Halo: The Final solution

"You know I can instantly teleport us their right?" discord stated, his arms crossed and his face in a look of grumpiness and boredom.

"Discord, some ponies have never been in a war before, especially one with aliens from another planet, or at least taken the lives of others. This could cause their mentality to become unstable, being surrounded by so much violence,...death, and......gore. It could even cause them to have permanent psychological damage" this caused discord to slump down and grumble a little.

Catching a part of what she said, fluttershy looked at the gold on her forehooves. The Dragon Claws.

Taken the lives of others...Taken the lives of others...Taken the lives of others

Fluttershy had ran into Daring Do during her stay at Jai-pone. The end result wasn't good, in fact, 'wasn't good' wasn't at level with what had happened back there. It was so vivid yet hazy at the same time. She didn't even remember what had set her off, it just happened, a outburst of sudden rage and hatred. It was a sign that a part of her was replaced by......something else, something violent. Fluttershy shut her eyes as the sounds were starting again, the sounds of something else.

(Growling)

(Whimpering)

(Flesh being singed and torn)

(Screaming)

Before the it could escalate she was pulled from those thoughts by rarity.

"Huh?"

"Are you all right fluttershy, something seems to be troubling you," the white uunicorn said, concerned about her friend as she looked like she was in a trance.

"Just some bad memories," she answered.

"Oh," taking the hint, rarity didn't question any further.

"So your the one that took her place huh?" the orange juggernaut asked.

"Yeah, heh heh," lightning dust replied nervously. It wasn't the fact that she almost got them killed, but the fact that afterwards she hated rainbow with the utmost intensity, that is, until spitfire came to her to offering the position that rainbow was in after her apparent death. Knowing that her death was what got her back into the wonderbolts was very shocking to her. Through all the difficulties she had after the academy incident she only wanted her to feel the pain she endured and humiliate her. But this. She had never wanted her to die.

Spitfire, Soarin, Lightning Dust, and Fleetfoot were sent as a small security detail. Soarin was dozing off on one of the seats, spitfire was checking her weapon whilst scanning the train car, lightning dust, she was having a conversation with applejack, the only pony who knew rainbow dash's competitive side first hand, and fleetfoot sitting on a seat in a calm and collected manner with her eyes closed.

"Why're ya so nervous?" she looked at the orange mare again,

"Well...it's just that...I had ill intent against rainbow dash after she got me kicked out of the academy. Except now...I'm back in and this time I actually have a position among them but... at the cost of her life...I never wanted her to die." The turquoise pegasus looked down at the floor in shame.

"It's alright, you didn't cause her death or had anything to do about it,"

"Who said that?!" The turquoise mare looked around the train car. Mostly everyone was asleep.

"Me," Lightning dust slowly looked up. On the ceiling, there was something attached to it. It looked like a dark entity resembling death with sharp teeth and a pair of fangs. A scream was beginning to rise in lightning's throat, but before it could reach a level that would wake everybody up, the thing pounced on her and placed a hoof over her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

The muffled screaming prompting fleetfoot to pull out a handle, said handle suddenly started making a noise similar to ice freezing over something rapidly and a blade started forming with ice particles and an ice fog. Aiming the blade to impale the attacker. Three red, claw-like, fingers suddenly appeared on one of the thing's arm and grabbed the blade. The three stayed like that for a minute before the dark entity removed it's hoof from lightning dust and pulled away a mask, revealing itself to be fluttershy.

"Jeez, I thought you were planning on slitting her throat." Fleetfoot said sheathing her sword. Lightning dust started calming down.

"Anywaaays," applejack said, catching their attention, "What's up with you guys?" she asked hinting at their armor.

"After the Celestial and Lunar Guards were mobilized into a military force the New Army Project directors set their sites on us," the snow white mare said. The wonderbolts and the directors didn't get along well. The reason for that is they didn't like them showing up and expecting them to be instantly follow their orders the moment they showed up without questioning their authority. Not to mention that there were suspicions about them using the cadets and newbies for experiments. This, of course, was after twilight and shining armor left the project in the hooves of the directors. As some of the wonderbolts did some of investigating of their own, the directors grew worried and started locking down areas affiliated with the wonderbolts.

This, unfortunately, got the attention of twilight. Attempting to see the cause of the lock downs, she was denied access, with the directors simply stating "Everything is under control". Twilight, knowing well about cliche lines in books and stories, understand that what they said was actually "We're hiding something horrible and don't want you to find out about it". Provoking her to sneak into the main headquarters of the wonderbolts.

Learning about the atrocities twilight formed a coup to get rid of the directors. They were never heard or seen again. The N.A.P. was never dissolved, but given new directors. Twilight appointed Night Fury as an overseer for the directors, gave her higher authority than them, and gave her a special command in case history repeated itself. As for the wonderbolts, twilight gave spitfire the position to direct the reorganization. They were dubbed The Elementals.

Fluttershy instantly noticed the similarities in color schemes with their armors and the dragon armor she saw from spike and his fellow dragons.

"So...what can you guys do?" applejack asked, wanting to know their combat capabilities.

"Well, we can--,"

"--manipulate your respective elements." they turned to fluttershy. "Sorry your color schemes and your misnomer The Elementals, given to you by the ponies you saved, not to mention they saw your abilities too, kinda gave it away. That and you pulling out a weapon that matches your biological colors that you were born with and the snowflake your cutie mark has," the yellow mare explained her interruption.

"Wow, your friend has some good observational skills," she said to applejack. "Also where'd you get those," she pointed to the gold on her fore hooves, "they look like they belong in a museum, yet how the heck do they do that!" she pointed to the three digits on her hooves.

"I got it from a temple in Jai-pone," the samurai pony simply said.

"Hmm," fleetfoot pondered on that.

"Listen sugarcube, her life took a turn for the worst at one point after it happened, so let's just leave it at that ya hear?" the farm pony said.

Fleetfoot sighed, "Alright," she chuckled right after, "crazy how one pony can change the entire world we live in."

"Yeah, for better...or for worse," the farm pony agreed.

It was midnight with luna's moon in middle of the dark-blue sky filled with bright stars. It was a beautiful yet everypony was sleeping, everypony on the train, except for the ones who were running it of course. All the ponies on the train car were asleep, all except one.

Fluttershy was at the back of the train car, leaning on the railing and staring up, not at the moon, but at the stars. Stars, whose light shone all the way from space, millions of miles away. What was so intriguing about them? Why did she get that same feeling she got from staring at the cloudominium? What could it be? What could it be? What could it be?

"Hey, uh, you out here?"

"Yes Lightning Dust, I am," she answered back to the voice.

"H-How'd you know it was me?" she asked in surprise, as she leaned on the railing next to her.

"I could smell," the yellow mare replied with a smirk.

"Ookay. Anyyways what are you doing out here? Trouble sleeping?" lightning dust inquired.

"No, I fear if I go to sleep I will strange dreams, a nightmare of sorts," she answered her fellow pegasus' question.

"Oh,"

"......"

"......"

"How come you can't sleep?" the nocturnal pony asked a question of her own.

"It still bothers me that her death was how I got into the wonderbolts and sleeping right there with her friends, who I nearly killed!" lightning dust looked down over the railing at the tracks that seemed like they could go on forever. Fluttershy embraced the other pegasus and nuzzled her.

"At least you know when things are taken too far," the pink maned one said, consoling the other mare. They stayed like that for a while. "Hmm, you know you almost look like her or at least like her equal,"

"Yeah, I kinda got that message clearly when your pink friend thought I was a reincarnation of her or something like that,"

"Rainbow would've actually enjoyed your friendship," she said, using her first and oldest best friend's name for the first time ever since.

"What?" lightning dust was caught off guard by this. 'Could she have really?'

"Yeah she revealed to me only because I was least expected to hide something. She told me about you, although she couldn't get some of your colors right," fluttershy chuckled at that, "she liked your manestyle, more so that little piece that was seperated from the rest of your smoothly combed down mane," fluttershy started petting her mane, "all those times where nopony got hurt and you two having were just having an awesome time with each other. She said it felt like finding somepony who understood the world like her, like finding somepony who is the same as her,...like finding a sister,"

"Aren't you a bit jealous of that. I mean you two knew each other for so long,"

"I can't be jealous of that now and I couldn't have been jealous then because I didn't see life's perspective like her...or you,"

"......What were you like before all this," she asked, curious of how the mare consoling her was like.

"I was shy, easy to scare, loved animals, not very athletic, and I probably didn't know the word violence even existed," fluttershy described her old self. She smiled at the memories of what she used to be.

"Wow, I never knew you were like that," lightning paused for a moment. "When spitfire tore off that emblem from my cadet uniform it felt like she tore out my heart instead and my world was ending...but I never thought somepony like rainbow actually felt..alone,"

"Rainbow especially liked that trail you leave behind. She showed deep regret towards saying goodbye to you in a bad way," lightning's guilt returned.

"Oh gee I--,"

"I had an anger slowly building up inside of me. I really, secretly hated Applejack, Twilight, and Rarity. They would always make jokes about her intelligence and they would always take advantage of it sometimes. She sometimes got depressed and came to me for support, she didn't have a mother so she would subconsciously call me mommy sometimes. The point is her ego, her pride, her achievements. It was all she had. Her tough personality had become a shell, as the real her had withered away. I would always give her a potion to make her forget whatever had happened completely,"

"I...I had no idea,"

"She never knew anything, since I built her semi-perfect reality for her and tended to her. The reality she lived in was a lie, a mask I put on her to protect her from...those three. I was beacon the only of hope she had...but you," fluttershy hugged lightning dust tighter, "you were the only salvation she had. After the academy she said she told me she had nightmares that involved you turning away from her and leaving," lightning was crying now.

"I---I was worth that much to her?"

"After she fully forgot she would have dreams about an angel, a green one......Green, a color she could easily mix up with turquoise,"

"I--I--," she burst into tears. Fluttershy lead her back into the train car.

"Soon her shell hardened enough that she didn't need me anymore," she whispered to her, "and she had forgotten completely. Even I forgot, that is until her death," she laid lightning on her bed and continued to whisper to her, "I forgave them when I saw how much she meant to the three of them and so now it is up to time to show us what will happen next," lightning had finally lost consciousness, being overtaken by sleep. Fluttershy got into her bed before whispering four last words "Good night Dusty dearest."

Everything was weird. There were images flashing left and right. Creatures were bowing to some sort of angel. Planets were being scorched into nothing but glass. Gigantic metal objects in space were destroying each other. Dead and living were both being turned into highly grotesque monstrosities. Living things were being reduced to ash piles by metal creatures. A conflict escalating where both sides were using not only weapons of mass destruction, but weapons of planetary destruction as well. Soldiers and innocent alike were both being slaughtered without mercy. There was blood sprayed all over the place, dismembered limbs were on the floor, corpse strung up, some of them missing their spines and skulls. Suddenly a blue light started shining. It was starting to raise in temperature and soon it raised to a point where the feeling of being slowly burned alive started to become relevant.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!"

"Twilight wake up! Your having a nightmare!" Twilight opened her eyes to see starlight in front of her, holding her by the shoulders. She could see it was day via the sunlight pouring in from the windows.

"What--What happened?" she said while catching her breath.

"You were having a nightmare. You just kept tossing and turning and then it looked like you were struggling against something that was holding you down," she exhaled in relief, "you were starting to scare me when you started screaming."

"It was weird nightmare," twilight said, rubbing her forehead, "There were machines, monsters, annihilation, war, destruction, genocide, and some sort of benevolent force?"

"Well whatever it was about we'll figure out later, because we finally arrived," starlight pulled twilight to her hooves, "Come on!" They walked out of the train to be welcomed by the winter air of the Crystal Empire.

"CON' SARN IT fluttershy! That was not funny!" twilight turned to see fluttershy snickering and applejack staring down at her, obviously angry. "Twilight was having a nightmare and while that was happening, you were having a laughing fit. What's wrong with ya'll," Fluttershy looked up at her and smirked with one half-lidded eye. She quickly turned around and in a sing song-y voice said,

"Not-gonna-tell-you!" this infuriated her even more. Fluttershy walked up to discord.

"NOW can I teleport!" he said.

"Sure," she simply answered. He was about to snap his fingers, but before he did fluttershy stuck her tongue out and blew raspberry at her friends and smirked, this time with a devilish, tooth-y grin and both her eyes half-lidded. Rarity gasped at her friends un-characteristic like manner. Before anybody can say anything about it, fluttershy disappeared with discord.

====================================================================================================

"What was that dear fluttershy? I have never seen you act that way before," he said, pointing his finger at her and grinning just like how she smirked at her friends, clearly loving this side of fluttershy. She merely looked up at him and simply uttered two words,

"Dashie Dearest."

"Oh. That. Oh well. I suppose I would be treating them like that too if was the only who knew how their little jokes would affect you in a similar manner," the two walked in the castles halls in silence for a moment or two.

"Discord can you sense it?"

"Yes. Yes I can," discord started laughing sinister-ly, "You are strong in the force young fluttershy. Something is rising. Something powerful," his voice had changed twice when he said that, "Ian Mcdiarmid, Revenge of the Sith. With a hint of Corey Burton from the Clone Wars," they both disappeared into another hallway.

====================================================================================================

Applejack was seething, "What has gotten into that mare!" at the corner of her eye she could see pinkie pie and lightning dust standing next to each other. Pinkie pie was whistling in a suspicious manner. "Hey pinkie pie! Do ya know anythang," she asked. All of a sudden,

"Nopony breaks a pinkie promise!!" in the blink of an eye she zipped off towards the castle. The only other pony left was lightning dust. Applejack got up in her face,

"You! I know there's something going on here and you and fluttershy have gotten awfully close in the span of one day," applejack went nose-to-nose with her.

"So what?" she forced her back while still being nose-to-nose. Her elemental augmentation allowing such a feat, especially on a giant like her.

"So ya must know somethin'. What. Is. It?" they were locked in place for a few minutes before lightning dust looked down in defeat and sighed.

"Fine. I'll tell you," applejack smirked in satisfaction. "It's...None of your business," she took to the skies and flew off towards the castle. Applejack boiled over and exploded.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..."

"Oh dear," twilight exclaimed as her earth pony friend continued screaming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wait, why do I have to take care take care of Flurry Heart? Where are you guys going?" shining armor turned around as he was putting on his armor. It was reforged to look semi-similar to the new armor.

"Look Sunburst I need you to watch over her while we go on a mission okay?"

"What kind of mission?" shining armor sighed,

"A diplomatic mission to the Frozen North," he let these words sink in.

"Wha-What? What?!" shining armor grabbed his sword and sheathed it on his back. Shining armor would have sparring matches with his guards. The sword's blade had a thick dark blue aura around it with cyan electric bolts traveling towards the blade's point in random patterns and purple star-shaped particles floating around the blade. The handle was long, it had two wing guards, and on both sides where the blade met the handle was a purple star with black trim on top of the wings. The handle and wings were both gold with crystal black trim and a handle grip. The sword was known well for the reverberating, metallic pinging noise it makes when being swung, more so when blade-locking since it made a continuous ping. "Look you can't be serious there's a reason why nopony's even attempted to travel to the The Frozen North!"

"It's more than just a mission. If things go bad some of us might not make and I don't even know what will happen next so please, take care of her," he crossed horns with him and created a telepathic link between the two. "A hoof-full of guards and changelings will be here to guard the empire okay?" he nodded his head, "Alright then come on Thorax, mobilize your soldiers we're leaving in a little bit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So you're a general in the Chrysalis' army?" lightning dust questioned.

"General and Co-ruler of the changelings native to equetria," thorax corrected her.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You mean there are more than just you guys in equestria?''

"Yeah, because of our insectoid nature we are able to identify any changeling in disguise or not. We're able to identify changelings who are related to the queen regardless of them being born from another hive or having a completely different appearance.

"Like you? I mean during many of my tours I saw only black changelings and they all were the same height, but you, you're completely different. You're taller, you're gold, you a have blue wing-like tail, you have those three white things on your chest, your eyes are different, and you have those horn-like mandibles on your head,''

"Well I wouldn't go that far, besides, I was originally a black one too you know,"

"Well how'd you get like that?" she questioned his origins.

"Don't know, metamorphosis of some sort. Evolution? Mutation? I don't know it just happened I formed a cocoon, or chrysalis if you will, and climbed out looking like this, heck, it even happened in front spike when he was visiting and he freaked out. Everypony started freaking when this began to happen to the changelings around equestria,''

"Hmm, well it does explain a lot. Like when the moment see them again they look colorful and some of them have different traits similar to other bugs or arthropods," lightning looked behind her, "Although, I have to say your kids look pretty awesome." They heard the door to the meeting room open.

"Hey guys we're here!" starlight called out. Spike came through the doors first.

"Hey thorax!" spike waved to his changeling friend.

"Hey spike--um, whats with the block of crystal?" he asked when he saw starlight levitating a block a large block of crystal.

"Huu haa--It's--huu haa--a long--huu haa--story,'' twilight said. She was levitaing applejack's armor and weapons.

"Hey uncle spike!" a bunch of voices greeted spike.

"How're the kids thorax?"

"They're doing great, albeit they have yet to mature fully despite their size.

"But they're still old enough to give themselves names,"

Truth be told they he had a lot of kids. Phantom was black with blue flame-like aura, had blue bio-luminescent patterns on his body, and a scorpion tail. He can turn invisible, shoot paralyzing or hallucinogenic poison from his stinger, and somehow launch a fungal growth that will grow into and act like some sort of organic automated turret.

Inferno was similar to phantom except he was a bit bulkier, had a few thorns, and his color was red. He was able to spit out a highly concentrated stream of red glowing lava-acid from his stinger, secrete toxic red vapors from his body, and spit out lava-acid that, if it misses it's target will act like a gas bomb.

Rainbow was named after rainbow because her appearance always changed colors. She had a pair of large moth wings with beautiful patterns and colors on them. She was able to create solid clones, make illusions with her wings, and camouflage.

Kamikaze was much like his sister except he was hyper active and his colors would switch based on his emotions. He can secrete an unknown amount of chemicals and spit out organic bombs.

Web and silk were both twin brother and sister. Like their father they both had a yellow/gold carapace, red on their hooves, horns, and the tips of four extra appendages on their backs, and black eyes, moth wings, and extra appendages. They both can spit out highly sticky web and highly thin yet incredibly strong silk, jump great heights, albeit unnecessary due to them having wings, and were lightning fast.

Bonez named himself this because most of his carapace was white and the the thorns he had. On his thorns and hooves was a pinkish red hue. He had two mantis appendages on his back and an armored tail that can extend to an unbelievable length with a wasp stinger at the end, resembling a spine.

Crazy was also hyper active. She was full on yellow and blue. She had the ability to generate electricity and possessed extreme speeds.

Pinkie pie liked spending time with crazy and kamikaze, which was a no brainer.

"Fluttershy dear, we need to talk about how you've been acting lately," rarity said as she walked past everybody towards her. Fluttershy merely smirked. Before rarity could say more she was pulled away by spike.

"Uh, guys what's going on with fluttershy, she's been acting a bit like how discord," thorax whispered to them

"Can we take this down the hall, or maybe further, because I'm prettee sure we all of know she's got super hearing right?"

"Agreed,"

"I think after years of whatever she's experienced may have gotten to her head," starlight theorized.

"Oorr maybe it was rainbow dash's death and she's taking it out on us," rarity offered her own opinion.

"Guys I don't think it was any of it," spike cut in, "First: She would have taken it out on me and twilight. Second: We know next to nothing about rainbow and fluttershy, their past I mean. Did rainbow have any parents? What was her childhood like? What was fluttershy's like? Did she have any parents? What did those two do together during their time before they met us? What did they do when we weren't around,"

"Spike is right this thing may run deeper than we know," twilight agreed. 'Wow spike sure has learned a lot from me,'

"Then the only course of action we have is to give fluttershy some space, because if this is true then this really is something personal to her and beyond our comprehension,"

"Putting it simply this is a friendship problem that we can't solve..." she looked at all of them, "...huh this is incredible we've overcome so many obstacles solved so many friendship problems and here we are," rarity summed it all up.

"In an even more simpler way: Your friendship is practically dying," they all looked at thorax, "What? Changelings can sense emotions. Right know there is a tremendous amount of hatred and anger venting off of fluttershy. It is ancient, powerful, and...Malevolent, and it's directed towards you, rarity, and applejack,"

"Ancient? Malevolent? It is clear that we are way in over our heads--Wait, directed towards twilight, rarity, and applejack?"

"So this has been going on for a while and it involves the three of us," twilight tried to put it all together.

"That's it!" they turned towards starlight this time.

"What is?" twilight questioned her apprentice.

"The three of you were all critical of rainbow dash. Applejack: She thought rainbow was insensitive and took things too far. Rarity: You thought rainbow dash was un-lady-like and rude. Twilight: You thought rainbow had poor education because she didn't care about it and that she was lazy,"

"And with all of you not knowing anything personal of her or of her past, you thought they were her own decisions, but if something happened in her past then that's what's been influencing her choices all along, and she probably only shared her past with her first friend, who she could fully trust, Fluttershy!" spike concluded starlight's theory.

"And I can clearly remember the jokes we made about her and the things she was known to be terrible at, just about now... Um, whoops?" twilight added.

"Thorax, didn't you say something about her anger being Malevolent?" rarity asked, remembering thorax's description of fluttershy's emotion.

"........."

"........."

"........."

"........."

"........."

"Yeah let's give her some space,"

"Wait, has anypony seen sunset?"

====================================================================================================

Hmph, taking on you will be like taking on spitfire, a unicorn spitfire that is," lightning stated.

"Don't underestimate your opponent," sunset informed her. She struck first as she made a fiery sphere, the size of a boulder form, and herald it at lightning. It impacted right on target. "What the?" Sunset squinted her eyes trying to see past the steam. There was no body not even tracks indicating she had maneuvered out of the way.

"You're the one that's underestimating your opponent," sunset's eyes widened at that whisper. She immediately whirled around and swung her twin swords at an angle, creating two waves of fire that hit thin air. 'how did she get--

"Tsk, tsk you," she turned around to see her waving at her. --behind me,' She swung again and when the wave actually hit it's target, lightning merely smirked before she dissipated. 'An afterimage?' She noticed something in the air. A whistle. She turned her head towards the sound. She was in complete shock. Two electric bolts, one green and one blue, were coming at her, both in sync with each other.
Before she knew it she was hit by them. Electricity coursed through her entire body, making her movement lock up, stunning her her. She exhaled as the after affect died off.

(Whistling)

She was struck again, this time she felt multiple stings around her body. She exhaled again. She crossed her words together and made an X with them. The symbols started glowing yellow. A circle of fire soon formed around her. Sunset's horn glowed, she created a yellow bubble around her, her wounds were healing. 'Alright that should cause her to attack again,' She closed her eyes.

'Focus,'

(Whistling)

Sunset opened her eyes. 'Impossible!' What was attacking her wasn't bolts of electricity like she had expected. It was lightning herself! Lightning's image was phasing in and out of her sight, any faster and she wouldn't have been able to see her. Sunset's eyes widened when she looked at what was in lightning's other hoof. Along side her sword was a blue lightning bolt!

Sunset realized she was distracting herself and braced. Lightning blew past the wall of fire and impacted with sunset. Only her sword was pressed against both of sunset's. She pushed away from lightning. Soon the wall of fire became wider and taller.

"So, you finally caught on. Told you. You were the one who underestimated your opponent," she smiled, "Shall we?" Sunset raised her arm, positioning one of her swords in front of her face, vertically. She twirled the sword in her hoof while straightening her arm, completing the sword salute.

"Let's," With a smile of savage glee lightning phased towards sunset and jumped, spinning with both her weapons outstretched, in mid air. The first strike came from her sword. It knocked away her swords, sunset brought them up again. The second strike came from the lightning bolt, when it clashed with her swords sunset was stunned by an electric current that traveled through out her body. Taking this chance, lightning performed a double sweep. The first sweep knocked her off her hooves. The second sweep was a strong one, it hit her square in the face, right before she hit the ground.

She stood back up when she stopped rolling from the kick. She wiped away the blood that from her nose. "Alright, play time is officially over," sunsets horn glowed yellow. The same color enveloped lightning like a aura.

"Aw, crap," lightning was dragged across the snow, a trail of snow flying into the air as a result. Sunset slammed her against the snow, over and over again, each time more stronger than the last. Finally she drooped. She formed a fireball right above the crater, where she laid. What followed next was a column of orange and yellow energy beam rising, continuously, into the sky.

Sunset took a minute or two to catch her breath, smiling with satisfaction.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. (sigh) Heh," sunset turned towards the crater. Lightning was walking out of it! A green aura surrounded the turquoise mare. "Wow. You actually managed to scratch me," she said. Lightning spat out blood from her mouth, a small, thin trail of it running down the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, your probably wondering how I'm able to have this aura around myself when only unicorns and alicorns are able to do that," lightning chuckled, "Well there's something special about my elemental augmentation," lightning let sunset ponder about it for a moment or two, "Along side the ability to manipulate all forms of electricity, I. Have the ability to manipulate neuro electricity,"

At the mention of neuro sunset realized what she was truly in for. Lightning spread her arms and let out a deafening scream as a huge gust of wind blew away the barrier of fire they were in.

"Well, looks like I was the one who underestimated the opponent," sunset said to herself as he looked at lightning dust. She was glowing green like an angel with blue electricity coursing all over her body. Sunset pulled out a strange pendant. She opened it and upon it's opening large amounts of energy spewed out. Sunset suddenly sprouted two fiery wings and was surrounded by a yellow light.

"Bring it!" she called out to her adversary. Lightning smirked.

====================================================================================================

"Hey guys, sorry about being gone for a little while. Me and sunset were just having a few lessons?" lightning peaked her head through the door into the meeting room.

"What kind of lessons where you two having exactly?" twilight questioned her, not believing that lightning was one to be interested in sitting around and listen to someone explain something.

"Well," lightning entered the room, revealing sunset on her back, "I'm pretty sure they were called combat lessons."

Twilight let out an irritated sigh.

"Is everpony prepared?" Celestia called out to her subjects, fellow princesses, allies, and soldiers. They all gave their agreements.

"Well then. Let us begin our journey,"

The large force began it's trek through the snow. It seemed endless, like it was a giant Snow-Desert.

"Hey fleetfoot, didn't you tell stories about the Frozen North?" Soarin asked remembering her saying bizarre things about the place.

"Yep. I did. And they weren't stories. The reason I know so much about this place was because my ancestors used to live here," she explained, as if it was the simplest thing.

"Wow. Didn't see that coming," he stated, not expecting to find out about this from fleetfoot.

"Yeah. There's nothing dangerous out here......Except for Ice Dragons, Ice wolves, Snow Beasts, Yeti's, Savage dog tribes, Spirit Wendigos, Wendigos, Frost-Demons, and the Legend of the Ice Guardians. Giant beings who protect the treasures left behind by the Lords of Winter,"

"Wait you said spirit wendigos and wendigos. What does that mean?"

"It means that there was the wendigos that caused the unnatural winter in you land and the wendigos that were originally ponies," soarin's eyes widened at what she said. "It happens when ponies commit acts of cannibalism. There they start to deform into wendigos. When they mature they grow out claws, wings, canine teeth, spikes and horns. All of which are made of Ice and diamond,"

"Jeez life must be tough out here for anypony or thing that lives here,"

"Yeah and when they fully mature you get frost-demons," fleetfoot looked back at soarin.

"You know, maybe this trip isn't worth it. I mean there is a risk we could all run out of food and--," soarin's fearful rant was cut off by fleetfoot.

"It only applies to ponies native to the frozen north. You have nothing to fear," soarin sighed in relief. "Except we got a problem,"

"I don't wanna ask but what?" soarin said in an exaggerated tone.

"One thousand years ago there was a forest, it was once a place of great memories. Memories of family and friends...It soon turned into a nightmare as the frost-demons made an action so evil and sinful, that the name of forest became The Forest of Whispers,"

"What-what happened?" soarin questioned, fearful of what he would hear next.

"They...mated with the populace," fleetfoot said, barely above a whisper.

"What?" fleetfoot's face hardened. "You mean that your kind had-had--," soarin couldn't finish his sentence.

"It wasn't the end of it. Mares gave birth to ghostly children. The Snow-Ghosts. They were white, misty, and blue eyed. They didn't need sleep, didn't need to eat or drink. Heck wherever they go a cold chill follows them. They were soon exiled back to the forest and everything quieted down," fleetfoot paused for a moment.

"So that was it right?" fleetfoot looked over to night fury, who was next to luna.

"No, it wasn't. A strange mare came to the frozen north, an outsider. When the word had gotten out, it was revealed that she escaped while the crystal empire was being attacked," fleetfoot paused again.

"Hey you don't think..." he implied when he looked at the captain of the lunar soldiers.

"She was often looked at like she was an abomination, rumors spread that she was a child of darkness............Then one day she had conceived a child. The father was a frost-demon, so they say,"

"This is where it all hits the fan isn't it?"

"The child was a strange one. It caused a sickness to hit the village it resided in. Ponies couldn't sleep. Other ponies died off from a strange radiation poisoning. The child itself was rarely seen, just a blur of black and white. A few years after the birth of the child, the mother and the child had both disappeared--."

"Uh, fleetfoot," soarin pointed his hoof behind her. Fleetfoot turned around and went nose-to-nose with a insane-looking, purple alicorn.

====================================================================================================

"Hey! It isn't my fault!" thorax countered spikes claim.

"Hey, just saying: It is a little weird that all of your offspring have abilities that are for combat purposes," spike defended his claim.

"Well it isn't my fault, nor was it chrysalis'. I mean we can't just choose when to have a normal changeling or not, and unfortunately they were all born as warrior-drones and to top it all off, warrior-drones, when they have not reached adolescence, tend to have a certain, instinctual need to enter combat in service to their higher-ups or the royalty they serve," thorax finished his little history lesson on his race.

"Jeez, it must be tough huh? You know keeping them out of trouble and all that," spike said to his changeling friend.

"Yep it is," thorax chuckled, "I wouldn't even be able to prevent them from coming along by locking them up in a "all purpose cell", besides they weren't exactly born with their abilities, but when they started getting smarter their instincts kicked in and they started forming their own styles of combat." Thorax looked back at his brood. He was having trouble being at ease, especially since his children were following him and chrysalis into a, possible, suicide mission.

====================================================================================================

"Are we there yet?"

"No,"

"Are we there yet?"

"No,"

"Are we there yet?"

"No,"

"Are we there yet?"

"No,"

"Are we there yet?"

"No,"

"Are we there yet?"

"No!"

"Are we there yet?"

"Pinkie pie, ah' swear if you say that one more time ah'ma another fit!"

"............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................are weee there...yyyeet,"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...,"

"OH NO! Twilight! Starlight!--Hey! Have you ever noticed how your names rhyme, and how you two are almost have the same personalities?--Applejack is having another fit again! Ooh, and Starlight and Sunset's last names rhyme; Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer. (Gasp), have you guys ever noticed that all three of you are almost the same; all three of you have studied magic on an advanced level, all three of you have magic on an advanced level, all three of you have manes with more than one color on it, all three of you are--well technically were unicorns, all three of you have cutie marks that involve astral bodies, all three of you are very smart, all three of you know lots of spells, all three of you are very very smart, and all three have last names that involve something shining!"

"Ugh,"

"Ugh,"

"Ugh,"

"Wow, your a lot like surprise, pinkie pie. Isn't that right surprise?"

"Yay!"

"Hey, I almost didn't see your text and did you just reference Amaimon, also, Mr. Author, could change the text back to normal? It's gonna get confusing since some characters have the same colors,"

Eh, alright then I'm actually getting kinda tired of doing that and--Wait a minute! When did I type that part of your speech in?!

You didn't. I'm Pinkie Pie remember?

I knew I should've heeded the warnings about typing in your speech--Oh! Now look what made type in! (Groan)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We are now returning to your regularly scheduled program.

"I did! Do you know about Blue Exorcist too!" surprise asked.

"I do! Oh, also lightning dust!"

"What?"

"Did I ever tell you how much you and rainbow dash are the same?"

"Yeah, you did. It was when you first saw me...and, of course, I do remember the bone crushing-hug you gave me,"

"Oh, whoopsies. (Gasp) Hey guys have you ever noticed...

====================================================================================================

"Sister?"

"Yes luna?"

"Don't you think your Elite Celestial guards are a bit too much?" she asked her solar, counter-part, sibling.

"Actually they're here of their own accord. I believe these fire spirits were family heirlooms from our grandparents and so on," celestia said, looking around at the spirits surrounding her. "Pinkie pie said they look like the ashen one from dark souls three. Whatever that is,"

The spirits bore armor that was very much the same as the celestial army's, shiny white armor with gold trimming. The only difference was extra armoring on their right shoulders with a strange glowing glyph. Flames would spew out from the eye holes and around certain areas of their bodies. They all had a cape of flames hanging behind them which, in fact, were their wings folded behind them. Their were eleven of them. The only one with a horn resembling a golden combat knife on their helmet was their leader. Other than that were all identical.

Their armament was an enchanted bow and a sword holstered on their backs as preserve or back up weapons. Their primary weapon was a golden halberd with the sun shape as the axe-blade and a giant, rectangular, white shield with gold trimming and the symbol of the sun at the center of the shield.

"Hmm, I wonder when they were made. It is pretty obvious that must they be very old," celestia questioned the origins of the fire spirits.

"Well this is something that we're going to have trouble figuring out since they don't look like they can talk," luna hinted at the spirits being quiet all the time.

The two sisters chuckled.

====================================================================================================

A girlish, high-pitched scream rang out. Soarin instantly covered his mouth as he realized he had screamed like that. Fleetfoot had finally concluded the story she was telling.

"So, can you tell me more about the Lords of Winter?" twilight pried for more information.

"Well not much is known about them. The only thing that is known is that they had come from the stars..."

"Huh, well most popular beliefs indicate benevolent beings descending from the heavens," twilight stated.

"...They were the ones who brought life to the Frozen North, filling the entire land with plenty of different creatures..."

"Another popular belief is that powerful beings created and formed the land you live in," twilight stated her second fact.

"...The last known thing was that they were trying to create a world or a species to fight some sort of plague," fleetfoot finished listing down what she knew.

"Well...That one's got me stumped," twilight admitted. Soarin, meanwhile, was trembling in fear since he could still remember what fleetfoot said.

"Hey uh, fleetfoot, couldn't we have taken another route besides this one?" soarin asked in complete fear.

"Actually this forest is the very reason why the inhabitants of the frozen north are isolated here in the first place," she stated. Soarin's eyes shrunk.

"So technically you mean that nopony has never made it out alive from this forest Ever!?" soarin was on the verge of hysteria.

"Hey guys? Can you not be telling ghost stories and get some rest?" Shining asked, agitated that it was keeping soarin, and any one else who could possibly be listening in.

"Alright then. But just so you know it take some time to calm soarin down and get him to fall asleep," fleetfoot informed him. He sighed,

"Fine, just make sure he doesn't make anymore noise," He demanded from the Wonderbolt/Elemental.

1 Hour Later

Shining Armor was doing rounds among the entire army. Night-time had already settled in. Those that were doing rounds were a few celestial soldiers, Scales and a few other dragons, Wise Flyer, Gilda, his high ranking general, and his loyal guards, some mutated changelings with characteristics of nocturnal insects and arthropods, a small group of original and evolved changelings, Spitfire and a few other elementals, the Fire Spirits who are, strangely enough aware of the place they are in, writing symbols and spells in the ground around the area for a protective barrier and acting like sentinels with their leader watch over celestia, and finally, of course, the Lunar soldiers with their captain.

Shining Armor was suspicious of Night Fury and was keeping an eye out for her. Meanwhile fluttershy was perched up on a tree thanks to the blades behind her legs. To further support her perched position, fluttershy added in a sharp metal piece on the joint of her wings, resembling the thumbs of bat wings.

Her eyes were closed and her arms were crossed against her chest. She was, bizarrely, in a meditative state, practicing astral projection, and sleeping, all at the same time. Her entire spirit was elsewhere. She was searching for something...someone...somepony. Her ear twitched,

"Nice try, but I can hear your heart beat," she called out to the individual, who was attempting to sneak up on her.

"Damn. Never knew your hearing was that good," lightning dust floated in front of her, without the use of her wings.

"Well most would speculate that you would now next to nothing on unicorn magic, least of all alicorn magic. But then again you could always just make them wet themselves by lifting up an entire city," she offered ightning dust. She snickered at this.

"Wha? Where am I? Ah! You, you monster release me this instance or else!" prince blueblood yelled as he awoke being upside down and tied to fluttershy.

"Yeah, I was going to ask you on the train why you were dragging him around but never got around to it," she stated, wondering how she didn't notice him hanging from the ceiling with fluttershy before.

"Don't ignore me! I am of royal blood! I am the nephew of celestia and I will have..."

"Well it's going take a while to explain," fluttershy nodded to a bonfire, indicating to sit.

"Hey, what are you two doing? Ah! AHH!" fluttershy and lightning dust both propelled themselves to land in front of the bonfire, landing swiftly and knocking blueblood unconscious as he landed with a heavy thud. Fluttershy assumed a criss-cross, sitting position.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" lightning dust asked when she saw blueblood with a bump on his head.

"He'll be fine," she stated.

====================================================================================================

Shining Armor finally spotted his target. Night Fury was heading past the protective spells and symbols towards the deeper section of the forest. Shining Armor was hesitant at first, but walked past the spiritual barrier non-the-less. He started hearing ominous whispering.

Night Fury smirked as she heard shining armor's heartbeat and headed deeper into the forest.