Imbalanced: The Second Diary

Chapters

Things Are Moving To Ponyville: The Paladin
Things Are Moving To Ponyville: The Mercenary
Things Are Moving To Ponyville: The Hunted
Hidden: Superstition
Hidden: Everything Is Fine
Hidden: The Spooky Ghost
Hidden: Nostalgia
Hidden: Introduce Yourselves
Hidden: Negotiations
Hidden: Tirek's Visit
Broken Hearts: The Fight Begins
Broken Hearts: Wanted
Broken Hearts: Chryssie M.D.
Broken Hearts: What's Left
Broken Hearts: Veil of Lies
New/Old: She's Ruthless
New/Old: She's Hasty
New/Old: She's Crazy
New/Old: ...But She's Mine!
New/Old: Gears Are Moving
New/Old: The Hunt
Cards on the Table: The Best Laid Plans
Cards on the Table: Quite the Impression
Cards on the Table: In Case of Trouble
Cards on the Table: Discovered
United We Stand: Living a Nightmare
United We Stand: Light and Shadow
United We Stand: Forgiveness
The End: He Who Laughs Last...
Prologue: A Handy Summary
Broken Hearts: The One In Pain
Cards on the Table: All Sides of the Story

Things Are Moving To Ponyville: The Paladin

The two enemies watched each other and neither of them was happy to be in this situation. Their eyes crossed and they knew that while the white alicorn would be content only by complete eradication of the other creature sitting at the table and said creature would be happy only if the alicorn was swinging upside down in a green feeding cocoon there wasn't going to be another chance like this.

Two quills eventually stopped scratching the parchment which was rolled up in a purple glow and levitated away by a purple alicorn smaller than the white one. Princess Celestia set her quill aside into an ink bottle and levitated her changeling counterpart's one into a hole in her chitinous foreleg where it stood, imitating Celestia's writing implement.

"Very funny," said queen Chrysalis in a voice capable of freezing the ink on the fresh peace treaty.

As much as she hated having to stoop this low she had to admit there was no other choice. In truth, there were more than enough choices starting with blowing up the stuck up alicorn's guard and turning her into a very nutritious dinner but none of them was safe enough to ensure survival of the scattered remains of her swarm. The only positive thing about current situation was that the last two hundred or so changelings wouldn't be hard to feed.

Princess Celestia was watching her foe. She wouldn't call the changeling queen a loser despite her situation. The strength and courage which changelings had shown in defending their territory against an overwhelming force rivaled that of Celestia's best warriors and their dedication to the queen made the solar princess just a little jealous.

"I apologize. There was no ill will in my little joke as I'm overjoyed by your decision. Changelings and ponies finally at peace. I'm sure you will be just as pleased to hear that my sister is working on a solution to your feeding issues which should suffice unless your population begins growing rapidly again."

Queen Chrysalis' ears twitched when she heard that. The one responsible for everything was just telling her that she would finally solve one of the problems she caused and was expecting thanks apparently. It was as one pony saying went though - beggars couldn't be choosers.

"I'm glad you're having your sister work on the problems you caused," Chrysalis said in a passive aggressive tone which would put a chineighese mother to shame.

The origin of changelings was supposed to be a secret but no matter how Chrysalis had found out there was no point in denying it so Celestia just nodded. She didn't like the stab at her younger sister but she could also see the queen's point of view. There was also a little lesson the queen might learn if she tried hard enough.

"As long as the problem is getting solved I'm happy."

The changeling queen scowled and let Celestia enjoy her moral victory. It's not as if she cared about the princess' feelings.

"Now for the other concern," began Chrysalis, "We need to keep an eye on something as powerful as the Elements of Harmony. My suggestion is to build trust by sending three Element bearers to live in my hive for some time so they can see our life with their own eyes."

Chrysalis wasn't expecting Celestia to approve of this and the entire proposal was meant to be dismissed so that her second one would be more likely to work. Unfortunately for her, Celestia had way more experience in diplomatic talks thanks to her visits to Saddle Arabia and her having to deal with Canterlot nobles on daily basis.

Princess Twilight interjected before Celestia could formulate a refusal which wouldn't sound inflexible.

"No way we're sending my friends into your underground prison," growled Twilight, remembering the time Chrysalis tried to take over Ponyville which almost caused her to lose her friends and her magic as well.

Chrysalis smiled on the inside, hotheads were always easy to manipulate. Hotheads who thought they were smarter than anypony else doubly so.

Celestia raised her hoof.

"I must, despite her choice of words, agree with Twilight. The bearers are normal ponies who have their lives which aren't connected to the crown and I have no right to order them to do such a thing. I understand your concern though and you have my word that the Elements will not be used against your nation under any circumstances."

The victorious expression of queen Chrysalis told Celestia that her student got her into hot water and that to continue this negotiation she would have to agree to whatever Chrysalis demanded next unless it was something completely preposterous.

"Trust is not easily given but must be earned," Chrysalis' pearly fangs reflected light straight at Twilight, "I can see that you care about your weapons deeply so all I ask is to have a chance to watch them closely."

"What do you mean?" asked Celestia. She was expecting Chrysalis to ask for territory or changeling presence in Equestrian politics and this was something that felt off.

"I want to station a unit of my best changelings near Ponyville."

"That seems... plausible," said Celestia in defeat, "How many changelings are we talking about?"

"Four."

"What?" the sun princess continued. Nothing made sense. Such a small number was insufficient to take over Ponyville no matter the element of surprise or their combat prowess.

"They will, of course, have to feed but they will not have the permission to capture anypony. They will also require free access to the town," continues the queen, safe in knowledge that her plan would work.

"You can't be seriously considering this!" burst out Twilight, further lowering Celestia's chances of getting out of this as a winner.

"Calm down, my faithful student. If the queen ensures the safety of the citizens then I'm willing to trust her."

"None of the citizens will be harmed, they might just feel weak from time to time as a side effect of feeding. If they get caught outside and fed on then they will be delivered safely to their homes and my soldiers will not target young villagers."

There had to be a catch. Despite Twilight's interjections this all seemed too good to be true. Perhaps the changeling queen wasn't as good at negotiating things as Celestia believed her to be. Maybe she would be able to squeeze a bit more out of the deal.

"Would it be too much to ask if I could send over an overseer to live there stationed with your subjects?"

"Of course not," smiled Chrysalis, "Said subject would have to be experienced in being around changelings though. We wouldn't want a diplomatic incident to happen now, would we?"

There weren't any ponies of that sort. Despite it being an open secret that there were changelings living in Canterlot in disguise with their pony partners there wasn't a single one Celestia could think of that would fit the bill. Then it hit her that she underestimated the queen completely.

She leaned to Chrysalis.

"Alright, we both want this peace to last so who do you want there?" Celestia whispered.

"My my... where would be the fun in telling you?" whispered Chrysalis back, "It would be so much better if you and your precious little alicorn filly worked that out by yourselves. I think I've given you enough clues already."

Celestia's grinding of teeth stopped and her carefully practiced expression of peace and calm stopped the twitch in her eye. She was angry at Twilight for her interruptions. She was angry at Chrysalis for using her own hive as a bargaining chip and most of all she was angry at herself for making such a mistake.

"I agree to your blackmai- I mean your request but I will have to think about a suitable envoy."

"I'm sure you will find the best match possible. You wisdom and intelligence are unmatched, your Highness," hurled the grinning changeling more diplomatic insults at the royal sister.

With the diplomatic meeting over, the very polite, very peace-loving, and so very smug changeling queen left Canterlot to set things up. Princess Celestia, on the other hoof, kept trying to think about the right pony for the job which was difficult with the sound of her student's angry fuming and her pacing around the office.

"CRAP!" Celestia's hoof slammed the table, leaving a visible crack. Alicorn strength was something the usual furniture maker wasn't thinking about.

Twilight stopped, her eyes clearly wide from hearing her teacher use such language.

"Have you worked it out, princess?"

"I'm afraid I did. I would like you to give me your guess in case I'm wrong though."

It wouldn't have been Twilight if she didn't have a theory of her own.

"Well, there was the bronze-"

"Different one. Think about why Chrysalis said that it was up to me and YOU to find the answer."

Twilight kept thinking and suddenly her wing shot up with a *pomf* and launched one of ornate vases decorating the office at her mentor.

"EXCREMENT!" she exclaimed and proved she came to the same conclusion as Celestia.

"Cadence is going to hate this," both princesses agreed.

Princess Cadence was stomping angrily through the halls of Crystal Castle. Her husband was nowhere to be found and it had worried her at first but now she was just angry. It wasn't like Shining to wake up before her and she loved to lick his edible mud mask off him every morning.

She was pissed at the breakfast she had missed.

The Crystal Guard training grounds were devoid of her marefrie- husband and the guards themselves were of no help whatsoever... as usual. All of them were shining more than their armors, too bad they were completely useless as anything other than a decoration. Perhaps she should hang them all and use as disco balls.

"I swear that if you're locked in the bathroom again washing your mane I'll confiscate your supply of crystal berry shower gel," she muttered and one of the guards she passed snickered.

The snickering was stopped by a fiery glare from the princess.

Maybe she could show the entire guard Shining's crystal thong, that would teach him to hide from his wife. Despite the fact that it had been her who asked Shining to wear it that one time it wasn't her fault he enjoyed it so much and loved the feeling of silk on his... nevermind.

Should she make that a standard attire for the Crystal Guard?

Just the idea made her want to pull out one of the crystals in her special drawer. Let's say that the Crystal Heart wasn't the only magical crystal bodypart around. After rummaging through Shining's room she was resolved to ravage his crystal cavern for natural resources when she found him.

She loved her husband, she really did, but sometimes he was the sole reason her job was so difficult.

In the end she arrived in the armory from where loud clanking could be heard until the point of her actually opening the door. The dusty and rusty room was full of ponnequins wearing heavy platemails which were dissolving from disuse. A strand of blue mane was swinging from behind one of the statues.

"Shiny?" Cadence asked carefully.

The shaking pile of white fur with blue mane moved and crawled out of his hiding place in the knowledge his peace was over.

"What's going on, did the guards make fun of your combat bra idea again?"

Shining shook his head and presented the cause of all problems, a letter from Canterlot.

Reading every word very carefully, Cadence suddenly had a feeling that she needed to share a bit of questionable and downright forbidden love with Celestia, perhaps accompanied by a group of minotaurs, angry griffons and maybe a manticore. Screw it, she would bring the Crystal Heart, charge it with magic and shove it up Celestia's...

For once she had to agree with her husband that the situation was dire.

"It's an order from Celestia herself, you can't keep hiding," she encouraged Shining by patting his head.

Shining just whimpered.

"I'll have the castle baker send you a batch of crystal berry muffins every week."

The unicorn looked at her with watering eyes and whined that they'll get there stale and crunchy.

"You will be protecting your sister and her friends."

Shining knew it was over when his wife found him. He knew everything was over when the letter came but the thought of his sister in danger sparked a surge of courage in him.

"You're the only one who can do this," said Cadence.

Her husband struck a heroic pose.

"Helmet!" said Shining firmly.

Cadence handed him the most fierce looking bucket with horned crown and no unprotected spot.

"Mumble!"

Married couples are often well-attuned to one another and Cadence handed him the heaviest platemail in the armory, hoping there's some air inside his helmet.

"Mrrmbfle!" Shining visibly sagged when the armor landed on him.

After looking through the trash heap, Cadence now made Shining's hooves indestructible along with his legs. Probably immovable too.

"Mumblemumble..."

Cadence tilted her head. Some things weren't that easy to understand.

"Mumble," was a hushed whine from inside the metal golem.

Before sliding the backplate over his rump, Cadence bit him playfully and licked the spot.

As a final precaution, a bubblegum pink barrier appeared around Shining.

"MUMBLE MUMBLE!"

"What?" the princess looked at him questioningly.

"MUMBLE MUMBLE!"

Cadence left the armory and returned with two strongest guards she could find in a hurry. They had been practicing oil wrestling while armed with two long and thick black clubs as was the tradition of crystal guard stallions. Come to think of it, there weren't many mares in their ranks.

Their clubs were gone when they arrived in front of the combat-ready Shining Armor. He looked as if he could withstand a meteorite strike but that left him with some fair disadvantages which his wife had to take care of.

"Lube him up and roll him to the train station!" Cadence ordered.

The two guards began wiping their bodies on the bubble with complaining Shining inside a little too enthusiastically but she wasn't going to question their devotion to the crown. They were suddenly armed with the clubs again and were using them very craftily to speed up the oil spreading process.

At least Cadence thought Shining was complaining but he might as well have been moaning. She knew her husband and two wet guards rubbing his barrier might have been right up his crystal cavern.

Back in Canterlot, Twilight was pacing in Celestia's office again.

"I could make clone soldiers to replace them after we nuke their camp!"

"For the last time, Twilight, we aren't opening hostilities just because we don't know them. Wait, clone soldiers? Where did you get clone soldiers?"

"Eeerm, magic of friendship?"

"Twilight, you can't use that to answer everything. Why have you got a massive underground laboratory under Golden Oaks Library? To study friendship. Why are there test tubes lining the walls and why do villagers wake up from time to time with dreams about being probed? Friendship of course!"

"How do you know?"

"Luna told me and you also sent me some goo via Spike which tried to take over Canterlot and spread. Some royal guards still shake when they see a jello cake, not to mention those who immediately run to the barracks and lock themselves in the bathroom."

"Oops, sorry. Spike thought the jar was full of strawberry jam and got scared when it tried to mate with him."

"Your unholy experiments aside, we have to resolve this peacefully no matter what Chrysalis' real plan is. Maybe she really just wants to keep tabs on the Elements and not steal them for herself."

Both Twilight and Celestia burst out laughing.

"Good one. Well then, how about we send a group of specialists to Ponyville ourselves to help in case of trouble? Some of your guys might enjoy a camping trip with all expenses paid. There should be enough guards boiling over with hatred for changelings."

"First of all, great idea. I know exactly the right ponies for the job. Secondly, why don't you just clone Shining Armor and send the clone to the changelings?"

Twilight shooed away the memory of long lines of tubes filled with white blue-maned unicorns created for her personal use.

"The clones aren't exactly the best and brightest."

"Neither is Shining Armor."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"And I'll keep on pretending that most Ponyville problems don't arise from your failed experiments. As for a personal concern, did you finally manage to grow some of those tentacle plants made by Discord?"

"They are currently being tested by Spike to find out if they can survive abnormal body temperature to suit your tastes... also to test how far can Spike stretch."

"Just don't break him."

"Pfff. Considering how blue-balled he's from Rarity's lack of attention I think he enjoys his time down there... erm, in the lab which totally doesn't exist."

A loud pop came from thin air and princess Cadence appeared followed by a group of minotaurs, griffons, and what looked like a smaller version of king Sombra.

"CELESTIA! HOW DARE YOU!"

"It's about Shining, am I right?"

"Of course. What in Tartarus were you thinking when you ordered Shiny to go serve that succubus?"

"It's for the good of Equestria. Twilight, what are you doing?"

Twilight stopped her prodding of one of the minotaurs.

"How are you with botany you big hunk- sorry, princess. Friendship research. If those loincloths are something to go by then it's going to be a very close friendship research."

"Good. Cadence, send your thugs back before Twilight begin bang- experimenting on them."

"Fine, this guy is staying though," Cadence pointed at the grey earthpony with godlike physique who looked similar to king Sombra but without the horn and magical marebelline mane.

"Right, who's that?"

"One of Sombra's Blackguards. We found a stash of them trapped in stasis under the castle. Heavens know they are the only competent guards in the Empire. From what I've been told Sombra infused some crystal ponies with dark magic so much that they are practically indestructible."

"What's your name, mister?" asked Twilight, absolutely mesmerized by every inch of the Blackguards muscles.

"Grawrgh!"

"Let me guess-" Celestia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," agreed Cadence, "according to some pictures which are currently locked away, Sombra was very well-endowed and remade the mouths of their guards to suit him."

"Why did you lock the pictures away?"

"Well, they used to hang in the Crystal Guard barracks and the smell there was unbearable. STOP STALLING! I want to know how we make sure Shiny is okay."

"The current idea is to send a group of ponies to stay in Ponyville as well and keep an eye on the changelings, right Twilight?"

"Hmm yeah yeah," Twilight ignored the question and kept poking the Blackguard's flank.

*Poke* "Grawr." *Poke* "Grawr." *Poke* "Grawr."

Then she recovered and stepped into a puddle of her drool on the carpet.

"Aah! Ehm, how smart is this guy, on a scale from Spike to me?"

"No idea," Cadence waved her hoof, "I usually just have them standing guard where it's really important or beating up crystal soldiers."

"Where is Shining by the way?" asked Celestia.

"On a train that will be arriving in Ponyville in few hours."

"Good. I'll have time to contact the ponies I intend to send there."

"I want to send some of my forces to protect Shiny!"

"We can't draw attention to us so no army."

"Two guys then!"

"FINE!"

"I'll send Blackie here-"

"Grawr!"

"- yes yes, good abomination."

"Grawrrr..."

"I'll teleport the last guy here when he's ready and don't forget that the minotaurs here will have your ass if Shiny gets hurt."

With that Cadence and her group disappeared leaving only the grey supersoldier.

"Why can't they ever threaten me like that?" pouted Twilight.

Celestia sighed.

"You need a coltfriend."

Princess Cadence appeared in a room overly decorated by Twilight Sparkle posters and photos.

"Flash Sentry, I have a mission for you!"

"T-Twiliiiiiiight!" came from the bathroom.

An orange pegasus with blue mane followed shortly and tried to hide his new edition of Princess Monthly under his wing.

"Are you up for the trip to Ponyville?"

"Y-yes, princess. That's where Twilight lives, right?"

"Exactly."

"Why?"

"To live in a camp there and keep an eye on some dangerous changelings."

"A camp? But... that's dirty. Where will I get crystal berry mane spray there?"

"You know I used to be Twilight's foalsitter and I'm her friend now, right?"

Flash Sentry perked up.

"Listening intensely!"

"I may have forgotten to return some of her underwear I mistakenly borrowed during my last visit to Ponyville and I just might leave it lying unattended around."

"I WILL BRAVE DESERTS AND SWAMPS FOR... PRINCESS TWILIGHT!"

Princess of Love used her powers. It was super effective.

A white, muscular eartpony was standing in front of a statue of a batpony in the middle of Everfree forest. There were some flowers lying in front of it presumably left by some other visitors. The earthpony was being watched and he knew it but he didn't even twitch his blue tail. He was more than adept in dealing with any danger the forest possessed and changelings knew not to bother anypony visiting the stone memorial.

"Your experience in dealing with changelings and your cool head is needed," said princess Celestia appearing with a flash behind the earthpony.

"As you wish, your Highness," he said, recieving an unmarked letter.

Without another word or regard for princess Celestia he nuzzled the statue's chest and left towards Ponyville.

One of the door of the train from the Crystal Empire to Ponyville opened with a hiss of hydraulics followed by boing boing boing of a pink ball with something inside it rolling out and almost crushing few overenthusiastic observers. They would have investigated the object further but they had places to be, the train to be precise. The glowing bubblegum piqued the attention of none other than the local mailmare who swooped down to have a closer look. It seemed to her that a metal statue was trapped inside the bubble and a close examination revealed a piece of paper hanging from a nail piercing the pink surface.

To be delivered to the changeling camp in Ponyville.

- Princess Cadence -

Derpy's job ofter left her returning home in nighttime hours and for past few days she had been seeing a campfire on one of the higher hills overlooking Ponyville in Sweet Apple Acres. This was obviously a delivery and as the local mailmare it was her job to deliver the pink superball to its destination.

The night came.

Three figures were sitting around a campfire in a small clearing surrounded by apple trees. All of them were just silently eating out of bowls which they occasionally filled from a big bubbling pot hanging above the fire pit.

*THUD*

Dust rose from a small crater short distance away from the trio.

"MORTARS!" screamed the tallest pony-looking creature and jumped behind a bench which she turned over to create a barricade. The fact that the bench was at most reaching her knees didn't seem to bother her.

The second inhabitant of this small camp just refilled his bowl, levitated himself a spoon without the apparent use of a horn, and just kept eating.

The third figure whose coat was shining white even in the evening gloom rolled her eyes, lit up her horn, stood up and carefully walked over to the pink, shimmering ball and knocked on it. Two points of blue glow appeared on what looked like a metal bucket with horns on it and the entire metal statue inside the ball moved a fraction of an inch with a horrible screeching noise.

"Noooooooope," the white unicorn leaned backwards and slowly backed away to her tent.

"THE MISSION HAS BEEN COMPROMISED! PLAN GAMMA!" yelled what looked like a queen-grade changeling still ineffectually hiding behind an upturned makeshift bench and threateningly holding a dripping spoon near her mouth.

"Commander-" began the only pony still sitting calmly but warily by the fire.

"DON'T LET IT GET CLOSER OR I'LL DO IT!" she moved the spoon closer to her mouth.

"Firstly - It's not even moving. Secondly - no matter what you might have heard changelings don't die when they eat normal food. Thirdly - the mere though of using my cooking as a cyanide pill is making me reflect on my life choices."

"YOU'LL NEVER GET INFORMATION OUT OF MEEEEEEEEEEEE!" the queen figure threw the spoon at the pink ball and ran away deep into the orchard.

The only male in the changeling encampment kept glaring for a while in the direction his commander ran away. In the end he just finished his bowl, carefully put it down, and walked to the lightly buzzing pink sphere.

"What have we here?" he knocked few times at the surface, read the letter pinned to it and then took a deep breath.

Shining Armor could only stare in shock as the one standing in front of him - a batpony with grey coat slightly turning blue and a purple, spiky mane - focused and a green glow swirled around a nonexistent horn proving without a doubt his changeling nature. Shining could suddenly physically feel the presence of the changeling's hoof on his barrier as it slowly pushed in and ended the existence of his defensive barrier in a crack of shattering glass. Finally with just a flick of grey hoof Shining felt a weak impact on the back of his head and his helmet dropped to the ground.

The batpony-changeling smiled.

"Prince Shining Armor, am I right?"

"Ehm... yes."

"Theo Cross," the batling presented his hoof part of which flickered green and revealed its real chitinous nature, "Pleased to meet you."

Shining tried to move, resulting in another ear-splitting screech from his armor.

"Somepony should have been oiling this thing regularly. Little help?"

The clips and knots on his armor unraveled one by one as Cross examined it.

"Thank you, mister Cross."

"Cross or sargeant, please. I've never really been... a mister."

"Okay then. What about your other companions?"

"The commander will be fine. You can meet her and Starlight in the morning. If you don't want to bother pitching a tent at this hour then you can sleep in mine for tonight. I'll just crash in commander's. Oh... don't worry about your friends, they're already here."

"Friends?"

Heavy Hoof kept sneaking through the apple orchard. He'd found the changeling camp some time ago and now he was trying to find a place where the best spot for the camp of his group would be. He wasn't really skilled in outdoor survival but despite his short history of pounding the pavement as a Royal Guard in Canterlot his circumstances had led him to one of the brightest mind in military strategy who was unfortunately not among the living anymore.

He hoped that none of the changelings had spotted him snooping around their camp earlier but even with his white coat and blue mane he was almost sure he hadn't made a sound. Operating on improvisation alone he eventually found a spot which was sheltered from heavy rain and had a clear line of sight of the changeling camp without being too visible itself. The problem was that somepony had beaten him to it already.

A grey earthpony with black mane and a muscle structure sure to make Celestia herself lay off the cake and begin drooling was sitting noiselessly next to a dark fire pit and staring in the direction of the enemy camp. Hearing Heavy approach the grey paragon of physique picked a piece of paper with his mouth and presented it to Heavy.

There's going to be only three of you against four changelings. With my husband in their hooves you're going to need somepony capable of real combat. I'm also sending you Flash Sentry in case you go hungry or need to harvest his kidneys to buy some mission-important equipment.

-Princess Cadence-

Heavy looked at the second occupant of the wannabe camp who was snoring softly with crayons scattered all around... it.

"Is that Flash Sentry?" asked Heavy uncertainly while looking at the changeling drone apparently sleeping on a sheet of paper with colorful 'WELCOM' written on it.

"Grawr," the Blackguard, or Blackie for short, shook his head, looked around, and shrugged.

Careful not to wake up the drone undistinguishable from any other Heavy picked up the drawing. The WELCOM was drawn over some other writing done in perfect cursive.

I'm sending you drone six to help with setting up camp in the best place one looking for us would choose. When you're done sneaking around, mister blue and white, and your camp is ready feel free to visit for some tips and tricks.

T.C.

Heavy muttered something very offensive under his breath. The mission of carefully observing the changelings to find out their real purpose for being in Ponyville went bust before it could even start, one of his guys was missing, replaced by a changeling drone, and he was getting really tired after walking through the Everfree forest and riding to Canterlot and back to recieve the rights to withdraw funds for the mission from Ponyville bank whenever necessary.

He shrugged. It was a stroke of luck that there was no snow yet so he unhinged his saddlebags and began setting up the frame for his tent.

"Where are you going to sleep, erm... Blackie?"

"Grrwr," the dark guard picked up an oil-impregnated, waterproof, and by the looks of it arrowproof sheet of cloth from his bag, spread it on the ground and sat down.

"What about snow?"

The sheet was now draped all over the pony like cotton candy.

Heavy looked to the fire pit at the sleeping drone who was actually curled around a saddlebag big enough to hold...

... a full set of cooking supplies and a tent. At least somepony from his group was prepared for tonight. It was just an unlucky set of circumstances that said creature wasn't a pony and was in his camp without his involvement.

When his tent was ready Heavy looked at the roll of cloth with a black-maned head sticking out of it stoically watching his efforts and at the changeling drooling from the corner of its mouth and twitching its leg from time to time. He could build a second tent from the drone's supplies but he was too tired so he just picked it up, brought it to his tent and rolled Blackie out of his cloth tube.

"Come inside. It's a bit of a squeeze but with three of us inside it won't be cold at least."

With the sound of a zipper the tent closed and after moments' worth of concentration comparable to that of a tetris grandmaster the movements inside stopped.

When a set of strong legs wrapped around him Heavy completely forgot about one missing pony and had the best sleep in weeks.

An orange blue-maned pegasus was wandering through the apple orchard. As the darkness began setting in his steps got faster and more erratic. He had no idea how long he'd been running but now that he couldn't see a thing he just hugged a tree and rammed his helmet tightly on his head.

"Guys...?"

Things Are Moving To Ponyville: The Mercenary

Morning shimmer of the rising sun caught a yawning deep-sea blue alicorn on the way to her chambers in the Canterlot castle. Moments earlier she had woken her sister up and after a heated pillow fight and subduing the alicorn of the Sun she'd been free to go to sleep she deserved for protecting Equestrian citizens from nightmares during the night.

Luna yawned again. She enjoyed, especially after recent events, trudging through the troubled sleep of her subjects as it helped her not to deal with her own. She'd felt isolated since her return but even during the first days there had been somepony by her side. He'd known the solitude of being judged by everypony around him as well. Sharp Biscuit used to be called colt cuddler, gay, abomination and yes, it had affected him despite not showing it too much. His dedication to duty, determination never to fail and bright outlook on life had carried him through the bile and venom of ponies around him. In that he'd been an inspiration even to an alicorn millenia old.

She'd met him the first day she'd gathered the courage to finally go outside of her room and he'd changed her life. She'd expected to slowly slip into the world protected by her sister but having found out there were ponies living for her and hoping for her return every day she'd been able to step out of the shadows and spend hours on end talking with thestrals who had later become the Nightguard. Sharp Biscuit had been the catalyst of that change and he'd been granted the post of her bodyguard in addition to his Royal Guard rank. With the formation of the Nightguard he'd taken his place as their leader, the mirror of the captain of the Royal Guard Shining Armor.

... and now he was dead, killed by somepony considered a hero who had betrayed everything he'd stood for and everything he'd saved before, the bronze changeling, bearer of the Element of Betrayal. They had it coming and both she and her sister should have had him watched more closely but they'd believed him to be a friend after stopping the invasion from the mirror world and saving Equestria from king Sombra... by working for him and betraying him.

Luna smiled bitterly. Her thoughts kept turning to Sharp Biscuit whenever she was alone and she'd never been able to stop her depression from swallowing her. Fortunately that happened less and less as she kept throwing herself into the dreams of her subjects who had to be protected from remembering the atrocities caused by Sombra's army during the second invasion. In the blissful exhaustion after that she'd always dropped off into a sleep resembling unconsciousness. Nothing could stop the minutes between those two that were a living nightmare though. She knew she'd get over it eventually, she knew it was a part of her undying nature but after a thousand years of loneliness and insanity it had been pure joy having somepony to keep the solitude away whenever needed.

Now it was no longer the case.

Luna didn't bother lighting the fireplace in her room or turning the electric lights on. The darkness held no threats for her as her sight surpassed that of batponies and other nocturnal creatures and without even stumbling she found her way to the bed and crumbled on it. She was out before she hit the satin blankets.

The darkness around her felt different this time, familiar but not hers. That didn't make sense though and she attributed her confusion to having a dream after such a long time successfully avoiding it. Unfortunately the first shape appearing from the void surrounding her formed into precisely the pony she'd been expecting.

He looked exactly as he was burned in her memory. Tall, sinewy thestral with the expression of somepony completely satisfied with the world around him and the calculating mind ready to deal with anything said world might present. His yellow eyes, partially overhung by short black mane looked directly into the eyes of the alicorn of the Night.

"It was my fault," Luna broke the silence.

"Don't be silly, your Highness. The call to station a group of elite Nightguards near the rift was what gave you the little time you had to prepare. On top of that I have to admit it was my attempt at protecting queen Chrysalis that helped seal the current peace."

"I should be happy about it but I would gladly hunt changelings again just to see you doing paperwork in your office."

Sharp Biscuit chuckled a little.

"I have to admit I'd love to go on a drinking binge one last time, princess."

"At least I avenged you. The scum is not disgracing Equestria anymore."

"Are you sure?"

Luna felt a chill run up her spine.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not real, I'm just the form your subconscious finds the most useful right now which means you know what I mean."

Her thoughts raced as her bodyguard kept staring at her. All Sombra's troops had disappeared after the dimensional rift had shattered. Everypony expected it had something to do with Sombra's disappearance after conquering the Crystal Empire again but nopony actually knew what had happened that day. She'd studied the details of the dimension linking spell and she knew that nopony from one world could stay in the mirror world without an existing stable rift for more than few hours.

"But he wasn't from the mirror world, right?" Sharp asked, grinning.

"He wasn't from this one either but he landed here permanently. I haven't managed to identify the magic that brought him here."

"It seems like you might need to ask somepony more versed in the art of magic if you want to find out more."

"You think he might still be around? I'm sure he's dead, I cursed him to never sleep again and my alicorn ability is unbreakable."

"Did you see his body?"

"No, but-"

"Did you see his body?"

Luna sighed.

"No, I didn't."

"Got you, your Highness. You shouldn't doubt yourself that much."

"I... you're right. I have responsibilities now, I can't doubt my judgement but neither can I blindly follow it. I have to make sure things are what they seem."

The wicked smile on Sharp's face was completely lost on Luna focusing on her next action.

"I am sure you will do fine, Luna."

"Heh, even when you're gone you're watching over me and Equestria."

"Speaking of which, the real danger is still around."

"What do you mean?"

"The rift has closed but what assurance do we have of it not opening again?"

"Sombra is dead."

"Really? Even with him leading the conquest of Equestria there was somepony else taking care of the logistics on their side. I doubt he could have done all that alone. To make sure Equestria really is safe you need to make sure no rift can be opened again."

"I've been researching dimensional travel with Twilight and we're thinking about erecting magical barriers around the Tree of Harmony to prevent it."

"Short-term travelling spells would work anyway though and mirror Twilight managed to steal the Element of Magic from Canterlot vault itself once before."

"Yes but Void brought it back to us after the second invasion had ended."

"Is he trustworthy? After all, his marefriend was the cause of all that."

"I think so. He's never been one to lie and manipulate others."

"And Scream?"

"She is... the exact opposite."

"Then it wouldn't hurt to make sure Equestria is safe by yourself, right?"

The thoughtful expression on Luna's face turned into one of pure determination.

"That means the Tree of Harmony has to be destroyed. It is the only way to be completely sure but wouldn't disarming the Elements of Harmony put Equestria into more danger?"

"Discord seems to be on our side and while he is unpredictable he is one of the ancient gods and as such he is the most ultimate force in the universe. He is personally on the level of the Elements."

"You want me to put my trust in him, Discord?"

"How useful were the Elements during the invasions? The destruction of the Tree would also render the mirror Elements powerless."

"That's correct," Luna had to admit, "It is the only way I can think of right now. I should ask my sister about it."

"Why?" the agression in Sharp's voice grew, "It's her fault this entire thing happened. Only thanks to her shoving the evil Elements to the mirror world was Sombra able to gain so much power. Who's to say she's not keeping the Elements just in case YOU become trouble again?"

"I see," Luna scowled, "That's true, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

"I have to be the one to set my sister straight if the need arises and I have to be the one to do the things she can't."

"Exactly," Sharp nodded, "You have to supplement her weakness with your strength."

"Thank you."

"I will always be with you, Luna."

With a sharp breath Luna woke up.

The evening was coming but she still had time before having to raise the moon and thanks to the clarity her dream had given her she knew what to do. To be precise she knew who to ask and she wouldn't take silence for an answer. Without bothering to make herself presentable she just focused her energy into her horn and disappeared.

She was expecting resistance but her spell allowed her to slip into this reality unrestricted. On the first look this place looked like a huge mountain with blurry surroundings everywhere around but she knew the heart of this place lay behind the sheet of inky darkness imitating a cave entrance. She didn't hesitate for a second and stepped inside.

No matter how many times she visited here she'd never understand the meaning of piles of bones lying inside a huge well-lit cavern. It didn't help that the entire place looked otherwise as one of the exquisite dwellings of concubines serving some sultan in sandy deserts of Griffon Empire. It also didn't help that her entire body grew hot when she saw the figure lazily standing up from one of the skull piles. That quickly passed though as she noticed the second inhabitant of this place looking at her while levitating a book next to him.

The first pony, a golden alicorn with white, shimmering mane, rose up and smiled at her. Luna could easily spot that the smile was at least partially fake but outside of the current situation tarnishing the other alicorn's name she didn't really have anything against Scream, the alicorn of Lust. On the other hoof, if there ever was a manipulator and a scheming bitch then Scream was one.

The second alicorn's smile was way warmer and the most noticeable thing about him were his eyes, glowing golden orbs sharply contrasting with his completely black exterior only complimented by dark purple wings and tail slowly burning with fire of the same color. Luna smiled back at Void, the alicorn of Death. Contrary to his aspect Void had always been friendly and warm to Luna and even in her current state she didn't want to needlessly anger him.

The two of them were the living example of opposites attracting and one couldn't separate them from each other even with the use of a huge crowbar.

"Scream, I'm here to ask you something," Luna didn't waste time.

"Feel free to do so, you know the rules."

Luna did. Here, in Scream's dimension created by her unparalelled magical power she could focus her power to grant the knowledge of anything to anypony as long as the price was paid... or, of course, if Scream herself wanted to do so.

"I want to know how to destroy the Tree of Harmony, step by step."

Expecting the price to be something drastic, Luna was surprised to hear a simple request for dropping her dream protection from the Wonderbolts for few days. It seemed that the information she wanted to know wasn't as difficult to find as she thought. With the promise finished, Scream's eyes glowed and she began speaking.

"Destroying the Tree is impossible for a non-deity. It is the embodiment of the balance between good and evil of existence and grants absolute power over the evil side of pantheon. Were the darkness to unite though then the possibility of breaking the ancient pact between gods would arise."

"A bit clearer, please," Luna rolled her eyes.

"Pfff, kick a girl for trying," Scream stuck out her tongue, "The Tree can only be destroyed by Discord and Nightmare working together with no Element bearers in the way. May I ask why did you want to know that?"

"Just making sure I know of all weaknesses of Equestria," Luna shrugged, "and your price was more than acceptable. I hope Spitfire enjoys the wet dreams you bring."

"I'm sure she will. Anything else?"

"No, thank you for your help."

"No problemo, kiddo."

Luna snorted and disappeared.

The darkness swirling around Scream's horn would surprise a casual observer but Void knew his marefriend was an avid user of what others would call dark magic.

"So?" the alicorn of Death asked.

"She's a terrible liar. I'm gonna need you to take Discord out of the equation, nopony other than you can even attempt it."

"That is an exhausting deal."

Scream spread her legs.

"Pretty big reward though."

"You are going to come up with something really interesting for this."

"Don't worry, Voidie, I will."

In a burst of black flames Void disappeared, leaving only thoughtful Scream behind.

On the other side of the dream veil, Luna appeared back in her room. Destroying the Tree seemed impossible so she turned back to thinking about barriers and their use to block magic around it. There was one thing bugging her even after all that. If she and Twilight eventually erected the protection spells and restricted the access to anypony from the mirror world there would still be a chance of somepony from here ruining the security.

A certain somepony. This really was something she would have to talk about with her sister.

Sole Regret was a mercenary bar and everypony knew that, at least everypony in a certain line of business involving sharp objects and using them in either effective or threatening way. The patrons here were either strong drinkers who preferred their privacy or weak drinkers who wanted the company of others similar to them to share stories with. None of that meant that they were unfriendly to occasional visitors who would gladly pay for drink to hear something amusing or informative during the evening.

Thanks to that nopony paid attention to a cloaked figure entering the bar outside of some snickers at the pretense of cloak and dagger deals. The figure looked around and its eyes fell on a pony seemingly not belonging here in every aspect but one. The pony was a pegasus whose coat was blinding white, or at least it would look like it were it not for the yellowish light turning it into more creamy hue. He was tall even while sitting, that was more than obvious, and would tower over most earthponies but he wasn't close to being as bulky as them. Those features wouldn't be the ones to set him aside from the other patrons, that honor would fall to his blonde mane, long enough to belong to a high-class mare, and his sapphire blue eyes.

When the cloaked pony looked into those blue eyes he knew he found the right candidate for the job. Everything about the pegasus screamed he was just a model that could be found on any page of a Playcolt magazine aimed at mares but the eyes proved he'd seen more than normal pony would see in a lifetime and that he belonged in this place in heart and spirit. In short, the pegasus could be slightly over thirty, looked to be in his late twenties and inside was, just like any other sword for hire, about three hundred years old.

The cloaked pony approached the pegasus.

"I'm looking for the right pony for a job."

"One bad joke about my mane and a hoofjob and you'll be leaving this place in pieces," said the pegasus in low voice.

The agressive tone made the cloaked pony step away.

"It is just a find and capture mission."

"I want to see who I'm dealing with."

"You are dealing with a reward of ten thousand bits."

Contrary to the pony's expectations that wasn't enough of a sweetener.

"That isn't a price of a search mission. Show your face."

The cloaked pony withdrew his hood, revealing an unremarkable brown earthpony.

"Ten thousand bits in advance, another ten thousand on successful completion."

Even the pegasus had hard time not coughing in shock.

"I hope it is enough to entice you, mister..."

"Icy Gaze and the only reason you know my name is because I'm agreeing to your offer. So, who's the target?"

"At the moment there are two of them but the number might change," the earthpony presented a sealed letter, "The details are inside. The seal on the letter is a talisman that can be used to report your progress to us."

Icy looked at the rolled up parchment and gulped when he saw the seal of the sun. The amount of bits for a mission like this meant that the contract would have been set by either the crown or some noble families and the seal just, heh, sealed the deal. The guy bringing the letter didn't look like a guard of any sort though and Icy Gaze was sure the princesses would send somepony capable of defending himself in case the...

MASSIVE BAG OF GOLD THE GUY HAD JUST PRESENTED.

... attracted the attention of shadier denizens of Canterlot.

Somepony wanted to make it look as if this was a high-class deal, that was the first thought running through Icy's head but the sheer amount of money involved didn't allow him to leave it. The earthpony left the big bag on the table which upon opening revealed it was filled with smaller pouches of bits for easier carrying. For a second Icy hoped he'd been scammed but the gold was as real as it could so he just slipped the piece of brass adorned with solar seal off the letter and unrolled it.

To whoever opens this letter,

Equestria is in danger. Whether you are compelled by your duty to your country or just the gold connected to the service, we thank you for your cooperation in advance. The crown would take the matter into their own hooves but current situation and lack of resources doesn't allow us to intervene directly. On top of that your first targets would know how to spot a guard of any sort looking for them.

Concerning your targets,

Your main mark is a male, pony-resembling changeling of bronze color with sandy blonde mane, grey eyes and a cutie mark of white and black rings interlocked together. He is wanted for assisting in the last military incursion into Equestria and thus for high treason. His strength lies in his mastery of hoof to hoof combat unseen in Equestria and his experience in fighting opponents of all sorts, especially those with polearms and other extended weapons. You should avoid close combat at all costs in case of trying to apprehend this traitor and never fight alone.

He is to be brought to justice at any cost, either captured or dead. In case of finding his whereabouts just send a letter with the target's location using the talisman binding this scroll and a detachment of forces will be sent as assistance. In case the target is already dead, either of natural causes or for any other reason the reward for this mission will be paid in full.

Your secondary mark is a female thestral sporting a black coat, red eyes, and red mane. She used to work in the Nightguard but left right after the second mirror invasion. She is also the main reason for us being unable to send any part of the Guard to look for her as she has very close ties to many of them. When trying to approach her you should be aware of her speed and agility but outside of that she isn't a serious threat in direct engagement.

There is also the possibility of piquing her interest in case you are a stallion of handsome features as one of her weaknesses lies in heavily engaging in party scene and one-night stands.

Her capture is preferrable to her death but do not hesitate in case she offers significant resistance. Both your targets might or might not be working together but finding one should help you in finding the other.

A good place to start your search would be the battlefield around the disappeared rift to the mirror world in the Everfree Forest.

The mission is over the moment both of your main marks are under arrest or proven dead. We keep the right to change any specifics of the mission outside of the reward in special circumstances. In case the contract gets altered and you do not agree with new objectives then the advance payment will remain in your possession.

We wish you the best of luck.

Icy Gaze was bothered at first as to why the courier would choose him over other experienced-looking mercenaries but he had to admit his looks were at least above average which wasn't the best in his line of work but considering the insane reward he got in advance now there was at least one instance of them being useful.

Hiding the bags of bits in his saddlebags he stepped out of Sole Regret. He wasn't bothered about other patrons ganging up on him to steal his payment. There were no real rules about being a mercenary but most of the older mercs had been on the recieving end of the bastard stick at one point in their lives and knew not to make enemies when it wasn't necessary.

Icy has been living in Canterlot for few weeks now while doing odd jobs here and there and looking for a caravan guard position and his apartment was one of the cheapest one could find with one of the most expensive locks and doors protecting its contents. It made little sense to casual observer but when ponies didn't have much of their own they wanted what little they had as safe as possible and the landlord of this building knew that.

Icy could just go and visit the Everfree in the morning but he decided to spend a little more time tomorrow by gathering information. If his targets used to be guards then they had to be known to other guards and now he had the right tool in the solar seal to make them talk. With a bit of politeness, hidden threats, his presence, and maybe a little bribe he might be able to find out something helpful.

With that in mind he just went to bed. Not that he was too tired but soldiers, mercenaries and other exhausting professions knew to rest whenever they could in case that any little mistake caused by fatigue and not being in top shape would cause them to rest forever. There was very little chance of getting information from the guards on duty but there might be a chance of finding out where those guys go after that to unwind...

... and every city had a guard bar, without exception.

So, the changeling guy used to be a unicorn supposedly and that little batpony 'helper' was his marefriend. The evening among guards had proven otherwise uneventful and uninformative and Icy was now on his way, flying above the Everfree Forest and landing where the rift used to be.

There wasn't much of anything now. According to the guards who had been cleaning this place up after the invasion there might still be remains of weapons and small valuables that nopony had picked up. Apparently everything in the possession of enemy soldiers had appeared here after the rift had broken and Icy could still feel his hooves crunch on something not belonging in the forest from time to time.

While he had the necessary skills for outdoor survival he wasn't really used to living in the forest and his eyes weren't trained for looking for small items in the snow. Now, nopony in the Crystal Empire had seen the bronze guy leave the castle but he had not been found inside. Icy Gaze had his experience with magic, generally being shot at him, but his knowledge of its workings was basically limited to - when it makes a big boom, run.

Thus he theorized that if everything had reappeared here, the same might be true for his target. It was an awful guess but the best he had. Now, if the target had indeed teleported here then he'd either have been eaten by some hydra, any other abomination living here, or even the changelings before the peace treaty. If that was the case then there was nothing for Icy to do. If that wasn't the case though then the target would very probably have headed for the closest safe location and the possibility of getting food and shelter. That meant the small town called Ponyville.

Icy sneered into the crispy air. The pony founders of that place had really gone over the top with creativity in naming places but according to rumors they had been earthponies so...

Walking to a road visible even from the trashed battleground he noticed a life-sized statue depicting a batpony holding a spear propped against his wing and having a shield strapped to one of his front legs. Aside from that he didn't look anything special. Curious, Icy Gaze leaned down to read a small plaque on the bottom of the statue.

Sharp Biscuit, The Guardian Of Peace Between Changelings And Ponies.

Apparently, every conflict needed heroes and villains but if this guy was of the first sort then why was his statue here and not adorning some of the Canterlot landmarks? Maybe the real heroes weren't talked about that much and this place only served as a memory for those closest to him. Whatever the case was it had nothing to do with Icy's job so he left towards Ponytown or whatever the name was.

Ponyville, right.

Just like every small town it had its law enforcement that thought it was the top of the world and wouldn't really talk to him until presented with the solar seal upon which the armored ponies almost pissed themselves and began presenting their servile, kissrump attitude.

"So, since you've turned around so eagerly. Did you have any unusual or new visitors after the invasion? Somepony with no explained reason for being here."

"Not that I can think of, sir."

"No seventh cousins of a local resident, random travellers looking for job or anything? Crazy ponies trying to take over the world and starting small?"

"Come to think of it, two of my guys found a unicorn walking through the forest."

"How did he look?"

"Empty would be the best description."

"Physically!"

"Bronze coat, blonde mane, broken horn, no cutie mark, sir."

"Good... what was with the empty part?"

"Well, he didn't talk at all, didn't seem to understand anything anypony told him. He just kept following the closest pony so they dropped him off at local mental asylum. They know how to take care of the braindead ones there."

"Thanks for your cooperation."

"No problem, sir."

"By the way, any batponies around?"

"Don't really know, Ponyville has always been a mostly earthpony town though. There are rumors about pets gone missing from time to time thanks to vampires but usually that's just boulderdash parents spew not to make their foal sad they had to flush a dead pet down the toilet."

"Okay," Icy nodded and left the guardhouse.

So, an unresponsive unicorn of exactly the same color scheme wandering the forest after the invasion had ended here. Well, at least Icy had a place to see now.

"SPIIIIIIKE! Where is the copy of Ancient Canterlot Customs I borrowed last month from royal library?"

The following silence annoyed the small purple alicorn and she stomped the floor of her new library, castle or whatever it was now after being transformed by the Tree of Harmony.

"SPIIIKE, stop sleeping till the afternoon and help me here!"

Still nothing. With Twilight Sparkle finally being a princess of something she would have thought that her closest 'subject' would be close to her at all times but apparently...

"Ehm, right."

Twilight blushed. She'd completely forgotten that Spike was now 'assisting' with a certain research in the lab underneath the library and was 'bound' by his duties...

... and tentacles, lots of tentacles.

A small candle burning seemingly forever on her table turned its flame from orange to dark red and burst out, leaving a letter right in front of Twilight. The candle had been made personally by princess Celestia to serve as a communication device in case of Spike's absence and Twilight was supposed to carry it with her whenever she had to travel. Now it found its use when Twilight needed Spike to take care of other things.

The letter flew up surrounded by purple glow and Twilight unrolled it and began reading.

My most faithful student Twilight Sparkle,

With you being crowned the princess of Friendship and your ascension into the alicorn of Magic I think you are the right one for a special mission vital for the safety of Equestria as a whole.

Fine, I might be overselling it a bit. As you know, queen Chrysalis seems to be mindful of our peace treaty but there still are the changelings that happened to travel through dimensions following Blazing Light under the leadership of his daughter. Normally I wouldn't be worried about them because young Guiding Light seemed a very likable and peaceful individual during the short time she spent with me.

Unfortunately, from what I heard Luna killed Blazing Light which caused the Nightmare changelings to leave our ranks and disappear. Therein lies the problem. According to what Blazing Light said they were created by Nightmare Moon from different dimension and managed to devour an entire world before escaping here from starvation. That means even the remaining ten of them could become a serious threat if left unchecked.

That's where your rank and also your first test comes in. Friendship doesn't always have to mean the close relationship you have with your friends. Right now it also means that your experience might help us in reaching out to Guiding's changelings in good will and start a warm relationship with her hive. The peace treaty affects only queen Chrysalis and her hive and I fear that the animosity Guiding must hold towards us might bite us in the future.

That is not the only reason for my concern. The Nightmare changelings emit a certain type of energy connected to Nightmare Moon that I've been able to feel around the castle for some time now. Supposedly all of them left with Guiding but if there is one among us then it means Guiding must be planning something and it would probably threaten my sister. Unfortunately, their unique nature doesn't allow us to use magic to track them and I don't want to order an open investigation in case panic broke out.

Minding that, I want you to go to a small village called Pine Hills on the other side of the Everfree Forest where Guiding Light and her Nightmares seem to have found home and report to me about the situation there. I will keep an eye out on my sister and protect her from any danger while you do so.

That is all.

Good luck, princess.

There wasn't a single second of doubt in Twilight's mind and she immediately rolled the letter back up. She might need her friends for this test but that could put them in danger. Nightmare changelings, even in low numbers, were supposed to be a devastating force and there was very little the Elements of Harmony would be able to do in case diplomacy failed.

She would have to go alone then.

Packing some food, locating the small town on the map, and planning a route didn't take too long. Packing some books to read on the way and during her stay took even less time and in about an hour she was able to close the library, leave for Ponyville train station, and head towards the closest trade hub from which she would be able to hail a carriage to the town itself.

Ponyville would have to survive without her helpful tips and the wisdom of her books but in the worst case she would just have to use her ability to make lists to get the town running again when she returned.

She would make Guiding Light listen to reason and she would make princess Celestia proud.

Things Are Moving To Ponyville: The Hunted

The loneliest ponies know the value of kindness.

The saddest ponies smile the brightest.

The most damaged ponies grow to be the wisest.

... if they can get to that point.

Blazing Light finally reached the famous and quite beautiful white walls of Canterlot castle. After a quick discussion with the gate guards and showing them his job application he was let in with the directions to the Nightguard leader's office. Walking up four flights of high stairs left him breathing heavily but he persevered. The little flicker of hope inside him drove him forward and he faked the most determined expression he could muster at this point.

Nopony answered his repeated knocking so he decided to sit down. If his future rested on him being patient enough to wait few... hours he was sure he could at least do that. He kept going over the lies he could tell this Choking pony about his qualities to let him get whatever job was here to get. There was no way he would just tell the truth as the only answer he would get would be a swift kick to the rump.

The waiting was getting longer and longer and with every passing minute he was more sure that all this was a mistake. He was getting to the conclusion that running away from home was just another of his failures. Perhaps he could go back and apologize for everything? No... for once he would stand up and face his decision himself.

What seemed like hours passed.

Nopony was coming leading him to the suspicion that the job he'd come here to apply for was no longer an option. It was a sign of fate that he really had no place in this world. This time he wasn't able to snap back to the part of him determined to wait here until he starved. Right now he knew he wasn't fit to waste the time of anypony here.

With that he left the castle, spent all his remaining bits on a bottle of the cheapest and the most sour wine he could find and began drinking on his way to the walls of Canterlot city. He thought about the crappy product in his hooves and the crappy product that was holding the wine. He wasn't a pony, he was just a manufacturing failure.

With enough liquid courage in him the swaying unicorn walked up the stairs leading to the battlements and made the world a little better place.

"Miss Darkness!"

It's been a week since my moving to Ponyville and I've been living in a small hotel and looking for a cheap house.

"Miss Darkness!"

I've also been working in the local mental institution or relaxation resort or whatever one might call it. Basically it's an insane asylum crossed with holiday resort where ponies can rest after serious events. They were understaffed thanks to recent invasion which left a trail of death throughout Equestria so doctor Bright Eye allowed me to help around even without any previous experience.

"Miss Darkness!"

There was one more reason though...

"DARKY!"

"Listening," I finally react to dr. Bright calling me.

"Thank you."

"Told ya how to call me. What do ya need?" I smile smugly.

"I don't think it's me who needs your help right now. Your 'friend' is screaming his lungs off in his cell."

I'm suddenly awake

"Buck! Thanks doc, I'm going."

"Should I come too?"

"Only if ya hear me scream as well!" I'm already clearing the stairs to the second floor.

A patient resembling my... friend was found wandering around the Everfree forest and starving to death. He didn't react to anything anypony said or did to him, he just kept following two guys in guard armor who led him here where he was diagnosed as basically a braindead hollow shell.

When I by a lucky coincidence noticed his familiar face in the asylum window I used my impeccable charm and the diplomatic weight of my Nightguard badge to find out what happened from the doc. Despite what Bright Eye said I knew there was something left of my friend the second I saw him. Well, few seconds later when Bright told me that I was the only pony the patient wasn't terrified of.

"What's wrong?" I ask without expecting an answer and run to the bronze-coated unicorn with broken horn and blonde mane drenched with sweat sitting straight on the bed and shaking all over.

He twitches and pulls up his blanket but when he notices it's me he stops screaming and lets out a soft sigh. This has been happening for few days and the result is always the same. On one hoof I'm glad he calms down and goes back to sleep again because I have a pretty good idea about what caused his condition but on the other he's losing his muscles due to lack of movement and staying indoors all the time can't be healthy.

In the end I just pat his head and help him get comfortable on the pillow. I hate it's the only thing I can do but Bright told me these things are more than uncertain and take long time. The thing is that I threw away everything I had - my guard career, my reputation with princess Luna and my friends - just to have a one in a million chance that this unicorn might really be Blaze and that he might recover one day.

I had to...

This guy who saved Equestria twice had everypony, almost including me, turn against him in the end and yet I'm sure that without him we'd be licking Sombra's hooves right now. That's why I had to take the risk, hide all traces behind me and at least try to make up for my and everypony else's mistakes.

Who am I kidding? The real reason for hiding is making sure Luna doesn't find him and torture him again.

"Better?" asks Bright Eye when I return back to the asylum lobby where I'm working partially as a receptionist, partially as a nurse and partially as a bouncer or whatever they call the guys helping restrain the crazies.

"Yeah. Blaze is sleeping again."

"Blaze?"

"I meant the patient... I call him that because his bronze coat looks like fire in the ligh-"

The doc raises an eyebrow. A move that can mean anything and achieve anything in the hooves of the right pony.

"-That's not gonna pass, is it?" I grin nervously.

"I'm not going to push it but you should tell me what you know so I can help him."

"I don't know that much. I don't even know if he really is who I think he is. All I know is that you were probably right when you described his condition as one caused by a long-term sleep deprivation. Two weeks of no sleep at all to be precise."

"That's impossible. Nopony can survive that."

"I suppose magic was involved."

"That doesn't matter. No unicorn could keep using magic after at most four days without sleep even if he somehow stayed conscious."

"If I'm right then it was more like he wasn't able to die during those two weeks."

I'm not going to tell the doc anything more but the little details I shared from time to time might help him in doing something. At times like this I really wish I had any interest in psychology but I really don't.

"What monster would do such a thing to another living being?" asks Bright with narrow eyes and ears splayed back.

I just shake my head.

"Wrong question, doc."

He sighs and gestures to the two stumps where my bat wings used to be.

"Does it have something to do with that?"

"A bit... what tipped you off?"

He smiles a bit.

"Unicorn with a broken horn and a batpony with torn wings who appear under mysterous circumstances and don't or can't talk about their past but seem to know each other. The two of you would make up a pretty mysterious alicorn albeit a bit crappy one."

I snort at the image but can't help smiling as well.

"Yeah, we would be the princess of almost-getting-things-done and rule a trash can in Canterlot with rats as our subjects."

"On a loosely related subject - I found the place you were looking for."

"Oh, the house?"

"Yes. It's a bit older house but surprisingly cheap. I was surprised myself at something of that sort being in Ponyville so I went to the Mayor's office and asked about why the place was so inexpensive."

"Two stories, broken floors?"

"Two stories yes, broken floors no. The house isn't actually too big but it's in decent shape and as I said extremely cheap."

"Flooding?"

"No."

"Discord's secret base?"

"No, that's Fluttershy's cottage. Wait... you've been here only for over a week and you know about Discord already?"

"All plates at the hotel I'm staying in suddenly began flying around and chase the customers. It was pretty fun actually."

"Well, no. The Mayor didn't say anything about any chaos magic."

"Bad neighbours?"

"Roseluck - a flower vendor and Lyra Heartstrings - a bit quirky musician."

"I'm running out of ideas but this is actually fun. Gas leaks?"

"No but if Lyra's imagination is something to go by then you might want to get the pipes checked eventually."

"Hmmm... is it built on ancient buffalo burial ground?"

"Ding ding ding, we've got a winner!"

"You're kidding."

"I am actually but from what I heard from the Mayor the place is supposed to be haunted."

"Why can't things ever be easy?" I roll my eyes.

"Well, it's not like you HAVE to buy the place."

"In past three years I've developed a sense for these things. Where can I sign the papers?"

"It's town property so you've got to talk to Mayor Mare. Say, what does your special sense tell you about the group of changelings that moved to the Sweet Apple Acres yesterday?"

"Ugh. It's asking about the closest place that sells hard liquor."

"I thought it might."

"Can ya let me off the hook early today, doc?"

"You know what? Go give miss Pearl a sponge bath and you can leave after that."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Can you give me a plush doll of yourself to give to your patient?"

"Ya sure ya don't want one for yourself as well?" I grin.

"I am a happily divorced pony, miss."

"Awwwww..."

"That means it would have to be a life-sized one."

The doc waves his hoof towards the patients' rooms and I rush off in search of a sponge and a bucket.

Ponyville was different from Canterlot in every aspect imaginable, but the obvious contrasts were completely ignored by the white pegasus strolling through and pondering the information he had gotten back in the shining royal city.

"How long have you served in the guard, pal?" the tall pegasus asked. He had the build of somepony deserving to be royalty, not even prince Blueblood could match his posture and calm poise and everything about the pegasus showed his presence wasn't an act.

"Who's asking?" the recipient of the precious question narrowed his eyes.

The bar both of them were sitting in was one of a kind even in a city like this, it was a bar for guards. No matter if the incoming badge-wearing pavement-pounder had bat wings or pegasi ones or no wings at all they were all brothers here. All the official and unofficial distance between the Royal Guard and the Nightguard was left behind the unmarked door leading to the street because all guards knew one thing - when in trouble, you can only rely on those whom the trouble might be aiming for next.

None of that meant that other patrons couldn't visit the large room with dim, yellowish light hanging in the air trapped by the smoke of lit cigarettes, they just usually left and never returned after being in the presence of those who had seen enough dirt to keep them from ever being clean. In short, the atmosphere of the guard bar was that of a post-apocalyptic mercenary one with the slight difference that the ponies inside weren't used to seeing monsters roaming the wasteland, they were used to seeing monsters roaming the minds of other ponies.

"Why don't you tell me?" the pegasus grinned and presented a rolled up letter bearing a seal of midday sun.

Icy Gaze was the name of the pegasus and quite obviously stemmed from his sapphire blue eyes almost glowing even in the light of the dusty room.

"A mercenary working for the crown? What is Equestria coming to..." the guard rolled his eyes.

"So, do you know anything or not?" Icy Gaze asked calmly. The orders in said letter weren't to be done in a hurry and his entire mission had a more exploratory context than anything else.

"Not really," the guard shrugged, "He was a bit of a loner but if you could find the batpony he kept hanging out with she might tell you more. I don't think even the recruits he's been training would be able to tell you anything. There's one thing they say though-"

"Who is 'they'?" asked Icy Gaze, his cold stare (TM) shutting the guard mid-sentence.

"I mean it's sort of a legend around the castle. It's said he used to be a unicorn but got cursed by the changeling queen and then turned into one of them. As a revenge he decimated a good part of her invading force during the changeling attack almost two years ago."

"Unicorn you say?" Icy scratched his chin.

"Yep, they say the princesses hushed it up because all of them were under his mind-control spell."

"Once again," Icy's mouth formed a grin of a tiger ready to pounce, "Who is 'they'?"

"Once again," parodied the older guard, "it's sort of a legend, kid."

The audible threat in the guard's voice was enough to make the ones in nearby chairs take stock of the situation and the pegasus mercenary noticed that as well. While his observation skills wouldn't rival those of trained and experienced guards he'd spent enough time in shady bars to know when to depart otherwise he would risk being 'departed' at much faster pace and with some considerable assistance.

Icy stood up and towered over the half-drunk guard.

"The crown thanks you for your cooperation," he said politely and left the estabilishment.

The piece of information seemed useless but gaining some more would either require considerable amount of time or money and while he had the money thanks to a rather heavy bag of bits he'd gotten along with the letter, the time was an unknown resource.

Spreading his wings which dwarfed those of most pegasi, he flew towards his current cheap home with a plan in mind.

Tomorrow he would 'observe' the asylum.

Hidden: Superstition

A coward dies a thousand deaths whereas a hero dies only once.

Standing behind a bar and cleaning some glasses, Blazing Light wasn't having exactly a bad time but was thinking about the value of friendship as the pony in front of him kept crying about his love life. At least he had a love life, lucky bastard. The promise to his sexy boss that he'd help this evening was sort of weighing on his mind more and more the longer the washed-out noble kept on talking but being a bartender for one evening wasn't difficult and he'd get some bits as a bonus to his coal duty.

The noblepony slumped from his chair and landed on the ground leaving two other helpers pulling him to the kitchen where he would promtly be delivered to his house via a carriage. Blazing grinned and looked around. The party was in full swing, everypony was mingling and most importantly nopony was paying attention to him and he was free to keep looking for a black batpony doubtlessly trying to win over a lesser noble for the night. Eventually he succeeded and had to snicker when he saw his boss surrounded by stallions and mares on all sides fighting for her attention.

After few days in her occasional company he didn't exactly have his hopes up but it seemed that she liked him. That of course didn't mean she would want to know him deeper but at least he got a smile from her now and then. Now, seeing the asskissers around her, he knew she could have anything she wanted from any of those ponies. He should just stick to attainable dreams - a roof over his head and something warm to eat.

Or perhaps, you know, maybe down the road... in few years... as they say... if, by some stroke of luck, he got somewhere from hauling coal in Canterlot castle he could ask her out on a date or two...

Blazing's sadistic grin would shock anypony not knowing its target was Blazing himself. He cursed the little hope remaining and returned to cleaning glasses. To his surprise there was a pegasus mare standing in front of the bar and talking to him, at least trying to talk to him. Her features were somewhat obscured by the gems laid out on her body in a pattern leading everypony looking at her to slide their gaze all over her body and begin panting. The only other eye-catching point was her emerald eyes seemingly looking deep into Blazing right now.

He couldn't believe his luck when she, when he offered her a drink, said she would want his company more than just some wine and that the two of them should find a place where nopony would bother their little chat. Blazing looked around, saw his boss still flirting with suitors and decided he deserved at least something for his efforts so he abandoned his promise of helping through the evening and followed the pegasus out of the ballroom.

When they found a quiet spot he got exactly what he deserved. The pegasus revealed her sharp teeth and thoughtfully left the castle and a unicorn corpse while planning what to do with the information she recieved.

"Evening, mayor!" I smile at the brown, grey-maned mare sitting behind a desk.

"Ah, you're here about the house, miss...?"

"Choking Darkness but call me Darky, please."

"Alright, miss Darky. The house is vacant and for sale but I'm afraid I have to warn you that some of the previous inhabitants seemed a bit unsettled by it."

"Yeah, doc told me the place was haunted."

"Well, whatever the rumors are the place definitely isn't home to any supernatural fenomena. We had princess Sparkle take a look at it and she said there was nothing unusual about the place. I guess the previous owners just needed an excuse to move out without upsetting their neighbors."

"Okaaaaay?"

"Nevermind that. If you're still interested then I have the deeds right here," Mayor Mare pulls out a set of papers from a drawer in her desk, "All it takes is the bits and a signature."

"Sure. Let me just get a check for?"

"Three thousand bits."

"That's actually REALLY cheap. You must be dying to sell the place."

"Well, you know, bad reputation, no real maintenance done for past two years. I'll be glad to have it off my hooves."

"Here you go," I say as calm as possible.

There is just a liiiiitle problem with all this. Even with the place being super cheap I'm not really a mare focused on saving money so I may have, just a bit, forged Blaze's signature in my checkbook to get access to his funds. Unfortunately, trying to sneak something by a civil servant is like trying to hide very smelly cheese from a sewer rat.

"This is a joint check co-signed by your husband?"

"Eeh yeah, totally."

"Is he around?"

"Nope, still packing our things back in Canterlot."

"I'll have to have the signature compared to the original kept at the bank. You should be notified of the transaction within two days."

I sigh.

"Fine, the sooner the better. I understand your concern but how could a batpony like me forge a unicorn signature? Has that actually ever happened before?"

The mention of my 'unicorn husband' seems to be enough for the official to let it slide and sign the ownership papers. Normally I would have been slightly appaled (VERY slightly) at the notion that a high-ranked civil servant could ignore a possible (and very real) fraud but now I just smile inwardly and pass her the check.

"It happens from time to time but it's always easy to figure out," she thinks for a moment, "You know what? You look credible and from what I've heard from doctor Bright Eye you are helping in the local asylum so I won't push it."

Yeah, it's not at all because she wants to pawn off the place on some poor soul without any regards for their safety.

"Thank you. By the way... what were the completely fake reasons for past tenants leaving?"

"Well, they mentioned hearing flapping of wings and hoofsteps at night and sometimes they felt very weak in the morning but, as I said, we had the princess of Magic herself take a look at the house and there's nothing wrong with it aside from slight disrepair."

"Meh. It seems to me like some of the neighbors just kept making noises and they couldn't sleep so they left."

"Exactly," Mayor Mare agrees.

We trade absolutely insincere smiles and I leave with the deed to the house in my saddlebag.

"Don't try to lie to the liar, bitch," I mumble smugly to myself after leaving the town hall.

"Eeew, the vampire is here," whispers somepony inside the Sugarcube Corner, one of the local bakeries where one of the Elements works.

It seems that evening is a rush hour for this estabilishment as most working ponies want to grab something to eat after shifts. That also means that my successful avoiding of grabbing unwanted attention for past days ends here. I don't think the owners mind my presence here because money is money but the locals quite obviously aren't used to batponies being around.

"She thinks she's gonna fool us by buying some food but I heard that Roseluck's pet hamster was found dead without a drop of blood left."

Roseluck... Roseluck...

Right, one of my new neighbors. Well, if that rumor is true then I probably shouldn't expect any housewarming gifts.

"She doesn't even have proper wings. I bet she's useless at hunting now so she got kicked out of their little vampire village and has to-"

What? I dare you to continue that line of thought, you little wimp. No... I'm actually wondering what piece of bullcrap your mind can follow that with.

"-give her body to the doctor at the asylum so he lets her feed on the patients who can't defend themselves."

It takes all my self-control not to beat that little shit to a pulp. All this also makes me wonder whether the locals have any idea how good my hearing is but then the thought comes to me that they might know it full well and are just loud enough to make me recieve the message.

Waiting patiently in the line gets more and more difficult as the stupidity of insults rises but when I don't make a move and don't suddenly bite the neck of the pony standing in front of me the patrons eventually get hungry and return to their food.

"Hey, miss Cake," I greet the chubby blue earthpony working the counter.

"Hello, Darky. What'll it be?"

"Hot chocolate and two strawberry bagels."

"That's quite a calorie bomb. A fit young lady like you wouldn't want to end up like chubby old me," she smiles widely.

"Don't sell yourself short, miss Cake. I know more than enough stallions who would fall head over heels for somepony of your stature."

"They'd have to go through my husband first then," she wiggles her bottom slightly so it's just me who sees it, "because all this is his."

I can't help myself and grin widely. The blue mare was the first pony to speak to me aside from the doc and my coming here every day is something I need not to snap at somepony.

"I wish I had somepony to wiggle my bottom for," I sigh.

"You're sweet enough even without my baking to land somepony nice."

"It's sorta hard when half of the stallions here think I'll suck their blood rather than their... nevermind," I stuff a hoof into my mouth.

The salesmare snorts and covers her mouth as well.

"Oh don't mind them," she waves her hoof when she stops blushing, "They always come around eventually. It's like the time when Zecora was considered a brain-eating shaman who kidnapped little fillies."

"Zecora?"

"She's a zebra witch-doctor who lives in the Everfree forest and who is now more than welcome whenever ponies around here need somepony to treat their illness."

"Well... it gives me hope at least," I present the usual amount of bits when mister Cake comes with my order.

"Don't worry. Everything will be all right."

I wish I could believe that.

"Thanks. Have a nice evening."

"You too, Darky."

Mrs. Cake isn't the only pony who doesn't shy away from me but most of the younger ones do. Her positive attitude, and her and her husband's baking, is something that brightens my day every single time though. Sipping my hot chocolate through a straw I turn to leave when an obviously furious cream-colored earthpony with reddish mane and a rose cutie mark storms through the door.

"Where is that monster?!"

After turning her head around her eyes focus on me and narrow considerably.

"YOU!"

"Err, yeah?"

"YOUUUUU ABOMINATION!"

"Pardon me?"

She throws something she's been holding on the ground. It's a dead hamster.

"A damn vampire! You arrive here and suddenly my pet gets drained!"

I sniff the air, trying not snarl at the stupid villager.

"I've been here for about two weeks. This thing hasn't been dead for more than two days."

"Don't call Snippy a thing, you... you... THING!"

Something suddenly comes to me.

"Wait... you picked up a pet that you should have buried right after it died and then you came here when you heard I was here just to make a scene?"

"I-"

Suddenly I really just want to hit somepony but I can't do it without a reason.

"Or did you actually dig out your pet just so you could show how broken you are in front of your small-minded friends?" I provoke the mare despite seeing that there's no dirt anywhere on the little body.

Her eyes go wide and she raises her hoof to punch me. Before it can connect I slap it away easily and stop at the last second from sending her flying into some of the tables around. It wouldn't help and it might make the Cakes angry so I just stop and knock on her head lightly.

"I would much rather grab your head and ram it through the door because right now I actually believe a bit of brain damage might do you good but I don't want to break a perfectly fine door," I growl, lean closer and make her twitch when I bare my fangs, "And no, I didn't eat your stupid pet. Short fangs mean I'm a fruit-eater, not a blood-drinker so grab that little corpse and give it a proper burial to show it you actually liked it."

With that I calmly walk out of the bakery leaving the sniffing and tearing up earthpony behind me. Hurray for self-control.

Slowly eating and walking to the address written on the deed I'm gradually getting an idea who or what I might meet there.

Hidden: Everything Is Fine

"How is the tea, dear?"

The soft voice could melt the heart even of the coldest tyrant, raise a dead mother to give one final kiss to her filly, and make a statue go volunteer to a homeless shelter. It was also currently aimed at a being considered by most the incarnation of evil. Maybe not evil as such but at least the incarnation of uncaring arrogance and self-centered pleasure that could easily pass for it.

The owner of the voice and subsequently the owner of the heart of anypony listening to it was sitting on a small chair on a hill overlooking Ponyville and holding a cup of the same brown, steaming substance. The sun was shining brightly at her and her guest and their surroundings were gently swaying in a warm breeze. Considering it was the middle of winter the circumstances held a good clue that the pair apparently having a picnic were no normal ponies.

"Just delightful, Fluttershy."

One of the participants wasn't a pony at all. More similar to a patchwork flying snake, the non-pony lowered the cup held in his griffon arm and smacked his lips. His tail ending in a palm picked up the tea kettle and topped his cup off.

In short, Discord and Fluttershy were having a tea party on a high hill while warm summer temporarily took place instead of the coldest winter in living memory and nopony found it even slightly out of place.

"I'm so glad. Days like this-"

Like a broken record the yellow pegasus' voice froze in place and color drained away from all surroundings including her. Discord wasn't the one to get uncomfortable at sudden changes of well... anything and he just kept sipping his tea. With all sound fading completely, everything turned to darkness. After floating wherever Discord was for a brief moment sets of lines began appearing on the invisible ground directly around him. The glowing lines formed concentric circles with symbols writing themselves along them and as they got closer to completion the color began returning to the blackness around.

Expressionless, Discord began cleaning a pair of spectacles appearing in his hand with a towel held in his tail and after blowing on them he put them on. The blackness around slowly turned into space instead of being just a dark sheet and he could see that the place he was now resembled the hill he'd left in absolutely no aspect. The area looked like a temple made of obsidian in the middle of a desert but as a god Discord knew that reality of this place defied normal explanation.

Living shadows kept appearing through the space between pillars serving as borders between the desert and the inside of the black temple and the unending lines kept walking towards a figure sitting on a throne in the middle of the place. The shadows faded when the black alicorn rose up and stepped towards Discord levitating inside the magic circles wearing a tourist outfit and reading a pamphlet titled - A Guide To The Underworld.

"Greetings," Void bowed politely before the god of chaos.

Discord looked into a little screen appearing in front of him and with a button he gave the Land Of The Dead website a shocking one star out of five. Needless to say, he wasn't overly happy to be here. The final sanctuary, the realm of disappearing souls represented the ultimate order, the unescapable truth and thus was in direct opposition to Discord's aspect and the same went for the alicorn in front of him.

"You're playing with fire, alicorn," Discord threw a burning superball at Void and raised an eyebrow when it hissed out after reaching the border of the magic circle. A set of safecracker equipment materialized from Discord's ears and he began knocking on the barrier surrounding him.

"I apologize for the rude invitation but my request is of utmost importance."

"I must admit this binding circle is pretty sturdy. Well," Discord slammed his hand into the barrier and lightning arced from the impact, "done."

"I do not wish to waste your time but I need to keep you away from anything that might be happening in Equestria for short time."

Discord grinned.

"Whatever do you mean, alicorn? I thought you would enjoy a bit more... traffic in this place."

"Death is the ultimate protection from pain and suffering, yet I do not wish it upon anypony earlier than they are due."

Discord split in two and while one of them kept examining the barrier the other one tried to phase through, making the circle shimmer brightly.

"What is preventing you from protecting your little Equestria?"

"I cannot be everywhere and I cannot see the future. There is a role for me to play and there are roles for others."

With a crack the barrier around Discord shattered and the god of chaos broke free.

"I am the ultimate force of the universe, Void. I am chaos, I am unpredictability and thus I am life itself. You thought of yourself as my opposite but in the end you're just one of my creations... in a broad sense and I can unmake you just as easily."

The black alicorn screamed when reality blurred around him but black fire swirling from his wings burned the blurriness away.

Just one attempt and Void was breathing heavily and shaking. He wasn't the one to give up easily but he knew foolish effort when he saw it and while his idea of summoning Discord here, into the place of order, was a logical one he underestimated his power way too much. Still, he had a request to fulfill and he would much rather disappear than fail Scream.

White tethers swirled around Discord and bound him inside the reappeared circle.

"I do not have to imprison you here, I just need to buy enough time."

Discord's hands melted through the tethers and clapped... very slowly and ironically.

"Bra-vo... bra-vo, little creature," one of the hands suddenly wore a shiny wrist watch at which Discord disappointedly looked, "Almost five minutes. You've succeeded, Equestria is safe from my deeds and whatever evil endangered it has been eradicated in the meantime. Congratulations! I'll get the celebration started and you're going to be in charge of CONFETTI!"

Void burped and few paper streamers fell out.

Discord suddenly grew, reappeared in a flash in front of the black alicorn and picked him up by the neck.

"If your heroes fail then there will be much more chaos and fun than with any sort of my intervention," he threw Void on the ground, "What kind of friend would I be though if I didn't give those closest to me a chance?"

"What?" croaked Void, trying to massage his half-crushed windpipe.

"I agree to your request. I will not interfere with anything going on for two weeks and I will just watch. But-" Discord's tail pulled Void back up and slowly dusted him off, "there is a little quid pro quo, tit for tat, you scratch my back, I scratch-"

"I understand. What is your condition?" interrupted Void the infinite stream of nonsense.

"The same goes for you. No matter what you will not interfere with anything as well."

"I agree," Void nodded. It felt too easy but as he learned today he really didn't have any leverage over Discord.

The god of chaos grinned.

"Trust me, in the end you will be sure you made the wrong choice. Oh and one more thing-"

The reality around Void blurred once again but he was too weak to resist Discord's power for the second time.

"- and that is the punishment for your insolence and arrogance. Let me show you how to turn a perfecly fine alicorn into... a TURTLE!"

Void focused to at least weaken the magic affecting him.

"Just kidding," Discord grinned, "Enjoy being a mare."

With echoing laughter the god of chaos disappeared.

Void, sweating to his hooves, shaking and drained, lowered his head to look between his hind legs and groaned.

"Scream is going to have a field day with this."

Well, it could have gone worse.

Luna was tired, at least mentally. She had spent hours rethinking her ideas on how to prevent another invasion but every single time she'd ended with the same result - failure. Of course they could erect protection spells. Of course they could make the area around the tree a deadly wasteland. None of that would help though. Barriers could be stripped, wasteland could be teleported out of. Magic was the problem all the way.

Perhaps she was looking at the problem from the wrong angle. Both times they had been on the defending side so maybe if her Equestria took a proactive approach to the invasion and gave the enemy a showing of force then it might allow them to control the rift and the access to it. No, that still wouldn't work. As long as any strong access point existed then there was the possibility of personal travelling spells working.

Well, today was a bust again then. Luna yawned and decided to try again when she was fresh.

She knew she, of all ponies, shouldn't be afraid of sleep but the depths around her once again felt alien. This time though she knew what it meant.

"Having a nap, princess?" the bowing thestral smiled.

"I really need the rest. With you gone I have to personally oversee a part of Nightguard business, prowl through dreams, and think about the damn Tree of Harmony."

"I take it that you haven't though of anything useful?"

"No. Unless it gets destroyed then nothing will be solved no matter what magic we throw at the problem. We could make the rift ourselves and invade the mirror world first but that would only result in having out rumps kicked, we don't have the military to do that."

"What about Scream's information?"

"You mean releasing Discord and Nightmare? That isn't even an option. Dead world isn't a favorable result."

The anger in her voice made Sharp Biscuit step back. The anger wasn't aimed at him thought.

"Don't blame yourself, Luna. Your efforts aren't in vain and the knowledge about the inner workings of the Tree hints at something else."

"What do you mean?"

"The energy of the Tree doesn't flow only out of it. That could mean that while the Tree allows the Elements to work there's also the possibility of the Elements giving energy to the Tree so it doesn't die."

"I don't think so. The Elements were inactive until Twilight woke them up and the Tree survived just fine."

Sharp hummed a little tune.

"Who was their last user?"

"My sister temporarily bore all six of them."

"Then the possibility is that the Elements were not lost but simply dormant since your sister is still alive. Speaking of which, how is she?"

"How do you not know? You are my subconscious."

"It helps talking about things. I know you feel responsible for her almost dying. Wash the wounds and take a different perspective on things."

"There is hardly any perspective. She got almost mortally wounded by an enemy bearer. She took a month to regain consciousness, an alicorn got wounded THAT severely. I should have done something, I should have been there. My sister never thinks somepony's eradication should be the first choice but there are times she's wrong. I should have destroyed the attacker."

"The important thing is she's recovering. Her state might actually be a good thing."

"How can you say that?"

"That brings us back to the topic of the Tree. If the Elements are nourishing the Tree as well then if you somehow got rid of them then the Tree and the mirror Elements would slowly lose power without releasing the Nightmare."

"Got... rid of them? I thought the Elements chose new bearers as soon as the old ones died."

"It takes time for the bond to appear apparently, at least according to the books you read."

"I can't in good conscience order the death of five fillies and one princess. I mean just thinking that is preposterous."

"I'm just going over the possibilities and you said that Equestria needed somepony to balance the soft approach of your sister. Nopony said anything about killing them anyway, just putting them outside of time should suffice."

"A stasis spell?"

"It could work and they would be safe. Sadly, they would have to be imprisoned for a long time or at least until we made sure the Tree was dead but it sounds better than the other option."

"I'll keep that as an option but I refuse to do it until I know there is no other choice. It is too harsh of a step. There is still enough of Starswirl's research to go through and there might be other way."

"Your subjects must be happy to have you, your Highness."

Luna just smiled bitterly and drifted into deep sleep.

"Pine Hills, princess!" a proud voice rang through the inside of a long-distance carriage.

Twilight groaned and unglued her eyes. Luckly, she was travelling alone as traffic to a backwater town like this consisted more of logs and other raw materials shipping out and complex machines being shipped in. If there ever was a place for changelings to infest, control and quietly feed in then it was a town like this. Not that she was actually expecting to find just a bunch of cocoons and empty houses buuut...

Well, she was expecting that, no reason to lie to herself especially after Ponyville had ended that way during Chrysalis' second attack. On the other hoof, she had had one of the Nightmare changelings spending time with her at home and despite him/her being slightly silly and confused there hadn't been any problems whatsoever. Therein was the problem though - their ability to learn, adapt and their hunting prowess without any combat training.

Twilight shook her head. Sitting and hiding inside a carriage wouldn't help anything so she hoisted her bags and stepped outside into the dangerous world of Pine Hills. The looks of locals trudging through the thin cover of snow around what looked like the town square caught her off guard. Apparently, alicorns weren't really common guests here. The princess scolded herself. While Ponyville was larger than this place it was still a small town but even with her long stay there the locals had been put off by her becoming an alicorn at first as well.

The closest and most official looking building was...

Twilight thanked heavens and headed towards what looked like a town hall on the other side of the square. As she trotted on, trying to ignore the questioning glances of the residents, something caught her eye. At first she thought it was one of the villagers walking his dog but when she focused to look at the prowling creature she noticed it was dark blue, bulky, chitinous and changeling looking. Even with the slight differences between Nightmares and normal changelings Twilight had no problem identifying this one as one of the former kind. Yes, it was wearing a green sweater and a matching hat with a knitted snoflake on top but it was definitely a deadly creature.

In her mind more than in the mind of anypony around apparently.

A Nightmare walking without a disguise among the villagers. Prowling and trying to look inconspicuous but still in plain sight. That could mean two things. Either Guiding Light and her hive had the village in their grasp or there was nothing even slightly wrong going on. So... she had nothing and infinite theories wouldn't prove useful whatsoever.

Her horn and wings were enough of a passcard for Twilight to immediately get the attention of the nearest town hall clerk who immediately showed her to the mayor's office. The mayor looked surprisingly similar to Mayor Mare in Ponyville. Yes, this guy was a stallion. Yes, he was much more muscular and his build hinted he belonged into this frontier town a bit more than somepony softer would. Buuut... the grey mane, faded brown coat, half-forced smile and hidden worried look in his eyes were more than enough of a giveaway that this guy was a civil servant.

"What brings you to this forgotten place, your Highness?" the mayor stood up from the paperwork in front of him and shook Twilight's hoof vigorously.

The greeting wasn't insincere but Twilight felt something was off. The mayor gave her the same look she'd recieved from high royalty right after her coronation. To him she was just a young nuisance to whom he had to be polite but still just a nuisance. A show of dominance was in place.

"Take a guess, dear mayor. I'm here on princess Celestia's orders so... what might be important here of all places for her to send a diplomatic envoy."

Her hard look fell flat as the mayor sat back down behind his desk and propped his chin on his hooves.

"There is nothing surprising about your visit. I've been expecting something of that sort for a while now but, truth be told, I wasn't expecting you in person."

"I am experienced enough to deal with anything that might be happening here," lied Twilight, mostly to herself.

Seeing her blurt out the answer and blush slightly, the mayor took a deep breath.

"I am a simple pony and I didn't mean to insult you. What I really meant was that there is no reason for somepony so high up in the command structure to come here because there in fact isn't anything happening."

"So... no problems with the changelings?"

"Not at all. They just flew in few weeks ago grouped around their queen and asked whether we needed some odd jobs done. This place is pretty much surrounded by the Everfree Forest so we lose ponies from time to time and we agreed. In exchange for their helping hoof all they wanted was a house with roomy cellars and we had that for exactly the same reason. Whenever we need some heightened protection or just help we call on them and they come without complaining. Some of them even come out from time to time to have a drink in the evening in the pub, not their queen though. To be frank, we like to have them here."

"What about the feeding thing?"

"Heh, that one's actually pretty funny. Most of our guys haven't seen a friendly changeling before their coming here and avoided then like a plague. Thanks to princess Celestia's order we didn't have any open hostilities and from what their queen told me our fear of them was enough to keep them fit. When things changed and we began warming up to them they just switched from eating fear to eating love. Yes, it wasn't much at first and some of the villagers out at night fell unconscious but they've always been transported right to their homes without even a bruise from dropping to the ground."

Twilight didn't know what to say. All this seemed too good to be true.

"That's, I guess, good?"

The mayor grinned.

"I appreciate princess Celestia's concern but there really isn't anything sinister going on here. Honestly, there isn't much of anything going on here. We live, we log, we mine, we eat, we get drunk in the evening, that's all."

Princess Celestia wouldn't have sent Twilight on a wild goose chase. There had to be a reason for her visiting here and she was going to find it. It was possible the princess was just overly worried due to the nature of changelings but Twilight wasn't ready to accept it before exhausting all other possibilities.

"Do you mind if I stay here for few days and evaluate the situation myself?"

"Not at all. I will send somepony to prepare a room for you in the tavern and show you around."

"Erm, where is the changeling hive? I would like to talk to Guiding Light."

The mayor shifted nervously in his chair.

"I... wouldn't advise that, at least not right now. There were few guys trying to check out the place to assess any possible danger but after entering they woke up back in their houses and had to sleep through the entire day. The Nightmares don't bother anypony but apparently value their privacy a lot."

"I have to talk to her as an envoy. They are still princess Celestia's subjects technically."

"I'm not saying you should leave. I'm saying you should go easy on them."

"Why are you trying so hard?"

The mayor raised his hooves defensively.

"The young queen told me about her desire to stay hidden from the princesses, especially princess Luna."

"Aaand that didn't bother you at all?"

"No. I found that out later and at the time they caused less trouble than most of ponies travelling through this place. If nopony knew about them, no harm done."

Twilight sighed at the stupidity of Celestia's, and her, subject.

"I don't intend to invade their hive and start blasting them with magic. I just want to talk to her. The reason for her trying to stay hidden is actually the thing I need to sort out to prevent it festering and becoming a problem in the future."

"You know what? I can't stop you, of course, but do me a little favor and visit a guy called Shieldbreaker. He's a guard who moved here shortly after the Nightmares came. It shouldn't take too much of your time and might help you."

"Where does he live?"

The mayor walked out of the office and returned with two clerks. One of them got the order to guide Twilight to Shieldbreaker's house and the other one was going to make sure there was a place for Twilight in the inn. With another hoofshake she left the town hall.

She couldn't shake off the feeling of walking into a trap. Everything felt too easy, too good to be true, but there still was the underlying threat of walking into Guiding's hive and getting 'moved' without her permission. Perhaps this Shieldbreaker pony could help her. A guard from Canterlot should be trained to obey a voice of leadership.

The clerk left her in front of a house similar to the other ones in the village in all aspects. With the afternoon turning into an evening the cold began biting harder than on the road so Twilight knocked on the door.

It was opened by a grey-coated unicorn mare with light blue mane whose matching blue eyes widened when she saw Twilight.

"B-B-Breaky? We've got a visitor!" she took few steps back, not even trying to hide her distress.

A muscular pegasus stallion rushed out of a door inside with a long black stick in his mouth and froze when he spotted Twilight looking into the entry hall from outside.

"P-princess... what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" he walked up to Twilight and shoved the unicorn behind him with a wing.

"I wish I knew, mister Shieldbreaker. Princess Celestia sent me here to investigate any possible problems with Nightmare changeling hive not respecting the peace treaty between her and queen Chrysalis. When I talked to the mayor he sent me here."

"Why?"

"No idea. When I mentioned that queen Guiding Light isn't bound by the treaty and might cause problems he-"

"The queen wouldn't do that!" the unicorn mare interrupted her heatedly.

"Errrm," Shieldbreaker coughed, "Well... that's that. I think you can drop the act, love."

The pair exchanged glances, the mare's horn glowed and in a shower of green sparks coursing through her coat she turned into a changeling. Nightmares at close range looked very similar to normal changelings with them being a bit bulkier and having a natural tendency to prowl instead of walking, the greenish hue of the black chitin being replaced by a dark blue one.

"What's going on here?" asked Twilight, having pretty good idea.

"My marefriend... last marefriend used to be a guard. She got drafted during the second invasion and died in the battle for Crystal Empire. Then this little creature-"

"HEY!" the Nightmare poked him and in turn Shieldbreaker patted her head.

"-She said she was sent to find out how ponies would react to her presence and kept me company through some night shifts in Canterlot. She wouldn't stop bugging me about my understandably gloomy mood at the time and we got talking. I liked the company and she wanted a free snack-"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! Well, not all of it."

"-She asked her queen if she could choose her adult transformation. I'm not sure if you know but the Nightmares can only choose one disguise and it is a proof of their maturity. Well, one day she surprised me when she came out of the bathroom looking like I described my fallen marefriend. After talking-"

"And sobbing," the Nightmare snickered.

"-No snack today. As I said - after talking and my subsequent choices considering her disguise I understood what her choice meant and I decided to stay with her longer. When princess Luna killed their king, father, whatever and they left I decided to move here. The poor thing was so lovesick and wouldn't stop sending me letters."

"I'm sorry? I wasn't the one sending the papers so wet they were unreadable."

Shieldbreaker blushed.

"Delivery problem... totally not my fault."

Twilight stopped a giggle from escaping her mouth at the bickering of the pair.

"Hm," she pouted thoughtfully, "I'm glad you aren't a mind-controlled food slave, mister Shieldbreaker-"

"Who says he isn't?" the Nightmare nuzzled his side.

"Shush," the pegasus covered her head with his wing.

"-Back to business. I need to talk to queen Guiding Light."

"I don't think the queen-" began the changeling.

"Let me rephrase that," Twilight was getting annoyed. She was a princess. She was an ambassador and she would prove her worth to her mentor no matter what, "It is either me or a platoon of Canterlot soldiers. I just want to talk, nothing else. I'm positive princess Celestia would be happy to her royal hooves that your hive isn't causing any trouble and actually being more helpful than most other changelings but I just need to make sure of it."

Shieldbreaker sighed.

"Love, could you arrange it? There is no way princess Celestia would mean your queen any harm."

"I guess," Shieldbreaker's marefriend turned from him to Twilight, "I wouldn't expect a warm welcome if I were you. Come back tomorrow then."

"Thank you very much," Twilight nodded and left after exchanging the necessary pleasantries to keep the best impression.

Success.

Whistling, Twilight returned back to the town hall and after getting directions to the inn decided to leave things be for tonight.

In a completely different town but at the same time, a white pegasus was writing a letter, one lamp hanging from the ceiling illuminating the quill in his mouth.

According to my information there is a high chance of both targets hiding in the town of Ponyville. I will continues observing the surroundings to make sure that is the case.

My sources say that a batpony appeared shortly after the invasion and she's currently visiting a local mental institution daily. That coincides with the information of the local guard about a unicorn of the same color cheme as the target found wandering the Everfree Forest.

The report was short and Icy Gaze wasn't expecting anything other than having a drink and going to bed so when his solar talisman burst with flame for the second time shortly after sending the letter he didn't hesitate and opened it.

The traitors are hereby turned into a secondary objective. Keep observing them but do not engage. Once you are sure about their location send a definitive report.

Your primary objective is now the capture of all Element bearers who should be residing in Ponyville. We do not care about what measures you use but under no circumstances are they to be severely hurt.

The new objective will be considered fulfilled when all bearers are restrained in one place. Death or serious injury to any of them will result in your execution.

Icy cursed and rolled the parchment back up. The mission did have the caveat of objectives changing though so he decided ot take things in stride. Finding out information about the Element bearers should be easy because all of them should be well-known to local populace.

A lightbulb lit up above his head, not literally of course.

There was a bearer even he knew about and that one wasn't allowed to find out about her friends missing. Princess Twilight Sparkle had to be taken care of first otherwise she would sic her guards on him and thus endanger the entire mission.

Icy stepped out of the inn to slink through the shadows and observe the Golden Oaks Library, the castle or whatever it was now. To his surprise the entire building was dark and quiet. Expecting some sort of magical protection, he very carefully knocked on the entry door. He could always pretend he'd been looking for some obscure volume.

Nopony answered even his repeated attempts. The caretaker of this place was either gone or in deep sleep, Icy hoped for the second and pulled out a set of lockpicks out of his saddlebag. With a painstaking patience and few attempts at pretending to be drunk and throwing up on the door to discourage ponies walking through the late night the lock clicked and Icy stepped inside.

Not a creak went through the building.

Further sneaking proved that this place was completely empty. After about ten minutes of exploration he came to the conclusion that there would be no problem with lighting a lantern and rummaging through the library.

Nothing.

Aside from one door being completely sealed off the entire building didn't have a single soul inside aside from him and there were no magic wards or protections in place. That meant one thing - he was the only pony with the access to this place then.

Icy grinned.

The young princess was probably gone so if only he could find out for how long then he might be able to use this place as a base and...

His eyes fell on a table inside what looked like a room where somepony might live and probably did. A letter bearing the same seal as the one he'd gotten was the thing that caught his eye and he immediately read it. Afterwards he looked at the map lying on the table.

Apparently the princess living inside wasn't too keen on being tidy in her personal space and according to the map he probably had at least a week left, even in the case the princess arrived there and returned immediately.

So he didn't have to find a cellar somewhere. Now he had his own little castle and a real time limit for catching his targets. The cellar looked sturdy enough.

Hidden: The Spooky Ghost

From caring comes courage.

Blazing Light was having trouble ignoring a tall and armored earthpony threatening him despite his friends holding him and pulling him up a rather long staircase. Their plan was pretty simple - pull him up, put his bags full of coal on his back, push him down the stairs. Alive or not, when he dropped down he'd still be just a low-rank servant whose word wouldn't mean anything against an honorable guard.

The preparations were ready and the leader pushed Blazing down. There was a chance of him surviving the long staircase but it was slim enough for the thugs' plan to work. Thankfully, one of Blazing's first bounces broke his neck so he didn't feel the pain of rolling into the darkness.

Nopony bothered investigating the accident too much. After all, stone steps got fairly slippery at night during this time of the year.

The house I bought is nothing special. From the outside it looks like many of the surrounding ones - two stories, two windows facing the street in each one. Aside from the drawn curtains in each one this place doesn't radiate any evil aura or anything. Well, the night is coming and according to the rumors that's when the real fun begins here.

The key unlocking the door doesn't summon infernal hordes of Tartarus but something familiar does tingle my nose when I enter. The place smells of disuse, there's dust floating in the air and I can also smell something which I still can't place. I could go in and begin searching all the rooms but I've learned to trust my instincts so I just keep standing still, listening and sniffing around.

The sound of two ponies talking from one of the neighboring houses doesn't bother me. The silence inside here shouldn't bother me as well but the little things I've heard today make me involuntarily shiver. To stop my nerves from taking over I take a deep breath and stomp a bit on the cracked floorboards. A quiet 'thump' from upstairs makes me freeze again.

Silence.

If I discount the supernatural possibilities a sound like that would mean that there's somepony up there and, more importantly, they have good enough hearing to know I stopped moving... or they just froze up after hearing me stomp loudly. There's also the possibility that my stomping inside this rickety structure just caused something to fall upstairs.

There's only one set of stairs leading up at the end of the entrance hall so I don't waste time with checking what looks like a living room through the left door and a kitchen through the right one. The last door down here seems to lead to the bathroom.

The stairs are apparently in the middle of the house because a T section when I'm up leads me to an empty storeroom and the bedroom on the other side. I open the bedroom door and the smell suddenly becomes clear.

Sweat, stale air, unwashed coat. Memories of Blaze's old apartment make me smile as I step in and begin looking around. The place where he thought he found peace and stability for quite a while. My smile turns inwards when what happened thanks to me forces itself to be remembered as well. I sigh.

Something in the back of my head is still screaming at me though. Sweat, stale air, scarcely washed coat, the remnants of somepony staying in one room for too long day after day.

Daily...

I turn around just in time when the door of a small closet slams open and I spot a grey blur lunging itself at me. Unfortunately for my assailant, it is as Blaze would say - when there's an enemy charging in a straight line you've got more than enough time to thank Celestia, kick his sorry flank and learn a new language. Purely on reflex I balance on my hind legs, bend down and then push up against the charging enemy which makes him swing over my head and get slammed to the ground at the end of the happy half-circle of pain.

Correction - her.

The coughing and groaning creature lying on her back is a female batpony with light grey coat, brown mane and yellow eyes. The long, thin fangs reveal that she indeed is a blood-drinker or a vampire as the superstitious villagers kept on saying. She's also very skinny and it's easy to spot her ribs almost showing even in the gloom of the room.

I jump on her and show her a little surprise improvement I had a blacksmith friend make to my combat horseshoes. The other batpony begins squirming when she notices the blade that slides from my hoof and touches her neck. Fighting fair has never been my strongest side.

"Who are you?" I growl threateningly.

"Get out, this place is mine!" she says sullenly but not too loudly.

"Wrong answer," I punch her with my non-deadly hoof.

"Mine! Mine!" she tries to bite the hoof holding her down.

My next blow isn't just to get her attention like the one before.

"Stop squirming, you runt!"

"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

She spits out blood and opens her mouth again. Before I can remove my hoof from her neck I suddenly feel like my head exploded and jump backwards. My legs fail me, my head is spinning and I literally can't hear anything other than the high-pitched screaming.

Thankfully, another blur of grey is still enough when dazed for my reflexes to kick in and punch up with both hooves. My curiosity gets the better of me though and I pull the blade in my horseshoe back before doing so. The cracking noise does a lot to make me sick even more than I felt after her screech but a quick shake of my hooves is enough to see that it's not my bones that are broken.

She, on the other hoof, rammed her head with full weight of her body behind it into two pieces of steel and I'm sure she's regretting it more than enough now. Stunned and on her back, the other batpony is easy prey and I straddle her again.

"KEE-"

*whoosh*

The sound of the blade sliding out again makes her stop and just keep sniffing blood. I don't think I'd be able to take another screech so I pry open her mouth and slide the blade inside.

"One more attempt at ANYTHING and you'll have another breathing hole."

Her eyes go wide and she begins shaking all over. When the yellow pinpricks stop darting from side to side looking for an escape route she nods carefully not to cut herself. I pull the blade back but keep my other front leg on her neck.

"You win. Take the closet. Don't kill me!" she blurts out.

"Elaborate."

"Ela-what?"

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Start with that."

"I'm Doom Star-"

I've almost forgotten the stupid naming habits of those traditionalists, especially among blood-drinkers. Soul Eater, Dark Impaler, Bonecrusher and other wannabe scary names always ran in those families which was never really helping those batponies who didn't want to sound like total plotholes. NO, Choking Darkness doesn't count!

"-I live here."

"Why?"

"I won this place. Got it from the ponies who lived here. Made them leave."

"You chased away the previous inhabitants?"

"Yes!" she smiles victoriously.

The smile fades when I narrow my eyes.

"You attacked ponies who bought this place?" I raise my hoof again.

"No. I ran around at night. They got scared. They left."

"Well, I own this place now."

"I know. You're good. I'll leave. Don't hurt me."

"Keep talking!"

"Your... eyes are pretty?"

I sigh. The starved half-wild batpony squirming tearfully under me obviously isn't overly dangerous but a little caution is advisable.

"You live in the closet?"

"Yes. Closet is cool. Shady, warm, can hang there easily."

Heh, sleeping while hanging upside down. I've never been a fan personally. This place is fairly big though...

"Why don't you sleep in this bedroom?"

"Too high, leg slipped once, dropped while sleeping."

I hide the blade completely and let her breathe freely again, waiting for her next move. When she just keeps looking at me completely paralyzed I pull out one bagel from the bakery and offer it to her. Blood-drinkers have no problem eating normal food, all they need is to get some fresh blood from time to time. She looks at the still warm pastry.

"Hungry?" I ask.

She doesn't answer but slurps back a string of drool from her cheek and snatches the food from my hooves. I stand back up and watch her devour it. When she's done she gets up as well and tenses like a spring obviously thinking about attacking me again. In the end she just lowers her head and begins slinking to the window.

"You know what?" I decide my final action, "You can stay in the closet if you promise not to try and drain me at night."

Her ears perk up when she works through it.

"But you'll have to take a bath."

"HISSSSSSSSSSSS."

"Too bad. My house, my rules."

"HISSSSSSSSS."

I reach back to my bag.

"You can have half of my last bagel."

"HISSSSS- I'll be good."

The knocking on my door this soon surprises me. I've been checking the house for safety hazards and outside of the floors there didn't seem to be anything serious. Not seeing any orange glow of torches or hearing angry chanting of villagers holding pitchforks I decide to open.

"Good evening, Darky," says Bright Eye.

"Heya, doc. What brings ya here?"

"I just wanted to see whether or not some tentacled monstrosity ate you and turned you into a copy of itself."

"It did and since you've so foalishly came here you're gonna get a tentacle party all over your everything."

The doctor blushes.

"Ahem, sooooo about the house?"

"All sorted, including the spooky ghost."

"Really?"

"Yep. Turns out there's a different batpony living in the closet here. She's a blood-drinker which explains the rumors. Unless of course she's completely innocent and there really is an eldrich abomination somewhere around."

"What did you do with her?"

"She was so starved that I just gave her a bagel which knocked her out cold and she's sleeping now. I had to persuade her to behave a bit before that though."

His eyes dart to my horseshoes.

"I would ask you about your past but I'm scared you'll persuade me as well."

"I have better ways of working with handsome hunks like yourself," I show how long my tongue is as I lick my lips playfully.

"Stop, I'm blushing," the doc grins nervously.

"Wanna come in?"

"Eeeh. I actually wanted to ask where you were staying tonight."

"I'm done with staying at the hotel so I guess I'll just find some half-clean blankets and a mattress."

"In this cold? As a friend I would like to invite you to stay at my place, at least for the evening."

"Awwww. No nighttime fun?"

"I am an experienced divorcee so young ladies like you don't hold sway over me."

"Ooooh, a challenge."

"Stop it."

"Fiiiine. What are ya carrying anyway?" I ask, looking at the bigger bag on the doctor's back.

"I borrowed some books on amnesia from princess Twilight."

"A hard-working bachelor, wow. You've succeeded in luring me into your den which means I'm yours tonight."

"All you're getting is something to drink and semi-decent cooking."

"Only if there's gonna be a semi-decent dessert. Let's go."

I lock the door and get ready for an evening of teasing poor Bright Eye.

Hidden: Nostalgia

Love and desire are the spirit's wings to great deeds.

Blazing Light howled victoriously when his hoof stomped the fallen earthpony into the ground. He wasn't thinking about the bronze armor that had replaced his coat few moments earlier. He wasn't thinking about the distant shouting aimed at him. All he was thinking about was the earthpony that had hurt him so much, had hurt - why couldn't he remember the name? - so much. He shook his head and bared his suddenly sharp teeth.

Little green sparks kept leaping through his new armor and became stronger as he buried his muzzle into Valiant Charge's chest and ripped out a chunk of steel and flesh as he bit through the Royal Guard breastplate. The earthpony's scream rang through the nighttime air of Canterlot castle gardens. Somepony bumped to him from the side but he barely felt it and just shook the assailant off his body and his sharp teeth buried themselves into his enemy again. After some effort he ripped out the heart of the wretch that dared to touch her, that dared to touch him as well.

He crushed the still beating organ in his mouth, turned around and saw a batpony backing away from him with a disgusted and horrified expression. Why was she acting like that? Didn't he do all this for her? Didn't he save her from that bastard who had bothered her for past years? Yes, he did! So why did she look as if she was going to start crying?

A flash of bright light coming from the castle entrance blinded him and an another impact hit his body. He tried to take a step towards the ungrateful batpony who just shuffled back again but he fell down. He didn't notice the approaching blue princess. He didn't notice that half of his body had evaporated in the blast. He didn't notice anything anymore.

Princess Luna successfully eradicated the monster.

The end of my first month in Ponyville is close and I think I'm getting used to the routine. Get up, grab breakfast at the Sugarcube Corner, bring something back to Doom Star, get thanked by the happy batpony and then go to work. I don't think either of us is thinking about the future. She's just happy to have something warm to eat and she doesn't get snowed on and I... am simply glad I don't have to pay rent now that I have my own house.

Working at the asylum gets weird from time to time due to random screams and ponies just walking into walls and ignoring their surroundings. There isn't that much to do around the place but since there's only me, doctors Bright and Stable and two other nurses for both day and night shifts it feels like a lot. It might be a bit cynical but I'm thankful for not many ponies visiting their relatives or friends during the snowy days.

I'm thankful because it allows me to spend more time here, in the little room with one bronze unicorn looking out of the window. Well, sitting on the bed turned towards it. I must admit I feel a bit nostalgic as all this reminds me of the first winter when he arrived in Canterlot. It's funny how things have a way of coming back in circles.

"Remember the day ya thought Sharpie would eat ya?"

I've been talking his ears off since the day Bright Eye told me that reminding the patient of something might help in bringing him back. It hasn't been working at all but heck, I like sorting through the good memories. Nopony would have me pinned as one to sit and reminisce about 'good old days' but I guess everypony has moments like this.

"Your first day in Canterlot when I saw ya talking to him, well, his neck. Ya looked so small then and somehow, without growing up too much, ya now feel much taller."

Maybe the change wasn't only inside him.

"All I saw in ya was a squeaky, young unicorn trying to land a job at the castle and work his way up to be the right hoof of one of the princesses. Heck, I had no idea ya were two years older than me at the time, ya didn't look it at all or maybe I was just too stupid to notice. I think it was a bit of both."

I grin. My life full of paperwork, parties and fun got turned around pretty hard thanks to this pony.

"Then I noticed ya actually liked the small room ya lived in. Ya had no interest in gaining status and just wanted everypony to stay away from ya as long as your job allowed you to stay warm and not starve, ya had literally no ambitions and no... future, I guess?"

I wipe a tear. I'm not really sad, it's just that I can see much more now than I was able to see before or maybe it's just the hindsight of knowing him that helps.

"And ya were happy! I was happy. Practicing and imagining kicking Valiant in the face under night sky or at the gym with Sharpie was fun to me then. I would never have thought that he would try to kill ya. Well, I drove both of ya crazy."

There's a memory that used to be painful but makes me smile now.

"Ya know? Even the changeling invasion wasn't that bad. Shining and Cadence did forgive ya eventually, especially when they found out that our holding Chrysalis' forces outside held her attention long enough for the 'real heroes' to do their job."

Reminding him the bad stuff that happened might not be the best idea but all that was sprinkled with little bits of fun we had, I hope he remembers that as well.

"I think I fell for ya after that when I saw how happy Heavy and Sharpie were together. When you personally tried to persuade the princess that almost killed ya to SAVE the changelings who had real, loving partners in ponies right after the invasion. Ya may have hated yourself but ya had those who couldn't do that no matter what around ya."

Is this how it ends, after all that?

"I'd love to remind ya of the good times. I'd love to tell ya I've always been there for ya after that... but that wouldn't be true, would it? I could have made the first move, I knew ya would never do it, yet I didn't. Then... Nightmare Night happened and ya killed Blaze and told me it was better than what was going to happen to him. I'm getting the two of ya mixed together. Is it a good thing?"

He doesn't answer, obviously.

"Ya travelled to the mirror world alone, BY YOURSELF. No princess, no Discord, not a single super-awesome being set on saving this world wanted to go but ya. I know why, Void told me, but they didn't do anything. He also told me how it was supposed to end. Then it was all over, or so we thought, and ya were just lying there and looking at Void and Scream. Not at the princesses happy that their world is safe but at the two other alicorns whom ya helped to be together again."

That was the point when I finally understood how wrong you were about everything. I couldn't tell you, obviously, because that wouldn't change anything so I wanted to show you.

"Then ya moved to my place and shone a bit of light into my darkness. Bleh, even I can't stomach that innuendo. I thought everything was going to be fine despite your daughter and all the ruckus around."

I grin.

"Yeah... that was dumb. Everything could have been just fine but mirror Sombra had other plans. I don't know why he was so set on getting ya. Revenge, something else? Well, he got ya in the end and turned into one of his tools. Thanks for giving me Betty to protect me. Without his advice I would have had no idea what happened to ya."

Now comes the part that was entirely my fault.

"I should have told Sharpie what was going to happen. I should have told Luna so she would spare your life, she probably wouldn't though. When she returned even batponies were worried about her being fake and their recovering social status disappearing. She met him on her first day back in Canterlot and while he was a guard his little problem kept him isolated. Knowing how painful loneliness is, he decided to keep the exiled princess company day after day. Did ya really think Luna needed a bodyguard?"

No, nothing I could have said would have changed the outcome.

"Celestia could have said something but she fell unconscious after the assassination attempt and had no idea what ya did. Then there was only Fading Light, Sombra's unbreakable general leading every charge against Equestrian forces who killed Luna's closest friend. She would have cursed ya no matter what. That pissed me off, it makes me boil even now. Ya did so much for them and not a single pony even tried to bring ya back. Ya were just an enemy and the bearer of the Element of Betrayal. When Luna told me to take a break I decided I wanted to be by your side no matter if that was under the princesses or Sombra."

I will keep telling this to you until some little part of you comes back.

"And here we are, hiding from Luna. Me hoping I've got the right unicorn and talking to a brick wall. Ya know? It's not just ya. I actually like helping all these wrecks around here. It's nice not doing paperwork and beating up drunks for once. Too bad ya aren't around to keep me warm at night."

My ear twitches as I hear something scratch the wall near the door. The face of doctor Bright Eye quickly disappearing behind it doesn't go away fast enough when I jump and rush outside. Slamming the doctor to the wall, I put the razor in my horseshoe to his eye while my other hoof is pinning him by the neck.

"How much did you hear?" I growl.

"I-"

"Why did you eavesdrop on me?"

"I-"

"One wrong word and you're a stain on the wall."

With everything being clear I stop choking him. The blade stays where it was though.

"I've been standing here since you started."

"And you didn't have the decency to, I dunno, COUGH?"

"I must admit my curiosity got the better of me."

"Curiosity killed the cat... it might aim higher."

"Let me start by saying I mean no harm to you or your... friend, no matter who he is. The crazy glint in your eye isn't helping though."

"This is no joke," I push him hard.

"Ouch. I don't know how I can make you trust me. Maybe you could think about the fact that I haven't asked anypony about your 'being a Canterlot guard' story and a strange unicorn walking out of the Everfree forest."

His eyes focus behind me and somepony yanks me away from the doctor holding my neck in a perfect choke hold.

"I'll kill you if you tell anypony!" I groan at the doctor who ignores me.

The hooves holding me are weak but the hold doesn't allow me to escape easily. I hold my breath, kick back and tense my neck muscles. The choke around my neck breaks and I jump to the side so I have clear sight of the doctor and the ambusher.

I stop dead in my tracks when I see why the doctor was ignoring me. The pony holding me from behind was Blaze who is now, after my blow, trying to look as small as possible and fuse into the wall. When I take a step forward he hides his head in his hooves and sobs.

"Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry," he just keeps mumbling.

Bright Eye groans.

"I-I think your friend doesn't think you slitting my throat would be a good idea."

I just stand there, unable to comprehend what has just happened.

Hidden: Introduce Yourselves

This morning should have been exactly the same as all the others since the relocation to Ponyville for Horatio Theodore Menelaos Cross - open his eyes, deal with all existential uncertainty, crack his knuckles, remember his whole name and listen in delight to his commander screaming in horror caused by some long-buried memory from days long passed.

There were many things for a changeling his age to do to kill some time and making up a name worthy of his experience was one of them. Long time ago Cross had decided to add a new part to his name for every century of his life and what centuries had those been - griffon-pony wars, changelings controlling huge parts of Equestria and other continents, and many others were no more than a fraction of memories and scars on his carapace or coat which he refused to heal and wore them with pride.

Normally he would have just looked in the mirror and spent a serious amount of time taking care of his appearance but today there were strange harmonics in the-

"AAAAARGH! GET THIS THING OFF ME AND SLAY IT BEFORE IT LAYS EGGS!"

-voice of commander Shadowstep. He still didn't rush combing his mane as he knew more than well that there were very little things that could actually seriously threaten the changeling in question.

He wanted his morning tea more than anything though so he used the remains of the wood in the fire pit to light the fire outside and put a kettle on. The constant screaming was beginning to get just a little bit unsettling leading him very slowly to a conclusion that it might be a great idea to actually check his tent for the commander and... prince Shining Armor.

Finally coming to terms with the events of yesterday he left only a big cloud of dust where he had been standing a second ago before opening the flaps of his tent which he had graciously invited Shining Armor to sleep in. It wasn't unusual for Shadowstep to get shaky at night after waking up from a nightmarish memory and go sleep in Cross' tent but the idea of her waking up next to a unicorn with Shining's experience with changelings overruled any desire for tea.

Shining Armor, a happily married unicorn, wasn't having a bad time considering he had been ordered to leave his home, his wife, and his stash of crystal berry mane gel and no amount of changelings was going to change that. He wasn't that shaken from all that after meeting one of the beings he was supposed to spend time with for next Celestia-knows-how-many weeks.

Right now he was in his happy place, that happy realm of light sleep where he knew he was dreaming but his head was too tired to wake him up and make him face reality. He knew he was dreaming the second Cadence came to his room dressed in the Crystal Guard uniform and told him he needed to punish a very naughty thieving mare by impaling her on a pike, his pike to be exact... repeatedly.

He didn't need any more than that. Cadence, while receptive towards his needs and interested in experiments herself, was jealous to the ends of her pink mane extensions and the last mare trying to flirt with Shining had been found naked, lathered and tied to the flagpole in the middle of Crystal Guard training stadium. Cadence had giggled maniacally at first but that had changed into throwing things when the other guards just kept on doing their oil wrestling.

The dream ended with a lot of begging and pleading coming from the (un)fortunate thief and Shining opened his eyes. He wasn't in his bed and it was dark but there were two sets of legs wrapped around him so he decided to give Cadence a chance at continuing his dream here and now. Turning around he wrapped one of his front legs around Cadence's neck and his other one found its way lower and squeezed the big, round, hard... hairless, shiny, black rump of his wife?

Holding on to the rapidly draining remains of his dream he tried to press his belly and Shining junior closer to feel the heat of his wife and the drop in temperature made him stop grinding his hips. It was obvious Cadence wasn't in the mood so he decided to leave her with something that might make her rethink her position later. Cadence, as an aspect of Love, loved when he took charge even when she needed a bit of persuasion so Shining put his lips to her neck and bit down to leave a lover's mark for future licking.

"OW, I fink I bwoke a toof!"

It was at this point that Shining junior, having more blood in him than the brain of his owner, declared his independence on the United States of Shining Armor and hid away, decided never to be seen again.

Finally capable of rational thought not involving two or more ponies in a hot tub, Shining Armor noticed that the neck of his wife was a bit longer, darker, and inexplicably more armored so he made the mistake of lighting up his horn to melt the darkness inside the tent.

A mere second later he stopped his magic again but the glowing slit amethyst-colored eyes still remained fixed on him. Memories of green cocoons in Canterlot returned and he knew that everything that had happened up until now was just another dream. He was still in the castle, his wedding was going to happen in few days and right now he was being fed on by queen Chrysalis. He needed to think and act quickly to alert Celestia and the others.

Shining rolled onto his assailant and began punching down and screaming. He wasn't going to be filled with changeling eggs in any other way than hard-boiled or sunny-side up and his crazy giggling followed the thought shortly.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Cross parted the flaps of his tent and let the light in. Contrary to his expectations, Shining Armor was still alive and being watched by an incredibly confused-looking commander Shadowstep as he kept wailing and punching her chest. The amethyst-colored changeling queen wasn't trying to fight back but kept screaming surprisingly in sync with the prince and stopped for a second when she saw Cross come inside.

"QUICKLY, SARGEANT! I THINK IT'S A BANSHEE, SET IT ON FIRE!"

"Commander..."

"NO TIME! I'VE BEEN TOO CLOSE TO IT FOR SO LONG THAT THERE'S NO WAY TO SAVE ME. BURN IT AND SAVE YOURSELF!"

"Commander..."

"FIRE! CLEANSE THIS ABOMINATION WITH FIRE!"

"AAAAARGHBLARGAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" interrupted drooling, punching, and spitting Shining Armor the conversation rudely.

Cross rolled his eyes.

"INSUBORDINATION? OH HEAVENS! MISSION OVER! BODY SNATCHERS HAVE TAKEN CROSS! ABORT AND RETREAT!"

"Commander..."

It was too late. When Shining Armor, thrown in the air with enough force to rip parts of the tent out, hit the ground again Shadowstep was nowhere to be seen.

"AARGHAAARG-"

*Batwingslap*

"-good morning, Cross. What happened to your tent?"

"Nothing unusual. I'll fix it after breakfast," said the batpony-transformed changeling and went away to make his tea.

Shining Armor finished combing his mane an hour later and was surprised to find out that a small wooden table had been dragged to the middle of the clearing between the tents. He was also finally able to have a look at the layout of the area. There were three tents with various accessories around them in a triangle a fair distance from each other showing that while the inhabitants were used to being around each other they also liked their privacy. All tents were dark green to avoid being spotted in the dark and also make the job harder for anyone trying to do so even in sunlight. Shining was a guard, not a soldier, but basic military strategy was a must-know for everyone wearing armor and his second impression of this place was that the top-hill area was easy to defend, overlooked bigger part of Ponyville, and still had enough trees around to forage in case of trouble. In short, these changelings were soldiers and experienced ones on top of that.

That image was offset a bit by Cross sitting peacefully on a bench at the table and drinking a cup of tea.

"Toast, donuts?" asked the changeling.

"Thanks. Where did you get those?"

"I went shopping earlier. There's an amazing bakery in the town."

"I thought you were supposed to be... erm, hunting during the night for lost citizens and feed."

"Yeeeeees," said Cross hesitantly, "that was the plan anyway. With the arrival of your friends I think a new one is in order. I just need to talk a little idea of mine through with the commander."

"Care to enlighten me? After all I am supposed to be your overseer or something."

"Ehm, yeah right. Well, as you can see things are pretty boring around here. Not that I'm complaining but I can feel myself getting rusty so I think that instead of hunting the villagers we could set our eyes on the specialists sent here to watch over us."

"I don't really know anything about that. I just recieved a letter from Celestia sending me here."

Shining stopped to think for a second. He'd been taken away from his home and his wife and then Celestia sent some guys because she obviously didn't believe his capabilities. Whether that fear was substantiated or not she hadn't even bothered talking to him.

"You know what?" Shining continued, "If your boss agrees then I think I could allow it. I want to see the 'specialists' sent by Celestia in action myself."

"Let's just hope you don't see Starlight in action," muttered Cross.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" came from a tent decorated by sigils, hanging trinkets which softly clinked in the breeze.

"I SAID YOUR MANE LOOKED LOVELY TODAY!" yelled Cross back.

With a sudden hiss of air being sucked into one spot and then released in a visible nova a pure white unicorn with blonde mane appeared out of nowhere. She spat out a hoof file she was holding in her teeth and her blue eyes shot sparks at Cross, literally. Much like Cross she was missing a cutie mark proving to Shining that she was a changeling in disguise. When she was done watching the batling douse the blue flames in his coat she put on an aloof expression and presented her hoof.

"As you know, soldier-boy, at this time of day I'm doing my hooficure which means I haven't started on my mane yet so what possible reason can you have for using my name?"

"I wasn't calling you, I was just talking ABOUT you which you would know if you either used a better listening spell of turned that thing off completely," Cross hissed.

"Oh," she looked at Shining for the first time, "Been explaining how much better I am than your new marefriend could ever be?"

Shining's eyes bulged but Cross' answer came sooner.

"This is PRINCE Shining Armor-"

"Take my body right here and now!" Starlight got out of her with machinegun speed.

"-and he is married."

Starlight looked at Cross with a raised eyebrow and the most condescending expression Shining could remember ever seeing.

"I like a challenge."

"Since when?" an expression of pure horror passed Cross' face at the idea that there really might be body snatchers in the camp, "You refuse to do even the most basic training exercises I used to do centuries ago."

"Pfff I'm not gonna crawl in the dirt under some wires but I'm sure I can find a physical activity that me and prince-"

"Whom you've just called my potential marefriend."

"-whose body is of a lithe build I sooo adore and whose soft features haunt my dreams can enjoy together."

"Heavens... if you backpedal any faster you'll end up tripping over a fence in Appleloosa."

"Uh... good morning miss-" began Shining.

"Lady, lady," whispered Cross quickly.

"-Lady Starlight."

"Yes, your God-Emperorhood, I'm yours in body, mind and soul."

"Once again - married," mumbled Cross.

"Once again - SHUT UP!"

"Can you just ram something of yours in her butt to give her at least the slightest idea of what a spine is, prince?"

Starlight's eyes crossed and she gulped down a string of drool.

"I'll be in my tent, no interruptions!"

She disappeared into thin air.

"What the heck?" asked Shining unceremoniously.

"Nothing unusual. Biscuits and milk?"

Shadowstep roamed the massive Apple family orchard to distract anyone and anything that could be following her. The body snatchers had taken her best soldier, there had been an apparently very perverted banshee haunting Cross' tent, and hopefully something had already eaten Starlight and died of dysentery.

Something was nearby, she could hear a quick heartbeat of a pony-sized creature trying not to get spotted. It wasn't moving which meant she was walking to its trap but it also meant it wasn't aware she knew about it. She quickly began searching her memory for small creatures capable of biting through the chitin of well-fed queen-type changeling.

She found nothing and the fear of the unknown set in. There was always the possibility of ponies themselves beginning to hunt changelings but her briefing with queen Chrysalis had clearly passed the message of "Don't eat them and they won't start hurling firebombs into your cave".

None of that meant there couldn't be a lone hunter, a predator or a madpony going after her. Scientists and magicians had always wanted to get a being of her power into their laboratories. Granted, most of the times they hadn't succeeded and the only time they had led to her meeting with Cross but there was no reason not to exercise supreme caution.

First of all she needed a temporary base of operations to prepare for reclaiming her lost one. The sun was halfway through its work and she wasn't going to sleep outside tonight so she just kept on walking carefully through the orchard aware of the shadows watching her, laughing at her and mocking her but they had no idea that the hunter was slowly becoming the prey.

Then she walked out of the tree shade and spotted the enemy hideout. It was a treehouse obviously filled with love to catch her off guard and lure her inside. Being a soldier to the core she noticed all the little details making that place a fitting fortress of evil. The one and only retractable ramp causing any invading force to walk in a single line and leaving them vulnerable to doubtlessly well-hidden catapults, ballistae and devastating barrages of unicorn magic. The platform all around the house with only safe-looking railings made to break and cause the fall of any invader to his doom made her chuckle. Whoever the enemy was they had no idea who they were dealing with. She knew their little tricks, all of them. The platform would have hidden potholes and cracked wooden planks to break the will of any invading force that survived the ramp slaughter and boiling pits of tar hidden under the carefully laid and very realistic looking grass all around the house.

She was well aware that there would be only a single path through the clearing which wouldn't result in her never leaving this deathtrap again and she accepted the challenge. The place seemed empty and with enough time she would remake it to her own image and use it against its original inhabitants.

The fact that the 'fortress' was a cozy wooden shack located about a meter above ground with enough space inside for about three small fillies didn't even cross Shadowstep's mind.

With carefully measured steps she began tapping every bit of flat ground in front of her with her hoof while creeping towards her target. She didn't know whether she got lucky or it was her honed instinct which led her through the safe path to the house without setting off any tripwires, explosives or automated saw-blade launchers but there she was. The scent of love put into every single item left inside was too much for her and she got sleepy. The warmth, the feeling of fullness and the nervous exhaustion of breaking into a fortified bastion after successfully retreating from an unwinnable combat against undead and demonic forces of this morning dropped her to the ground faster than a hammer.

Her last thought before drifting off was:

"You got me... all that was just too easy and I fell for it. With my last breath I commend you, elite pony assassin. You were a formidable foe."

Flash Sentry woke up and it took all his strength to untangle his legs from the tree he'd been hugging all night. He was surprised that there was no snow around but a quick look around proved that the reason for him staying dry and relatively warm was the fact that he had fallen asleep under a treehouse without noticing it in the dark.

He decided that it would be a good idea to go inside, warm up, eat what little remained of his food and then continue with the search for the camp of his companions. In a morning daze he walked up the ramp leading to the door and thanked both princesses for wearing his helmet when the railing right at the end broke and fell to the ground alongside him.

The second attempt went way better and when he opened the door he spotted a creature he'd never seen before. Her coat was black, turning into purplish hue and not a coat at all but some hard and slightly reflective surface. All in all she looked like a very big pony, muscular but not as tall as princess Celestia with dark purple mane, tail and a strange additional armor resembling the breastplate and a backplate of guards.

"Oops. Sorry for barging in but-"

"So you've finally decided to show your face, assassin," the creature's eyes opened and caught Flash's gaze.

"Um... hello, ma'am. Could I stay here for few minutes?"

"Mock me as much as you like but heed my words - YOU WILL NEVER BREAK A TRUE CHANGELING'S SPIRIT!"

"Eeeeeh does that mean no?"

"Oh by no means think this is over. Do what you wish, use my body as much as you want before finally sending me to Tartarus, I will never break. Be sure of one thing though which is that if you by any twist of fate break my bonds I will devour your heart and crap out your soul."

"You're not tied up, ma'am."

The strange, and quite possibly incapable of dressing herself, creature stood up and proudly stuck her chest out.

"A bold gambit, my nemesis. You are gravely mistaken if you think I'll fall into your trap again though. Heh... making it too easy just to catch me by surprise later. I fell for the oldest trick in the book."

"I just want to warm up and rest a bit. I'll just sit here in the corner-"

"Your 'I am harmless' game would have worked on a lesser being but I will not underestimate you twice. Watch your back, honorable foe, for I will find you and break your will before crushing your body."

"Can't we just talk about it?"

"If I wasn't bound I would make sure your tongue was no longer capable of uttering a-"

"I thought we've already estabilished you're not tied up. I thought it was obvious when you managed to stand up by yourself."

"Nice try but do not doubt my skills-"

A little part of the conversation finally caught up with Shadowstep.

"-ALL I NEEDED WAS A LITTLE LAPSE IN YOUR MASTER PLANS AND I AM FREE!" Shadowstep yelled and jumped out of the little window.

Flash Sentry looked at the broken window and sat down to a corner of the small room.

"Now it's cold again..."

"Ya'll be warm enough when mah sister hears you broke our treehouse!" complained a high-pitched voice from the door.

Three little fillies shouldn't look threatening and to be honest they didn't despite the red-maned one holding a thick stick in her hooves.

"Sorry, girls. It was cold outside and when I came in there was this really weird lady-"

"This perv locked somepony here to have his way with her!" proclaimed an orange pegasus with purple mane and surprisingly small wings.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Wait... what does having his way mean?" the last one of the trio, a white unicorn with purple and white two-toned mane screamed briefly making Flash's eardrums try to vacate the premises immediately.

"It means he broke our treehouse. Get him!" the heavy stick circled around the red-maned earthpony's body in an attempt to look intimidating.

To Flash Sentry it looked like a hard piece of wood moving around very quickly so he didn't risk his luck when the small-winged pegasus tied him up.

The door burst open again.

"It seems the tables have turned, hunter!" Shadowstep triumphantly entered the treehouse again.

"Hey! That's the lady who broke your window," Flash pointed at her.

"Pffft," the unicorn filly stuck out her tongue, "We're not that stupid. She's just a changeling and they don't break things. They just used to eat ponies and my sister said they weren't allowed to do that anymore."

"Then what are you still doing here? She'll eat you!"

"No she won't. Their queen signed a pro- proclaim-"

"Proclamation."

"-thanks, pervy pony, proclamation that they can't take ponies away and even if she didn't changelings always fail anyway."

Flash's jaw dropped at the impenetrable logic.

"Good job, minions!" Shadowstep laughed.

"We're not minio- miniatu- THAT small!" the tiny wings of the pegasus filly buzzed on her back.

"That means... ehm," Shadowstep's eyes darted from side to side, "ponies who want to help a peaceful changeling punish an intruder who broke their treehouse?"

"YAAAY! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS PUNISHERS!" yelled three voices in perfect sync.

"I see you're carrying around a skateboard, little pegasus."

"Scootaloo."

"That's a nice name for the board. You wanna know a different type of boarding that is so effective it has been banned by both princesses and the emperor of griffons?"

"Wooooooah," the eyes of the fillies almost fell out of their sockets.

"Whoever brings me a big bowl of water the fastest gets to hold his head!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

There was one final thing to deal with for Shadowstep after wringing out all useful bits of information from Flash Sentry's head. She knew those elite types and knew how to make them talk and this one was so in awe of her turning his trap against him that he answered everything immediately. She had of course shown the fillies the best places to tickle a stallion to tears and left him in their care to think about his failures. She wasn't going to kill him... no matter how hard she'd tried he hadn't said a word about his employer and besides, this blace was boring as Tartarus and an enemy of almost her skill could help her stay in shape.

The morale boost however led her to believe she should get back to the camp to deal with her problems before being forced to spend the coming night outside. If only she could get to her tent and retrieve some of her tools she should be able to...

"Welcome back, commander," said Cross, correction - the thing that looked like Cross.

"Good evening, ma'am," treacherously peacefully followed the blue-maned perverted banshee fake Cross' greeting.

She charged her horn making the entire clearing shimmer with energy. It was time to avenge her comrades-in-arms and destroy these abominations.

"Starliiiiight?" Cross turned carefully to the tent covered in talismans and drawings.

"Yeah? What do you THEHECKISTHAT?!" Starlight appeared and immediately took a step back when she saw amethyst-colored sparks flying through the clearing.

Cross sighed.

"Will you please put up a barrier around me and the commander and take the prince to your tent?"

"Fill me to the brim, you embodiment of stallionhood!" Starlight's horn glowed and Shining Armor disappeared from the table, leaving only a spoon spinning in the air.

Seconds later she disappeared as well and a blue barrier enveloped the area between three changeling and one recently-added pony tent.

"I WILL MAKE SURE THE LAST THING YOUR EYES SEE BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP IS ME!"

"Nothing unusual, commander."

Heavy Hoof was watching the changeling drone drop its crayons that it's been using to draw a picture of Blackie and look towards the horizon. The explosions of purple and green energy lit up the sky above the changeling camp.

"Woooooow,"

"Graaaaaaaawr..."

"Yaay, that looks so cool."

"Hey! That looks like the night when zap apple trees bloomed," said a voice unknown to the three inhabitants of the camp which now looked all proper but still with only two tents for two ponies and one changeling.

A grey pegasus with quirky eyes was hovering above the trio and observing the light show with a wide smile.

"Who might you be?" asked Heavy.

"Oh right! You've got mail! Mister Heavy Hoof, secret anti-changeling camp in Ponyville?"

"How did you-?"

"I'm a mailmare, I've gotta know."

"I'm not going to even question it. Thank you very much, miss."

"No problem! It's my job," said the pegasus happily and flew away.

"Grawrr?"

"What is it?" asked Six the changeling.

Heavy blushed.

"A piece of clothing I ordered from Canterlot. It's, erm... a piece of soft underwear?"

"Grawr! Grawr! Grawr!" the Blackguard began stomping the ground.

"Blackie wants you to model it."

"I guessed that much," Heavy snickered and put the silky thong on in front of the grinning dark magic abomination and a genderless changeling. He walked around a bit and then took it off and put it back in the box it came in.

"Not bad. It's gonna be a nice thing to sleep in," commented Heavy and put the box on a tree stump seving as a table.

"Grrrrrrr..." Blackie turned away from the laserbeams criss-crossing the sky and growled into the darkness behind them.

"What's going on?"

"I see someone coming. It's an orange pegasus with blue mane wearing armor," Six focused its supernatural night vision.

"Oh? That must be our last member," Heavy brightened up when he recalled a description from Celestia's letter.

The pegasus just kept on stumbling and swaying towards the fire. When he noticed the box with contents reflecting the firelight and bursts of color from the distance his eyes finally regained the gleam of a living being and he picked up the thong and began rubbing it around his nose happily.

"I needed that. May the heavens bless you, Cadence. I can almost still feel Twilight's warmth from these."

"Eeeerm... those are mine. I ordered a new pair because I forgot to pack mine back in Canterlot. These two asked me to show them how they looked on-"

The shiny fabric was very carefully folded and put back in the box by a pair of orange hooves. Then Flash Sentry turned to the fire and began crying.

Hidden: Negotiations

"How do you feel, sister?"

The joyful flutter in Luna's voice spoke volumes about her relief to finally see Celestia without bandages for the first time in weeks.

"I'm fine, Luna. Stop worryi- oof."

Even the soft touch of Luna hugging her sister was enough to send fire through Celestia's chest. Despite the wound finally closing and doctors saying she was almost at full health even the brush of fur reminded the older princess how close she'd been to death.

"Easy," Celestia softly pushed Luna away and smiled, "I am still a little sore. It seems that the weapon did a bit more damage than a normal dagger should."

"I'm just so haaaaaaappyyyyyy-"

"Gnghghh."

"Oops, sorry," Luna untangled her front legs after hugging her sister thoughtlessly again.

Celestia couldn't keep scowling in pain when she saw the remorseful face of Luna. She knew her sister was overreacting. After all, Celestia had been taking care of royal business from her bed in the castle infirmary and later from the throne room as usual. Still, even she was happy to finally stop looking like an oversized Heart's Warming present and spread her wings.

"Come on, Luna, I'm all right. Actually," Celestia thoughtfully jumped a little on the spot, "I can feel all that lying and sitting going straight to my rump. I think I should start going to the castle gym soon."

"Don't you dare!" Luna looked pleadingly at her sister, "You almost died. No banishment, no imprisonment. You were so close to getting killed and I would have never seen you again so please, just for me, take it easy for a while."

"Luna-"

"Pleeeeeeeease," Luna's look would make a kicked puppy eat its own begging license.

Not knowing whether to smile or sigh the concern of her sister was heartwarming nonetheless.

"Fine, no lifting weights any time soon."

"Hey-"

"Nope, not budging. I need to move around so I don't become an old lady obsessed with cats. Do you want your older sister to start hoarding newspapers?"

With Luna's intake of air stopped by Celestia's hoof in her mouth the solar princess just kissed her sister's forehead.

"Thank you for helping me with Equestria, Luna. You've done a great job and I hope you aren't going to stop just because I am back to full strength."

"Of course not."

"I'm glad that's the case. Our subjects are apparently beginning to see your true nature and like it."

Luna blushed at the praise.

"But now," Celestia looked towards the morning sky, "it is my time to, as they say, shine. Have a peaceful rest, sister."

Hearing that, the lunar princess' mind turned to the inevitable. She nuzzled her sister once again and when Celestia's horn began shining brightly and the shadows of her room moved in accordance with the rising sun Luna set course for her own chambers.

For once she wasn't overly worried about her own dreams. Celestia's full recovery and her positive attitude sparked a joy strong enough to withstand the gloom of Luna's own head. Soon, she would have to talk to her sister about her worries for the safety of Equestria but this wasn't the time ruin an almost perfect day.

She tried to look at things from the brighter side. No matter what she would see her friend again, albeit not in the way she would prefer. A little white lie was preferrable to genuine misery. When she reached her room and fell to the bed she did so with a smile on her face.

This time she didn't surface in complete darkness but when the area became more visible she was sure the previous darkness would be preferrable. She knew this was just a dream but the white, powdery ground littered with craters was what she knew as true insanity.

The moon.

"I am sorry to have brought you here, Luna," said Sharp Biscuit.

Luna would never lose control in front of real Sharp but her subconscious sending her back here had some explaining to do.

"Why? Start explaining immediately or tomorrow evening I'm drinking half of the royal wine cellar."

"This... is an important memory for you. It drives you forward in many ways."

"It drove me insane."

The self-control in Luna's voice was made of pure steel, not to budge under any circumstances.

"Not exactly. That is the reason we're here. I was wondering why the evil Element bearers are so much more powerful than ours are. Do you know the reason?"

Luna's memory kicked in. She was now sure that Scream was on her own side more than anypony else's but fortunately her and Luna's side were currently very close. With that being the case she could almost surely believe the information given by the alicorn of Lust.

"The Elements considered evil aren't too inclined towards working together while ours are based on their synergy. That's why they are easier to use and draw power from but ultimately they are weaker."

"That is an obvious nonsense," Sharp shook his head, "Every Element is the same part of the ancient pact holding the same amount of power. All of them are equal outside of Magic. Why do the evil bearers seem stronger then?"

"They... don't have the same natural inhibitions as our ones and aren't afraid to use violence and force?"

Sharp grinned.

"Getting closer. The Elements shape the world around them but at the same time draw their strength from the bearers they change and, let's face it, ponies are naturally evil. Well, maybe not evil but definitely inclined to work for their own goals instead for the good of everypony. In the end it works as a self-feeding circle."

That was something Luna had to agree to. After all, if that wasn't true then the world wouldn't need heroes and leaders. What was the point of the entire conversation though?

"So you are saying the Elements themselves aren't more powerful but the bearers are?"

"Huh, am I? It definitely wasn't my intention. There are other factors for our Equestria to shake even without the bearers. I was hinting at the time when your sister pushed the evil Elements into the mirror world and stole the good ones for your one. She might have done that to draw strength from the good Elements to banish her own weakness."

"I'm not following you."

"I am saying your sister was weak at one time and that period manifested thousands of years later in your world almost dying. Out of fear she almost caused the deaths and enslavement of every single living being in this world. The invasion might have been orchestrated by Scream but the entire possibility of it happening falls on the shoulders of Celestia."

"Everypony makes mistakes. I tried to drown the world in darkness and she was there to stop me from doing that. She did forgive me and yes, she might not be perfect but she is as close as I can imagine anypony to be."

"I have to disagree. You were just a lonely pony at the time and she didn't even bother looking away from the ones licking her hooves to the one who needed her help the most. I think your being possessed by the Nightmare was more her fault than anypony else's. Had she just given you at least a little attention then none of that might have happened."

"Where are you going with this?"

Sharp's expression turned hard.

"I'm saying that your sister is just an another pony. She is weak and she needs somepony to correct her mistakes in the same way she does that for others. You should be the one."

"I know that. I am helping with-"

"Not enough! You need to gain enough power to counterbalance your sister so she can't just silence you like she did every single time you opposed her. You need to have enough power to prevent her from making mistakes. Equestria should have two rulers but currently it has got only one. You need to stop being just the younger sister and take Equestrian affairs into your own hooves."

"I can't-"

"Then nopony can. Your sister is incapable of protecting Equestria from the mirror world. You have no idea how to do it with magic but you at least have the inner strength to stop foalsitting your subjects and have them grow stronger. You could order increased military presence. You could be the iron hoof able to unite the world just like Sombra did and then you wouldn't have to be afraid of anything."

"I will not become a tyrant and end up like the shadow king."

"Did it sound like I said that? My mistake then. Your sister is here to make sure that doesn't happen but YOU need to make sure the exact opposite doesn't happen as well. Up until now you've been just a figurehead. I'm sorry to be so blunt but while I respect you personally you've always been Luna, never a princess."

Biting her lip, Luna looked around to finally understand the reason for her being brought here. This place was a monument of her failure and weakness. This place would haunt her forever but it would stay a reminder to drive her forward.

"I accept my responsibility. I will rule alongside my sister and I will make sure Equestria is safe."

"And if somepony stands in the way?" Sharp grinned.

"They will fall."

The surface of the moon disappeared.

In broad sense the Element bearers were well-known figures. They had attended a fair amount of official events and their pictures spanned the part of Canterlot castle accessible by casual visitors. Despite that, they still had their privacy and while almost everypony knew they lived in this average town their locations were still something Icy Gaze had to find.

His morning had been spent by watching the local asylum and he was beginning to doubt that his original target was there. The batpony was the right one though with her crippled wings, black and red color scheme and almost invisible cutie mark. The real deal had come with his close examination as he'd only found out that the girl was only working there. At least Icy had the location of one of his marks and if the batpony's schedule was the same as before then he now had hours to look around for the Bearers.

Now, where would be a good place to look? The town hall would surely have information about such high profile citizens but asking there would put somepony on his trail after they began disappearing. That would be something he'd have to deal with later as well. When one or two Bearers would disappear then the others would surely go into hiding. That mean he should start with gathering information about all of them first.

Icy needed a place for normal ponies to gather at and exchange gossip. Usually such place would be a tavern or a bar but none of them would be open at this time of day. To plan his next steps he decided to just wander around a bit. After a while he noticed a flower vendor looking at him, trying to whistle innocently when he turned his head. Mares often reacted to him like that, especially the single ones.

Smiling confidently he trotted towards the flower stand.

"Good morning, milady. Are you selling anything appetizing as well as decorative?"

The posh accent worked its charm and the mare almost fainted on the spot.

"I-I, so handsome... hnnghh. Selling food, pretty flowers..."

Considering he might have broken her, Icy steadied the wavering vendor with his hooves.

"I'm thinking about something light for breakfast and surely somepony with vast knowledge such as yourself would be able to help."

The demented giggling of the earthpony mare slowly began annoying the pegasus but he was sort of experienced in that department. When he gave her enough time by watching the products to gather her liquifying brain she finally spoke coherently.

"I have something special from my northern cousin," she nodded at blue flowers Icy had never seen before, "Blue roses grown in Stalliongrad. They are a bit pricy but they are considered a delicacy anywhere in Equestria."

"I'll take five."

"Oghhngm? T-That'll b-b-be ninety bits, sir."

Icy pulled out a small pouch which, as he knew from recounting his advance payment, held hundred bits.

"A hundred, keep the change and buy yourself something nice. If you can find something to fit your beauty."

When the mare began foaming at the mouth Icy knew he overshot a bit. He should give her a chance for paying him back. After all he didn't want her to begin spreading rumors about him so he had to look at least a bit normal.

"By the way," Icy sniffed the minty smelling, blue flower, "Where could a tourist like me find about local landmarks?"

"There's a tourist guide at the town hall-"

"I mean from ponies living here. They probably know way more then some pamphlet could tell me."

"You could ask around at the Sugarcube Corner. There are always some ponies there. It's a bakery where one of the Elements of Harmony works. That could be interesting for a tourist, right?"

"I will forever be in your debt, milady," Icy bowed to the blush-crimson vendor and bit off the petals of one of the flowers. He would never say it to the mare's face but the plants were definitely what one would call an acquired taste. Any normal pony would call it garbage. Still, he wasn't about to throw up so he munched up the rest and went in the direction the mare had shown him.

Despite his looks, Icy Gaze had a talent for being inconspicuous. It wasn't really cutie mark worthy but it was something he was able to learn through years of working in the Griffon Empire. After all, if a pony could seem right in his place among griffons then there really wasn't any higher peak of that skill.

A colorful building decorated to look like a sweet pastry appeared after a short walk. Theoretically anything could appear after a short walk in town of this size, especially because Icy was used to massive cities like Manehattan and the city states like Crystal Empire or the griffon ones. The smell hanging around the place proved that this baker was one specializing in sweet treats rather than ninety kinds of bread. Wincing, Icy remembered some of the more boring bakeries in more boring places.

His walking inside was once again followed by gasps from mares sitting at the tables and the burning stares of their male companions. Trying to feign interest, he looked around and trotted towards the counter where a pink earthpony with poofy mane of slightly darker color was serving the only customer currently being considered a queue.

"Hello, mister visitor," the pink mare greeted him cheerfully, completely failing to show the symptoms any other mare would present when faced with Icy Gaze, "I haven't seen you here before and I can't afford to throw a party for everypony passing through so have this as greetings."

The energetic monologue ended with her presenting a slice of cake on a platter in her hooves to Icy.

"Eh, thank you, miss," for once it was the pegasus who looked taken aback.

"Pinkie Pie, baker extraordinaire, Element of Laughter, your new best friend!" she grinned.

"An Element bearer, you say?"

"Yep! The Element of Laughter in the flesh," she poked herself few times.

"Interesting. Do you know about other Bearers? A simple tourist like me would love to know the sights of this quaint town and I think the famous Bearers constitute as such. Could you enlighten me?"

"Okie dokie. There's silly old me. I live here with the Cakes, they own this place and I help them take care of their foals and serve the customers from time to time. I also plan parties for anypony in the town."

"You seem like a lively pony," Icy nodded to her when she spread her hooves and smiled widely. The pony certainly seemed a bit strange. Perhaps she was an avid club visitor and still had some of the usual drugs in her bloodstream?

"Lively? You should see Rainbow Dash when somepony touches her hooves. She could put lightning to shame with how fast she can go. Oh right, she's an Element too, that's what you wanted to know. She lives in her cloud house on the northern outskirts of Ponyville and usually spends the time re-reading Daring Do books in this frosty weather."

"A bookworm?"

"What? No! She would kick you if she heard you say that. No, if you want a bookworm then you have to go see Twilight. She lives in the huge library. Well, castle now. She's out of town for the time being though so you can't go and see her."

"Oh," Icy faked a disappointed look.

"Awww, don't be sad. If you need somepony to comfort you then Fluttershy is the right pony. She is the Element of Kindness and lives near the Everfree Forest, just off the east road leading out of Ponyville."

"Whoa, isn't it dangerous? Is she some kind of warrior?"

"Flutters? No way! She lives there with her animals who take care of minor nuisances and nothing serious ever comes out of the Forest these days. She nourishes and heals the little critters when needed and in turn they help her."

Icy made a mental note to buy some small things and flowers with heavy scents to cover his tracks in case he had to visit the place.

"Rarity is the next Element. Oooh, oooh, she would love to see you!"

"Huh, why?"

"You sound like somepony from Canterlot," warning bells began tolling in Icy's head when Pinke spoke. This pony might seem like a chatty idiot but she was taking every detail about him in. Still, the Canterlot society speech pattern played into his hooves well enough, "Rarity loves all that hobnobbing and royalty. She would also love to make a tuxedo or something for somepony of your type."

"My type?" Icy narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, you're a noble right?"

"A lower class. No recognizable family."

"Sorry to hear that. Still, Rares would love to see you at the Carousel Boutique. You should visit her soon otherwise she's going to sulk all day thinking I haven't made a good impression of her for you."

Icy remembered seeing a building that sort of looked like the weird name Pinke said.

"The last Element is Applejack. She lives outside of town in the giant apple orchards. You can't get lost though. The only road going that way leads straight to her family's home."

"Eh. I wouldn't want to bother her with her family around," said Icy, meaning every word.

"Oh don't be scared. AJ is a bit too straightforward but Big Mac, her brother, is a great guy if you get to know him. Little Apple Bloom is a bit reckless sometimes but she loves visitors who can tell her stories about the world. Last pony living there is Granny Smith. A little tip - if she starts talking about her being in Canterlot just keep nodding and get ready for a long haul."

Too easy. Simply too easy.

"Thank you very much, young lady. I'll go and take care of this cake before the frosting melts," Icy bowed.

"Oh silly Canterlotian! You eat the cake, not take care of it."

"Haha, yeah. Silly me," Icy turned away and rolled his eyes. Still, free food was free food. Even with him being fairly rich right now he wasn't one to refuse an offer like that.

Who would be the best target? Pinkie lived with other ponies who would immediately raise an alarm if she'd gone missing and the same went for Applejack. Princess Twilight was out of town so she would have to be the last one and he would have to prepare a trap for her. Rainbow Dash was a name known even to him and it was tied to a mare of intense physical abilities. Rarity, as a dressmaker, was bound to get many visits from other ponies. The most obvious choice was Fluttershy then. Living out of town just with her small critters she presented the best target to at least measure the power of the Bearers.

Icy left Sugarcube Corner decided to sleep through the day to be fresh and rested for tonight's observation and, if luck was on his side, the capture of one of his targets.

The library square was more or less deserted and Icy was grateful for that. With everypony at their jobs there were no unpleasant witnesses to him accessing the mini castle and there was no chance of mistaking him for an assistant librarian and wanting to borrow something. His presence had to stay hidden though and the less he moved around the more likely his secrecy would be. He hadn't been awake for more than five hours but his body was trained to the strange rhytm of life and accepted the order to go to sleep in just few minutes.

Icy Gaze got ready to go outside again around midnight. Better time to hunt somepony would be closer to morning but in this particular case where animals would be involved that approach could fail. Both ponies and animals used to their daily routine usually spent the day doing whatever they did and went to bed at the same time. That was of course not true for wild animals but Icy suspected that somepony taking care of wounded creatures would have house pets and such critters around her.

As directed, Icy took the eastern road out of Ponyville and kept an eye out for any presence of buildings and ponies between the cheery 'You are now leaving Ponyville, the friendliest town in Equestria' banner and much less joyous panorama of twisted trees and impenetrable darkness of the Everfree. Even at night the stars were shining brightly illuminating a silouhette of a small cottage with garden of much greater size surrounding it from three sides.

Icy pulled out the mixture he'd prepared in advance for tonight's attempt. At first the general idea had been just to observe but now that he knew the place was completely dark and quiet he decided that wasting time and risking the princess returning before him finishing his mission would be pointless. The mixture was a scent bomb. Easy to make, cheap, and completely devastating. The glass vial surrounded by cloth only needed to be thrown on the ground and the overpowering smell would put the nose of any creature out of comission for few days.

Of course, if he accidentally bit through it while picking the lock on the door he would probably throw up his breakfast along with his stomach and most of his insides.

Even somepony of his experience and confidence was shaking to the tips of his hooves while exploring the keyhole in the starlight. Fortunately, it seemed that his previous assessment of the situation had been correct and nopony was awake at this time.

*Click*

Hiding the lockpicks and ready to immediately throw the scent bomb, he pushed the door open. Thankfully, the hinges didn't emit a sound causing Icy to send a silent prayer to whatever deity was listening. Before opening the door wide he melded into the shadows one more time and pulled out something most ponies had never even heard about. On first glance the two tubes were socks made of steel mesh just like some lighter chain armors of guards everywhere but there was one small difference. The pads around hooves were made from a soft silk providing exactly the same amount of protection as a wet paper towel but making Icy's hoofsteps on the wooden floor of the cottage almost noiseless.

Finally prepared, he snuck through the ground floor, spotting nopony even remotely resembling a pony. He was anxious about going up the stairs as it would allow somepony knowing about his trespass to cut his head clean off but that was the only remaining way and he couldn't stop a deep breath escaping his mouth when nothing of that sort happened. The upper floor was more an attic than anything else but it hosted what he'd been looking for, a yellow pegasus mare with pink mane... hugging a white bunny tightly in her sleep.

Looking around gave Icy the general idea that the room was filled with cages and any quick movement would result in dozens of birds and other critters bursting out in a cacophony of noise. The problem lay in the fact that waking up one animal would immediately wake everything else up. Once again he thanked the stars for the chatty earthpony's description of Fluttershy's surroundings that allowed him to think of his escape plan beforehoof. He just had to execute it properly.

Pulling out a cloth and a bottle of ether, he knew the scent would make something wake up soon so he didn't bother with overdoing the dosage. In the worst case Fluttershy would spend more than few hours unconscious. He threw the cloth over his target's face, hoped it would work fast enough and pressed it against her muzzle right after jumping the entire distance from the stairs to the bed with the help of his wings. The burst of air immediately sent everything into overdrive. Chippering noises, squeaking and even growling from the shadows made Icy bite his lip as he hoisted the unconscious pegasus on his back. For a second he thought he might have bitten through the vial he was holding but nothing of that sort happened and he didn't bother with concealing his presence further as he jumped down the stairs.

Don't bite down! Don't bite down! Don't bite down!

Something swiped at his hind legs, leaving a red mark but not cutting tendons. It took all Icy's self control not to bite down at the shock and pain but the self-preservation instinct prevailed. He was sure now he had only seconds before dying to whatever was getting ready to pounce at him.

Turning around, he didn't even bother aiming when he spat out the vial into his hoof and hurled it at the dark shadow that instinctively caught it with its mouth. With no time to celebrate the painful screeching and gurgling noises behind him he ran straight towards Ponyville with his cargo. The lingering cloud of nasal death should spread around the cottage and prevent anything from following and tracking him. In about a day, here in fresh air, the smell would disperse and nopony investigating the kidnapping would be any wiser.

Morning left Twilight itching to immediately go and visit Shieldbreaker but she was sure rushing things was the worst idea a wannabe friend, or a diplomatic ally, could have so she mustered all her self-control to just waste the day away by thinking, walking around and observing the life of the village. No too surprisingly, it was a dull one.

Pine Hills might have looked like nothing wrapped in nowhere but in truth it was the first outpost of civilization where weary travellers could take a break after passing through the Everfree Forest on their way from the mainland. Still, stories of caravan guards at the inn about fighting hydras and pony militia groups hiding in the Forest were as useless to Twilight as they were overexaggerated. Only one thing was reassuring and that was the lack of tales about changeling agression. It seemed that queen Chrysalis was true to her part of the bargain at least.

The day slowly rolled over and when the influx of ponies at the inn signalled the work day was done Twilight stopped reading one of the books she'd brought with her and left to do what needed to be done.

This time her knocking on Shieldbreaker's door didn't cause his marefriend to swallow her tongue and after short exchange of affection she guided Twilight to the commonest of common houses. With a weak blue shimmer the door clicked. Twilight grinned as her head obediently pulled out the details of the security spell. It was simple but effective. It wouldn't have stopped her, of course, but any casual visitor would find it impossible to break in.

Spells like these were uncommon in Ponyville where everypony knew everypony and thievery was a myth more than a social problem but in big cities there were unicorns capable of creating scrolls holding magical charge selling these spells to earthponies for one-time use whenever and wherever. Twilight had wanted to delve into the secrets of delayed spells and scrolls but with her being connected to the greatest source of magical power in the world she still had enough trouble manipulating the force within herself.

The inside of the house was as common as the outside with the exception of notable lack of furniture but the important was what lay hidden in the cellars beneath it.

Twilight gasped when she saw that the cellar was just an entrance to a cavern system lit by weakly shimmering globs of blue goo. Breaky's marefriend didn't even stutter and led Twilight through the complex of intersections with absolute certainty, something Twilight was quickly losing because finding her way out would be downright impossible.

In the end, right as she entered a more decorated cave with chiseled walls made to look like a catacomb room instead of a natural formation, she was sure the caverns spanned the area underneath the entire village. Twilight's horn felt her magic slowly drain away without her order and be sapped into sets of blue crystals, no... blue goo shaped into crystals, on the walls that began glowing with stolen magic to illuminate the place.

Her worry disappeared with the knowledge that this wasn't some prison designed to hold mages but just a clever design decision by the Nightmare changelings. Her worries returned immediately when she saw a changeling queen walking slowly towards her. Sapphire blue eyes, dark blue chitin, mane, belly plate of lighter shade of the same color and the bronze streaks running through the belly armor were an indisputable proof that this was the young Nightmare queen, Guiding Light.

She wasn't happy to see Twilight... at all.

The purple alicorn bowed politely.

"Uh, greetings. I was sent here by princess Celestia to find out how your hive is doing," said Twilight and immediately filed that greeting as possibly the dumbest thing said by a diplomat, ever.

Fortunately for her, Guiding Light was no politican either.

"We're doing pretty fine and nopony has complained yet. Why are you really here?"

"The princess is worried you might not adhere to the peace treaty between changelings, Chrysalis' changelings and ponies."

"What are the details?"

"Eeerm... mainly that changelings don't eat ponies without an arrangement and in turn ponies don't hunt changelings?"

"Done. Anything else?"

Even to the dumbest of the mentally gone it would have been obvious that Guiding wasn't exactly thrilled by the visit even after the main concern was sorted out.

"Well, I have to report to the princess how things are going and I already have the mayor's surprisingly good side of the story. Care to share yours?"

"There isn't anything to say. When your Nightmare Moon-"

"Princess Luna."

"Whatever. When I found out she sentenced my dad to death I ordered all Nightmares to leave their temporary homes and follow me. Aside from the one in the Crystal Empire each one did. I didn't have a plan aside from getting as far from the corrupted alicorn as possible before she decided to enslave us again."

"Princess Luna would never do that."

"You obviously have no idea about the darkness inside her."

"I was there when we defeated Nightmare Moon using the Elements. She is just a normal pony, well... an alicorn. She isn't some evil monster and she's stood by and protected Equestria from all evil... unlike your traitor father."

As soon as the heated words left Twilight's mouth everything froze. The gentle buzzing sound permeating the air everywhere any sort of changelings gathered stopped immediately with the sharp intake of breath of Guiding Light.

"What did you say?" the young queen hissed.

"I said Luna had nothing to do with Blazing Light betraying us and switching sides to help Sombra succeed during the second invasion!" Twilight had to stand tall for the princesses. She had to show the queen reason and bring her to reality. She had to...

...dodge immediately as Guiding leapt at her and swung her front legs, leaving few strands of Twilight's mane floating in the air. The queen had sharp blades on the inner sides of her legs that slid out and would have decapitated the alicorn had she not avoided the blow.

Thoughtlessly, Twilight tapped into her magic reserves and sent a bolt of force to fling Guiding away. She had to roll away this time as the spell failed to even stagger the changeling. Right, Blazing Light had a distinct ability to steal magic and his offspring inherited the strange trait at least to a certain extent.

There wasn't time to remember the Nightmare that had spent time at her library assisting her in experiments as a flurry of wild swipes left Twilight bruised and lacerated but still with enough focus to teleport behind the queen and stomp heavily down at her back.

The failure was obvious in seconds as Guiding's hind legs bucked up and sent Twilight flying. The alicorn of Magic realized that contesting Guiding's physical abilites was completely out of her realm of possibility. Still, Twilight was sure that while Guiding knew a little about magic there was no way the princess of Friendship would lose that way.

The problem was, as she quickly realized, that any complex magic was impossible to cast when the enemy was significantly faster and able to sense her presence even after teleportation. That meant Twilight had only one way out and that was overwhelming Guiding's magic resistance with sheer power.

Twilight had no time to estimate the correct flow of magic and began firing barrage after barrage towards the cloud of dust rising around Guiding. Through her vision slowly blurring by sweat dripping from her forehead she noticed the cloud wasn't moving.

That was when a sharp stab of pain ran through her horn as something hit her right at its base. Dazed and with the cave around her swaying, Twilight realized something was holding her legs and there was a hoof pressing against her horn. Dread washed over her as her eyes revealed she was being held by other Nightmares.

Guiding Light slowly stood back up and stumbled towards Twilight, swaying and spitting green blood out of her mouth. She looked at the Nightmare ready to snap Twilight's horn in two.

Twilight's mind raced but the only conclusion was that she would lose her magic, everything that made her who she was. She would be useless to princess Celestia. She would never again be good enough for her friends and she would have to find a new occupation. Perhaps princess Celestia would be kind enough to let her run the library in Ponyville? Perhaps she might go and work at Canterlot airship loading docks...

When Guiding Light saw the tears flowing freely from Twilight's eyes she nodded. There was no reason for changelings to communicate with words when they were this close.

"I really want to silence you forever for spitting your lies, alicorn," growled Guiding, "but all that would bring would be war and our inevitable demise so... consider yourself lucky. We don't mean anypony any harm. We don't mean to start spreading as we know what it leads to. In the case our bloodline continues it will be with the consent of the ponies around us. Your solar princess has nothing to fear from us. As for the other one..."

She let the concern unanswered and her horn glowed, sapping more of Twilight's strength.

Darkness overwhelmed the purple princess.

The phoenix feather on princess Celestia's desk burned brightly and a letter formed from the flames. Bearing a star seal belonging to Twilight, Celestia didn't hesitate and unrolled it.

Dear princess Celestia,

My meeting with queen Guiding Light didn't work exactly as I expected but I'm sure she isn't doing anything suspicious in Pine Hills. The villagers like the Nightmares and, honestly, the place is more peaceful than any of the ones where changelings tried to settle before. I think there is no reason for me staying here further unless there is something else you want to know.

Is there anything else?

Twilight Sparkle, your faithful student.

Celestia flashed a smile. During the short time Guiding Light had spent observing Canterlot official business by her side she'd proven herself to be capable and a strange combination of peaceful and deadly. The princess was glad she hadn't misjudged the young queen.

Levitating a quill herself, she summoned a blank piece of parchment as well.

My dearest pupil,

I wish you would stay in Pine Hills for few more days to observe the daily life of changelings around ponies. I still feel a presence similar to her hive in the castle and I know that their ability to strike fear into the hearts of ponies can pierce even through the strongest defenses. I would hide and investigate but I cannot afford any panic in Canterlot, especially this soon after my recovery. Even if I tried then Luna would probably drown in the paperwork.

I know your position there might put you in danger in case Guiding Light is lying but I feel there is more you can do to forge warm relationship between her and us even with the... misunderstanding.

Celestia, your fellow princess.

The little joke at the end was supposed to lift Twilight's spirit and Celestia was sure it would work, at least a bit. It should also motivate Twilight that no matter what the difficulty in dealing with somepony she had she should never leave a matter unattended without examining it from all sides.

Celestia's wings cracked as she spread them inside her room. The night outside was beautiful and she fancied a little exercise before going to bed. Walking out on the balcony, she buffeted the snow away and leapt into the air.

Just one lap around the castle and then she would be off to bed.

She knew something wasn't right when the ground in the depths below her began wobbling. Celestia had never suffered from vertigo, could her recovering body consider her flying a danger?

One of her wings froze for a second before moving again but she was able to stop herself from falling. Cold sweat began running down her sides. She had to get back to her room, that place was safe, protected by wards. Celestia's legs went numb as her brain suddenly began sending messages about what would happen if she were to plummet to the ground suddenly.

With wings moving slightly out of sync she was still able to go halfway back before feeling the touch of magic around her. She wasn't a coward, she was an excellent aerial acrobat. There was nothing to fear even at this height. Just realizing that was enough for an alicorn of her power to recognize a fear spell in effect and break it.

Before she could wipe the sweat off her forehead her world shut down mid-flight.

Hidden: Tirek's Visit

Tirek the Great, Tirek the Mighty, Tirek the Destroyer - all those and many more titles from creatures throughout the ages fit this dreadful abomination who was right now roaming the streets of Ponyville and sucking out the special traits of everypony he could get his hands on. He was forgetting one thing though - that 'special' didn't mean good in every circumstance.

He, the rightful ruler of Equestria, was stomping and cleaving his way through every powerless obstacle when he spotted a grey pegasus flying in strange patterns through the sky.

"I thought I got all of you, buzzing flies!"

"Delivery for... mister Tired, the Hulking Menace?" the pegasus took the letter from her mouth and tried to read the name she had slobbered all over.

"TIREK! IT'S TIREK! And yes, it's me."

"Got a package for you, sir," the pegasus fluttered her wings in front of Tirek's face, oblivious to the trail of destruction he was leaving behind him.

"Yes yes, I heard you the first time. Give it to me."

"Sure thing!" the pegasus focused one of her eyes on the letter while the other was still watching the Destroyer.

"That's a pretty useful talent, little pony. SOON it will be mine... along with the delivery of course."

"That's why I'm here. Derpy, mailmare extraordinaire! I just need you to sign here, here aaand here," Derpy pointed to a form she'd pulled out of her bag and was now making wet in her mouth.

"Eeerm, got a pen?" the Destroyer was getting nervous at why he couldn't just drain the pegasus like all the others but it was her eye, the gaze of doom, which was stopping him while... the other eye kept following his trail through the form.

"Of course," said Derpy cheerily and opened her mouth to pick one up leaving the form to drop to the ground.

Finally the deal was done. Tirek signed his name thirteen times on the dirty form and was ready to recieve his delivery.

"I can't read it," said the mailmare.

"WHAT?"

"It's all smudged, see?" she flew to his left horn holding the form once again in her mouth.

Tirek pulled her in front of his face.

"That's because you're drooling all over it!"

"AH! That must be it," Derpy pulled out a small box and hid away the form.

"Good," Tirek grabbed the pegasus and opened his mouth, "Now give me the power of your terrifying gaze! NOM NOM NOM!"

When the pegasus dropped to the ground Tirek tried to focus on the small package which was difficult because he was now able to see quite a larger part of his surroundings than before. Unfortunately for him the new two fields of view weren't really connected.

Tirek the Slightly Confused knew though that his new power of Death Gaze was worth it. He opened the box which had only a small strap of paper inside which read - Don't mess with chaos magic, noob.

Tirek was getting to grips with his newfound abiliy to keep watching the sky and the area in front of him at the same time when he spotted what looked like a black pegasus with very small wings holding a leash in her mouth that was connected to a choker on the neck of a bronze unicorn with unusually short horn. All he needed right now was a little snack and here he had an opportunity to grab some flight and magic at the same time.

"PATHETIC CREATURES! YOUR POWER WILL BE MINE!" he bellowed.

"We're down here, derpface," grinned the... pegasus? wearing a Ponyville Mental Asylum badge.

Tirek forced his head down. It seemed that his new skill would require some attention later and that while being able to see everything in front of him was an excellent talent his threatening visage was slightly spoiled when his target thought he was talking to the nearest tree.

"Aah, a batpony. With your power I might drain more than just their skills from ponies. I will take the life flowing in their veins! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The batpony focused her red eyes on Tirek's face, raised an eyebrow and revealed her short fangs.

"Little fangs mean I'm a fruit-eater, goat-boy."

"The true evil will find a way! NOM NOM NOM!"

Tirek the Mango Craving noticed a tickling sensation on his leg, he looked up and cursed his sight again.

The bronze unicorn was punching his leg without any apparent effect and any desire to stop soon. The Doom of Equestria picked the unicorn up and held him to his face. When separated from Tirek's leg, the unicorn went limp and just began drooling on the hand holding him.

Tirek knew that the most powerful magic users went mad eventually and this was a one that had a vampire as his servant. He licked his lips and switched the hand holding the unicorn as it was getting unpleasantly wet.

"I know the true face of madness, mage! You will give your power to me!"

"NOM NOM NO-"

Tirek refocused his gaze again and spat out the pieces of a tree in his mouth. This time he tried to turn his head as left as possible.

"NOM NOM NOM!"

The unicorn dropped limply on the ground.

Tirek the Unsteady wobbled through Ponyville as suddenly some of his legs felt like they belonged to a different creature.

Yeah me! Tirek the Second.

"I am the one and only Great Lord Tirek-"

Nu uh.

"Uh huh!"

Nu uh!

"ENOUGH! I will- STOP THAT!"

Hey! I control one of the eyes!

Like a telescope, Tirek's left eye began turning around randomly in its socket.

And a hand! COOL!

A humongous hand ripped out a nearby tree from which someone had previously apparently taken a huge bite and began hitting Tirek's head with it. The failure of such plan became apparent quickly when the huge trunk became stuck on Tirek's horns.

Tirek the Lord Of Excrutiating Neck Pain tried to stop his stomach from revolving as his left eye kept turning around and a voice in his head kept going - Wheeeeeee. His miserable failure ensured him he needed a snack to replenish his energy and there was a humongous source of dark magic leaving what looked like a bakery right now.

He covered his crazy eye with one hand and looked at what looked like a huge, grey and muscular earthpony with long, flowing black mane. He was carrying a stack of small boxes smelling sweet and listening to a changeling drone chirping about everything in sight.

"Hey, Blackie, that guy's new," the changeling turned from the earthpony to Tirek, "Hello, mister. That trunk looks pretty cool. Oh, did something happen to your eye? There's a cool pace here that sells patch-"

As Tirek the Annoyed reached out with his free hand for the drone he felt a blow, this time one that actually hurt even his form overdosed on magic.

"Grawrrrrrrr!" the earthpony known as Blackie was standing in front the drone with a threatening expression.

"So much magic," laughed Tirek, "I will enjoy devouring you!"

"NOM NOM NOM!"

"NOM NOM- WHAT IN TARTARUS?"

He kept eating, draining and sucking but the pony didn't budge. Tirek the Incredibly Full fell down on his side and his hand began punching him again.

I'll be in control soon, fatass!

"That doesn't look healthy, you might need to exercise a bit, mister goat," the changeling smiled at Tirek and resumed talking to the growling pony who didn't seem phased by Tirek's previous attempts at eating him.

Tirek the Low Self-Esteemed Due To Being Suddenly Fat was pulling himself with his hand on the ground. He was feeling sick due to the absurd amounts of dark magic he'd eaten a while ago and he was looking for something to wash away the foul taste.

Pff he was just looking for a triple Big Mac with XXXXL Hay fries.

He was also having problems with the uninvited guest in his head but he knew he would pull through. After all, he was Lord Tirek-

the Fake Because I Am The Real One Muahahaha!

There was a source of magic nearby in what looked like a spa. Tirek the Resolute wasn't going to let anything disrupt his feeding this time-

And he keeps saying it's genetics.

-and ripped off the roof which revealed a small hall with two earthponies and a unicorn positively glowing with magic in his opinion. The earthponies ran away immediately but the unicorn mare's jaw dropped when she looked at him.

"Gaze with awe on lord Tir-"

Tirek the Embarrassed suddenly realized what was the unicorn looking at.

"Lord, you say? And this well-endowed, you say? JACKPOT!" Starlight disappeared under his belly and Tirek felt himself being touched in places time itself had forgotten.

"NO! BAD UNICORN! THAT'S NOT FOR-"

"Oh don't be shy! I know exaaaaactly what this is for."

Both Tirek's eyes were in sync for a second as they rolled into the back of his head.

That feels pretty good. I say we stop trying to take over Equestria and just take this mare here back home.

"ALL MINE!" was the only thing Tirek the Fully Released heard from the madly cackling unicorn drifting away on the white river rolling over Ponyville before he passed out.

When Tirek came to the first thing he heard was the tapping of a hoof in front of his face.

"About time you woke up, look" said Discord.

The last thing Lord Tirek the Happy To Go Back To Tartarus saw was a huge beam of energy emanating from six ponies.

"Trying to steal my power, pfft," Discord grinned.

Broken Hearts: The Fight Begins

Mistakes are often forgivable, only if one has the courage to admit them.

Darkness, infinite pools of blackness everywhere the eye couldn't see. Contrasting with the midnight background was a bronze-coated unicorn, the only one still standing among the corpses of many of his copies. He wasn't bothered by the sight of his other selves stabbed, broken or crippled in various ways, he was just looking for one invader who had no place there.

The enemy was standing there, breathing heavily and grinning.

"Foalish creature, you really believed that all your little pieces would be enough to destroy me," snorted the threatening pony, a grey unicorn with flowing black mane and curved horn.

"Not really," answered Blazing light-heartedly.

"You were correct about your fractured bits being useless then."

"I usually am," Blaze smiled inwardly.

"So it's only you and me now. I admit I must commend you for your endurance but this body will be mine."

"Why? The body Scream made is gone. All that's left is me from before I got turned into a changeling."

Sombra cursed and his rage fused the darkness into glass. Then a small part of the glassy surface turned into a crystal chalice full of wine which Sombra picked up and took a sip.

"I can keep myself alive with magic, worm. As long as I have your body I might- I WILL be able to learn Scream's spell from the remnants in it."

Blaze sighed.

"I guess I'll never understand the desire for immortality."

"Your little brain has no idea how much there is in this world to know, to find out. The amount of power I could gain with infinite time on my hooves is-"

"Why?" Blaze raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Why do you need all that power? Do you enjoy manipulating others? Do you just need to feel superior? Is it something else?"

"The more power one achieves the more he knows how much there is to gain."

"Once again - why?"

"I... don't understand you. How can you be content with your weakness? How can you live with how little you are? How can you take the feeling that there are beings better than you in every aspect?"

Blazing finally understood the king and smiled.

"I see. You're just afraid there might somepony stronger and bigger."

"I AM AFRAID OF NOTHING!" screamed Sombra.

"Heh. I am afraid of everything. Every new day, every minute is a new chance to fail the ones I don't want to ever feel bad. That fear is what drives me towards stopping you here at any cost."

"You miserable-"

"Call me what you want. You can't ever come close to what I call myself every waking second."

Sombra took a deap breath.

"I don't need to do anything of that sort. I just have to destroy what's left of you."

"You're so scared for your life, your future that you don't understand what 'at any cost' means."

The hundreds of broken copies of Blazing Light stood back up with snapping of tendons and cracking of bones.

"What is this?"

"If I have to remember my every wound, every painful memory, every failure, every fear then I will. If I have to break myself completely to stop you then I will. If I have to destroy my future just to end your threat then I will."

The army of fractured pieces of Blazing's mind assaulted Sombra again.

"No matter how much I hate doing it after finally finding somethi- somepony to live for."

Well, I royally buggered everything up. My outburst aimed at Bright Eye ended up with me hurting Blaze, not seriously by any means but it somehow put me into the category of ponies he's scared of... which means everypony else. I hope he'll come around but for now there's very little I can do, even less than before.

Sighing to myself, I leave my post at the asylum reception and walk to Bright's office. It's been two days and I haven't seen Blaze or talked to the doc since. I guess I'm lucky to still be working here.

"Come in!" comes from inside after I knock.

I hesitate. Not knowing what to say is something new to me but so is seriously apologizing for doing dumb things. I've always just waved things off, forgotten them and relied on my friendly approach to leave trouble in the dirt even before they could surface. That might be a bit difficult here since threatening to kill somepony and actually trying to do so might for some weird reason stick in memory.

"Eeeehm," I open the door.

"Please don't kill me, I have a wife and five foals!" Bright dives under his desk.

"What?" my eyes bulge.

"Owwww. I shouldn't be doing this at my age," laments the doctor, smiling and crawling out of his hiding place.

"A bit over thirty-nine? You derelict wreck!" I walk to the desk.

"Hey, you sound like my wife just before she found herself a new colt-toy."

He returns back to the chair and I just stand in front the desk and shuffle the papers on it.

"So...?"

"Well, if I wasn't a psychiatrist myself then I would have probably needed one. Yesterday I twitched every time I saw you in the lobby. Today I noticed you trying to avoid me. I know you're sorry. I know we all do crazy things when we're scared."

"I wasn't scared... more like absolutely terrified."

"Care to tell me more? Mares tell me I'm a great listener from time to time," he employs a mockingly seductive voice.

"Keep talking like that and you'll get my tongue inside your ear and not just my words."

"So...?" this time it's his turn and he gives me enough time to collect myself.

"I-I can't tell you everything that happened but I just stopped thinking at the idea that I'll lose him again. I'm not trying to make up an excuse, I just want to say I'm sorry. I'll understand and not blow up anymore if you want to kick me out and all I ask for is that you don't tell anypony about Blaze," I bite my lip.

"I have overlooked many things concerning you and your friend. The thing is that no matter how clumsy you are you've never refused any dirty task here and you've never complained which is even rarer. Heck, I even noticed that some of our male patients were getting sponge baths a bit more often than scheduled."

I stop the blushing by biting my lip again but harder this time.

"Ehm, well, they don't have much going for them here so they may as well be clean?"

"Does it have something to do with that flirty attitude?"

"Maybe some other time. If you're not gonna fire me then... thanks and now I'll just go."

"You know, I've had patients with similar symptoms to yours. I can treat that sort of condition."

"Nah, I'm fine in that department buuuut... how willing are you to treat the symptoms, as you say?"

"It might need a bit more than just a kiss and dirty talking to get a stallion of my age to get going though."

"A light dinner tonight?"

"Can't do that sort of exercise on full stomach."

"Tell me about it. I once had a coltfriend who was way too set on trying the back entrance and-"

"STOP! For the love of Celestia don't continue unless you want me to hide in one of our padded cells, I won't even care if it's occupied."

"Well yeah, it wasn't pretty."

"I want to know one thing though - does your friend know about it?"

"Yes. He said he had no problem with me sleeping around but somehow it's never happened. It may have been thanks to me jumping his bones every chance I got or-"

"Or maybe it was that you wanted something different which you translated into sex before. Sorry, I'm sliding back to my psychiatrist mindset."

I stay silent and think.

"I think you're wrong... at least in something and I intend to show you tonight."

"I'll have my ice bucket ready."

"What about pills, grandpa?"

"You're gonna get a spanking!"

"I'll look forward to it. And... thanks again, I mean it."

"Don't worry. Friends can forgive and forget."

"What about friends with benefits?" I stick out my tongue.

"OUT!" Bright throws a couch cushion at me, laughing.

I leave the office with much lighter heart and better mood. I wish it was this easy to change Blaze's mind but hope fails me on this one. Still, I have to try so I walk upstairs and unlock the metal door. Upon seeing me the unicorn pulls his blanket up and hides his head under the pillow.

"It's gonna be alright," I pat the covered body which tenses up, "I just wish I knew what to do, how to help. I feel like nothing is coming through and I'm having doubts that throwing everything away was a good idea."

A whimper from under the pillow is all I get.

"I-I'll come back tomorrow to tell you the story of a bronze changeling who saved the lives of all four princesses."

All the energy I got from talking to Bright is gone, sapped by my helplessness. Kicking a small rock fallen from a potted plant, I return to the lobby and assume my place as a happy and cheery receptionist.

"Hey, batty! This big stallion brought something for you," says a passing white earthpony with pink mane who has been volunteering here as well.

Redheart is working as a nurse in local hospital but helps here when patients hurt themselves occasionally. Despite her jokes about me trying to seduce her to get access to Ponyville hospital blood reserves she's a really nice mare, pretty great-looking as well.

For a second I ponder inviting her to tonight's evening with the doctor and then slap myself and promise my libido a very cold shower after that. Too bad she notices the way I'm staring. Fortunately, it doesn't bother her and she just playfully winks back.

The cold shower comes immediately when she presents the item brough to me.

The pony responsible for making this square of paper and binding would have been incredibly proud to see that despite all bloodstains, red and green, all burn marks, scratches and dirt the writing in this little journal is still readable. I confirm my worst suspicions when I open the little book on the first page and read:

How to begin? Leaving my home in Manehatten was the most difficult thing I've ever done-

"Who... brought this here?"

"A white stallion, huge guy, blue mane, strange blue patches of fur right above his hooves. Pretty muscular too, looked like a soldier or a guard," she pauses, "Is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"No no no, everything's great. Thanks for telling me, Reddy."

"Oooh a new nickname. Kay then, seeya!"

"Yea you too," I say distractedly, "Thanks for helping with miss Pearl. She gets confused around doors from time to time."

"No problem. If you need me you know where to find me."

Yeah... the problem is that somepony knows where to find ME. What's worse, he probably knows about Blaze as well otherwise he wouldn't have brought his diary here.

When I curiously open the last page a piece of paper falls out.

Meet me at the camp in the Sweet Apple Acres after dark. It doesn't matter what day, just don't make me wait too long. Don't forget... Biscuits.

Why did it have to be Heavy Hoof?

I sigh.

"Well, at least it wasn't Luna."

Broken Hearts: Wanted

"Your Highness!"

The frantic knocking on the door of Luna's room broke through her trance and she left the dream of somepony currently trying to run away from a giant horseshoe chasing him.

"Your Highness!"

Luna shook her head. What could be so important for the guards to bother her while she was doing her nighttime duty, especially with her sister finally able to rule Equestria again? Yawning, she raised herself from the bed, stretched and opened the door, revealing a shaking guard.

"What is going on?"

"It's princess Celestia. She's been attacked!"

"WHAT?!"

"Somepony shot her down with magic while she was flying around the castle."

Damn her! Luna had asked her to take things easy for a while. She should have known Celestia wouldn't listen, she never did. She never respected Luna's opinion. Sharp had been right and Luna should have ordered her sister to be tied up and guarded.

"Are you sure it was an attack? She has just recovered from a nearly mortal wound."

"We aren't hundred percent sure. The Royal Guards on duty saw some unusual activity in the sky and unicorns outside said they could feel a huge charge of magic building up."

Luna was too tired for this. Interrupting her dreamwalking ability was risky every single time but today she felt as if she had just finished running a marathon. Right now there were only two important things.

"Is anypony following the culprit?"

The guard shook his head.

"The only trace the unicorns had simply disappeared several seconds after the attack, after the presence of magic we presume to be the attack."

A feral growl from the lunar princess caused the guard to reconsider his vocation and for a second he wished to be anywhere else. With the look on Luna's face even the bottom of a volcano would be preferrable.

"I want everypony who was even in the area rounded up and questioned. Now, how is my sister?"

She wouldn't eat him. That was something the nervous guard had to keep repeating to himself.

"Princess Celestia isn't too hurt physically. Her alicorn regeneration dealt with the damage caused by her fall very quickly but the unicorn doctors say she is being kept inside her own head by some sort of magic. They have no idea how to wake her up."

Luna breathed out. That... wasn't too bad, considering what might have happened. If the problem was a powerful spell then there had to be a counterspell and Canterlot library was home to the biggest assortment of secret magical texts in Equestria. On top of that, Luna was the most experienced magic user in the world.

Dismissing the guard, Luna forced herself despite her exhaustion to pull an all-nighter and went to the library.

The real problem was that whoever had attacked her sister had possessed enough power to break through an alicorn's defenses. That also meant she would have to be on her guard at all times. There was a huge difference between her and her sister. The moment Luna would feel a strong presence near her would be the moment all her power would be unleashed to eradicate it. There was time for talking in peace and this wasn't it.

Her mind focused on one thing.

Who could be strong enough to successfully attack an alicorn, even by surprise? From the top to the bottom the possibilites were deities which meant Discord or somepony bearing the Elements and other alicorns. There was also the small chance of some anti-government organizations hiring a group of unicorns capable of pulling off some sort of tactical spell strike. No, that couldn't be the case. Something of such scale would leave enough magic hanging in the air for the unicorn guards to work with, same with any sort of high magical charge meaning the spell used was a complex one but not requiring too much power. That left open only the possibility of there being a single attacker who was a superb mage.

Luna arrived at the library and began looking through magical tomes for one focused on suspended animation, forced sleep and mind suppression.

Discord would be the first suspect then but his magic was something even he had difficulty of controlling fully. Had he attacked her sister then there would be enough clues everywhere around... possibly a part of the castle turning to jelly and whipped cream.

So... Element bearers. According to the witnesses there had been only one Bearer from the mirror world capable of seriously harming an alicorn and that one had been killed by Blazing Light. Her talk with Void after the invasion when he'd brought the Element of Magic back left her with the information that the other mirror Bearers had no reason or desire to continue and had been only forced to work with Sombra.

Void himself was out of question. Yes, he had a good reason to hate Celestia but he'd never acted on it. On top of that, Luna had to admit, if Void wanted her sister dead then she wouldn't have been able to stop him. His power was... irresistible. No, it couldn't have been him and the best clue was that Celestia was still alive. He might have been living with the most powerful magic user alive but his alicorn power inhibited Void from using complex magic in a way similar to her sister.

Now for the best mage in the world herself, Scream. She would be the prime suspect had it not been for the fact that all her desire to kill Celestia had been set aside by Void's release from Tartarus. Scream definitely wasn't a friend but in the same way, with Void finally back by her side, she had no real reason to be an enemy.

Luna flicked the pages of a book that dealt with exactly the symptoms the guard had described. The counterspell was easy enough and well explained. Luna could easily just return to the infirmary and release her sister.

The lunar princess yawned and slumped to the ground.

"You're looking for the too obvious solutions, your Highness," said Sharp Biscuit in an academic voice.

"Hey, send me back! I have to help my sister."

"All in due time. I am not holding you here, by the way. It was your mistake to go on for so long and fall asleep right as your goal was within reach."

"Fine. Still, every time I've been here you had something for me so I suspect you have an ulterior motive for bringing me here."

Sharp smiled.

"Indeed. I honestly agree with your assumption that this wasn't an attack from the mirror world but you forgot about two other alicorns."

Luna masked her chuckle as a snort.

"Cadance? No, that's just impossible. Not only is her power incomparable to ours but there is no possible reason she would have for attacking my sister."

"An alicorn of love living so close to the Crystal Heart having no power?" Sharp burst out laughing, "Silly Luna... Cadance might be the most powerful alicorn currently living in Equestria. Still, I agree with there being no real reason for her involving herself in this. Unfortunately, I wasn't talking about her being the real threat."

"You can't mean... Twilight Sparkle? No, just no. She loves my sister over anything."

"Love can turn sour very fast. Remember the time you princesses gave her your power to fight Tirek? That might have been a taste of power that tipped the scales."

"Twilight was never interested in power."

"Really?" Sharp facehoofed, "All that studying. All that hunting for ancient knowledge in your old castle and you still say that? She is the Element of Magic that got a sniff of alicorn power. The last thing she needs is to somehow steal a bit of Discord's chaos magic and she would become a god."

"You really believe she could... attack her mentor?"

"Celestia was attacked by somepony able to use very complex magic and yet she is still alive. An alicorn who knew their body would also know that a fall from that height wouldn't hurt even an unconscious one. Who is the youngest alicorn who might unconsciously be avert to hurting Celestia?"

"Twilight," Luna hung her head.

"Don't look like that. I am not saying she did it, I'm just saying she looks like the most likely suspect. There's also the possibility of her not being herself."

"What do you mean?"

"As you know, your sister sent her to see the Nightmare changeling queen who has... issues with you. She might feel it would be a good idea to take revenge for your deeds against her father by targeting your family."

"I need to call her back to Canterlot but Celestia didn't tell me where exactly Guiding's hive was."

"She might not come willingly anyway so writing to her might prove a mistake. Send the guards to find her. Wanted posters might be enough for her to notice and come back."

"Wouldn't it send the wrong message about her?"

"Not really. It's not like those would be Dead or Alive posters," Sharp grinned, "Just something along the lines of lost - come home, little lamb."

"That sounds like a good idea. Thank you for helping me this way."

"Any time, Luna," Sharp bowed.

Luna blinked. Why was she in the library again? Oh right, the search for a remedy for Celestia. There was nothing in this section so she decided to take a rest and try again when she wasn't so tired. After all, her sister wasn't in any immediate danger and was guarded by Canterlot Guard elite.

The lunar princess desperately needed sleep.

For Icy Gaze the day, or more likely the evening, started in a very similar way. Unlike the princess he was fresh as a daisy even after his last night's efforts and he jumped out of the bed as he heard the knocking on the library door downstairs. It sent a clear message that whoever the knocker was he didn't want to intrude but also wasn't going to walk away.

As much as the pegasus considered himself to be a hardened veteran he didn't consider himself being a killer. Still, if somepony had seen him carrying an unconscious Element bearer last night then he might have to fight his way out of the library. Hiding a thin lance, his weapon of choice, under his wing he trotted downstairs.

*Knock knock knock*

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming," he tried to sound as annoyed as possible at somepony bothering him when this place was obviously closed.

"Knock knock"

Apparently him reassuring the...

...guards outside caused them to resume knocking faster.

"This place is closed. Reshelving day- oh hello, officers!" Icy smiled innocently.

"Who are you?" the leading guard said bluntly.

"Frosty Stare, temporary assistant librarian. I take care of this place while the princess is away."

"Do you know where she went?"

"Eeerm," Icy put up his best impression of a nervous bookworm, sharply contrasting with his physique, "She left few days ago for some village called Pine Hills, no idea why."

"Thank you for the information, citizen. In the case she comes back tell her she is to immediately return to Canterlot. Or better yet, tell the guards to escort her."

"I'll be sure to do so, sir," Icy smiled, having no intention to visit the local guard post again.

Whether his charisma worked its magic with the guards or they just didn't want to bother with him anymore Icy wasn't going to question his luck. The armored ponies left him alone to think about the situation. The guards looking for the princess could mean two things - either his employer was dissatisfied with his performance and had other agents doing similar work or the guard orders were to protect the princess and the disappearance of the Bearer was now publicly known, at least to the right sort of public.

Nevermind that. The evening was coming and while Icy was averse to rushing things the guards were a sign that something was up and it was threatening either his reward or the success of his mission. That meant tonight he would have to take care of another bearer. The only pony remaining an easy or easier target was Rainbow Dash.

From reading the newspapers about Equestria Games Icy knew she was some sort of athlete excelling in aerial acrobatics. Trying to remember as much about her as possible, Icy made himself a late, very late, breakfast. Rainbow was slim and from the pictures in papers she didn't look overly muscular. All he could think of would be guesswork from scraps of information relayed by unreliable reporters but he had nothing to go on. His target didn't look like a bodybuilder which meant precisely nothing but at least it made sure Icy would win in contest of raw strength without a doubt. Unfortunately, such contest was something a pegasus could easily avoid and turn it into a chase. Now, Icy Gaze was sure he would win a stamina race and his large wings might give him an edge in long-distance flight but if the target managed to avoid getting caught immediately then she would get away with high probability and then everything would be over.

He cursed the orders not to harm the Bearers in any way. If only he could just clip her wing the entire thing would be so easy. Speaking of which, he should check on Fluttershy. Her random escape would also mean the end of his mission and setting guards on his back. Damn, her starving might also pose a problem later.

While buttering more sandwiches Icy got an idea he should try out. There was no reason for him being the bad guy here, right? The Elements should be in close relation with the crown so he just might have the right tools to distract them.

Humming thoughtfully, he opened the door to the cellar where Fluttershy was currently tied up.

"Mmmph mf!" the yellow pegasus began struggling as soon as the light from the hall penetrated the darkness of the storage cellar.

After walking down the entry stairs her captor turned the lights on.

"Shhh. I'm not gonna hurt you," Icy said in a matter-of-fact voice, "Now, once I untie the gag you aren't going to scream, right?"

"Mmmrpf!"

"I'll take that as yes. First of all, it might not be so obvious but I'm here to help," he presented the solar seal amulet, "Recognize this, girl?"

Fluttershy nodded after inspecting the item for a while. Seeing her stop struggling, Icy untied the gag and Fluttershy's front legs.

"Here, you must be hungry," he pushed the plate of food to the yellow pegasus.

"What is going on?" asked Fluttershy slightly more aggressively than Icy would expect.

"I'm not exactly sure but I was hired to keep you and the other Element bearers safe. The guards are looking for you for some reason. They left when I told them princess Twilight wasn't here, saying I should 'escort' her to the local prison as soon as I saw her."

"What? Why?"

"I have no idea, I just have to gather all of you and not let anypony hurt you."

"Alright, let's say I believe you. Who are you?"

"Frosty Stare, a free agent. Read this!" Icy pulled out the second letter from whoever his employer was, "I'll be killed if any of you get hurt."

The despair in his voice was enough for the soft-hearted Fluttershy to nod and for Icy to congratulate himself for a job well done.

"Can you untie me completely then?"

"Sorry, no can do. In all honesty, I don't trust you to trust me. I can leave the light on when I leave and bring you a book or something."

"Thanks, I guess. Can you bring me some fairy tales? I need to refresh my repertoire so I can tell them to my animals from memory."

"Sure thing. By the way, can you tell me something that would help me get to Rainbow Dash?"

"Why don't you just tell her what you told me?"

"What would you do if I just walked up to you and told you to follow me and get tied up in some cellar."

"If you put it like that..."

"Exactly."

"I'm sure if you explain she'll just-"

"I'll explain the situation to her when she's tied up here. Sorry but I'm not getting executed by having to accidentally harm one of you while chasing."

"Well, if there's no other way..."

Icy left and rummaged through the foal section of the library for anything about animals. Fortunately, happy little critters were the focus of most of them and he picked two books up and returned to his captive. Binding her front legs again but leaving her ungagged so she could at least turn the pages, Icy left the library.

This time he didn't have any solution or advantage. All the physical stats were in his favor outside of speed which meant he wasn't allowed to fail in his first strike. Planning every step an amateur might take in fighting him, Icy Gaze walked through Ponyville night. His desire to avoid flying in this frosty weather proved the right choice as on one of the street lights he spotted a poster with a picture.

Wanted, dead or alive:

Twilight Sparkle

For: Murder attempt aimed at princess Celestia.

"Holy balls!" Icy couldn't stop himself from cursing.

Something was going on and whoever hired him knew it would happen, making Icy Gaze responsible for ensuring the positive outcome of things.

That didn't sound right. Icy tore the poster off and rolled it up into his saddlebag. This thing actually might give him the leverage to get the first strike tonight. If he could suppose the guards had arrived this evening then not many ponies around would know about this yet.

Grinning, he now had just the right thing to catch Rainbow Dash off guard to strike the first blow.

Still, something about the entire thing smelled wrong. Mercenaries were very unlikely to get hired by the law abiding citizens so the second possibility was that Icy had been hired to make sure the Bearers don't get the protection they might need.

For a merc, though, the dilemma was nonexistent. He was doing what he was being paid for, no matter the end result. Yes, it was one of the aspects of his job he wasn't completely comfortable with but it was an important one.

The lights in the sky above him announced to everypony that the cloud house of Rainbow Dash was currently occupied and the owner was fully awake. For once this didn't present a problem.

*Knock knock*

"What's going on at this crazy hour?" a voice from behind the door asked.

"A personal message from princess Celestia to Rainbow Dash," Icy imitated a stern Royal Guard voice.

The door clicked and a blue face with rainbow mane peeked out...

"What does the prince-"

...just to get punched with the force of a sledgehammer.

Icy had to internally praise the mare for not getting knocked out but there was no time to stand there astounded so he jumped on her and pushed her to the ground. Before he could say anything he already had to shrug off few kicks to his sides. Thankfully, the blue pegasus mare was not in the position to pull a good blow off.

"Stop," Icy shifted his weight to Rainbow's windpipe, "struggling!"

Rainbow groaned and headbutted him weakly.

"I'm really from the princess. Stop messing around for one second and I'll prove it."

The movements from underneath him slowed down.

"Good," Icy was much bigger than Rainbow so his sitting on her was still enough of an obstacle and he pulled out the wanted poster, "Now THIS is what I'm here to prevent."

Rainbow's eyes went wide as she read the piece of paper.

"What's that?" she groaned.

"I have no idea," Icy pulled out the solar amulet and showed it to RD, "I've been hired by the princess personally to keep you and the other Bearers safe. Now, I'll slowly stand up and you will pack your things and follow me. Fluttershy is already at my place reading some fairy tales and told me where to find you. Understood?"

Rainbow nodded and Icy pulled his weight off her.

"I'll stay here. Grab only the important stuff because we have to go fast. The guards are already roaming through Ponyville."

With another nod the blue pegasus turned her back at Icy who grinned. Knocking somepony out from behind without seriously injuring them was infinitely easier than doing so against their will. With one blow to the back of her neck, Rainbow Dash was out like a light.

Turning all lights off, Icy closed the door and with another pegasus on his back flew through the sleet back to the library. These young and naive fillies were almost too easy to trick.

Twilight spent most of her day in Pine Hills by walking around. She wasn't worried about being randomly attacked by Guiding's changelings unless she tried to get back into the hive. What she was worried about was the letter she'd recieved from her mentor. She was smart enough to gather that the reason for her staying here wasn't just to find out about Guiding but to stay out of possible danger.

Still, the only thing that meant was that her mentor didn't believe in her and was right to do so. The only thing Twilight's 'diplomacy' achieved was insulting a changeling queen and making her even less friendly to Equestrian royalty than she'd been before.

The evening came and she was no closer to formulating her next step than in the morning. After her brush with Guiding Light she'd woken up back at the inn meaning the queen wasn't keen on having guards set on her. Threats wouldn't result in anything though and she wasn't sure what her current objective was anyway.

Perhaps she could try to undo the damage she'd caused? Blazing Light used to be a hero whom nopony knew aside from the princesses. His breaking the mirror Crystal Heart had stopped the first invasion and he'd been the sole reason for the princesses taking warm stance towards his daughter and her hive. Twilight had insulted that memory in the heat of the moment. Blazing's betrayal had been something completely unexpected and...

...mostly unexplained. Just like the ending of the second invasion that Twilight had spent hiding and trying to find a way to break the rift in the Everfree Forest.

If she looked at the events from a different angle then it just might have been possible that Blazing hadn't betrayed anypony. He might have known Sombra's goal all along and had played things just right to get close to him to stop him in the only place possible...

...and Luna had killed him for it.

Breathing heavily, Twilight let the book she was holding drop on the table. That would coincide with two things - his marefriend leaving the guard and disappearing into thin air and his daughter doing the same. The ones closest to him had refused to think of him badly no matter what.

Twilight had no real evidence to support that claim but it would nicely round up things that still remained a mystery after the invasion.

Leaving the inn, she headed to Shieldbreaker's house. His marefriend had helped her gain an audience once already and might be willing to let Twilight apologize.

The door opened, leaving surprised Shieldbreaker to wonder at another Twilight's visit.

"What is it, princess?"

"Is your Nightmare around? Errm, what's her name?"

"She's still thinking about it. They didn't really have names in their old world so I think Guiding Light is the only one who has got it," Shieldbreaker looked behind him "Honey, can you come here?"

The changeling came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. Twilight wanted to ask about changeling cooking but she was supposed to make friends, not enemies.

"What's up?" asked the Nightmare, "Oh, hello, princess!"

"Ehh, can you ask your queen to let me see her again? I made a huge mistake last time."

"Yeeeeah... you did," she nodded, "I think I can talk to the queen again but-"

"I want to apologize. What I said might or might not have been true but no side has enough hard arguments. Me badmouthing her dad was just a slander."

The Nightmare smiled.

"Okay, I'll help."

"That easy?"

"Yep. The first time Breaky saw me disguised as his passed marefriend he pummeled me really bad and I didn't understand what I did wrong. It took me a while of him not talking to me and even refusing the order to let me follow him around but I did so anyway without telling anypony-"

"I was really mad... memories are strange things," Shieldbreaker mumbled.

"-then I got attacked by some ponies who weren't exactly friendly to changelings in general. Nopony aside from the princesses and the guys who caught us on the train knew about us being in Canterlot at the time. I could have defended myself easily but I was afraid it would tarnish our reputation so I didn't."

"I couldn't just let them kick her to death."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Twilight.

"Huh? No real reason. It's just that misunderstandings happen and the important thing is to solve them at least partially, not to avoid them."

Twilight had rarely found herself in a situation where magic or her friends couldn't help but sometimes she just had to put herself on the line. Sometimes she just had to start again while having nothing and try and try and try. She was a princess now...

...and all that meant was she was just a filly who had been chosen by a bunch of ancient jewels to do their bidding. Working on magic and knowledge had always been her way and now she was realizing that she had forgotten to work on herself.

Perseverance was the key and so was patience.

Twilight thanked the couple and returned to the inn. She would stay here as long as necessary and she would prove her worth as a pony, not as a Bearer. With renewed vigor she went to bed.

Broken Hearts: Chryssie M.D.

Real living is living for others.

"The fact that I'm a noble doesn't mean I have infinite money!" said an angry male voice forcefully.

"It's happening no matter what you say," answered a female voice calmly.

"Come on, you could ask a mage or an apothecary. It would be painless."

"You could have had your tubes tied as well before enjoying my booty."

"I thought learning to count was a mare's job so they wouldn't have to carry an inconvenient foal!"

A sound of hoof hitting flesh rang through the void.

"You will never say that again. Now go and tell Searing he's going to have a little brother to play soldiers with."

The furious grinding of teeth would be audible even to anypony outside of the building if, of course, there was any.

"You know what? FINE! He's your responsibility then. We already have an heir who is shaping up to eventually be a great and disciplined soldier. What is the position of the second son of a noble? They always end up with some minor monthly payment of family fortune and spend it all on wine. There's never been a second son worth the effort."

"Oh? Suddenly your begging for a passionate night after twelve years together is an effort?"

"You know what I mean."

"OF COURSE I DO! I am a royal historian, I know the details of most old lineages."

"Then why don't you suppress your maternal instinct for once and do what's right?"

"..."

"You're doing this to spite me, aren't you? You're angry that Searing Light isn't spending more time with you and you want to replace him with somepony more dependent to play dress-up with."

The shocked silence said it all.

"This isn't a popularity contest."

"Prove it then! Get rid of the two week old nusiance growing in you and focus on your growing son in every little way you can!"

"I would if I didn't remember how you reacted the first time I told you I was carrying Searing. We weren't even nobles then, we didn't have the contacts or resources and you panicked just like now."

"I didn't panic!"

"Of course you did, dummy. The scary war-hardened unicorn was completely helpless and was shaking like a little foal when I told him he was going to be a father."

"Well-"

"I know you better than you do. You will grow to love your second son even if you are stubborn like a bull, you will care for him no matter what even if you'll probably never really show it. That's the stallion I married and to whom I'll stay true despite him acting like a total moron from time to time."

The male voice tried to say something but in the end just sighed.

"I'll keep an eye on Searing. You just make sure this little guy doesn't grow up to be a complete disappointment."

"Well, there's always first time with anything. We might get lucky and not end up with a standard template for a second noble son."

Twin nervous laughs could be heard shortly after.

"That's what I love about you, Gift. You're an incurable optimist."

"And you're the anchor that doesn't allow me to fly too far away, Blinding."

Sombra looked down at the bronze unicorn sitting on the invisible floor and staring blankly into the darkness. The king grinned. Finally, FINALLY he was able to get deep enough to hurt the other unicorn. After locking Blazing in the memory all the other fragments of him disappeared and the king stood victorious.

"Even I must admit you were a deserving enemy but your hopes of defeating me were misguided. It took me a while to figure you out but in the end weakness cannot overcome true inner strength. Your hiding behind your failures and using them to fight me, to tire me out and weaken me was a good plan though."

The bronze unicorn recovered a little and his teary eyes focused at the king.

"Yeah, it was. Your magic and willpower are too much to handle for a mistake like me though."

"Fade away then, fragment of memory."

"Not yet, Sombrero."

The king sighed.

"More desperate effort?"

"Well, bear with me for a while more. You destroyed every painful thing that was in me but you missed one little detail."

"Unlikely but I'm listening with interest," the king smiled amusedly. Victory would indeed be his.

"All those little disappointments and failures amount to the colossal and fatal mistake that is me."

The corpses of Blazes on the ground disappeared and the remaining one growled.

"Finally," the king's smile grew wide, "No more hiding, no more tricks."

"Yeah... no more hiding, no more lies, no more tricks."

"Commander," the voice chills me to the bone.

"I'm not a guard anymore, Heavy."

"I was wondering about that," the white earthpony narrows his eyes, "You left Canterlot without saying a word to anypony. It sent even the Royal Guard into turmoil with the Nightguard leader... gone and his second-in-command leaving the guard with no explanation."

"Heavy..."

"You know? I considered leaving the castle as well because everything reminded me of Sharp, especially the empty bed in the apartment. Then, few days after the peace with changelings was signed, Celestia asked me to lead this operation and I agreed because it kept me away from home and close to the forest."

"How did you find me?"

"Coincidence, I guess. I come to the town from time to time to buy supplies for the guys in my camp and I noticed ponies at the bakery talking about vampires so I just asked. I must admit I don't know what you promised to the doctor at the asylum but he denied ever seeing you. Too bad you weren't really trying to be stealthy while moving around."

"Let me explain-"

"Soon you'll have all the time in the world to talk, now keep listening. I also visit Sharp's memorial in the Everfree every day and while walking around I found what looked like a book. At first I thought it was something one of the soldiers stole in Equestria and it appeared on our side of the rift alongside other things when it closed. It took me a while to read but after that all I had to do was ask the night staff at the asylum few careful questions."

"So what are you going to do now, tell Luna or leave us be?" I inquire carefully.

"That depends on what you say. I won't lie and say I don't want to see the murderer of my coltfirend die in the most painful way possible."

"HE DID! THANKS TO LUNA'S ROYAL JUDGEMENT HE DID! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE HAD TO GO THROUGH THANKS TO HER."

"Precisely that is the only reason both you and Blazing Light aren't sitting in the dungeon waiting for execution for high treason," he calmly deflects my outburst.

"I'll tell you everything but not here. Doctor Bright Eye kept asking things and since I have to tell the truth I may as well say it to everypony around me. You... are a friend so I'll tell you one thing in all seriousness. If you decide to tell Luna after all then one of us won't leave this town. I know what Blaze has been through and what was the part others played in him ending like this and I will fight for him until the end. Frankly... it can't be worse than what has happened already."

"You sound like Blazing in his drunken days."

"I guess I've grown to understand him a bit more."

"Then let's go. I want to know the truth."

He enters one of the tents and comes out accompanied by a huge grey earthpony who takes his place on watch. Together we leave towards Bright's house. I can't help but notice Heavy didn't bring his combat quarterstaff. He probably though I was bluffing when I said I'd take him on in case he wanted to tell Luna and I can't blame him. He is so much better than me in combat but he doesn't understand that I'm willing to give anything to be with Blaze again and if I can't...

I leave the thought unfinished. I know Blaze was ready to die at any point. Heck, he came to Canterlot to die far away from his family so nopony would find and identify him. After all we've been through I think I understand the feeling of somepony about to lose everything that matters to him. I just don't want to go through the days as somepony who has already lost everything... like Blaze during his first days in the castle.

I smile to myself. There's one thing I wish he understood at that time which is that the fact he lost everything only meant he had everything to gain. It gets harder and harder to stay cheerful and optimistic these days and keep telling myself that his 'gaining' me was worth all his previous pain. When did I become this brooding?

Right, when my coltfriend killed my best friend and was in turn broken by my princess. So... cynical as well? I miss my carefree days as a low-ranked guard in Canterlot but I don't think I can just leave everything behind me. I guess we all grow in ways we'd never anticipate.

The door to doc's place opens shortly after knocking and his questioning face meets Heavy's stern expression and my thoughtful sigh.

"Got a minute, Bright?" I ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything."

That's enough for him to let us in. Being the good host I know him to be he brings us some tea before asking anything more.

"You wanted to know more about Blaze," I begin, "but before that I thing this gentlecolt should tell you who he is."

"My name is Heavy Hoof. The patient you denied knowing about killed my coltfriend Sharp Biscuit who was princess Luna's bodyguard and the leader of Canterlot Nightguard."

"It's not as bad as it sounds at first," I wave my hooves when Bright looks hard at me.

"I'm listening," says the doc.

I take a deep breath.

"You've heard a little bit of what happened so I'll begin at the part important for Heavy. Remember the day when princess Celestia got attacked in the throne room?"

Heavy nods. My wings... the stubs of them that remain twitch.

"Blaze was still in the infirmary after getting attacked as well and I was coming back from visiting him when I heard sounds from the throne room. Neither the guards or me were able to get inside but Blaze came shortly after with Betty and opened the door-"

"Betty?" asks Heavy.

"The Element of Betrayal, one of the evil Elements from the mirror world. The name is a bit misleading though. Nevermind, we went inside and the guards got done in by an another Element bearer who wounded Celestia, cut off my wings and would have killed me if it weren't for Blaze who killed her. Unfortunately, he was still heavily wounded and was captured after that by a different Bearer. Betty stayed here to protect me and told me that Sombra had two bodyguards who were Bearers, one was an assassin who met her end in the throne room and one was his spymaster who had the ability to take away one's free will. That's when it all went wrong and Blaze came through the newly opened rift and you know the rest."

"Continue," says Heavy.

"There isn't much to say. When Luna in her rage sentenced Blaze to death by banishing him from her realm he knew he had only a short time before going insane and tried to stop Sombra one last time in the Crystal Empire. The fact we're here talking means he succeeded."

"You're leaving something out. What was your role in all this?"

"I knew Sharp was going to die."

"WHAT?!"

"Scream, as a reward for me helping Void get his soul back from Tartarus, showed me a vision of the future. Among the things I saw was Sharp's death."

"Why-why didn't you tell anypony?"

"I talked to Luna about it and we had no idea whether or not Scream could be trusted and it was possible that her vision was just another tool to achieve what she failed during the first invasion."

Heavy's hoof hits the table and his ragged breath interrupts my story.

"Heavy?" I ask but he ignores me.

"Heavy?"

He hits the table again and sobs.

"Blaze didn't want to do any of that he-"

"STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM!" Heavy bursts out.

"I HAVE TO PROTECT HIM! I HAVE TO CARE BECAUSE NOPONY ELSE DOES! Nopony considered he saved Celestia's life nor that he stopped Sombra once before. Suddenly he was just an enemy whom Luna, unable to kill him directly, sentenced to death by insanity. You know what's the worst thing about all that? If he wasn't in a magical body created by Scream after I GOT HIM KILLED he'd have just died in few days possibly talking to walls in his final hours but with the way things were he was kept alive struggling to keep whatever little was left of his mind. I met him when Canterlot fell and you wouldn't want to know how he looked."

Silence.

"You know what? You can tell Luna if you want, bring as many guards as you want and I will spit in her face when I see her."

Silence interrupted only by quiet sobbing of Heavy Hoof.

"I... I loved them both. I mean I wouldn't have met Sharp if it weren't for Blazing and now there isn't either of them here," Heavy whispers.

"I know this isn't my place to talk," Bright Eye breaks the silence, "and I hate using spells to mess with pony minds but since your friend's condition was caused by magic then it might help to get a better diagnosis. As I told you before there has never been a case of anypony surviving that long without sleep so my methods are insufficient. Do you know anypony skilled enough in that sort of magic?"

"Princess Luna," Heavy smiles sadly.

"Very helpful," I comment.

"Princess Twilight?" Heavy raises his head.

"She's been called away for royal business somewhere on the other side of Everfree forest," says Bright Eye.

"Erm... Heavy?" I ponder an incoming craziness.

"Yes, commander?"

"I have an idea. How is your changeling monitoring mission going?"

"Not great, they know about us and point and laugh most of the time."

"Soooo you're on good terms with changelings?"

"Why?" the rising horror in his face is almost amusing.

"Queen Chrysalis."

"Buck!"

"Why did you curse as well, doc?"

"I'm coming too," Bright grins.

"No, you're not," I absolutely deny his idea.

"You can't move a patient without my official permit and I doubt you'll bring the changeling queen herself here."

I sigh and so does Heavy.

"Look at the bright side," the doc smiles sadly to complete the full trio of somber faces, "neither of us here seems to have any love left in them. What is there for changelings to take from us?"

Broken Hearts: What's Left

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.

The bronze unicorn's legs failed him and his rump unceremoniously hit the ground. He sighed dejectedly and looked up at king Sombra standing victoriously in front of him. The fight would have taken long time if there was a way of measuring it and both combatants were tired. It was clear who was more resillient though.

Sombra had dragged Blazing through every memory, he'd learned all the little tricks and strategies the bronze unicorn had been using and finally there was nothing left. He'd known he would win from the beginning but even then it took far longer than expected. None of that mattered anymore as he could no longer sense any relevant power in his foe.

Sombra won. The body was his and his only now. What he hadn't counted on was that a lesser being could learn something from the king as well.

This place was Blazing's head, that much he'd realized during the fight. What he hadn't known at the start was that compared to the king there was no reason for him to need to use spells here. All he needed was somepony else to show him the way and now he was brimming with dark magic the king had been using to deal with his fragments previously and with him now.

Blaze grinned and wisps of black smoke danced around his body. A two-sided mirror appeared between him and the soul of king Sombra. Having been defeated and rising up so many times throughout the fight, Blazing had been sacrificing parts of himself to gain the slightest edge and a chance to find the king's weakness. In the end there was nothing more to give up and the king was still there, strong as ever.

An angular black crystal on the top of the mirror glowed.

"Do you really think I can't remove my own spell?" asked Sombra, clearly annoyed at Blazing's stalling attempts.

"Heh, remove? You've been throwing all my mistakes at me so much that I actually learned the spell from you. Do you have the courage to look inside instead of breaking it? After all this I really want to know - can YOU face your greatest fear?"

"I hate to repeat myself but there is nothing I fear, stop playing for time and just die."

Blazing looked into the mirror.

"Oh no, the horror, my brain iz meeeeeeltiiiing! Whatever shall I do? I will die alone and unloved," he screamed, overacting so much that an entire Canterlot theatre scene must have commited sucide at that point.

Sombra couldn't help himself and facehoofed. Involuntarily, his curiosity got the better of him and he looked up into the mirror.

Blazing Light had no idea what the king saw, all he heard was a choked groan and the sound of a body hitting the ground. He turned away from his vision and walked around the mirror. The bigger unicorn was lying on the ground, shivering and mumbling to himself. Blazing kicked him for good measure.

"And stay down..."

Sombra's soul stopped breathing and the bronze unicorn just sat down, his entire body made of lead. The mirror was still there, showing the ultimate fear and failure of whoever looked into it.

For the bronze unicorn the image in front of him was a one of him, sitting slumped in the darkness. No matter what broke the king, the only thing Blaze saw in the magical mirror was the same thing he'd seen every single morning in any completely non-magical one.

The image behind the glass smiled and the mirror disappeared. Blaze raised a hoof, a small book appeared and he tore out a single sheet of paper. His broken horn glowed and a pen appeared as well. He knew he was too weak to return and that he would fade just like the king had moments ago but no matter what little remained of him he would stay here long enough to do one more thing.

One last thing to do, one more duty to fulfill before he could let everything go. That mantra which had followed him most of his life surfaced once again and he grinned.

Levitating the pen he scribbled a short message on the paper and closed his eyes.

I nibble the ear belonging to the pony lying in the bed next to me and giggle when it twitches away and tickles my nose. The following lick makes the entire head move.

"Whatever you're trying to do, commander, is not going to work," says far too familiar voice.

"Heavy?!" I'm immediately awake but the reality of Heavy Hoof lying with me in bed doesn't really make sense.

"Before you begin - no, you're not charming enough to set me straight."

"Damn, there goes my opener. Am I THAT predictable?"

"Just a bit."

"Alright, back to business at hoof."

"No comment,"

"Har har. Why are you with me here? More like - why isn't Bright here with me or Bright with you?"

"First of all, your doctor friend isn't gay, there's not enough colorful clothing anywhere around and no decorative wooden inlay in the walls. Second reason might be that he is a good host and took the couch for tonight, leaving us here when you fell asleep at the table after our little chat."

"That makes sense," I yawn.

"Don't sound too disappointed. So?"

"So what?"

"Are we going to visit the queen of changelings?"

My coughing fit would be enough to wake anypony up with the added benefit of my lungs hitting the wall on the other side of the room.

"I'm not sure I was being serious. It's all a bit hazy."

"To be honest, it is a good idea."

"I'm surprised you turned around so easily."

Heavy looks blankly at the ground.

"I really did love them both and the best thing was that either one was okay with it. All I wanted from you was to give me a second opinion on Blaze's diary. I would have never told princess Luna, not after seeing you pushing a wheelchair with some crazy lady trying to talk to the trees outside the asylum."

"That's miss Pearl, she gets confused around trees... and chairs and ponies and, well, everything."

Heavy smiles and stretches his legs. Not for the first time I have to curse the heavens for him having no interest in mares because that body is... whoah.

"You're panting, commander."

"Your fault, not mine. Also," I point to myself, "not a guard anymore, just a reminder."

"Noted. On my part, I'll try to eat more cake to be less... droolworthy. Enough of that though, we should go."

"Crap, it's late! Why didn't Bright Eye wake me up?"

"He said he'll somehow manage when he left. He wanted to get the paperwork done early so we could leave for the Everfree as soon as possible."

"Let's go then. Wanna grab breakfast at Donut-, I mean Sugarcube Corner?"

"Good idea, it might be a long trip."

"Not really, it's only few hours away. Pretty close to Sharp's memorial actually... sorry," I add when I see Heavy's smile turn bitter.

"It's fine. I prefer remembering the good times we had instead of dwelling on what will never again be," he shakes his head, "The thing is that Blazing's diary mentions travelling to the hive and it taking some two weeks."

"That's was actually true before they built the bridge over Ghastly Gorge. That thing makes it trivial and both changelings and ponies keep an eye on it."

"Let's go then."

For the first time in my life and maybe for the first time in documented existence it is the mare who spends less time in the bathroom than the stallion. Honestly, with Heavy's looks I wouldn't have it any other way. Funnily enough, there are no snippy remarks to us walking through Ponyville alhough there's more ponies than usual looking our way. More mares, to be precise.

"Damn, if that girl begins licking the lollipop any faster she'll get friction burns," I comment at one of the more openly interested mares.

"I don't think that's physically possible," Heavy looks directly at her, "Aaand there she goes, she swallowed the wooden bit as well."

"And yet," I comment as the mare keeps moving her hoof up and down, "she didn't seem to notice. I wish ponies here reacted that well to me too."

"Problems?"

"The batpony thing. Marked by the moon, bringer of nightmares, vampire, all the fun jazz. Plus the crippled wing stubs," I flutter the useless things, "It was so much easier in Canterlot."

Heavy takes my head into his hooves, looks into my eyes and nuzzles my nose. In the distance, dozens of mares collectively send their waves of jealousy and hatred towards me. Not a single buck was, is and will be given about them that day because all I see are warm, brown eyes.

"You are beautiful, friendly and, from what I've heard, amazing in bed. There is nopony who could stay mad at you after they got to know you."

I really can't help blushing, nopony could.

"Thank ya, my knight in shining thong."

"Pfff," Heavy rolls his eyes, "That's what I get for trying to cheer you up."

"Yep! Ya get the cheery me with all the perks and benefits," I wiggle my bottom ineffectively.

"And now there's a fair amount of stallions looking at me with murder in their eyes. Thank you, I haven't had a nemesis in a while."

We could go making fun of ponies around for a long time... and we do. A nice change of pace comes when nopony starts insulting me at the bakery aside from whispers of shock at me being accompanied by Heavy. The words 'Big Mac grade' come as a bit of strangeness but for once I'm happy, only if mrs. Cake would stop with the 'knowing' glances alternating between us.

Full of sugar and energy, we leave for the asylum and I'm surprised to see one of the night shift nurses at the reception. At the sight of us she just waves in the direction of Bright's office. Bright isn't alone, sitting on the couch and playing with something shiny in his hooves is Blaze who seems surprisingly relaxed.

"Ah, here you are!" Bright greets us, "I have the temporary release papers ready and filled. We can't just snatch a patient and go for a walk into the most dangerous forest in Equestria. Please just sign your names next to mine and we're ready to go."

Seeing no apparent problem, both me and Heavy do so. When the doc files the form he produces a leash from a drawer in his table.

"Standard procedure," he explains upon seeing our questioning gazes, "Trust me, it's for his good. We can either go with the wheelchair or the leash but I'm not letting a mostly self-unaware patient just move around."

Another memory surfaces, a great one, at least for me.

"Give it to me."

Blaze doesn't complain or anything when I put it around his neck.

The trip is uneventful discounting hydras, necromancers, rogue changeling armies and a tale about a young recruit hated for being different up until the point he recieved a very important lesson from his sargeant and a further one from pony who later became his coltfriend. I know the story from Blaze but hearing Heavy's viewpoint on all that keeps my attention. Blaze doesn't seem to care about anything in the story itself but whenever we forget some detail and go silent trying to remember he curiously stops and just looks at us.

All in all, it's a pretty fun trip. Up until the point when a squad of changelings surrounds us, it is.

"Intruders! Get ready, guys, we'll be feasting tonig- I mean... buck," he pulls out a piece of paper from a bag on his back and tries again.

"Welcome, our new tourist friends. We hope your visit to our fair hive will be full of enjoyment and fun fun fun. We are the visitor welcoming squad and will be happy to show you the best spots around."

The longer the stunned silence goes on the more nervous the changeling leader seems to get.

"I'm afraid we're here on business, young po- changeling," Bright gathers his wits first, "We need to see your queen for her expertise in mind control magic."

The changeling begins thumping through the pamphlet and throws it away in disgust after a while.

"That thing is useless. Fine, let's go."

"Tourist guide to the Hive... how does that work?" my quick glance reveals the paper's title.

"Don't push your luck, dinner. Ehm, I mean pony, of course."

"Ooookay, nevermind then."

The building we're ushered in is surprisingly similar to the throne room in Canterlot castle aside from it being mostly empty. The 'mostly' is the important part. When the pair of green eyes stops examining us, queen Chrysalis gets up from the throne and speaks.

"One of you I know, two of you are... strange. Who is the unicorn with the glasses?" she asks, looking at Bright Eye.

"A psychiatrist from Ponyville, not tasty at all."

I can't even be mad at him acting like an idiot. Heavy himself is slightly on edge and I would be as well if I haven't met the queen before.

"Rude," comments the queen but doesn't seem too offended, "Who is the one looking like Shining Armor. As much as I hate saying it - like a better version of Shining Armor."

"Heavy Hoof, a Royal Guard. We've met at Sharp Biscuit's memorial after the invasion."

"Ah yes. You, little and very, so very cheeky bat," she grins, "I know. Who is the other unicorn and why is he marked as a friend of the hive? Try to explain in a way that would not result in him 'helping' my subjects more."

Heavy is the one to open his mouth first.

"From what I understand you might remember him as a bronze changeling-"

"What do you require from me?" the queen interrupts immediately.

I make a mental note to ask Blaze if he- WHEN he recovers what happened between him and Chrysalis.

"We'd like your help in getting into his head. We suspect his condition was brought by magic and for various reasons you're the only reachable expert on that subject."

"Unfortunately for you, changelings are mostly adept at forceful manipulation and not analysis. There is one spell I can provide for you, a visualization spell which allows you to see a mind and interact with it as if you were a part of it. Be warned though, any danger posed to you will be very real and might kill you."

"I'm going in," I don't hesitate, " As for you-"

"Don't even bother. I'm with you, commander."

"I'm going too. I can't leave my best scrubbing nurse get hurt."

Chrysalis nods and her horn glows.

"Ready?"

"Yep!"

Darkness.

A scene of massacre.

Hundreds, no... thousands of Blaze's lying on the floor maimed, crushed, sliced and burned, all of them forming a circle around a grey unicorn who used to strike fear into the hearts of Equestrians.

"BLAZE!" I yell into the blackness. Not a single one of them moves or answers.

"BLAZE!"

"Blaze...?"

"Is that king Sombra? How?" asks Heavy, standing by the grey corpse.

"No idea. Ignore him and keep looking, Blaze must be somewhere around."

"Everywhere around," mumbles Bright with fairly bad taste.

"SHUT UP! He's okay, just messing with us. He won against Sombra or something so he must be here. He's just hiding among the dead ones and he'll jump when we get close. RIGHT, BLAZE?"

"Heh... heh... right?" my mouth finally catches up to my head.

This isn't a fairy tale.

"This one is holding something, commander. I wonder what it- WHOA!" Heavy reaches for something in the hooves of the only Blaze who seems to be sitting and then gets pushed away by an invisible force.

Bright Eye tries from behind and ends up the same way. With a bitter smile I walk closer and take the crumpled piece of paper from Blaze's hooves. I knew it would work, I remembered the last thought on the last page of his journal.

I read aloud.

I was wrong, Sombra was too strong. All this time I hoped I could win against him here so I could somehow return to you. A little bit more, okay a lot more, and I would have done that. Well, I wasn't strong enough but I took him down with me. The only thing I want now is to stay here long enough for you to find this message. I don't know whether it will work, I don't even know whether you are looking. All I know is that you're safe from him now.

Remember when Scream revived me after you left me hanging? Good one, right? Sombra wanted to know the spell for himself and the entire second invasion was aimed at getting it. I am sorry for putting all ponies in danger. I should have refused Void's offer in the Crystal Empire and let things here work out the way they should have.

Damn, this was supposed to be short and to the point.

Fine, the most important part. I learned something about this body from Sombra. I mean really, that guy loved to hear himself talk. The spell restored my body to the point before I got cursed and turned into a changeling. It is a legacy left behind by the alicorn of Life and Sombra wanted to harness its energy to become immortal. I guess Void might be able to tell you more details but he's not here. What I was able to understand was that I might be able to restore something back myself. As much as I wanted I wasn't able to get back so I focused all the power I stole from Sombra to preserve what little I could.

In short, something might get back. Not me, I must disappear along with Sombra locked here. I don't know whether it will work, it probably won't, to be honest. The only thing I know is that you'll be the key somehow if by some miracle it does. There's only one thing I ask of you in case you decide to try.

There's one pony I hurt the most and I need him to know I am sorry. If you find this somehow then the restoration will become possible and if you don't then I will fade along with everything else and leave an empty shell, I suppose. So... in case you try something then ask Heavy for permission first. If he can't get over Sharp's death then leave me be and he will have his revenge.

No matter what will happen I want to tell you this:

Chokey, thank you for the best three years of my life.

Every single Blaze fades into the darkness after I finish reading, leaving only the three of us as visible shapes sharply contrasting with the black background. The spell ends when I let the piece of paper drop and the real world comes back.

Blaze is sitting on the stone floor, staring blankly. All signs of intelligence and recovery from before are completely gone.

I do the only thing left to do and look at Heavy Hoof. He looks back.

"I've never seen you this... broken, Darky. What do you think I'm going to say - let him die? The message warned you that it won't be him that comes back though."

"He said he'd try to preserve something. So... can I?"

"Go for it. Got an idea what to do?"

"Blaze?" I say to the empty face and wave my hoof.

Nothing happens.

"Smell and touch are the strongest triggers for amnesia patients most of the time," interjects Bright Eye, "There's one thing I want you to do first. Come back to the asylum. If something we don't like comes back we'll need a place to hold it."

"I agree," says Chrysalis harshly, "Get out of here!"

"Hey, what's-"

"Get. Out."

The growl sends shivers up everypony's spine and we back out of the throne room. What my sensitive ears catch before we leave makes me smile as much as I can in this situation.

"You'll be always welcome in my hive, no matter what happens," a whisper and a quiet sob.

The silence hanging over us would feel creepy if any of us was in the mood to notice. Blaze is simply following the tug of the leash.

We arrive back in the late afternoon and get ready inside one of the padded cells in the asylum. At one point I jumped into a nearby shop and bought a little package. I didn't answer the questioning gazes of my companions at the time.

"Touch and smell you said?" I scrunch my nose.

"Yes."

There's only one thing I was able to think about during the trip that combined both of those. I hug the brainless unicorn and kiss him. I don't stop until the body tenses and front legs try to push me back.

"Owwww," Blaze groans, "What did I do yesterday?"

The rest of us keep waiting. Blaze looks at each one of us carefully.

"I sold my organs while drunk and you're the mob, right?" he facehoofs.

I pull out the package I bough before from my saddlebag and open it. With a weak orange glow swirling around his horn, Blaze holds the presented notebook and a pen in front of him.

"It's a fresh journal so you can write down things you don't want to forget."

"Thanks, miss...?"

"Choking," I fight off a wave of nausea, "Darkness."

"Blazing? Light?" he grins nervously.

"I know, I'm your guardian angel," Tugging at the leash, I shoot Bright Eye a fiery look when he opens his mouth to say something undoubtedly connected to the discharging protocol of the asylum.

He is my second chance and I'm not going to waste it.

Broken Hearts: Veil of Lies

"You cannot do that, princess," objected some wannabe important noble, one of many now gathered in the Canterlot castle throne room.

Sharp Biscuit growled.

Luna had been seeing him even while awake since last morning but was secretly glad that was the case. With the situation escalating she needed guidance on the fly, not delay incoming problems until next day. Yes, it was beginning to gnaw on her that her sanity might be wavering. Yes, it would mean immediate unrest if somepony else found out. Still, until everything was solved she appreciated the help she was getting.

"And what exactly is preventing us from doing so?" Luna asked.

"Equestrian law, your Highness. According to -"

Luna ignored the rest of the coordinates of the paragraph the pony was referring to.

"-In case something was to happen to princess Celestia then the council of high nobility would temporarily take over Equestrian affairs."

The princess of the Night was ready for this. She'd been worried about this since the attack but it was here sooner than expected. The worms in front of her wanted power. None of them had bothered to visit her sister in the infirmary wing or wished her good luck. All of them just wanted a piece of cake that was Canterlot.

"That law has already been amended, dear whoever-you-are. Now it falls to us to protect our subjects in case of emergency."

"You cannot do that!"

Sharp circled around the annoying noble.

This time without the correct title, my princess. This snake should burn.

Dark mist swirled around the pony who was levitated up by his neck.

"WE, THINE RIGHTFUL RULER, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. OUR SISTER REWROTE THE LAW, YOU PATHETIC POWER-HUNGRY MONGREL."

The other nobles froze when they heard the Canterlot voice and then broke into hushed whispers as their spokespony got released from Luna's magical grip and slammed to the ground.

The double door to the throne room opened and a group of Nightguards walked to the princess.

"We have found a witness, princess. He is currently waiting for full interrogation down in the dungeons."

"Did he say anything?"

"Yes," the batpony guard just nodded and looked around at the gathered nobility.

Luna scowled.

"Wait for us outside," she turned back to the gathered ponies after the Nightguards left, "You ingrates! Our sister isn't even badly hurt and the vultures are already circling. Soon, though, we will wring the information from whoever saw the incident and once we know which one of you is behind this then we will make sure both you and your whole bloodline swing."

Enveloped in Luna's magic once again, the spokespony got thrown out of the throne room and the princess followed. To everypony inside the slamming shut of the door sounded like the swish of a guillotine.

Ignoring the groaning pony on the floor, Luna nodded at her guards.

"So?"

"He said he saw somepony flying above princess Celestia, somepony with both horn and wings."

Sharp, walking by Luna's side, sighed.

I was afraid of that. Either Twilight is mind-controlled by Guiding Light or she overpowered the queen, learned the power the Nightmare changelings possess and wants to use it to gain the power of all alicorns again.

"Any details?"

"No, he stopped talking when we arrived. The pony in question is a member of the Royal Guard."

"Both branches of the Guard are supposed to work together. I will interrogate him personally and possibly give him a little lesson regarding that subject."

The batponies grinned as one. They were law-abiding and dutiful guards but even for them being treated like lower class was difficult to deal with again and again.

"Wait outside," ordered Luna when the guards unlocked the cell door.

Uh oh, I smell trouble.

Luna couldn't begin talking to thin air in front of the guards so she just hummed, stepped inside and closed the door.

The white pegasus in front of her had been locked here for his own safety so he wasn't chained up or restrained in any way. He definitely didn't look dangerous, at least to an alicorn like Luna. Of course to a normal pony he would probably be a distinct threat with his physical condition and combat training but to her he might as well have been a little foal.

There was nothing even remotely wrong according to Luna's senses. Could Sharp have been wrong?

"What did you see, young guard? Any little piece of information is valuable."

The pegasus looked up from sitting on the cell bench and his eyes went wide.

BE CAREFUL!

Luna's senses suddenly saw it. The look in the guard's eyes, at least the shadow behind it. It was the feeling she knew, the one she would carry with her to the end of her life. It was Nightmare, THE Nightmare. Not some little changeling led by Guiding Light but the god itself.

Did the guard stand up?

Did he lunge at Luna?

Luna blinked.

The cell reeked of dark energy... and blood. Breathing raggedly, the lunar princess backed to the door and kicked it, her eyes never leaving the strewn tatters of flesh in some instances baked to the stone of the walls which were the only things remaining from the guard.

Upon her second kick the door opened and she jumped outside. One of the Royal Guards looked into the cell and couldn't hold the contents of his stomach in.

You can't trust them.

"Seize them!" Luna pointed at the Royal Guard responsible for keeping their 'friend' safe.

Fortunately, her Nightguards were loyal to the ends of Equestria and didn't hesitate to knock the gold-armored ponies out.

My elite will never betray you, princess. Too bad the same cannot be said for your sister's troops.

"Put these two into a cell. They might not be in league with the other one but we cannot risk anything."

The batponies nodded.

"What is going on, your Highness?"

An alicorn with the power of Nightmare. May heavens protect us.

"It is as I feared. Princess Twilight Sparkle attacked my sister to gain her power and set that Royal Guard as a trap for me. Somehow she is connected to the Nightmarish power that once possessed me. Order a search for her and anypony who might be helping her, general public should help so go deal with the newspapers."

The traitor guards.

"In addition to that, the Nightguard is to assume full command over the Royal Guard. If any of my sister's troops have problem with it then they are free to take a paid vacation, I have no need for those who would hesitate to protect Equestrian order."

We need to prevent the possibility of your guards being attacked in the streets. The nobles have their own armed forces and we don't know how deep the Royal Guard corruption goes.

The Nightguards saluted and left to fulfill Luna's orders.

What about the Element bearers? If the Nightmare is possessing Twilight then they might not want to use their power to defeat her.

"Then it is my duty to take the Elements myself and do what they and my sister did for me. I will try to cleanse the corruption from Twilight and if it proves impossible then she will be banished."

Kill her.

"If necessary. She will not touch my sister again."

Luna walked through the castle to her room, ignoring the angry voices spreading in its halls. There will be those trying to stop her. The same ponies would spread rumors about her and it might put those loyal to her in danger.

Even so long after her return, Luna had very small amount of allies. The only thing that meant, though, was that she treasured them more for it and would go far to protect them.

On the balcony of her room she gathered her magic power.

Shadows descended on Canterlot, cast by black clouds melding together to cover the city. The overcast sky should give the Nightguards an advantage over anypony trying to attack them in the gloom.

Luna chuckled to herself.

"The night will last... until my sister gets better and Twilight burns for her treachery."

Icy Gaze eyed his two captives. He had gone overboard with forcefully capturing Rainbow Dash and it had taken her until the evening to wake up. His situation now became dangerous. Suddenly, there were two ponies who could help each other get out but for some reason the cellar door was incredibly sturdy, almost similar to the one door he hadn't been able to open yet. His best bet, though, was to keep his captives uncertain about his goal. Yes, the more he went over his current situation the more uncertain he was himself but then every time his mind returned to the other half of his reward.

He was slightly worried. Something had happened this morning in Canterlot and the black clouds had been visible throughout the entire day, keeping Icy thinking it was somehow connected to his mission. It wasn't a big deal though. The best thing he could do now to ensure his success was talking to his captives.

Unlocking the cellar door, he looked down before walking inside just in case the ponies were trying to ambush him. Shockingly, they weren't although Rainbow Dash was staring daggers at him. Icy balanced the plate with sandwiches in his mouth and walked downstairs.

"I hope the sandwiches are enough, I'm not good at cooking."

"MHMMAHRF!"

"Fluttershy, did you explain things to your friend?"

"Well, I don't know too much so..."

Icy sighed. He'd hoped Fluttershy would soften her friend up for him but apparently that wasn't the case. Untying Rainbow's gag, he had to retract his legs quickly as she bit at them. He scratched his head.

"Yeah, sorry about knocking you out but I couldn't risk anything."

"Wait till I get out of these ropes. I'll show you the meaning of pain!" ranted Rainbow.

Icy facehoofed. They weren't skilled. They weren't aware of their situation. They were just fillies who had no idea about their limits. Still, all that meant they were easy to manipulate.

"Alright, I'm sure you trust me even less than when I knocked on your door last night. The thing is I don't care. I'm supposed to keep you out of harm's way and I'm gonna do it whether you like it or not."

"You call this safe? My eyes are still threatening to fall out of my head."

"You have a reputation of being stubb- tough. I couldn't afford to pull punches. Perhaps I was wrong?" Icy ended on a thoughtful note supposed to take a stab at Rainbow's confidence.

"Erm, well... you were right. I would have totally kicked your flank otherwise."

"I thought so," Icy grinned and turned to Fluttershy, "Can you please tell your friend what I told you? To be honest, I don't know much more anyway and I have to think of a way to get the others here."

Fluttershy nodded and looked at Rainbow's face caked with dried blood.

"Could-could you bring me some bandages and wet cloth?"

"Yeah, there's a first aid kit upstairs. By the way, if you didn't believe me before take a look at this," Icy showed Fluttershy the wanted poster.

"That can't be true!" the yellow pegasus gasped.

"I doubt it is," said Icy reassuringly, "Still, the guards have already posted these all over Ponyville. If you want to think about how to help your Bearer friend then wait until everypony else is here. Princess Twilight is in the village called Pine Hills and will probably be ambushed when she returns. Try to think of a way for us to prevent that. She might be just money for me but she is your friend."

"How can we know we can trust you?" asked Rainbow, a bit too aggressively considering her being bound and lying on the floor.

"You can't but take it like this - if I wanted you dead you couldn't have stopped me. If I wanted ransom I wouldn't have to get all of you because I don't get bonus for bulk sale. If that isn't enough you'd soon find out that the posters are real because I'm sure EVERYPONY in this little town now knows about them and so will the next Bearer I bring here."

Fluttershy looked uncertain but her hesitation was enough to infect Rainbow Dash and undermine her desire to get out of the cellar as soon as possible. With their thoughtful looks in his back, Icy left the food down there, brought the first aid kit and sat down at the kitchen table to eat his dinner and consider his next step.

There was only one bearer left who wasn't accompanied by ponies and that was Rarity. Getting her should be fairly simple if what Pinkie Pie had told him was correct. The real problem lay in the fact that her disappearance would undoubtedly get noticed quickly and might make the capture of the last two impossible. Unfortunately, the same was true for capturing any of the others.

Fine then, what if he got lucky and the best case scenario in which nopony noticed Rarity was missing followed?

Applejack might be possible to capture because she was a farm worker, right? Icy had never even bothered understanding the workings of such place because deep down he was a city foal despite spending most of his adult life in fortresses and deserts. Still, she had to go milk cows and feed them or something and ponies usually did those things alone... probably... possibly... maybe.

Pinke Pie had to be the last target. Living in the middle of Ponyville and surrounded by other ponies, her disappearance would set guards to swarm the streets even more than right now.

Truth be told, Icy didn't really have a choice... or did he?

He grinned deviously and ran back up to where the living room with some clothes was. Rummaging through princess Twilight's possessions, he was looking for a piece of clothing that looked as posh as possible and just might fit him. It wasn't as stupid idea as it might look on first glance. Twilight Sparkle, while a mare, was also an alicorn and thus taller and slightly heavier built than normal ponies. Still, her wardrobe was way too small for somepony of Icy's size.

He re-thought his plan quickly and stopped looking for a jacket or something similar because there was no chance of anything fitting over his muscular chest would be found in Twilight's room. Instead, his eyes located a different target - an amazingly well-decorated dress that just might, in the right frame of mind, fit him in case he was a stallion who... preferred the intimate company of other stallions. After all, Icy Gaze's features would be more commonly described as beautiful rather than handsome.

Stuffing the dress inside his saddlebag, he tried to remember every single detail about Canterlot nobility he'd heard in low-tier taverns, the only places he knew from the city.

There was one more thing he wanted to know so he took a little detour through the town. Evening or not, he should get to Carousel Boutique before closing time. The situation in Ponyville was calm enough. There were ponies strutting everywhere around despite there being at least one wanted poster every two streets. The important thing was that the posters were aimed only at princess Twilight, not at her friends which made Icy think he wasn't working for whoever had orchestrated all of this.

Normally, he wouldn't bother trying to think about his employer but this mission was different from usual - protect shipment of X from point A to point B, kill all Cs trying to stop you. His targets were vital for security of Equestria and, if rumors were to be believed, the entire world which meant that his gathering them might bring forth a threat that would make all his money useless. Icy had travelled through a rather large part of the world and knew about dragons, three-headed dogs, monsters about which the doomsayers ranted. Things like those had had an effect on a growing pegasus and had added their weight to his current state of mind.

Carousel Boutique came to view and with it his third target's silouhette in the yellow light coming out of the window. Steadying his nerves and ignoring the 'closed' sign, Icy knocked on the door.

"Come back in the morning, please, I'm done for today," called a singsong voice from the inside.

"Erm, sorry to bother you, miss Rarity, but I am in desperate need of an alteration. I can pay handsomely for your effort."

The hoofsteps from the inside came closer and Icy puffed up his chest, putting up an expression of somepony normally confident beyond belief but currently having to meekly accept the help of somepony else. His looks were the most important asset right now.

"I'm afraid I can't help you right-whoa!"

Icy, stomping his hooves nervously in the snow, patted himself mentally.

"Come in, come in! Erm, mister..." continued Rarity.

Yes, she was still young and had yet to reach the bloom mares of his age presented but still the white unicorn with purple mane and sky-blue eyes made him look her up and down.

"Frosty Stare, I'm sorry to bother you this late but your reputation precedes you," Icy bowed politely, "I would trust no store in Canterlot, not after their failure with this."

He pulled out Twilight's dress and immediately noticed he might have made a mistake when Rarity narrowed her eyes.

"Where did you get this?" she backed few steps away.

Icy should have known somepony with such a good eye for design would recognize her friend's dress... possibly one she had made herself. How to get out of this?

Somepony with such a good eye for design... would also go livid if she found out about a fake being sold elsewhere.

"A design shop in Canterlot offered me this but messed up the measurements and it ended up too small for my size."

"This is... for you?" Rarity's suspicious gaze turned into one of sheer disappointment.

"Yes. I personally don't think it would suit me but my coltfriend loves the decor and colo- palette."

The unicorn was a professional though and her instincts prevailed. All that remained was to make her turn her back to Icy.

"Nonono, I'm sure the scheme would compliment your astonishingly shiny coat and long mane well enough."

"So you think you can fix it?"

"Fix it? No," said Rarity and Icy sighed, "This is way too small for you but I can make you a new one. How long will you be staying here in Ponyville?"

Should he sound posh or humble?

"This quaint town charmed me, I must admit. Living in Canterlot is sometimes so tiring with all the galas and garden parties."

"You're a noble?" asked Rarity in disbelief.

"A third son of one which means I'm entitled to getting some property someday but I earn my living as a mercenary. I've recently returned from the Griffon Empire and I want to rest for few weeks," lied Icy his ass off while Rarity was measuring him.

"Few weeks? What about your... coltfriend?"

"He knows about my life but he still has to decide whether we're going to be a thing. In the unfortunate case of him being unable to deal with me leaving for long periods of time then I'll have to... I don't know."

"There's plenty of mares- oops, sorry." said Rarity, spending far too much time around Icy's hindquarters.

"I think I made the wrong first impression. I, let's say, swing both ways. No need to caution your words around me."

The hopeful gasp from Rarity and the stopping of clicking of the tape measure made Icy carefully look back. The unicorn mare was staring at his body, completely ignoring his face, and mumbling to herself while giggling softly. To her, the possibilities of a stallion willing to model a completely new style of fashion was akin to going to heaven.

Soon after, with a quick buck of his hind legs, Icy shut the dressmaker down.

With Rarity hoisted on his back, the mercenary left Carousel Boutique.

"Hey, mister Canterlotian!" a cheery voice interrupted his way home.

"HYAGH!"

"What'cha doing?" the pink earthpony responsible for his success up until now was bouncing around him.

"Uhm, well," Icy was at a loss. Even his head wasn't quick enough to explain why he had an unconscious pony on his back.

"You've visited Rarity, I see," Pinkie smiled and nudged Icy conspiratorially, "Owwwww, she's sleeping. Had an evening out together?"

"No no no, nothing like that. She... she's just tired herself out while measuring me up for a new suit at my place-"

"Riiiiight," Pinkie's smile turned wider.

"I didn't want to bother her this late but she wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Mhm," the pink pony began bouncing away and winked at him, "Don't tire her out too much next time."

"Celestia's mercy..." muttered Icy when she was out of view.

He was incredibly lucky this time. Hopefully, the remaining two bearers wouldn't be too difficult.

Icy grinned to the night. Nothing was easy and if it looked that way then he was overlooking something.

The ex-guard nibbled on his cereal. Yesterday, his changeling marefriend had failed to negotiate an audience with Guiding Light and he'd had to turn princess Twilight away at the door.

Shieldbreaker's breakfast remained uneaten.

His eyes went over the main article the title of which didn't make sense, it couldn't make sense.

A hostile takeover by Twilight Sparkle

There wasn't any concrete evidence in the article but the general gist was that princess Celestia had been attacked few days ago by the purple princess temporarily living in the town inn. The timeframe of the crime was off though. Princess Twilight had been in Pine Hills at the time of the attack. Granted, Shieldbreaker had very little knowledge of magic and Twilight's prowess was sort of a myth connected to her being the Element of Magic but he was very doubtful she could have done it.

"Honey?" he called out to his marefriend.

"Yes?" she poked her head through the door.

"Is it possible to teleport from here to Canterlot?"

"Erm," she turned her head from side to side, "You're talking to me, right? There isn't any mage around here, laughing at me while invisible, is there?"

"Well, I though you changelings knew about magic and stuff."

"Maybe changelings from your world but our abilities aren't exactly magic as you ponies understand it. The firstborn is the only one of us who knows at least little magic."

"Firstborn?"

"Queen Guiding Light. She was born of the first clutch Blazing Light was forced to create by Nightmare Moon. The rest of us are from different hatchings over the years."

"Oh," Shieldbreaker blushed.

"Hmm?"

"You mean that if we... I mean the two of us... somewhere down the line... decided to..."

"You're thinking about a foal?"

"I know we've been together only for a while. It just surfaced and I realized I've never talked about it with... you know who."

"Heh, I know about it even less than you. I grew up, I ate ponies, that was all. I have no clue how the entire thing works. Why don't we just keep experimenting?" the changeling stuck out her tongue, "What was the teleport thing, by the way?"

"I think something is going on in Canterlot. Read this," Shieldbreaker gestured towards the wallpaper and let his marefriend read it in peace. It took her a while with Breaky scratching her behind the ears.

"Do you think she did it and ran away?" she asked after finishing reading the article.

"No way," Shieldbreaker shook his head, "I've known the filly for over five years as she kept studying under the princess and it's simply impossible... or at least highly improbable. The timeframe is off anyway. Unless she teleported to Canterlot from here and back then somepony is trying to frame her. Still, it wouldn't hurt asking your queen about magic, right?"

"I'll go right away. Do you want me to get anything on the way back?"

"We're running out of milk."

"Okay. Good luck watching over the logging camps, Breaky."

"Thanks, honey."

With a kiss being demanded from him, Shieldbreaker gave his marefriend more than just breakfast.

Underneath Pine Hills, Guiding Light's mind was suddenly filled with a surprising question. The remaining Nightmare changelings weren't too keen on using the hive mind for communication unless absolutely necessary. That little aversion remained from the times when tapping into the vast reserve of predators roaming the world had meant revealing oneself to the darkness seeping from Nightmare Moon herself. The more practical reason in this world was the energy drain it meant for both the sender and the recipient of the message.

The sender in question was on the way to the catacombs being remade by the few Nightmares not working with the villagers. Any strain of changelings was heavily resistant to aging as long as the love, or fear, kept coming so Guiding wasn't bothered with the slow pace of making this place a home.

As for the question regarding long-range teleportation... it was possible, probably. Guiding wasn't a mage despite using a dimensional travelling spell repeatedly. That spell itself had been modified to be usable by somepony with almost no magic capabilities at all, namely her father. Guiding's short time of studying magic in her world hadn't given her anything to answer the question in any definite way. Still, from what she knew the teleportation of such scale would either require a stable point of power, such as a portal with entrances on both sides, or an insane amount of power, such as the Element of Magic might possess.

Guiding sighed. Mulling over it gave her the result that such a feat was possible but improbable.

"It's even worse than Breaky thought, Guiding," the Nightmare tore Guiding away from exploring her memory.

"Start from the beginning. I don't really have a clue what you're talking about aside from some obscure question about magic limits."

Breaker's marefriend presented a newspaper and a poster with Twilight's face on it.

"Two guards are in the town, spreading these all around the place."

"I see."

Contrary to the changeling in front of her, Guiding skimmed through the article fast enough. All of the smaller Nightmares in the hall held their breath while their queen was lost in thought. A mental command rang through the hive network to call the right Nightmare back to the hive.

"Good job informing me about this," Guiding nodded, "You can go home. I'll deal with it."

She was left alone in the the room lit by blue crystals glowing dimly from sapping her magic. The drones were hard at work, chiseling the walls of other caverns to make them look presentable. Guiding wasn't too keen on making her kind spread as she had seen the devastation brought by Nightmare changelings with her own eyes but she still wanted some sort of future and if this place was to become the main hive then it couldn't look as if a bunch of savages lived here.

Not even an hour was enough for the changeling in question to come at its queen's call.

"You're the one princess Twilight took to study under her for a while."

The Nightmare drone's mind returned to the days of infinite list-checking and days spent by reading.

There was no need to even nod.

"I don't want to do this to you but I need you to disguise yourself as her."

The drone nodded, it knew what the order meant. Disguising herself as the princess would leave her incapable of changing into anypony else. That in itself wouldn't be a huge problem as the villagers were warming up to the Nightmares more and more but deep down all of them wanted to pair up with somepony and it would have to find a pony interested in the princess or its changeling form.

In contrast to normal changelings, it didn't change in a burst of green flames but just with green sparks coursing through its chitin slowly turning into purple fur. Wings grew, horn lengthened and with some additional alteration and tips from Guiding the final form was solid enough to make anypony sure that in front of them stood the alicorn of Magic, at least anypony not used to seeing her too close.

"Find the two guards and lead them here. We'll prepare an ambush and find out what's going on," ordered Guiding.

Fake Twilight left the hive with Guiding taking part of her mind as an observer. The job of the other Nightmares was to return underground to overpower the guards without the need for violence or forced sleep.

It was easy. The two guards, a unicorn and a batpony, almost jumped when they saw their target walking around them, oblivious to their presence. They jumped literally when Twilight got close but she avoided them thanks to the hunter instincts and combat experience the Nightmares had in abundance. Using the drag of larger wings and the energy reserve overflowing with the growing affection of the villagers, the disguised changeling was able to slip through every attempt at catching her and successfully led the two guards to an abandoned house and through the cellar to the cave system.

Staying always almost within their reach, the pair hunting Twilight was too focused on her to recognize the danger of Guiding stunning both of them shortly with two blasts from her horn. The magic was weak but the momentary lack of concentration was just the thing the Nightmares lying in ambush needed to immobilize the armored ponies just with their weight.

With the guards sitting on the ground, surrounded by changelings flashing their fangs menacingly, Guiding took her place by fake Twilight's side and their attention shifted to both of them. When the alicorn's coat sparked with green and the disguise was dropped the guards growled, a look of understanding in their eyes.

"So it was you!" snarled the batpony, "Princess Luna was right all along."

"Concerning what?" asked Guiding, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't try to deny it!" spat the other guard out, "Your changeling impersonated princess Twilight and attacked princess Celestia!"

Guiding grinned.

"I have no quarrel with the solar princess and neither does any of my Nightmares have the power to harm her. I hate to break it to you, guys, but you goofed up. The fake Twilight you hunted used her disguise for the first time today and that was just to get both of you here before you found the real princess and made a big mistake."

"Say what you want," snorted the unicorn, "There's no reason to trust you, changeling."

Guiding wrapped her mouth around the unicorn's horn and watched him begin to shake and pray silently. She knew he'd keep waking up hearing the scraping of her teeth dragging over it in his head for days to come.

"Don't tempt me," when her lips left the horn she snapped her mouth and both guards froze, "Now, let's start again. What happened in Canterlot to make you come here? I don't care if you believe I have nothing to do with it or not but you will tell me everything. I have enough time to get it out of you."

Having their hind legs glued to the floor with green goo, the guards still had enough freedom to make themselves comfortable as all Nightmares apart from fake Twilight, Guiding herself and one other left.

The unicorn started the story.

"Princess Celestia finally recovered from wounds sustained before the second invasion and was released from the infirmary. Later that day she was attacked by somepony who the only witness identified as an alicorn. Unicorn guards investigating the event found trace amounts of aura left behind by your kind from which princess Luna deduced princess Twilight was under your control and attacked her sister."

"Hmmmmm," Guiding's mind raced and didn't like the results, "Princess Twilight was here in Pine Hills that evening. Even if she was able to teleport back to Canterlot then she wouldn't have had enough power to just take princess Celestia down."

The unicorn kept glaring daggers at her but the batpony shifted uncomfortably.

"Erm," the thestral raised his hoof, "If what you're saying is true then who could do it?"

"You can't seriously believe her!" the unicorn facehoofed.

"You... you don't know the rest," the other guard bit his lips, "The witness was later interrogated by princess Luna who said he'd attacked her. He was a Royal Guard and the entire thing was the reason for princess Luna's giving the leadership over the Guard to us."

"Was?" asked the unicorn.

"Yes... was. He's dead now. Princess Luna killed him in self-defense... or so she claimed. The unicorns later felt the same... thing in the cell as they had during princess Celestia's investigation. The dead guard was assumed to have been under the influence of Nightmare changelings as well. Some sort of a sleeper agent to put princess Luna in danger."

"So why are you playing her game?" the unicorn pointed at Guiding who was slowly grinding her teeth and scowling more and more.

"You haven't seen the cell, mate. I've been there when princess Luna defended Canterlot during the second invasion and I know what kind of magic she used. I've seen heads explode and lightning scatter her enemies but the... mess she made in the cell was something else."

"You think you know the repertoire of the best magic user in Equestria?" the unicorn snorted.

"No... I just know that the teeth marks on the body didn't belong to anything I've ever seen. It was as if a bear or something with mouth full of sharp teeth ripped chunks of flesh out of him while he was still alive... the few seconds he was alive after princess Luna entered the cell."

"How do you how long he was alive?"

"She was inside not even a minute and that time was mostly... him screaming."

"Enough," Guiding said calmly, or at least pretending to be calm, "Tell me, did the body have black marks on it with rotten flesh around? As if-"

The batpony leaned away from her, eyes wide.

"-that part of the body has been dead for few days?" he finished her question.

Guiding Light screamed. The horror they had escaped was coming once again.

New/Old: She's Ruthless

[Blazing's Entry]

Weird, that's the only word that can describe how I feel right now in full, just weird. Ponies usually have some memories from their foalhood, the good times when they played outside with their friends and had to go to bed early. All I have is the image of three ponies looking at me inside a padded cell.

Now, therein lies the strangeness. I KNOW there must be memories like that, I KNOW how things SHOULD be and what things are. I just have no idea how I know. I can read, I can write... I can use the toilet (even the three seashells) but I have no memory of learning it. I guess dwelling on it isn't going to help anything though.

I thought the batpony's idea to start writing a diary was a joke but opening the little book almost felt natural and comforting. The really confusing part is that I'm a unicorn, right? According to what my body is telling me unicorns should be using magic to hold the pen. Every cell inside me is telling me that yet my first reflex was to pick it up with my mouth. I suppose it has something to do with half of my horn missing.

All in all, there's a lot of history apparently around me which I don't know that's making me feel unnatural compared to how my head is telling me things are supposed to be. So no, I'm totally not crazy. The fact that I woke up in an insane asylum means absolutely nothing.

After walking through the town called Ponyville in the company of the batpony mare we arrived at a pretty rundown house and she said she was going to grab something to eat for us and left. I have a lot of time to write right now as a result.

Sorting out my thoughts.

The bespectacled unicorn at the asylum felt comforting. Calm, collected and trying to hold the other two back when I woke up, he was the only one to whom I didn't react at all. Is it possible that's a sign of me not knowing him before? He asked me to visit him in few days for a check-up and, despite the angry growling of the batpony, I agreed.

I'm getting to her but now for the second pony I know... apparently, possibly. I felt uneasy around the earthpony called Heavy Hoof. I could say I have no idea why but that's sort of apparent already. The thing is that no matter how friendly he tried to look...

...no, the friendlier he tried to be the more he made chills ran up my spine. I felt sad around him, that's all. I don't think his friendly approach was a lie though. It's just that I got nervous with him around no matter what. Well, after we left the asylum he went away in the direction of the hills overgrown with apple trees outside of town.

Now for the weird batpony and I say weird only because she freaks me out more than the other one. It's not as much the things she said but the way she said them. Maybe it just felt like she kept trying too hard to make me feel comfortable around her or maybe she could read how I really felt. The thing is... how could anypony know me well enough to see that every string of my being was telling me to trust her, to give everything I have for her.

Unless she was causing it herself. I need to be careful around her, the way my body reacts is just too unnatural. One thing is certain though, I either knew her or she knew me and wants something from me.

[End Entry]

Did I live here?

Probably not. The house doesn't seem derelict, just deserted. Two rooms on the ground floor, two more upstairs, none of them seems to have been used regularly. Well, the one I would call a living room probably is the one the owner is sleeping in as there's a mattress lying on the floor covered by a blanket sprinkled with pastry crumbs.

The room upstairs that isn't used for storage is what I would call a bedroom. Why? Just a nagging feeling that a house of this structure should look like this. I feel comfortable here despite it being dark aside from the shimmer of my horn. I must have been pretty good at magic as even when broken in half my horn seems to let the power flow just fine.

I have one complaint and that is the cold in this room but I guess the strange mare wants me to be comfortable because it must have been her who pulled one more mattress out from the storage before she left and prepared a nice makeshift bed here. Considering how I feel around her I should at least enjoy her care before she shows what she really wants.

What if she isn't some mind-controlling pony and I just react this way because I knew her?

My back flops against the mattress as I drop down and look at the ceiling. If that's the case then I'll find out eventually. The thing is that I know she's a batpony. Yes, yes, the physical difference makes it really obvious but the influx of information and images I got from the word was stunning. Everything from what bats are, what animals are, why would a pony have bat wings and what is so terrifying about the fangs emerged at once.

It might feel natural to think about a living being that way but even my first sight of a chair gave me the vision of earthponies working in a carpenter's workshop with files and saws somewhere called Manehattan.

It all started with a tree cut down near Stalliongrad falling on a stray squirrel.

Sometimes I think my head is making fun of me.

*Squeeeeak*

*Hisssss*

"Who's there?" I shut the light of my horn off.

*Tap tap tap*

I stand back up.

The sounds came from a large closet, the only piece of furniture in the room. I can't believe I didn't check it earlier. In all honesty, there wasn't a reason to though. I quickly ponder the fatality of stupidity as a draft of air signalling the passage of something fast and big hits my face.

I quickly rear on my hind legs, spin around and swipe upwards with one front leg because if there's an enemy charging straight at you, you don't really need to see the details to break his nose.

What?

The stupidity of that saying catches me off-guard and I shake my head which suddenly feels as if I was not seeing double, but thinking double. Everything stops when the shock causes me to stop thinking completely and something just takes over and jumps away into the darkness.

Fortunately, my body is reacting faster than I can understand what's going on. I'm being attacked. The enemy is fast, about my size, maybe slightly smaller, relies on teeth and has wings.

Not a pegasus though, their wings are too large to provide enough agility inside. That became painfully apparent when the attacker stopped mid-air right next to my neck and its teeth snapped right when my body moved by itself.

Unfortunately, said body is burdened by a mind that has no idea about anything right now and can only cover my neck when I get tackled into the wall. As a reward for this semi-successful defense I recieve a burning sensation in my front leg and a dull thud when my other leg punches again.

"OW!" I scream when the pain finally makes itself get noticed.

"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The high pitched screech is annoying and slightly disorienting but since I'm not really in control anyway it stops abruptly when I kick away the dark shadow and run past it out of the room and towards the stairs down. The flap of wings behind me proves the attacker is close-

My horn lights up as much as possible. It being above my eyes just makes shadows dance as I keep running but the scream from behind me announces my success. Well, not my success... the success of whatever was in charge when I was crapping myself having no clue what to do.

I rush through the door downstairs and I'm on the street. I'm not going to stop running because my mind finally catches up to what happened.

The attacker was pony-sized with wings smaller than pegasi ones and sharp teeth and could screech high enough to rattle windows. There's only one being I can think of that fills all the criteria.

A batpony.

I guess she just got me out of the asylum to have dinner and I got lucky by going lucid for long enough to fend her off. That means I might return to my previous state or if I'm cured then she'd probably want to silence me. Planning will have to come later though, for now - just run.

The adrenaline rush works until I trip and roll on the ground. Having no idea where I am, all I know is that my heart is pounding and lungs burning. What now then? First - lean on the nearest wall. Second - wait until the pain in everything stops.

Good.

My entire body begins shaking. I don't know anything or anypony. I have nowhere to go. As soon as I realize this the shaking stops. Why does it feel so familiar?

Damage report.

The bleeding from my leg stopped despite my running which means the wound was shallow and more painful than dangerous. Sighing, I realize there are only two options. Either I can go to the local guard post or whatever constitutes for security here or I can go back and deal with the threat myself and it's dark, everypony is already inside and I have no clue where the guards are.

I have to commend my sense of direction as even in an unknown city, in the dark and after running away in panic I can find enough landmarks to retrace my steps and end up in front of the house.

So... the enemy didn't expect bright light, isn't too strong, has sharp teeth but not strong enough bite to go through bone. Now, batponies can't use magic and she wouldn't be able to dance in mid-air thanks to space limitations. She is faster than me but that might have been just panic on my side.

Taking a deep breath and shaking my hooves frozen by the run through snow I open the door.

Correction, fail to open the door because it's locked.

All logic fails and I knock. Maybe... nope, I've got nothing. The door opens and a smug, yet relieved, batpony opens.

"Welcome back," says Choking.

"Don't you-"

She snickers at me jumping back and ready to fight and then waves her hoof, inviting me inside.

"Come in, I'll explain."

"Eeeerm."

"I have hot chocolate... well, lukewarm chocolate now. Still better than the frost outside though."

"..."

"Please?"

The pleading expression is almost believable.

"Fine, but you're staying in front of me and no sudden-"

She DOESN'T HAVE WINGS.

I try again when I see her biting her lip.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, miss. You've got to listen to me, there's somepony upstairs who attacked me."

"I know and she's sorry. Come in, please."

There's still the possibility of two batponies being in league with one hunting for victims and the other feeding but the look on her face when I backed away sent spikes through my heart. No, she's not using magic or anything.

I knew her and I desperately wanted to be with her.

Decided to trust her, I walk inside and there's another batpony in the living room. As soon as I spot her I know she must be sorry for what she did because the damage to her face is definitely not my doing. The specks of blood littering her light-grey coat and a missing fang is nothing I could have done without serious effort.

She sniffs.

"'m thory."

I can't even be angry at her. The batpony looks as if she hasn't eaten in days and the dried blood around her nose just proves she's had enough.

"What happened?" I pat her head.

"Mith leaveth thometime thood thor me. I thouft you were a thnack."

Processing...

...BEEP.

"So you DID want to eat-drink me?"

"Yeth."

Looking from her to Choking, I sort of feel pity for the batpony runt.

"You beat her up?" I ask Choking just to reassure myself.

"I guess I overreacted a little when she told me she chased away a thief," she chuckles nervously.

"So... let me get this straight. You didn't tell her about me. To her I may have really been just somepony trying to break in and rob the place. When she chased me away successfully you smashed her face in."

"Well, she hurt you-"

"And that was YOUR fault!"

"I-"

"Leave us alone for a while."

"But I-"

"GO! AWAY! Before you do more damage."

I don't even look at her but when I hear her hoofsteps leave the room I focus back on the other batpony. It would be wrong to judge Choking just by what she did before but it definitely wasn't the best impression.

"Are you still hungry? Eh, what's your name?"

She nods.

"Doom Thtar."

"Is she," I point to the door, "holding you here?"

"No. Giveth thood erry day."

"She lets you drink from her?"

Doom Star shakes her head.

"Warm thweeth."

"So you don't drink blood?"

"I do. Not much around. Hiding."

"How much do you drink?"

"Hungry."

Whatever force is trying to keep me alive, I hope you're listening to me now.

I tilt my head.

"Can I offer you some? As an apology for tonight."

She looks at the door and bites her lip.

"Don't worry," I pull her closer, "She won't hurt you this time- OW!"

With my reassurance she just chomps my neck. It felt more like a prick than a dog bite or something, not that I remember either. To be honest, the sucking on my neck tickles more than it hurts.

"What's going on? I heard- HEY!" Choking runs back inside.

I hold Doom's head where it is with one leg and wave Choking away with the other.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"O... kay?" Choking asks but stands still.

The sucking sure feels nice but I'm getting light-headed.

"I've got to make... things... right..."

I hope I taste good.

*Thud*

"Heh, the room is spin... nin... nngh."

New/Old: She's Hasty

[Blazing's Entry]

"Misunderstanding" cleared up, smooth sailing ahead, neck bandage applied.

Tired, shower still working. A square hole and a square peg put together.

In all seriousness now.

With me slightly overfeeding Doom Star, or Doomie as Choking refers to her, she now thinks I'm some sort of a juice box combined with her dad. I must admit it's a bit flattering but having a daughter only few years younger than me is silly. Although she's a bit simple she doesn't have a bad bone in her body and with me feeding her past three days she's looking better and better.

Choking, on the other hoof, feels as strange as usual and doesn't miss an opportunity of watching me spending time with Doomie. I think there's a lot she's not telling me but there is no way I'd believe her to be some sort of pony who uses others. It might be just my body talking but after watching her give Doomie a bath - okay, I personally love stewing in hot water and I guess it's not for everypony but Doom Star's reluctance to get clean is astonishing for a probably adult pony - I think that under the hot-headedness and barely contained paranoia she's a really kind pony.

I sort of want to see a bit more of that side of her.

[End Entry]

I tried to be useful by spending most of the day walking around the house trying to find all damaged spots and health hazards. Too bad my knowledge of carpentry is limited to knowing something is broken just as it begins cracking under my hooves.

Yes, I tried to evaluate the status of the upper floor by stomping around. Don't judge me! Doomie was mad at me for waking her up but joined me after a while and the two of us jumping around must have been a blast for the neighbors. I have to wonder at how little it takes for her to be happy.

There's one thing that's been bothering me since my awakening which is that I can't find anything I'm good at. I sometimes have a good, albeit questionable, idea like the floor inspection but there doesn't seem to be anything particularly fitting me. It might have something to do with my lack of cutie mark. Well, it probably has.

The real question is whether or not I want to know about my past. All I know is that we're hiding away in this small town, the reason is me and unless I do anything ridiculous to draw attention to myself everything should be okay.

At the time I decided not to push the fact that Choking was lying to herself more than she was to me. Sometimes ponies just want things to be true so much they ignore all evidence to the contrary. To be honest, if she's this determined to be with me then I shouldn't be the one ruining it.

Or should I?

The big problem, the reeeeeally big one is bothering me. She doesn't love me. She might be telling herself that but I'm not the pony she wants to be with. I don't know her and I saw her finally getting it when I yelled at her for beating up Doom Star. I wasn't acting the way she thought I would and it began breaking the little world she built around herself after whatever happened happened.

Hmmm, maybe I used to be a psychiatrist? I guess I can notice and interpret those little details about ponies pretty well. Is that why I woke up at the asylum? Was I one of the staff that has gone crazy, killed somepony and was hidden away from the law by friends?

Eh, whatever. I don't intend to do anything blatantly stupid to make myself stand out so I should just deal with the problem in front of me... the problem being a mare stuck in a memory.

ENOUGH!

The problem of me being dirty as if I spent a day working on a farm.

Doomie is sleeping after a day of messing around and a little snack, ehm, and Choking is at work which means I have the house to myself. With towel in my magical grasp and the bathroom as my destination I intend to spend at least a part of this evening pretending I'm a rubber ducky.

With only a head sticking out of the tub I realize I've been humming a tune I don't remember ever hearing and it stops as soon as I focus. That sucks, it was a nice one.

The bathroom door opens.

"Wo-wa-occupied!" I yell, stop soaping myself and hide in the tub again.

"I know," a black head peeks inside and then the rest of Choking follows.

"I, erm, don't mean to be rude but I'm trying to have a bath here."

"I can help you wash your back," she sticks her tongue out, "...and more."

That voice, the hunger in those words could melt an ice sculpture and make jello hard as steel.

"NO! I mean I'm fine, thanks for the offer."

"That wasn't an offer," Choking licks her lips and with a dreamy smile approaches the tub.

My body is telling me to drag her to the tub, my... lower regions are agreeing violently but the chills going up my spine make my head take control and I stand up, dripping.

"I'm sorry but no. No matter how gorgeous you are I can't do this, not right now."

The feeble show of resistance means nothing to her as she leans towards me and whispers to my ear.

"Your body... disagrees."

Then she bites my ear, sending electricity through my entire body down to my hooves.

"Stop it," I push her away.

I may as well have hit her with a hammer. The disbelieving expression when she steps back almost makes me rethink everything, almost. I have to retain some self-control and set limits, at least for now.

It's completely obvious from the nervous twitching of her front legs she doesn't understand what's going on.

"You can't do this. I don't know what used to be between us but your overly sexy approach is doing nothing to help, it's freaking me out, to be honest. You don't have to do anything like this. I want to get to know you but that will take time."

"Have to?" her voice is shaking when she turns around and walks through the door, "I'm such an idiot."

Breathing as if I've just moved a grand piano, I towel myself off. I had to do that, I had to do that, I had to do that. I can't just slip into a role she has ready for me because, well, the role isn't for me. It will be healthier if she just gets rid of the illusion and faces reality.

"The reality that I'm not worth being looked at by her," I hear a whisper from somewhere.

A sudden headache makes me groan but fades away pretty fast. I guess I must have just left the hot water too fast, this place isn't really well-heated and the winter is biting down pretty hard these days. I shake my head and something becomes crystal clear - no matter how good the reason was for me acting like that I was insensitive and have to make things right... when she so obviously can't.

Since the living room is the only really heated place in the entire house I shiver my way through every room without success.

"Miss Darkness!"

A thud comes from the storage room on the upper floor.

"Miss Darkness!"

Quiet sobbing lingers in the air.

Following the trail, I open a large chest where blankets must have been kept. Now it holds a crying batpony who keeps punching the bottom weakly.

"Buck, buck, BUCK!" she hits the bottom of the chest again with a crack. Unfortunately the chest is made of solid oak so the sound must have come from her hoof.

"Miss Darkness..."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"What?"

"I'm Chokey, your Chokey. Nopony else has the right to call me that but you. Why can't you understand it?!"

"Because I'm not the one you're looking for. I can't help you the way you want me to."

She sits up but the long breath she releases feels as if something important leaves with it.

"I made a mistake," she says flatly, "I shouldn't have bothered you, mister Light."

Why does it hurt?

Why does it hurt so much?

WHY DOES IT HURT SO BAD?

HEAVENS WHY? WHAT IS THIS?!

The chest breaks into pieces in a burst of orange lightning and I jump backwards to avoid the scatter. Fortunately, I end up only scratched in places but the orange glow above my eyes isn't stopping.

When the dust settles I see Choking with tiny bronze sparks running through her coat. The only reflex left in me is to feel her warmth.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened," I hold her in my hooves with no desire to let go.

I do know what happened. The soulless look, the empty words... all that tore apart my heart almost literally.

"I'm fine, mist-"

"Don't- please, don't call me that. I think I understand a little bit of how you feel. I don't want to be mister... that to you, ever, erm Chokey."

"But you were right. You're not Blaze."

"No, I'm not. Does it mean I'm not allowed to try and make you happy for a while?"

She chuckles but still keeps looking at the floor.

"Well, you DID refuse a mare's company in the bathtub earlier."

"Yeah, about that... can you- can we try things out? I mean at slower pace."

The orange sparks stop and burrow into her coat. She wipes her eyes, smiles and breathes out.

"I don't know."

"Hey, I can be a charmer if I want to. Your vampire friend seems to like me so I can't be that tasteless."

"That. Was. Awful."

"I have to make an ass of myself to have a chance at getting yours."

"Heavens, stop that," she snorts, "Fine, I'll slow down but I have one request."

"Okaaaay?"

"The tub, you, me, now."

"Well-"

"Nothing too kinky. I'm covered in dust even on the inside and since you ran here half-wet you're dirty as heck too. By the way, what was that?"

"I have no idea. My magic is kind of doing whatever it wants to. I'm just glad it protected you from the flying wood. The sparks running into you didn't hurt?"

She hesitates and I immediately know the next thing she says will be a lie.

"They just felt warm," she smiles, looking into the darkness of the room, "Hey, can I ride your back?"

I bend my legs and press my muzzle to the floor.

"Only if I, someday in the future, get to ride yours."

"It's a promise."

New/Old: She's Crazy

[Blazing's Entry]

Damn, that was close. Any normal explanation would revolve around a heart-attack or something similar but that wasn't it by any stretch of the imagination. I think it was a warning that my course of action was too wrong. Being a hostage to something feels pretty awful though.

Your understanding of the situation is disgusting.

No, I don't care. I don't care what happened, I don't care who you are and most of all I don't care about what you want. I am me and I chose to try things out with that crazy batpony.

I will make you listen.

Shut up, she's weird! Even you can't deny that. Who would try to hump you in the bathtub without knowing you? What's wrong with her? I can't deny she's hot in a strange fashion if I discount the creepy wing bits but I wouldn't give her ten out of ten.

She's the best pony in the entire creation.

Maybe for you she was, not for me! I don't know her and she doesn't know me. She's in love with, I guess, you but you're supposed to be gone so why don't you just disappear and let me live my life?

This isn't your life, it is mine.

No, you're gone, you're amnesia or whatever. You're a headache that has no reason to exist anymore. You're a memory that's dragging me AND her down.

I won't let you hurt her and I will claw myself from the depths of Tartarus if I have to. She deserves to be happy.

What's so special about her? She's just a batpony. Nothing more, nothing less.

She's the only pony who has ever believed I was worth a second look. She is the only reason for my life and as long as she's not completely happy I will keep coming back to make her smile.

I want to try things out with her, that's the best I can do now.

I'll be back.

[End Entry]

No reason to sugarcoat it, I'm freaked out. I almost died yesterday and while I feel completely fine physically the magic I 'possess' is definitely not mine. The thing is that no matter all that I really hurt the crazy batpony. Yes, she needed a bite of reality sandwich but after all that she toned everything down and the bath, while awkward, was more than enjoyable.

Yes, she's a nice mare. Deep, deep, deeeeeeeeep down I mean. No, I'm not saying that because my past self will try to kill me again if I don't. Well, she'll be coming back from the asylum soon so I might as well try to make myself useful and cook dinner. Hitting a little snag right at the start might be enough to discourage somepony but-

It's oatmeal, HOW CAN IT BE ON FIRE?

Good, adding milk softened the blow and it's calm now. Bubbling but calm. Let's not try my luck further and go for some hayburgers. Putting some pre-prepared hay blobs on a frying pan and just lighting the gas stove can't go wro-

MY FACE, IT'S CHEWING MY FACE!

Aaaand back on the pan you go, you little bastard. I have no idea how can a raw hayburger try to lay eggs in my brain but for a second there I really felt violated both mentally and physically.

NOT AGAIN!

This time I react fast enough and slap the flying burger into the oatmeal where a mass of black tentacles drags it below the bubbling surface. In reaction to my rapidly narrowing eyes the entire bowl seems to move backwards.

"Hey, did that bowl of oatmeal just burp?" a cheery, yet reserved, voice greets me from the kitchen door.

"Maybe."

"Phew," Choking wipes her forehead in all seriousness, "For a second I thought I swallowed some patient's meds by mistake."

"Be quiet," I hiss at the grumbling dinner and smile at Choking, "Well, as it turns out I'm not that good at cooking."

"Cool, can't be worse than mine though."

"That, and I use that term loosely, food," I point at the bowl, "just ate a hayburger that tried to mate with me."

"Shoulda said ya were taken already, that usually helps," she just waves her hoof.

"Wait what? You're not bothered at all that my food would make Tartarus demons pray to Celestia for redemption?"

Instead of explaining she just walks over to the kitchen counter-

A deep rumble resonates through the ground and a raspy voice from underneath our hooves recites.

Klaatu.

Choking picks up a single egg and a bowl-

Barada.

Cracks the egg which spills its contents that begin levitating in the air-

Nikto.

A mass of black tendrils shoots out of an appearing pentagram on the floor burning with ethereal cyan flames and snatches the egg.

Choking, completely unphased, asks:

"Omelettes?"

I scream and throw the oatmeal into the pentagram which disappears with a 'poof'. Looking like I've just been shocked by high voltage, I point at the floor with my mouth soundlessly opening and closing.

Choking grins.

"Let's say neither of us is a good cook and order takeout?"

"Gnnngh," I can't unglue my mouth so I just nod my head.

"Great!"

I've never had chineighese food but Choking is apparently a huge fan and a well-known one at that. As a common customer they gave her a little silver chime that allows her to order from a distance and it works its magic this time. The kung-pao celery smells great up until the point when I open the little package and a black slime jumps out of it at Choking's dinner.

"No! Bad eldrich horror, shoo!" she yells.

I can't stand her tearing up eyes and wibbling lip so I stand up.

"I'll go make us some sandwiches."

She nods and throws the paper bags out of the window where they explode and begin eating through the cobblestone road.

"Oh, wait wait wait. Wanna snuggle a bit tonight?"

"After an evening like this? I'm sorry but it's still too early for me."

"Oh," she twitches, "Well, crap. I forgot to give miss Pearl her medication."

"Can't the night shift take care of that?"

"They don't know about it and I really don't want to find her impaled on a ficus. Don't worry about me, I'll be back soon," she runs out of the door.

She definitely doesn't come soon, at least not while I'm awake.

Waking up to ash and dust, I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust. I also yawn loudly and after my coughing fit ends I curse the dusty room. Choking hasn't gotten to cleaning the upper floor yet and my stubborn refusal to sleep downstairs with her is costing me. It's dusty, it's cold but I have some sort of privacy if I count out the fact that there is an another batpony sleeping across the room from me inside a closet.

It's the little details like these that make life interesting, I guess.

Soooo... my plans for today are... they might include...

Well, the house isn't breaking into pieces as I found out during past week so I guess I could try to be as useful as I can. Choking left me some money in case I wanted something but all I really want now is not to be a freeloader. The attempt at cooking will never be mentioned again. Now, I could try to find some no-experience job but that might be pretty difficult in this small town and would probably involve just hauling stuff. If that's the case then I might as well just stay here and deal with the furniture in the storeroom first.

Yeah, that sounds good. There's one thing to do first though - since I've got to plan the stuff before doing anything there's enough time to see Bright Eye for the scheduled visit. Putting on a red sweater Choking bought for me, I decide to head for the asylum.

It's early so I write a note informing Choking, who is probably having breakfast at the Sugarcube Corner right now and will bring something back home before going to work, that I'll be out and leave.

I haven't been here since that fateful day and the atmosphere inside makes me look carefully at every door but my nerves stop annoying me when I reach Bright's office.

"Ah, my mysterious patient, come in!" Bright Eye smiles and scratches his head.

He is waiting for something but what?

"Good morning, doctor. You wanted to see me when I settled in so here I am."

"Yes yes, how do you feel?"

Great. Headaches, confusion, my magic trying to kill me, everything's juuuust fine.

"Eeh... it's alright, I guess."

"Oookay, what's wrong?"

Apparently I'm not the only one who can read others like a book.

"I would tell you but I don't want to end up here again."

"Now, saying that isn't really helping your case so just tell me what's wrong. I'm not going to tell anypony else, doctor's oath."

"Well, I sort of hurt Choking few days ago-"

Bright raises his eyebrow and scratches his chin. I immediately raise my hooves.

"-Nothing like that. I just told her that I wasn't the one she was in love with and she took it bad. What happened after that was that my magic acted up and almost killed me."

"Say again? The second part, I mean. I'll tell you something about the first thing after that."

"When I told her that my magic exploded the chest she was in-"

"Errrm, chest?"

"-She hid there to cry after I refused to have an erotic massage in the bathtub."

"I see."

"The explosion would have hurt her but the magic protected her somehow and sent the wood fragments at me."

"Everything?"

"Well, I felt like it was trying to tear me apart when it went wild."

"I'm sorry to say I can't really help you with magical problems. Anything else?"

"When I got home I got attacked by Choking's housemate by accident and I felt as if something else took over and got me out of there."

"That's bad... in more ways than the obvious one."

Exactly the wrong thing to say, dear doctor, to a patient who is internally freaking out just remembering the things.

"What do you mean?"

"First things first - I don't know about your past but you were supposed to be a very important persona non grata in Equestria. You'll really have to ask the details somewhere else but it seems to me like something is left from your past self and it's trying to get out. Unfortunately, you are in the way."

"What can I do?"

"No matter what, don't tell Darky."

"How come? It might help me get some info about myself from her."

"That's the other thing I wanted to get to. You said she took what you said really bad. Do you know she tried to kill me after I overheard her telling some things to you while you were still dormant?"

"Wow, what stopped her? When Doom Star attacked me she broke her jaw and bruised her really badly even when it was her fault."

"You did."

"What?"

"She seems to get very agressive and ruthless when you are in danger. Something seals away the cheery attitude and replaces it with cold steel. In other words, she's completely terrified of losing you and there's the REAL problem. If you tell her your past self might be coming back she could try to help it and you might not like the methods. Trust me, I'm a psychiatrist and I know what was used in the past to make the subjects remember. All she needs is the right book and you could be in serious trouble."

"Oh heavens, I need to get far away from her."

"I might have good news for you, she's not some crazy maniac. Your telling me about rejecting her helped me piece some things together. Do you know she was here last night?"

"Yeah, she said she forgot to give somepony medicine."

"That's not exactly the case. One could say she forgot her medicine."

"She's taking pills or something?"

"The 'or something' is a bit more correct. I'm not sure how to approach the subject."

"Well, I told you about me possibly going insane again."

"Fine, but don't interrupt me unless I tell you to. She was here to sleep with me last night."

"What?"

"Tsk, tsk," the doctor shakes his head, "Let me continue. Our friend has a condition that makes her love horizontal gymnastics a lot more than others do. Has she been distracted or twitchy recently?"

"Yes, she's been covering it up but since the storeroom incident she's been slightly irritated and distant but whenever I told her she just kept giggling and saying everything's okay."

"I thought so. Yeah, it exhibits the same signs as any other addiction."

"Can you do something for her?"

"More than I did last night? No, I can't, she explicitly asked me not to. She said it helped her find the right coltfriend. The only one who didn't mind was you, past you, and she said the condition went away whenever you were around which tells me the whole thing isn't really about sex but maybe just a remaining influence of past trauma, it usually is the case."

It dawns on me.

"So when I told her I wasn't the one she knew she relapsed."

"Exactly. So... how does it make you feel?"

The desire to punch the doctor that appeared the moment he told me he slept with Choking is still there but not significant.

"Truth be told, I wanted to punch your teeth out at first but since you're doing this basically as a good friend I really can't."

"I would be lying if I said it was just that. Darky is amazing in that respect. It is a bit unsettling that I sometimes can't help thinking about the unusually high number of those who helped her get her experience but that's life."

"Thanks, now I want to punch you again."

"I would think your magic would have something to say about that," Bright grins mischievously.

Oh... oh? Yeah.

"Wow, how is it that you're not being set on fire or anything?"

"Darky told me past you was fine with her sleeping around and from what I guess you are attuned to some of your previous experiences. Your body reacting on reflex while you were attacked and such."

I have to focus on this one. I really did want to punch the doctor but that was just me being... jealous? Why, because he slept with somepony I wasn't even sure I wanted to be with? Yeah, that's nonsense, that was just stupid male jealousy and pride.

So... deep down... as far down as the magic goes...

"I was... happy? Happy that she's satisfied?"

The doctor writes something to his little notebook.

"I think I would have wanted to meet past you. He might have helped me get a perspective on my wife leaving me for a younger upgrade, or maybe even prevent it. Well, I don't see a reason to keep you here. If you need anything I'm here every day and don't forget - don't tell her about things, at least for now. Either you will remember everything and then you'll know what to do or your past self will disappear completely eventually."

"Thanks, doc."

I get up to leave.

"Just one more thing. It would help you to trust her. I know it must feel weird somepony knowing more about you and your reactions than you but-"

He pauses for a bit and sighs.

"- don't let your fear stand in the way of possible happiness."

He sighs again.

"I need a drink."

"Bad memories?" I ask.

"Just memories," he smiles bitterly, "Memories from which I should have learned before it was too late. But that's not your problem. Have fun, young colt."

"Don't write yourself off, granddad," I grin, "If you've made a crazy, sex-addicted batpony happy for a while then I'm sure you'll find somepony again."

*Gulk*

"I think I threw up a bit in my mouth. Off you go!"

"Bye, doc."

Seeing Choking munching on a muffin in the asylum lobby, I smile and wave. As a reward, she blows me a strawberry flavored kiss. I really should just calm down and let things happen.

New/Old: ...But She's Mine!

[Blazing's Entry]

So, what now?

That's the right question because with everything on the table I actually have a choice. I think Choking is slowly grasping the idea of me being a completely different pony from the one she knew which means I have a certain degree of freedom concerning her. She's calmed down since the magic incident and acts more like a friend than some overly clingy marefriend. That means if I choose to leave her I might not be torn to bits by my own horn. It could be a start of a completely new life.

On the other hoof, said life would begin with no resources or anything. That in itself is enough of a problem but the possibility of her going crazy and tying me up in the storeroom is a bigger one. I can't really count out the threat of me just blowing up randomly because of my magic being pissed off at me. The thing is that I have no freedom like this and it feels disgusting. If I do what is being asked of me I'll be okay but just the lack of choice, even if the first option doesn't involve anything really unpleasant, is suffocating me.

I could talk to her about that, see how she reacts and how I react.

The other option is staying with her. In past days I made the house presentable, with a little help from Doomie, while Choking was at work and nothing ominous happened while I was walking through Ponyville to buy tools and supplies. As a result we now have a real living room, albeit a little shabby, a bedroom, a marginally useful kitchen (sorry, I mean summoning portal to Tartarus) and a storeroom that actually isn't full of old containers and partially broken furniture.

This place is becoming a home. Is it worth risking all that just for a bit of freedom?

The answer is yes. I can't base a relationship on a lie, at least from my side.

[End Entry]

Everypony knows this feeling, the 'we need to talk' atmosphere hanging around the living room. I didn't want Choking to feel too uncomfortable so I made the effort of preparing some more exotic fruit salad and burning through my 'allowance'. After all, I don't want to hurt her, I just want to know at least something about our situation.

The house is clean, the food is ready, the radio is humming some slightly annoying tune and I'm nervously drumming my hooves on the floor. I also got the fireplace here working although it involved using chimney sweeping tools and me almost falling down from a frozen roof. Apparently I suffer from extreme vertigo and fear of heights, you learn something new every day. I mean I know the entire building does have a heating system which I'm definitely not able to fix and I know that the only room where it's working IS the living room but the cracking of burning wood and sparks flying around just feel friendlier.

Too bad the pony I'm waiting for is running late.

For a while I ponder her sleeping with Bright again tonight, a thing I am surprisingly okay with inside, but then the clicking of keys and stomping of hooves in the hallway to get rid of snow chases the idea away.

"Heya!" a black head peeks into the living room, "Wooow!"

"Hungry?" I levitate a big bowl of assorted apples, mangos, bananas and other exotic treats up.

The bulging eyes and an audible gulp of the black batpony make my bite my lip to stop the incoming grin.

"Wait, where did ya? I mean let me put my cloak off, I mean I'm hungry, I mean..."

"It was a bit expensive considering it's winter but whatever, it was the money you gave me for my personal use so it's no big deal."

She shakes off her clothes and jumps on the mattress serving as a coach. There were tables in the storeroom, there were chairs and chests but no damn coach so I improvised and pulled a heavy wardrobe in the middle of the room, put a mattress in front of it and propped one more against it to serve as something to lean on. It looks crummy as heck but it does the job.

"If ya keep spending your money like this I'm gonna give ya the rest of them."

"Huh?"

"Uhhhhhhm. Ya sure ya wanna know?"

"Yes, I do. I sort of wanted to talk to you about something and all this is just so you don't run away," I grin angelically.

"The dinner, the setting... You're breaking up with me," she gasps, overacting.

"Well, about that..."

"Err wait. You're not kidding," she freezes.

"How would you feel if I wanted to leave you? You know, to find myself and whatnot."

She picks up a banana and begins it licking and taking it down her mouth before pulling it back up.

"Are you sure about it?"

She sucks at the banana so hard part of it rips off and goes down her throat.

"No. To be honest, I'm not. I like being here, I just don't like you acting as if we have a past together, it creeps me out a bit. I pondered leaving and trying to explore the world on my own to find out things for myself and not just get images from memories that aren't mine but I don't want to leave you here alone. Don't take it the wrong way, I don't love you. You are a liar, you are obsessed with what I'm supposed to be, you act crazy from time to time and you sleep with other ponies. The thing is that even with all that I really like you and I want to get to love you."

Now, if she whips out a rope and tries to bind me with it, the plan is to run.

...

Still no reaction outside of her scrunching her nose and watching me carefully. After a while she sighs deeply and giggles.

"You said before I was clinging to a memory that didn't exist anymore and you were right. You said I wasn't in love with you and you were right. Did you think at that point about how you, a pony with no memory of anything, could know me that well? Hardly, because you were scared to your hooves and I could easily see it. Before we managed to wake you up at the asylum I found a message from my Blaze that he would try to preserve something of himself in whoever wakes up if I decide to try and he did. He lived for me, he was obsessed with me. I know it sounds wrong but he was the type who couldn't live for himself no matter what and I wasn't able to fully appreciate that until he was gone. Well, he preserved something."

She leaves the room, leaving me to question what's going on, but returns shortly after with a small book, my journal. Then she pulls out a similar book from her saddlebag. It looks much more battered and damaged but it is the same kind of notebook.

"I read yours, I'm like that - a cheating liar, you would say. No, I'm not sorry. Yes, I would have done it again. You are somepony else but you are built on aspects that made me love Blaze. You don't have his past and I won't let you read his diary because you aren't him. He preserved in you his kindness, the ability to read others easily and his reluctance to hurt anypony other then himself at all cost. He also gave you something more important. No, I'm not going to say me. I've known him for years and he began as a nervous wreck scared of everypony around him who just wanted to be alone and drink himself to death. The thing was that he worked his way up with nothing to hope for other than my occasional company as a reward. Over the years he grew up and gave you the best of what he had. He was an idiot in that respect. He wanted to be the best he could for me but without his bad points it's me who feels really bad right now. Your reactions just made me sure of it. It's not a question of whether I love you but a question of whether you can love me. I used to consider myself an exotic and sexy piece of flank but my wings are gone, I'm slowly gaining weight because my job involves standing still, sitting or walking slowly otherwise the patients I'm wheeling would throw up and I've seen things that don't really let me smile all the time like I used to. I'm not a good catch."

She's taking it better than I expected. Perhaps I was wrong about her.

Risk it or not...

I crawl closer to the pony sitting on the other end of the mattress, reach around her and dig my hooves into her flank.

"If you're worried about your looks then you don't have to be at all," I dig a bit deeper and elicit a little gasp from her, "You're a bit softer on the outside which just makes you much more cuddleable but deeper there are muscles made of steel that won't allow you to break."

"Idiot," she bites my ear and I recieve an urgent message from my lower regions that we're ready to go to war, "I know every spot of your body too."

"Erm, I meant it. I don't really remember what you like... I just meant what I said. As for your wings," I rub the stubs lightly but push harder when I get to the point where the bone should continue if it wasn't missing, "In the right mood, wounds like these can be very sensitive."

She moans louder at the massage but pushes me away.

"Fine, fine. Stop making me blush, dummy."

Pushing her muzzle down and mine to her forehead, I make her close her eyes.

"I'm not done yet," I whisper, "If you can't smile all the time then it's just up to me to make you."

Yes, she might be weird, crippled, cheaty and everything else in the world but right now I'm sure of one thing.

She's mine.

"Liar," she mumbles.

"Wuh-wat?"

"You're making me cry, you're not supposed to."

"You're not crying," I smile and look her in her tearing up eyes, "You're laughing liquid joy."

That does it. She bursts out laughing at the sheer stupidity and wipes her eyes.

"I give up. You know what? Ask me anything and if I don't think it will put you in danger I will answer."

"Okay. What's with the house?"

"Heh, funny story. I've never been too keen on saving up so I forged your signature and bought this place with your money to take care of ya when Bright released ya from the asylum."

Noooot sure how to feel about this one.

"Do you have any idea why did Heavy Hoof make me feel really bad when he was actually pretty friendly?"

"I don't want to tell ya this one but ask him, he's your friend and ya can trust him with anything."

"Why are we hiding?"

"Again, ask Heavy. If ya do it will make sense. We're hiding from princess Luna. Correction - ya are hiding from her, I'm hiding from the guards who would probably execute me for taking care of ya.

Errrrm, that might take some time to sink in.

"Oh, one more thing. Why does you hearing your name make you sick?"

"Craaaaap. Only Sharpie knew this so don't go telling anypony and I mean ANYPONY. My mom used to be heavily into bondage and stuff and one day she got so horny she forgot to be careful and made my dad tie a rope around her neck for some breath play. Nine months later she had the dumb idea of naming me after the last thing she remembered from the night. As ya know, I swing a bit on the wilder side but hey, like mother like daughter."

...

"Yea , yea, laugh away."

"I'm-"

*Snort*

"sorry-"

*Cough*

"if I do-"

*Facehoof*

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."

"Are ya quite done?" asks Choking when I stop laughing and groaning, fake annoyance ringing in the voice.

"Got one more question."

"Nothing about the name or I'll slap ya."

"Fiiiiiine," I pout, trying to stop grinning at her indignant expression, "Will you spend the rest of my life with me?"

Her mouth keeps opening and shutting with nothing coming out for few seconds.

"I'm not sure. You've got no job, you're getting tubby and ya need a shave. Work on it and we'll talk again in few months. Or-"

She grins devilishly.

"-we can start working out and burning fat right here-"

She jumps at me and straddles my waist.

"-and now."

She yawns loudly. I look at her questioningly, she pokes her belly and rubs her nethers straddling me on mine. In the end she smiles as if recieving an answer to an unspoken question.

"You know? It would be a shame not to finish the salad. Why don't we leave this for dessert."

With the hunger of somepony finishing hauling a trainload of coal she begins chomping on the delicacies in the bowl in front of us and I join in. It feels as if all the dirt and poison from her wounds finally got cleansed and the healing can begin.

I let her lie down to my lap with another yawn, slide behind her and wrap my legs around the black body being now warmed up by the fireplace from the front and me from the back. I can't help myself and rub my hooves over her.

She's really soft in the right places.

New/Old: Gears Are Moving

The official business was over for the day and the usual influx of tradesponies and recently more and more angry nobles faded. For the only princess currently capable of serving her country the official and unofficial duties were far from over though. Luna was tired way more than when Sharp first had begun appearing. At least he'd been spending every waking hour by her side recently.

The princess knew why she was completely exhausted. Having to protect the dreams and minds of her subjects during the night and dealing with all requests concerning law changes and governing the land was taking its toll even on an alicorn. There was still time before the sundown so Luna was left sitting on the throne without the energy to even walk back to her room. She could rest for about an hour or so, then raise the moon and begin her dreamwalking. Resting her head against the padding of the throne, Luna's body softened and her breathing slowed.

"Your Highness!"

Why did everything beginning with somepony yelling at her mean bad things? Couldn't somepony just shout at her to finally get a surprise serving of cake?

You'll be able to rest as long as you want when all this is over, Luna.

"Erm, princess Luna?"

The polite coughing made her slowly leave the clouds of haze in her head. When was all this going to stop? Was this some kind of ironic punishment for cursing the damned unicorn traitor, some cruel joke of fate?

With a resigned sigh at the entire world going against her, Luna opened her eyes just to see a duo of Nightguards standing at attention.

"Yes, my little thestrals?"

"We bring bad news. A group of Nightguards was attacked about two hours ago. All of them are currently in the infirmary. Their condition is stable but will not be able to return to active duty for at least three weeks."

"That long? Who attacked them?"

"A group of drunk citizens. They were angry because the clouds over Canterlot made some of them unable to work in their greenhouses or something. To be honest, the entire thing is sort of breaking the morale of the city."

There will be weak-willed troublemakers in any crisis. The important thing is not to give in. Some crazy farmers can go plow themselves, heh.

Luna had to agree. The guards were doing their jobs and were being punished for it by the citizens they were supposed to protect. As much as Luna would love at the moment to give the attackers the taste of lawless Canterlot shrouded in darkness she couldn't just seek revenge, that wouldn't help matters in any way.

"Captain," Luna assumed royal stance, "Relay this order! From now on the Nightguard is authorized to use deadly force against any armed attackers. It is, of course, preferrable not to do that but they will not face a trial for doing so."

It was difficult to tell whether the batpony was relieved or terrified but Luna had no doubt he was loyal and would do as he was told.

"Dismissed, captain!" she ended the audience and was left alone in the throne room.

The chances of her falling asleep again were pretty slim and she had to raise the moon soon anyway. She could do it on the way to her chambers and just with a flick of her horn the sun gradually ended its rule over the day and the moon assumed its rightful position. Throughout Canterlot, street lamps flicked to life.

Luna entered her room and almost crumbled on the bed before noticing there was a letter with her sister's seal on it. She rubbed her eyes. On second glance the seal was hers. Cursing the lack of rest, she unrolled the parchment.

I write to report progress on finding the unicorn and batpony traitors. Choking Darkness is currently working in the Ponyville Mental Asylum as a receptionist and an assistant and has recently bought a house here. The ownership of the house is partially hers and partially her husband Blazing Light's.

I haven't seen anypony resembling a bronze changeling but the unicorn Choking Darkness lives with spots exactly the same color scheme and according to the guards at the castle Blazing used to present himself as a unicorn during his short stay at the castle.

Their address is: Three Seasons street 19.

P.S.: Mayor Mare will do ANYTHING for money.

P.P.S.: Still working on the Bearers. Two remain.

Luna smiled. The smile was full of satisfaction and completely empty of joy. She had no reason to punish the runaway Nightguard but her helping the traitor was putting her slowly beyond help. Tomorrow she would send her elite to capture Blazing Light. Luna didn't want him dead... right now. He had to be captured because his ability to cheat death was uncanny. Still, there would be nothing to save him once Luna could restrain him and finally end his threat to Equestria personally.

The princess glanced at the parchment again in confusion. What was the thing about the Bearers?

Princess, you are hardly standing.

"I have to stay strong for my sister," Luna dropped the letter on the table and turned to imaginary Sharp.

I have a proposition. Why don't you take a night off, just for today.

"I can't. There are things lurking in the shadows that wait for me dropping my protection from ponies."

How likely are they to be waiting day after day? Especially because you haven't missed a night since your return.

"I'm not sure I can risk it."

Sharp yawned and smiled when Luna mirrored it.

Take it like this - a night of rest will allow you to protect them further. Just one night should keep you going, right? I might help with the relaxation anyway.

"Oh?" Luna raised her eyebrows.

Well, you know. When you play with yourself it's mostly in your head... I'm in your head. You sort of liked me, him.

"You know what? One night won't hurt, right?"

Good, Luna. Now just relax and let me make you feel good.

Luna spread herself on the bed and let the imaginary stallion take his place above her.

Good... open your body and your mind for me. All this will blow over soon.

Icy Gaze relaxed. He'd been able to finish the first part of his mission and regarded he deserved a little break. Of course, it wouldn't be him if even his free time wasn't dedicated to work.

Sipping a cup of hot cocoa in some half-forgotten cafe, he flirted aimlessly with the waitress. It was pretty obvious to the slightly chubby mare that her gorgeous customer was just making smalltalk which involved a steady stream of compliments but she didn't mind. Neither did Icy when she swayed her hips just a little too visibly whenever she refilled his drink.

What might have surprised the waitress would have been the fact that Icy wasn't lying at any point. He'd had his share of mares as the status of a lance for hire, his abundance of stories from lands far away and, most importantly, his looks and fairly young age had sparked interest in ponies from all levels of society. Cheap whorses, expensive ones, barmaids used to the company of farmers and even noblemares intending on 'slumming' a little had been his companions at one point in time or other. He'd felt the muscular flesh of soldier mares and the silky coats of high society but deep in heart Icy preferred the down-to-earth mares, the ones with tight muscles from hard day's work covered with jiggly flubber from solid village food in large servings.

Yes, he might have overdone it with the 'eyes sparkling like the rarest gems on princess Celestia's crown' but in his defense it wasn't the eyes he was looking at at the time. All that was a dance between somepony looking for a pleasant scenery to watch while thinking and an another pony desperately hoping to get something she wasn't used to from local colt population.

All in all, in the end Icy didn't have to pay as much for his entire stay as he'd expected and left a generous tip. Words were a currency as much as gold was in certain situations.

Filled with energy from the overdose of sweets, Icy decided to spend the afternoon in a more productive fashion. Let's just say that he suddenly found an interest in the daily rhytm of farmyard work and wanted to see a guide without bothering him or her to be exact.

Finding the orange filly in question took some time as after about an hour of freezing his rump off in the orchard Icy realized that, no matter what, there weren't any greenhouses too far away from the Apple family barn and the apple trees were heavy only with snow. Yes, Icy didn't know apples didn't grow in winter. As somepony used to being able to buy them whenever and wherever he couldn't be sure that there wasn't some kind of snow apple, right?

His cold and wet hooves disagreed with him as he trudged through the enormous orchards trying to find his way around after getting lost and wandering randomly. He didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed when he finally found the road leading from Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres after darkness had already fallen.

Icy knew that the longer he waited the higher the chance of other Bearers finding out about the disappearance of three of them was but today he just wanted to observe and find about the schedule of Applejack in order to pick her off while alone. There had to be some helpers on the farm and the last thing Icy wanted was to have to fight some hoes armed with ponies, ehm... the other way around.

The problem was that there wasn't a good vantage point anywhere around. Actually, there were quite a few of them but all revolved around him being a grizzly bear immune to frost. Evaluating all possibilities, Icy was forced to take a risk. Muddling his hoofsteps left behind in the snow by swishing his tail, he walked towards the huge barn where presumably farm animals were being kept.

Cursing the inevitable crunching, Icy thanked whatever deity was watching out for him when he got inside without being spotted. Thinking back, all his steps hadn't been too risky as most of the solitary bearers had been averse to going outside and the same was true right now. Why would a family leave house in the middle of winter outside of the necessity of taking care of the animals.

That, of course, meant...

The barn door behind him creaked once again.

...that somepony would have to feed the animals periodically.

Jumping behind the closest bale of hay, Icy regretted not carrying his lance with him.

The hoofsteps passed his hiding place and through a hole between the stacks he saw an orange coat. Patience was a virtue in a situation like this but his target being literally few steps away from him was too good to pass up. Still, he kept listening. Timing his steps to coincide with hers and not reveal him, Icy stopped hiding and almost breathing as he approached the eartpony who was busy talking to the animals she was feeding.

"AJ, you forgot the special mix Granny Smith prepared for the pigs. You know, the one laced with special cider to keep them warm," yelled a voice from outside, causing Icy to freeze.

Unfortunately, also causing Applejack to turn around.

Lie? Attack? Run?

"Sorry to bother you, miss, but I got lost in the snow and when I saw your barn I-"

"Right," Applejack turned back to her pigs and nodded at Icy to come closer.

He didn't realize his mistake, not until her hind legs hit him in the chest with the force of a sledgehammer.

"I talked to Pinke, mister 'Canterlotian'," said AJ over Icy's groaning and coughing, "I also tried to visit Fluttershy cause Winona caught a cold. And... one might be surprised... I actually enjoy visiting Rainbow Dash from time to time to mess around."

Icy rolled aside as a stomp raised a cloud of dust where he'd been lying a split-second earlier.

"Where are my friends?" another stomp.

"Safe," Icy ignored the pain in his ribs and jumped back on all four legs. He was hoping to either enrage Applejack to make her more vulnerable or to calm her down to lie his way out of this.

"Really?" AJ hesitated.

"Yes," he took a step backwards, "It has something to do with the wanted posters. I was supposed to gather all of you to keep you safe from whatever is happening."

"And what is that?"

"I... don't know, sorry," Icy waved his front legs, a gesture that might put him in danger but also presenting he wasn't a threat.

"Do you know I'm the Element of Honesty?" AJ suddenly grinned and an another blow sent Icy flying through the air.

"Good job, Mac," Applejack waved at a red earthpony of almost Icy's height but massively bulkier than the pegasus.

"Element of Honesty my ass!" growled Icy Gaze, standing again, "You little bitch covered his closing in by talking."

"Hey, I didn't say a single lie. GET HIM, Mac!"

They were civillians, that was their mistake.

Even with what felt like a broken ribcage Icy was able to avoid the blows of the behemoth called Big Mac. The problem lay in the mare who was attempting to bind him with a rope. Backing away, Icy accidentally kicked a rake, at least accidentally at first. When he turned his head for a brief second Big Mac charged immediatelly and stopped abruptly when the rake, kicked under his hooved, slapped him straight in the face in a classic comedic fashion. The crunch and the stallion's disoriented slam into the ground was less funny though.

Jump, grab the rake, break the handle by hitting the concussed stallion right where the spine connects with the skull - all those were supposed to knock Big Mac out but even after the attack that griffons invented to kill basically anything that moves he was still alive and groaning. Icy jumped on his back with the cast iron part of the rake in his hooves.

"Now, girl," he turned to Applejack, "You're the Element of Honesty or whatever so listen carefully. I'm not supposed to hurt you or your bearer friends. I will be executed if something happens to you. In other words, I need to keep you safe. BUUUT... that doesn't, in ANY way, relate to this guy. So you can either come with me or I will jam this into his throat and then take you by force."

Icy wasn't lying. Well, he wasn't telling the complete truth but the words leaving his mouth could pass any sort of scrutiny.

"What are you gonna do with me?" asked AJ, still swinging her rope.

"Bring you to your friends, that's all."

Once again, absolute truth.

Applejack's eyes darted from Icy to Mac, then she hung her head and dropped the rope.

"Good," Icy punched Big Mac to keep him dazed a while longer, "You head her, big guy, and you heard me. Don't try to follow me or rat me out. I know where you live and I can easily change at least one part of that sentence."

Picking the rope himself, Icy ordered:

"Lie down, girl. Legs in the air."

Growling AJ did so, ready to kick at any moment in the case she had misread the pegasus but he didn't try to force himself on her or anything. In fact, AJ didn't feel anything unpleasant while he was busy tying her legs together. The only thing she could deduce was that her captor was very good with knots.

"Everything okay up there?" Icy asked after he'd hoisted her on his back, "I don't have a gag on me but don't make this more difficult than it's been already."

Creeping through the shadows, Icy left the barn with another one of his targets secured. Just one more and then the easy part of his mission would be over. With his last target actually being slightly friendly towards him, it should be easy to lure Pinkie out and capture her. After that, though, he would have to think of a way to take out an alicorn archmage who might or might not be ready for him without seriously harming her.

"Think of the money, Icy. Think of the money."

"What?" AJ heard him mumbling.

"I'm pretty sure princess Twilight is going to kill me."

Twilight opened her eyes and yawned.

Yesterday had been weird, another day spent by walking around the town and watching ponies and occasional Nightmares do whatever they did. At least that had been the case until Shieldbreaker had almost tackled her in the middle of the street and escorted her to his house.

The explanation had been short, consisting mostly of a sweating stallion shoving a piece of parchment in her face. After that, when she had asked for it, Shieldbreaker had brought her her belongings from the tavern. With him being at work, Twilight had spent another day by reading and for once it hadn't been a satisfying one.

When her mind realized that Twilight let out a relieved sigh. She was in Shieldbreaker's bed. According to the sun it was around noon. Her host was nowhere to be found and there was rustling around her bed caused by five changelings looking straight at her. Lovely.

"YAAAAH!"

The reflexive burst of magic knocked over almost all furniture in the room but, most importantly, didn't make the Nightmares even flinch.

"SHIELDBREAKER!" Twilight screamed.

The stallion in question rushed inside and looked straight at the princess.

"Is anything wrong?"

Twilight waved her hoof at the circle of changelings around her bed. When Shieldbreaker just shrugged, not understanding, she waved her hoof again.

"Erm, this? You know... five Nightmare changelings watching me sleep?"

"Oh, sorry, your Highness. Queen Guiding wants a word with you."

"I gathered that," hissed Twilight, ice seeping from every word, "My question is why somepony, an ex-guard, would allow this to happen in such a way that might make his ex-employer suffer A HEART ATTACK?"

Shieldbreaker looked as if she'd stabbed him in the chest.

"I-I'm sorry, princess, but I talked to the two guards before they, ehm, got captured and I wanted queen Guiding to help me with protecting you in case the pair was just serving as a distraction."

"You allowed the changeling WHO ATTACKED ME to send her minions and watch me in my sleep? What sort of guard are you? I'm sure all princesses can breathe easily now that you're gone from Canter-"

It would have been a good chewing-up had not at that precise point one of the changelings transformed into the familiar form of Breaky's marefriend and punched the princess with the strength of a trained boxer.

"You have insulted my queen and my coltfriend, girl," the Nightmare growled, "and I won't let you continue with that nonsense. Queen Guiding wouldn't have hurt you... seriously and if she wanted your purple hide then she could have had it the day you visited her."

"I," Twilight stopped to apply her famous trait - logic, "am sorry. Don't take me wrong, anypony would be mad at you, Shieldbreaker, because what you did showed you're loyal to more than one side but your marefriend is right. Guiding Light could have had me brought to her at any point."

The silence in the room continued.

"So," Twilight broke it first, "are these guys going to watch me the entire day or is there more to it?"

"The Queen wants to see you. We have captured the two guards snooping around and she thinks you need to hear what's going on."

"Okay. Do I have to wear a disguise or something?"

"No. We have watched the town since yesterday and there haven't been any suspicious movements or anything. You are free to move around, at least until more guards show up."

"Let's go. Well, give me ten minutes to make myself presentable. After all, we can't have a diplomatic visit marred by me smelling bad."

Everypony and everychangeling, or whatever the term would be if anypony used it, left Twilight alone.

There was one more thing bothering her. Somepony might have already reported her stay here to the authorities after seeing the wanted posters. The problem dissipated quite quickly when she didn't see a single piece of parchment posted anywhere around. Visibly escorted only by two changelings, Twilight found out that they had torn down the few posters the guards had managed to put up before getting captured.

When Twilight and her escort reached the abandoned house belonging to the Nightmares and finally arrived at the main cavern where she had fought Guiding some three days earlier Twilight got nervous again, the queen's stare was less than friendly.

"Your Highness!" a duo of relieved voices yelled.

"Oh, you two," Twilight smiled at the nervous pair. She had seen them before here and there. Yes, they were just random guards but at the moment they were also familiar faces, "What's going on?"

The guards went over the things that had happened in Canterlot and Guiding chipped in from time to time with corrections regarding the assumptions of her involvement.

"You wouldn't have called me here if you didn't have an idea about what's going on," Twilight turned to Guiding.

"If the story of these guys is true then I think we're in deep trouble. By 'we' I mean every living being in this world. Unfortunately, you won't believe me if I tell you so you have to see for yourself. I tried to warn you and Celestia during my stay in Canterlot and nopony believed me."

"TELL ME!"

"There is only one of my changelings missing in this town and that one resides still with princess Cadance. There is no way he'd be able to overpower princess Celestia anyway. The assumption I'm behind the attack is basically nonsense because I don't have that kind of power. Yet, the mark of our kind was found in every place an attack has occured and that force stems from one being, Nightmare Moon."

"That can't be right! I've seen the Nightmare banished TWICE!"

"Yeah, twice... and that seems okay to you? Think before answering!"

"She can return?"

"Of course, you can't kill a god. The only thing you can do is either purify or kill its host which is what I suppose you saw."

"So you think the Nightmare possessed somepony again."

"Not just somepony. It is easier for it to possess somepony with darkness inside already and who is in a vulnerable emotional state. Trust me, I have studied our most dangerous enemy. I think it is controlling your dear princess Luna."

"I doubt it," objected Twilight, "Princess Luna is strong and has gotten over ponies initially hating her after her return."

"Has anything made her act up? Like... you know... killing my father," the sentence ended in a hiss.

"She killed many of Sombra's servants during the invasion. Blazing Light was just one of them," Twilight raised her hooves in defense, "Yes, he was responsible for the success of the invasion, not even you can deny it. I'm toying with the idea there might have been more to it though. Still, nothing points at Luna being the host now."

Guiding's cold stare melted when Twilight continued.

"I need your help. I want to find out what's going on in Canterlot-"

"It's obvious," Guiding interrupted.

"It is not. There is no proof, only a ton of assumptions. I need to get to Canterlot without being captured on the way."

"WE CAN HELP!" the captured guards blurted out, "You can pretend to be our prisoner and nopony will bother you, your Highness."

The questioning gazes of three ponies stopped like a three pairs of floodlights aimed at Guiding's face. The queen sighed.

"I'm coming as well. If I'm right then you're going to need my knowledge of Nightmare Moon's real power. Get a good night's rest, princess. I will keep the guards here tonight. Any questions?"

"We leave in the morning?"

"Yes."

Hello, Discord.

"It's been a while," the god of chaos, currently eating a book and feeding some of Fluttershy's pets, responded to the sourceless, hissing voice.

The age of our rule is coming again. The Elements will not stop us this time.

"That sounds fun," mumbled Discord non-commitally.

The power of the Tree will be gone soon.

"Mhm."

I thought you'd be happier at having a chance to wreak unbridled chaos again.

"I would, my dear associate, but there is a promise binding me more than the Elements."

You, keeping a promise? Don't make me laugh.

"I think you remember the alicorn of Death. He might be terrible at magic but his power is deadly even to us. He is the one who isn't allowed to act while I'm not doing so as well."

I see. What if he was out of the question?

"Then, of course, there would be nothing stopping me from joining forces with you."

Discord didn't need ears to know the voice chuckled to itself before leaving. When he'd been summoned by Void it had been easy to break the bindings because Void was awful at magic, his alicorn power devouring it, but Discord was more than aware that if the alicorn wanted him dead then even the god of chaos would have had hard time resisting him in his own realm.

But, as things went, Discord now had friends in this world and what kind of friend would he be if he didn't give them a chance, right?

Summoning a mug of cider, he grinned.

"Even gods can die. The smart ones just know how to avoid it, my dear. Not pissing off the death incarnate in his house might be a good start."

New/Old: The Hunt

The throne room of the ancient pony capital city now serving as the main changeling hive was for once buzzing, literally, with action. Queen Chrysalis was sitting on her throne, listening to reports and other important information being brought by her subordinates.

"I've got it! A brothel!" some of her changelings jumped at her sudden outburst of laughter.

"Well, no... the place was actually a kitchen but close enough," said the unfortunate buggy giving the current briefing on an unimportant situation in some unimportant city.

"What are you rambling about?"

"Well, my Queen, we infiltrated the Canterlot castle-"

"You mean one of you got a job as a cook?"

"Erm... yes. But I mean your guess was good too," continued the suicidal changeling.

"As... a... cook...? Changeling...?" the queen kept trying to understand the situation. Unfortunately, the more she did the more the images of the exploding, melting, evaporating or being sucked into another dimension castle assaulted her head.

As the silence spread through the throne room the changeling began sweating which would have amazed the queen who knew that her kind was physically incapable of such feat if her mind wasn't occupied by an image of a lonely drone holding a piece of toast surrounded by burning ruins of once proud pony city.

The ultimate question arose - were alicorns immortal enough to survive a changeling cook?

"I might reconsider giving one-eighty-nine the job," the reporting ling began backing away, slowly at first but gaining speed as he got closer to the exit.

"You do that," mumbled the queen in thought, "Now, before Celestia accuses us of an assassination attempt I have a need for the best changeling for the purposes of building dwellings."

"That would be me," one of the assembled black creatures raised a hoof, "I can produce up to twenty litres of green goo at a minimal love cost."

Normally, the queen would compliment the tubby changeling almost leaking green from his pores, today's mission unfortunately required a little more finesse than just making huge globs and hollowing them out. If this was the best her hive could offer then she was considering not feeding anyone incapable of feeding himself. There was literally zero chance of any pony, dragon or any desperately horny creature visiting a giant green cocoon and maintaining their original purpose.

The queen levitated a green, gelatinous tablet mimicking paper and wrote a short message on it. In the second she was going to tell a changeling to take it a draft of air came from one of the broken ornate windows of the long hall and brought with it a grey pegasus looking at the queen and probably admiring the ancient ceiling at the same time.

"Derpy's here to take your mail, give it here and I will bail," said the pegasus energetically.

The queen could do nothing else than wordlessly levitate the tablet to the mailmare who snatched it and flew away with in in her mouth.

Reevaluating the alliance with ponies, Chrysalis thought for the first time in ages she might be toying with forces she can't understand.

Emmet Baptista Dishwasher Cross was having trouble remembering his name after his recent attempt at reigning in the power of his beloved commander. Despite him sleeping for almost three days straight he was glad for being able to move with relative ease. What was keeping him warm even as a thin layer of snow blanketed the camp was the knowledge that everyone around him was safe and that Shadowstep herself had been having trouble dealing with him. He'd lost, of course, as there was no mundane being capable of going head-on against a fed queen-type changeling but his experience and quick thinking had made the gap between them surprisingly close during the fight.

Right now he was sitting at the table next to the fire pit with hooves wrapped around a hot cup of tea. He was the only one outside but he didn't mind, someone had to stand guard no matter what.

"Morning!" a male voice greeted the dizzy batpony-changeling, leaving no doubt about its owner.

"Good morning. prince. Fancy seeing you outside this early."

"It's nice not having to comb my mane for three hours to please foreign dignitaries. On the other hoof, you look like a leftover dinner."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"That wasn't one."

"Still better than what Starlight said when I woke her up an hour ago."

Shining looked around at the snow and slight drizzle in the air.

"Damn, I wouldn't have been friendly as well if you woke me up that early."

"Well, I didn't want to cause an interspecies incident."

*THUMP*

"MAAAAAAAAAIL!" a grey passing blur yelled right after something made a small crater in the snow.

"A sturdy one, that grey pegasus is," commented Cross and picked up what looked like a green glob.

"A tired Cross, this morning is," Shining grinned.

"No teeth, the prince shall soon have."

"A copyright lawsuit befall us, it soon will."

They shared a short laugh and Cross opened the flaps of Shadowstep's tent. Well, he tried to before he got flung away by a purple spark.

"Oookay," Shining raised his eyebrows. Unfortunately him being a novice in this conversation martial art strategy meant his attempt at gaining more information failed, "I guess your commander isn't on duty at the moment."

"Why don't YOU go and find out for yourself?" Cross mumbled while examining the contents of the mail. In the end he threw it at meteoric speed into Shadowstep's tent.

"I don't want to end up looking like you."

"At my age? You'll be begging to look like me in mere fifty years."

"Pfff, my wife is an alicorn of Love. I'm gonna get turned into a talking vibrator at the blessed age of thirty-five an live forever with her."

"I wonder how long does it take for a sex toy to go insane," chuckled Cross to himself, "And how does one notice."

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were interested in some combat practice to pass time, a game if you will."

"Oooh okay? Sounds fun but I'm feeling I should be careful around you."

"Do you know Damp Prisons and Firebreathing Lizards?"

"Boy do I? I still have the character sheet for my DPnFL pegasus paladin. We used to spend ages going through the Eye of The Mind Flyer campaign in my recruit days. Damn... was Lay on Hooves really so OP in those days or am I just nostalgic?"

"Yeah, it was. They scrapped it hard in 3.5 edition."

"Yeah... they did."

The twin dreamy smiles and nostalgic sighs were interrupted by a yell from Starlight's tent.

"NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERDS!"

"Nevermind her, she doesn't understand the value of good combat practice," snorted Cross.

"Gotta stand with her on this one. As much as I enjoyed playing we didn't get much done. I think that my scrubbing the latrines for thirty hours straight after we pissed off our officer too much is the cause of my fear of chilli."

"Oh well," Cross grinned, "I happen to add my personal touch to the campaign. Wanna go through the tutorial? It's fun."

"I think I know the rulebook by heart but yeah. Show me what you've got, changeling."

Cross' grin grew increasingly sadistic when he began narrating.

"You find yourself in the dungeon of Khal'Atar. As a paladin, you were able to identify the necromantic robes of Ur'Gash cultists before they captured you. The residual energy in the crypt is enough for a pile of bones to begin forming into a skeleton pony in front of your eyes. Fortunately for you, you are strong enough to break the shackles fast enough to stand the heartless, literally, abomination eye to eye. Your action?"

"FIGHT! Got a pair of dice?"

"Not so fast. I said I added my personal touch to the... combat practice."

In a burst of green fire Cross turned into a real skeleton pony with a rusty cutlass held in his mouth. Shining's nerdboner would have been visible from the moon without any special equipment that morning.

"THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!"

"You think this is cool? Wait till we persuade Starlight to do a succubus for you."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

The 'squeee'-ing prince ran to his tent to get his weapon.

The amethyst queen, half resting and half sulking, picked up the green tablet Cross had thrown into her tent before and read it.

"Too tired for this crap," she burned away the thing in a burst of purple fire and glared at the tent flaps.

"Why are you so strong, my little sargeant? What drives you forward?"

Cross might not remember but she did. She had given him his name, she had carried him from the burning laboratory and now it was her who, if she were a true queen with a hive, would have to be scared of him. Living for centuries, the changeling queens had the experience and power to expand the first and keep the latter and not a single one of them had ever dared to let her successor grow freely. Every single one of them had clipped the wings of their heir until they were ready to leave this world. Up until now when there was one who was curious enough to let the little flame of power grow and watch it devour everything.

It might take centuries, it might be sooner but if things kept going like they had been then Cross would become the most powerful being known to this world. For now, though, Shadowstep would let him play his silly game and keep observing and nurturing him.

Only time would tell if her idea was a horrible mistake or not. At the moment she was just an unknown commander of an equally unknown group of changelings.

She closed her eyes.

She opened her eyes.

"Yes? I mean... I WILL HAVE YOU COURT MARSHALLED, CROSS, FOR WAKING UP A SUPERIOR OFFICER WHEN SHE'S TOO TIRED! Putting combat ability of the unit at risk and whatnot."

"That's the point, commander," came from outside of the tent, "Prince Shining Armor agreed to my idea of organizing a hunt on the guys supposed to watch us to gain some love and practice."

Shadowstep poked her frazzled head out of the flaps.

"Sounds pretty goo, eerm- Do not listen to the wailing of the perverted banshee, Cross! He groped me."

"I WAS HALF-ASLEEP!" exclaimed Shining.

"Likely story, perv. My rump is still sore from- YES, YES, DEVOUR OUR ENEMIES!"

"No killing, commander. Peace treaty rules. By the way, are you feeling okay?"

"Hah! I will not discern any vital secrets, body snatcher!"

"That's better, commander," Cross turned to the only still closed tent, "Starlight, get your lazy ass out here or you don't get to have your pick at who you hunt tonight."

"Not interested!"

"Three hot hunks, two earthponies, one pegasus!"

*Puff*

"Standing at attention!"

"Pop a scrying spell on that hill," he pointed in the direction of the pony encampment, "and you get the first pick."

A misty screen appeared in front of the three changelings and one unicorn and slowly gained focus, revealing four different figures chatting. Shadowstep narrowed her eyes when she saw the assassin from few days ago and in response the spell focused on the orange, blue-maned pegasus.

"Flash Sentry," Shining examined the picture, "I think Cadence sent him here to keep an eye on me. No idea why thought, that guy's dumber than a pile of bricks. A bimbo magnet, I must admit."

Shadowstep opened her mouth.

"MIIINE!" screeched Starlight.

Shadowstep closed her mouth.

"My point exactly," commented Shining and the vision focused on a pony similar to him, "Heavy Hoof. I don't know much about him aside from him being one of the weapon experts of Canterlot Royal Guard, staff I think. Sort of an all-round genius."

"I might need some weapon practice," Cross looked at the vision thoughtfully, "No offense, prince."

"None taken. Weapons aren't exactly my expertise otherwise my name would be Shining Big Bucking Sword."

The vision skipped a changeling drone working hard at preparing lunch under the oversight of Heavy Hoof and focused at the last member of the pony camp.

Shadowstep growled. She knew she was awful at magic outside of possessing a massive amount of raw power, a trait belonging to all queens, but even she could recognize a golem if she saw one. To her eyes the Blackguard was covered in dark magic signalizing an unparalelled knowledge of ancient spells resulting in his creation. That thing was dangerous.

"A foe worthy of my attention," she said sharply.

"That's one of king Sombra's creations. They obey whoever they are told to obey and I'm sure Caddy sent him here to protect me and Flash just got mixed in it somehow. There is no love to steal from him."

"Who said anything about feeding from it?" grunted Shadowstep to herself.

"That was quiet but almost... coherent?" commented Shining.

"Big stallion, lots of love to give."

"But I said-"

"Be quiet, banshee!"

"Riiiight..."

"Shall we continue, my game master?" asked Shining Armor the thoughtful batling after everyone had left the briefing.

"Later, paladin!" Cross grinned suddenly, "I have to get my blood flowing to hunt in this snow and cold."

"What's wrong?"

"Something feels off... about all this. Chrysalis' order from this morning seems stupidly pointless unless there's more then meets the eye. I just can't help myself but think that all of us will have a role to play soon," Cross ended up mumbling to himself.

"Wow. You almost sound like your commander."

"That's what worries me."

Contrary to the rest of the group, Starlight was having all the fun with none of the worry. For a mage of her caliber the memory was not enough and she needed to skim through her spellbook to prepare what would be the most useful from the more complicated spells.

"Mind control, charm, submission magic," she grinned at the impending future of the orange pegasus, "Ooooh, fertility spell, it's been a while, my old friend."

Humming a cheerful tune, she brushed her mane while reading up on the spell details.

"I might be the one feeding but there's no reason for both of us not to enjoy ourselves. Once I put you in your place, that is. Now for the outfit..."

Several chests full of clothes opened themselves. Not always there has been a chance for a changeling to change her form magically and at those times the full containers were a life-saver. Going through the assembled cloth articles she smacked her lips at the sight of something grey and shiny.

"Prince Shiiiiniiing!" she yelled outside, "A moment of your time, puh-leeeease!"

Shining's eyes crossed when he heard the whiny voice but he didn't want to be rude. He hoped Starlight had learned after last few times she didn't have a chance with him but the mare was stubborn as a mule. Fortunately, moments like these had their bright side since she did have a body to die for... multiple times over.

Shining's blood, however, had difficult time deciding its direction when he entered the tent and was greeted by sight of two white and fleshy half-moons separated only by a thin strap of cloth strained to its limit. A thought of infidelity crossed his mind, then one more and then stopped after seeing the imaginary glare of his wife. In all honesty, he doubted Cadence could use her 'there is nopony sexier than the alicorn of Love' excuse this time.

The rump moved away from his face, revealing Starlight's head rammed into one of the ornate chests.

"Oh, that was quick, my lord and conqueror," she purred.

"You mean that face-down-rump-up pose was totally not intentional?" Shining pursed his lips.

"For once, yes, a complete accident," Starlight's tail brushed on Shining's nose, "So... how do you like it?"

"It's a thong that's dangerously close to snapping and taking somepony's eye out. Combined with your... bountiful posterior I think it's a deadly weapon more than a piece of clothing."

"Hmmm," Starlight grumbled in disappointment, "I guess I might need a bit more protection tonight."

"Oh, it's for the hunt? Then yes, definitely-"

The indecent clothing slipped off and Shining found himself thanking Celestia for the jealousy of his wife as her angry face was the cold shower he so desperately needed right now. Well, more an approaching glacier bringing with it the shattered remains of the one responsible for tempting him. Shining knew he wouldn't be the target of Cadence's wrath, only an innocent collateral casualty.

"Amount of blood left in the upper body - 37%," Shining's eyes flashed blue and an error message appeared.

"Don't be such a foal, my owner and master," grinned Starlight sadistically and slid something else on her bottom.

"Error 404, blood not found."

It was clothing, in theory and when the definition was stretched more than the little string it was describing. In reality it was a solitary, hair-thin metallic wire leading from Starlight's tail lower and lower-

"Oh darling, your nose seems to be bleeding."

"T-t-that is supposed to be MORE protection?" Shining's eyes stopped glowing and with a clinking tune some intelligence returned home from a very memorable holiday.

"Of course! Basic rule of female armor - the less practical and the more revealing the armor is, the more effective it gets."

Shining remembered the good old recruit days spent playing DPnFL and the female characters some of his friends seemed to play.

"Eeh, I thought it was just because we were young, spotty and locked in the company of twenty other colts that-"

"Don't believe me? Try it out," Starlight wiggled her butt again, lowering Shining's IQ to single digits.

"Bad idea, my wife, doom of the entire world..."

"Too bad, here it comes!" Starlight's rump approached Shining's face at breakneck speed.

Shining was expecting the jiggly mounds to gently brush on his face, he was expecting Starlight to try some other method to finally make him go crazy and he was expecting to get hit by the muscles surely hidden under the soft surface, Starlight was a soldier, after all. What he WASN'T expecting was being hit by a wrecking ball made of steel and having half of his front teeth chipped almost instantly.

"Fwe feck?"

"My apologies," Starlight turned around and aimed her horn at his mouth, "Now be a good mare and take it whole."

Shining's eyes bulged when she rammed her horn into his mouth through the empty window that used to be his front teeth. Only a flash of blue and a tingly feeling followed before she pulled back and smiled at him.

"The heck?" Shining rammed his hoof into his mouth and began licking his restored chompers.

"Another demonstration?" Starlight wiggled her bottom again. ¨

This time Shining didn't hesitate and slapped it as hard as he could.

"YEOW!" he screamed and kept shaking his hoof in disbelief, "That's crazy."

"Nope, that's science," she dove into her chest again, pulled out a thin tiara and put it on her head, "Now, I've got a hammer somewhere around, can you help-"

"I BELIEVE YOU!"

Starlight blew him a kiss.

"Thank you for your valuable input, maybe some day you'll have more to put in than just your words."

Shining, seeing a chance at finally leaving, had something on his mind though.

"You know... I think the female Crystal Guard uniform might need an upgrade... to go with the times and advances in clothing... science."

"I'll be sure to model the best ideas just for you, ta-ta," Starlight waved him off.

While Shining was busy trying not to trip on his way back to the tent, Starlight grinning in delight at her next idea aimed at Flash, Shadowstep having prophetic dreams, applying night-combat makeup and changing her eyes to have infrared targeting capabilities and Cross running off to the forest to practice against some hydras, in the pony encampment things were slightly less hectic.

"Noooow you stir in some pepper and salt," guided Heavy the little changeling drone responsible for helping them survive the first few days, "It's better to add it earlier so you can improve the flavor later as you want."

"Thanks, mister," said Six, stirring the pot on the fire "I might be the first hive changeling that knows how to cook. Buut I have to do something else now. Can I just tell the food to wait till I come back?"

Heavy smiled. The innocent attitude of the little drone was keeping him warm during these winter days. He didn't know what the plan of whoever sent it here was but he had to admit that if the creature was an infiltrator it was a great one.

"I'll take care of that," he took the ladle from Six's hooves, "What's bugging, no offense, you?"

"Ooo, nice one. I got a letter earlier today, it's a mission from the queen."

"From Chrysalis personally? That's got to be quite an honor, right?"

"It is, too bad it wasn't addressed to me but I guess since it got here I might take care of it anyway. Earn some smiley stickers, you know."

"Can I help?"

"No, thanks. I'll go ask the big guys down there about detals," Six pointed at the seemingly empty changeling camp.

When the drone skittered away Heavy just kept on stirring. He didn't like the idea of a direct order from the changeling queen but since Six wasn't trying to hide anything he decided no to push it. Besides, somepony had to make the food. Blackie didn't need to eat, apparently and Flash definitely didn't deserve to but they had been both sent by princess Cadence to safeguard her husband so the least he could do was to keep them alive.

Six passed the invisible alarm barrier around the camp without any problems and reached the firepit. The strange thing was that noone tried to see who the invader was.

"Crazy lady! Sargeant! Miss magician!"

Nothing.

"Anyone?"

Trying to get inside Shadowstep's tent proved pointless as a low growl from inside gave Six the exact order of staying the heck away as a written threat would. Starlight's tent was surrounded by an impenetrable shield and Cross' tent was empty, well, devoid of him at least. Six really didn't want to offend the foreign dignitary guest in the camp so it just sat down at the table and began fiddling with the holes in its hooves.

"Can I help you? Everypony around is busy right now," a white unicorn with blue mane said cheerily.

"Prince Shining Armor?" Six's mouth opened, "I-I really don't want to bother you. I just wanted to ask the others if they knew their way around town."

"Well, my sister lives down there and I visit her from time to time. You can ask me anything."

"Well you see, I need to find a big house to buy or rent for some sort of project the queen wants to get going in Ponyville."

Shining didn't like the idea of Chrysalis' project as well, whatever it might be, and decided that keeping an eye on it might be helpful.

"The really big houses are usually rented by the town officials. You know what? I can come with you if it's not a problem and we can talk to Mayor Mare together."

"Hey, thanks!" Six giggled happily, "That would really help."

Shining put his official armor on and they headed to the Ponyville town hall.

"Not happening," Mayor Mare shook her silvery mane at the proposal.

"It's just about twenty or thirty changelings trying to buy a house and renovate it. We've got the money," pleaded Six.

"No! I don't care for what unholy purpose you want to use it but the last time changelings were in Ponyville most of us ended in green cocoons. Also-"

"Also," interrupted Shining, "The decree of princess Celestia orders you to give the changelings a chance so if there is an unused building of said specifications I see no problem in letting them rent or buy it."

The mayor gritted her teeth.

"What would the purpose of that estabilishment be? In the unlikely case I agreed to your offer."

"A brothel!" Six grinned.

"WHAT?"

"Well, we, as changelings, are pretty good at fulfilling certain fantasies so the queen decided it would be a great way to feed without having to hurt anyone and earn a bit of cash towards helping the less fortunate of our brethren."

"Here... as in: here in Ponyville? Why not Canterlot, or Manehattan? There's a lot of ponies there and many more potential clients," Mayor Mare tried to wrap her head around the idea.

"I dunno."

"Erm..."

"No idea. The queen just wants it here. Oh right, she said that a part of profits would go to Ponyville treasury if you decided to sell the house instead of renting it. You could also entertain foreign hotshots and get to know them."

"I'm sure the mayor sees this opportunity as her duty to help Ponyville grow," Shining helped, "And there might be a hefty bonus to her payroll for mediating such a great deal. That would of course increase the tourism in Ponyville as well."

"Yes yes, it indeed is my duty to help Ponyville grow and what better way to do it than by showing how tolerant we are. You guys can change into anything, right?"

"As long as it is roughly our size, yes," Six's eyes gleamed, "And we don't judge any fantasy."

"FOR TOURISM!" Mayor Mare smiled triumphantly and stamped her official seal on a deed to a small, unused mansion.

There may be some moral outrage later from some less open-minded ponies but one should always be helpful and believe in the improvement of ponykind, just like Mayor Mare did. And who knows... maybe, when the time is right, she might just invite some of her friends from Canterlot to show them the miracle of interpecies cooperation and earn some points towards next Grand Galloping Gala.

"Thanks for the help, mister Shining. This is going to be amazing," said Six.

"I'm afraid so."

"All that love to eat without having to run afterwards. Miss Mayor is really a forward-thinking pony, isn't she?"

"I'm afraid so."

"She's doing it just for herself, am I right?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Why did you help then?" Six tilted its head.

"If this failed then Chrysalis would just do someting even dumber, right?" Shining sighed.

"I'm afraid so," Six nodded.

The night fell on the Sweet Apple Acres like a tired drunk on a sewer grate. The three changelings, ready after half a day of observation and warming up, began their hunt.

Shadowstep, having no interest in the hunt itself, took it upon herself to make sure nothing irreparable happened. Starlight might be able to deal with the golem if she met him due to her ability to understand and control absurdly complex magic but the commander herself didn't consider 'might be able' a good plan. What she was sure about was that the golem was out of reach for Cross. His combat mastery and short-term tactics would mean nothing against an enemy almost impervious to damage so she just snuck into the vicinity of the pony camp, leapt up on a high branch and stood guard.

Cross followed a similar train of thought and entered the camp decided to either lure his prey out or take him down stealthily. Like every single day since coming here, Heavy was still up for the evening watch, sitting cross-legged with his back to the fire to keep his night vision intact.

Changing the softness of his hooves, Cross kept sneaking up on him from behind. There were no problems for a changeling in watching the burning fire and being temporarily blinded so he picked up the pace. He got close enough to touch the earthpony without making noise and tapped his shoulder.

Heavy turned around only to look straight into glowing, golden, catlike eyes. The feeling of impact hit him without actually taking any. Priding himself on his self-control, the earthpony didn't take long to break Cross' mental invasion but the changeling had already taken what he'd been looking for.

Cross shapeshifted. His bulky build became taller, his purple mane turned black and grew longer, only the eyes remained the same. All he had to do now was to weaken his opponent, confuse his mind with either magic or venom and then his new form would have enough love to replenish the energy lost while fighting Shadowstep.

Heavy's reaction surprised him though. The earthpony rose up calmly on his hind legs, kicked his staff up and caught it in his hooves. Cross could feel the deep sadness under the calm exterior though and realized his mistake. There would be no love to gain here. No amount of changeling magic could confuse a strong mind enough to believe the dead came back to them no matter how strong the wish might be.

He could feel all that but even if he couldn't then the expression of utter agony and helplessness in Heavy's face would be enough of a hint.

"Why?" asked the earthpony in a cracked voice, "Why him? Do you enjoy this?"

Cross took a step back... and then another two.

"YOU WORTHLESS PARASITE! WHY?!" yelled Heavy and the sudden roar was enough of a shock for him to pass the distance between him and Cross and attack.

Summoning a metal staff from thin air to imitate his opponent, Cross managed to deflect Heavy's crushing attack. Just from that single blow he knew that the amusing hunt for love now changed into a fight for his life.

Blackie, woken up by the clanking of metal on wood, rushed out of the tent only to see his temporary owner fight an unusual changeling in disguise. The illusions meant nothing to him and after a very short analysis he came to the conclusion that the chance of Heavy Hoof winning was microscopical.

"GRAAAAWR!" his roar shook the nearby trees and with a thunderclap he jumped straight at the changeling.

At that speed he would have slammed into the changeling without him having a chance to react and crushed even the love-reinforced armor without too much effort. The changeling should have ended like a red vapor in the air after being hit by the small meteor which was the Blackguard but unfortunately someone else stopped the charge.

The tendrils of darkness swirled, seeping back into him and repairing the snapped tendons and crushed bones while he kept analysing the new threat. The amethyst sparks flowing freely through the carapace of the changeling who had stopped him proved she knew offensive magic would have been useless against him and had decided to improve the capabilities of her body.

The analysis of his chances of victory... couldn't even finish as the changeling moved again and tackled him, flying both of them far away from Cross and Heavy.

Starlight had located her target without any problems and stalked him into the bushes a fair distance away from the pony camp. She'd left earlier than the others because she wanted to enjoy the little game as much as possible.

Flash Sentry was humming a cheerful tune as he opened his new edition of Princess Monthly with a centerfold of Twilight Sparkle, very generously improved by the magazine's graphic department, glowing with the power of all four alicorns. He spread the huge page, smiled and put a small lantern right next to it.

"My my, aren't you a dirty... admirer."

Flash Sentry's hoof stopped its way down and he looked at the intruder.

"P-p-p-princess?"

"For tonight, why don't you call me... goddess?" Starlight smiled like a predator whose prey came by itself and brought ketchup.

"My purple goddess, I'll do anything for you."

"Good, I have a void in me which only a good and obedient pet like you can fill."

Flash was in heaven. Twilight had obviously remembered him, heard about him being here on a dangerous mission and came to reward him for his loyalty. The added bonus was that she wasn't freaking out about the poster of her spread out on the couch with glasses on. Unfortunately, in this dream come true, the part he'd come here to wish goodnight to didn't seem to be recieving the same messages as his brain.

"Come oooooon," he wiggled his hips.

Nope, not a twitch.

"Don't you wish to please me with your whole being?" Twilight licked her lips.

Yes, yes, yes, he did... well, his entire being did with the exception of one little part, the important one.

"Errm, I usually don't have that problem around ladies."

Starlight-Twilight prowled closer to the pegasus currently furiously punching his crotch and yelling.

"Don't worry, my little dinner. I can be very... persuasive."

With a weak shimmer of her horn Flash's nostrils were filled with the rich scent of earth and summer in full swing. Even here, in the snow, it made him blush. Unfortunately, that was the only movement his blood was going for right now.

"Don't you quit on me, bro," Flash looked down desperately, "Breathe, soldier, breathe. I BEG YOU!"

As handsome as Flash was, his helpless and frustrated screams were beginning to bore Starlight so she decided to to pull out the big guns. The glow of her horn changed from a singular entity to dozens of miniature dots forming a complex pattern around it. At the sight of Flash, now begging everyone from Celestia to Discord to help him get his junk up, she decided to up the power of the spell few notches.

"JUST ONE NIGHT! I promise my soul to you, Ur'Gash, for just ONE NIGHT WITH TWILIGHT!"

Perhaps few notches might not be enough. The glow of her horn became painful to look at and the pattern began to shift and twist the reality around it. The amount of held power eventually became too much for Starlight and she released it at its intended target.

"OOOOH YEAH!" Flash roared, feeling like a new stallion, like a draft stallion, like dozens of draft stallions, like a legion set on repopulating the empty world. He looked down to see his new, amazing enhancement. What looked like a sack with two melons was pinning him to the ground no matter how hard he worked his legs to stand up. All that said, Flash junior was still on a union ordered strike.

Starlight's legs were shaking, she was sweating like an earthpony after a rodeo and she was currently seeing double. Normally she wouldn't mind seeing the target set on playing Vlad the Impaler with her multiple times but the one detail she was hoping for still wasn't there. Melons - there, stallion - there, cucumber - still missing.

"Oh for crying out loud!" she pushed Flash on his rump and with no semblance of subtlety began to examine the organ currently hiding under witness protection program sporting a new name of Jose Ramirez.

"You useless bag of flesh!" Starlight threw her hooves up and cursed the sky, "The things I was going to do with you."

"Sor-"

"The smut that even Scream's cultists would be like - WHOA, SLOW DOWN!"

"I-"

"Illegal in both Equestria and the Griffon Empire!"

"Go ooon?"

"But no, you're not a stallion! You're a hoof-stool, your face is only good for my rump to rest on after having to do one of Cross' dumb practice races!"

"Okay?" Flash's brain was slowly recieving the signals he'd been hoping for earlier.

"Licking my hooves is the only use for you, you sissy! I'll strap you into a harness and whip you so hard you'll beg me to buck you with a cactus for a change!"

"Hnnngh!" the pressure in Flash's nethers was beginning to build at the images presented by furious Twilight-Starlight.

"I'll get a few minotaurs with jackhammers and a blowtorch to show your ass the middle ages-"

"OOOOOH HERE IT COOOOMES!" Flash panted.

"Eh... wha-" was the only thing Starlight was able to say before the spray hit her with the force of a shotgun blast and covered her completely from head to hooves in rapidly hardening substance.

"Gnnnnngh..."

Flash kept making the same sound over and over while his mind kept replaying him the pictures of Twilight in a leather harness and a riding crop resting her hooves on his back. Meanwhile, the 'wax' statue of an alicorn in front of him just kept muttering angrily under her breath.

Blackie was having trouble healing his wounds. The protection of black magic coursing through his body was usually enough to keep him from actually sustaining any but against this enemy it was just enough to soften the blows and was mostly working on the deep cuts he kept recieving.

He was tough but the changeling leader was fast, agile and deadly. However, she hadn't shown any desire to finish him off while he'd been regenerating. Maybe it was the fact that she was breathing heavily as well and limping, maybe it was something else. Her combat pattern was giving Blackie the idea that the latter might be the case. Careful and ready to pounce back up, he sat down and just stared at the amethyst queen.

Shadowstep was dead tired. Between Cross few days ago and this abomination right now she was beginning to feel the lack of energy. She'd been on the defense most of the fight which was a good practice but the creeping exhaustion was slowly pushing her towards the inevitable necessity of destroying the black golem.

Then he just sat down.

If she didn't destroy him now he would eventually recover and overpower her but her main goal was just to keep him away from the pony camp temporarily. That, unfortunately, was out of her reach now.

"I must be getting old," Shadowstep mumbled to herself.

"Grawr?"

"Or maybe you're just too good."

"Grrrwrrrr..."

"Don't look at me like that. I couldn't let you just stomp Cross into the ground."

"Grrr?"

"I think the earthpony sparked an interest in him, no idea why."

"Grawrrr. Grrrr."

"IS that so?"

The Blackguard just glared at Shadowstep.

"Okay, I don't really understand you."

"Grrmrr," Blackie scowled.

"Hmmm... I think it's time we head home. We have given them enough time to play."

"Grrrrrrrrr!"

"No rush. I doubt anyone is dead or seriously hurt."

Shadowstep, while not as tall as Chrysalis, stood up and patted Blackie's head.

"Grm?"

"I'll be back for some more practice later. Stay in shape, my little nemesis."

"Grrrr-mrmfhgf?" Blackie stood there, stunned, as the queen ruffled his mane and left into the darkness.

"What the?!" Heavy watched the dark shape carry Blackie away from the camp but his instincts didn't allow him to get distracted. The filth daring to impersonate Sharp Biscuit was still there, mimicking his stance and twirling a steel staff.

The decree by princess Celestia forbade violence against changelings but ordered those trying to fit in to do so without a cutie mark and this one had on his flank the mark of two bat wings wrapped around an eye, the symbol of Sharp's ability to wrap his head around any concept and see the underlying meaning in everything. It manifested itself in the now dead batpony's overall skill with weapons and strategy. He used to be a jack of all trades, an expert in everything, master in nothing but his extensive knowledge had allowed him to combine things together and pass any challenge... any but one.

Few trades of blows between Heavy and Cross showed that the changeling was by no means 'only' an expert. Heavy, a hard-working genius of similar sort to Sharp bore a similar talent only aimed at arts, cooking and softer side of life. With the added benefit of his cutie mark of a staff broken in two being a symbol of his profficiency with that weapon and that there was no stopping him.

Still, using the same weapon, the Canterlot staff master had to admit Cross was faster, his style was more refined and his changeling love-fueled stamina felt like cheating.

Having no time to take a breath, Heavy tried to block an upswing of Cross' staff and failed when the weapon was knocked out of his hooves. The smug smile on Sharp's face was something the original batpony had never worn and it burned Heavy deeper than his loss in combat. Recklessly he punched Cross' weapon and caught his staff mid-fall just fast enough to get his ribs cracked by a wide, horizontal swing.

Cross was in a focused state. His centuries of combat experience were winning against the earthpony but a small voice at the back of his head was whispering to him. He had no time to listen though as the hurt earthpony just shrugged and continued the assault.

Few dodged blows, few blocked ones and some diverted harmlessly by his chitin and Cross managed to inflict another crushing blow on Heavy, this time to one of his front legs. The cracking noise was enough for the earthpony to groan but he twirled the staff around his body and held it ready, locked between his back and his working front leg.

But that was basically it. Cross knew the stance, knew its strong and weak points and knew that an upswing now would be completely unblockable. Heavy's skull bore the blow and he dropped to the ground. Victorious, Cross couldn't help but cringe as Heavy's chipped front leg cracked when he pulled himself back up and spat out blood. The earthpony should have been unconscious by all means but his pained scream proved he did feel the wounds, he just fought them.

"Stop," Cross winced when Heavy took another step forward, "You're going to hurt yourself."

"You have no idea," Heavy growled, "This pain is nothing compared to..."

"The bravado won't help."

"Bucking... changeling... taking what's not yours- AAARGH!" Heavy's leg broke completely.

"You should get that treated."

"Change... into ANYPONY... ANYTHING ELSE... and I might... let... you... live."

Cross' face contorted in horror as the voice in his head finally got the message through. He shivered and took a step back.

"I-you-sorr-"

"WORK, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Heavy yelled at the broken limb and then rammed his head into the ground, "useless, powerless... sack of garbage."

Every word outside of the last one was followed by a blow of his head into the ground. The last one was softened by a grey hoof.

Cross pulled the earthpony up and cradled him in his hooves. Seeing Heavy go past the breaking point sparked something in him and he felt as if he was held in a tightening vice.

He didn't know what came over him but when Heavy looked up he leaned down and kissed him. He recognized the feeling of absolute devotion and love that flowed into him when the changeling venom took effect. Carrying the earthpony into one of the tents, Cross felt full of love aimed at somepony else. He wanted to throw up, he wanted to get rid of the full feeling but most of all he wanted to talk to somepony.

He sniffed and wiped the tears from his face.

"You're quite something, Cross," said the familiar voice of Shadowstep from the darkness.

"I-I- he was so hurt..."

"Yes. You did something horrible but in his pain you have found something very valuable many never will."

"Commander?"

"A strong sense of empathy."

"...I want to go home..."

"Let's go," she hoisted Cross on her back.

Cross knew Starlight would never understand, he used to think noone could understand what he felt towards Shadowstep. Tonight he'd felt the emotion mirrored in the white earthpony and he trampled it for fun. Cross changed back into his usual disguise, resolved never to take the discarded form ever again.

He felt sick of himself.

Cards on the Table: The Best Laid Plans

Trudging through the night, Icy Gaze was beginning to hate everything in his life, starting with the earthpony on his back. Applejack's attempts at finding out things about him weren't the problem, the idea that questions on the level of newborn foals could work on him was.

"Were you-"

"NO! I wasn't hired by Luna, Celestia, Photo Finish, Blueblood or whoever Derpy is," growled Icy, "A stranger in the pub gave me a ton of bits to gather all of you in one place and find some traitor remaining in Equestria after the second invasion."

"Where do you come from?"

"What?" Icy shook his head at Applejack's sudden change of direction.

"Just curious. Where do you come from? I have never met anypony whose pay rates were 'a ton of bits'."

"I'm just a mercenary, nothing more. Ponies pay me to do their dirty work, I do it. I come from a small town in northern Equestria, Stalliongrad territory. Haven't been there for over ten years though. I doubt anypony even remembers me."

"You don't seem bothered by it."

"I'm not. I hated living where everypony knew everypony so I ran away with a caravan when I was sixteen. Luckily for them, I was pretty used to hard work and managed to fend for myself when bandits attacked it. After we killed them I took my fair share of bits and some of their weapons to find my niche. After we arrived at Stalliongrad the caravan leader put a good word for me and I was set for my next job. Working as a caravan guard led to mercenary soon after. Truth be told, all that changed was me getting more varied contracts."

"Whoa. That's mighty early in life to go down the bloody path. When I was younger I got my cutie mark by-"

"I, in all honesty, don't care," Icy cut her off, "You're just one of many targets I've had over the years."

"Element of Honesty, remember?" chuckled AJ.

"Fine, you are one of the more interesting targets."

"Come on, work with me here. What about your cutie mark? I suppose a golden chestplate would mean your destiny in Royal Guard. You know, protecting the weak and such."

"Heroes go hungry, girl," Icy's tone changed from uninterested to downright chilling, "and poor ponies can't pay. For me the damn tattoo on my backside means only that I'm hard to get rid of."

"So... no guard tradition in the family or anything?"

"Chat's over. We're close to the library and I can't waste my breath talking if I have to carry your fat rump."

"Element of-"

"Shut up!"

"Heh heh..."

The door to the library opened, revealing a dimly lit hall with a chair in the middle of it. Icy knew he'd turned all lamps off and a chill ran up his spine. Still, nothing felt out of place aside from the gloomy lighting. As with every one of his victims, Icy brought Applejack down to the cellar. The heartfelt greetings of other Bearers towards Applejack sort of warmed him up. He knew all of them were Element bearers but he hadn't expected them to be such a tight group of friends.

"I'll go make something to eat," Icy just mumbled, feeling like an ignored maid.

The second the door lock clicked, the pegasus heard a quiet scraping noise. He knew the noise. It was the sound of steel passing by a soft surface. No matter what explanation might have occured otherwise, steel was bad news in every possible case. Turning around, he saw a familar pink earthpony. Icy realized this was the first time she wasn't smiling.

"Oh hey, miss Pie-"

"What do you really want with my friends, mister Canterlotian?"

"I have to keep them safe."

"I SAW RARITY'S BRUISED FACE, LIAR!"

"That doesn't matter since you're here. Thank you for not releasing them by the way-"

"I didn't want them to see this," Pinkie's poofy mane went flat and she smiled again. The smile was something Icy would remember for the rest of his life and at the moment he wasn't sure how long that would be.

Icy had never felt this shaky when facing a unarmed civillian before. His experience prevailed though and he jumped forward to tackle the pink mare. His mistake became apparent the second she scored a deep slash over his chest with suddenly appearing kitchen knife. Icy screamed. Coupled with the pain of chipped ribs from fighting Big Mac the burning in his body was making his vision blur.

Pinkie disappeared. A pink hoof grazed Icy's vision and he jumped backwards just to avoid his throat being cut. Punching behind him, he lost balance as he failed to hit anypony. Icy screamed again as fire spread through his chest for the second time. This time he didn't bother aiming and just spun around, hitting Pinkie's face with full force.

She just shrugged the blow off and, still bearing the maniacal smile, bit the side of his neck.

She didn't hit an artery...

She's not normal...

This isn't a capture anymore...

Screw the money, the employer won't reach me in the Griffon Empire...

All that ran through Icy's head when he abandoned his mission, clutched the knife still in his chest and stabbed upwards at charging Pinkie. He didn't miss.

The earthpony fell to the ground, leaving just a groaning and wincing pegasus. The knife had gone through the heart but Icy was watching the body rise up and lunge at him. His reaction wasn't a planned counterattack. He just screamed like a little filly and the left hook connected with his assailant's head.

Whimpering and clutching his head, Icy fell down on his rump as his legs failed him. The pony in front of him pulled out the knife from her chest and growled.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Icy broke down but couldn't move a muscle.

He didn't have to. Pinkie's flat mane poofed up again, her coat seemed once again a lighter shade of pink and the wound on her chest closed.

Trailing blood all over the library, Icy grabbed a length rope, bound the slowly awakening earthpony and threw her down the stairs to the cellar.

"Rude!" called a cheery voice at him when he turned away.

"Nonononononono!"

Icy slammed the door when he saw completely free Pinkie looking at him from the cellar. With shaky hooves he locked the door just in time to-

*Knock knock knock*

Icy felt the soft vibrations through the key in his hooves.

He slumped down on the floor and cried in the growing pool of his blood.

His mission was almost over. He could wait with writing a report. For now he just prayed to anypony listening for divine protection.

The sun rose on the horizon and princess Luna, still hazy from a night full of rest, stopped the flow of magic. It had been years since her last genuine rest and it might take her body a while to adjust. Still, she felt stronger than ever before and ready to tackle the world.

There was a letter lying on her desk. Had the mercenary finally pinpointed the traitor with some accuracy? The previous reports had made her send Nightguards to monitor the situation in Ponyville but they hadn't sent any confirmation yet.

I don't know what you're trying to pull off but one of the Bearers COULDN'T BE HURT! No matter what I did she just kept going and going and going...

Whatever. All of them aside from princess Twilight are currently being held in the Ponyville library and you should send somepony to retrieve them before the princess returns. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold the monsters here.

If you don't send anypony within three days I'm leaving and you can keep your money. You can also clean up the mess yourself when the alicorn of Magic finds out somepony tried to capture her friends.

P.S.: The traitor is still observing his routine.

Luna dropped the scroll, her brows furrowed.

Little head not working as intended?

The amused chuckle behind her made her legs wobble. The experience from yesterday when somepony-

Took you both physically and mentally, girl? I thought you should be reminded of the feeling.

"Sharp?"

Your little guard? You were really eating all that stuff up right until the end.

"Whaa?" Luna shook her head. It was getting harder to think straight.

I thought you would remember your roommate. Well, I've been waiting for this a while but you made it toooooo easy.

"..."

You still don't know? My my, I must have screwed you really hard last night. Perhaps I should have eased up on the tentacles.

"I don't remember," Luna's body shivered as something carressed her entire mind, "Mhmmmmmmm."

Think of it as a dream... or possibly a nightmare.

Luna's mind cleared only to witness the frozen wastes of the moon again around her.

"YOU!" she screamed and burned away the black mist swirling around her.

Heh... and here I though I should be more pleasant to my favourite toy.

The mist returned, surrounding Luna's face and a pair of cyan eyes with slit irises opened right in front of hers.

"How?"

Luna's magic saved her once again, teleporting her from the grip of black shadows.

Remember the poor unicorn you killed in cold blood? Sentencing an innocent being to death in the worst, most torturous, way imaginable... All that bile, spite and desire for revenge was too delicious to pass up. It almost makes me smile that you were completely wrong the entire time.

"HE KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" Luna couldn't control herself as the memory of Sharp Biscuit being impaled by flying weapons surfaced.

Goooood... you remember. Feel that rage flow through you, right on the surface and know, deep down, that all this is your fault.

"No. NO. NO!"

Oh yes. Your sister will die in front of you. Your petty alicorn friends will wither from the inside as their heads turn against them. All your subjects will prefer to end their lives by themselves when their warm beds fail to protect them from monsters in the dark and YOU will watch.

Luna's magic failed and the semi-real shadowy tendrils at last entered her body.

Sweet nightmares.

The new form solidifed and from a cloud of black mist a new alicorn stepped out. The tall, black form of a graceful mare took her first step into the world yet again. With bluish steel helmet and a breastplate still allowing her ethereal mane of the same color pass, Nightmare Moon was back and she had some unfinished business.

"Hmmm, let's take care of the pesky Elements first," her horn glowed with power unimaginable and...

... the magic stopped.

I am not as desperate and half-insane from loneliness like last time, demon, and I will not let you touch my friends.

Nightmare Moon just scratched her head and grinned. Luna was much more amusing than expected.

"For now, girl, for now. Still, you don't control this body anymore and I have other ways of making problems disappear."

Feeling Luna struggle inside her, Nightmare Moon picked up a quill and began writing a letter, careful to make Luna see every word.

Your service to the crown is admirable, mister Icy Gaze.

You might be wondering how I know your name... don't. My power spans the entire world but you are on my good side so I will change your mission objectives yet again.

Kill the captive Bearers immediately and you will not have to deal with Twilight Sparkle. Your reward will arrive as soon as you're done. Trust me, I will know.

If, by any chance, you still harbor desire to leave Equestria... let's just say that I reward my allies as much as I punish those who betray me.

I can find you anywhere.

"See, Luna? Keep trying though, your fruitless efforts are worth watching."

The lunar seal on the letter changed into a bright sun and the rolled-up parchment disappeared.

"But where are my manners, princess... I promised I'd break an alicorn for you and I know just who to begin with."

You. Will. Not. Touch. My. Sister.

"Your sister? I will leave her for last. There is this little troublemaker called Void I have to take care of first."

What? Void? Why?

"You might be temporarily stopping me from killing the Bearers, the stupid mercenary might run away but there's always the Tree of Harmony and I just need Discord to help me break it. Unfortunately, the annoying pest somehow bound my fellow god not to act. See, Luna? If just one little thing goes my way then I win. If I just wait for you to weaken then I also win. Keep struggling, Luna... it feels soooo good."

The charging of magic wasn't stopped this time and Nightmare Moon disappeared from Luna's room.

The place in question was a fortress when its owner didn't want to be disturbed but the power of a deity was enough to break through the defenses and the possessed alicorn appeared between piles of skulls spread over the floor of a large cavern.

Contrary to the gravity of the situation, the golden alicorn lounging on one of the piles just yawned.

"Have you done something with your mane, Luna?" Scream snickered, "It looks like shit."

"How droll," Nightmare Moon parodied Scream's tone, "I'm surprised the two brain cells not devoted to controlling your crotch were able to come up with it."

The golden alicorn chuckled and stood up to her full height which was still slightly overshadowed by Nightmare Moon's. Still, from the cracking of her wings and the swaying of her platinum mane it was obvious that the most experienced magic user in the world had her secrets.

"Oooh, I'm shaking already," Nightmare Moon watched the show, "What sort of alicorn doesn't have magical mane? You must be the black sheep of the family."

"You have no idea," whispered Scream.

Scream's horn cast shadows over the cavern, devouring any possible illumination and leaving only the golden star in the middle of complete darkness. The black pattern on Scream's coat became a river of ink separating shining armor plates and the white mane now resembled spider silk spreading into the darkness. What was now standing in front of Nightmare Moon resembled a golden changeling queen rather than an alicorn.

The display of power didn't impress the Nightmare.

"Touching," she rolled her eyes and the black mist signalling the use of her power launched tentacles straight at Scream, "Too bad you have no sense of design-THE BUCK WAS THAT?!"

The last words came from a charred heap resembling half princess Luna and half Nightmare Moon.

The Nightmare had to shift gears now. Being hit by a set of purple beams suddenly appearing around Scream, focusing into one spot and burning the deity's face had in one hit almost made her release control of Luna.

Black mist clouded the spot and began evaporating again under the onslaught of Scream's magic. This time the beams didn't penetrate the protection and Nightmare Moon stood up reformed, shielding her face with one wing. Underestimating the alicorn of Lust had almost been a fatal mistake. There still was a gap in power though, an exploitable one.

Hundreds of Nightmare's tentacles started forming and kept stabbing straight at Scream who suddenly had to shift from focusing her power on one spot to protecting herself from numerous threats. Here, in the heart of Scream's power, she would be strong enough to go even if the duel was a contest of force but one mind eventually wasn't able to guard the golden alicorn from constant attacks from all sides.

In the end, Scream ended up with all her limbs spread and bound by dark tendrils.

"And I thought Luna was strong," one tendril wrapped itself around Scream's horn, "but this... this I can use."

A golden spark was released, accompanied by Scream's groan and travelled through the darkness as if it was some kind of tube.

"So much power. You could have ruled these weaklings. Too bad it's too la-"

The spark exploded, yellow light evaporating all shadows and leaving just struggling Luna with smoke once again boiling around her.

"You want to drain my power?" Scream coughed, sweat dripping from her, "Doesn't matter where it is, it still is mine."

Despite Luna's resistance, Nightmare Moon reformed again.

"I tried to be nice, to make a servant out of you to lure Void out but I guess you'll just have to live up to your name!"

The tentacles were more solid this time and Scream wasn't able to pierce through them before they shattered the joints in her legs.

"Where is Void?" growled Nightmare Moon at the bleeding alicorn.

"Look up your buttcrack, bitch."

"Could have been better," the Nightmare said coldly and rammed more of the half-real tentacles inside Scream's head.

The mist passed through Scream, harmless at least to the body. Nightmare Moon could still feel the pain from Scream's onslaught and just ripped the desired memories from Scream's brain, not caring about the damage. Seeing Luna's previous visit to this place, she realized how Void knew about Discord's possible involvement. Finally the tentacles retreated and the Nightmare disappeared.

Scream twitched. Scream grinned.

She had hoped this sitation would never happen but she was also a realist, or a very cautious pessimist, and knew she would very probably lose. She had expected to die though and the development allowed her to pass on one more warning. With a weak glow of her horn she focused on one particular memory, the memory of a bronze changeling responsible for Luna's fall.

Celestia might protect ponies with all her might. Celestia might despise Scream but in the end both of them were set on protecting their subjects, no matter their different species. With the glow of Scream's horn fading, she sent the memory to the leader of her most beloved species.

"I hope Chryssie isn't taking a bath - glorb... globt?"

The final coherent thought faded and the drooling alicorn just sat there, staring blankly at nothing.

Nightmare Moon had to return to Canterlot to recuperate. The archmage had hurt her more than she had expected anypony to but in the end she still had the necessary information.

"Hey, Luna," Nightmare Moon snickered, "Aren't you going to thank me for ruining Scream? You've never been a fan of her."

Heh. Seems to me you underestimated her. Somepony will stop you even if I can't.

"There is nopony left, dear Luna. The most powerful magic user is a mindless blob of flesh now. Your Nightguards are under my control thanks to our little nighttime adventure. Your sister is out of the way and Cadance can't leave the Crystal Empire otherwise she would lose the power provided by Crystal Heart without which she is just a low-tier unicorn. The Elements are still present but unable to act and when my servant kills the Bearers it will be over."

There are other alicorns.

"The truly powerful ones are gone. Only Void remains and he is already hiding from me. Easy prey."

The darkness enveloping Nightmare Moon turned from smoke to almost solid entity, signalling to the god its powers were returning after being decimated by Scream. Recovering fully would take time or sacrifices and neither was currently an option. Time was against Nightmare Moon as with every passing moment Void might find out about her intrusion to Scream's dimension and disappear again. On top of that, Luna was still proving an effective obstruction in forcing her body to devour mortals to regain strength.

Nevertheless, the situation was still a stuggle between mortals and a deity. As long as Nightmare Moon was able to avoid the direct use of power of the Elements she should be fine. Keeping that in mind, she recalled the path to the underworld ripped out of Scream's head and lit her horn up once again.

This place was different. Whereas the entrance to Scream's realm was on the top of a mountain, metaphorically, with crisp air filling the lungs of any visitor the feeling here was one of lingering dryness. The desert spread in all directions and the 'sand' under Nightmare Moon's hooves was less little rocks and more just ash devoid of all life.

All in all, even with the area sapping Nightmare's power she felt here at home as it reminded her prison on the moon. Cursing the Elements for forcing her into the barren place, she entered the obsidian temple in front of her.

A pair of yellow eyes watched her every step through the black structure from the throne in the middle of it.

"I am sorry for your loss, Luna," the blackfire alicorn stepped down from the throne and bowed deeply before Nightmare Moon.

"I'll be sure to relay her the message once you're lying broken in front of-"

The impact raised clouds of ash around the temple and with a screech the Nightmare was forcefully turned back into a cloud of shadows, clearly separated from Luna.

"I was not talking to you," said Void calmly.

Thank you.

Luna's thought was audible as if she had said it.

"I am still mad at you though. You have caused my friend and his marefriend a lot of trouble. I wish you had not acted so recklessly."

I lost the only pony who has cared for me since my return. I would do it again. I WILL do it again and I will make sure-

"-he slowly melts in acid," Luna's voice merged together with Nightmare Moon's.

Void just shook his head.

"So young, so stubborn. You, of all ponies, should know the value of forgiveness, Luna."

"Enough with the fake sympathy," the shadows enveloped Luna again and Nightmare Moon stood there, staring coldly at Void, "Three alicorns down, time to deal with you."

"Three?" Void raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my my. I would have though Scream's, heh, screaming would reach even this place."

Making one's opponent reckless with rage was a strategy the Nightmare had to resort to after taking Void's first blow. With all magical protection stripped from Scream's dimension, it was easy to transmit an image of a slumped golden heap, blood caking Scream's legs.

Void closed his eyes and bit his lips.

"You know why I could not have saved you, right? You understand. It might take centuries for you to recover but I will be the first thing you see when you open your eyes again. Just like you waited for me."

Black tentacles aimed at him burned away in purple flames when they got too close. Nightmare Moon just grinned and went for the same attack from all sides that had penetrated Scream's defense. A shrill yell pierced the air as everything around Void began burning and the power of true death spread through the tentacles back to their source.

"I'll show you the meaning of fear!" roared Nightmare Moon and her tentacles turned to blades slashing at the other alicorn.

"Fear? There is no fear here in the final sanctuary. There is only peace. Celestia and Luna might protect the living but I protect the dead from horrors like you."

The black tentacles shattered when they hit blue see-through ponies in full armor suddenly appearing everywhere around Void.

"What is this magic? Nothing in Luna's head said you were able to use magic!"

"I cannot, at least not too much, but in the same way I protect my subjects they willingly protect me," Void pointed at Nightmare Moon, "Puny god... look upon the true face of death and know that your end comes soon."

The spectral cavalry charged and broke when struck by thick, dark tendrils of power. More and more came, eventually sucked into black holes, choked by smoke and ripped into pieces by the tentacles. All that was just to occupy the deity while Void gathered his power. True death was the end of all things, the inevitability unavoidable by anything, and the second blast hit Nightmare Moon and obliterated the ghosts around her.

In complete panic, the deity disappeared using the last remains of its power.

Void knew he couldn't follow her. It was possible to use his power to its full extent here but doing so in the real world would wipe out all life in a huge part of Equestria. The deity would probably be stronger than him anyway there and following it might make Discord dishonor his promise. Weakening the Nightmare had been the best thing he could have done and there was something more important on his mind.

The world could go fornicate itself, there was an alicorn who needed his help.

The halls of Canterlot castle were empty.

"It seems that nopony likes being in Canterlot under Luna's rule," chuckled Guiding Light.

"Oh shush! We'll be in the infirmary wing soon and princess Celestia will know what to do," said Twilight and the two guards accompanying them hummed in agreement.

"Let's hope she's still alive then."

The four of them kept creeping through the castle but even after a grueling and expensive express trip from Pine Hills back home they were brimming with nervous energy and twitched whenever they heard anything behind a closed door. The sterile smell of the halls around them proved they were getting closer to their destination.

A clink of metal from behind a corner made all of them stop breathing. Guiding Light, the one most used to sneaking, peeked into the hall.

One of the doors was being guarded by two Nightguards. Guiding put a hoof to her lips and focused. Minutes passed without anything happening but eventually the sound of metal hitting the floor rang through the empty halls. Guiding Light, sweating, nodded to her companions and when they cleared the corner they saw the two guards lying on the floor and snoring.

The room wasn't locked and Twilight, followed by the others, opened the door without a problem and closed it behind them. Lying on the hospital bed was princess Celestia.

"Princess?" Twilight shook the patient, "Princess!"

"Wait," whispered Guiding and focused once again. Delving into the minds of ponies was a changeling specialty and Guiding's kind was well versed in all kinds of forced sleep whether through magical or chemical means.

A little blue spark jumped from Guiding's horn to Celestia's and the princess took a sharp breath.

"Princess Celestia!" exclaimed Twilight, even her hushed tones unable to hide the joy from seeing her mentor.

"Twilight," Celestia smiled and looked around, "Oh?"

Guiding Light bowed slightly and the two guards almost kissed the floor.

"What happened to you, princess?" asked Twilight.

"I'm not sure. Somepony hit me with a fear spell while I was flying around the castle and then I woke up here."

"The guards are spreading posters saying I did it!"

"Well, did you?"

A kicked puppy wouldn't even begin to understand how Twilight made that face.

"Just teasing you, Twilight," continued Celestia, "Come here."

Princess Celestia wrapped her hooves around her student.

"I was so scared..." Twilight shivered in the embrace.

"I'm all right. I can't move much but I'll be fine in few days."

The door slammed open and a trio of Nightguards barged in.

"She's here. Get her!"

There wasn't enough space for more of them to move inside comfortably but Twilight heard many sets of hoofsteps outside of the room.

"Lower your weapons!" ordered Celestia.

The unicorn by Twilight's side looked at his chest with wide eyes before dropping to the floor, spear impaled deep inside him.

"LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!" Celestia ordered regally again.

Fortunately, Guiding Light's changeling armor diverted the blow aimed at the only friendly batpony in the room.

"They have no free will just like we did, 'princess' Twilight! We need to get out."

Golden light spread from Celestia's horn and everypony hostile froze.

"Listen to me, Twilight," Celestia groaned under the strain of the spell, "I won't be able to hold them for long. You have to run-"

"But-"

"No buts! If whoever is behind this wanted me dead then I would have been already. I'm happy you visited me here and I can't go with you but you won't achieve anything by staying here."

"But-"

"Twilight! The last thing I want to live through is losing another one of my students due to my failure. GO!"

Gritting her teeth, Twilight opened a window, spread her wings and without another comment jumped out of it. Guiding Light and the only loyal Nightguard followed her a second after.

The trio didn't want to traverse the night sky as the hostile Nightguards would have no problem spotting them and they landed at the castle entrance. The golden light faded when their hooves touched the ground. Princess Celestia had closed the window of her room prior to stopping the spell and the lights were beginning to bloom throughout the castle as more and more ponies woke up to the thundering of Nightguards looking for Twilight.

The runaways weren't alone.

The stones of the path leading from castle to Canterlot itself cracked when shadows shifted and an armored alicorn stepped out of them. The armor was one Twilight hoped never to see again. She though she would never see it again. All that was necessary for Twilight to quietly whimper was the glimpse of blue steel chestplate and helmet glistening in the moonlight.

The armored form took a step forward and, shadows melting, revealed the face of princess Luna.

"Twilight Sparkle..." she said coldly.

"Princess Luna. What's going on with your guards? Why did they try to kill me?"

"You are hereby arrested for attacking my sister. Surrender peacefully and I will ensure you a fair trial!"

"I didn't do anything! I wasn't even in Canterlot at the time," yelled Twilight desperately.

"Enough of the charade, Nightmare Moon," growled Guiding.

Shadows swirled around Luna and she grew, turning her angry face into an amused one Twilight had seen four years ago.

"What are you?" Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes at Guiding.

"Run," hissed Guiding sideways at Twilight.

"I won't!" the glow of Twilight's horn made shadows dance and a barrage of bolts of force hit the unmoving Nightmare Moon.

Every impact made a small crater in the black veil suddenly protecting the enemy and she staggered back, gritting her sharp teeth.

"I WILL destroy you here!" Twilight sent out another barrage, forcing Nightmare Moon to back away more.

A spear scored a shallow scratch on Twilight's side and she noticed the black shadows circling above them. Those weren't some unreal signs of the Nightmare's power but real Nightguards armed to the teeth.

The problem was that Twilight definitely didn't have the stamina to run away from a trained guard.

"Teleport away to some safe place and think of a way to solve this," said Guiding, watching the swaying Nightmare Moon. It didn't make sense to her why they were still alive when faced with a god but she was happy anyway.

"My library! I can't teleport all of us that far while under attack though."

Guiding sighed and in a shower of green sparks turned into a normal Nightmare changeling.

"Good thing you don't have to, right?" she grinned nervously.

"What's going on?" Twilight let out a burst of energy concussing the Nightguards behind her while the only friendly one took flight straight into the middle of the ones approaching from the sky.

"I'm the firstborn's body double. My transformation is her and I'm here to make sure her suspicions were correct."

"How could she just send you to your death? She knew Nightmare Moon was behind this."

"She didn't know. All she had were suspicions and guesses, you yourself said it, and I think you got one thing wrong, princess."

"What?" Twilight shielded the friendly Nightguard from the first attackers.

"She didn't send me here, I volunteered. A good leader doesn't have to ask her subjects to sacrifice for her, they will do it by themselves. Guiding Light got us out of the devoured world. Without her we would have died there and this is the least I can do for her. Now stop wasting your magic on the guard and GET OUT OF HERE!"

Fake Guiding pounced at the first Nightguard that touched the ground and tore his throat out. The hostile ones were slower than normal guards, moving with the inevitability of a sleepwalker, and the difference was helping in the fight above them.

Twilight focused her power. She didn't want to be just somepony to protect. She wanted to help and end things here. She knew that was impossible. Her attacks had worked against Nightmare Moon but the guards were too much.

There was still hope then. If she was capable of hurting Nightmare Moon for whatever reason then with enough preparation she might be able to fight her head on...

...if she left two friends to whatever fate awaited them here.

Her concentration on the spell almost failed when she saw the Nightguard finally falter and get torn to pieces by his brethren. Her courage disappeared when she saw fake Guiding impaled by Nightare Moon's tentacles.

No plan.

No though.

She just didn't want to die.

The spell was finished.

Cards on the Table: Quite the Impression

"Hi, Chokin-hnng-key," I greet my questionably better half returning from another day of protecting weak patients from all dangers of the world such as shadows, plants or windows.

"I'm deciding to find that considerably adorable," she flashes a smile at my stutter.

There is something I remember from when I found her crying in the chest and that was her preferred pet name. She doesn't let it show but I know it means a lot to her.

So, I got this idea today. Let's see if it works.

"Wanna eat out tonight?" I ask at the undressing batpony.

"Ya dirty colt," she winks, "But if both of us eat out, who's gonna be the second mare?-"

She playfully slaps me.

"-Oh ya meant Doomie, the batpony I think of as my little sister? Is it some smutty family action you want?-"

Um, what's going on?

"-Should I give her a makeover to look like me. Do I look like I'd enjoy some perverted fantasy about bat twins taking care of your every need?-"

Help, somepony help.

"-Close your mouth or something will fly in."

"I-I-I j-just wanted to take you out... for dinner?" I say weakly.

"I know," she snorts, "but watching ya foam at the mouth was way too much fun. Let me put something nicer on and let's go."

Forget happy twenty years of married life, I'll murder her right here and now and spare myself the hassle.

She's going to wear something but I don't have anything aside from the sweater she bought. She has to know that, right?

Nervous, nervous.

Rushing upstairs to get dressed and grab some money, I estimate the amount of bits in my bag and hope it's going to be enough. Running my hooves through my mane to straighten the tangled mess a bit, I almost fall down the stairs when I see her waiting by the door.

Okay, she isn't wearing a dress as well but her mane is combed in a way to let two strands of red fall down the sides of her face with the rest neatly tucked behind her ears and allow a red river to flow down her midnight black neck.

I keep staring, completely ignoring the rest of fancy improvements she made to her visage.

"Is that hungry look aimed at me or the incoming dinner?" she stifles a giggle.

"Sooo pretty..." I keep staring at her like a moth drawn to a flame.

She put on her Nightguard horseshoes which by themselves wouldn't be anything interesting but the gilded surface compliments her tail braided into two interlocking strands well. She turns around and I almost swallow my tongue. The little binding at the base of her tail and the braids that make it very thin offer her almost no protection from prying eyes like mine focused at her backside.

"H-how did you do all that so quickly?" I can't even think of a good compliment, nothing I could say would do the simplicity, sexiness and hidden class justice.

"Plenty of experience, Blaze," she winks.

I feel reeeeeeally grubby compared to her but I can't let it show, this is her evening.

I have to gather all my courage when the door slams shut behind us. This is my first date after all. I can't even imagine how I would feel if it was with somepony who wasn't in love with me already, at least a bit. I guess I should just push my advantage.

Okay then, I don't exactly have this thing planned out but I've found out from the Cakes that there's a nice restaurant not far from here that isn't super high-class but is clean and has a good reputation. All in all it is a place where a normal pony would take his partner to feel a little bit pampered without the hassle of microscopic portions of food and obnoxious waiters connected with true high-society estabilishments.

The greeting pony hiccups a bit when he notices the unusual details about Choking but gathers his wits remarkably fast and bows slightly.

"Welcome to the White Castle, sir, madam."

"Hello, erm, we have a reservation under the name Shady," I almost shiver at his official stare.

"Ah yes," he waves at one of the waiters, shows him the name and table number and nods at us, "Follow him to your table."

"Thanks."

"Have a nice evening."

"Shady?" Choking pokes me as we follow the waiter through the full but not crowded hall lit by chandeliers dimmed enough to ensure privacy to everypony sitting at the tables.

"Well, you know... Light... Darkness..."

Why does it sound so much worse when I have to say it?

"Ya know that I could jab at ya for this the eeeentire evening, right?"

"Well, at least I'll be entertaining. They say mares love a guy who can make them smile," I grin, very probably like a complete idiot.

She just smiles inwardly.

"What's wrong?" I ask at the reaction.

"Nothing," she shakes her head, "Feeling confident then?"

"As long as they don't ask me to cook what we order then I think the evening should be fine. Besides, I have the advantage of not having to try too hard to make you come with me on a second date unlike most of the others here."

She looks around and scowls.

"Sorry... am I making you feel as if I take you for granted?"

Her look when she snaps from whatever trance she was in proves that what's bothering her isn't anything I said.

"No no no it's just," she looks at me thoughtfully, "nothing, nevermind."

I look around but I can't see much thanks to the ingenious lighting.

She sort of managed to kill the light-hearted mood but I'm not complaining, I'm still here with her.

"I'll just have to take your mind off things," I nuzzle her neck.

Okay, I don't know why or how but while I can't see or hear anything wrong I can definitely feel the atmosphere turning unfriendly. It weakens when we sit down at our table and the waiter gives us the menu... menus... menii?

Menus.

I can almost feel the growl inside me shake my bones. Still, I don't feel the animosity being aimed at me but somewhere else.

"Blaze, you okay?" a menu gently pokes my head.

"Wha?"

"You've been looking around for past minute. Are ya ready to order?"

"Eh no, give me a second."

I look around one last time and something brown obscures my vision. Choking pushes the side of my head with her menu to look at her and then down at mine.

"We don't have to eat here if ya don't feel right."

What? Nonononono.

"Ice salad!" I blurt out, "White wine. Eleven-vegetable soup. Sweet beans?"

"Sounds great. White wine?"

"Can't drink too much red and then black out on you."

"Ooo, red and black. Another pun?"

Uh, what?

"Mhm, totally."

"You're a bad liar."

"I hope so. Don't wanna lie to you anyway and if I ever slip I'll make sure you know."

"D'awwww. Stop making me weak at the knees, or better yet - leave it for later."

The waiter comes back with a little pad and a quill.

"What'll it be?"

The orders sort of make me cringe as Choking apparently has a very strange taste concerning combining fruit and vegetables... and pastry. Whatever, as long as it makes her happy I shouldn't care.

"I should amuse you somehow while we wait, right?" I ask after the waiter leaves.

"Not really, my experience, and I have a ton of that, taught me that only little girls who have no idea what they want ask for that. I, fortunately, have enough substance to do it myself, I hope."

The silence draws out.

"Or maybe not. Amuse me, slave!" she grins and claps.

Rolling my eyes, I go through the repertoire of icebreakers I have and quickly find out there are none. I can remember things and details when I see them or hear about them but trying to pull something out just like that is impossible.

Maybe that could be it? My greatest problem might be my strength in this situation.

"Eerm. How are things going at the asylum? You always talk about the lady that likes cacti too much. Is she old or something?"

"Miss Pearl? She's really nice and shares cookies she gets from her daughter in Canterlot. Well, last week she tried to share them with Screwloose, another patient who thinks she's a dog, and I had to pull them apart otherwise she'd have drowned the old lady in slobber."

"I would think asylum would be a more evil place. You know, maniacs and such."

"The place here in Ponyville is one of the calm sort. During my days as a guard in Canterlot I visited one there and that was waaaaay different."

Why do I feel so uneasy and why does she keep cringing and twitching her ears?

"Something bad happened?"

"No, what made ya think that?"

"You... keep twitching."

"It's nothing. Do ya like this place?"

"Never been here before."

"I know. I mean right here and now."

Okay, she knows my tells better than anypony.

"Honestly, I feel as if somepony was planning to smack me over the head with a mallet as soon as I leave."

She smiles and wipes her eyes.

"Yea, you're not a changeling anymore so ya probably can't hear them. Remember your crazy journal entry? He, or something from him, can hear the ponies around laughing at us and talking smack. I can see them looking at us even in this light."

"Can you ignore them? It would suck to have a dinner like this ruined by a bunch of idiots."

"I really wish I could, Blaze, but I can't turn my ears off."

"What are they saying?"

"Ya... don't wanna know."

Seeing her nervously drum the table I just let go and feel the burning bile inside me.

"Shield your eyes, love," I whisper.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"OWWWWWWWWW!"

"WHAT THE HAY?!"

I grin victoriously. If there's one thing I understand about my past self it is that nopony ever messes with Chokey and leaves unscathed. The little point of light that appeared on my horn was so bright it must have permanently damaged the eyes of everypony looking directly in our direction.

Serves them right, small-minded, vitriolic, assholes.

Calm down, it's okay now.

"SHUT! UP!" I scream, having no idea where it came form, "Will you stupid hicks just shut up?! I don't care about anypony around here and YES, I AM INSANE!-"

I stand up and a small bolt of black lightning strikes the floor at some of the tables.

"Blaze-"

"NO! These ignorant worms will NEVER insult you behind your back again and if I hear any lie about blood sucking AGAIN then I WILL OBLITERATE SAID PONY AND EVERY SINGLE MEMORY OF HIM OR HER!"

A black crystal crashes from the ground and impales the table of some wretch trying to defend his hateful attitude, spraying him with food remnants.

My head is spinning.

"Come on, let's go home," Chokey pushes me.

"You will remember her, because she's the only reason you ponies aren't on fire and screaming!"

"Come oooon," I'm being pushed towards the exit.

I cough and collect myself.

"Alright, I'm fine but one more untrue word and I will," the cracking of more black crystals growing from the walls forces some weak squeals from ponies, "end your miserable little existence."

"Blaaaze-" Chokey pushes me out of the door.

"AND SCREW, MAY I ADD, YOU!"

Wiping my forehead, the not-completely-my rage fades and I can feel my legs shaking harder than a plugged blender.

"Sorry for ruining the evening. I just couldn't-" I begin.

"Don't even start. I know where all that came from and they had it coming. The black crystals were new though, never seen that one before."

"Eeerm-"

"One more apology and I won't shove ya into the tub and give ya a full-body scrubbing."

"Ssssss- I mean if you insist."

"That's better. You're now my berserker in shining armor."

"I'm yours. Unleash me and I'll go to the ends of Equestria for you."

"I think I'll just keep ya close."

With my body slowly losing all energy I have to lean on Chokey to get home but I guess that's what partners are for, to help when the other can't find the strength to go on.

Cards on the Table: In Case of Trouble

It was a beautiful afternoon considering it being the middle of winter. The sky was steel grey, the snow formed a thin layer on the ground but it wasn't snowing or drizzling right now making it ideal to go play outside, if one had the time. Time, however, was something Icy Gaze wasn't sure about. Still, he knew that finishing as much as possible of his now secondary assignment before leaving the town, the continent, and if possible the planet, would be a great idea.

The newspaper he was using to cover his presence at some uninteresting corner cafe said something about a growing unrest in Canterlot but he ignored it and kept his eyes on the mare. For past few days he'd managed to get a good feel for the layout of Ponyville and right now it seemed that she was on the way from local mental institution.

Choking turned around, blew the large pegasus watching her in secret a kiss and snickered when he hid behind his paper again. Nopony in the vicinity would be able to notice her scowl when she turned back and began whistling as she walked in just slightly different direction than before. After the evening few days ago she'd begun to like the effect that braided tail had on ponies and with every step she bounced her behind to keep the pegasus' attention and distract him from whatever the real deal was.

He probably had no idea but she had noticed him walking around Ponyville several times before. After all, somepony of his majestic looks couldn't escape her attention and this seemed like the first time he noticed her but the way he looked at her didn't seem... usual. Stallions normally reacted to her with a mixture of embarrassment and desire which sort of skyrocketed after her tail experiment but this guy was completely different.

She didn't even twitch when her sensitive ears picked the sound of a chair being pulled on the ground and then the distinct rhytm of hoofsteps crunching on the snow. So he was following her which meant he either wanted something or...

...no, he was keeping his distance. He wasn't a guard though otherwise he'd have known the habits of that profession, the mistrust to every fellow pony and the unconscious ability to sniff out every little detail that was out of place. He was sneaky, that she had to give him. Well, not sneaky as such because anypony of his size would have hard time keeping his presence hidden but he was good at being inconspicuous, just a part of the normal street hubbub. Too bad for him he had no clue about batpony senses.

Icy Gaze kept following the unaware mare who switched between whistling and humming. The guards at the castle had presented her as an air-headed bimbo and everything he'd seen supported that image but something was off. Everything felt too much, too real, too gossip-like. Icy knew to trust his instincts despite his age, they had saved him enough times to at least give them the benefit of the doubt. That meant she either was really just a dumb club mare or she was leading him on but since the cafe mistake she hadn't even turned around or did anything slightly suspicious.

In the meantime, Choking decided it would be a good idea to go and do some shopping today.

"Why? Why would she be testing beds and sofas?" grumbled Icy Gaze after yet another hour of following his mark.

All that would be worth it if the money he'd gotten was just the first half of the payment. All worth watching the batpony chatter on and on about nonsense at the bakery. All worth following her into the spa and spending a horrible half hour being stomped on by one of the masseuses while the dumb bat was curious about apparently EVERYTHING in this one pony town. Right now, though, he was beginning to doubt it as he was freezing his hooves off in the snow while she had apparently dozed off on one of the presented beds.

At last, this walk through purgatory was over and she had to wake up after incessant jabbing of hoof belonging to the store owner.

SHE DECIDED TO BUY THE DAMN THING?!

Okay, another ten minutes watching her go through the bonus equipment available for purchase. Icy swore that if the store owner showed her one more diagram of localized heating he'd come back with a torch and show him some general overheating later.

Amused by his imagination presenting him with screaming store owner as all his beds melted Icy managed to not begin banging on the window.

At last, it was over and he could follow the batdumbass again. The last building she entered was a two-story house that looked slightly out of date and Icy could hear two voices from inside one of which belonged to a stallion. Very carefully he slipped towards the window of a room that looked inhabited and peeked through.

He saw a bronze unicorn reading a book. That was all he needed.

"I'm hooooome," a cheery singsong voice rings through the entry hall.

"How was your day?" I look up from the book I'm reading. To be honest, I was only half-reading it as after starting I quickly realized that it was a history book and got bored rather fast.

"Much the same as every other - get up, have breakfast, go to work, save miss Pearl from the wines in the asylum garden, smile at the visitors, get stalked on the way home, smile at ya."

"Ummmm, say again?"

"Yea... I think we have a problem."

"Maybe you should elaborate a bit? I'm afraid I still don't consider stalking you a death threat, more like I can see why somepony would do it. Especially with the tail thing, ehm."

She turns around, wraps her thin tail around my neck and shoves my face where I really want to and don't want to be at the same time.

"Blaze like?"

"Blaze like very much," I mumble with my muzzle making only partially intelligible noises.

Her bottom lets my face go and I can finally breathe again.

"Back to business, darling. What's wrong? If there was somepony following you we can just tell the guards around," I stumble out when I stop blushing furiously.

"That guy was from Canterlot, I'm sure of it, but not from high society. His saddlebags, horseshoes and the lance he was hiding pretty well were all well-kept and high-grade equipment."

"A Royal Guard?"

"He wasn't wearing a badge or anything but even without it I don't think so. Royal Guards usually know batponies well enough to be able to track one without being noticed. This guy was some sort of a soldier but he didn't have the experience of moving through a city which every guard gets with served time."

"So, where did you leave him?"

"He followed me here."

"What?"

"I wasn't able to shake him off without alerting him and he kept following me through half of the town. Sorry for coming home late by the way."

"Yea, a reeeeeally big problem in comparison to, let's say, a soldier tracking you."

"Exactly."

I would love to add something useful but I can't do anything to help. I can't fight a soldier and he knows where we live. I am completely dependent on her.

Buck this.

I am useless. All that nonsense about finding my way in the world would be fine but I don't know anything, anypony...

Buck...

"Calm down, Blaze," she shakes me by my shoulders.

"Huh?"

"I know that expression, stop it. I won't let them take ya."

"But I want to be good for something, to help."

"You will, trust me. This time I'll just have to find out how so calm down and just be ready to listen to me."

Taking a deep breath, I bite down on my hoof.

"Just tell me what to do."

"That's the spirit," she ruffles my mane, "Now go to the kitchen and make me a sandwich."

5 4 3 2 1... gonna blow. She can't be seriously thinking about eating at the time like this.

A surge of power cascades through me from my horn down making my bones creak.

All right, all right, I'm going.

"Lettuce or daisy?" I roll my eyes.

"Whatever is fine. I just need something to occupy me while I think of what to do."

"Whatever you wish, my lady and mistress," I grumble and leave.

I know I have to trust her but she could at least try to look like she's being serious about things.

To make you freak out even more?

True. Even if we might have to hide again for a while it will definitely be easier with full stomach so I pick up a knife and begin buttering bread. Trust trust trust, it's all about trust in critical situation. I have to do what little I can even if I think I'd be able to do more, precision is the key.

With a plate resembling the artwork of a culinary master I return back to the living room, wearing a calm, collected and completely fake expression.

"Any ideas?"

"Yep. I don't really care," she shrugs, "but it would eat ya inside to know somepony else might get caught in the cross between us and Luna. With that in mind we need to find Doomie a safe place. If we have to leave then I don't want her starving again and I didn't have enough time to find her a job."

Neither did I. I completely forgot about her actually having some future but with the way Chokey told me she found her I should have done something.

"There is the expression again," Chokey knocks on my head, "It. Is. Not. Your. Fault."

"But I was just lying here, reading some stupid book instead of helping."

"Calm down. Ya can't let it burn ya when ya are powerless. Just wait, do what ya can and work to better yourself. I had to go through all that when ya were protecting me from Valiant, Sombra, everypony who even looked at me funny. Trust me and just roll with it."

"You know, you are pretty wise when you want to."

"I like to make a wrong impression just to make foals of ponies. To be honest though, most of it is your fault. Well, you know what I mean."

Yeah, I think I'm getting used to my dual nature. I just have to understand that I need somepony to hold my hoof until I'm strong enough.

"So, should we leave her some money and move out?"

"Nah, she doesn't really understand the value much and it would be temporary at best anyway. I think we're gonna need help with this. Let me slip out for a while and go talk to Doom Star."

I just nod and walk upstairs.

The younger batpony twitches when I open her closet.

"Doomie," I say softly.

"Hrmhm- AH!"

My magic envelops her before she falls down after hanging head down.

"Are you alright?"

"Mhm," she nods and tilts her head questioningly.

"I hate to break it to you but you might have to leave."

"Why?" she shows her regrown fangs a little. Apparently drinking blood gives her pretty decent regeneration ability.

"We might have to leave the house because some nasty guys are looking for me and Chokey. We don't want you to get hurt if they come."

"Bite them," she frowns.

"You have more courage than me, girl. That won't work though because they will be well-trained and will probably try to kill you if you show up."

"Hide in closet."

"And then what? Do you want to stay here and go back to starving?"

"Stay here with you. Enough food."

I have no clue what to say so I offer the only thing I'm apparently good for.

"Do you want dinner?" I tilt my head to show her the usual feeding spot.

When she slips into my lap and begins sucking on my neck I don't bother limiting her and just breathe slowly with my back resting against the back of the closet.

"Polite coughing, Blaze."

"Uh what?" I snap out of my daze and realize Chokey is talking to me and she's not alone.

"I'm not sure I'm going to agree after seeing this," says a different voice I can identify as Bright Eye.

"Whass goin' on?"

"Well, ya see... I asked the Cakes if they could help but they have too much to do with their own foals so after thinking a bit more I found a perfect pony to ask to take care of our friend here. Ya will never find somepony more kind, warm-hearted, giving and-"

"Attempts like these make me regret employing you, Darky," Bright Eye cools her off and measures Doomie up and down, "I'm not sure I can afford passing out every day."

"Wu- what? Not a problem." I wave my hoof, "She doesn't need to drink that much blood, I just wanted to make her more pliable, right?"

"Bite you," Doomie playfully chomps my neck again but doesn't even draw blood. Then she returns Bright's examining look, "Stay with him?"

"It would be a good idea to go now," Chokey says in all seriousness and turns to Bright Eye, "Bright, I'm gonna give ya the deeds to this house. If anything happens ya can keep this place, sell it or anything. It should cover some costs of taking care of the runt."

"Not runt. Old like you."

"Heh yeah, she looks like she is just around two-three years younger than me. So?"

Bright sighs and looks at me and Chokey repeatedly.

"Fine. I seem to be pretty good at attracting stray batponies. What do you want me to do?"

"Take her home with ya for a week or so. As I told you I was followed today so whoever wants us knows where we live. If things clear up somehow then ya'll be the first to know."

"Doomie?" I hug the silent batpony.

"New juicebox got closet?"

"I think we'll work something out," Bright pats her head and she follows him to the door.

"New juicebox tasty?"

"Stop it."

Doomie turns to us and grins.

"I think you've been spending too much time with her," I nudge Chokey when they leave the bedroom.

"I'm the best example ever."

"Do you think they'll be safe?"

"If they get home tonight then yeah."

My blood freezes.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you think I sent them out together in the darkness... unicorn and a batpony."

"Heavens, you can't be serious?!"

"I'm a cheating liar, ya know? I don't have to play nice."

Cards on the Table: Discovered

Sitting inside the Ponyville library, Icy Gaze pondered his situation. He could hear the muffled sounds from the cellar or maybe the voices were just inside his head. An operation of this scale was far out of his league but he was still clinging to the hope that whoever hired him would take their time protecting him.

As if...

It was pretty obvious that nothing of that sort would happen but maybe, just maybe, he might get away with just finishing his secondary objective and leaving quietly, in secret and most of all soon. Icy picked a quill from the stash right next to the table. At least this place was well stocked and he had to thank the stroke of luck that allowed him to do all this. With princess Twilight still being on the other side of the Everfree this place served as a base long enough.

What would he do with the fillies though? True, they were the Elements of Harmony or their bearers or however the entire thing worked but they were still just young girls so killing them was out of the question. They knew his face and they could identify him but that could still be remedied by moving to the Griffon Empire for few years. The first half of the payment he'd gotten should suffice more than enough.

No. Not counting the princess of Magic herself there were only two other bearers missing and he knew more than well their whereabouts. After he gathered all of them his job would be done, marginally, and he'd be able to leave without his reputation untarnished.

As for the second part of his mission, the traitors...

All he had to do was find them but if he reported their location and they left later on then he might be on the list of ponies to be deemed untrustworthy and worth removing. The planned extended visit to the land of griffons could be enough to save him but who knew how far the reach of Equestrian crown went and if the seal on the magic amulet used for sending letters over long distances and the one on the mission statement were to be believed it was princess Celestia herself who would be on his back for any failure.

Icy sighed.

Even out of his comfort zone he still had enough self-control to work out the best solution or at least one good enough. He would send a letter about the location of the traitors, see to it they stay there and then capture last two bearers. Crown or not, he was still holding few of the most valuable Equestrian citizens hostage and there might be enough ponies on his tail just for that. With the certainty of somepony who knows he'd be thrown to sharks if he made a single mistake he sighed again and started writing.

Well, I don't have to feel guilty about anything because yesterday me and Chokey visited Bright Eye to see if everything was going okay and, surprisingly, it was. Turns out that Doomie likes to keep him company during evenings and since he spends most of the day in the asylum her sleeping schedule isn't really a problem. Bright Eye himself, as a fairly well-known resident of Ponyville, sleeps with windows open in his house and Doom Star spends most of the night flying around.

I was ready to reconsider my relationship with Chokey when I realized she was willing to send two of her friends to take the fall just to give us a little time to gather our things and leave but after I stopped panicking I thought things through and came to the conclusion that nothing serious could have happened to Bright and Doomie anyway because, well, they aren't us.

I have to keep repeating to myself that Chokey knew that all along. The problem is that I somehow feel that not even the forgotten side inside me believes that.

Now, we haven't seen the guy stalking Chokey since but there are other things bothering me that might or might not be connected to us. The disappearance of three Elements of Harmony is one and the black stormclouds hanging over Canterlot for past days is the other. I have spent some time every evening in the Sugarcube corner where ponies go to share fresh gossip and there has been enough travellers passing through from Canterlot to overhear things about civil unrest.

On one hoof that gives the princesses something to worry about besides me and Chokey. On the other it means, at least according to her, that some ancient evil is probably taking over Equestria again. She was smiling when she said that but it sort of scared me. Not in some personal danger sense but the general worry such as a wave of floods threatening to destroy some town might bring to ponies living there.

All in all, things are weird, I can't do anything, Chokey is at work and I'm reading yet again.

The book is boring but it helps keeps mind off things I can't deal with. The thing is that I'll never be able to do so if I just keep sitting here and repeating the pattern over and over. I have to change something or the time will come when I will just cry at being powerless again.

So...

The guards in Ponyville apparently have no idea about my situation. During our shopping trips with Chokey none of the patrols bothered us in the slightest so I think the hunt for me or her isn't a priority at the moment. Yes, the stalker few days ago might be a signal to be more careful but supposedly he has no idea Chokey knew about him and he was very easy to spot if one knew who to look for.

I need to get a job, preferrably something physical since we're not in money trouble and I don't really have any skills to do anything else. With the house being our property we don't have to pay rent which means that even not that significant pay Chokey gets is enough to live on if we don't go on some crazy shopping spree. I really shouldn't get my hopes up but it can't hurt to ask around.

The red sweater I'm wearing covers my bronze fur well when I walk through the town to the one place I know I can get either the information I want or at least some other pointers.

Something is off.

I turn to look around but I don't see anything suspicious. That doesn't stop the unpleasant feeling which I now know from the restaurant experience is the better use of my senses by my, let's say, subconscious. If I can believe it then it means I am being watched but an exploratory turning of my head shows nothing.

Alright then, there is no way for me to improve my hearing. Right... what now? What now? What now? Hmmm...

Bait whoever is watching and never stay alone for too long.

That sounds like a good idea and suits me just fine when I enter the Sugarcube Corner with a calm smile. I have to control myself not to grin when half of the occupants gasp at my entrance. They've been doing that since the dinner incident which worried me at first but now that I know nopony is going to do anything I just find it amusing... very slightly.

"Good afternoon, mrs. Cake," I smile at the chubby mare working the counter.

"Hello, mister Light," she snickers a bit.

"What's wrong?" I lean back and my smile grows uncertain.

"Nothing. Nothing. I was just talking yesterday to my husband about redecorating this place. We're thinking about something shinier, let's say, something in," she snickers again as the horror in my face grows, "dark crystal?"

I utter something incomprehensible lost even on me but the look in her face and the collective hypervetilating of the closest guests force me to silently grin as well. Time to strike back.

"Funny you should ask, I'm actually looking for a job and I was hoping you'd give me some pointers. You know everything going on in the town."

"Is your lady trying to get you out more? Anything in particular?"

"I think she likes me where I am but I'm getting old, fat and crummy so I need something to spruce me up, something with lifting."

She considers this a stab at her and looks aghast so I add:

"Not all of us have the luxury to mature with age just like good wine. I, for myself, just get flabby," I bow a bit but her knowing look and shifty grin sort of put me on edge.

"You have the mouth rivaling your marefriend."

Now I throw out an overly hurt look.

"Well I never..." I say with the nobbiest voice I can muster.

"Oh shush," mrs. Cake waves her hoof, "I took it the wrong way. Unfortunately I can't help you right now. Why don't you come back in few days and I'll ask around in the meantime."

"Thanks. By the way, do you have anything extra interesting to surprise my batter half?"

"Possibly a prayer for you if you try a pun like that again in her presence," she purses her lips in thought, "I do have something that would melt her teeth but don't expect any happy fun times after eating it, it's fairly filling. A bit pricy though, thirty bits a piece."

"Worth it?"

"Definitely."

"Two servings to go, please."

She pulls out something wobbly that smells heavily of fermented plums and drops it into a plastic serving box.

"Here you go, have a nice day."

"You too."

Well, that didn't work as planned but I can't expect anything out of the blue.

As soon as I walk outside the unpleasant feeling returns but I still can't spot anything or anypony.

Sooo... are my nerves just playing with me? Possibly but not probably.

A feeling of dread assaults me when I look into the distance in the direction of Canterlot. The clouds are hanging awfully low today and there don't seem to be any pegasi on the weather duty at the moment. Walking back home I try really hard not to start running. Now that I know where to look I manage to spot shadows behind some chimneys. Whoever they are I wasn't able to see them before but I was able to sense them...

... I could hear them but I didn't realize it. Still, my ears don't pick up anything unusual so they must be doing something my past self was familiar with. Thankfully none of them, whoever they are, decide to do anything.

Never before have I been happy to find our house empty and I drop off the sweet treats and walk outside again. If the shadows are guards set on us by the one who followed Chokey earlier then they know where she works and it will be better for us to stay together. If worst comes to worst then I'll ask Bright Eye to let Chokey go home early and we'll leave immediately.

The dark shadows are moving through the clouds hanging over the asylum already.

"Heya," I wave when I enter through the front entrance to the asylum trying to keep my voice steady. It helps that my little bat is completely fine and waves back at me cheerily.

I look around the entry hall which is completely empty.

"Chokey," I lean to her and whisper, "there are some guys moving through the clouds above the town and there's a lot of them on the roof and everywhere around."

"I would say they are the weather pegasi but the terrified look in your face makes me doubt it. How did you notice?"

"I... I don't know. Something kept bugging me all the time I was outside but I couldn't see anypony."

"Aaaah," she shushes me, closes her eyes and begins moving her ears, "Oh buck me backwards."

"What? Here and now?"

"Nightguards. You were able to hear their high-pitched screeching but you, I mean you you, had no idea what it was."

"Here for us?"

"Unless it has something to do with the strange news from Canterlot then yes. I think Luna has plans for us. How many of them were outside?"

"A lot. Ten, twenty and way more all around town unless it was just one group following me."

"Hmmm, I wonder why they aren't doing anything."

A white pegasus mare enters the asylum lobby. Outside of her being remarkably good looking there isn't anything too particular about her.

Danger!

... friend?

"Chokey, I'm getting really conflicted messages about that mare," I nod unnoticeably towards the mare who stopped just few steps into the hall and is looking around and whisper, "Do you know her?"

"I very much doubt it," the mare smiles evilly and looks straight at us.

Both of us turn towards her but that's about as much as we manage to do because the entry door gets kicked in followed by a stream of batponies in silver armors rushing inside.

"Kill them!"

The pegasus measures our reaction with her green eyes and smiles when I shove Chokey behind me. It's a reflex, all I can do is take a blow for her at best.

The Nightguards form into a half-circle and then...

... a bronze changeling with a metal construction resembling a griffon arm in place of his left front leg walks inside.

"Wait, what?" the guards turn around from him to us with confused whispers.

The standoff seems to go on forever or at least until the point when one of the guards shouts.

"AFTER HIM! Secure the witnesses!"

Five heavily armed guards take their steps towards us while the rest follows the changeling.

"Heh. That worked better than I hoped," says the pegasus.

"Cooperate with us and-" begins the leading batpony but can't finish when a green mist swirls around the pegasus mare's forehead, forms a shape of a horn and all five guards rise up and slam at blinding speed into the nearest wall.

"I doubt that..." she purrs amusedly and the guards slam to the marble floor. None of them even tries to move this time around.

With me and Chokey staring, frozen in place, she comes closer and green fire envelops her head, showing a gnarled horn.

"Queen Chrysalis?" Chokey stutters.

"In the flesh," the horn disappears again and all that remains is a pure white pegasus.

"What's going-"

"Be quiet," she orders, allowing zero resistance, "You, bat, go round up whatever constitutes for local armed forces and get them ready to fight off the other bats. I've got business with this guy so I can't leave him here."

"What the heck is going on?!"

"What's going on is that I'm doing Celestia a little favor and you a huge one. There's a high number of thestrals under the influence of mind-control magic even I can't break running around. Scream asked me to help in this case but failed to tell me more details so I don't know too much."

"So what do you want with Blaze?"

"He has... sentimental value, that's all. I've just warned you as well so there's that. Until I know more I'm not involving myself in this."

"Fine."

"What?" I turn to Chokey.

"Blaze, go with her. This isn't a being that offers help from her nature."

"I can't leave you here alone."

"What did I tell ya about waiting for the right moment to help?"

"Damn! I'm not useless! I can at least take an arrow for you!"

"What do you think would hurt me more?" she smiles sadly.

"WHY?! WHY CAN'T I STAY HERE AND HELP?"

"STOP ACTING LIKE A LITTLE FOAL!" she yells right in my face, "There is something ya can do right now and that is not being in the way."

So... all this time I was just a burden. I was lying to myself.

"I... okay."

The fire inside dies out. I hang my head.

"Now go with the nice lady."

"Okay."

"It's gonna be all right."

"Okay."

Choking Darkness scribbles a note on a paper, leaves it on the reception counter and runs outside.

"Come," Chrysalis commands.

"Okay."

At this point...

... nothing.

I can't do anything at all. I'm just a liability to be protected.

United We Stand: Living a Nightmare

The hive network belonging to the small swarm of changelings in Pine Hills rang with an order. All Nightmare changelings were to assemble in the main hall. Guiding Light knew she didn't have to do anything else. Her changelings would obey her without complaining.

Recieving the final thoughts of her body double over such long distance had been grueling but the message had confirmed her worst fears. Her following night had been spent by preparing a portal to Ponyville. She had to basically reinvent a teleportation spell from the only piece of magic she knew, the dimension jumping spell, but using the magical ornaments to stabilize energy was fairly simple for her as queen-grade changelings worked as batteries capable of holding massive amount of energy.

She had enough to make the spell work and only thing remaining was to infuse her power into the magic circle which meant she only needed time. Resting after a night full of activity, she waited for her changelings to assemble.

Her seven remaining changelings.

She had to admit that the force was almost nothing in comparison to Nightmare Moon. Still, creatures immune to mind control and manipulation might have value in facing her.

Feeling her energy flow into the circle beginning to glow, she doze off. When she woke up everypony was already present. They hadn't woken up their queen early because they knew whatever she had called them for had to be important but same went for her sleep.

"Which ones of you have a partner here among the villagers?" asked Guiding. She could have scanned the minds of her kind but there was no reason to waste energy.

Two changelings stepped forward.

"You will stay here and live your lives as long as possible. You will also tell the mayor why the rest of us left. There is no need to warn them though. If we fail then there will be nothing they'll be able to do."

"I want to go as well," Shieldbreaker's mate objected, "I know Breaky wouldn't want anything to happen to his princess."

"No. I promised you life and while it might be short you will enjoy your time here. You can help me by giving me the energy drained from your partners."

"Of course," both changelings nodded and aimed their horns at their queen.

Guiding Light felt her power grow.

"That should be enough for the teleportation," she said after a while and the two exhausted changelings left the cavern.

"We're the only ones who know how Nightmare's mind control works. I really doubt she'll be there alone. There's also the possibility of her not following Twilight Sparkle to Ponyville and still being in Canterlot. If that's the case we might have time to organize some sort of defense. However... we all know that the Nightmare is a shifty god and doesn't like to keep things hanging so we might also arrive too late and in a trap. That means that as soon as the smoke clears we attack anypony even remotely hostile. Stay together, cover each other's backs. We're fighting for the chance at having... foals one day."

Not a single word was said by any of her subjects. All of them knew what the outcome of their failure would be. The blue circle glowed and left the cavern completely empty.

Nightmare Moon finally materialized in the Ponyville library. The transfer took time thanks to her immense power flowing through the magic circle in Canterlot but she got there just in time to see a badly wounded white pegasus run out of the building.

She snickered and took a deep breath.

The mercenary was unimportant now. He'd done his job and brought the Bearers to this place. Perhaps she might give him little time to enjoy his money, fill his head with images of herself feasting on the Bearers and watch him torture himself to death.

Even gods had hobbies.

Just behind the door. Nightmare Moon's horn glowed. Correction - just behind where the door had been a second ago.

With power still overflowing from her horn, she aimed it at the five bound and gasping fillies trying to stand up under the stairs. Grinning like a maniac, Nightmare Moon released the energy.

The lightning melted her horseshoes and she coughed up blood.

"Lunaaaaa..." she growled.

I told you... I won't let you... harm... my subjects.

"I can feel you fading, alicorn. Alright, I will play your game for now. I will undoubtedly be hungry later anyway."

Nightmare's horn flashed again and time in the cellar stopped. With the Bearers in stasis the remaining Element of Magic would be drastically weakened and the Tree of Harmony will eventually die even without Discord's intervention.

Nightmare Moon won. There was nothing that could stop her anymore. So...

...time to play.

Perhaps she could show Luna some gratitude by killing the batpony she'd been so set on finding. The one her controlled Nightguards were currently playing with in the library square.

Walking out of the building, she smiled widely at the sight of Nightguards attacking Icy Gaze and Choking Darkness in pairs. There were dozens of guards and Nightmare was feasting on the fear growing in the defending duo as they realized the hopelessness of their efforts.

The tensing of the air in the village was possible to sense only by unicorns and those very attuned even to small changes in their surroundings. With Luna's knowledge, Nightmare was able to identify a binding spell being prepared in the distance.

"Ha ha ha ha, a trap? Come at me, petty creatures! Come and face your inevitable end."

After all, with the Elements gone there was no magic strong enough to stop her.

"Miss Starlight?" Twilight was standing in front of a tent with talismans hanging all over it, "Can I help you with anything concerning the spell? I remember some books about the subject."

"Go away, you noisy, useless hack. You get lucky once by being randomly chosen by a magical artefact and you think you're the center of the universe," was the reponse she got.

"Oh... okay."

Twilight wasn't feeling herself. First of all, her confidence was gone. The encounter with death had shaken her and she couldn't shake off the fear of the same thing happening to her. Deep down she was happy Starlight didn't need her help, that way she could just sit here, on the snowy bench in the middle of the camp, and stare into the distance.

Starlight was right, she couldn't help but feel. Now, alone, Twilight knew she hadn't been able to save anypony. Perhaps it really was true... perhaps she just got lucky she'd been at the right place at the right time. Without her friends... who was she? Princess of Friendship? Yeah, right.

"Thinking about your next step?" a voice she now knew belonged to Shadowstep asked.

"Not really," sighed Twilight, her ears low.

"Why?"

"What can I do? Last time I tried to sort things out three ponies died. My friends are Celestia-knows-where and Nightmare Moon is on the loose."

"I've been in the army for about seven hundred years. Do you have an idea what it is like? I have seen those closest to me die over and over again. At a certain point... you stop taking it in. The key is not to stop caring though. I felt the way you're feeling now every single time I had to send one of my subordinates to their death. You know what the upper brass of changeling army kept telling me?"

"What?"

"You're just a gear in the machine. Do your part, do what little you can and you will maximize your chances. I got angry and climbed through the ranks, gaining followers. Eventually I deserted with my entire platoon, the goal being to create a small hive somewhere, take control of few griffon villages and just live. Funnily enough, none of our leaders cared or possibly even noticed. In those times there were millions of changelings roaming the entire world and we were just a drop in the ocean."

"Why are you telling me this? You were able to single-hoofedly get into a leadership position but I was just chosen by the Elements. I wasn't even that great at magic. I read tons of books but I wasn't even able to teleport further than I could see before I got the Element."

Shadowstep smiled... very grimly.

"Yeah... I was great. A revered tactician, iron-hooved general beloved by all her soldiers. Then I made a mistake and led about three hundred changelings into a trap. Griffons found about us, deserters, and wanted easy prey instead having to fight the bulk of changeling forces. They lured us into a trap with the only way out being endless stretch of desert. I got baited and outsmarted, causing the death of most of my changelings. That was the easy part. The hard one was watching them waste away one by one in the desert, each one giving me the last remains of their energy just so I could go on and lead the rest. Not even the last one was mad at me when he died. All that because I thought I knew better than anyone else. It was... an experience."

"I don't know what I would have done..." Twilight just whispered.

"No one or nopony, as you would say, knows until it happens. I was saved by a dragon sorcerer. Well, saved is a strong word because he just wanted someone to experiment on to find out how changeling ability to store energy worked. The key thing is that I lived and I, let's say, acquired Cross in that event. Suddenly I had one... creature with me who relied on me to tell him what to do. I stole most of the dragon's research and we left."

"He didn't go after you?"

"He was dead at the time, long story. I got some maps and led us through the desert back to civilization. Over next few hundred years Starlight and Six joined us."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because it took me centuries to realize one thing - the army leaders were right. I was just a gear and if I did my job none of that would have happened. Everyone has their role, no matter how small it is. I failed in doing mine. In short, mistakes happen, and the results are not always tragic. You just have to learn from them and the lesson here for you is pretty simple."

"I still don't understand."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get off your rump and get ready. Starlight might do the spell correctly but the Nightmare might be strong enough to break it. None of us can tell what's going to happen so you just have to be in your best shape when it happens. You really are weak and inexperienced compared to us but that's no excuse. Starlight had over two hundred years to practice magic and she was a born prodigy on top of it. She might have become the Element of Magic herself but she didn't. You did and... after all the time spent thinking surrounded by sand on all sides... I believe in fate."

"Perhaps I should just give her the crown..."

"Trust me. When you're her age you'll be way more powerful and probably insane as well. You know... power corrupts and such."

Twilight laughed and her head cleared up a bit. In that short moment of concentration she felt a chilling presence from Ponyville.

"Nightmare Moon is here," she grit her teeth.

Shadowstep sighed.

"I know what I have to do," Twilight spread her wings.

There was one thing she could do. Maybe she couldn't fight Nightmare Moon directly but at least she might be able to slow her down to let Starlight finish the spell. It might and it might not weaken Nightmare enough to let somepony fight her but she had to try.

Bursting upwards, she left a little crater in the snow.

It was easy to follow the trail of power to her library. The square was filled with batponies attacking a strange group of mixed origins. Twilight recognized Guiding Light shooting bursts of energy at laughing Nightmare Moon dispersing the projectiles easily using a black barrier she remembered from the castle. The group fighting the Nightguards were Guiding's changelings, valiant but slowly being overwhelmed. One of the remaining two was Choking Darkness whom she'd met when Guiding first arrived in Canterlot. The last one was a heavily wounded pegasus who was still able to hold his own against two batponies. From the looks of it, Nightmare Moon was just messing around and the situation could change any second.

Twilight, still unnoticed, focused her magic in peace and let out a beam of purple energy straight at Nightmare Moon...

...who just chuckled as it hit her shield.

"Finally... all the important pieces are here."

Twilight realized her mistake when a black tentacle tore her down from the sky at lightning speed. Her own shield cracked as she hit the ground.

Nightmare Moon seemed taller somehow now. Black mist bubbled around her and her tendrils of smoke thickened.

"Now to deal with the little pests," Nightmare laughed and the appendages darted to every single target in the vicinity.

Twilight wasn't going to let anypony else die.

Calling upon the power of the Element of Magic, she focused everything into pulling every friendly pony to her and creating a bubble strong enough to protect them.

The Element failed. The power she usually wielded wasn't there for some reason and the tentacles continued unhindered straight at them.

Choking Darkness jumped in front of the group. It was a reflex. Deep down she was a guard and she'd been trained to protect even the young princess with her body. She wasn't alone. Guiding Light was there as well, unwilling to let his father's marefriend get hurt. Her second thought belonged to the princess who had helped her changelings find at least a temporary place to live.

Both of them knew how pointless their effort was the second Twilight's barrier shattered and they were the first bodies in the way.

A sonic boom and an inferno of flames directly in front of them made them shield their eyes.

"That's impossible..." Choking sniffed.

The reddish-golden flames resembling phoenix feathers burned away the black mist and Nightmare Moon screamed in pain. There was a pony shielding both Guiding and Choking from...

...anything. That was the only thing their minds now could understand. The visage in front of them would protect them from anything bad.

"GET YOUR FILTHY TENTACLES OFFA MY FAMILY!" the apparition growled.

United We Stand: Light and Shadow

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

Chokey runs off and I follow queen Chrysalis in her pegasus form out of the asylum.

"Get on my back!" she orders.

"Huh?"

"What?" she snickers, "You don't want to ride a changeling queen?"

"I, uhm, well..."

There is no reason to argue, I'm not thinking clearly. Or maybe, just maybe I am thinking clearly for the first time since my awakening. I lied to myself all that time. I lied to myself that I might be good enough for the batpony who sacrificed everything for me and is now risking her life just so I can run. In a normal situation I might have found a job, I might have eventually been able to lead a normal life but now we have princess Luna on our backs.

It all goes in a big circle beginning and ending with me being worthless.

Without further questions, or incoherent mumbling, I climb on Chrysalis' back. I can't help but notice the curves of her pegasus form as I do so. Even in a situation like this I'm still a stallion. Well, maybe not a stallion... stallions have courage and the ability to fight for what's important for them. I'm just a big pussy... a thing. Perhaps Chrysalis can find a use for me.

"I might," she says and takes off with a leap.

"You can read my thoughts?" I say uninterestedly. It doesn't really matter if she does.

"I can do a lot more."

"So... why did you rescue me? I doubt I can help you in any way except for feeding you."

"That is also a possibility if everything else fails."

"Heh. I wouldn't even mind. At least I'd be useful in some way."

"Deal. If I fail then you won't be alive tomorrow."

I... can't find anything wrong with it. Chokey will find somepony better if she runs away from the guard. I mean she could find ten better ponies hanging around every dumpster in Canterlot.

"And you don't see anything wrong with HER running away?" Chrysalis asks.

"No? I mean she can't fight off the entire Nightguard."

"And you're turning on yourself when YOU have to run."

"That's different! I SHOULD be able to protect her. I HAVE to."

"Why? You're thinking about her the same way she's right now thinking about you."

"I don't know. It's just something in me. It tells me that's what I live for. If I lose her then I have no reason to exist anymore."

"Why? Can't you find somepony else?"

We begin descending right on the edge of Everfree Forest. It seems that our destination is a cave just off the beaten path. The mouth of the cave looks as if something tore it to pieces. We land and I drop off Chrysalis' back.

Her horn glowing green, she keeps looking at one spot that seems darker than the rest of the dry cave.

When she doesn't say anything for a while I go to the spot and look closer. I would say there's dried up blood on the ground but it's green. Perhaps it's changeling blood? Further exploration reveals two thin but deep cuts in the rocky floor. Did somepony important to Chrysalis die here?

"Not exactly. The exact opposite, one might say," she mumbles.

"So... why are we here?" I ask. This doesn't exactly look like a safe place.

"I lied to your marefriend a little," she smiles to herself, "That's just a thing I do. I also lied to you."

"What about?" I'm not scared. I don't really feel a thing anymore.

"You will not live through today no matter if I fail. Sit down, look up!"

I don't have a reason to resist. If she just uses me to feed herself and helps Chokey then I'll be happy.

"Can you tell me what's going on at least?"

"No. You're of no use to me with the way you are at the moment. Look into my eyes and die."

There is no mind control, no blackmail, nothing. I just don't want to live anymore so I look up.

It's so cold.

"Didn't expect to see YOU here," says a familiar female voice.

"Life is full of unexpected twists and turns," a raspy male voice answers.

"Where is he?"

"Straight to the point, I see." the stallion chuckes, "What makes you think I'll help you?"

"I'm sure this means very little to you but Nightmare Moon will devour the world if you don't."

"Oh, how horrible," the stallion snorted, "Whatever shall I, imprisoned here, do?"

"What if I pull you out with him?"

"For a devious queen it took you a while to get it."

"How are you still here anyway? I thought you died."

"I used to be the best necromancer in the world. Why do you think crystal ponies still don't want to remember my experiments? Even here, in the world where I was defeated, they still have the image of me ingrained in their little heads. Death will come for me when I want it, not the other way around. So... do we have a deal?"

"Sure, just remember one thing. Scream showed me what happened to changelings under your rule. If you try to rule the world again... you might hide from the good guys but I'll know where to look. Especially since you'll be stuck inside my pet."

"I only seek knowledge. The entire 'rule the world' thing was just so ponies didn't whine when they had to mine me fifty tons of crystals for my experiments. Don't worry though... I have all I want right here within the reach of my hoof. The magic of the alicorn of Life, at least what little remains of it."

The feeling of being stuck in a glacier disappears.

Something pokes my chest.

"Get up, you lazy moron!" says the stallion.

"Five more minutes," I mumble.

"Get up!" a female voice orders.

"Huh... what?" I blink, "My queen? What?"

Everything is blurry. I'm so Celestia-damn cold. The figurative ants aren't crawling through just my legs but the entire body. Everything hurts like blazes, heh heh, but I can't disappoint my queen, right?

I'm enveloped by warmth and my head follows the lead of a pair of hooves rubbing my ears.

"Gnnnngh..."

"Still works, my little pet," Chrysalis purrs amusedly.

The warm embrace gradually allows me to control my body again and I get up shakily.

"Your touch could make a statue go for a cold shower," I grin.

"So... feeling better?"

"Even my horseshoes hurt and I can't really think but yeah... it's something."

"Let me be the first to welcome you back among the living. The one renting the room in your head before was getting annoying."

"HEY!"

I know she's joking to put me at ease. Chrysalis is pretty fun to have around when she's not under pressure.

The fog in my head rises a little.

The last moments... the last moments of my unaware self were chilling. I knew the feeling once and it hasn't left me, it just got buried under other things. It reminded me of the time I left my home, how all this began. I can't be mad at his inability to protect Chokey. I can't be mad at him finally giving up.

I did the same thing. Words can't explain how lucky I was at the time.

You and me both, me newest experiment.

"Sombra?!"

In the metaphorical flesh.

"Talking to you in your head, is he?" Chrysalis grins, "You should thank him. I wouldn't have found you if it weren't for him."

"Yeah, not happening. I'd much rather eat my hoof."

Such insolence.

Shut up, you geology nerd.

I will make you eat those words.

Can't be worse than Chokey's cooking.

Too true...

"What's going on, my queen?" I ask Chrysalis, ignoring the possibility of Choking's food being able to harm a dead spirit.

"You don't remember?"

"I remember. It just doesn't make sense for Luna to go all out like this... and fail."

"There's more to it. Nightmare Moon possessed Luna when she in a fit of rage cursed you for killing her bodyguard. She's trying to do something in Ponyville and she isn't afraid the Elements would stop her. That much I gathered from the message Scream sent me."

"Can you help me get back there? I have to do something."

"Can you?" she raises an eyebrow. It's a move I mastered over the years though and I'm fairly resistant to it.

Sombra?

Yes?

Little help?

Why should I?

Because if you don't I'll go there and get ripped into pieces by Nightmare Moon. I've seen a world where she succeeded and I don't want that to happen. Unfortunately, my getting tentacled in the rump means the same for you.

When this is over... we'll talk again.

Come on, isn't this what you wanted all along? To be the most powerful and knowledgeable unicorn in the universe, to reach the power of alicorns and gods. Now you can find out how far you really got.

Tempting. Let's go. Show your stuff, magic thief.

Sombra's power begins flowing through me. It feels different from any other magic I've ever stolen but it handles the same. It's only power after all, just a lot more than I'm used to. In response to the surge inside I do the only trick I know and a set of phoenix wings lights up the cavern. They are much more corporeal then usual and I experimentally jump and flap them.

"Guess you don't need a ride back," Chrysalis comments.

I don't like where this is going.

"You're not coming?"

"No. I have to prepare my hive in case something goes wrong. There is a group of elite changelings partially loyal to me in Ponyville and they might help, and there are few of us running a distraction for controlled Nightguards."

I know better than to press the subject.

"Thank you for your help, my queen," I bow, "I'd like to repay it one day."

She just laughs.

I don't want to fly to Ponyville but I don't have the luxury of running. This body is woefully weak. Weeks of sitting inside of the asylum and not doing anything after that crippled my physique a lot. I guess I have to rely on magic, what an irony.

Not sure how my broken horn works but hoping it won't randomly stop, I spread the wings and fly as fast as possible back to Ponyville... about one meter above ground.

By the time Ponyville is in clear view I'm getting the hang of flying but my legs feel like wobbly noodles. I guess my vertigo is completely uncontrollable.

A surge of interesting energy is coming from that way.

A little black arrow appears in front of me and I rise above the houses, following it.

I reach the library square just in time to see a group of ponies surrounded on all sides by Nightguards and dark spikes coming at them from a laughing black alicorn. My body reacts on its own. I guess I'm too used to a second personality or something in my head monitoring the situation and that's Sombra's job at the moment.

Drawing as much power as I can, I land and use my wings to shield the group from the attack.

Something is completely wrong. Everything touching the wings evaporates and the alicorn I think is Nightmare Moon screams with what I hope is pain. That's not the problem though. I can't control Sombra's power too well.

I have an idea.

The feeling of something splitting away from me disppears when I take a step to the side and see a shadowy form of Sombra standing there, levitating a large warmace. Breathing heavily, I let my wings get smalled and the phoenix fire envelops my entire body like armor. Sombra's power is still flowing to me but in much smaller amount that I can control.

Something is still wrong. I feel sticky inside...

... with globs of power?

Oh? I stole a bit of Nightmare's power.

Be careful.

"BLAZE!"

"DAD!"

I look behind me and can't stop my eyes from tearing up.

"Chokey! Guiding!"

The god of chaos appears, sitting on a deck chair, wearing 3D glasses and munching popcorn. Two other Discords appear and point at him.

"DISCORD!" they yell and disappear instantly. The second god stays there, silently crunching his snack and observing.

"See, Luna?" Nightmare Moon laughs, pain completely forgotten, "Even the traitor is here. Let's show him... suffering."

"You talk too much," I melt a bit of the god's power and augment my own. The burst of black-tipped phoenix flames strikes a black barrier and melts it away, spent in the process.

Not bad. Keep some of that stuff around for research.

A spear melts in the air in front of me.

"Keep the Nightguards away from us. They're just under her control!" I yell when a charging batpony gets his ribs crushed by shadow Sombra's mace.

Protect the others, Sombra! I'm going in.

Yeah, because that's smart.

Shut up an magickify something!

The key to fighting magic users is to not give them time to concentrate, so I charge Nightmare Moon head on. My flame shroud burns away everything getting too close but the longer I stay in the black cloud around the alicorn the more wrong I feel. My punches connect few times but I can feel the now familiar overdose of magic again. I have to use it somehow.

The power feels like it's melding with my body and something warns me that's not a good thing.

Jumping and punching, I'm not fighting against the alicorn that keeps shielding herself, I'm fighting against the power enveloping her. I can keep her physically on her back hoof but just remaining here will eventualy destroy me.

Use the fire on yourself!

What?

For some reason your magic takes on the characteristic of phoenix flames. They don't get burned by their fire, it burns away all impurities and revitalizes them.

Not really certain about it, I locate the sticky dark power and focus mine on it.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA, PATHETIC CREATURE!" Nightmare Moon laughs when she realizes what I'm trying to do.

It works for a second. Then the power latches onto mine and something feels completely wrong. Even more than before.

I drop to the ground as the burning of rupturing veins wrecks my body. There's a horrified scream which I'm shocked to find out isn't mine.

"YOU BASTARD! HOW? YOU'RE JUST A MORTAL!"

Through the veil of flames I look at the recoiling deity trying to douse the fire in her coat. It isn't my fire, not the golden-red one...

...these are purple-black flames.

Oops. Turns out that twisting the power of life with the deepest darkness turns it into the power of death. Go ham, I guess.

IT HURTS! Every cell in my body keeps screaming at me but I have to go on. The power that once took away my right eye keeps consuming my phoenix flames but whenever it touches me I feel a chill run through me.

Through the agony I know one thing though. This thing works against Nightmare Moon much better. Black fire destroys the Nightmare's tentacles and burns away its power as I keep punching and kicking. I go deeper and deeper and suddenly the veil of smoke is gone. Looking down at my scorched legs, I see charred bones and some remains of my bronze coat here and there.

"What are you doing here?" a whisper comes from a midnight blue alicorn lying in the eye of the hurricane of black smoke.

I try to talk by my attempt only makes ash come out of my mouth. I try to wave at her to follow me out but my leg burns off in the black fire. There's nothing protecting me anymore. The black purple-tipped flames douse everything.

Sombra, can you hear me?

I... underestimated... a god.

Good way to go though, right?

Shut up.

...

Yeah, I guess.

...

I guess my research will remain unfini-

...

United We Stand: Forgiveness

Shining Armor walked out of his tent and stretched. The changeling camp felt deserted even with the amethyst changeling queen sitting on the bench resting her chin on a pyramid made of her hooves. Past interactions between Shadowstep and Shining had been peculiar at best but the appearance of Twilight earlier had set him on edge. Ready to jump away at any second, he approached the changeling.

"Where is everypony?"

"Starlight is working on a magic circle around the Golden Oaks library. Your sister went there as well to help before the reawakened Nightmare Moon appears. Six hasn't been seen in over a week-"

Shining Armor shifted uncomfortably.

"-and Cross is doing his business."

"What's with him anyway? He's been sort of secluded last few days."

"He hurt the feelings of one of the ponies supposed to watch us and he took it hard it seems."

"Feelings? He didn't tear off his legs or something?"

"Inner wounds are more difficult to heal. He turned into the other camp leader's coltfriend to drain love from him but he didn't know the one he turned into was dead already. Things happened, Cross needs to recover from it."

"I wouldn't think a changeling would have a problem with something this small."

"You still think we are just some immoral creatures set on devouring your race. I won't try to persuade you otherwise because I don't care enough about you to do so. Cross, though, isn't a changeling."

"What? He changes into stuff all the time."

"Have you seen him without a disguise?"

Shining stopped. It was true that the first time he'd met Cross in the camp he'd proved to him he was a changeling by turning his front leg into a changeling one but that was about it.

"What is he then?"

"An experiment. He was patched together from pieces of various creatures by a dragon sorcerer. I was a part of that experiment and he's partially a changeling just because of it. Do you want to hear the whole story?"

"I'd much rather go help Twilight in Ponyville."

"When Starlight finishes the spell we will roll out whether Cross is here or not. Going against the Nightmare host unprotected is suicide."

Shining sat down at the table as well, clearing a layer of snow from the bench.

"Fine, fire away."

"I'll keep it short. Technically, the story concerns you as well."

"How come?"

"Have you ever wondered why your wife is so young when love is a force strong enough and has existed for thousands of years?"

"No, I haven't. Is she older than she looks? Am I married to Equestria's hottest MILF?"

Somewhere, queen Chrysalis suffered a minor aneurism for no reason at all.

"No. I met the previous alicorn of Love. He was a pretty cool guy actually. Unfortunately for him, he got captured by the dragon sorcerer I was talking about. The dragon wanted to create some sort of new breed or something. They can live for millenia and this guy was pretty insane in the old teapot... or he was just bored. I didn't really ask him."

"How did you get into all that?"

"He saved me from dying in the desert saying he needed an assistant. I eventually found out that I was just another one of the species he wanted to mix into his supersoldier. While I was working with him he let me feed from the alicorn of Love as much as I wanted to. Honestly, he was a sweet pony and the nicest guy you could ever meet... and do other things with, heh."

"Awww. Can changelings even fall in love? Isn't it like ponies falling in cake?"

"I'll punch you, banshee."

"Okay okay," Shining muffled a laugh with his hoof.

"It started as me just feeding on him in various disguises but I couldn't fool him and realized my mind control didn't work on him at all. I think it's a trait your wife inherited. In the end the dragon finished preparing the mixing ritual but I found out enough about it to modify it a little. I made the affected area bigger and allowed it to absorb dragonkind as well. After escaping the holding cage I lured the dragon close enough to get him affected. Every creature still in the holding cells died the second the ritual activated and it ripped out a part of my and the dragon's souls and power as well. Not being in the cells, both of us survived and saw the final product of the spell."

"Cross."

"Yeah. I gave him the name afterwards as a joke. Unfortunately for the dragon, the fading minds of his victims filled Cross with enough rage to, with my help, kill the sorcerer," Shadowstep smiled to herself.

"What's so funny?"

"I just remembered his curious face when he looked at me for the first time. He was born from blood, treachery and insanity and yet he still is pure like a foal in some aspects."

"He doesn't seem like a good soldier with that attitude. I know what we want from our guards and I'm not sure he would pass."

"And yet, he could easily shred your entire Crystal Guard to pieces. He does what I tell him to do even if he doesn't like it."

"So wait... is he somehow related to my wife?"

"Hm? Not at all. When alicorn of something dies completely for whatever reason then a new one will be born soon enough. Your wife is in no way related to him or the last alicorn of Love. It just explains why she's so young. Just imagine if she was a stallion. You'd be polishing something different from your guard chestplate."

"Celestia help me."

The crunching of snow revealed a batpony returning to the camp, head low.

"I take it the apology didn't go well," Shadowstep sighed.

"He... didn't want to talk to me at all. I can't blame him," Cross didn't even look up.

"Cheer up, sargeant. We've got some godslaying to do."

"Is Starlight ready?"

"Probably. The Nightmare's power suddenly weakened considerably. Banshee, are you coming?"

"Of course!" Shining Armor stood up, "I can't let Twilight face Nightmare Moon by herself."

"Good," Shadowstep stood up, "I'll give you a ride BUT you will obey my every order. You are temporarily under my command and you will do what I say no matter the circumstances. If I can't trust you then you can stay here."

Cross disappeared in his tent.

"All right," Shining agreed, "But-"

"No buts. I know you might be inclined to bodyblock for your sister or something stupid like that but that won't help us."

"Fine! I used to be a guard. I can obey orders."

"Good. Let's fly. Cross will catch up with us, he's faster than me. Especially with you on my back."

The blackfire explosion obliterated all tentacles, black smoke and other signs of Nightmare's power from the area.

Choking's knees gave out and she fell on the ground, eyes fixed on princess Luna lying on the ground with weak wisps of darkness swirling around her. Her mind stopped completely. She didn't care about the Nightguards attacking the rest of the group. She just watched the small pile of ash in front of Luna.

"DIE, YOU BUCKING BITCH! DIE!"

It wasn't Choking's scream, it was Guiding Light's who charged unmoving Luna. The black smoke thickned again and swatted her away. Nightmare Moon didn't reform though. It was still just princess Luna with living darkness dancing around her.

"Suppressing fire!" yelled somepony from above.

The black tendrils began moving again, slithering over Luna's coat. Bolts of violet energy began slowing the progress of the spread. Still firing salvo after salvo from her horn, Shadowtep landed and Shining Armor jumped off from her back. Cross touched down a second later.

The barrage wasn't enough to stop anything though. Shadowstep's magic made small craters in the dark bubble rising around Luna but other than that the Nightmare seemed to grow stronger again.

"Cross," Shadowstep barked, "Help with the Nightguards-"

Cross looked at Luna slumped on the ground. Something felt familiar about her. She was in agony. Not physical but mental and the Nightmare was feeding from her. He tried to look into Luna's mind but he couldn't get far, he didn't have to. The image of a dead batpony was exactly the same he knew from Heavy Hoof.

"No, you do that, commander. I... think I can end this," said Cross.

Without a word, Shadowstep turned her head and began obliterating the opposition. The second she stopped focusing on suppressing the Nightmare it began growing again.

Cross trotted over to Luna. The blows from the black tendrils hurt but he was tough enough to take them for now.

He had promised Heavy Hoof and himself he would never again shapeshift into Sharp Biscuit and disgrace his memory. His chance to stop feeling the pain he'd felt since the hunt would be gone if he failed here or if Heavy ever found out about what he was going to do. He had to break the promise to the guard who had almost killed himself fighting against him just to stop him from using Sharp's form.

Green fire swirled around him and the black tentacles stopped right before hitting him again.

Luna looked up.

"Sharp?"

Shapeshifted Cross thought about what to say.

"It's over, princess," he said soothingly.

"Have I... protected my subjects?" Luna's exhausted voice was just more than a whisper.

"Almost. You have to let me go, princess. I," Cross hesitated. The gambit began, "will be by your side but you have to look forward, not dwell in the past."

"Am I a good... princess?"

"The one and only."

Luna slowly breathed out.

The black aura around her withered away and the Nightguards wavered in their attack. Their movements slowed down and eventually they slumped on the ground.

"Phew," Cross wiped his forehead, "Scary."

Luna's eyes opened and looked straight at him.

"Thank you... whoever you are," she said and began snoring quietly.

"She won't escape this time!" growled Guiding and, fangs bared, jumped towards Luna again.

This time she stopped in mid-air, surrounded by black shadow.

In a burst of purple flames, Void appeared and lowered Guiding Light on the ground.

"You were given a chance at a high price. Do not waste it pointlessly, others need you," said his deep voice.

Guiding stopped growling. The alicorn was right. She was a leader now, she had her hive to protect, whatever little remained of it after the skirmish with Nightguards. Sending a mental command, she looked sternly at Void one last time before leaving, followed by other Nightmare changelings.

"I KNEW you wouldn't resist," Discord clapped slowly, standing up from his folding chair.

Void took a step back and flared his wings.

"Remember," Discord narrowed his eyes, "You owe me one."

A little flash of light and the god of chaos was gone. In a black flame burning itself into vapor, so was Void.

Choking, drenched in sweat and tears, ignored everypony and just went home. There was no reason to stay in Ponyville anymore. Somepony would eventually take care of Luna or they might let her freeze during the night. Choking was not so secretly hoping for the second.

A week later.

Choking had stolen the money the mercenary left in the library before he could return for it and she'd returned to Canterlot as a fairly wealthy pony.

The days had passed but sometimes she hadn't even bothered to get out of bed. In the end she'd decided to fill the emptiness inside by alcohol... a lot of it.

Here she was, in the bar called The Lucky Horseshoe, washing away the foul taste in her mouth by an even fouler concoction made by Archie Bald, the bartender.

Two wibbly ponies approached her table.

"Good evening, commander," said Heavy Hoof, a statuesque white earthpony.

"Wuzz gud 'bout it?" Choking mumbled.

"Miss Darkness," said the second pony whom Choking identified after a while as princess Luna, "I wish to speak with you."

"I wush Blaze wuz 'ere."

"I can't help with that. I wish to apologize."

"Go 'pologize yurself."

"I want you to take Sharp Biscuit's place as my bodyguard."

"Buck off."

"Sharp was there for me when I needed a friend. I don't need somepony to take care of me anymore. I need somepony who will not hesitate to slit my throat if I go wrong again."

Choking threw her mug at Luna, gaining the attention of everypony in the bar.

"Buck yoo! Buck yer job! Buck e'rything! 'NOTHER DRINK!" she waved her hoof.

Heavy shook his head and poked the princess. Their prolonged presence would do more harm than good.

Minutes passed and a hooded stranger sat down at the table.

"Wuddya want?"

"A drink," Void, in his incognito form, drew back his hood and waved at the bartender.

"Why didya save her? Why not let her rot?" Choking looked at who was basically a smaller version of the blackfire alicorn pleadingly.

"Nightmare Moon destroyed Scream's mind. She does not recognize me. She cannot talk and does not move by herself," Void rolled his lips bitterly, "I did what I thought was best."

That got through Choking's drunked haze. Void was in exactly the same situation as her... almost.

"Dun wanna be alone. Hurts too mush."

Void levitated something from his robe. It was a black feather burning weakly with purple-black fire.

"You are my friend as much as Blazing Light was and I want to help."

"Piss off wit' plumes. Can't fly 'nymore."

"If you choose to take my feather you will forget everything about Blazing. You will know what you went through but the pain of losing him will go away. I remember him telling me about your love for flight and this will give you back your wings. It is only fair since you lost yours because of him."

Choking sat there, watching the burning feather.

"Archibald's coctails are amazing. I should come here more often," Void finished his drink and stood up.

"Tell Scream she's hot," Choking smiled.

"Every single day," Void hid his face under the hood again and left.

Choking kept watching the feather.

"I shuss' want the pain to stop..."

She put her head on the table, feeling the soft and warm texture of Void's flame on her cheek. Relishing the heat penetrating her head, she drifted to sleep on the bar table.

Archibald, or Archie Bald, nudged his regular customer when it was closing time.

"Yo, Darky, wake up!"

"Hmm?" Choking shook her head.

"Time to go home."

"Oh. Thanks, Archie."

"No problem. Come again soon!"

"Sure thing."

Choking walked out of the door, ready to walk home. Her back twitched and something brushed her sides.

She looked left. A purple, almost black, pegasus wing with blackfire shimmer was where her bat wing used to be what felt like ages ago.

She looked right. A red-gold phoenix wing was there, responding to her muscle memory perfectly.

Both wings felt incredibly warm, like a pleasant, steamy bath, making her relax. She flapped them experimentally and with a jump took to Canterlot sky.

"I should apologize to the princess, there was no reason for me acting like that. Maybe the bodyguard offer still stands."

Screeching happily as wind rushed around her body once again, she sparked through the night sky.

The End: He Who Laughs Last...

Black smoke cleared, ponies left.

The wounded Nightguards were carried off to the hospital, the dead ones' closest relatives were being told the news. Shining Armor and Twilight, after being informed by Choking about the whereabouts of the missing Bearers, were dissipating the stasis spell cast by Nightmare Moon.

All in all, there were no victims of the entire incident outside of about twenty guards and Guiding Light's changelings... and one traitor, forgotten and unforgiven.

By almost everypony.

A week after Nightmare Moon's defeat, Discord, wearing a maid outfit just for the shocked looks of the villagers, was sweeping an unremarkable spot in front of the Golden Oaks library castle or whatever the thing was called now. He didn't seem to mind that his efforts only brought dust and grime onto his pan, and whistled while he worked. Whatever he was doing didn't take him long, and with a bag full of dust he disappeared in a flash.

The obsidian temple where he reappeared held fairly unpleasant memories for him. This was a place where he felt vulnerable, but if one wanted his fun to continue, one needed to take certain risks. Out of nowhere, he summoned a red button and slammed his hand into it repeatedly.

*Ding ding ding*

Black flames swirled in front of Discord in response to the sound every hotel receptionist knows.

"What do you want?" said a deep voice when the fire settled and frowning Void appeared.

Even Discord had to consciously stop the shiver running up his spine when yellow, glowing eyes focused at him. His smile was too forced this time.

"You owe me a favor, remember?"

"Sadly, I do."

Discord poured the dust out of his bag and snapped his fingers. The ash stormed and formed a body of a bronze-coated unicorn with sandy blonde mane and broken horn.

If it was possible through his midnight black coat Void would have paled as his mind put two and two together.

"Call his soul here," Discord smiled. Void's reaction reassured him slightly.

"First, what do you want with him? He has been through a lot and-"

Discord put his hands up.

"I just want to show him something and offer him a deal."

Void knew this couldn't end well, especially thanks to his recent involvement with Choking Darkness.

Sighing, he let the blue shadows of the dead envelop him. As much as he didn't want to submit Blazing Light to whatever Discord wanted, peace with the god was more important, especially with Luna and Celestia being currently very weak.

The blue tempest around Void gradually cleared up until only one shadow remained.

"Give us some privacy, please," Discord's sweet tone made Void scowl even more, but he disappeared.

"Hello, my favourite source of amusement."

My sudden intake of breath feels like cold water running through my every vein. Shaking my head, I look around.

"Whoa. What? Why am I all blue?"

"No idea. Try to cheer up and it might go away," Discord ruffles my ghostly mane.

I don't like this.

Sombra's voice somehow feels heavier. Maybe because both of us are really dead now.

What do you mean?

It's Discord.

There could be a better reason but no matter what I can't think of one.

"What's going on?" I ask, "No offense but the one time a god set her mind on me I burned to death. Not cool, I have to say."

"Let's say," Discord mused, "I intend to improve the impression. How would you feel about returning to the world?"

Is he for real? I might see Chokey again!

I still don't like this.

Couldn't care less.

"Deal! What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. Just do your thing, it's fun to watch."

Not even you can be this stupid.

Don't you understand? This is my chance to be with her again. I don't have to do anything. It's just because Discord loves to watch me get dragged into stuff. Honestly, I don't care if I have to walk through dragons this time. I WILL stay by her side... as long as she wants me to.

I'm not dissuading you from anything. I'm coming as well.

Why? I've gone through... no, just no.

I've seen the error of my ways. Yes, totally, very much so, ehm.

"What now?" I ask Discord.

"Close your eyes and you'll wake up in Ponyville. Your little bat friend returned back to Canterlot after Luna was stopped."

The only change my closed eyes make is that I see darkness instead of black obsidian.

How will you get to Canterlot without money, magic, or anything really? I can help.

NO!

You will trust him but you won't trust me when I spout obvious bullcrap?

He didn't try to kill me!

I don't want to either. I want to study you. The reason all this is even possible is because the magic of alicorn of Life remaining in you from Scream's spell allows it.

And what will happen after you're finished studying? You pop out, make an immortal body, and enslave Equestria.

You can't stop me anyway. I'll help you reach your marefriend, give you magic rivaling Luna's and let you live your life for as long as you want. You will be able to protect her from anything Discord throws at you. When you die I'll stay hidden, recuperating for few centuries and then I'll return. I couldn't care less about material wealth and influence, I just want knowledge.

He's right. Punching things won't help me if Discord decides to put me through some sort of torturous adventure for cheap giggles.

Deal.

Something cold touches my back and I can feel my coat getting wet. I'm standing in front of the Ponyville library, snow setting on me.

Go to the train station and order a ticket. I'll do the rest.

Without the keys I would have to break into our house in Ponyville, currently belonging to Bright Eye, and risk attracting attention. So... the plan is to find Chokey without alerting guards to my presence, talk to her, and decide what to do with Luna trying to kill me.

The crunching of snow under my hooves is soothing as I trot to the train station. It turns out the next train to Canterlot passes through in about half an hour. It is time to test if Sombra is at least somewhat useful. The salespony behind the station counter smiles at me trainedly.

"One ticket to Canterlot, please," I smile back, trying to keep my composure.

He blanks off for a second.

"Here it is. Have a nice trip!" he presents the piece of paper and waves me off.

Mind control sure is useful.

Getting second thoughts? I can give you any mare you desire just like that.

I don't know in which part of my head you are but I won't hesitate to bash it with a hammer if you try something like that without my permission.

Heh heh heh.

Time to enjoy the ride. The slow thumping of the train sends me to sleep almost immediately.

The door to Chokey's apartment resonates with my knocking.

"Coming!"

My heart flutters. It's here. Everything I have ever hoped and cared for is behind this door.

"Yes?" Chokey opens the door.

There are two things I don't remember. She has her wings back. Well, not her wings but a blackfire one on one side and a phoenix one on the other.

The second one is her blank stare when she looks at me.

"Hey! It's me, Blaze," I grin nervously and hug her, "What happened? You got your wings back! I-"

"Sir, calm down! I think you knocked on the wrong door," she pushes me away.

My confusion obscures the pain in my chest as her hoof pushes through me and the place she touched turns to ash.

I cough. Trying to speak reminds me of my last seeing Luna, and the dry coughing sends out just more ash. I look pleadingly at Chokey. I don't know what I'm asking for, I just want things to be what they used to.

Color drains from the world and time stops.

"Oh," Discord appears in the grey world, "I forgot to tell you your friend Void wiped her memories of you."

"Why would he do that?" for some reason I'm able to speak to him.

"Well, she couldn't deal with losing you so he gave her the choice of giving her new wings and allowing her to forget you completely. She agreed."

"She... did that... willingly?"

"Of course. After all, the only thing you brought her was pain."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"And spoil the surprise? Don't be silly."

He disappears, and an echoing laughter accompanies my body turning back into black ash.

"You should have seen the look on your face."

Discords laughter rings through my fading senses.

"Priceless!"

Prologue: A Handy Summary

[Choking's Entry]

Jeez, I've never been one to put words on paper. All this seems like overthinking stuff far too much. I guess some of his habits rubbed off me more than I would dare to admit.

Whose?

Well, there was this one unicorn who came to Canterlot few months after princess Luna's return. I worked in the Nightguard at the time as a shift manager. Nothing fancy, but it paid the bills and I got to meet a lot of hot stallion hunks who wanted a bit of an adventure with a batpony. All that firm rump just ready for plucking, and all just in my reach...

Ehm, back to the important things.

The Nightguard barracks are always cold in winter, so we begged princess Luna over and over to allow us to hire somepony to do the chore of carrying coal from the storehouse in the dungeons to the barracks regularly. How did somepony as insignificant as me get straight to the princess? Well, my friend Sharp Biscuit just happened to be princess Luna's bodyguard and the official head of the Nightguard. She messed it up by requiring that whoever got the job would do the same thing for every inhabited room in the castle. There and then we, Sharpie and I, knew nopony would be stupid enough to do it, definitely not for the money.

Somepony did - a young unicorn going by the name of Blazing Light. He was a bit weird, shy beyond all belief, but hard-working and pretty cute, in a way. Since it was me who pushed the heating agenda up the chain of command to Sharp, I got the job of being Blaze's supervisor, no additional pay included. I...

I...

At the time, things were different... and not nice. I'm not sure how to explain it. Over a year before that, even before princess Luna's return, I had a coltfriend whose name was Valiant Charge. He was charming, hot, and... incredibly possessive, which bit me in the ass really hard when I eventually wanted to split up with him. He was a high-ranked Royal Guard, the son of a noble, and he wanted me all to himself, no matter what I said. He scared away three out of four coltfriends I had over the next year, and the last one...

Let's just say he showed me some pictures. Those, and the documents about the investigation of the poor guy's "accidental" fall from the Canterlot city walls down the mountain. The Royal Guard didn't look too hard for evidence. Weirdly enough, Valiant was fine with me having one night stands with other ponies, probably because he knew that no matter what I wouldn't push the image of him out of my head whenever me and another stalion did it. I didn't.

Even here in Ponyville, so much later, I still thank whatever deity listens that Blaze chose to try to live in Canterlot of all cities.

The awkward guy I'm writing ramblings about worked his ass off night after night carrying coal all over the castle for almost no money, a single empty room in the castle, and some leftovers from the guard cantine. I gotta admit the job made him look pretty good in few weeks, but...

Bad crotch, not now!

Well, as he worked under me... mmmmmm... DAMN IT!

As he worked FOR me, I got to know him, mostly for a dumb reason of having my shower out of order and using his every day. He didn't want much from life, anything really. No plans for the future, no desires, nothing. Still, he helped me whenever I needed it without asking anything in return. As things were, queen Chrysalis was planning her invasion of Canterlot and looking for ponies in positions to help she could mind control. Blaze, with his ability to move unnoticed around the castle was one of her targets, and she cursed him to transform into a changeling.

Even now I'm not sure why, but the spell worked... weirdly.

I had no idea at the time, though, and I kept spending time with him, hoping against hope Valiant wouldn't consider Blaze important enough to bother with. I was wrong. One night, Valiant and his cronies pushed Blaze with bags of coal on his back down one of the long castle staircases. He survived, mostly thanks to him gradually transforming due to Chrysalis' curse and me "feeding" him... friendship and affection. If I loved him then how I do now I think he would have survived the sun dropping onto him.

After the incident I tried to avoid him, but he refused and wanted to learn how to fight to stand up to Valiant. With the help of Sharp Biscuit, both Blaze and I practiced unarmed combat night after night. I knew it would be pointless in case Valiant tried anything, but it was a way to spend time together.

Then Valiant and few of his friends found us during training. They forced me to watch as he beat Blaze up over and over. You see, the Nightguard didn't have the prestige it has now. So shortly after Luna's return we were considered a dead end branch of the Guard. Anything I could have said without any evidence would have just been shrugged off when it faced the word of Royal Guards. When Valiant finally got bored and tried to murder Blaze, the changeling curse took full hold, and Blaze went berserk, nearly killing Valiant and his thugs. As all of them fought him, I flew away to get help.

I found princess Luna herself, she stopped Blaze from killing the Royal Guards, interrogated all of us, and Valiant was kicked out of the Guard and banished out of Canterlot into some fortress on the Equestrian coast. Princess Celestia didn't order his execution or lifetime in prison for political reasons... nobles and all, but said that if Blaze got hurt in any unspecified way or if I said a word against him then he would hang.

Blaze, now a bronze-colored changeling, who somehow retained his mane after the transformation, became a Royal Guard trainer due to a strange old tradition saying that if one beat a trainer in a serious fight then they could become one themselves while the old one stepped down.

Later, much much later we had the chance to talk about the changeling curse, and he said that he looked the way he did because while the changelings we know now are born that way, the spell just gave some basic changeling properties to ponies, such as hard armor, the ability to feed on love as well as real food (although needing both), and the subservience to a changeling queen or king. All in all, he still looked like a unicorn, only with armor instead of a coat, sharp teeth, and saliva which made envenomed ponies lustful and obedient.

We got to know the last part about half a year later, heh.

So, Blaze became a Royal Guard trainer, unarmed combat trainer to be precise. He refused to use weapons, saying they gave power to those who had not enough control over themselves. Oh the irony. During the first few weeks, he became good friends with a recruit called Heavy Hoof, and probably the hottest pony I know. Too bad he's only into stallions. Heavy was being bullied by the other recruits for his orientation. Granted, being a Trottingham Military Academy graduate he could easily beat up anypony who picked on him, but Heavy is peaceful and really nice, so he took it badly at the time.

Remember Sharp Biscuit, the friend I used to spend every holiday with? Wonder why HE spent his holidays and vacations alone? Yeah, he was a colt cuddler as well, and Blaze knew it. Heck, all three of us showered together after night trainings so it was pretty easy to spot. If I had to hazard a guess, I think Blaze was bi-curious as well. Well, Blaze introduced Heavy to Sharp, and they became really close over the next few months. Eventually, their relationship grew to an open love between two ponies who used to be ostracised for being themselves. Let's just say that mare on mare relationships are much better recieved than stallion on stallion ones in Equestria. For batponies it's even worse, that's why I guess Sharp had moved to Canterlot in the first place.

Oh well, Blaze and I had our jobs and things were as good as they could... until I found myself a coltfriend. You see, we were still just friends at the time.

Yes, writing this, I DO have to fight with the desire to punch myself in the face over and over.

Blaze went crazy just like Valiant. He threatened what-was-his-name... wow, I actually can't even remember... well, the coltfriend guy. Don't get me wrong, I liked the guy, but when he ran away so easily after Blaze "talked" to him it bothered me. I mean, Blaze didn't even hurt him and he turned tail and ran.

I'm ranting again.

Soon after, Blaze realized what he did and put me and "the guy whose name I can't and don't really want to remember" back together, but it didn't last. Something around half a year or so. In the meantime, Blaze turned to wine. I'm not sure to what extent it hindered his job, but I stopped watching over his recruit sessions after the incident. After a series of events which I resolved as the acts of a love-starved changeling, we had a talk... and some more things.

Yeah, the thing about changeling saliva.

Then the changeling invasion happened. I'm not sure whether or not I should be proud that Blaze and Chrysalis defeated Shining Armor and Cadance, thus allowing the queen to take the alicorn's place and imprison her under the castle, but I'm sticking with yes. When Chrysalis tried to drain Blaze to death after the deed to get rid of a witness, she underestimated him.

That guy is TOUGH! Well, at least his body refuses to die. He himself... is a bit depressive. I still love him, though, although sometimes it takes a bit, a lot, of work.

With him gone before the wedding, I took over the training of his recruits. Too bad most of them could kick my ass after Blaze was done with them. I'm not too good with weapons, and I definitely can't outmuscle a trained earthpony, but I'm still a challenge. So, Blaze survived Chrysalis' attack and got to us during the changeling offensive. We managed to hold Chrysalis' forces long enough so that the Elements, prince Shining Armor, and princess Cadance could get rid of Chrysalis. On Cadance's behalf, Blaze wasn't imprisoned for treason because he had no way of resisting Chrysalis' long-prepared mind control, and everything was fine for a while.

Now comes the part I'm not too sure about, mostly because Blaze didn't talk about it much. I know the most from reading the journal he started writing on his arrival in Canterlot.

One Nightmare Night, Luna and newly ascended princess Twilight got attacked by a unicorn version of Twilight, who would have killed both of them had Blaze not intercepted a spell aimed at them. Here comes the confusing part - it wasn't MY Blaze, as I later got to know. Due to my stupidity, Blaze got hanged for attacking prince Blueblood, and his public execution in the castle gardens released a being called Void, the alicorn of Death who had been imprisoned in Tartarus ages ago.

Cool guy, actually. Really nice.

Void wanted to flee Canterlot, but Luna somehow knew this would happen. As it turned out, on Nightmare Night, the new Blaze wrote two letters Sharp Biscuit, escorting Luna to the festivities, was supposed to give to me and Luna two days later. After I got him hanged, yes, yes, but he didn't mention that part.

Well, Blaze knew he would be resurrected by an alicorn of Lust called Scream who would send him someplace called the mirror world to stop Sombra. When we met again after I got Blaze hanged, I couldn't believe my eyes, and later my ears when he explained everything.

The new Blaze told the princesses about an invasion coming from the mirror world under the rule of king Sombra who was defeated in our Equestria. This Blaze knew of a way to get to the mirror world, and said he knew how to prevent the invasion from happening. He didn't want anything from us other than helping Void in regaining his power and gathering as many soldiers as we could in the Crystal Empire where king Sombra would use the power of the Crystal Heart to link both worlds together. Only one question remained - what happened to my Blaze.

The new Blaze killed him on Nightmare Night in order to stay in this reality.

New Blaze explained he had gone through everything that happened between Nightmare Night and the invasion itself, and that he didn't want it to happen again. He said that dying quickly and painlessly was mercy inc comparison to what Blaze would have gone through, and what the new Blaze HAD gone through.

You can imagine how well I took that.

Still, upon the princesses' orders Void and I went to Tartarus to help him regain power. We got to the Crystal Empire right in the middle of the invasion. We thought we failed when Blaze appeared to be on Sombra's side and the alicorn who had revived him, Scream, was the one behind the entire deal. As it turned out, Scream was Void's eternal marefriend who was super pissed when Celestia lured Void to Tartarus and imprisoned him there eons ago. Over time, she went mad and concocted a plan which would give rise to the most brutal and dark ruler who would come from the mirror world, where he was safe from intervention, here and kill everypony in front of Celestia and then make her kill herself out of misery.

Well, the new Blaze came to this world not to save us, but to prevent Scream from dying and to get her and Void back together.

With enough of Void's power returned thanks to Blaze's early warning, he was able to stop Scream from ruining everything. When everypony was distracted, Blaze, posing as Sombra's guard, damaged the Crystal Heart belonging to the mirror world and the spell binding the two worlds together failed. Blaze, Scream, and Void remained here while the bad guys returned back to their part of the twin worlds. Void protected Scream from Celestia and Luna's retribution, and they both disappeared. Blaze, having nowhere to go and nopony to trust...

...I still remember the moment he just sat down after it was all over and looked at the sky.

I couldn't leave him be. Deep down I knew he was my Blaze, just one who had been through much more, and I offered to keep an eye on him. Well, I demanded it as a reward for my role in saving Equestria (hanging around for few hours with the alicorn of Death). I think I got lucky on that one.

With the first invasion over, yeah FIRST, Blaze and I took the train from the Crystal Empire back to Canterlot.

It got attacked. Color me surprised...

It wasn't all bad. It appears that during Blaze's jumping between dimensions (before he reached mine and killed my... nevermind) he got into a lot of trouble and some of it followed him here. Our train, full of soldiers, got hijacked by about thirty strange changelings led by a queen who proclaimed herself to be Blaze's daughter. He explained that in one reality he was forced by Nightmare Moon to create a breed of changelings who could wipe out the entire world. According to those who followed Blaze here, they had succeeded... and starved to death. Out of some cosmic sense of humor, Blaze's daughter is a pretty decent mage and she was able to reconstruct the spell which sent Blaze through realities, trace him, and appear here. When it turned out the ten (the fight on the train wasn't that easy for them) remaining Nightmare changelings (yes, probably the worst name for public relations EVER!) just wanted some place where they wouldn't starve, and that they were willing to accept literally any terms, the princesses allowed them to stay in Canterlot and learn about Equestria. Since they were treated as things by Nightmare Moon, they had no names or anything, so Blaze named their queen Guiding Light. He didn't name the rest because he couldn't come up with ten more on the spot.

Still, things went back to normal-ish. I mean, minus the little detail that I now lived with my friend's murderer who was actually the same friend and... yeah, lover. As I said, I don't like overthinking stuff.

Unfortunately, there is thing thing called the Tree of Harmony deep in the Everfree forest, which is the reason I'm writing this. Equus consists of two worlds, our one and the mirror one, which are not naturally connected. Ponies can temporarily visit the other world using sufficiently strong magic, but their time there is limited to days at most. However, there are landmarks in each world which are the same and hold enough power, or 'unchangeability', that they can be catalysts for linking the worlds permanently.

You get it, Crystal Heart and Tree of Harmony.

Mirror Sombra wasn't sleeping after his failure, and with his Crystal Heart damaged, he found another way to invade. Why? I have no idea. Scream was out of the picture and, loosely speaking, on our side for helping Void, so Sombra had to have his own agenda. First, he sent assassins who attacked me and Blaze in my Canterlot apartment. Blaze got badly hurt and ended up in the castle infirmary. He wasn't hurt badly enough to stop him from defending princess Celestia when she got attacked, but one of the assassins took him back to the mirror world. All he said was: "Don't look her in the eyes."

Only I know this part, nopony else. That's why I am here in Ponyville and not back in Canterlot. You see, Blaze led the second invasion under Sombra's command, and I am sure he was being under some sort of spell. Unfortunately, that doesn't matter anymore.

During the attack coming from the Everfree portal Blaze killed Sharp Biscuit who was trying to defend queen Chrysalis (who was reluctantly pondering whether or not to accept the peace offering from princess Cadance). Before Luna's and Chrysalis' forces had to retreat from a losing fight, Luna cursed Blaze with her alicorn power, banishing him from the realm of sleep.

Blaze had at most two weeks before going insane or dying from sleep deprivation.

Sombra's forces took over Canterlot where I met Blaze and found out that Sombra had no intention of turning the second invasion into a massacre like the first one was supposed to be. When Blaze, even under Sombra's control, promised me that neither I nor anypony who wasn't resisting would be hurt on his watch I knew that deep down it was still him. I promised myself I would stay by his side as long as I could.

It wasn't much. In a few days Canterlot fell completely and the princesses retreated to the Crystal Empire, leaving Canterlot with Sombra's garrison. Last thing I know was that the Crystal Empire fell, Sombra got the Crystal Heart, and with his new power linked the portal between the worlds to himself.

Without any warning, all of Sombra's soldiers disappeared. According to princess Twilight's research it is impossible for things to remain permanently in a world where they didn't come from, and they can last only as long as either a spell, or a stable point of connection exists.

Do you get it, or are you like everypony else, like Luna, like Heavy?

SOMETHING happened to Sombra, and I know Blaze was the cause. Who else would be able to get rid of him?

The other thing that supports my theory is that all the things on the wrong side of the portal appear at their original world at the place of connection. When the invaders mysteriously disappeared, all the stolen belongings and loot appeared scattered around the Everfree portal.

Swords, jewels, gold...

...one weird unicorn.

REAL unicorn, not a changeling, looking exactly like Blaze used to, just without a cutie mark. He couldn't talk or didn't seem to react to anything that was going on around him, he just followed two guards patrolling the place back to Ponyville, where they dropped him off at the asylum, assuming he was just some guy who couldn't mentally handle the attack and broke down. I might just be feeding my misery by taking care of a poor sod who only looks similar, or it might be him and he'll never be more than a scared, drooling, colt again, but I have to know.

So here I am, in a small town, having left my job out of fear that coming here often would leave a trace which Luna could follow and finish her job. All he did was for them, and when he was vulnerable they declared him an enemy.

Luna, Heavy, Celestia, Twilight, everypony, if you as much as look at him the wrong way then you will pay!

[End Entry]

Broken Hearts: The One In Pain

It is in your moments of decision when your destiny is shaped.

The place wasn't dark, it was just black as the eye could see with any shape of a different color being visible from far away. Not that it mattered, the only inhabitants were two unicorns, one bronze with sandy-blonde mane and one grey with long, flowing black mane somehow contrasting with the blackness of their surroundings. There, of course, were still many corpses of copies of the bronze unicorn lying around.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?" growled Sombra.

"I gave up years ago, now I'm just doing what I feel like doing," Blaze smiled, breathing heavily.

Sombra cursed again and threw a suddenly materialized chair at Blaze who just rolled away. As much as this place was unfamiliar to the king he was getting better at using his magic here and driving the previous owner into a corner. He knew the twists and drawbacks of the visualization spell. He knew that every wound he sustained or inflicted here would change his chances at finally possessing this body.

He knew that with his power and knowledge he would win eventually.

The 'eventually' was beginning to bother him. The stupid, powerless unicorn was resisting him for way too long with having the home-ground advantage. He'd survived all the possibilities Sombra had shown him and for some weird reason the images of his own death didn't concern the bronze unicorn in the slightest. Well, they had broken him for a while but before Sombra could finish him off another copy had stopped him.

"Disappear already!" the king screamed in frustration and burned away the fragments around him

"You're trying to kill all memories of me failing myself and others. I have millions of those. Every single day there was a way of me failing my parents, friends or others."

"Then I WILL BREAK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!"

"You will, you are strong, determined and willful... everything I've never been able to be."

"At last you realize you will lose."

"I can't lose anymore. I lost long time ago. You have to realize there is nothing for you to take from me."

"YOUR BODY! ARE YOU DEAF? ARE YOU SO BRAINDEAD YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU ALL THIS TIME?"

Blazing was growing worried his only hope would fail. In his last moments in the Crystal Castle he'd truly wanted to live. He'd wanted to get rid of Sombra and return home to Chokey, stuff her face full of mango and then kiss the juice off her. After first few exchanges of blows with the king he knew that would never happen.

The king was too strong. Blaze wasn't the one to fight fair though and his strength lay in planning and forethought. Unfortunately for him, right now he was fighting an enemy so much stronger that all his predictions were ending with his death. There was one crucial thing Blaze had always believed though.

You learn nothing from victory, only in defeat you can improve yourself and Blaze was learning very quickly right now.

"And that's how the ugly duckling became the regent of Canterlot," I conclude the daily storytelling session.

The unexpected ending is followed by rustling of a blanket and a bronze head peeks out wearing a confused expression. My mouth opens at the first sign of clarity in the unicorn's eyes but I'm careful not to move too fast or say anything too loud.

Just like that I catch Blaze's gaze and smile softly. He backs off a bit but slowly sits up. I wasn't really trying to do anything special today with the reading but it's been three days since I recieved Blaze's diary and my mind has been elsewhere even during our storytelling time. Well, I guess anypony would be confused how a story about my short trip to Tartarus ended with a bird becoming royalty or just the sheer stupidity was able to break through the normally blank eyes of Blazing Light.

I raise my hoof and when he twitches I back off again. I was hoping the brief moment would be more than just some shadow of a feeling or something but apparently I was wrong. I'm not sure though because for the first time in weeks I feel like he's watching me, not just staring somewhere else with me in the way.

"Blaze?"

No reaction, just silence.

"Love?" I lean in.

He leans back again but when I don't back away again he raises a hoof and touches the tuft of hair on the tip of my ear. That's one of the more visible marks differentiating batponies from the more usual three races. A small problem raises with me being veeeery ticklish at that spot.

I snort, he twitches. I think I'm getting used to it. The key is not forcing the issue but persevere. He twitches again when I do the same thing to him and then pat his head but the next thing he does is touch my coat without hesitation. I wonder why until he scratches his neck and then runs his hoof through my coat again.

"Yeah, batponies do have shorter coats. It's a remnant from times when we used to hunt prey in the forest and didn't want our coats to get tangled in something. Well, that goes more for blood-drinkers than me but nopony cares about keeping the bloodline pure... mostly."

It pisses me off that I still don't know whether he's reacting to my words, my voice, my presence or something completely different but more than that I'm happy to see at least something instead of just an empty shell. I gotta admit the foal-like wonder in his eyes after finding out our coats are different feels... amazing.

"I'd love to stay but miss Pearl is trying to make friends with the potted plants in the hall and I have to stop her before she gets to the cactus. I'll be back tomorrow, Blaze."

Even if he somehow comes back he'll never know how happy I was the moment he didn't shy away when I hugged him.

That's why I try to feel his warmth wrapped in my legs for as long as I can.

"OW!" comes from the outside.

"Buck... I gotta call Redheart now."

Amusing the old lady long enough for the nurse to come gives me enough time to think. If there is a chance for Blaze to get better then I can't leave Heavy to brood over Sharpie's death. I have to talk to him before he decides to tell Luna. If he's done that already then I'll be walking into a trap I might not come out of.

The blue eyes staring in amazement at my ears flash through my head.

I've never killed anypony, aside from changelings during the invasion, but at this point I won't hesitate to delete any threat to Blaze. Especially from somepony who didn't do a single thing to either help him save us all or protect him from becoming a what caused his fall. I test the hidden blades in my horseshoes.

"You're a friend, Heavy, but if you do or did something too stupid..."

Fulfilling that would be much easier if he wasn't a hundred times better fighter than me at all aspects.

Decided not to wait another day, I walk through the daily slog on autopilot and stop at home before moonrise. My knocking on the door of the bedroom closet wakes up my housemate.

"Yes?" asks Doomie, rubbing her eyes.

"I have to go out this evening and there's a good chance I won't be able to come back. In case I'm not back within few days this place is yours. Deeds are in the old desk in the storeroom and the key is in the kitchen. You've been very helpful in cleaning this place up and I don't want it to go to waste."

"Help?"

"No. If everything's okay then I'll be back soon and if not then you won't be able to help anyway."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault. Thanks for keeping me company."

"Was fun."

I eat an apple before I leave. It's not too late but with winter in full swing it's dark already. It's also cold as the beds in Stalliongrad but I can't afford to put on any clothes because they might rustle and I need my ears unobstructed and ready. The message said there was a camp in the Sweet Apple Acres but unfortunately I can't fly to find it quickly.

Any semblance of stealth goes out of the window when I reach the huge orchard covering ground everywhere the eye can see and the frozen grass under my hooves crunches with every step. Looking around, I spot a light that isn't coming from the direction of the Apple family dwelling. As quietly as possible, which isn't too much, I walk towards it and when I pass through the wall of trees I get to a clearing with a campfire and a white, blue-maned pony sitting with his back turned to me.

The pony doesn't even move when I sneak up on him from behind and press a blade to his neck.

"No sudden moves," I whisper.

"What?" says a very different voice from the one I was expecting.

I draw the blade back and realize my captive isn't an earthpony but a familiar unicorn.

"P-p-prince Shining Armor?" I jump backwards right into the hooves of somepony who restrains me without hurting me but leaving zero chance for movement. Shining turns around.

"You look familiar and from your expression I guess you were looking for somepony else. Care to explain before my friend here decides to have a late night snack?"

"I-I thought... I'm looking for an earthpony, blue, white, no horn, bigger, more muscular," I stutter out.

"Ah," an amused male voice behind my ear chuckles and I'm released, "An understandable mistake."

"She might be lying, Cross," comments Shining Armor. Contrary to his statement he doesn't seem worried at all.

"Even so, she isn't dangerous at all."

I examine the figure that was holding me a while ago. It's a batpony with spiky, dark purple mane and classic yellow eyes-

-he's not a batpony. The rumors about a group of changelings near Ponyville make themselves get remembered.

"You're a changeling, mister... Cross, was it?" I ask.

"You've got good eyes, lady. I pride myself on my disguise."

"Firstly, your bulky build says 'fruit-eater' but the thin and long fangs scream 'blood-drinker'. To be honest they are way too long even for that. I guess they are made to look scary to others but to a real batpony it's like a kick in the head. Your wings are too big, almost pegasus-sized who can go faster thanks to their higher drag but bat wings are better for mid-air agility. Plus there is your lack of cutie mark-"

"That one's intentional. Peace treaty requirements," interrupts Cross.

"In short, you look like somepony who took the batpony elements and improved them to fit what he wanted."

The fake batpony bows slightly.

"Let me repay you for that insight. If you were looking for an earthpony of similar color as prince Shining here then you've got the wrong camp," he points to a larger hill overlooking this place, "This place has a clear line of sight of Ponyville and one obvious scouting weakness which is that hill from where somepony could watch us while mostly hidden. That's where you'll be heading."

"Wow, you've thought of the chance of somepony being better than you and turned it into an advantage?"

"You can't win every fight, young lady, but knowing your position and turning your weaknesses into strong points helps a lot."

"Erm... thanks. By the way, how good are you at martial arts?" is my last question brought to life by a familiar saying.

"I've spent over two hundred years in the Griffon Empire. I might not be a grandmaster but I think I could tie your legs around your chest," Cross smiles.

I grin to myself and leave the 'batpony' who pulls out a pair of mittens and sits down at the table next to the firepit where Shining Armor is sitting.

His little saying made me wonder how somepony could be cool-headed enough to do a thing like that. Cross, as a changeling, might be old and experienced enough to do that but how could somepony like Blaze have achieved that level of self-reflection?

Maybe one day I'll understand but for now I have to make sure there is at least some possibility of going that far.

I don't even get a chance to sneak on the earthpony I've been looking for who is sitting cross-legged with his back to the fire. As soon as I take few careful steps through the grass his eyes open and focus on me.

"Come here and sit down, Darky. It's cold out there."

Heavy has no idea that the tone of his voice when he began talking made me shiver more than the weather ever could.

Cards on the Table: All Sides of the Story

Yesterday had been exhausting.

So early after her reawakening, Nightmare Moon had overestimated her abilities severely. The castle staff didn't know what to do so they continued their duties as if everything was normal. To them it actually was. Princess Celestia was still being guarded in the infirmary wing. Princess Luna was still the temporary ruler of Equestria. Princess Twilight was still on the run from the law.

The castle was closed for business though. The Nightmare was being forced by the existence of Elements of Harmony to act via a host and yesterday had almost made Luna die. She had a fairly good idea why Void wasn't going after her because their fight in this world would result in her certain loss but also the end of life itself. Thanks to knowing the extent of his power now she was sure the alicorn of Death would not interfere with her plans. Her attacking him had been an almost fatal mistake.

The alliance with Discord was out of the question then, no big deal. The important thing now was to regain strength and take out the Element bearers. The Nightmare could still feel the power of the Elements and knew the stupid mercenary didn't do his job. Still, she knew where the Bearers were and if she could use a stasis spell to put them outside of time and take out the alicorn of Magic then there would be nopony capable of stopping her.

First things first though. Even gods needed their breakfast.

Thanks to Luna's dream protection being gone the Nightmare had been able to recover some strength overnight but she needed something more. Everypony was afraid of something and that was a feast to the god. Nightmare Moon let her her power flow through the minds of ponies in Canterlot and relished the feeling of every worry, every bit of paranoia and every little insecurity. It took very little encouragment to make those grow stronger and stronger, completely overtake the minds of ponies and break them into edible chunks.

It might kill some of them but there would be many more eventually. The world will belong to the Nightmare again-

"Still alive and kicking, I see," mumbled Nightmare Moon when something repelled her scouting presence in the mind of ponies.

As long as the smallest part of me keeps breathing I will stand in your way, beast.

"You do realize all this is your fault, right? You brough this on them just because Blazing Light got captured by Sombra after saving your sister. You didn't bother even for a second to find out the truth and kept following your revenge even after the invasion."

I...

"Don't take me wrong. I am THANKING you, little girl. You have no idea how much more difficult everything would have been if you weren't the host. Now stop pretending you're something more than a bloodthirsty murderer and I will keep a little bit of your mind around until I find Sharp's killer and flay him alive. I will even give you the honor of ripping out his still beating heart. Don't deny you wouldn't enjoy that."

No! I have to at least talk to him now. I was wrong! WRONG! WRONG!

"He did kill him though. Right in front of you," Nightmare Moon grinned when she felt Luna's emotions change again. No matter how Luna presented herself she was still a very emotional being and thus easy to manipulate.

I... I will not let you devour my subjects. It is the only thing I can do... I won't fail them anymore.

The second attempt at making Canterlot ponies go insane en masse failed.

Nightmare Moon growled. So many obstacles were in her way. Void was insignificant, Scream was insignificant, Luna was insignificant, Twilight was even less of an problem but all of them just kept slowing her.

A deep breath was in order.

She would win, eventually. That was inevitable. The only threat remaining were the still living Element bearers who might unite under Twilight Sparkle. How could she have forgotten that?

The power of Twilight herself was nothing. Nightmare Moon just had to get to Ponyville as fast as possible. Using Luna's vast magical knowledge she created a circle of power that would take time to charge but would also allow her to relocate into Ponyville without wasting too much of her hosts strength.

Time wasn't on her side but there was still the small possibility of the mercenary slitting the fillies' throats and ending all threat to Nightmare Moon forever.

The world around Twilight was barely visible through her tears. She sat down, hugged her knees and just aimlessly rocked back and forth.

"I left them there... I left them there," she kept mumbling.

"Twily?" the voice wasn't familiar, it was so deeply ingraved in Twilight's head that familiar wouldn't do it justice.

Twilight sniffed.

"Shiny?" she rubbed her eyes.

She wasn't in her library. She was currently sitting in the snow and there were four ponies watching her. Correction - two unicorns, one batpony and a changeling queen, not Chrysalis though.

None of that mattered right now though.

"SHINYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Twilight rushed to her brother and began sobbing into his coat.

"What's wrong, Twily? I heard... things," Shining Armor hugged Twilight. No matter the rumors about her there was no way he wouldn't be there for his sister when she needed him.

"Nightmare Moon possessed princess Luna. Princess Celestia is still in Canterlot. We fought her but I had to run away. They tore him to pieces..."

It didn't make much sense but what little it did was ominous.

"Who, Twily?"

Shining grabbed Twilight's shoulders and made her look at him. The panic in her eyes was something he'd seen in guards after their first fight to the death before. Mostly after the changeling invasion of Canterlot and then after Sombra's incursions. That look made him certain that nothing the news said about her was true.

Twilight gathered herself slightly.

"Princess Celestia sent me to negotiate peace with Guiding Light's swarm. When I found out what happened we came back to Canterlot with Guiding's body double and two guards originally sent to arrest me. All of them are dead... they die- sacrificed themselves so I could run away from the castle."

"Twily..."

"Help, BBBFF."

"I don't know what to do, Twily. You've dealt with Nightmare Moon before."

Twilight stopped. She wasn't the terrified unicorn she'd been when she met Nightmare Moon for the first time. Her body was shaking, she was sweating but the lingering warmth of her brother brought her mind out of the depths of darkness and self-pity.

"Elements of Harmony. We need to gather my friends."

The four figures around her exchanged glances.

"Twily... I don't know how to say it."

"No... no no no no no no no no."

"All your friends disappeared recently. Nopony knows where they are."

The wet streams on Twilight's face were back and no amount of hugging would stop them.

"Enough of this," said calm but firm voice and an amethyst colored aura of magic yanked at Twilight's head, turning it to look into the changeling queen's eyes of the same color.

"Shadowstep-" Shining Armor began.

"Leave us."

"No. She's my sist-"

Shadowstep didn't look away from Twilight.

"Cross! Keep the prince company in your tent."

A green outline of an invisible horn shimmered on the batpony's head as he somehow levitated struggling Shining Armor up and left with him. Twilight was left there with the white unicorn curiously resembling Rarity and Shadowstep.

"Nightmare Moon has a powerful host, right?" Shadowstep asked in a voice that had to be obeyed.

Twilight nodded.

"What do you think, Starlight?" Shadowstep shortly nodded to the unicorn mare standing by her side.

"Awww, is the mighty military brain out of ideas?" sneered Starlight.

Shadowstep ignored her.

"As you MIGHT or might not remember, some of us aren't old, senile changelings," Starlight frowned when Shadowstep kept ignoring her stabs, "It is possible to either kill Nightmare's host or purify it. To do so it's necessary to restrain the host and limit Nightmare's power. Fortunately, after getting my rump kicked by Cromach I spent a lot of time devising a countermeasure."

"Erm..." Twilight coughed, not understanding much that was being said.

"One of our... friends used to be a host for the Nightmare and we had no choice but to kill him," Shadowstep explained, "He was a griffon though and he didn't have any natural magic or special abilities. The current host is a very powerful alicorn but the same principles should apply."

"Whoa there, commander," Starlight objected, "I suggest we do NOT try that. My following suggestion is that we move out of Equestria. I mean... I think the northern wastelands might look amazing during this time of year. I could go on draining love of polar bears for a while... until the Nightmare gets bored."

"Cross!" called Shadowstep, "You listening?"

The batpony's purple-maned head poked out of his tent.

"Erm, commander... for once I have to agree with Starlight. Trying to stop the Nightmare's host without enough time to prepare, an army and preferrably the Elements sound like a suicide."

"You don't remember what happened last time?" Shadowstep's steel expression allowed a little... grin?

"No, commander. I fainted after losing most of my blood. It sort of makes me averse to doing it again. Polar bears or not, let's move to the Crystal Empire. I heard they have a love machine there."

"Not happening."

"Alright, let's go south. I hate deserts but if we go far enough we might get to the other pole. No god would look for us there."

"We're helping. That's an order."

Cross just sighed and saluted.

"Yes, commander."

"YOU'RE KIDDING-"

"Shut up, Starlight," Cross stopped her.

The unicorn mare huffed angrily and began bashing her head into a wooden table.

Twilight finally had time to look around.

She was in a small camp with four tents. The table currently being attacked by Starlight was situated right next to a fire pit in the middle of the camp clearing.

Cross approached Shadowstep, his head hung low.

"Are you really set on doing this, commander?"

"Do you intend to disobey me, sargeant Cross?"

"My life is yours."

"It isn't."

"Now I know you're lying," Cross grinned.

"You know me... crazy, unpredictable tactician," Shadowstep smiled warmly.

"Let me just do something first. I have an apology to make."

"You're off-duty tonight. I'll make Starlight stand on watch once in my life even if I have to burn down her tent and shackle her to the table."

Cross ran away into the darkness surrounding the camp accompanied by slow thumping coming from the table.

"I hate to break it to you but I think you won't see him again," Starlight snickered.

"Then we are truly and utterly boned. Your tent, now!"

Without explanation, Shadowstep disappeared into the only ornately decorated tent in the camp. Starlight just sighed.

"Why don't you, I don't know, pull your brother out of Cross' tent and take him off our hooves. Adults are going to work."

The disgust in every Starlight's word was almost tangible.

"Pfff... Element of Worthlessness," she mumbled before zipping up the tent flaps.

Twilight would be mad if Starlight wasn't just mirroring what was in her head.

Icy Gaze wasn't too handy with a mop because cleaning up after the job had usually been somepony else's problem. Still, it was necessary to wipe his blood from the entrance hall in case he had to leave quickly and without a trace so he was currently trying to do what needed to be done. Yes, he should have done it yesterday but he hadn't been able to do more than write a report, have a shower and fall asleep. He had woken up after a night full of nightmares about zombies going after his throat and with heavy eyelids he'd decided to get rid of his worries by work, as usual.

The dried blood took a while to clean up because he'd managed to spread it all over the library during last night. Bandaging his wounds took less time as it was something he was more than used to doing. At the moment he was sitting at the desk in Twilight's room and staring at the wall.

He should bring the fillies downstairs some food but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Monsters were one thing. A pony couldn't pass through any larger forest in Equestria without eventually meeting hydras, wyrms, phoenixes or the occasional changeling. Magic was something else as well. Griffons and non-unicorns in certain line of business had methods of dealing with magic users but an enemy who could disappear instantly, shrugged off a stab through the heart as if it was nothing and didn't rely on concentration of magic was something else.

In short, Icy was afraid of opening the cellar door again even to just shove a plate of sandwiches inside. The problem was that the Bearers might be gone already, at least the possibility was there. Every breath was steadier than the last as Icy's mind worked. Fire was useful in many circumstances concerning supernatural beings and might work here, plus he still had the remains of his ether bottle.

Blue flames burst out of the solar seal on the table in front of him, leaving a letter behind. Icy read it. He read it again. He read the short letter for the third time.

"Kill five little fillies?" he mumbled, "And they know about me..."

He drummed his hooves on the table. Funnily enough, he was calmer now. The direct threat against him was way more... normal than whatever the crazy Bearer was.

"Think! Think! Think!"

He would have to disappear, that was certain. The only question that remained was whether he had the guts to kill the Bearers or not. He was still young, most mercenaries were. It was a 'profession' that wasn't kind to slow ponies. Come to think of it, Icy had never seen a hired blade older than forty five. Future didn't really worry him. One of the first things he'd learned was never to make friends and never to plan ahead. A merc would work until he died and everypony knew it. There were exceptions to that rule but those were very, very rare.

His employer knew about his past in the Griffon Empire but Icy was sure his own knowledge about the conflicts of this world was superior. The untapped possibilities of the southern land of zebras suddenly called out to him. There was always some warlord or a nation in need of protection there.

No...

He couldn't kill the little girls but now he didn't have to stay around them anymore. Even after paying Mayor Mare for the information and all other expenses he still had most of the advance payment and the second ten thousand was way too risky to get.

His things were prepared to be immediately packed and after not even five minutes he was taking the stairs down to the entrance hall, ready to disappear from Equestria.

"Going somewhere?"

A wingless batpony mare was standing between him and the door. He knew her. Not personally, of course, but he'd followed her quite often during his stay in Ponyville. Her red mane, now dishevelled and sweaty, her charcoal black coat and her red eyes with slit pupils staring at him with a mixture of pure hatred and thirst for blood proved that his original target knew about his attempts at finding her in this town.

Choking Darkness jingled the set of lockpicks in her mouth.

"You're not the only one who can use these."

Icy Gaze was in no mood to waste time and both of his original targets were to be captured OR killed. Revealing the lance hidden under his large wing, Icy took a step forward.

"I'm leaving. I was supposed to find you and Blazing Light and tell my employer where you were. You should sort out your problems first before wasting time here. I'm sure somepony is on the way to get you."

"YOU RUINED OUR ONLY CHANCE AT BEING TOGETHER!"

Icy's world shattered as the batpony's high-pitched screech ripped through his eardrums.

Choking didn't care anymore. Blaze was under Chrysalis' protection at the moment, the Nightguards were swarming through Ponyville and Luna would inevitably follow them and find her. Right now she just wanted to murder the pony responsible for all this and saw the opportunity. She pounced at the stunned pegasus.

Icy's reactions were quick enough to dodge Choking's charge but his size didn't allow him to turn when she slipped past and punched his side, right where one of the bandaged wounds was revealing his weak point. The batpony was fast but not too much faster than him. She was in a different world concerning the contest of agility though.

With a swing of his wing he jumped backwards to create some distance and get his lance ready.

"Stop! The letter with my mission objectives stated you were preferrably to be found alive. I captured the Element bearers and they are in the cellar behind me. If you free them you will undoubtedly get some good points with whoever wants you."

"Oh?" Choking raised an eyebrow and slowly walked towards Icy, eyes locked on the promise of freedom.

The pegasus realized his mistake right as sharp pain spread from his side.

Choking jumped away from him, revealing a set of blades attached to her front horseshoes that slid back when she touched the floor.

"Like I care," Choking blurred as she twirled around him again.

She was much smaller than Icy and a swipe of his wing threw her off balance, allowing him to take a wild stab with his lance. Choking, still wobbling, wasn't able to dodge and the thin steel weapon pierced her shoulder.

"Okay, now listen to me, girl-" began Icy.

The memory of being attacked by crazy Pinkie Pie returned as Choking pushed herself forward, forcing the lance clean through, buried her fangs into his neck, cut a part of his wing off with one horseshoe blade and buried the other one in his chest again.

"No, you listen to me, pretty face!" Choking twisted the blade inside him, "You have no idea what Blaze has been through and if I can't protect him then I can at least avenge him! I might not be able to reach Luna but I can slit your throat no problem."

"Luna?" Icy Gaze groaned, red lights pulsating before his eyes, "I... I think Celestia hired me. The talisman... in my bag."

Ignoring the blood from multiple sources pooling on the floor, Choking slit Icy's bag open with one hoof, straddled his chest and pulled out an ornate piece of metal on a chain. It bore the seal of the moon which Choking easily recognized from her days in the Nightguard.

"You mean THIS?" she pushed the item into Icy's face.

"I... I... but... it looked different. It used to be the solar seal of Celestia."

The lights in the hall flickered and died down. A glowing blue circle formed, bringing with it the form of a black alicorn in steel armor adorned with the same moon that was on the amulet.

Choking had been only a recruit when Nightmare Moon was defeated but she'd seen pictures. Being the daughter of leaders of the Cult of Luna, she knew the shadowy presence rather quickly taking shape in front of her. Wincing at the pain, she ripped out the lance from her shoulder and started running.

"Have fun with your employer, pretty face," she grinned sadistically as she cleared the library entrance.

Icy was in a bad shape but there was one thing on his mind - he didn't want to be here. Everything had gone pear-shaped in minutes and he was able to only grab his weapon and a little gold before the shape in the summoning circle became unpleasantly solid.

Outside, he almost ran into Choking who was standing still. The library square was full of armed Nightguards looking straight at them.