Author's Note

Sorry everyone. For those who don't know I live out in the Santee area and the protests have gotten out of hand so sorry I was late for my promised 7pm update. Anyways here is the next chapter that will start to set the scene for what's to come. Hope you enjoy!

Journal Entry 10,245

Journal Entry 10,245 A Successful Diversion

As i write this down a detachment of my hollowed and undead army is invading Canterlot. Word from the front General is that it was a very successful attack. There were minimal casualties on both sides and I’m happy to hear from my changeling spies in the Canterlot Courts that fear of another attack has forced Celestia and Luna to direct their forces back to Canterlot.

While Ponyville didn’t go as I planned my ultimate goal was realized. The traitor and her family were taken care of before my plan was unveiled to anyone. What troubles me is that the report from the mole hasn’t been found yet. I have my best agent turning Ponyville inside out to find it. If he can’t find it then I fear the worst is yet to come.

Be that as it may, I have a backup plan just in case Celestia or anyone finds out my true plan. I fear that my ally Radiant Hope may betray me when the time comes. In truth I feel dealing with her will be more troublesome than dealing with the Elements of Harmony and my old friend the Fire Keeper, Loreane. I never thought she’d take a name for herself being a Fire Keeper, but then again Loreane isn’t like others. She’s open minded and very understanding.

Ironic…

Everything is going so right for me, but things rarely go right this long without complications. I have my strike force assembled and waiting near the Crystal Empire. Now, all I need to do is get the Elements of Harmony there so Radiant Hope fulfills the prophecy of the Crystal Heart.

Had I known the Hearts importance down the road I never would have let Sombra destroy Princess Amore. What’s worse yet is Chrysalis. She has yet to comprehend what it is I plan to do for her changelings and herself. If all goes well then the changelings will be no more and I’ll have the one true means to purging the Darkness from our world forever and maintain a perfect balance.

If it doesn’t work I fear what will become of the world.

I need to plan in case everything fails. The Abyss won’t stay idly by when I go through with this. I might have to make a trip to the Empire to oversee this. I can’t entrust anyone with this. It’s something I should see through and I intend too.

*End Entry*

*Canterlot*

Twilight and her friends along with several refugees got off the Friendship Express to see a partially ruined Canterlot. While they train was in motion the ponies on the train noticed the flames coming from the great capital of Equestria. As one tower fell to the depths below the ponies feared the worst. Arriving to see that the city was still relatively intact gave them a sense of hope as they tried to make way to a refugee camp in the center of the city.

From there on the Elements of Harmony gathered with Starlight and Spike to decide what to do next. They sat in a circle in a nearby tavern where ponies gathered to drink eat and talk the terrible day away. They themselves ordered food and drink, but after getting their emails nopony felt hungry enough to eat anything.

Starlight pushed her food away and sighed heavily staring at the floor. Spike and the others did so too.
When Spike pushed his food away he patted Starlight on the back, rubbing her gently making her smile at him.

“Thanks. I really needed that Spike,” She said sincerely to him, rubbing his green head scales.

“Heh, nothing to it. Just helping you out, Starlight,” He then raised his claw up and added quickly. “Hey! I know what we should go see Sunburst! I bet he’d loved to see us after everything that’s happened!”

Starlight suddenly got a worried look and quickly ran out of the tavern and into Canterlot. Spike got up to follow but was stopped by twilight’s magic. He glanced over to her as she gave a worried look at him.

“SPike I need you to listen to me,” Twilight said with a dead serious look and tone. “If the worst should have happened-”

“Twilight I know Sunburst is fine,” Spike interrupted her crossing his arms.

“I want to believe it too Spike, but these humans… they aren’t like us or the humans we know back in Canterlot High,” She warned him, as she let him go from her magical grasp. “I just want you to look out for her if the worst should come to pass. I don’t want Starlight to relapse into her old self again. Please, be supportive and if anything happens come straight back to here Spike.”

“Gotcha. I’ll look out for her,” Spike said running off, but stopped at the door as a few injured ponie s passed him. “Also, I think you don’t give Starlight enough credit. She's strong Twilight. I know she is.”

Twilight got a funny look on her face but allowed Spike to go after he spoke. Sighing in defeat twilight slide her food to herself and started eating slowly. The others joined eating their food in silence.

Meanwhile Spike had caught up with Starlight who was staring at Sunburst home. The door was wide open with a huge scorch mark on it. The hinge was broken off and part of the doorframe was missing too. Starlight gulped and took a shaky step forward when Spike walked beside her and offer a supportive nudge. Starlight smiled at him and took a deep calming breath. She felt her heart rate drop dramatically from the breathing exercise she got from twilight, feeling a sense of relief and calm flow over herself.

She and Spike cautiously walked inside.

The interior was a complete mess. Books were everywhere. There was blood all over the place and bodies of undead humans all around. The smell of rotten flesh and decay was overwhelming it made even Spike gag. Starlight and Spike cautiously stepped around the bodies until the unicron decided to fly over them instead. Starlight lifted Spike on her back and lifted herself with her own magic to take flight, floating just above the rotten corpses.

Quickly they searched the house but found no trace of Sunburst anywhere. After a rather extensive search they looked around to see why the undead humans were here. As they did they noticed several books were inside knapsacks on the undead soldiers. Taking a peek they noticed the books were mostly on crystals and unusual geographical anomalies, as well as advanced magical theories and mathematics.

Picking up a time to read it Starlight asked Spike, “What do you think they were looking for?”

“No idea,” Spike said looking at a book. “But I think they were looking for something up north.”

Starlight stopped reading and looked down at the dragon. “Why do you say that?”

Spike held of several book sin his claws and offered them to Starlight. Taking them in her magical aura Starlight glanced over each cover and realized what She meant.

“All these books on geography seem to be focused on the northern part of Equestria.” She said.

Spike nodded. “Yeup. And I'll bet they wanted to find Sunburst too.” He said conspiratorially.

He blushed after seeing Starlight go pale and quickly amended his statement.

“But I’m sure he’s fine! Starlight!” He shook the mare getting her attention. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll see. Nothing bad happened to Sunburst.”

Starlight smiled at him as the color returned to her. She felt a slight burning in her cheeks and she hugged the little dragon. He normally would have squirmed away but felt oddly attracted to Starlight’s warm embrace and hugged her neck back. After a minute they broke apart and Spike suggested they leave to tell the others what they found.
Making haste they left the house and went straight back to the tavern. When they arrived the group was done eating and getting ready to move out when STarlight and SPike burst through the doors.

“Girls! You gotta see this!” Starlight said flying over to them.

Starlight landed next to twilight and gave several of the books to her. The group had a variation of reactions to the books. Applejack and Rainbow didn’t see any relevance to the book's, Rarity and Fluttershy were curious, and Pinkies was Pinkie. Twilight however didn’t seem to catch on to what was being shown to her.

“I don’t get it Starlight? I thought you were going to Sunbursts house? Where is he, and what do these books have to do with it?” Twilight asked setting the book down.

Starlight took a minute to gather their thoughts before replying.

“Spike and I went to Sunbursts home. It was trashed and he wasn’t there,” Starlight said halfheartedly.

The group gasped and gathered around her to offer a supportive hug. Starlight happily took the group hug and hugged back.

“Thanks, but that’s not all we found. Turns out there were more undead humans inside. Not like the ones we fought in Ponyville, but more like common soldiers,” She explained. “They had very old broken armor and shattered weapons. By the looks of it they were gathering books on the north looking for some sort of geographical or possibly geological anomaly.”

Twilight took this and went deep into thought.

“The only place I’ve heard of up north is the Crystal Empire. Could the humans be looking for something there?” Twilight asked wondering if the Empire was the next target.

“What should we do Twilight?” Starlight asked.

Twilight looked to her student and walked forward of the group. They watched her stand tall and firm flaring her wings out.

“Girls, we’re going to the Crystal Empire," Twilight said looking to Spike. "Spike, take a letter."

Spike pulled out a small parchment and a quill form behind his back. "Ready."

"Dear Trixie..."