She turned away, but Trixie could see that her eyes were damp. “Trixie!” she snapped. “Come on, follow me.”

Trixie scrambled to grab her hat off the floor, and jammed it back onto her head as she followed the remaining ponies.

From there it was even more scrambling to avoid even more guards, although Sunset seemed to have someone on the inside giving her directions, and helping her avoid the guards, at least for a while.

“We’re nearly there,” Sunset said, although where they were nearly Trixie could not have said, but it was enough to make Sunset quicken her pace. “Come on! We’ve nearly-“

An armoured figure stepped out in front of them. It was just possible to tell that it had once been a pony, although right now it looked more like a robot than anything else. It was encased in armour, a carapace of black plates like some particularly well-protected beetle. When it walked, as it now advanced upon them with a tread that was both ponderous and inexorable, whirring and hissing mechanical noises emerged. One of its eyes was red, like a laser glaring out upon the world.

Only on the other side of the face was anything organic visible, anything to show that this was not simply a robot. Only by looking at the patch of lilac fur, and the blue-green eye set in that face, could you tell that there was anything alive underneath all of that.

Lilac coat and a blue-green eye.

No, Trixie thought. No, please, no, no, no!

She didn't really hear whatever it was that Sunset said. She didn't really register all the other ponies recoiling away in fear and not a little horror. Trixie's focus was wholly...wholly upon Starlight, and what had been done to her.

No, please. Trixie wanted to deny it. She would have given just about anything to deny it. But it was undeniable. She would recognise that eye in that face anywhere. Starlight. Her friend, her lover, her protector, her inspiration...what had they done to her? What had they done to her?

"Starlight," Trixie murmured, her voice trembling as she stepped forwards. "Starlight, what have they done to you?"

"Trixie, careful," Sunset growled, but Trixie ignored her. This was Starlight, Starlight and she'd never hurt Trixie, never ever, not ever.

"You have the best part of me. You know that, right?"

"Are you saying that Trixie doesn't have all of you? Are you saying that Trixie has to share?"

Starlight laughed as she played with Trixie's hair. The two of them were lying in bed, naked, a mingled afterglow of shared contentment engulfing the pair of them. "I suppose that you could put it that way," she admitted, before she kissed Trixie on the forehead. "You have all the best of me, and my work has all the worst."

"Trixie supposes that she could live with that," Trixie said, glancing up at Starlight with a smile, as she stroked Starlight's face with one hand. "I wish you didn't have to do what you do?"

"We wouldn't be living here if I didn't."

"So?" Trixie asked. "Trixie could be happy anywhere with you. We could live in a wagon in the woods where no one could find us."

Starlight chuckled. "That sounds...surprisingly idyllic. Perhaps we'll do that some day."

"But not right now?"

"No. Not right now. I...I have something that I need to do. Something that only I can do." She kissed Trixie, on the temple and on the ear. "I love you. You...you're my hope."

"Starlight," Trixie repeated. "Starlight...it's me. It's Trixie."

Starlight halted her advance. She stared at Trixie. There was no recognition in her organic eye.

"Starlight," Trixie cried, half-sobbing now. "Starlight, please, come on. It's me, it's Trixie, it's...you must remember, you have to. Trixie demands that you remember who I am! And who we are to one another."

Starlight stood still and inscrutable, silent but for the noises emanating from her machine parts, whatever they were, whatever had been done to her.

Whatever had been done to her beautiful Starlight, to snuff her out and cover her in darkness.

Trixie walked towards her, arms held out by her sides, sniffling and trying to smile at the same time. Starlight had to remember. She couldn't have forgotten. She couldn't have left Trixie all alone.

"No matter what happens, I'll protect you. Everything I do is for you, I want you to remember that Trixie. No matter what people say about me, no matter what happens to me...I did it all for you."

"Starlight, what have they done to you?" Trixie asked. "Starlight, what happened? Please, Starlight, why won't you answer me?"

"Trixie!" Sunset yelled, and Trixie felt herself yanked backwards by magic moments before Starlight's arm - and the cruel sickle blade that now protruded out from it - slashed through the place where she had been.

Did Starlight just try to kill me?

Starlight leapt after her, blade gleaming. The bespectacled earth pony of Sunset's group sprang forward to meet her. He blocked her slashing stroke with one hand, and for a moment the two stood there, pushing against one another, seeming evenly matched in strength.

A particle cannon emerged from Starlight's other arm.

Sunset cried out a warning, but it was too light. Starlight had already fired a burst of glowing blue energy into the earth pony's gut. He grunted in pain as she fired again, once, twice, three more times straight into his stomach at point blank range. The earth pony collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach in pain.

Starlight ignored him, focussing instead upon Sunset Shimmer and the young filly who rode upon her back.

Sunset's horn flared green as she conjured a shield as big as the corridor itself, a barrier between them and Starlight.

Or whatever Starlight had become. Whatever they had made of her. This...this wasn't the real Starlight, this was, this was...this was an abomination of Trixie's friend, a mockery of her.

This was not the Starlight Trixie knew.

Was there any way to get her Starlight back?

Starlight, not-Starlight, studied the shield for a moment. Then she began to fire again, blasts from her arm cannon slamming into the shield like hammers.

Sunset scowled. "No! No, this cannot be happening, not now, not when we're so close."

"Starlight, Starlight, please stop it!" Trixie yelled, as Sunset's shield began to crack under the ceaseless bombardment, with fissures and fractures appearing in the energy barrier like breaking glass.

The shield shattered.

And a rocket flew over Trixie's head to strike Starlight squarely in the chest.

Cerise Wonder threw the rocket launcher aside as she advanced down the corridor. It was a standard launcher, a backup unit intended for when the power on your suit ran out and you couldn't summon your regular weapon. As such it wasn't nearly as effective as her Crimson Rockets, but since she'd been red-flagged Cerise guessed that the morphing grid would be denied to her now. It was why she hadn't tried to power up her suit. It was why she hadn't even brought her transformer with her.

She twirled her spear in her hands. It was another backup, a standard spear, lacking any of the unique qualities of her Magenta Lance. Again, however, it would serve.

It would have to, she didn't have anything else. She hadn't even trained in the use of her own magic - uniforce excepted, and she couldn't very well fire it with Sunset and the young princess and everybody in the way, so it would have to be spear, and guts, and a little luck.

The cyborg - Starlight had been the name yelled by the blue unicorn whom Cerise could only take to be Trixie, and Starlight Glimmer was the name of the pony she come looking for. Gods, could this be THE Starlight Glimmer, the spider of Intelligence, the unicorn from whose knowledge and ambition space ponies of old families and distinguished records ran scared? If she had been turned into this then it would explain why she had been black-flagged - advanced out of the smoke of the explosion, not visibly harmed.

Still, she seemed fixated on Cerise now, which was the main thing.

"I'm guessing that you have some sort of programming that directs you to focus on the immediate threat," Cerise said. "That's good, because right now I'm the biggest threat there is."

Starlight Glimmer walked implacably towards her.

"Can you understand a word that is said to you?" Cerise asked. "Or has your head been rewired to make you incapable of free thought? Wasn't it enough for Starfleet to demand the souls of its warriors, now it's demanding your body too?" She shook her head. "Look at us. Look at what they make us give."

Starlight said nothing. Starlight attacked.

It took Cerise only moments to realise that she was completely and utterly outmatched.

Starlight was so strong, so fast, whatever had been done to her had made her more than the equal of any space pony. She drove Cerise back, and it was all that Starlight could do to the relentless slashing strokes of Starlight's blade upon the shaft of her spear. The metal staff clanged as the blade clashed against it, notching it in a half-dozen places. Starlight raised her arm cannon. Cerise dodged the shot, and used her spear as a pole to vault into the air, driving both feet into Starlight's chest. She didn't even more. Cerise leapt backwards, rolling to her feet as Starlight fell on her again.

Starlight jabbed with her spear at Starlight's visible organic eye, but Starlight parried the blow in a manner that would have been contemptuous if she'd been capable of showing any emotion before she resumed her relentless attack.

Cerise's arms were jarred by the shocks against them, and the counters that she could make rebounded harmlessly off Starlight's armour. She couldn't see a way to win this.

And yet, for all that, Cerise Wonder was smiling like a maniac.

This was what she had joined Starfleet for! This was what she had been seeking, not brutal campaigns of conquest against an outnumbered and half-defenceless people, not running the hole where the Grand Ruler threw all of his undesirables until they rotted away to nothing, not putting out fires on the fringes of empire, this! Desperate battles against deadly foes, fighting the fight for a worthy cause, protecting those weaker than herself, the fires in which heroes were forged! This was it, this was what a girl from Maressouri had dreamed of and though she'd thought that girl had perished a long time ago, the long-delayed fulfilment of her dreams was enough to put a grin on Cerise Wonder's face.

The fact that she'd had to rebel against Starfleet to get here wasn't lost on her.

And then the far end of the corridor exploded in fire, engulfed in an instant by a raging inferno. And then, bellowing in pain and anger, her whole body rippling with flame so that it was hard to tell where the inferno stopped and the mare began, Queen Celestia strode through the fires.

Her body burned, her mane burned, her wings burned.

And in her eyes burned hatred.

Author's Note

So, a couple of false starts but I got there in the end.

Dawn Starfall and Razor Wind are two OCs from my second MLP fanfic, Vengeance of Dawn, (technically, Dawn was called Breaking Dawn in that fic, but I changed her name because...yeah); even though it's been years since I wrote anything with the character I still have an immense well of fondness for her; if any OC is my personal totem, it's her. Hence why she comes out of nowhere to a sort of weird prominence in this chapter. I just can't help it.

Scoop Story is Golden Age Superman, when he was only faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound before he got all those ridiculous God-mode powers in the Silver Age. He comes via a SunLight fic I wrote with the very on the nose name of How the Sunset Sparkles, where a Clark Kent pastiche was introduced for a scene as Sunset's future brother-in-law.

Colonel Stern is probably the first character in this story to come to Jesus without having been inspired by Twilight Sparkle in some way. I can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing.

Next chapter: the wrath of Celestia!

Face the Raven, Part 3

Face the Raven, Part Three

Hello. My name's Berry. What's your name?

Raven's hands clenched into fists by her side; her own claws dug into her soft palms but she barely felt the pain. She didn't feel anything right now except seething hatred for the pony princess in front of her.

She had been so close. So close! Close to freedom, to being rid of her father and his instructions and his influence on her life and the way that he could turn her into a gibbering moron almost whenever he felt like it. Free of rules, free of missions, free of the role that she had been created for, all of it! She and Eve, with Twilight's power, had been ready to set the galaxy on it's ear. Already the Insecto Armada was headed for Equestria and once there...they'd been so close. Without Twilight's power the issue with Titan was in doubt, and Eve...

Raven glanced at her, on her hands and knees, weakened and enfeebled by what Twilight Sparkle had done to her. They'd been so close.

And all because Twilight's friends wouldn't leave well enough alone. All because Princess Twilight didn't seem to realise that you were supposed to stay dead once Raven killed you!

Raven bared her fangs as she strode forward, presenting none of her fears or misgivings on her face or in her stride but only her anger. She stood between Eve and her enemies, fists clenched, teeth bared.

"You seem to be making a habit of getting in my way, princess," Raven declared. "Getting in my way has a high mortality rate."

I'm not afraid of you. I know that you won't hurt me, Raven.

Raven hissed angrily at the memory. Why? Why should you get to come back to life and be happy with all of your friends while I...it isn't fair!

When last the two of them had met face to face, the princess and the assassin, Twilight had been terrified. That was a sweet memory, the trembling fear on Twilight's face as she realised that she was going to die, the pain that coursing through her body, the tears on her cheeks. Oh, yes, Twilight had been terrified before the end, begging for her life like some pathetic coward even as her life ebbed away from her. But she didn't look afraid now. Now she was resolute and undaunted. "I'm going to stop you, Raven. You, Titan, the Grand Ruler, all of you. I won't let you win."

Raven's lip curled in a sneer. "I seem to recall we've danced these steps before, princess. The last time you vowed to stop me didn't end to well for you."

"She's not alone this time," Rainbow growled.

"Oh, I see," Raven said. "You're all very brave when the odds are six to one, aren't you? Why don't you take a step forward and go another round with me one-on-one, Princess Twilight, and we'll see how brave you are without the peanut gallery!"

"Not gonna happen," Applejack said.

"Yeah; Twi, if you were so much as considering that then so help me-" Rainbow began.

Twilight chuckled. "Don't worry, girls. I've learned my lesson."

"What would Princess Celestia say about this?" Raven asked. "Wouldn't she want you to do the honourable thing?"

Twilight looked at her flatly. "Seriously? That's what your going with? Yeah, sure, Princess Celestia would want me to abandon my friends, because she never thought much of them to begin with - oh no, wait, that's the complete opposite of what she thought and did!"

"Well there's no need to take that tone about it," Raven said. Behind her mask, however, she was...disapointed. As ferocious as she was in battle - and Raven was a nigh-unstoppable force once a fight go going - she had often considered that her greatest asset was her ability to push the emotional hot buttons of her opponents, to force them off guard, to get them riled up and making mistakes. She had played Twilight like a fiddle the last time, getting her worked up enough about the fate of Celestia that she had abandoned all caution and rushed to confront Raven with fatal consequences. But now it seemed that nothing Raven could do would faze her.

She would have to try a different tack. She turned her gaze on Rainbow Dash. "What about you, Rainbow Dash? Are you going to-"

Rainbow yawned theatricality. "Oh, for Celestia's sake, just give it a rest, will ya? It's not working, so stop trying. Twilight's here, we're all together, nopony cares what you have to say."

"I'm afraid you can't divide us, darling," Rarity said. "Better than you have tried, and even they never succeeded for more than twenty minutes."

"When we're together there isn't anything that we can't do!" Pinkie cried.

"The magic that binds us resides in each of our hearts," said Fluttershy.

"We stand by one another through thick and thin," said Applejack, pulling her hat down so that it cast a shadow over her face.

"And we never give up, no matter what," Twilight said.

Raven growled wordlessly. It made her sick, seeing them all standing there together like that, Twilight with all of her friends. It made her so...so angry!

Raven...what are you doing...we're friends!

I'll be your friend no matter what.

Kill her, and prove to me that you are worthy to be my blade.

But...but she's my friend.

Kill her, or I will destroy and create from my soul another who can.

"Tell me something, all of you," Raven said. "If you had to choose between sacrificing your own life or the life of one of your friends, which would you choose?"

"Neither," Twilight said. "Together I know we'd find another way, a better way that no one else had thought of yet."

"There is no other way!" Raven roared. "It doesn't matter if the odds are six to one against me, I am Raven! Even if you were all at a hundred percent of your power you still wouldn't be a match for me!"

"Then I suppose we'll just have to go beyond a hundred percent," Twilight said.

"What do you think this is, a comic book?" Raven shouted. "Do you think you can say something like that and you'll just get Resolve or something that will let you beat me?"

"I don't know," Twilight said, and Raven noticed that her eyes were glowing brighter than before. All of their eyes were glowing, burning brightly with the fire of determination that burned within them to defeat her. "But I meant what I said before: I won't let you win."

Raven growled angrily as she leapt through the air, her legs carrying her upwards and forwards before she began to descend on Twilight, claws extended and hands drawn back for a slashing stroke that would eviscerate this princess and put an end to her brief resurrection.

She didn't see the punch coming. All she saw was a blue blur with rainbow highlights before she felt the fist connecting with her face. Raven's skin was light armour, the best blow of Lightning Dawn had barely moved her, but she felt that punch. She felt it on her face and in her teeth and on her jawbone and she felt the way she was was tossed backwards.

Raven rolled across the ground, wincing a little at the pain as she came to a stop. She looked up, glaring.

Rainbow Dash landed protectively in front of Twilight. "How about you rumble with somepony who knows how to throw a punch?"

"Or a kick?" Applejack added, as she managed the feat of appearing supremely casual as she ambled over to stand with Rainbow Dash and in front of Twilight, both of the hovering protectively over her like bodyguards.

She would have made a jibe about that, something about Twilight letting her dear friends fight her battles for her, but what would have been the point? They'd already proven that Raven's words had no more power to hurt them.

So she was going to have to actually hurt them the old fashioned way.

If I don't, then they'll hurt Eve. I can't let that happen.

I have to keep them focussed on me, and I have to win.

Raven got up, ostentatiously smoothing down her blue cloak. She threw back her hood, even though it wasn't time to use the uniforce just yet.

She focussed on Rainbow Dash and Applejack, stood before Twilight, protecting her...no, protecting all the others. Of course. That was who they were, wasn't it. They both considered themselves to be 'the strong one', the one who took care of the rest, the one who took the knocks and dished them out.

Raven would kill them first.

Raven charged, her feet hammering the metal surface beneath her as she rushed them.

Rainbow Dash ran to meet her, moving so quickly that a gust of wind erupted all around her.

Raven swung with her right. Rainbow swung with her left. Their two fists collided with each other as the two ponies met in the centre of the chamber, their punches clashing against one another like two waves meeting in the tempestuous sea. Raven grunted at the unexpected pain in her fist.

Rainbow smirked.

The two began trading blows, their fists flying through the air. Rainbow wasn't even trying to block, she was taking everything that Raven could throw at her just so long as she could hit Raven in turn.

You idiot. I can take anything that you can throw at me. Which wasn't to say that it didn't hurt. In fact it was starting to hurt a lot. Rainbow's blows were landing firmer and harder than any of Lightning Dawn's punches. And Rainbow didn't seem to be feeling Raven's blows at all. She stood there and took them, like a mountain refusing to bend before the hurricane. Any one of Raven's punches should have had her on her back, five of them should have turned her into paste, but Rainbow just took them, all the while wearing that stupid, infuriating smirk like she knew something that Raven didn't.

Impossible! There's no way that you could just tank all of this without even feeling it? How are you doing this?

Not when Raven was feeling each and every punch that Rainbow dealt to her. She was...she was being forced backwards, recoiling in the face of Rainbow's hurricane of punches that were, she was beginning to realise, all perfectly and precisely targeted. And each of them...each of them landing with more than a hundred percent of Rainbow Dash's power.

Rainbow's cyan eyes burned as her smirk widened. "You just don't get it, do you? One totally awesome pony can go beyond the impossible." She hit Raven with a gut punch that made her double up before it sent her flying backwards through the air. "Six totally awesome ponies can change the world!"

Raven hit the wall so hard it cratered beneath her impact. She could feel the shards of rock digging into her back. Her body was sore everywhere that Rainbow Dash had struck her but she couldn't let it slow her down. This was what she'd trained for, this was what she'd prepared for, this was the point of all the times that her dear old dad had wracked her with pain so that she could fight past it. Raven emerged from the crater with her wings flared, not running now but flying a foot or two above the ground.

A bright lavender light erupted from Twilight's horn. Raven darted out of the way, twisting like a salmon as the magical beam surged past her. She dodged a second beam, and a third.

The fourth one hit her square in the chest. Raven couldn't help but to cry out as she was knocked back and sideways. Her wings beat furiously to keep her in the air. Then she was hit again, and again, and again. A hundred bolts of magic flew from Twilight's horn one after the other in rapid succession, then a hundred more and they all seemed to home in on Raven. She was predicting Raven's movements! She wasn't firing at where Raven was but at where she was going to be so no matter how fast Raven was, no matter how quickly she got out of the way Twilight always hit her! Raven snarled in impotent anger as she was knocked up and down and left and right by the incessant magical onslaught that pricked her and kicked her and would not let up.

She wasn't this strong before. This power...is this the strength of the bond they share?

Raven was panting for breath now, she could feel her strenght withering under Twilight's onslaught that followed so swiftly on the heels of Rainbow's brutal assault. And it was planned. Twilight was hitting her in the exactly the same places that Rainbow had. It was like they understood each other without having to give voice to it.

"I will...not...lose," Raven growled, in words that lacked conviction as she struggled to break out of Twilight's attack. Abruptly - perhaps she was tiring a little - Twilight left her an opening, an opening which Raven took eagerly as she broke free and soared as fast as her leather wings would carry her straight towards Rarity.

If I can kill her then the others will lose heart. And I will kill her, there's no way that a mare like her could-

With an expression on her face of majestic disdain worthy of the grandest of the grande dames of the Canterlot social scene, Rarity delivered a ladylike slap to Raven's face that nevertheless managed to punt Raven twenty feet sideways, right into the path of Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie had produced a giant hammer from somewhere, blue with yellow stars on it, which she used to hit Raven in the face with a sound-effect that Raven might have found humorous if she hadn't just been hit in the face with a giant hammer.

Raven's feet touched the ground as she staggered backwards, head spinning, only to wander into the path of a flying kick from Applejack. Raven could barely see straight now, let alone think straight. Everything seemed so slow as she glided through the air.

She felt someone's hand on her arm.

"I'm very sorry about this, but I hope you realise that it's for the best," Fluttershy said mildly as she spun Raven around, deaf to her cry of alarm, and threw her.

Threw her right into the path of a beam of magic from Twilight that struck Raven square in the chest, bearing her backwards against the flood, slamming her into the wall, holding her fast as it pressed itself upon her.

It wasn't attacking her, Raven realised as the spell kept on holding her in place; it was leaching off her, it was dispersing her strength. She could feel her hands shaking, feel her legs grow weak, feel her head becoming increasingly light.

Clever...clever...princess.

The spell ceased, and Raven slid down the wall to hit the floor. She folded, her knees buckling first before her face collided with the cold, hard metal. She lay there, helpless, unable to move, barely able to see. They were all just blobs of colour in front of her now.

So...this is what it's like to face them in their prime. I see now why Celesto wanted Twilight dead so badly. I didn't get it before but now...now I understand. These mares...they're too dangerous to be allowed to remain together like this.

What are you going to do to me, Princess Twilight?

A shadow fell over Raven's face, a shadow dressed in black armour.

"I won't let you hurt my friend, either," Eve declared.

"Evenfall," Twilight said softly. "You don't need to do this."

"You have no idea what I need to do," Eve said.

"I understand you're scared-"

"I'm not afraid! Not of you, or anyone!"

"Let me help you, Eve-"

"The way your friends helped me? The way you helped Raven?" Eve demanded. "Don't assume that you're the only one who feels a sense of righteous purpose. We are enemies, so be it. One day we'll find out which of us is superior. But not today."

Raven felt Eve grab hold of her, saw the flash of lavender light consume her darkening vision, and felt herself being pulled far away.

Twilight watched as Eve teleported away, taking the barely-conscious Raven with her.

I suppose that means we'll see them both again. A pity...but I suppose it can't be helped.

She was conscious, acutely conscious, of all her friends around her...but she didn't speak to them. She couldn't even bring herself to look at them right now for fear of what she might see in their faces. She was afraid, afraid of what they thought, afraid of what they might say. How long had it been? She wasn't sure, it was hard to judge the passage of time when you were an imprisoned soul. Months, years? Enough time for them to get over her and move on with their lives, she supposed it was a miracle that they had come at all. They would have been well within their rights not to. She had abandoned them, she'd run away...this was all her fault. What could she say to that? How could she even begin to make it up to them?

How could she even start to thank them?

What could she say? All words seemed so inadequate in the face of the circumstances.

"Twilight?"

There was no getting around it, no getting away. Twilight turned around, to see Spike looking up at her. He had grown a little since she'd seen him last, but not too much. He was still recognisably a kid, if an older kid now. Her baby brother growing up. How much had she missed already?

Twilight's mouth felt dry, as if her body was conspiring with her mind to thwart her will to speak. "H-hey, Spike."

"Twilight," Spike murmured, disbelieving. "It...it's really you."

"Yes," Twilight said, and she found that there were tears in her eyes, tears falling unbidden down her face. "Yes, it's me, I..." She hesitated, letting the tears flow. "I don't know how to thank you, Spike. Or to apologise. You...you gave up your knight for me and I can't give it back to you. That magic...it's all used up. I used it up in-"

"It doesn't matter."

"Spike," Twilight said softly. "You don't have to pretend. I know that that power was all that you ever dreamed of."

Spike stared at her a moment, in silence. Then his arms were around Twilight's neck, pulling her close as Spike pressed himself against her. "None of that power matters a bit without you in the world, Twilight."

Twilight felt warm bodies all around her, pressing close, enfolding her in their embrace as in their love. She felt tears falling upon her coat.

"Welcome home, Twilight," Pinkie said, in between what sounded like sobs.

"Yeah, welcome home, Sugarcube," said Applejack.

"Girls," Twilight murmured. "I...I don't know how to...I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," Fluttershy whispered. "You don't have anything to apologise for."

"I...I don't? But-"

"But nothing," Fluttershy said softly but insistently. "You're back, and we're together again. That's all that matters now."

"I am never letting you out of my sight," Rainbow said, in a voice that sounded choked. "Do you hear me?"

"You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you, darling," Rarity said.

"Oh, I think I've got some idea," Twilight replied. She sniffed. "It's about as wonderful as it is for me to see all of you, right? Thank you. Thank you so much, for everything."

They stayed that way for a while, entangled in a group hug. Twilight didn't want them to let her go. She didn't want them to ever let her go again.

Lightning, Artie and Snowflame watched the scene unfold from the shadow of the entrance to the cavern.

"Well, now I've seen everything," Artie said. "More to the point, I think I've just seen my next painting."

Lightning looked at him. "Seriously?"

"What?" Artie asked. "You're telling me you can't see it in your mind's eye: The Resurrection of Twilight Sparkle, by Artie Bristles. Can't you imagine it hanging on the wall in the RoyalAcademy. Ooh, it should be part of a diptych: The Death and Resurrection of Princess Twilight."

"After what we've just seen this is where your mind goes?"

"I think that what we've just seen is exactly the kind of thing that should be commemorated for posterity in great art." Artie paused expectantly. "Neither of you?"

"What?" Snowflame asked.

"Isn't either of you going to make the joke about how if it's great art we want I shouldn't be...you know what, never mind. You've changed a lot, Lightning, but you still don't have a sense of humour."

"We're none of us perfect," Lightning muttered. "They look...they look really happy, don't they?"

"They look whole," Artie said. "It fits the way it never did without her around."

"I don't know about that, but I agree about the fitting part," Snowflame said. "Even I can see it. Looks like they didn't need our help after all."

"No," Lightning agreed. "If they ever did."

Artie frowned. "Hey, Lightning...aren't you going to get in on that? Or just go over to them?"

Lightning looked at them. Like he'd said, like Artie and Snowflame had agreed with him, it fit the way they were. With the seven of them it looked natural. The way it was meant to be.

He had no desire to intrude on that with his unnatural presence.

Lightning shook his head. "No. This is their moment. We'll let them savour it."

The three of them were silent for a moment. Snowflame asked, "So what happens now?"

"I've no idea," Lightning replied. "We set out to find Twilight and we did, if maybe not the way that we expected. We found her, her friends saved her...and now we'll see what she has in mind to save the world."