The Heretical Inventor

The Holy Felonian Empire.

A land of blight and unrestricted industry, and it occurred to the three travelers that this was more or less the world that Palderias sought to transform Equestria into if he had his way.

Princess Luna had summarized the Empire’s history on their way from Gryphonia: In ancient times, Kanines of many different breeds (including the Diamond Dogs) and Felonians lived side-by-side uneasily. The Kanines had their conflicts, but appreciated the values of loyalty and family within their packs. The Felonians, however, were stark individualists who got along with each other and their Kanine neighbors simply by not interacting whenever possible. Eventually, some Kanines formed city-states and the Felonians were forced to abide by their particular laws. And as with the other parts of the world, these states were eventually subjugated by the Beings until they were liberated by Celestia and Luna.

The city-states quickly returned to their normal order and the Felonians resigned themselves to it, until one amongst them rose to prominence. From the beginning of their history, a small percentage of Felonians have had a magical power known as the Knack, a trait similar to a cutie mark in which the individual was predisposed to a talent or skill set and could perform it masterfully, without effort. This one important Felonian possessed a Knack unheard of until that point: A Knack for leadership. When he spoke, the Felonians forgot their individualism and listened to him without question. His name was Longclaw, and he was both their prophet and their king.

Longclaw came with a message: The Felonians were the first-most creations of Sher the Flame and Alu the Shadow, the God and Goddess Cats who created everything through their sacred fornification. The world, therefore, was there for the Felonians to take and use as they saw fit. All animals, sentient or not, were there to be eaten if they saw fit. Longclaw himself was born directly of Sher and Alu and had been sent as their voice in a world defiled by decedent Equines and Kanines. A new nation was to be born out of fire and steel.

What followed was the first and largest example of genocide in the history of the world. The Felonians butchered (and in many cases devoured) the Kanines and took their land. Very few of the latter race survived and emigrated to Equestria and other lands. The Kingdom of Felonia was created overnight, and with several territorial conquests over the next year it was reformed as the Holy Felonian Empire, a military theocracy where every citizen was a member of their military, the Sacred Legions. Military industry was the only economy; the manifest destiny of the Felonians was the only society; the word of the Longclaw Emperors and the military command structure was the only law.

Truly, the opposite of Equestria, Luna had remarked at the time, quickly earning nods of agreement from Rarity and Fluttershy.

Though relations between Equestria and Gryphonia had soured in recent years, it was Felonia that was the Equestria’s true international nemesis (and by extension an enemy of Saddle Arabia and the Serene Zebra Republic as well). To Equines, Felonians were amoral monsters; to Felonians, Equines were degenerate cattle. Were it not for Celestia’s deterrent, the Eye of the Sun, a global war would have likely broken out centuries ago. Now, between Felonia, Gryphonia, and the temperamental Minotaur Kingdom (which changed its alliances every week it seemed), ponies typically stayed off of the eastern continent.

Felonians are the opposite of the Gryphons, Luna told them before departing. Never look them in the eye for an extended period of time. They’ll sense any insecurity inside of you and become… agitated.

Once again, Luna fired off her white smoke as they began their approach to the coast fortress below. This time there was no escort: Felonia had no air force, only anti-air ballistae. Not stopping at the checkpoint, however, would be a huge violation of international law and would likely provoke an incident.

Where the Gryphons had not reacted strongly to their visit, the Felonians immediately assembled into formations. Several hundred cat-shaped, alicorn-sized soldiers soldiers in full steel-plate body armor amassed around the designated clearing where the chariot landed, armed with either paw-held claw blades or spears. Rarity nervously jumped off the chariot to immediately help Fluttershy out of her harness, while Luna stepped forward to meet an approaching figure in somewhat more polished armor.

The Felonian removed its helmet, revealing orange and black fur and a pair of yellow slitted eyes. “I am Knight-Commander Frey of the 6th Sacred Legion,” came a testy feminine voice. “Identify yourselves immediately.”

“Princess Luna, Vice Queen of Equestria,” the Princess responded formally, then gestured to the others. “My retinue, Lady Rarity Belle, renowned seamstress and the former Element Bearer of Generosity, and Lady Fluttershy, expert beastmaster and the former Element Bearer of Kindness. Asleep in our vehicle is Princess Twilight Sparkle, Countess of the Everfree, heiress to the Crystal Empire, and the former Element Bearer of Magic.”

“And your intention in the Emperor’s lands, royal Equine?” Frey demanded immediately, a touch of scorn at the last word.

Luna breathed heavily through her nostrils. “We are passing through to the southern part of your continent. We have no interest in travelling in any part of Felonian territory beyond its coastal airspace.”

“For what purpose?” The Knight-Commander stepped forward, coming nearly nose to nose with the Princess. “Felonia has not been visited by a diarch of Equestria in three centuries. Why have you left your continent?”

“It is a private matter of the Crown!” the alicorn snorted at the sudden intrusion of her space. “In other words, none of your business!”

“The hell it isn’t my business!” Frey barked, causing Luna’s eyes to flash in outrage and her wings to unfurl threateningly. In response, the soldiers around them readied their weapons in retaliation.

“You dare threaten a Princess of Equestria?!” Luna shouted in fury.

The Felonian Commander’s fur stood up as if it were electrified, and from their crouched positions it was clear that the soldiers were similarly agitated. “Your rank means nothing here Equine! I was appointed to this checkpoint by the True Lord of the World--!”

There was a soft thump, and Frey and Luna turned to see Fluttershy prostrating herself on the ground.

“I’m so sorry if we have offended you, Miss Frey!” she apologized at just enough volume to be heard by the two larger figures. “We’re on a very important mission and our friend Twilight’s life depends on it, so we’ve been desperate to keep going! Please, forgive us for being insensitive to your culture!”

Everypony and everyfeline stared at the pegasus in shocked silence. Luna’s already elevated heartbeat sped up in panic. Oh Fluttershy, what have you done?! Never show weakness to a Felonian--!

Her train of thought was interrupted by a snarl. “Listen flying horse!” the Knight-Commander roared, her claws jabbing sharply at the pegasus. “This is the Holy Felonian Empire, not your precious Equestria! We don’t just simply ‘forgive and forget’ or whatever perverse behavior you creatures indulge in! We are a righteous people and will not simply ignore--!”

The large cat stopped, making a choking noise that sounded like something was caught in her throat. She took a half step back, eyes wide and pupils shrinking to slits, as Fluttershy rose slowly to her hooves in front of her with steady legs and an unsettlingly direct gaze.

“This is not the time for posturing or getting caught up in misunderstandings,” Fluttershy said firmly, her wings spreading slightly as she looked directly into Frey’s eyes. “We don’t know the right way to speak to you, but that’s not weakness, that’s just ignorance.” She shot a glance at Luna, who swallowed the insulted exclamation she had been about to utter.

Standing as tall as she could, her wings now spread wide, Fluttershy took a step toward Frey. “Ignorance that I hope you will excuse, so that one day we can learn to do better. For now, this is the truth: what we are doing is vital to everypony... everyone’s safety, in Equestria and elsewhere. It is a matter of grave import, and may keep war from claiming every land, not just ours.”

“We do not fear war!” Frey snarled, though she looked at Fluttershy with a mixture of trepidation and shrewd thought. “We are trained almost from birth to fight!”

“But you don’t fight unless you need to, or unless honor is at stake, right?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes still intent on Frey’s. “This is not a point of honor. We mean you no harm or insult. But we must be allowed to pass, for all our sakes.” Though she trembled visibly now, she took another step forward, just inside the reach of the Knight-Captain’s claws.

The soldiers behind Frey bristled, ready to assist at the slightest provocation. Luna carefully took a long breath in, marshalling her will... then gaped in surprise as Frey sent the troops back with a dismissive gesture.

“Perhaps I was... improper in my diplomatic conduct," Frey growled, her ears back as she wrestled out the words. "For that, I extend my..." her eyes flicked to Luna, who had the wits to look down and away. "...apologies," she spat out at last.

The mares sighed in relief, unable to help themselves. Fluttershy, it appears Faust has blessed you in a most unique manner, Luna thought to her.

Looking back at Frey, she remembered her court manners as she spoke. “Indeed, fair Fluttershy has made it clear that this meeting was not handled well, and I apologize as well for my part in the affair.”

She cleared her throat. “We are travelling south in order to seek out medical assistance for Princess Twilight that we cannot obtain on our continent. For diplomatic reasons, I humbly ask you to not force me to divulge the identity of those we are seeking out.”

Frey ground her fangs. “No, of course not,” she hissed, drawing her claws and shakily running them through the fur on the back of her head. “Royal Equine, on behalf of Emperor Longclaw the Ninth, King of the Felonians, Heir of Flame and Shadow, Master of the East, and True Lord of the World, I give you and your companions permission to travel south along our coastal airspace to the borders of Saddle Arabia. You shall fly straight there and refrain from ANY deviations. Failure to comply will be considered a hostile intrusion into His Majesty’s lands.”

Luna nodded stoically. “Thank you. We shall depart immediately.”

“That would be best.”

Rarity quickly helped Fluttershy and Luna into their harnesses, and the chariot was soon driven around and up in the air towards the south. The three remained quiet for a while, and during that time the only sounds they heard were the lapping waves, the air around them, and the creaking of ballistae being pointed at them. Finally, when they were well past the checkpoint, everypony breathed more freely.

“Thank Faust!” Rarity sighed dramatically. “I thought we were goners back there!”

“So did I!” said Luna, turning to Fluttershy. “Your actions were quite… unconventional, fair Fluttershy.”

The pegasus blushed. “I’m sorry if I was out of line! I just couldn’t help myself--”

“No one is complaining Fluttershy,” Luna interrupted with a chuckle, “though it could have easily gone the other way. Again, we were quite lucky… and can only hope that the rest of our route is so fortunate.”

As the adrenalin from dealing with the cats faded, Rarity sighed in relief and relaxed ever so slightly. That momentary chink in her mental armor let her catch a glimpse of two things she had been diligently trying not to think about during the entire journey.

One was the feeling of impending death that the long flights and interactions with predators had instilled in her. That was most certainly still present, though ebbing. The other was the tension still present in her heart and mind about Fluttershy, and everything that had gone on between them.

As she brought both of these fears into focus, her breath caught and her eyes widened. In her mind she had unconsciously assigned each thought a sort of weight and substance… and when she saw them side by side, her grievances with Fluttershy seemed so very, very small.

Her eyes strayed to the pegasus in question, and with a sudden effort of will she stifled a sob that came from deep inside her. A wave of images flashed through her mind: all the letters of apology, the shining eyes that so begged for absolution, the genuine sorrow that drove the painfully shy mare to keep trying, again and again, in spite of how cold Rarity had been to her.

And under it all, the thing that drove her to continue, that had made it possible for Amber Dawn to seduce her into wrongdoing, and that after too long she was finally letting herself see: the deep and abiding affection, the devotion and compassion, and the love that Fluttershy offered her freely, not needing - though certainly desiring - anything in return.

But she hurt me! She used me! the angry part of her mind retorted.

She made a mistake. You can’t expect somepony to be perfect, not even yourself, the wiser part of her answered.

Plus she’s totally hot, her hormones added, earning both an eyeroll and a blush.

And if you won’t risk pain, you’ll never be able to love, her poetic heart murmured quietly.

At that moment Fluttershy turned to look at her, a small, tentative smile on her face. To her own surprise, she found herself smiling back.

Two great armies faced each other across the plains east of Ponyville, separated only by about a hundred yards of empty land. On one side, the Equestrian Royal Army of ten thousand, consisting of all three races and both genders, their backs to a couple of hills where their commanders stood solemnly. On the other, rows upon rows of identical mantis-shaped machines, deathly still save for the occasional twitch of a pincer or the click of a gear. Their leader was nowhere in sight….

Equestrian soldiers, the deep, emotionless voice of Palderias boomed out across the minds of the ponies gathered, some jumping from the effect. You have gathered under the order of your superiors to face my drones with little to no hesitation. I commend your obedience to a higher power.

Shining Armor, Cadence, Spitfire, Broadsword, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack shared a look, their confusion evident in their expressions.

However, your inevitable cessation, should you fight my drones, is unnecessary. My forces have no fear and their existence is completely replaceable. You cannot be repaired beyond death. If you are to give away your lives, should your sacrifice not have value?

I have been given a title by your superiors. They call me “The Heretical Inventor,” and only partly because of my talents with engineering. They loath me because I espouse a simple idea that they cannot tolerate. It is the idea that everypony’s most treasured emotions are no more than mere biochemical reactions. I have proposed, essentially, that there is no higher state of being, that there is only the mundane. No matter how intense your sentiments are, they are just that: sentiments.

The authority of your superiors is predicated on the conceit that such sentiments like love and friendship are transcendent, that family and comradery have more value than practical benefits, that you can be something more than your own self-interest. The latter is their greatest lie, one which they have gone to great lengths to reinforce in your culture. Soldiers of Equestria, consider this question, no matter how uncomfortable it may be: Do you maintain emotional bonds for the sake of others or for your own?

If your conclusion is the latter, I suggest this alternative: Abandon these deceitful leaders, return to the ones that you love, and realize that this love is fundamentally selfish. Ignore the cries of cowardice, for this too is sentiment. A timberwolf that flees a hydra is not a coward, but rather a survivor that evolution smiles upon. Ignore this suggestion and die here if you wish, but know that you will accomplish nothing. Sacrifice is not transcendent, and survival is not only prudent, but necessary for the continuation of your kind.

An uneasy silence blanketed the battlefield. Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow Dash could see Pinkie’s mane partially deflate. Turning the other way, she saw Applejack’s mouth open and close, as if she was about to retort but couldn’t find the right words. Broadsword grit his teeth, and Spitfire glared at the enemy army with smoldering eyes. But the worst of all was Cadence: From her shocked expression and haunted eyes, it seemed that Palderias’ words had somehow gotten to her.

Mother of Celestia! Rainbow exclaimed inside her head. Did he just… do that to Cadence? We are so bucked. Buck buck buck buck--!

Her mental panic was interrupted by a loud snarl and the sound of teleportation. Shining Armor appeared before the frontlines, his frustration quickly slipping away into his normal bravado. “How are we doing today Equestria?” he called out to the army. When only a few muttered their replies, he shouted, “I said, HOW ARE WE DOING TODAY?!”

“ORAH! ORAH!” the soldiers cried, their eyes lighting up at the traditional cheer.

He grinned in satisfaction. “That’s more like it! Now, I don’t have to tell you that the motherbucker across the way is a huge windbag and that whole ‘speech’,” he said with a disdainful sneer, “was likely the biggest pile of bullshit you’ve ever heard, and then some!”

A smattering of laughs and applause broke out. “Thank you. But just for the hell of it, I’m gonna play Discord’s Advocate here.

“Let’s pretend for a moment. Let’s entertain this notion that our feelings are an illusion. We’re experiencing these ‘biochemical reactions’, but they don’t really mean anything other than it’s time to eat or buck, right? So, if that’s the case, anything we do, based on ‘biochemical reactions,’ isn’t going to have any meaning, right? That’s clearly the argument from Mr. Bat-Mantis, and he does a nice job making himself sound convincing. After all, if you start hearing voices and it’s not that motherbucker, you should probably see a doctor.”

More laughter came as he continued, along with a distinct lessening of tension. “But you know what? He’s still wrong and I’ll tell you why: Even if we’re just acting on preprogrammed instincts and Harmony’s not real, our choices still matter!” He pointed at Cadence on the hill.

“Every morning I wake up and choose to uphold the marriage vows I made to my wife! And even though there are a lot of perfectly good biochemical reactions that would make me feel good whether I do or don’t, I like to think it matters that I’ve stood by your Princess to this day! All of you make similar choices too!”

His horn glowed, magnifying his already thundering voice until it carried across the hills, touching every ear and quickening the ponies’ blood. Sweeping his hoof across them, he seemed to point one by one at the mares and stallions before him. “So what if you have selfish desires and they happen to get fulfilled? You’re here, right now, to do a very unselfish act by putting your life on the line for the safety of ponies you will never meet! That’s a pretty bucking significant choice, don’t you think?”

“ORAH!”

“Soldiers of Equestria, Palderias just gave you a suggestion, but I have one of my own!” Shining spun around towards the drones, his horn blazing as he prepared to shield everypony he could. “I say we show these soulless metal buckers what it means to have bonds at all!”

Fanatical warcries resounded across the plains. Rainbow Dash could not help but join them, and the same was true for the ponies around them. That included Cadence, who had gone from shocked and depressed to tearfully inspired by her husband’s speech. The pegasus could only assume that leadership ran in Twilight’s family, because Shining was every bit the inspirer that Twilight was.

So be it, Palderias’ voice pronounced in finality, and the drones all began clicking their pincers wildly, soon marching rapidly at the pony forces.

“ALL READY!” Shining ordered. Everypony leaped into the battle stances. “Mages, take aim!” The unicorns charged their horns and marked their targets. “Ready… set… FIRE!”

A flurry of magic energy bolts, all the colors of the visible spectrum, were launched at the machines. The approaching front ranks were immediately decimated, though predictably this did not slow their advance in the slightest.

“Again!” the Prince shouted. “Ready… set… FIRE!” More drones were knocked to the ground as the second bank of unicorns loosed their magic; on the opposite field, a few piles of scrap metal were now visible.

“Lancers, on the ready!”

Several rows of Earth pony knights lowered their lances. “CHARGE!” Shining roared, and the knights answered him with their own battle cries, breaking into a gallop as they rushed to meet their opponents. Within seconds the two lines met, and the Equestrian forces easily plowed through the drones. “Everypony! Reinforce!”

The supporting rows starting running forward as well to catch up with the knights, taking down drone stragglers as they came. Rainbow and Spitfire joined them with the pegasus air support, ready to attack on a moment’s notice with blades and tornados. For a moment, it seemed like they would not be needed.

And then the heavy drones appeared, tunneling out of the ground.

Everypony saw it, a clump of the knights sent flying into the air, then another two clumps. In the new clearings each were large drones in the shape of spiders. They were each the size of a manticore, covered in heavy plating, and each sported two arms with large mirrors attached to them. It quickly became apparent what the mirrors were for when some unicorn shot off a bolt, only for it to be reflected away by one of the mirrors.

Shining Armor set his jaw. “Well, nopony said it was going to be easy,” he muttered.

Industry. Industry everywhere.

Somehow in the time that Twilight had been asleep, Palderias had converted Appleloosa and the surrounding lands into a massive manufacturing sprawl. Log houses were now concrete factories; mountains and hills were mines; the once orange skies were completely obscured by smoke and other vapors.

As she walked through the complex, Twilight saw that the ponies too had been changed. Many were malnourished, and all of them has a look of desperation and hostility. There was no harmony to be found here, and friendship was in short supply.

And this is only the beginning.

The alicorn spun around to see the giant bat-mantis looming behind her. "Palderias," she sneered, her voice oozing with contempt. Her horn flashed and the Spear of Death instantly appeared in her right hoof. "Prepare to die for your crimes!"

The Being cocked his head to the side. If you must.

With a scream of fury and hatred, Twilight jabbed the Spear straight at Palderias' abdomen... and watched as it shattered in her grasp. As quickly as it did, the dark magic light within her evaporated. "But... but...."

Palderias glanced at the metal and wood shards. Once again, your words exceed your ability.

"Monster!" she snarled, backing away. Her eyes again filled up with green and red light and leaked purple vapor, while her horn was surrounded by purple, black, and green energies. She fired her dark magic, which the Being immediately blocked with his large pincers. It did not last long, the Spear having drained much of her energy beforehand in what she had thought to be a meaningful investment. When the magic ceased they both found that his pincers were lightly warmed and nothing more.

This was also anticipated, yet still intriguing, Palderias remarked, examining his front limbs. You have been described as the moral apex of your civilization and yet in a situation of survival you have elected to utilize “dark magic.” You ponies would describe this as hypocrisy, but I welcome it. Practicality triumphs over sentiment once again.

“That’s very important to you, huh?” said Twilight raggedly, setting aside her hatred for the simple reason that she was tired and out of ideas. “Why?”

Palderias cocked his head again, then squatted down. My explanation requires a story, though fortunately it is a simple one to tell.

Twilight sat, still glaring at the Being.

As your leader Celestia probably informed you, my species, which you call “Beings,” came into existence at the beginning of this world. We do not fully understand the cause or reason for our existence, only that we were not born in the same way mortal species like ponies are, and that there is a finite number of our kind. Yet somehow, that did not prevent us from engaging in the same petty behaviors that I would expect from young Equines.

Twilight almost responded, but on remembering the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their nemesis, Diamond Tiara, decided to remain silent.

From the beginning of my existence, I was intrigued by the fundamentals of creation. Put simply, I took things apart and put them back together He tilted his head, considering. Perhaps you would have called me a tinker, which in the end is essentially a prototype of an inventor. This activity, however, was not approved of by my kind.

Twilight regarded him disdainfully. “You were bullied. All of this, the terrifying Heretical Inventor and his army of soulless drones, the vendetta against sentiment and the enslavement of ponies… is because you were bullied.” She clapped her hooves sarcastically. “Well done.”

Palderias did not react to her scorn. At the time, I was not at the same level of raw might as I am today, nor was I devoid of sentiment either. Thus, as you put it, I was “bullied” and suffered as a young colt would suffer, though perhaps with a great deal more physical pain due to the powers of my enemies. This continued for many years and each day I was the “loser” and my work suffered. Even Discord at a few points took advantage of my weakness, though his cruelty was not on par with the others.

Eventually, I reached a point where my situation revealed an evolutionary ultimatum. I could remain weak and continue to suffer, or I could shed my weakness and end my suffering. In my studies, I found that children in a similar situation to my own who did not share information about their emotional suffering, despite valid reasons to do so, were less likely to be targeted by “bullies.” This phenomena was partly universal to all age groups, and there was a clear correlation between obvious emotional states and enemy hostility. I tested my theory: I began suppressing my emotions.

My success was almost immediate. The Beings who were my “bullies” did not gain the stimulus they desired despite still having greater physical and magical might, and eventually concluded that their efforts were in vain. However, they did not always discontinue their efforts, and whenever they caught me in an emotionally vulnerable state it encouraged more of their behavior. Suppression was insufficient. Sentiments were a clear liability. So I began to explore methods of reducing my capacity for sentiment, or what mortals would describe poetically as “cutting out one’s own heart.”

Now Twilight could not help but feel something for Palderias, a hoof reaching up to cover her mouth in horror. “You didn’t.”

I did, and have had no regrets since, though perhaps it is because I have reduced my capacity for regret. As you can imagine, it is not an easy process, reducing one's own emotional bandwidth to the point of nonexistence. The “heart,” as you call it, resists. However, through neural treatment and meditative technique I have all but completely erased my capacity for sentiment. The remainder is somehow beyond my ability to outright remove, but is imperceptible when I apply my mental discipline. And that mental discipline is more than sufficient, as my cognitive ability has increased in direct proportion to my decrease in emotional capacity. In turn, my cognitive ability has allowed me to increase my magical ability. Eventually, my “bullies” ceased their efforts because they were both unable to provoke an emotional response and, eventually, found themselves unable to overcome my newfound personal might.

With this result, I had all the data I needed to conclude that sentiment was an affliction of some sort that afflicted all sentient species. With this in mind, the clear deduction was that creation itself, which produces such damaged life naturally, is an inherently suboptimal system.

He turned, slowly, to regard Twilight, his gaze traveling over her as he judged her own worth in such a world. However, any system, no matter how vast, can be corrected with sufficient knowledge and power. Ergo, it was reasonable to conclude that I alone, having overcome the flaw of sentiment, had the means of instituting this correction. And so it became my task.

“And hence your actions to this day,” the alicorn murmured, processing what she had heard uneasily. “There are a few things I don’t understand though. Why the greedy ponies? If you seek to remove sentiment, why institute greed?”

Palderias clicked a pincer. You are beginning to catch on, alicorn. The answer is thus: Ponies are more predisposed to sentiment than all other species. In fact, this is true to such a degree that it seems you are directly correlated with the systemic fault in creation. To remove sentiment from creatures who are so dependent on it, a form of therapy was necessary that would overcome this affinity. If I might put it more simply, I cannot cut out your hearts for you, so I have to make you loathe yourselves enough that you will do it for me.

Ignoring Twilight’s look of revulsion, he added, This method, however, has limited success so far and is a work in progress. I may need to apply it to other species and gather data for a revised method.

Resisting the strong urge to vomit, Twilight took in several deep breaths before facing Palderias again. “Another question then,” she managed through her disgust. “Why are you telling me this now? Why haven’t you just killed me already? Why didn’t you just kill me before?”

What would that accomplish? he replied. By letting you live, I have provoked regicide and government collapse in your nation while simultaneously forcing you to confront the futility of sentiment. Furthermore you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, are an intellectual individual like myself, so it is not entirely out of the question that you might accept reason over emotion and therefore become an ally in my efforts to optimize existence. I do not experience loneliness or desire companionship, but I am cognizant of the limitations of my intellect and the advantages of allies.

I am interested in your choice. Your friends and family are all now dead or turned to enemies. When principle was to be applied, you forsook it. You have nothing left to bind you to your “heart.” It is quite poetic: Do you have the courage to reject courage?

It was just as it had been with her first encounter with Palderias. All of the other villains she had faced to this point, save perhaps Amber Dawn, had relied on displays of power and violence to make their point. Only Amber had ever tried to validate her motives with reason, and even she eventually started talking past Twilight when it suited her. Palderias, however, was so comfortable in his logic (either through its strength, his lack of emotions, or both) that he was willing to simply sit here with an enemy without a care in the world and sell her his own unique brand of evil.

For the tiniest of a millisecond, she felt like the villain for being so hostile to him. Then she remembered everything he had done and felt like an idiot.

Still, she was at a fork in the road and had to make a choice. While the idea of cutting out her own heart was a nonstarter to her, even after all the heartache she had undergone… the heartache she had undergone did give her pause. This was compounded by the fact that what Palderias said was true: She had abandoned her principles when it mattered the most to uphold them. She would love anything not to feel the way she felt, and she could help but assign some legitimacy to the idea that emotions were more than inconvenient.

One thing, however, was indisputable about her opposition to Palderias, and that was his great arrogance. It didn’t matter if he had no emotions, it was still a very egotistical thing to believe that one had the right to rebuild all of creation according to one’s will. Harmony and goodness aside, Twilight was a scientist and as far as she was concerned, such an absolutist application of an ideology was an insult to what she stood for and what Palderias claimed to be.

“No,” she muttered, then repeated more forcefully, “No!” She faced the Being with newfound determination. “I may have failed, but that doesn’t make me a failure. And I won’t simply give up on my principles because I did not uphold them at the right time. I learn from my mistakes, and the first mistake I will acknowledge is that I came to you seeking vengeance.”

A sentiment as valid as any.

“I disagree. As a Princess of Equestria, my duty is to uphold justice. If I kill for my own sentiments, as you would put it,” she smiled crookedly at him, “then I will become just as bad as those I oppose, and then I would no longer be worthy of being called a Princess.”

She turned around, towards Canterlot. “I am going to stop Nightmare Moon now, and when I am good and ready I will return here after I have a chat with Discord.”

For justice?

She turned back slightly and regarded him with one eye. “Exactly.” And in a pink flash she was gone.

A fine start to the battle had quickly turned into a great big mess. Well, a mess is what Rainbow called it, but she knew that it wasn’t the best word for it. If Twilight or Rarity were here, they would have used something more fancy, like masacre.

In truth, very few ponies had actually died, just a lot of very injured ponies kept from the brink of death by healing magic. Still, the heavy drones were beating back the front lines of Equestrian knights, allowing the light drones that had been crushed so easily to push forward and attack the swordponies and battle mages. Both Broadsword and Spitfire were forced to take command of the army’s flanks, leaving Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie to assist Shining Armor and Cadence with leading the center column.

Seeing Cadence grimace as a heavy drone swatted aside a clump of knights, Rainbow flew down to right behind her right side. “Hey! Do you want to see if a Sonic Rainboom will flatten one of those big guys?”

Cadance was about to nod when her eyes lit up in inspiration.

“Do it,” she said quickly, “But make sure you fly right through the torus.”

“What’s a torus?”

“...the big pink donut shape you’ll see when you come down.”

“Donut shape, got it! Right through the middle!” Rainbow shot off into the sky.

Cadence turned on the spot and belted, “SHINING! TO ME!”

Shining Armor spun and trotted over to his spouse, the one pony with the potential to be more terrifying (to him) than an army of soulless war machines. “Y-yeah?” he asked, barely audible over all the noise.

Rolling her eyes, the alicorn grabbed him by the neck and pulled him closer so she could explain her plan without having to shout.

He looked at her incredulously as soon as she let go. “You want to collimate a Sonic Rainboom?”

“Yes.”

“That’s… bucking crazy.” His eyes narrowed as the idea settled into his mind. “...and I think I can do it.” He turned to her with a bright smile. “I love you, you insane mare!”

She giggled and turned back to the battle before them. “Save that for the bedroom sweetie!”

Above them, Rainbow Dash had just reached the edge of the stratosphere. Doing a barrel roll, she shot back towards the earth, perceivable from the ground only as a twinkle of prismatic light. From this altitude, she had more than enough distance to trigger her rainboom, but even then with her growing experience with the move it was now far easier to perform the maneuver. However, she knew that the point was to wait until she was right at the entrance of the torus.

At this, Shining Armor grit his teeth and focused his magic, projecting a massive shield hovering above and in front of himself. With some effort, he willed a large hole in the center, which was difficult in that his discipline was to avoid any holes or weak points in his wards. With a large enough opening, he forced the edge of the shape to wrap around and connect with the hole’s edge, a donut shape now fully formed.

Cadence regarded the torus with a smile and a glint in her eye. Allowing Shining to sustain the form with his magic, she took it in hers, ready to adjust its output. About this time, Rainbow reached the opening and released the greatly accumulated sonic drag around her. The rainbow light, reacting to the magic and geometry of the torus, initially released as a boom but reverted onto itself when it touched the form. Only just a moment after she was clear, the sonic rainboom was released not as a boom, but a beam.

With a mighty warcry, Cadence tilted the torus to direct the beam across the middle of the drone ranks, blasting the metal soldiers into colorful nothingness. Not a single one survived as the energy swept over it, for even the mirrors of the heavy drones merely shattered from the force of the beam.

It lasted only ten seconds, but in that seconds, a good several thousand drones were obliterated and their formations were thrown askew… even if only for a time.

“Yeah!” Rainbow shouted in approval, landing next to Shining and exchanging a satisfied hoof bump. Cadence trotted over to them, her face gleaming with the same triumph their own faces held--

Impressive.

Shining and Cadence felt the enthusiasm of the army plummet, and their own courage did not fare that much better. Turning around, they saw Palderias striding from them, exuding a dark green fiery aura that stifled the very air around them. Two knights immediately lost their cool and, despite their officers’ protest, charged him. And with clean movements, he impaled them both on his pincers. The royals struggled internally not to show their shock.

A weaponized multichroma photon beam is not an impossibility, the Being remarked, discarding the ponies from his body. However, it is still a considerable feat to improvise one from a multichroma sonic boom. Furthermore, you are to be commended for reducing my forces to the extent that you did.

With a deep breath, Cadence said, “You are very liberal in your praise of your enemies, Palderias.”

I give credit where credit is due. Perhaps if you learn to live without sentiment you won’t begrudge your opponents their credit. Indeed, you might find the concept of ‘enemies’ irrelevant, as I do. He stopped walking and gestured to the two ponies with his pincer. I do not consider you to be enemies, or at least in the same way that you consider me an enemy. I have neither benevolent or malevolent intentions towards you. To me, you either an obstacle or an asset. Though in your case, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, you are one of the most significant obstacles in my path. You are the avatar of the most powerful sentiment of all, referred to as love. Truly the greatest delusion possible, the idea that two individuals can share their being through nothing more than shows of affection and cooperation.

“You may not believe in enemies, but you sure know how to make them,” Shining snorted.

“Took the words out of my mouth,” Cadence muttered.

His pincers clicked. As to be expected. At some point I am ultimately ignored or ridiculed. Such is the irony of creation, that I who am objective will be disregarded by those ruled by their base emotions. But that is of no consequence. You have already made your choice: You will die here, today, now.

Husband and wife nodded to each other and levitated off of the ground slight. They were surrounded by pink magic, which swirled around them as their horns glowed and sparkled. Soon, the energy gathered into a condensed sphere, and the moment their horns touched, it erupted into a concentrated beam straight at Palderias. He immediately raised his pincers to defend--

And the beam struck! Shining and Cadence could see it, as did Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, Broadsword, and Spitfire from their positions on the battlefield, and many of the soldiers as well. The beam of love magic was hitting Palderias and apparently it was burning his pincers, as opposed to no effect at all. “We did it!” Cadence gasped, holding her husband close as they continued to concentrate their will into the magic.

Hardly, Palderias retorted coolly. A shockwave of green magic emanated from him, ceasing the beam and causing all the ponies around him to stumble. He lowered his pincers and inspected the damage, which turned out to be very little beyond the burn marks. If you have not guessed yet, I spent the last one thousand years learning to adapt myself to magical energies and cancel out the effects of spells. With sufficient information, I can preemptively adapt myself to anything. Such magics as ‘love’ and ‘harmony’ however are things that I do not fully comprehend and thus prove to be minor irritations.

The royal couple swallowed at this but stood firm, though they could sense the growing despair of their comrades nearby. “A minor irritation will have to do!” Shining shouted loudly. “We will resist you every bit of strength we have!”

No, you will not. Palderias quickly raised a pincer and fired off a beam, knocking the two ponies away from each other to the ground. You will merely die, and you will die alone. No sentiment shall comfort you in your moments of oblivion.

With a scream of rage Rainbow Dash shot at the Being, the beginnings of another Sonic Rainboom forming around her. Again, Palderias responded with a quick energy attack, which was enough to send her spiralling away since she could not avert course to dodge. In the next moment, several cannon balls were flying towards him, a livid Pinkie Pie lining up more cannons still. Green fire incinerated the projectiles, casually dismissing them and the pony who had fired them. Applejack had broken into a gallop herself, yet seeing nopony’s attacks landing any damage stopped her in her tracks. The soldiers around her were petrified as well. What was this monster?

Palderias pointed his pincer at Cadence slowly, as if he was aiming. Hold very still, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. I will end your existence with the least painful method I have at my disposal.

A green beam raced at her, yet it seemed so slow. This was it, she realized. Palderias was truly beyond anything ponykind had at their disposal, and now she was going to die. And not just her, but her Shining Armor, and all her other loved ones that had joined her here to protect their home, and the whole of Equestria and the nations beyond too. Please, don’t let it end like this! she cried out inside her head to nopony in particular, her body unable to move or voice her despair.

And then a figure suddenly appeared before her, and the green light winked out of existence.