Division

Chapters

Duo
Gloria et virtue
Ad vitam passion
Non dominabtur
Portentia sermonis I
Portentia sermonis II
Militaraturos superbia
Unus
Nemo habeat fiduciam

Duo

Whilst the Order of Roots meeting in Appleloosa was taking place, a meeting of the six Canterlot noble houses (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo and Capricorn) and the two princesses was taking place in the Canterlot Court at the same time and it was nearing its conclusion.

"For the last time, Sir Leonus, we are not going to relocate all pegasi from Canterlot to Las Pegasus and Cloudsdale, not only does that not help the economic crisis in any way at all, they also form the bulk of our Royal Guard and they do make several contributions to Equestrian society." said Princess Celestia with a sigh, who was looking to end the meeting.

Princess Luna sighed loudly from her seat and observed her surroundings. The court had several rows of seats and these were filled up by all of the noble houses in Canterlot, who were all made up of unicorns. Each house had their banner and these banners depicted various images representing their houses (the richest house was Taurus but the most influential was House Gemini). The six noble houses made up a council and they met once a week to discuss and propose laws to better Equestria. A representative of each noble house (usually the head of the family) would make a suggestion for a new law or program in a special seat before the princesses and they would be rejected, considered or immediately accepted. The noble houses were also charged with running a department that contributed to society (Taurus-Finance, Leo-Defence, Capricorn-Education, Aries-Agriculture, Cancer-Health and Gemini- Culture and Media). The noble houses' power in the council was not very large and the princesses ultimately had the final say. The decision to accept new laws proposed by the noble houses had not been made for quite some time and this was due to the fact that Princess Celestia and Luna were aware of the fact that the majority of the six Canterlot noble families were unicorn supremacists to varying degrees. The noble houses (Taurus and Gemini in particular) made it a point to meddle with ordinary ponies' lives and increase their influence and power with their self-titled 'The Game' through their trade decisions, the value of their businesses on the stock market and regular formal functions (this was the reason why Celesta and Luna limited the power the nobles had in the council). The nobles (apart from House Aries) rarely employed pegasi and earth ponies and those who worked for the nobles had lowly positions (e.g. servants and cooks in their mansions) and they received very little pay. There were alliances between Houses Capricorn, Leo and Virgo and an alliance between House Taurus and Gemini whilst House Aries was civil with everypony. House Aries and House Capricorn were the only houses the royal sisters knew that were completely loyal to them. The princesses allowed the nobles to behave as they wished in order to keep the peace but Celestia and Luna knew that they had to reduce the noble houses' power to a significant extent in order to prevent future protests from the other pony tribes. The most extreme unicorn supremacist out of all of the nobles was Sir Leonus (who was head of the Leo House) and his suggestions seemed to be getting worse with each council meeting. Luna and Celestia feared that one day he may demand for the extermination of the other two tribes.

"Mad feather-brain loving bitch." seethed Sir Leonus inwardly. He flashed the princess a small smile, bowed and returned to his designated seat.

“Your Highness, if it pleases you, I would like to make a suggestion regarding the economic crisis our nation is currently facing.” announced Sir Renois Aries.

“Permission granted.” replied Princess Celestia.

Sir Aries walked over to the designated seat that was in front of the two princesses and slowly sat down. He took out a long scroll of paper and began to read.

“We are all aware of the crisis Equestria is facing and it is starting to take a toll on us nobles, the bear market that is currently taking place means that our share prices have been dropping and ponies that own shares are selling them when nopony is buying shares. Others have also found that we need to cut number on our workforce in order to consolidate for the lack of sales our businesses are suffering from. I propose that the two princesses introduce an unemployment benefits system, in which ponies that are unemployed and have families are able to receive funds in order to tide them over whilst they are searching for new jobs. My family also wanted to propose that the foal care system is reorganised immediately, in order to accommodate for ponies with foals to take care of. My family is also willing to hand over control of our farms and businesses to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and I am sure that the rest of the noble houses are willing to make this sacrifice with their respective businesses in order to help end this crisis."

"THAT'S COMPLETELY PREPOSTEROUS!" yelled Sir Wolfgang Taurus (head of House Taurus) as he stood up from his seat. Several gasps could be heard as an outburst of this nature hadn’t been seen in the court for a long time. The two princesses rose out of their seats in anticipation of a possible (though extremely unlikely) conflict between Sir Renois and Sir Wolfgang. Sir Wolfgang held up a hoof in apology to the two princesses and turned to address Sir Renois.

“How is an unemployment benefits system going to help fix the problems Equestria is facing?! My economists have been looking at the national statistics and the rising unemployment rates have started to slow down. Sir Renois has also exaggerated on the issues the Equestria Stock Exchange is going through and what will help the situation get better are tax cuts and further deregulations on businesses, which is what I was planning to propose and argue for at court today.”

“Does this mean that you are willing to debate with Sir Renois on this issue, Sir Wolfgang?” asked Princess Luna.

“Yes, I am.”

“Then it is settled. Guards, prepare the court for an honorary debate between House Aries and House Taurus.” announced Princess Celestia.

Several guards entered the court and quickly began to arrange the chairs into two groups on opposite ends of the court. House Taurus and House Aries moved to opposite ends of the court to their designated seats. The rest of the nobles remained in their seats and turned their attention to the two princesses.

“Nobles, you are to listen to the arguments of both houses and come to an agreement and vote on which law we should consider passing. House Taurus and House Aries, your representatives may begin when they are ready.”

All eyes turned to the two noble houses and Sir Wolfgang Taurus stood up first to make his argument.

“Tax cuts will save this country. We are on the brink of what could possibly be a crippling depression. More involvement in daily affairs is not what we need and regulating businesses even more will just make matters worse. The only thing an unemployment benefits system will do is create laziness amongst ponies because they will not make an effort to find employment if they are receiving money for free. If we reduce personal tax rates by 25%, then there will be more investment placed in businesses, allowing them to expand, thus creating more jobs. Working hours should also remain as they are because eight to ten hours a day means that production will not be affected and it will eventually reignite the economy to start improving. Our country has been in this kind of situation before and minimal involvement in business affairs means that the economy will right itself sooner rather than later. Thank you.” Once Sir Wolfgang had finished he nodded his head slightly and sat back down in his seat.

“Thank you, Sir Wolfgang. Sir Renois, whenever you’re ready.”

Sir Renois stood up and proceeded to make his speech.

“The unemployment system will not create laziness as Sir Wolfgang has inaccurately claimed. Like I said before, it will provide ponies with a sufficient amount of money so that they may be able to return some sense of normalcy into their lives. Nationalising our industries will mean that needy ponies can be provided for and it will also mean that the number of monopolised businesses that have come about in recent years will not be able to harm public welfare.” Sir Renois gave a pointed look at Sir Wolfgang at this point. “I am sure that civilised ponies like us are willing to make a small sacrifice with our businesses until the economy recovers. Thank you.” Sir Renois sat back down in his seat and all eyes in the court turned to the princesses.

“Nobles, it is now time to vote. All those who support Sir Renois’ proposition raise your hooves.”

Some hooves were scattered throughout the court but most belonged to the nobles of Houses Cancer and Capricorn. Princess Luna counted their hooves and wrote down the number on a small piece of paper.

“All those who support Sir Wolfgang’s proposition, raise your hooves now.”

There were far more hooves raised at this point and all came from nobles of Houses Gemini and Leo. Princess Luna counted again and wrote the second number down on the same piece of paper.

“Then it is settled. Sir Wolfgang, you are to bring the bill detailing your department’s plans in three day’s time. Is that enough time for your family to draft the bill?”

“More than enough your Highness, thank you.” Sir Wolfgang replied. He walked over to Sir Renois and held out a hoof. Sir Renois immediately shook it but it was blatantly obvious that he was furious about the debate’s results.

Princess Celestia rose from her seat and prepared to announce the end of the weekly court meeting.

"This court is now-"

"Wait your Highness!"

Everybody immediately turned to the entrance where a unicorn couple were stood. The stallion and mare both had yellow bodies and their cutie marks were related to the sun. They quickly walked over to Celestia and Luna and the mare whispered quickly to them. The news had an immediate effect on the princesses and they turned to the nobles.

"The Elements of Chaos have been found!"

This announcement led to prolonged polite claps and small smiles from the nobles (and this was the closest they would ever get to raucously cheering).

"Sunburst Solar and Sunrise Phoenix of House Capricorn, I hereby formerly commend you for the success of your mission. You may have just saved Equestria from itself."

"It was the least we could do." said Sunburst with a polite bow, adjusting his glasses.

"I think it would be best if we kept the Elements at the palace for safekeeping. Do you agree nobles?" asked Princess Luna.

"Yes, your Highness." was the answer. But Sunburst did look slightly irritated that the nobles had so readily agreed with Luna. Celestia saw this but she dismissed it, thinking that she was seeing things.

"This court is now adjourned. You are dismissed, Canterlot nobles."

The nobles calmly left the court and gathered outside to discuss proceedings for the gathering that was to be held at the Gemini mansion that evening to initiate trade negotiations between the noble houses (but officially it was believed by everypony that the gathering was held before Equestria Day each year as a pre-celebration).

"Sir Genelos am I right in proclaiming that we all should expect a pleasant event once again?" enquired Sir Wolfgang, who was the head of House Taurus.

"You shouldn't be expecting anything less from my family, good friend. We always aim to outdo each year's gathering with the next." replied Sir Genelos (head of House Gemini).

"Just as I thought, sir. Well, my family are sure to attend this year as we always do. Ah, that reminds me, I would like to speak to you privately for a brief moment, my friend."

The pair of unicorns teleported to a secluded area a few feet away from the court so that they weren't disturbed. The other nobles continued to crowd at the entrance of the court House Leo entered their carriages once the exchange between Sir Wolfgang and Sir Genelos had ended and headed straight home; with Sir Leonus flashing Princess Celestia a nasty glare (that fortunately for Sir Leonus, she did not notice). He ignored the other nobles and returned to his seat and the ponies pulling the carriages galloped off. The other nobles took this as their cue to leave as well and they got onto their carriages and headed off to their respective homes in preparation for the gathering.

The princesses waited for the nobles to leave from the entrance of the court for their homes. Once it was clear that nopony would be able to listen in to their conversation, they turned to the couple.

"Luna and I would like to see you tomorrow after my speech in the palace conference room to discuss tactics for the Elements. You are dismissed."

"Of course, your Highness. As you command." said Sunrise Phoenix, smiling.

Sunburst and Sunrise exited the court very quickly and waited until they were outside before they started speaking.

"Did she fall for it, Sunburst?"

"Hopefully, but she'll realise soon, so we need to practise using the Elements immediately so we can overpower them tomorrow. I'm just annoyed that the princesses want to meet us tomorrow in the palace. I wanted to buy us more time and they may have already figure out our true intentions by them."

Sunrise nodded abruptly. When Celestia summoned them to the palace three months ago to offer them the opportunity to take up a mission to find the Elements of Chaos, she and Sunburst were surprised (and slightly honoured), but they also saw the mission as an opportunity to finally gain a legitimate source of power. They had to travel to Saddle Arabia for what would be a four-month long mission and the couple barely escaped with their lives; with Sunrise’s two decade long training in dark and battle magic, and Sunrise’s political ability eventually saving them from their enemies. But when they returned to Equestria (two weeks before the next Canterlot Court meeting), they began to put their plan into motion. Sunburst obtained jewels that appeared identical to the Elements and he coated them with an advanced deception spell he had written so that they appeared to have the same magical power as the Elements. Sunrise and Sunburst then began to practise using the Elements, so that they could get used to their power in preparation for their confrontation with the princesses. House Capricorn believed that the princesses did not grant them enough power and this was why unicorns were on the decline in terms of holding influential positions in Equestrian society. The Capricorn family were particularly concerned with the rise of other tribes in terms of prosperity (which contradicted the economic crisis that was taking place) and the fact that they were breaking out of their designated role in Equestria angered the Capricorn family; and Sunburst and his wife had been told to "do something about it" by Sunburst's father. Sunburst in particular was desperate to please his father; as a foal he had excelled at magic and upon gaining his cutie mark, was immediately sent to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns- but unfortunately Sunburst was never able to fulfil his potential due to his lack of ability in applying his knowledge practically. His parents (and his father in particular) could barely disguise their huge disappointment when he was forced to drop out from Celestia's school, and Sunburst spent the next few years working at his magic and his hard work eventually paid off in a scholarship to study magic at the prestigious University of Detrot. Unfortunately, Sunburst's mother did not live long enough to see the fruition of her son's hard work and Sunburst was also motivated to succeed for the sake of his mother. However, Sunburst still held a self-directed grudge at his time in Celestia's school, and he saw his plan to take over Equestria as an opportunity to redeem himself for his past failures.

"We've prepared as much as we can and there's nothing we can do about it anymore, okay? Now come on Sunburst, we have to get home quickly to Sunset, its nearly teatime now and then there's that Gemini party we all have to go to tonight as well." said Sunrise.

At the mention of his daughter's name, Sunburst smiled. Sunset Shimmer had a natural talent for magic and she was also Princess Celestia's personal protégé, which a great source of pride for their parents. She had an incredible work ethic and didn't let friends get in the way of her studies, which was important as a member of the Capricorn House. Most members of the Capricorn House had gone on to study at university and entered the political field or ran a prestigious school, and Sunburst and his wife were grooming Sunset to make sure that she was suitable for a political role, such as Mayor of a major Equestrian city until she was ready to take over Equestria from her parents. Then Sunburst frowned upon hearing the second part of Sunrise's sentence. The annual Gemini gathering held the day before Equestria Day was not compulsory to attend, but every noble house attended and occasionally influential unicorns that were not noble were also invited. It was seen by many across Equestria as the social event of the year; but Sunburst had never been keen on attending events like this.

"What's on your mind Sunburst?" asked Sunrise.

"Life, and how after tomorrow, things will change for everypony in Equestria." lied Sunburst.

"Part of me feels a little guilty for what we will put the princesses through, but they brought this upon themselves."

"That's true Sunrise, and with us in control, life will be better. For unicorns that is."

The couple laughed and continued walking quickly towards their house, their moods indefinitely lifted by the prospect of House Capricorn taking control of Equestria.

Although it had only begun an hour ago, the party was already in full swing. The gathering was unofficially taking place in the ball room and the garden of the Gemini mansion and upon their arrival, noble ponies flocked to these two areas. The ball room's ceiling had expensive lights hanging from it and the curtains had been tied up and left to hang on the sides of the windows so that the air was kept cool. The mahogany walls held pictures of previous heads and famous members of the Gemini family and drew several small crowds to admire the skills of the artist that had painted them. The garden was much less crowded and this was where all of the nobles from each noble house currently stood. Waiters swarmed around, refilling glasses with champagne as soon as they were emptied. Noble mares and stallions were dressed in their finest clothes to impress and whilst the ponies present were split into several groups, the atmosphere was pleasantly ambient. There were several discussions regarding alliances and shares between nobles and when a deal was agreed upon, champagne glasses were clinked as a sign of the trust and friendship between the two nobles. Sir Genelos was walking through the garden towards his stage to make his annual speech, occasionally stopping to greet new arrivals and accept praise for another successfully organised event. He eventually reached the stage and tapped the microphone loudly to get everypony's attention.

"Nobles! It is my great honour to welcome you all to the 67th annual Gemini Trade Gathering!” Sir Genelos paused to allow the noble to clap for a few seconds and he prepared to continue his two-minute long speech.

Suddenly a pair of unicorns entered the courtyard and they gained the attention of everypony present immediately. The mare was wearing an orange-yellow ensemble, with synthetic flames streaking across it and her horn and mane had been intricately decorated with different flowers. The stallion next to her wore a simple black suit and his hair had been brushed upwards to resemble flames.

"Sunrise and Sunburst, my, my, aren't you both dressed wonderfully tonight?" announced Sir Genelos as he walked over to the couple, speaking for everypony present.

"Thank you Sir Genelos, you are too kind." replied Sunrise with a small smile. She was well aware that her outfit gained her several stares from mares and stallions alike. Sunburst was about to ask Sir Genelos a question when he was interrupted.

"Sunrise, it's nice to see you again. It feels like it's been a lifetime since I last saw you." said a random stallion with a sneer that had walked over to Sir Genelos and was now staring unabashedly at Sunrise’s lower body. The nobles had stopped their discussions and turned to watch the exchange taking place between Sunrise and Atlas. Sir Genelos took a step back to allow the two to speak. The nobles present were all aware of the history the two ponies had and a few nobles were even starting to make bets with each other on whether there was going to be any violence.

"Atlas." replied Sunrise, gritting her teeth. Atlas was the oldest child of House Taurus and saying that Sunrise and Atlas had some history would be an understatement. The pair had both studied economics at the University of Detrot fifteen years ago and the two often competed to be top of their class. During their final exams at the end of their four-year course, Sunrise claimed that she saw Atlas secretly bribing their economics teachers to give him a higher mark so that he would be eligible for the scholarship. The scholarship of the economics department at the University of Detrot stated that the student with the highest mark is granted a job at a business of the department’s choice. In the year that Sunrise and Atlas were graduating, the placement was as a stock broker at the Equestria Stock Exchange in Canterlot. As Sunrise expected, Atlas got the highest mark (beating Sunrise by one mark) in the final exams and gained the placement at the stock exchange. Sunrise was furious about what had happened because Atlas had effectively stolen her future from her and she made a formal complaint against the university. The newspapers heard about the scandal and it took centre stage for the next few weeks in national news, shocking the nation and harming House Taurus and House Capricorn’s reputation (since House Capricorn was in charge of education and many teachers at the University of Detrot, including the economics department, were from that family). Celestia and Luna eventually became involved and the ensuing court case further damaged the credibility of the two noble houses involved. Although it was never proven if Atlas actually bribed his teachers, Sunrise still held a grudge against Atlas and they had rarely seen each other until today.

“It has been far too long Atlas, fortunately. What brings you here today?”

“The stock exchange was closed today, so all of the hard-working stock brokers there, including myself of course, had the day off today. What about you, dear friend? How is life faring for you? Still chasing jobs you’ll never quite be good enough for? Or are you making foals with Mr Quiet over here?”

The nobles were surprised (and some even gasped) as it was an unwritten rule in 'The Game' amongst the nobles that insults were always indirect and that you respected everypony unless they had actually done something bad to you. Atlas' blatant disrespect was unexpected and Sunrise began to raise a hoof in retaliation (to the complete delight of most ponies present) when she was discreetly stopped by Sunburst. He was well aware of the history his wife and Atlas had, and he wanted to not only confront Atlas for what he did to Sunrise, but to also let the nobles know that House Capricorn was not to be overlooked when it came to political dominance if their rise to power was to happen with very little problems. He was incensed by Atlas' comments and stepped in front of him in hopes of ruining his reputation.

“Atlas, I’m not surprised we have never spoken seeing as you are obviously such an influential pony that I have never heard of.” said Sunburst with a smile.

“Of course you’ve heard of me. All of Equestria knows me.” proclaimed Atlas arrogantly.

“Perhaps it’s because you have never advanced beyond the rank of stockbroker. It's been ten years since you graduated and you're still at the same lowly rank. That says a lot about your intelligence."

"You dare to insult me here? I've half a mind to call my father and let him deal with you but why don't you let your stupid wife-"

"You want to call your father? Then by all means call him like a foal. I will be very glad to explain to him why you are embarrassing House Taurus and why you are unable to speak to me like a real stallion without needing your father's help. Well?"

Atlas glared intensely at the couple for a few moments. When he realised that he was fighting a losing battle, he barged past Sunburst and Sunrise and left the garden, entering the ballroom.

"Sunburst, Sunrise I must apologise for Atlas' behaviour, he has indeed embarrassed House Taurus today and I hope that this unfortunate encounter hasn't soured your evening." said Sir Genelos.

"Of course not sir, in fact it's brightened it up a little. Never knew that a foal's tantrum could be so entertaining." said Sunrise with a little laugh.

All of the nobles laughed and the gathering returned to normal but everypony present knew now that House Capricorn couldn't be underestimated anymore and that they would formidable foes if they were ever disrespected.

"Those nobles are becoming more extreme and unbearable with each meeting sister." stated Luna loudly.

Celestia nodded in agreement as she sat on a cushion in the palace library. The two sisters rarely attended the Gemini party and this year was no exception. She often found the nobles to be exhausting to manage and part of her wished she has taken their power away from them when she and Luna took charge of Equestria a century ago. Celestia then turned her thoughts to Las Pegasus. She only recently became aware of what Solar Shaker (the mayor of Las Pegasus) was doing with the city’s earth pony inhabitants through an anonymous letter sent to the palace and after validating the letter's claims with a Royal Guard operative she had sent to the city, she was planning to send the Royal Guard to arrest Solar Shaker and liberate the imprisoned earth ponies the next week. Celestia and Luna were aware of the fact that tensions were running high between the three tribes; the rising inflation had significantly worsened many ponies’ standard of living, and businesses were forced to cut down on their workforces, so many ponies had been left without a job. The crime rate had increased dramatically over the last six months number of earth pony killings were on the rise again and Celestia knew that her speech for Equestria Day next week needed to have a huge impact. But in the present, she had more pressing and current issues to be concerned about.

"Why don't we look at the Elements again, Luna? There's something I want to check with them."

"Alright then, if that's what you want."

Celestia and Luna performed a teleport spell and they arrived outside the vault underneath the palace. Luna placed her horn into a small horn-sized hole and the vault door opened, revealing the Elements. They were six of them and five were coloured in a dull shade of red, pink, orange, purple and yellow. The sixth element took the form of a crown and it had a six-sided purple star at the top.

"Should we try using them, Celestia?"

"No, not yet, but let me analyse them. I want to understand their full potential."

Celestia closed her eyes and a white light appeared at her horn. She levitated the Elements and they remained there for two minutes whilst she investigated them. Slowly, she opened her eyes and the dropped the Elements onto the floor.

"They're not real. The-the Elements. They're not real. They have no-no power. They're ordinary jewels." whispered Celestia.

Luna stood silently with her mouth agape, her face the epitome of shock. She quickly performed her own analysis spell and came to the same conclusion as her older sister.

"But-but how?! IT’S IMPOSSIBLE! Starswirl himself spoke of the Elements often and he would never lie to us! HOW?!" yelled Luna.

"I-I don't know Luna I thought Sunburst and Sunrise-" mused Celestia. She paused suddenly and recapped the events of today's court meeting. Sunburst was a little too eager to give the Elements and they were very quick to leave the palace, which was very unusual of them.

Sunburst! He looked annoyed that the nobles agreed that we should keep the Elements in the palace.

Sunrise practically ran out of the palace!

They lied.

They have the Elements.

But what do they want with them?

"The Elements do exist Luna, its just that the ponies who were meant to bring them to us lied."

"What are you talking- you're right. They lied to us. They have betrayed us. But why?"

Celestia thought for a minute to bring herself to answer. Of all the noble families, she thought that Capricorn was the second most accepting house (after Aries) of diversity in Equestria and the princesses felt as though they could trust the members of that house. Not only did they contribute significantly in terms of politics, Luna often invited Sunburst and Sunrise to the palace to discuss tactics and on some occasions, Sunburst and Sunrise even spoke freely about their personal lives. Now Celestia felt like a fool for placing so much trust in them.

But why would they want the Elements?

Are they planning a coup?

It makes sense, if they manage to successfully wield the Elements properly, it would be difficult to stop them.

"They're planning to take over Equestria Luna, that's why they still have the Elements." concluded Celestia with a sad sigh.

Luna stood quietly for a few moments. At first, she appeared to be hurt by the truth of Sunburst and Sunrise's actions, but as she stayed silent for longer, she began to get angry and soon her face displayed a murderous rage. She paced around Celestia, muttering furiously about what she was going to do to Sunburst and Sunrise.

"Lulu, please, calm down, we can deal with them tomorrow after my speech tomorrow." pleaded Celestia. Luna's eyes had taken on their reptilian form (which happened when Luna got angry) and her horn began to light up. Celestial cautiously placed her hooves on either side of Luna's face and waited patiently. Eventually, Luna calmed down and her eyes returned to normal.

"How are we going to deal with them? Execution? Exile? Horn removal?" asked Luna.

"I don't know yet, but they cannot get away with this. They are probably planning to overpower us tomorrow after my speech so we'll place guards outside the conference room."

"That's all we need, power-crazed lunatics. What's next, an earth pony uprising? They wouldn't even be able to organise one, that's how useless they are." Luna laughed sarcastically and began pacing again.

"Luna, how could you say that? We are part earth pony, you're only insulting yourself!" admonished Celestia.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated that we been made to look like fools by the Capricorns", replied a remorseful Luna.

"Its okay, at least we found out before they could do anything to us."

"How is the situation in Las Pegasus? Any better?"

"No, in fact its getting worse. I'll be sending two Royal Guard units over there next week. It needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

"Agreed. Why don't you go to sleep, Celestia? I still have to do the sunset."

"Alright then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight to you as well."

As Celestia teleported to her chambers, Luna performed the same spell and was at the watchtower a few moments later. She immediately closed her eyes and a white light appeared at her horn. The sun was slowly lowered and a few minutes later, the moon replaced it high above the sky. Once she completed the spell, Luna stood on the ledge of the watchtower and quietly watched over Canterlot. The usually busy city was always very quiet at night, and it was at these moments that Luna liked Canterlot the most. There were only a few street lights on and they were scattered throughout the city. Ponies that were out could be seen walking leisurely, whilst others were walking briskly to their homes. Luna turned her attention to the front of the palace. In approximately seven day's time, Celestia was going to make her annual positivity speech, which coincided with the 100th anniversary of Celestia and Luna taking over (and defeating the windigos). The speech needed to have an even bigger impact in order to calm the tensions between the tribes and Luna was praying that after the speech, unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies would realize that they had a lot more common than they thought.

Author's Note

If you are unsure of the definitions of some of the economic terms I have used in this chapter, then feel free to ask me in the comments.

Gloria et virtue

"That was satisfactory, Sunburst. Now, the crown seems to be the most powerful and important out of all of the Elements so try and use it to vaporise the targets over there."

Sunburst sighed upon his father's comments and dropped the Element that he was using. Sir Capricornus (Sunburst's father), Sunrise and Sunburst were in the courtyard at the Capricorn mansion and the couple were currently practising with the Elements of Chaos (with Sunburst’s father coaching them) in preparation for their confrontation with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in six day’s time. Learning to get to grips with the Elements was easier said than done and Sunrise and Sunburst had made small progress in their attempts to successfully control and use the Elements as they wished. In the two weeks that the Capricorns had the Elements, Sunrise had suffered a fractured jaw from a magical mishap with one of the Elements and Sunburst had lost a tooth. The six Elements were all the same size except for one which took the form of a crown with a six-pointed dull pink star placed atop it. Due to the Elements of Chaos being discovered and kept in Saddle Arabia for several decades, all of the Elements had Arabic words inscribed on the front of them which meant deceit, cruelty, greed, betrayal, gloom and dark magic.

"This is so frustrating, we don't have much time left and we still haven't gotten to grips with the Elements", grumbled Sunburst as he walked over to the Elements (that were currently on the ground) and he simply stared at them. Sunrise remained silent Sir Capricornus stared at his son disapprovingly. How was he supposed to defeat Celestia and Luna when he didn't even believe in himself?

"As the next leaders of our failing country, neither of you are behaving as if you are members of House Capricorn. Gloria et virtue. Our house motto should be engraved into your brains by now. Do you really want to give up now when you've come so far and are so close to victory?" Sunburst shook his head adamantly. "Then you need to get a grip and keep trying. We have worked at this for far too long to see all our hard work go to waste. Now, try using them again but this time you have to actually believe that you are able to control the Element.

Sunburst used his magic to levitate the crown onto his head and he closed his eyes and lit up his horn. When he opened them a few seconds later, his glasses had fallen off his face and onto the ground and he was thrown forward slightly by the magic. The crown lifted him high into the air. A large black orb of magic appeared and it surrounded Sunburst and Sunrise wore a worried expression on her face whilst Sir Capricornus appeared to be intrigued by what was going on. Suddenly the orb began to fade and screams of pain could be heard. The orb had disappeared completely and Sunburst dropped to the floor like a stone.

“SUNBURST!”

Sunrise rushed over to her husband and turned him onto his back. Sunburst had a long gash running across his torso and his mane smelled of smoke. Sunrise placed her hooves over his chest and began to compress it, quietly sobbing in her attempts to revive him.

“He’ll wake up. Trust me.” said Sir Capricornus quietly as he stood over his son. Sunrise continued her attempts to resuscitate her husband for a few more seconds. Sunburst opened his eyes slowly. He immediately placed a hoof on his wife’s face.

“Wha-what...what happened?”

Sunrise ignored his question and hugged Sunburst tightly. Sir Capricornus waited respectively for a few minutes before he cleared his throat. Sunburst and Sunrise stood up quickly and Sunburst looked nervously at his father.

“You’re still doubting yourself. That’s why you can't control the Elements. We have six days left. If you want House Capricorn to take over Equestria, you need to sort this out now or there will be consequences for all of us. Practise is concluded for the day. We'll resume at the same time tomorrow morning.”

Sir Capricornus teleported away from the courtyard and his son and daughter-in-law were left alone in the courtyard. Sunburst picked up his glasses from the ground using his magic. The glasses had been completely wrecked by the crown Element.

“Are you okay, Sunburst?” asked Sunrise worriedly, stroking her husband’s face gently.

“Yeah, I will be. Why does he hate me so much?”

“He doesn't hate you, he’s just worried. He thinks you won't be able to control the Elements in six day’s time, but i know you can. You just have to prove him wrong.”

“I will.”

Sunburst’s irises suddenly changed colour to purple and green; and this did not escape Sunrise.

“What was that?”

“What was what?” replied Sunburst, confused by Sunrise’s sudden outburst.

“Your eyes, they- it doesn't matter.” said Sunrise, telling herself that she had probably imagined what she had just seen. “What were you going to say?”

“Lab tests on the Elements of Chaos would be very beneficial, but we don’t have the resources to conduct a thorough investigation with the Elements of Chaos and the only House that does is-

“House Cancer.” said Sunrise, finishing Sunburst’s sentence for him. “But we can’t. Everypony thinks that Celestia and Luna have the Elements safely hidden in the palace. They're going to ask questions if we approach them about this."

"We will need all the allies we can get for our takeover and besides, they voted alongside us in favour of Sir Renois' proposal. That proves that they at least have the same ideals as us in terms of how to fix the economy. I will go tomorrow to the Cancer Corp headquarters and meet with Sir Cranco to discuss the arrangements for the research.

“I have to admit that the benefits slightly outweigh the consequences. But how are you going to tell your father?"

“I can handle Father. It’ll be fine."

"EXCUSE ME?! WOULD YOU CARE TO REPEAT THAT FOR ME?!"

"Father, please, I said-"

"BELIEVE ME, I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID SUNBURST!"

The father and son were in the study of the Capricorn mansion and Sunburst's attempts to convince his father of the plan involving by the research of the Elements were not going very well. Sir Capricornus had been yelling for the past ten minutes and his hoarse voice wasn't going to stop him from letting his son know exactly what he thought of his 'idea'.

"Did you actually think that you could stroll into Cancer Corp and ask to borrow one of their labs for research without expecting any questions? The last thing we need to do right now is draw attention to ourselves and this is what you propose?"

"Father, we need to strengthen our alliance with House Cancer to have a better hold over the other noble houses. Researching the Elements may also give us a better idea of what their potential will be. Out of all of the noble houses, Cancer is probably the most respected after Aries and it would bolster our own reputation if we do this. If you want me to take charge of Equestria, then this is what has to happen-"

“You can't even control the Elements of Chaos and you expect to go through this without running into any trouble. You’re even more deluded than I thought you were.” Sir Capricornus’ voice then dropped in volume. “Maybe you’re not ready to take over Equestria on behalf of House Capricorn. It's too soon. I should’ve waited.”

“What? You want to doubt my credibility days before my takeover. HAVE YOU NOT HEAR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AT THE GEMINI PARTY TWO DAYS AGO AND HOW I DEALT WITH ATLAS?! I made him look like a foal and now all the other nobles know that we aren't pushovers, that House Capricorn shouldn't be taken lightly. I am not your little foal anymore, i'm a grown stallion and i will not stand for this anymore.”

"Father, why are you and grandpa angry?" asked Sunset Shimmer innocently as she opened the door and walked into the study."

Sunburst took a deep breath and turned to address his daughter. "I'm not angry, I'm just talking to Grandpa about something very important. Why don't you go back to your room and finish your studies."

"Okay then, I'll go now." Sunset left the study and closed the door behind her using her magic. Once her footsteps had disappeared up the stairs, Sunburst resumed his conversation with his father.

"If you want me to take over Equestria, then this is what has to happen in order to ensure that we are in the strongest position possible." concluded Sunburst in a tone that made it clear that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Sir Capricornus narrowed his eyes at his son. “Do as you wish. I will not concern myself over your wellbeing anymore.”

Cancer Corp was one of the most advanced buildings in all of Equestria and it was a fact that Sir Cranco (the CEO of Cancer Corp and head of House Cancer) always took pride in telling this fact to ponies that came to visit. The five-storey building's construction had taken six long years to complete and the multi-million bits investment from House Cancer and the two princesses was previously seen by some as a waste of money; but the vast improvement of public health and life expectancies for all three tribes helped to change ponies’ minds. Cancer Corp also had a huge impact on the improvement of medical standards in hospitals across the nation, which was a deciding factor in their growing popularity amongst the common ponies.

Sunburst's carriage was nearing the entrance of Cancer Corp and he was mentally preparing himself for what he was going to say to Sir Cranco. Whilst he was confident that he could get away with this plan, there was still a small part of him that had doubts about whether the plan would work. The satchel Sunburst was carrying contained six ancient jewels that were taken from the underground bunker in the Capricorn mansion. Sunburst planned to present these jewels as the subject of research to Sir Cranco. The carriage suddenly came to a stop and Sunburst composed himself and slowly exited the carriage; but was shocked to see Sir Cranco already waiting for him at the door.

"Sunburst Solar, a pleasure to see you. It's not that often that you grace us with your presence here." welcomed Sir Cranco with a huge smile on his face. Sunburst walked forward a little cautiously and was led into the building by Sir Cranco. The pair walked through the reception and Sir Cranco quickly teleported the pair to his office on the fifth floor. Sir Cranco sat in the large blue swivel chair at his mahogany desk and stared intently at Sunburst.

"It's a very nice livelihood you have here Sir Cranco." complimented Sunburst, who was admittedly feeling a little nervous. He wanted to make sure that Sir Cranco was in a good enough mood to not ask too many questions when Sunburst made his proposal.

"Yes, Sunburst, it is, isn't it? Now, enough about me. I'm sure you didn't just come here to have a chat about my life or shower me with compliments."

"No sir, I actually have a proposal regarding a research opportunity between our two houses and I hope that you will seriously consider accepting this proposal."

Sir Cranco leaned forward in his seat and made it clear that he was interested. He gestured to Sunburst to continue speaking.

"These artefacts I have here," Sunburst paused to take the jewels out of his satchel, "were discovered by a servant at my father's mansion approximately eight days ago. We have performed our own analysis spell but we feel that research conducted at Cancer Corp would provide us with more answers as to what these jewels actually are and what they can do."

Sir Cranco stroked his chin for a few moments, deep in thought about whether he should pursue this opportunity. He had to admit to himself that the prospect of researching unknown artefacts interested him and the stagnation of Project Mutatio meant that morale levels amongst his scientists were at an all time low, and this project could ignite a new competitive drive within his scientists again. But what benefits were there for him if he agreed to Sunburst’s plan on behalf of House Cancer?

"In return of course, my family will make a 15 million bits donation to Cancer Corp and we will also sponsor Cancer Corp for any future research projects that happens here." said Sunburst, quelling any concerns Sir Cranco had left.

"Well then, I'll be pleased to host research on these jewels for you Sunburst." Sir Cranco lit up his horn and the two were teleported to one of his labs. The lab itself covered a huge amount of space and the majority of it was taken up by ponies of all tribes working on their own individual projects. The tables were covered in test tubes and all sorts of chemicals and small explosions were occasionally heard, which explained why workers were yelling and diving for cover underneath the table. Sunburst jumped in shock at one of the explosions, which drew laughter from Sir Cranco

"Don't worry, this sort of stuff always happens. You’re not in any danger at all, Mr Solar. Now, we will be very thorough in our research and I will be sure to contact you in a week's time with the results regarding these artefacts." said Sir Cranco as he gently took the satchel away from Sunburst. He called out a name and the pony it belonged to rushed forward to Sir Cranco. The scientist took the satchel from his employer and exited the lab.

"Now," said Sir Cranco,"was there anything else you needed or -"

"HELP!"

The foal's cry for help came from a lab that was situated a few metres away from the one that Sunburst and Sir Cranco were in. The two looked at each other for a fraction of second and for the first time, Sunburst saw Sir Cranco's cheerful mask drop and he looked terrified. He quickly galloped out of the lab and in the direction of the lab. Many lab workers also dropped whatever they were doing and rushed to help the filly. Sunburst also galloped out of the lab and entered another smaller lab, where he saw a little purple filly shaking vigorously on the floor (with small bursts of magic coming off her body) and Sir Cranco desperately attempting to help. Another foal (who appeared to be her older brother) stood over the both of them, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

"Sir, I'll alert the hospital." said one of the workers by his proposal was quickly shot down by Sir Cranco.

"NO! I-I can fix this." yelled Sir Cranco, before whispering to himself in assurance that everything would be okay.

The filly suddenly stopped shaking and opened her eyes slowly.

"Grandpa... wha-what happened?"

Sir Cranco breathed a huge sigh of relief (as well as Sunburst and everypony present) and he held the filly close to his chest. He looked up to the other foal and beckoned for him to join the embrace. The workers quickly flooded out to give the family some privacy but in their haste to exit the lab, one of the workers bumped against a shelf, knocking over a very heavy scale that was on the top of the shelf and it quickly fell towards the other foal’s head, and if it hit its target, it would cause serious brain damage to the filly’s older brother. But the filly saw the scale just in time. She quickly removed herself from her grandfather's embrace and managed to light up her horn and halt the scale mid-fall, moving it slowly with her magic and placing it on a nearby table.

"Twily, you-you saved my life." whispered Sir Cranco in complete shock. His granddaughter slowly stood up and gestured to the scale that had fallen off the shelf. Suddenly the filly was surrounded by magic and was lifted into the air. When she was lowered to the floor a few moments later, there was a new addition to her body and particularly on her flank.

"Twilight, you...look at your flank." said her older brother.

Twilight looked down at her flank and saw a pink six-pointed star surrounded by five other white six-pointed stars decorated on her flank.

Sunburst was happy for the little filly and smiled as she jumped around the lab in celebration. He was also relieved that her and her family didn't come to any harm; but there was something that was bothering him. When Twilight's brother cried for help, Sir Cranco muttered 'project mutatio', and 'mutatio' meant change. He also refused to take Twilight to hospital. Could Sir Cranco be hiding something in the seemingly innocent lab? Sunburst then took a closer look at the filly's cutie mark and his heart stopped for a few moments. The pink six pointed star resembled the star on the crown Element. How was that possible? It surely couldn't be a coincidence. Was this filly linked to the crown Element and if she was, how? Could this filly be a threat to House Capricorn in the coming years? Sunburst had a lot of questions with no answers and this was yet another issue to deal with in the days before House Capricorn's takeover of Equestria.

".....and I’m done! FINALLY! I hate writing essays.

Sunset threw her book to the floor and decided to read a few more chapters of her history book before her mother called her down for her tea. She turned to the most recent page that she had been reading and continued to inform herself of Celestia and Luna’s ascension to the top of Equestria.

“... and as the crops continued to fail, a harsh storm came about that wreaked havoc throughout all of Equestria and any remaining viable crops that remained were destroyed. The earth ponies and pegasi began to place more pressure on the unicorn nobles to allow Celestia and Luna to rule since they appeared to be the only ponies that could save Equestria. The ruling house, House Aries, couldn't find a viable solution to the drought or the possible invasion and so they handed over control of Equestria to the princesses in a vote that all of Equestria took part in.” Sunset had a question regarding the final statement so she went downstairs to the kitchen to ask her mother.

“Mother, why did House Aries give up their rule instead of discussing this with the other noble houses?”

Sunrise jumped in shock and turned to see her daughter trying her best to not laugh.

“What did you ask sweetie?”

“I said, why did House Aries not talk to the other noble houses about giving up power to Celestia and Luna?”

“How about I finish up this stew and then I'll tell you all about it, okay?”

“Okay, mother.”

Sunburst stared impatiently at the clock, which seemed to be teasing him with time moving at such a slow rate. He stood up and started pacing around the room again, unable to get the image of the filly’s cutie mark out of his mind whilst looking out of the window and waiting for . He checked the clock again and was infuriated by the fact that another minute had not passed yet. He was not going to wait any longer. Sunburst got up and left his room, trotting quickly down the stairs and out of the hotel doors in less than a minute. Walking down the empty Canterlot street, he crossed the road twice and headed straight to his destination; Cancer Corp.

“So why did House Aries give up their power Mother?”

“Patience, Sunset, I'll get to that point in a few moments. We have to start from before the drought took place and when everything was fine. Each of the tribes had their own role in society; the earth ponies grew the crops that would feed everypony, the pegasi controlled the weather and they were also essentially our nation’s military force, which is why the Wonderbolts were formed. The unicorns moved the sun and moon and we also ruled over Equestria. Each pony knew their role and did their job. There were not any unicorn farmers nor any pegasus studying magic and for hundreds of years there was peace and prosperity in Equestria. But, approximately one hundred years ago, there was a group of pegasi, led by a mare named Private Pansy, that protested against this system and they argued that ponies shouldn't be confined to a particular job based on whether they had wings, a horn or neither and-”

“But that’s so silly, everybody else was happy with it and nopony else complained about it so why did they?” interjected Sunset.

“They were probably looking to get rid of us unicorns as leaders and their outbursts began to influence other ponies, and soon enough, a group called the Equestria For All group had been set up and their branches throughout Equestria that argued for the abolishment of this system. The ruling house at the time was House Aries and they had taken over from Codardo of House Leo after he was assassinated by an earth pony. They were sympathetic to the cause of the EFA and they began to break down the rigors of the tribal system that was in place. However, the rest of the noble houses disagreed with this notion and in council meetings that everypony attended, there were raging arguments that took place between the nobles.”

“So everypony was fighting and nopony had a good solution to the problem. So where do Celestia and Luna come from?” asked Sunset.

“They arrived in our country in the midst of this crisis from out of the sky. Some said they came from a foreign land and others said that they were spiritual beings sent to save our country. Their appearance understandably threw many ponies off and in their first speech, they described themselves as having ‘the intelligence and power of a unicorn, the flight and perseverance of a pegasus and the good, strong heart of an earth pony’. Celestia in particular won over many ponies with her rousing speeches and optimistic manner. Luna on the other hand appeared to be an introvert and even a little aggressive at times, but she also eventually managed to gain popularity. The sisters claimed that in order for the crisis to be solved, ponies had to learn to trust each other.

“So basically Celestia and Luna saved everypony. What about the windigos?” asked Sunset.

“Windigos? That's just what parents tell their foals on Equestria Day. There are no such things as windigos, at least not in Equestria. House Aries called for a snap election and in that election, nearly 65% of the population voted for Celestia and Luna to take over, and this ultimately diminished the noble houses’ power. House Leo- which is my house- threatened to annex western Equestria and rename it ‘Unicornia’ and their plan was only supported by House Capricorn, so it failed. Badly.”

“Is that why Grandpa Leonus hates Princess Celestia so much?”

“He doesn't hate Celestia,” said Sunrise, choosing her words carefully, “he just thinks that she doesn't always make the right decisions when it comes to Equestria. Anyway, enough about Equestria’s history, how are your studies with the princess going?”

“Great! I have my mid-term exam coming up and I know that I'm going to beat everypony else because it's obvious now that I'm just so much better than them. But Celestia told me that I should make friends but I don't want to. What should I do?”

“You don't need friends Sunset. All they will do is waste your time and distract you from your studies. Just focus on your studies and you will go very far. I am confident that you will achieve great things, Sunset.”

“Thanks, Mother. Can I go and practise for the exam now?”

“Of course.”

Sunset hugged her mother tightly and galloped away. Sunrise watched her leave with a sad smile, praying that her innocence wasn't tainted by what Sunburst had planned for Celestia and Luna.

Sunburst had been circling the Cancer Corp building for the past twenty minutes, searching for an opening that he could enter the building through. The security was quite lax due to the fact that nopony would want want to break into a health lab, but this did not mean that Cancer Corp was not guarded. The entire building was surrounded by a shield spell that had taken Sunburst ten minutes to neutralise and he still wasn't any closer to breaking in.

I need to hurry, the longer I spend here, the higher my chances of getting caught.

Whilst circling the building again, Sunburst noticed that one of the windows hadn't been closed properly and thus had a very small opening. Sunburst quickly walked over to the window and used his magic to force the window open. He climbed in slowly and entered a room that was in complete darkness. Sunburst lit up his horn and investigated his surroundings. There were a huge number of sheets strewn all over the tables in the room and the whiteboard still had drawings all over it. Sunburst walked quietly through this room and entered the corridor. He found a light switch on the wall next to him and turned it on, illuminating his surroundings immediately. At the end of the corridor he saw an old, brown door labelled ‘Mutatio.’

That's what Sir Cranco said yesterday.

Sunburst walked over to the door and pushed it gently, surprised at the fact that the door swung open. He walked through slowly to find another door surrounded by a barrier made up of pink magic.

Now, how does this work?

Sunburst stared at the orb for a few moments, his mind quickly running through all of the possible ways he could overcome this spell. He lit up his horn and fired a red streak of light at the orb but this had no effect. He gathered up all of his power and fired at the orb again and a small dent was formed but it wasn't big enough for Sunburst to break through.

Why isn't this working? How can I not get past this orb?

You're going to fail Sunburst.

Sunburst turned around quickly to find the source of the voice but he saw nopony behind him. He returned his attention to the orb and charged up his horn to fire another bolt of magic and another small dent adjacent to the previous one was formed.

Just give up Sunburst. Your so-called ‘mission’ will only end in failure like your time at Celestia’s school.

Sunburst turned around again and like before, saw nothing. His heart began to race and he felt small beads of sweat run down his neck.

Turn around and go home Sunburst.

This time the voice rang loudly and clearly in Sunburst’s ears. He then heard a beeping sound and the sound echoed throughout his head, causing Sunburst a great deal of pain. His horn began to swell a little. Sunburst cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground and holding his head in his hooves. He felt the ground spin beneath him and the world blackened, the pink magical orb and the door it protected fading into the darkness, taking Sunburst’s consciousness with it.

“Candidate 0706. Please enter the examination hall.”

Sunburst opened his eyes and found himself standing in a lobby with lots of other foals. His eyes widened upon seeing the foal who was stood in front of him.

“Sunburst, go!”

Sunburst watched his younger self shiver and walk very slowly into the exam hall.

Oh no. I remember this day. The first end-of-year exam. But why am I here? Why did I go back to this day? The worst day of my life.

Sunburst was teleported into the hall and he cringed upon what he saw. The younger Sunburst was shaking and the three examiners he stood in front of gave him stoic looks.

“Sunburst Solar, considering your previously abysmal exam performances, I hope you will redeem yourself today.” said one of the examiners whilst briefly looking over his notes.

“Ye-yes sir.” whispered the younger Sunburst, shuffling on his hooves. He turned to the wagon (which contained a puppy) in the room and took a deep breath before speaking.

“Today I will be performing an accelerated growth spell on this puppy here. The spell I perform should enable the puppy to pass through adolescence and adulthood and reach an elderly age.”

“An ambitious proposal, Mr Solar. Are you sure that you will be able to successfully complete this spell?” asked the female examiner.

“Yes.”

“I am sure that you are aware, Mr Solar, that due to your poor exam results this year, it is mandatory that you achieve a mark of 65 out of 100 today or your place at the school is at risk of being taken away?”

“Yes, sir.” whispered the younger Sunburst. He took a deep breath and turned to face the wagon. He closed his eyes and lit up his horn. The puppy barked loudly as it was lifted up into the air and Sunburst’s magic appeared to be working as the puppy's legs began to elongate.

Here it comes.

The puppy suddenly dropped to the floor and the younger Sunburst’s magic faded.

“Mr Solar, you failed to complete the accelerated growth spell. Your score is a zero and we will be having an emergency meeting with your parents to discuss your future at this school. You are dismissed.”

The younger Sunburst ran out of the hall sobbing and the older Sunburst ran after him but remembered that nopony could see or hear him in this flashback and stopped in his tracks. The room suddenly disappeared and Sunburst found himself now standing outside his father’s mansion. He walked forward slowly to the door.

“Sunburst!”

Sunburst heard his name being called and he had the shock of his life when he saw who the voice belonged to.

Mother.

Lady Caprica walked slowly towards her son. In the final months of her life, her teal mane had shortened to a few wisps of hair on her head but now it was as long and luscious as it was in her youth. Her kind teal eyes focused on her son and her warm aura drew her son close to her.

“Sunburst, my son, I-”

Sunburst threw himself at his mother and tears fell from his face as he clung to his mother tightly.

“Sunburst, look at me.”

Sunburst quickly wiped away his tears and looked at his mother.

“You need to stop doubting yourself. You can't let what happened in your childhood dominate the rest of your life. You have lots of support and the ponies that love you believe in you.”

“Hmph…. Father doesn't believe in me. He still holds doubts about me.” said Sunburst with a hint of contempt.

“He just wants you to show that you can assert yourself, and i know you can do it.”

“What about the voice I heard in Cancer Corp?” asked Sunburst, nervousness creeping into his voice.

“That was the dark magic. When you used the crown today, a portion of the magic must’ve entered your body. I'm guessing that the dark magic has now grown in size, which could explain why you heard it speak.” explained Lady Caprica.

“How do I get rid of it?” asked Sunburst.

“You can't. It channels your negative emotions and uses it against you. You can only repress it by believing in yourself.” said Sunburst’s mother.

The ground suddenly shook and Lady Caprica was thrown to the floor. Sunburst quickly helped her up but she was incredibly light in his hooves.

“I don't have much time left Sunburst, so listen carefully. Go forward with your heart and always consider what is best for other ponies. You will be a great leader. Gloria et virtue, my son. Hold those close to you.” said Lady Caprica with a sad smile. She eventually disappeared a few seconds later and Sunburst lost consciousness again.

Sunburst suddenly woke up and found himself back on the ground in Cancer Corp. He shakily stood up and stared at the orb.

Believe in myself. That's what I have to do.

Sunburst charged up his horn and fired at the orb, gradually increasing the power he used. The shield began to crack and long lines formed on it, threatening to split the shield apart. The shield suddenly exploded and the door was thrown open. Sunburst fell backwards and hit the ground hard. He got up and quickly walked through the door, entering the room that Sir Cranco had attempted to protect.

Let’s see why Sir Cranco was trying so hard to hide what is in here.

Sunburst saw a whiteboard with several diagrams on it and decided to investigate. He quickly skimmed through the diagrams. Images of something called a telephone. Sunburst gasped out loud. This ‘telephone’ would make communications so much easier between ponies and letters would effectively not be used anymore if this invention was shown to the world. Sunburst looked over some other papers that were on the nearby tables.

Footsteps.

Sunburst suddenly heard a pony’s footsteps travelling down the hall. They appeared to be walking towards the room Sunburst was in. he quickly looked for a place that he could hide but he remembered his mother’s words and stood confidently in the middle of the room. Sir Cranco quickly saw the shattered orb and rushed into the room, shocked to see Sunburst standing there.

“What is this?” said Sunburst, holding one of the sheets.

Sir Cranco sighed and seemed to give up. “That, Sunburst, is how we’re going to change Equestria. Forever.

Gloria et virtue
That is how you will go far
Secrets will be revealed
And ponies will show who they truly are

Ad vitam passion

“That, Sunburst, is how we're going to change Equestria. Forever.”

Sir Cranco and Sunburst stood opposite each other in the room, both stallions staring silently at each other. Sunburst pretended to read over the sheet that he held, waiting for Sir Cranco to explain himself.

“How about you head home now and I will explain everything tomorrow, it is very late after all,” said Sir Cranco finally, his voice tinged with desperation as he attempted to salvage any authority he had left over Sunburst.

“How about we go to your office and discuss this -” Sunburst paused to think of the right word to address the situation “matter right now like the mature stallions that I know we both are,” said Sunburst, finishing his sentence with a smile. He walked out of the room and beckoned for Sir Cranco to follow him. Sighing in defeat, Sir Cranco quietly followed after Sunburst.

“I'll start from the beginning; that way what I am about to tell you will make more sense.”

Sir Cranco and Sunburst were sitting opposite each other in the former stallion’s office and papers detailing tests for Project Mutation lay on the table in front of them. Sunburst picked up one that detailed the design for the telephone. Whilst he was reading through the different papers, Sir Cranco pushed one of the papers of the table and onto the floor, quickly picking it up and using his magic to quietly place it into one of the the drawers of the filing cabinet behind him, opening and closing the drawer as quietly. Luckily for Sir Cranco, Sunburst was so engrossed in the contents of the paper he was reading that he did not see what Sir Cranco did.

“These inventions are quite remarkable, Sir, I'm surprised that you even decided to keep this hidden from the public.”

“Patience, Sunburst, all will be explained,” said Sir Cranco, his tone becoming slightly patronising, which irritated Sunburst. “Approximately three years ago I set up this project in response to the fact that our nation is still stuck in it's old ways. Whilst the zebras and even the griffons have implemented new technology to improve their everyday lives, Equestria is falling behind.”

“Quite right Sir Cranco. Something needs to change if we are to improve as a nation and compete with the other species,” agreed Sunburst.

“I pooled all of the brightest minds working for me together into this group in hopes that we would be able to create something amazing that would change our country forever.”

“Is this where the ‘telephone’ comes in?” asked Sunburst.

“Yes, we plan for it to be the new form of communication across Equestria. Whilst it is the only invention my group had come up with, we have decided to pursue it as a long term project in hopes that in a few years time, every household in Equestria will have a telephone.”

“Interesting. Very interesting indeed,” pondered Sunburst, wanting to hear even more about the telephone.

“Of course, a network of communication lines would have to be established across Equestria and that would require significant funding. It would also effectively weaken the post service due to differences in communication times.”

“And what about the incident earlier today with your granddaughter, Twilight? I'm surprised you didn't want to take her to the hospital.”

Sir Cranco visibly squirmed in his seat and he looked down, shame painted all over his face. He took his time answering Sunburst’s enquiries.

“The...incident earlier today, was due to a malfunction.. in testing the prototype telephone. The sudden surge of power….. was what caused it,” said Sir Cranco nervously, frequently looking to the ground during his answer.

“If you say so..Sir,” replied Sunburst, clearly doubting the other stallion’s explanation. “Anyway, where would the funds needed to bring the telephone into the market come from?”

“We have sufficient funds, Sunburst, so rest assured your house’s generous endorsements will not be wasted, if that is what you were concerned about,” replied Sir Cranco a little too quickly, but Sunburst ignored this.

“This is not a waste of money at all, Sir Cranco, I see this as a project with the potential to improve Equestria forever and House Capricorn would be honoured to help make history.”

Sunburst was personally not as keen on the project as he initially was. He had to admit that the telephone would bring a lot of benefits to Equestria but it could inspire a new wave of inventions that could effectively render magic useless. Magic was the powerful force in Equestria and Sunburst intended for it to stay that way. Equestria did not need to change; rather it needed to revert to it's old ways. As Sir Cranco continued to talk about how the telephone would revolutionise Equestria, Sunburst decided to take advantage and find out what Sir Cranco’ views on Celestia and Luna’s rule were.

“However, some ponies would consider your plans to be quite revolutionary and pose a legitimate threat to Celestia and Luna’s rule, Sir Cranco, what do you say to that?”

“That's completely ridiculous. House Cancer has, and always will, support the royal sisters. This project only serves to find ways that we can improve our country, not start a revolution against the princesses.”

Of course he would proclaim his undying loyalty for the royal sisters, he won't bring any benefits for us.

No, he may still be useful to us in the long run.

Sunburst jumped out of his seat in shock when he heard a male and female voice speaking inside his head.

“Mr Solar, are you alright? Maybe you should just go home now,” said Sir Cranco, rising out of his seat.

“Who was that? Them. I heard voices. They're here.” whispered Sunburst. Sir Cranco made a puzzled expression and tilted his head slightly in confusion.

“Sunburst, there are no voices, it's only me and you in the building right now. Maybe you should go home, get some rest and you can come back tomorrow,” said Sir Cranco.

You idiot! Now he's suspicious! Stop acting like a foal and get the information you need from him.

Sunburst decided to listen to the male voice that had spoken and he lifted his head to face Sir Cranco. “Is the telephone the only idea you have come up with in three years of Project Mutatio's existence?”

“Yes, whilst it may not sound like much, the telephone will change lives for the better.” Sir Cranco was surprised by Sunburst’s sudden change in behaviour but he appeared to be a little nervous before speaking again. “What do you intend to do with the information that I have told you tonight Mr Solar?”

Sunburst pretended to think about what decision he was going to come to, but he already knew what his answer was going to be before Sir Cranco had even told him anything about Project Mutatio.

“I will not inform anypony else about what you have told me tonight. The collaboration between House Cancer and House Capricorn still stands. I will return in three days for the results of the research on my family's valuable jewels. I'll find my own way out.”

Sunburst got up and walked to the door. Before leaving, he fixed Sir Cranco with a penetrating stare that was immediately returned by the other stallion. Once the door was closed, Sir Cranco sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting until he was sure that Sunburst was gone. He quickly opened the cabinet drawer and took out the piece of paper that he had picked up from the floor earlier.

At least he didn't ask about this.

“I still can't believe you got your cutie mark Twilight!”

“I always knew we had a special one, Velvet!”

Twilight, her older brother Shining Armour, their parents and Sir Cranco were all sitting together at the dining table in Sir Cranco’s apartment having their breakfast. For the past ten minutes, Twilight’s parents had been showering Twilight with compliments on how amazing she was. Both Twilight Velvet and Night Light had failed to realise that their daughter was obviously uncomfortable with all of the attention and their blatant disregard for Twilight’s feelings was beginning to get on Sir Cranco's nerves. His lack of sleep (Sir Cranco had stayed up for most of the night contemplating his discussion with Sunburst) also meant that his mood was significantly worsened by the behaviour of his daughter and son-in-law.

“And we can't wait for you to start school because I know that -”

“Velvet, can I talk to you for a moment? In private,” interjected Sir Cranco, sparing Twilight from any further harassment. Twilight smiled gratefully at her grandfather and he returned the gesture before leaving the dining room with his daughter.

“Velvet, do you not remember I told you about how the poor filly got her cutie mark? Do you really think she wants to be hearing about it the day after?!”

“She’ll be fine, Twilight is a tough little filly, I'm just making that she is happy as possible whilst she is living here. Isn't that a mother’s job? Or are you trying to take this away from me too just like everything else you've done before in my life?” replied Velvet, daring her father to disagree with her.

“I'm just looking out for her. That's all.” Sir Cranco was too tired to argue and talk about the past with his daughter and he returned to his seat at the table, avoiding any conversations and eating his food quickly so that he could escape from his family and properly process his thoughts.

“I’m going to return to Cancer Corp, I-there’s..some paperwork that I need to finish,” said Sir Cranco, using his magic to carry his plate and glass of water into the kitchen before leaving the house in a hurry.

“Okay then, bye Gran-,” Twilight was suddenly by the sound of the door slamming. “Is Grandpa okay?”

“Time.”

“One minute and twenty seconds.”

“I was too slow. Time me again.”

“As you wish, Sir.”

Sir Cranco took off his goggles and sat at the edge of the pool, staring absently into his reflection in the pale blue water. He had retreated to the swimming pool that he had built for him nearly three years ago underground Cancer Corp as a way in which he could relieve stress from everyday life; and last night’s events meant that he was desperate to clear his mind and return to his usual calm state. Sir Cranco stood up and put his goggles back and dived into the pool. Sir Cranco felt the cool, encapsulating and refreshing rush of the water. The short surge of water that swirled around his body seemed to wash away his worries, and responsibilities, if only for a short while. He still couldn't get over how easily he had wilted under Sunburst. What was it about that stallion that has inclined him to confess about Project Mutatio?

That stallion beat me. How?

Ever since he put Atlas in his place at the Gemini gathering, his confidence has skyrocketed.

As Sir Cranco reached the other side of the pool, he somersaulted forward in the water and used his hooves to push off the edge of pool.

Forget about him. Thinking about it will only make it worse.

As Sir Cranco passed the halfway point of the pool, he began to pick up speed, his arms extending outwards and coming back in quicker at a speed he had never previously reached whilst his legs slashed up and down through the water at lightning speed as Sir Cranco propelled forward to the finish.

“T-time, please,” panted Sir Cranco as he slowly hauled himself up and out of the pool and lay down precariously close to the edge, catching his breath.

“Fifty nine seconds sir,” replied the male assistant, who checked the stopwatch that hung around his neck. “That's a new personal best, sir.”

“And I .. ,” Sir Cranco paused again to catch his breath “expect nothing less. I've finished my session for today. Thank you.”

Sir Cranco took his towel from the bench that was nearby to the pool and entered the bathroom that was nearby, stopping in front of the mirror to analyse his appearance. His grey mane had been matted down with water onto his head and droplets of water ran across his beige body and over his cutie mark (which was a test tube half full with a pink liquid), creating the illusion of a liquid being poured into his cutie mark, before coming together and meeting at the floor beneath his hooves forming several small puddles. Sir Cranco lifted the towel off his shoulder using his magic and began to dry himself, making sure that he used the towel so that every part of his body became devoid of water. Once he had finished, Sir Cranco left the bathroom and placed the used towel back on the bench and left the facility, re-entering Cancer Corp to return to his normal working day, hopefully, without any distractions.

“We’re ready to run the third test sir.”

“Then you can proceed.”

The large room (with a door that had a brand-new orb protecting it) was filled to the brim with scientists preparing to repeat tests under the watchful eyes of Sir Cranco. The pony that had spoken lit up his horn and used his magic to carefully pour a pale blue liquid into a vacant test tube that was on the table. Another scientist who was wearing gloves over his hooves stepped forward and used his wings to open a jar and poured its contents; a white powder, into the test tube.

“Start the stopwatch,” ordered Sir Cranco. The pegasus sealed the test tube with a cork and shook the test tube gently before pressing one of the buttons on the stopwatch he was wearing, obeying Sir Cranco’s orders. The solution fizzled and shook slightly as the white powder quickly dissolved in the pale blue liquid. The colour of the solution changed to colourless and the pegasus stopped the stopwatch.

“That was twenty seconds, sir,” said the pegasus, turning to address Sir Cranco.

“So the powder can be concealed in any solution, meaning that it has similar properties to kalinaxia. Very good. You can continue your work.”

“Sir!,” said the pegasus with the stopwatch “if you don't mind me asking, why does this powder need to be concealed in a solution? If it has similar properties to kalanaxia, does it not pose a risk to our health if we are working with it?”

Sir Cranco had initially been walking out of the lab and stopped when he heard the question.

“It does not concern you so don't worry about it. Pack up all of the samples into the containers and get back to work, please.”

“Myself and two of my colleagues will be visiting your headquarters at nine o’clock to discuss further negotiations and shipping between our two parties. I hope this letter reaches you in good health. Deal with the letter in the usual way. Regards, Mr A.”

Sir Cranco threw the letter to the floor in frustration and began to pace around his office, lighting a candle so that he could dispose of the letter.

They can't come here. That completely breaks the deal we made. Never meet in a public area. But why would they come here?

Maybe they found out that I told Sunburst about Project Mutatio.

But that's impossible.

This time two years ago you never would have predicted that you would be in this mess. Times change, and circumstances change as well.

Why did you have to find out Sunburst. Why?

Sir Cranco stopped pacing and took a few papers out of the cabinet behind him before leaving his office. He was going to deal with his guilty feelings once and for all.

“You would like to assemble the noble council? On such a short notice, I fear that we may not be able to fulfil your wishes, Sir Cranco.”

“Please, your Highness, it's very important that everypony is here to hear what I have to tell them today.”

Celestia frowned as she sat upon her throne in front of Sir Cranco. Luna was visiting Detrot to open a new art gallery so Celestia was alone in the palace. Sir Cranco’s request was very unlike him and she doubted whether everypony could make it. Why was he so desperate to call a meeting now?

“Would you mind telling me what you want to tell everypony?” asked Celestia, leaning forward from her seat.

“It concerns… a personal project of mine and I believe that it would benefit the noble court and all of Equestria if it's details were to be made public,” said Sir Cranco, hoping his feeble excuse would be believed by the occasionally naive elder royal sister.

“Very well,” said Princess Celestia, relieving Sir Cranco, “I will send letters to the households of the rest of the noble houses informing them of this meeting.”

“Thank you, your Highness, you won't regret it,” replied Sir Cranco, bowing quickly before walking quickly out of the throne room.

“I hope I don't,” muttered Celestia once Sir Cranco had exited the throne room.

“Why are we here, I should be getting my hooves done right now.”

“I was in the middle of my afternoon coffee, this had better be worth the time.”

The nobles grumbled amongst themselves as they sat amongst their houses in their designated seats in the courtroom. Sir Cranco shuffled his papers nervously as he glanced across the room, looking for a certain pony.

Found him.

Sunburst was speaking (rather quietly compared to the rest of the nobles) with his wife, father and a few other relatives in House Capricorn’s seats towards the back of the court, looking at the stage every few moments.

At least he won't be able to boss me around anymore.

“Greetings, nobles, apologies for the sudden summoning,” said Celestia as she walked out and stood in front of the nobles in the middle of the room. “I have called you here today because Sir Cranco has an important announcement he would like to make.”

That's my cue.

Sir Cranco came out from one of the curtains that he was behind and took Celestia's place in the middle of the court, carrying his papers using his magic. He shuffled his hooves nervously and cleared his throat loudly.

Here goes.

“Good evening, nobles. I have requested this meeting today to talk to you about an exciting project that has been under wraps at Cancer Corp for a few years now,” Sir Cranco smiled inwardly as he saw Sunburst frown. The other nobles appeared to be completely bored and some even began their own private conversations, showing a complete lack of respect for Sir Cranco. “I have collected the brightest minds in Equestria to from a select group under the codename ‘Project Mutatio’ in hopes that our inventions would change Equestria forever.”

Many of the nobles had stopped talking now and a hush had fallen over the court, the silence almost deafening as everypony present waited for Sir Cranco to continue speaking.

“The idea that my group has been working will redefine communication across Equestria and allow ponies to talk to each other. I give you, the telephone!”

Sir Cranco clicked his tongue and two of his scientists (that were also members of the Project Mutatio group) entered the court, wheeling in a trolley that had an object covered in red fabric atop it.

“If we observe this remarkable object before us, you will find that this part here-” Sir Cranco paused to hold up the handset “would be held up to the ear like this, enabling speech from another pony to be heard. The handset cord underneath the handset here allows spach to travel from different telephones.”

Sunburst was furious that Sir Cranco had confessed about Project Mutatio and did not try to hide his frustration. The rest of the nobles were bewitched with the telephone and even Celestia was interested in hearing what Sir Cranco had to say.

“In order for the telephone to actually fulfil its function, a network of communication lines that cover all of Equestria need to built and this will require a large amount of funding. The telephone will also probably reduce the influence of the postal industry, but it will also create lots of new jobs in factories that build the telephones. Now, are there any questions?”

Several hooves were raised but Sir Cranco saw Sunburst's hoof was higher than the other ponies, and Sir Cranco decided to take a risk and answer his demands.

Here we go.

“Yes, Sunburst, what was it you wanted to ask?”

Sunburst stared silently at Sir Cranco for a few moments, his eyes communicating his frustration for him. “Why did you decide to keep this project a secret for three years? Surely if the telephone had so many benefits for our country, there would be no need for it to be kept a secret; you could have at least told the council and kept us regularly updated on any developments.”

Sunburst had asked a question that wasn't even being considered by the other nobles, but once he had asked it the other nobles began to agree, and some were shouting that Sir Cranco should explain himself.

“I didn't want to get your hopes up for no reason. If I told you about this when it began three years ago, then the group would be placed under even more pressure to deliver results and we may not have fulfilled these demands. It ...took us a long time to design and build this working model of the telephone; we are only a pharmaceutical company after all, but Sunburst is right, perhaps I should have at least told you all about the group; apologies.”

The next pony to speak was Sir Wolfgang, who was head of House Taurus. “Do you have an accurate estimate as to how much money is needed for these ‘construction lines’ you want to build?”

Sir Cranco was relieved that the topic had changed and was more confident answering this question “Yes and no, we have made estimates on how much lines for one city would be, but not for all of Equestria. Canterlot’s price would probably come under the region of Taney to thirty million bits.”

Sir Wolfgang was expecting the price to be a lot higher and was pleasantly surprised by the low price. “Well Sir Cranco, your project has the full support of House Taurus and we will be sure to include this in our upcoming budget.”

“Thank you, sir. Are there any other questions or should we all decide now on whether this should continue?” asked Celestia, standing up from her seat. Nopony raised their hoof. “All who support Sir Cranco’s project, raise your hooves now.”

There were lots of hooves raised throughout the court, most notably that of Sunburst and his family, which didn't surprise him.

He’ll probably confront me when this meeting is over.

Celestia silently counted the number of hooves before announcing the results, which surprised nopony “Then it is settled. House Taurus, you are to include Sir Cranco’s plans for the telephone in your upcoming budget draft. This meeting has now concluded. You are free to leave, nobles.”

The nobles quickly needed no persuasion as they scrambled for the exit; almost causing a mass stampede. Some ponies stayed back to talk to Sir Cranco and Sunburst was one of them, leaving his family to go and confront him.

“I will definitely you and your husband Sir Wolfgang’s proposal under careful consideration, Lady Tarina,” said Sir Cranco, who was currently crowded by nobles who were offering deals for the telephone. Whilst Sir Cranco was busy talking to other nobles, Sunburst managed to sneak into the crowd and slowly made his way to the front.

“Sir, if you don't mind, could I speak to you in private for a few moments?” asked Sunburst, whose appearance made Sir Cranco jump a little. He quickly composed himself and stepped away from the crowd, walking towards Sunburst.

“Let's discuss this in the local cafe, I wouldn't want anypony to overhear our conversation,” whispered Sunburst, glaring at Sir Cranco, who returned the expression. The two ponies both exited the court, walking a good few metres away from each other as the animosity between them was clear to anypony that was observing them.

“How dare you? HOW DARE YOU go behind my back and tell everypony when I had agreed to keep this a secret for you? Did my kind gesture last night mean absolutely nothing to you,you ignorant, elderly bastard?! And the fact that those idiots actually believe your sorry excuse!”

Sunburst was trying his best to keep his voice down but his pure anger and frustration with Sir Cranco’s actions meant that he was struggling to keep his volume low, and his remarks gained a few looks from other ponies that were present in the cafe. Sir Cranco on the other hand, was surprisingly calm in the face of Sunburst’s insults and waited quietly for him to finish his rant before defending himself.

“Like I told you last night, Mr Solar, I acted in the best interests of Equestria. The group has made several advancements in making the telephone and it felt right that at this stage I should inform Celestia of the progress we have made.”

“How convenient then that you should come to this decision the day after I find out about your little project,” snarled Sunburst, who wasn't letting up in his questions.

“You finding out about Project Mutatio last night had nothing to do with my decision,” lied Sir Cranco, “and if anything, you should be supporting my decision. We both agreed that our houses should collaborate on researching the jewels that you brought to me yesterday. And unless you believe otherwise, I am pretty sure that you also want to do what is best for Equestria. Am I right?” When Sunburst didn't respond, Sir Cranco took it as a cue to continue speaking. “Then I'm sure that we can look past this and keep the alliance between our houses intact.”

“Of course Sir Cranco, forgive my… reaction, I was simply shocked that you had decided to tell everypony. I must leave, it's getting late. Good day.” Sunburst smiled at Sir Cranco but it seemed forced and it didn't quite reach his eyes. He stood up and left a few bits on the table to cover his bill, before walking out of the cafe.

Sir Cranco laid back slightly into his seat and absentmindedly looked at the clock, startled by the fact that there was only two hours left until he was supposed to meet with Mr A at Cancer Corp. Sir Cranco called the waitress over and paid his bill, leaving a generous tip before bolting out of the cafe.

The figure was wearing a thick black cloak that covered most of his body, thus concealing his identity. Only his eyes could be seen (vaguely) and his red irises focused on the building. He was stood behind Cancer Corp with two other ponies that were also covered in thick black cloaks. One of the ponies stood beside him and the other was next to the door of the carriage that the three ponies had travelled in.

“Sor..sorry I'm late, I was collecting the sample from the-,” panted Sir Cranco, galloping out of the back door of Cancer Corp and towards the three ponies, whilst carrying a small pouch of white powder with his magic.

“Silence,” commanded the pony in the middle, his deep voice echoing as he stepped forward menacingly. “Did you bring the sample?”

“Of course, I-I would never forget,” stammered Sir Cranco, holding up the pouch for the ponies to see.

“Good. Let's head inside. Bring the test subject as well,” said Mr A. The pony nearest to the carriage obeyed and opened the door, dragging out a screaming mare that had her mouth covered in duct tape and her arms and legs tied together with rope.

“Wha-what are you doing?! Why is she tied up and-”

“Remember, ask no questions, hear no lies,” snarled Mr A, shoving Sir Cranco through the door and inside the building.

Ten minutes after the group had entered the building, they had finally entered the area in which the meeting would take place. Sir Cranco opened the door to his office and led the other ponies inside. The prisoner was roughly thrown to the floor and the three other ponies stood around Sir Cranco's desk.

“Now, we are hoping you have improved on the quality of your samples. The last batch was unsatisfactory,” said Mr A.

“Of course we have progress, Sir. This new sample can be concealed and it can also be consumed with any liquid,” stated Sir Cranco, rubbing his hoof on his head as he nervously looked at the mare (who was still on the floor). “Why did you come here tonight?”

“If I were you, I would be more worried about the quality of your sample. Let’s put your bold statement to the test, shall we?” Mr A picked up the pouch from the table and opened it with his teeth carefully, so that its contents did not spill to the floor.

“Let’s move this to the lab, there's more space there,”’said Sir Cranco, prompting the ponies to leave whilst staring at the mare.

“No, do you have something to hide, Cranco?,” said Mr A, standing directly in front of Sir Cranco, who did not answer.

“Search the office. Now.”

The other two ponies headed for the cabinets and ripped them open, looking over the papers briefly before throwing them to the floor.

“Boss, look at this,” said one of the ponies, holding up a sheet of paper. The paper had a diagram of the telephone on it and underneath, in almost illegible handwriting, were the words ‘telephone - conspiracy?’

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” yelled Mr A, shaking the paper in his hoof. Droplets of saliva flew out of his mouth and landed on Sir Cranco, but he ignored this as he froze in fear.

Oh no. No, no, no, no,no! Why. Sunburst? Why?

“That..is-is my handwriting, sir, I-I don't know what you're talking about,” stammered Sir Cranco.

“Don't lie to me, do you not think I would remember what your handwriting looked like when you've signed over so many packages for us?!” Mr A took a deep breath and spoke on a much quieter tone. “I'm only going to ask you this once more, whose handwriting is that?”

“It-it is mine,” said Sir Cranco eventually, trying his best to sound believable. But it didn't fool anypony.

“Alright then. I didn't really want to do this, but you leave me with no choice, Sir Cranco.” Mr A clicked his tongue and the two henchmen grabbed him from behind and began to beat Sir Cranco, punching him in the stomach and chest repeatedly as he fell to the floor, covering his face and head with his hooves. Sir Cranco’ attempts to protect himself however, eventually proved futile as he lost consciousness. Before losing consciousness. He heard Mr A order his accomplices.

“Take him and the prisoner to the nearest lab.”

Ugh..where am I?

Sir Cranco slowly opened his eyes and tried to move, only to find that he was tightly bound with thick brown rope to the chair that he was sitting in. The mare had been placed in a chair opposite Sir Cranco and her fearful expression mirrored Sir Cranco's.

“Now,” said Mr A, startling both Sir Cranco and the mare as he appeared to materialise out of the darkness “somepony here, mentioning no names, had been a very naughty foal. Which one of you do you think it is?”

Sir Cranco stayed silent out of fear that he would be punished if he spoke, but the mare was much more confident.

“Stop playing with us and tell us why the fuck are we here, you ugly piece of shit,” said the mare, surprising Mr A and Sir Cranco with her outburst.

“And she speaks at last, if only something more pleasant had come out of your mouth, then maybe I'd have let you go,” laughed Mr A. He suddenly stood between Sir Cranco and the mare, holding a knife in his hoof.

“Sir Cranco, have I ever told you how much I hate liars? If it was up to me, then lying alone should lose you a hoof, but it isn't up to me, is it? It's up to rich unicorns like you sitting together in a room deciding how our country should be run. Your kind and hers,” Mr A paused to glare at the mare behind him “are the reason everything is going wrong in Equestria. IT'S YOU!!”

When he saw Sir Cranco’s confused expression, Mr A took a moment to compose himself before smiling and twirling the knife.

“But that doesn't matter. Not right now anyway. A little birdie tells me that a little purple filly is due to start school very soon. It would be a shame if something was to happen to her.”

“Don't you dare hurt Twilight! DON'T YOU DARE!” yelled Sir Cranco, writhing about desperately in the chair.

“It's simple. All you have to do is tell me who you told about our deal,” said Mr A, edging closer and closer to Sir Cranco.

“I didn't tell.. anypony,” reaffirmed Sir Cranco.

Mr A ignored his answer and turned around, brandishing the knife and walking towards the mare.

“Don't come near me! My parents will find you and you don't want to know what they will do to you!” screamed the mare desperately, pushing herself backwards to avoid the knife.

Unfortunately for the mare, Mr A did not listen to her warning. He rested the knife against her cheek and began to drag it down her face, leaving a long, deep gash. The mare screamed and thrashed about wildly but this only managed to make the wound worse. Mr A smiled and repeated the gesture on the other side of her face, and the mare screamed again.

“If you don't tell me the truth, then things will only get worse for her. Ad vitam passion. Live by your house’s motto now and you may just save her life,” said Mr A, admiring the way the blood-stained knife shimmered in the light.

Sir Cranco faced a dilemma; if he didn't confess that he told Sunburst and the noble council about Project Mutatio, then it was very likely that the mare in front of him would be killed. Twilight’s safety also hung in the balance and Sir Cranco knew that Mr A was not the sort of pony that would make empty threats. Sir Cranco did not think that he would be able to live with the guilt. But if he told the truth, then what would happen to him? Mr A was always a psychotic pony and his behaviour right now proved it. Sir Cranco grimaced again as Mr A slashed the mare’s forehead and laughed when the mare screamed again.

I can't take it anymore. I have to tell the truth. For Twilight. For this mare.

“STOP!”

Mr A stopped cutting up the mare’s face and faced Sir Cranco. “Is somepony ready to confess their bad deeds?”

“I may have… told somepony about Project Mutatio’s existence, but I didn't mention all of the details!” cried Sir Cranco.

“What exactly did you tell? Did you mention the funding you receive from me?” demanded Mr A.

“Just that the telephone will be released into the market soon, that's all,” said Sir Cranco, his eyes watering. “Just leave her alone. Please.”

“Alright then,” said Mr A, walking slowly towards Sir Cranco. He raised the knife high and slashed it across his midriff, creating a deep gash that would likely form a scar. Ignoring the other stallion’s screams, Mr A walked over to the table. He picked up the pouch containing the white powder and emptied it's contents into a nearby test tube. He placed a spoonful of the powder into a spatula and starting walking back towards the mare.

“Wha-what are doing?! Are you going to-”

“Yes. The reason she was brought here tonight was so that she could test your product. Is that not the deal we made two years ago regarding other ponies?”

“It-it is, but I thought you said that it would only be used on criminals.” cried Sir Cranco.

“Oh Cranco, you complete and utter fool, do I look like a law enforcement officer to you? This mare counts as a criminal in my eyes for what she did in Las Pegasus. So she deserves this fate. Do not forget that I know your little secret and if this sample isn't good enough, then I will be paying a visit to the Equestria Daily office tomorrow,” smirked Mr A as he reached the mare, who had lost consciousness due to the immense pain she had suffered. Mr A opened her mouth and poured the powder into her mouth.

“Now, let's see if your powder’s potency has improved,” said Mr A, taking a few steps back and silently watching the mare. Thirty seconds after she had been given the powder, the mare began to cough, which eventually morphed into a large coughing fit. A thin line of blood began to run from both of her nostrils and orange froth began to form at her mouth, dripping onto her body. The sight was so sickening that Sir Cranco turned his head (very slightly due to the tightness of the ropes) and vomited onto the floor.

“Have some composure, you're a grown stallion,” sneered Mr A quickly sidestepping to avoid being hit by the vomit. A few dots of vomit hit him and he slashed Sir Cranco's face with the knife in retaliation.

“Please.. I'm begging you,” whispered the mare, before vomiting wildly onto the floor. A piece of large pink flesh also landed on the floor and Sir Cranco threw up again, to the annoyance of Mr A. The mare began to shake violently and the ropes struggled to hold her as she thrashed about in the chair she was held in. After a few minutes, she stopped moving and breathing became erratic, slowing down until eventually she stopped breathing.

“You have exceeded all of my expectations, Sir Cranco. The powder is even more potent than the last one,” remarked Mr A, picking up the piece of pink flesh. “It also appears that the powder destroys parts of the body.” Mr A whistled and his two companions entered the room. They placed the two crates that they were holding onto the floor (which contained several kilograms of the deadly powder) and used their teeth to untie the rope and free Sir Cranco. Once he had been freed, Sir Cranco dropped to the floor and looked up at Mr A fearfully.

“My colleagues will return next month to collect the next shipping. Good night Sir Cranco,” said Mr A. As he left the lab, Mr A’s cloak got caught in the hinge of the doorframe and as he pulled it away with his hooves, Sir Cranco caught a glimpse of two black a yellow streak of lightning on his flank.

So he’s a pegasus. And that's what his cutie mark looks like.

“WAIT!” cried Sir Cranco, slowly getting up off the floor. “What... did that mare do?”

Mr A smirked and turned around to see Sir Cranco’s expression when he told him the truth.

“She never did anything. She was innocent.”

Mr A closed the door behind him and Sir Cranco broke down as the extent of his actions hit him like sledgehammer and he sobbed like a foal as he crawled towards the body of the dead mare. He cradled her head in his lap and let his tears fall onto her face and wash the blood and vomit away.

“I’m sorry..I did not know that he was doing this.. for two years I have been supplying him with this, sentencing innocent ponies to their death. It's all my fault,” whispered Sir Cranco, crying quietly. He placed the dead mare’s head back onto the floor and stood up slowly.

I supplied him with the means to end your life.

“I have to get rid of the body. Can't have it stinking up the lab,” said Sir Cranco, looking at the body.

Sir Cranco gently slipped his hooves under the body’s midriff and picked it up, carrying it out of the lab. He left the building through the back door and quietly walked through the alleyways near the building whilst carrying the dead body. Sir Cranco reached his destination ten minutes later and placed the dead body in the skip before lighting up his horn and firing a beam of light at the body. The body immediately burst into flames and the stench of rotting filled the air, and the flames eventually engulfed the skip.

He lied to me. How many innocent ponies could he have killed?

I was a fool to believe him.

But he will pay for what he did.

“I will avenge your death. Mr A will pay for what he did. He will pay,” declared Sir Cranco, walking away from the inferno.

Ad vitam passion

Put others before yourself

A passion for life

Loyalty before wealth

Non dominabtur

FIREFIGHTERS CALLED IN EARLY HOURS OF MORNING TO BATTLE RAGING INFERNO IN ABANDONED JUNKYARD NEAR CANCER CORP. SEE PAGE 4 FOR MORE DETAILS.

Sir Wolfgang tutted as he read the front page headline of the Equestria Daily. No doubt that juveniles hoping to cause trouble were to blame for the fire. The dining room of the Taurus mansion was decorated with golden chandeliers hanging on the ceiling. The burgundy walls were decorated with floral wallpaper and pictures of several influential members of House Taurus hung on the wall.

“Sir, your coffee should be coming very shortly,” announced one of the butlers that worked in the Taurus mansion.

“Call Atlas and Blueblood down for me. I want to talk to them,” asked Sir Wolfgang. The butler nodded his head and quickly walked out of the room and headed up the stairs.

Sir Wolfgang turned to the fourth page of the newspaper and put it back down on the table to read later as a servant brought him his coffee on a china tray. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a picture of his son in the paper and quickly read the headline.

ATLAS AND SUNBURST FACE OFF AT GEMINI GATHERING AND ELDEST SON OF SIR WOLFGANG FAILED MISERABLY. SEE PAGE EIGHT FOR MORE DETAILS.

Sir Wolfgang groaned as he turned to page eight and found a rather unflattering picture of his eldest son yelling whilst Sunburst, Sunrise and the other ponies watching wore amused expressions on their faces. Sir Wolfgang even spotted some ponies at the back of the picture laughing amongst themselves.

Another servant came into the dining room and placed a plate containing two slices of bread covered with butter onto the table.

Sir Wolfgang put the newspaper back down on the table and as he took a bite into a slice of bread on his plate, both of his sons entered the dining room at the same time. Atlas moaned and rubbed his bloodshot eyes as he sat down in his seat on the dining table opposite his father; who was staring at him disapprovingly. Two more servants, each carrying a tray that contained two slices of bread and an empty cup entered the dining room and placed Atlas and Blueblood’s breakfasts on the table. They nodded politely at Sir Wolfgang and quickly left the dining room.

“Atlas, have you been drinking again?”

“Noooo..” replied Atlas slowly, before yawning and pouring himself a large glass of water from the jug next to him.

“Don't lie. I can smell the fumes from here, and there are empty bottles of wine and cans of beer under your bed,” sneered Blueblood, staring pointedly at Atlas.

“You little…,” Atlas stood up menacingly and raised a hoof. Blueblood laughed and lay back in his seat, which made Atlas even angrier.

“Sit down. Now,” ordered Sir Wolfgang, standing up and fixing Atlas with a penetrating glare, who grumbled but obeyed his father and sat back down in his seat.

“How many times have I told you not to drink in the house? Why do you continue to defy my orders?” demanded Sir Wolfgang.

“Why would you care? You're obviously far too focused on your precious Stock Exchange and pleasing Celestia,” said Atlas, before taking a large sip from his glass of water.

“After you embarrassed our family at the Gemini party three days ago, I've half a mind to kick you out of the house!” yelled Sir Wolfgang. “Look at this, look at it NOW!”

Sir Wolfgang thrust the newspaper towards his son and Atlas read the article quietly before handing it back to his father.

“You managed to make our house the laughing stock of Equestria in one night; not only did you pick a fight with a Capricorn that you have never even spoken to, you didn't even win! The story is still being written about, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out just how badly you lost!”

Atlas did not have a reply to this statement and continued to quietly drink his water.

“The ONLY reason you are still here is because of your mother and because you managed to flood your flat despite the fact that you are twenty four years old! Don't make me find one more reason to dismiss you from this house because believe me, I won't regret it,” seethed Sir Wolfgang. “Now get out of my sight and get dressed. The Stock Exchange is opening in forty minutes and we need to be early.”

Atlas suddenly got up from his seat and left the dining room, heading up the stairs and back to his room to get ready.

“Blueblood, I want to ask you a question and you need to promise that you will answer as honestly as possible,” said Sir Wolfgang.

“Of.. course Father,” replied Blueblood, trying to predict what his father was going to ask him.

“How would you deal with Atlas? If you were in my position?”

Blueblood paused and began to think for a few minutes, whilst taking a bite from his bread. “I.. would most likely ask him to leave. His behaviour has become more and more wild over the last few months and it doesn't benefit our house’s image and reputation when one member is constantly embarrassing himself.”

Sir Wolfgang silently watched his son finish his answer and return to finishing his breakfast, pleased that he had answered in the ruthless manner that he had wanted him to.

Perhaps he is more mature than I thought.

“You make some good points son,” said Sir Wolfgang with a smile. “He will stay for the time being but if he continues to misbehave, then I will have no choice but to dismiss him from this household, no matter how much your mother pleads. Now get ready for school, you don't want to do badly in your exams do you?”

“I already know that I'm going to get the highest score in my class, these exams don't faze me at all,” stated Blueblood arrogantly.

As the two continued to eat, they were both unaware of the fact that Atlas was standing on the stairs and had heard everything. He quickly galloped up the stairs and to his room and slammed the door, incensed that his father and younger brother were talking about him in this way. He used his magic to pull out an open can of beer stashed carefully underneath a pile of dirty clothes and greedily drank it, drowning his fury in the beverage.

They have the nerve to talk about me behind my back?

Atlas finished the can of beer and threw it under his bed, adding it to the growing collection of empty beer cans under his bed. He opened his wardrobe and took out his Equestria Stock Exchange blazer with his name sewn into the left breast pocket. He quickly left his room and went downstairs.

“Hope you have a great day at work, brother! Try not to get drunk!” laughed Blueblood.

“Go fuck yourself,” replied Atlas sullenly, leaving the house and boarding the carriage that was waiting for him outside, suprised to see his father already waiting for him inside the carriage.

“It can be difficult for some ponies when it comes to putting on a waistcoat, but next time try and be a little quicker, okay?” said Sir Wolfgang with a smile. Atlas grunted in response and closed the carriage door, and the horses set off, taking Sir Wolfgang and his eldest son to the Equestria Stock Exchange. Blueblood left the house a few minutes later carrying his satchel and boarded his own carriage that would take him to school.

“Come on Mother, let's go home now! We haven't found anything and we've been here for two hours!”

“But there’s only three minutes left until my favorite boutique opens. We’re not going home now!”

Lady Tarina and her only daughter Regina were browsing the first floor of the Canterlot Shop and had not come closer to finding a new dress for Lady Tarina then they had when they began two hours ago. Regina had picked out an eye-catching light blue dress that was decorated with black sequins in the last shop but her mother had rejected it, claiming that the dress would cling too tightly to her body (since this shop sold dresses on only one size was available) and that it would be seen as inappropriate.

“Ah! It's ten o’clock now, the boutique is open. Let's go Regina! Let's start looking for a new dress for you!”

Regina groaned as her mother dragged her out of the shopping centre. She'd give anything to be at home reading a book or sleeping. Why did her mother insist that she needed a wardrobe upgrade? Regina was perfectly satisfied with wearing whatever was clean in her wardrobe and she didn't know why her mother failed to understand that.

“You do need new clothes, Regina. Now that your exams have finished, we have all the time we need to update your wardrobe. We can't be attending the Equestria Day celebrations in only a few days’ time and have you wearing outdated clothes. It just doesn't fit with our house’s image and both our reputations,” scolded Lady Tarina as she opened the door to the boutique.

“Good morning Lady Tarina, it's a pleasure to see one of Equestria’s biggest fashion icons here in my boutique at such an early hour,” announced Peaches, who was the owner of the boutique.

“I only come to the best of the best,” greeted Lady Tatiana, giving the owner a friendly smile.

“If you require any assistance, you know where to find me,” said Peaches, before disappearing through the door that was behind the till.

“It's such an honour to have you here,” mimicked Regina, before sighing and walking over to the mirror and looking at her reflection absentmindedly.

“Look at this dress, it's perfect for your figure,” said Lady Tarina, holding up a black see-through dress. Regina was about to retort that she did not need another dress but decided to hold her tongue and agree in hopes that they would be able to return home quickly if she chose that dress.

“That… that is the best dress I have ever seen. Let's buy it now and go home!” said Regina, forcing a smile in hopes that her mother would be convinced.

Lady Tarina was surprised that her daughter was so enamoured with the dress as she normally never showed any interest in fashion.

She’s finally acting like an actual mare.

“If you insist,” said Lady Tarina with a smile. Taking the dress to the till, she called Peaches and paid for the dress whilst engaging in small talk with her. Regina left the boutique and waited outside for her. She peeked through on of the windows of the boutique (that was slightly open) and was frustrated by the fact that her mother and Peaches were having a meaningless conversation.

“Why is Mother taking so long?” seethed Regina, only to hear the laughter of two mares behind her.

“You’re like nineteen right? Why are you still shopping with your mother, is your fashion sense seriously that bad?” sneered the light pink mare, before erupting into a fit of giggles.

“What are you doing?!” That's Regina Taurus, you idiot!” whispered the other mare, poking her friend with her arm. The light pink mare glared at her friend before looking at Regina again. Once she realised that her friend was right, she began to shake and she cast her eyes down towards the floor.

“I'm so sorry! I didn't mean what I said! Obviously you can find your own clothes and I'm sure that your fashion sense is great! And-”

“I accept your apology!” said Regina, cutting off the mare before she could continue.

“Would you be willing to attend my birthday party in three day’ time?"

"No, I'm going to be very busy over the next three days so I won't have any time."

"Oh. Okay."

The two mares slowly walked away from Regina and a few moments later, Lady Tarina came out of the shop holding a large pink bag.

"Let's go home Mother."

“Blueblood.”

“I've done the homework Miss Shine. It's right here.”

Blueblood got up from his desk and walked to the front of the class. As he reached the front, he could hear whispers from all directions. His family connections and wealth often gained him a few rude comments from ponies in his class that were jealous, but he knew that nopony would ever say anything directly to his face in fear of what Blueblood’s family would do to them.

“Thank you. You may return to your seat.”

As Blueblood returned to his seat, the teacher continued to call out the rest of the names from the register and Blueblood’s fellow classmates handed in their essays. When all of the sheets had been handed in, Miss Shine got up from her desk and picked up her chalk on her desk with her magic before turning to the blackboard and writing five simultaneous equations on it.

“Since your exams are right around the corner, our lessons will be purely based on revision of all of the content that you have covered this year. These lessons are also a chance for you to ask me questions if you don't understand anything,” said Miss Shine. “Now, open up your books and I will give you five minutes to answer these questions.”

The students opened up their books and wrote, looking up at the blackboard every few seconds to remind themselves of the questions. Blueblood quickly answered the first two questions before pausing to look up to the blackboard and read the third question.

What the f-? That question doesn't even make sense! How are you supposed to answer that?

Blueblood quickly glanced around the classroom and was slightly relieved to see his classmates also struggling, though he wasn't sure if they were even on the same question. Blueblood looked at the blackboard again but Miss Shine had chosen that moment to start travelling the classroom and monitor her students.

Shit! I can't ask for help. I'll just look weak.

As Miss Shine reached Blueblood’s desk, he quickly turned the pages of his book back to the previous pages and rewrote over his answers so that it appeared that he was answering the questions. Miss Shine stood over him for a few moments before moving. Blueblood turned his pages back to where he currently was and began to daydream, in hopes that distracting himself from the question would help him to solve it.

“Time’s up! Put your pencils down!” announced Miss Shine.

Blueblood was still daydreaming as Miss Shine called students up to answer the first and second questions on the blackboard.

“Now, are there any volunteers that would like to come up and show how they answered the third question?” Miss Shine asked. When none of the students put their hoofs up, she scanned the class for a student she hadn't picked on.

“Blueblood! Come up and answer the third question please!”

Blueblood raised his head quickly when he heard his name and it took a few seconds for his teacher’s request to sink in.

Shit! Why did she have to pick me out of everypony?!

“Come on Blueblood, we don't have all day,” said Miss Shine as Blueblood picked up his exercise book and slowly got up and walked to the front of the class. He took the chalk that Miss Shine offered and rubbed out the previous student’s answer.

“So the first thing you do is...uh.. you…let me just find my answer,” Blueblood stammered. He flicked through his book and pretended to try and find his answer.

“You didn't do the question did you?” Miss Shine asked, staring at Blueblood.

“I-I did, I can find my answer,” pleaded Blueblood, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

“Blueblood, sit back down please. Does anypony else know the answer to this question?”

As other ponies put their hooves up, Blueblood put his head down. He had tried to convince himself that each time he came bottom of the class in every test, it would be the last. But it was clear to him now that he couldn't lie to himself anymore.

The rest of the lesson flew by and when the bell rang, the students quickly packed up their bags and left the classroom.

“Blueblood, just a moment please, I'd like to speak to you,” called put Miss Shine. Blueblood groaned and turned around to face his maths teacher.

“Come sit over here,” said Miss Shine. As Blueblood sat down in front of her desk, Miss Shine reached underneath it and opened her drawer, pulling out a pile of papers.

“Now, I think you have a good idea as to why I called you back, yes?”

Blueblood nodded slowly and watched his teacher sort through the pile of papers. Miss Shine picked up one of the papers and Blueblood cringed when he recognised it.

“I know it has only been a few weeks since your last class test, but your end-of-year exams are fast approaching, and unfortunately I haven't seen any improvement from you. What are you doing at home in terms of revision?”

“I work through some of the worksheets that you give to us in class,” said Blueblood, hoping that his lie would be believed.

Miss Shine was skeptical of Blueblood’s claim and she decided to continue asking about it.

“Do you mark these worksheets yourself or should I mark them for you tomorrow?”

“I've already marked them and on average I achieved fifty eight percent,” replied Blueblood.

“I want you to do well Blueblood, and I'm afraid that fifty eight percent might not be enough for you to move to the top set next year. At best you might be considered for the third best class.”

Blueblood was shocked to say the least with what he was hearing. If he was moved to the third highest class for maths, then it would be very likely that his parents would find out, and Blueblood did not want to think about how his father would react. The only reason he had managed to deceive his parents for this long was because of Sir Wolfgang’s role in the government, and his mother only paid the termly fees that the school required so she also wasn't aware of how badly Blueblood was actually doing in maths.

“I will make the top set next year, right?” asked Blueblood, a hint of anger creeping into his voice.

“If you get the required marks, then yes you will Blueblood,”’replied Miss Shine.

“But I have to make it, there's no other alternative!” said Blueblood, his voice becoming significantly louder as he stood up.

“With this determination, I'm sure you will. Can you sit back down now?” asked Miss Shine. Blueblood obliged and Miss Shine waited a few moments before speaking again.

“Would you like to receive 1-to-1 tuition from me everyday after school for the next few weeks in preparation for your exams?”

“No. I can cope by myself and I don't need your help,” sneered Blueblood, who was picking up his bag and getting ready to leave the classroom.

“There's nothing wrong with admitting that you need help,” called out Miss Shine, but Blueblood had already left.

“So you would like to sell your share immediately sir?”

“That's what I just said. Do you need everything to be repeated to you?”

Atlas gritted his teeth and returned to confirm the details of the share on his typewriter. It had only been an hour since his shift had begun and he had a raging headache coupled with a desire for liquor, which was a bad sign since normally the urge for alcohol surfaced at the end of the day and Atlas still had seven hours left until the Stock Exchange closed and he had to meet with several other representatives and suffer through the actual sales that were to take place in the afternoon.

This is gonna be a long day.

As Atlas finished writing the details of the share and held out the paper, the stallion he was meeting with tutted and snatched the paper from him and went to Sir Wolfgang to give him the paper, who was standing near the podium.

The next pony that sat down in front of him was a navy blue mare wearing black large-rimmed glasses that were slightly too large for her face.

“And you are?” asked Atlas bluntly, not even looking up from his typewriter to address the mare.

“The representative from Solar Star Inc. My appointment is now, right?”

Her pleasant tone caused Atlas to look up suddenly from his typewriter and stare at her.

“Ye-yes, your appointment is now. What trades were Solar Star Inc looking to make today, Miss...?”

“Blossom. We are looking to sell a 10% share today to any interested parties, and Fancy Pants himself would like to meet with the buyer today to discuss negotiations.”

Atlas was surprised that Fancy Pants wanted to meet with the buyer of the share. The CEO of Solar Star Inc was Sir Wolfgang’s younger brother and had made a name for himself as founder and head of Equestria’s largest company for home appliances.

As Atlas wrote the details of the proposed share with his typewriter, the mare looked around her to make sure that no pony was watching her before she quietly took out a bottle of whisky from her satchel and handed it to Atlas underneath the table.

“What are you doing?!” whispered Atlas, looking around to make sure that nopony else had seen the exchange.

“You look like you need it. Have a great day!”

The mare took the sheet of paper and flashed Atlas a sweet smile before leaving. Atlas looked at the bottle and was pleased to see that it was his favourite brand of whisky. He slipped it behind his chair and called the next pony to his table a little more pleasantly than he usually did.

“Regina, come downstairs now please!”

Regina groaned as she heard her mother call her name for the the third time. She folded the top corner of the page in the novel that she was currently reading and left it on her bed. As she made her way downstairs, Regina had to step over a few dirty clothes (that most likely belonged to Atlas) that were lying on the floor in the hallway.

“Do the dishes now please,” said Lady Tarina, who was sitting in the living room putting on her reading glasses and using her magic to pick up a box that was on the other side of the living room.

“I just don't understand why I have to clean up after Atlas and Blueblood. They're the ones who made the mess on the first place,” Regina claimed with a frown as she stared at the number of dirty plates that were on the table in the dining room.

“We have been over this before Regina. That’s just the way it is, okay? The butlers are only here to serve and I'm sure you remember why we had to dismiss the last kitchen maids. Stealing isn't tolerated here. But can you come and help me with something first please?”

“Coming..”

As Regina entered the living room, she found her mother attempting to sort through a pile of letters that had just been delivered to their house.

“Help me sort through these letters and if you find any important ones, tell me okay? I really should've sorted this out months ago before it became out of control.”

Regina nodded as she sat down beside her mother. She pulled a pile of letters over to her side and began to sift through them, checking who they were addressed to in order to evaluate their importance.

“When were you going to get the letter Regina?”

“They said it was going to come in the next few days, so we'll just have to wait and see.”

The letter that Regina and Lady Tarina were discussing regarded the younger mare’s future. Regina had sent off an application for the History course at the University of Detrot approximately four months ago and she had been shortlisted for an interview that took place two months ago. The expected letter would either offer Regina a place or reject her application.

“What’s this?” asked Lady Tarina as she picked up a wrinkled envelope with faded writing on the front.

Regina narrowed her eyes as she tried to make out what the front of the letter said. “It says ‘To Sir Wolfgang and Lady Tarina’, and it has the North Canterlot Academy emblem in the top right corner. Is this about Blueblood?”

“Let me see that,” said Lady Tarina. Regina passed the letter back to her and the elder mare.

“What is this letter about?” pondered Lady Tarina as she used her magic to open the letter.

Dear Sir Wolfgang and Lady Tarina,

I hope that this letter reaches you on good health. I am Miss Shine and I am currently Blueblood’s maths teacher. This letter concerns your son’s level of progress in class. It has become more and more obvious over these past few months that your son struggles to keep up with the rest of his peers and this is evident through his recent exam results. I would like to organise a meeting between all of us within the next few weeks so that we may be able to discuss how the school can assist your son in improving.

Yours sincerely,

Miss Shine

Lady Tarina dropped the letter to the floor in shock once she finished reading it out loud. Regina silently picked up the letter and placed it back on the table.

“How?! How has he managed to lie to us for so many months?! Why didn't I realise? This letter was sent nearly four months ago. That little-”

Regina remained silent as her mother continued to rant. As she stood up, Lady Tarina flung the letters in front of her in fury away and they all dropped to the floor.

“Mother..,” groaned Regina. She lit up her horn and used her magic to quickly sift through the papers and form an orderly stack before carefully placing it back on the table.

“When Blueblood comes home today, send him straight to my study. I need to write to your father now,” said Lady Tarina as she left the living room and headed to her study to write a letter to her husband.

“I don't think that Father needs this kind of distraction right now, he is at work after all,” said Regina as she followed her mother out of the living room.

“I couldn't care less about what he’s doing, he needs to know how Blueblood has lied to the both of us. The shame. Imagine how many ponies already know about it.”

Lady Tarina opened a drawer underneath the desk and took out a small sheet of paper. Using a quill, she quickly wrote a note detailing Blueblood's deception.

“Here. It'll take too long for the carriage to arrive, so you'll have to walk. Take this to your father at the Stock Exchange now.”

“Okay.”

Regina took the note from her mother and closed the door to the study behind her, leaving the house to walk to her father and older brother’s place of work.

Atlas finished up writing the details of the last trade of the morning and sighed in relief when the clock struck midday.

Finally. I can get out of this stupid place and forget about work for a little while.

He joined the horde of fellow stockbrokers that were leaving the Stock Exchange for their lunch break. He ended up entering a nearby wine bar with a few other colleagues and ordered a glass of wine before sitting a table that was far away from any other pony. Atlas’ colleagues had given up attempting to socialise with him a long time ago and they all crowded together on a table, and some members were sneaking glances at their unsociable colleague sitting at the other side of the bar.

“Hey Atlas?! How’s Sunburst doing?” called out one of the ponies in the bar. His remarks drew mocking laughter from the rest of the ponies on his table. Atlas ignored him and got up from his seat to order a bottle of wine.

“I'm talking to you. Don't think that you can just get away from this,” hissed the blue stallion that had spoken. He got up and deliberately stood in Atlas’ way. A hush fell over the ponies in the bar as they watched the two stallions. A stallion stood up and tried to defuse the situation but one look from the blue stallion made him return to his seat. The rest of the ponies at the front of the bar didn't get involved in hopes that the conflict would be resolved quickly.

“Get out of my way now,” said Atlas quietly, trying to barge his way past.

“Make me,” sneered the stallion.

Atlas raised a hoof and swung it towards the stallion, but because he had stayed up all night drinking, his fatigue meant that the punch didn't have the impact that Atlas had hoped it would have. The stallion recovered from the weak punch within three seconds and threw a punch of his own, hitting Atlas’ jaw with such force that he dropped to the floor instantly.

The ponies that were sitting on the aggressor’s table jeered as Atlas struggled to get up off the floor. Atlas’ colleagues, who were sitting nearby, ignored what was happening out of fear and they nervously returned to their conversations. After thirty seconds, Atlas got up and rubbed his jaw before facing the stallion who had punched him. Atlas stumbled forward and threw another punch, but his aim was off and the stallion easily dodged it.

“Maybe you should cut down on the drinks my friend,” jested the stallion as he dodged nearly all of Atlas’ attacks easily. Atlas threw one last punch which caught the stallion by surprise and hit him in the mouth. Whilst the stallion stumbled back, holding a hoof to his mouth, Atlas took a chance and left the bar as quickly as he could, taking his glass of wine with him.

As Atlas took a sip from his glass a few hundred metres away from the bar, he spotted a mare that looked an awful lot like his younger sister walking quickly out of the corner of his eye. Atlas made a split-second decision to investigate and he walked cautiously behind the mare trying to identify her through her cutie mark. He could make a faint impression of a white quill on the mare's flank from where he was and Atlas was now 80% sure that the mare walking in front of him was Regina.

“Regina!” Atlas called out cautiously, hoping that his prediction was correct. He sighed with relief when his sister turned around.

“Are you on your lunch break right now?”

“Yep, I've got forty five minutes and then I have to go back. What about you?”

“I have to go and give this letter to Father. It's urgent.”

“Why, what’s wrong?” asked Atlas, his face paling.

“Oh, it's just that Blueblood has been lying about doing well at school. He hid his letters from his teacher and he even lied about his parent teacher meeting being cancelled a few months ago.”

“He has?!” replied Atlas, who was shocked that Blueblood of all ponies had gone this far with his deception to hide the truth. He did not feel sorry for him at all.

“That's his problem. Should I take the letter to Father for you?” offered Atlas, holding out his hoof.

“Okay, I wanted to go to the cafe anyway. Wait , what happened to your face?”

“I fell down a few stairs,” replied Atlas slowly, subconsciously rubbing the bruise that had formed on his jaw.

“Okay then.. if you say so,” replied Regina, making it clear that she didn't believe her brother. She held out a hoof and gave the letter to her older brother and said goodbye before heading off to the cafe that was a few blocks away.

Atlas quickly read the letter and smiled when he imagined what was going to happen to Blueblood when he came from school in a few hours’ time. It also meant that his father and mother would stop criticising every little thing Atlas did for at least a few days. Within a few minutes, Atlas had reached the Stock Exchange and headed straight up the stairs to his father’s office. Atlas paused once he saw a ‘do not disturb’ sign posted outside his door.

Should I go in?

Fuck it.

Atlas knocked on the door and pushed it open before his father had a chance to reply.

“Did you not read the sign? I'm busy right now,” Sir Wolfgang retorted, not even bothering to look at Atlas. “Oh, it's you. What do you want?”

“Mother sent this letter to you. It's urgent and it's about Blueblood.”

“What?! What’s happened?” spluttered Sir Wolfgang, snatching the letter from Atlas. He ripped open the envelope and read quickly, his eyes widening as he learned of his youngest son’s deception.

“I'll deal with this when I get home earlier today. You can leave now. Make sure you close the door properly behind you.”

“Yes Father. As you wish.”

Atlas slowly turned around and walked away from his father’s desk and glanced at his father briefly, who had returned to his work. Atlas paused and looked as if he was about to say something to his father, before changing his mind and gently closing the door to his father’s office.

“How dare you?! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME AND YOUR FATHER ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION?! WE DON'T PAY THOUSANDS OF BITS EVERY MONTH FOR YOU TO BE DOING BADLY!”

Blueblood winced as his mother’s voice cracked for the third time. She had been yelling at him for the past five minutes and she wasn't showing signs of stopping any time soon. When he had got home from school, he was greeted by his mother’s furious glare and when she held up a letter from his maths teacher, Blueblood knew that he had been caught. But for some reason, Blueblood wasn't angry or worried about the possible repercussions of his lies.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” bellowed Lady Tarina in Blueblood's face.

“Miss Shine has always held a grudge against me. Between me and you, I think she's jealous of my wealth; everypony in my class is,” smirked Blueblood, refusing to cower underneath his mother’s vicious glare.

“Oh stop making excuses for yourself; do you really think that I will believe any of your rubbish excuses?”

“No, but I'm sure that Father will,” smirked Blueblood. A few seconds later, the sound of a key being turned in the lock of the front door could be heard and Sir Wolfgang and Atlas entered the house.

“Blueblood?! Where are you?” called out Sir Wolfgang.

“Coming Father,” replied Blueblood gingerly, the volume of his voice significantly lowering when he realised that his father was home. He slowly left the study and confronted his father in the hallway.

“Let's talk in the study. I don't think I need to remind you why,” said Sir Wolfgang coldly, holding up the letter his wife had written him a few hours ago.

“Yes Father,” replied Blueblood quietly. As he followed his father into the study, Blueblood caught Atlas smiling at him and Regina flashed him a sympathetic glance before he disappeared into the study with his father.

“Yes! That little rat will finally suffer what he's had coming for months now,” remarked Atlas, staring into the corridor that Blueblood and their father had entered.

“Grow up Atlas, you're nearly nine years older than your brother. Act your age for once in your life.”

Lady Tarina’s scathing comments left Atlas furious. How dare his mother turn on him for no good reason? His parents continued to prove to him that they didn't have any love for him and their constant criticisms were really starting to get to him. Without a word, Atlas stormed up the stairs to his room and locked the door, before opening his satchel and taking out the bottle of whisky he had been given in the morning. He spotted a picture of his family on the floor and picked it up with his other hoof and looked at it, growling at the happy expressions the rest of his family wore. In a split second the picture had been flung against the wall, smashing the glass frame. Atlas stared at the picture on the floor for a few minutes, before lifting his leg and brushing the picture (and the glass that surrounded it) to the other side of his room underneath his wardrobe.

I just want to get out of here and go back to my flat.

Why was I cursed with being a member of this family?

Twisting the lid of the whisky bottle, Atlas drank slowly. After a few sips, his head began to throb and he held it in his hooves and groaned in pain. Lighting up his horn, Atlas opened the drawer that was next to his bed and took out a box of sleeping pills, placing two into his mouth.

And of course this shitty day ends with a headache. Of course.

Atlas finished the bottle of whisky over the next hour and feeling the effects of the sleeping pill begin to kick in, pulled back the covers and went to bed, ignoring the fact that there was still daylight and set his alarm for eight o’clock.

“ATLAS! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO CALL YOUR NAME?!”

“That stupid stallion! Regina, go upstairs and call your brother down now.”

The Taurus family watched Regina as she left the table and climbed up the stairs to her eldest brother’s bedroom. When she reached Atlas’ door, Regina knocked loudly three times.

“Atlas! Wake up, we're all waiting for you downstairs!”

When she didn't hear a reply, Regina pushed the door open and stepped inside her older brother’s room.

“Fuck, it stinks in here. When was the last time you cleaned your room?”

Atlas lay asleep on his bed, and when the alarm clock on the drawer next to his bed went off at precisely eight o’clock, he didn't move at all.

“Atlas? Come on, you heard the alarm, how the hell did that not wake you up?”

Regina slowly walked over to her brother and tapped his shoulder a few times.

“Atlas?! Come on, this isn't funny anymore, wake up!”

As Regina continued to tap her older brother’s shoulder, she accidentally knocked over the tray of sleeping tablets on the drawer next to Atlas’ bed and they fell onto the floor.

“What the hell are these?”

As Regina picked up and looked at a few of the pills, she recognised the brand since her mother had been prescribed the same pills a few years ago. When she went to place the sleeping pills back on the table, she caught sight of the whisky bottle next to the pills.

“Oh no, no no no NO NO NO!”

Regina turned her attention back to her older brother and she began to shake his body wildly whilst screaming his name.

“ATLAS, ATLAS WAKE UP! WAKE UP! ATLAS!”

Author's Note

I have made some much-needed adjustments to the chapter. Apologies for the wait.

Portentia sermonis I

“We should arrive in a few minutes. Remember my instructions and follow your team to your designated role.”

Among a chorus of obedience from the stallions in the first carriage, one pony was noticeably quieter than the others, and he nervously ducked his head to avoid being seen and pretended to adjust his armour.

“What’s the matter Lejon? Should we call your mother to come and take you home?”

Lejon tried to ignore the cacophony of mocking laughter and stared aimlessly out of the small window next to his seat. Contrary to the nervous anticipation that his fellow guard members felt, Lejon found himself questioning why he had even been chosen for this top secret mission alongside his more experienced colleagues. He had only joined the Royal Guard a year ago and had failed to advance from the lowly position of private.

“Sir, why did you even bring Lejon here? He’s the weakest link in our group and you know it,” asked a red stallion sitting next to Lejon, staring pointedly at him as he asked the question. The other stallions remained silent, shocked that the red stallion had had the audacity to ask such a question.

“How many years has it been since you were promoted, second lieutenant?”

“.....It's been two years sir.”

“Exactly. You've remained in the same rank for three years because you haven’t shown the growth needed to advance. This shows that you’re lazy, who isn’t really concerned about bettering himself. If anything, you could be considered the weakest link on Alpha Team. Don't insult your colleagues about not being promoted when you’ve been at the same rank for two years.”

The carriage was deadly silent as Shadow finished lecturing the red stallion, who was clearly embarrassed by Shadow’s harsh truths, and he silently glared at Lejon, who continued to stare out of the window.

“The reason you were both chosen is because you are the perfect unicorns needed to neutralise our targets when they try to resist arrest. Speaking of our targets……”

The Royal Guard members at first were confused as to why Shadow had suddenly stopped speaking, but the reduced speed of the carriage and the polished concrete driveway that the carriage driver was turning into told them that they had reached their destination, closely followed by the second carriage. The ponies in the first and second carriage got out quickly and quietly and saluted Shadow before following their team to their designated position.
“You two will be coming inside with me,” said Shadow as he took out a piece of paper from inside his armour. He slowly walked to the front door of Sir Capricornus’ mansion, quickly followed by Lejon and the red stallion. Upon reaching the front door, Shadow raised his hoof and loudly knocked the door three times.

“Who could possibly be knocking on our door at this time of night?”

Sunrise and Sunburst were sitting together in the living room where Sunrise had tending to her husband for the last few hours, and it hadn't been an easy task. Sunburst had been slipping in and out of consciousness for the last two hours, and for the few minutes that he was awake, he would thrash about and cry in pain. His current condition had made Sunrise seriously consider delaying their plan to allow Sunburst time to recover. But the fact that Celestia and Luna apparently knew about their plan was another reason as to why the plan shouldn't be delayed, and in between comforting her husband, Sunrise was beginning to panic about

“You two stay there. I’ll see who it is.”

Sir Capricornus yawned and shook his head before coming down the stairs. He stood at the entrance and silently watched his son and daughter-in-law for a few seconds, hints of concern breaking through his normally passive personality. He then turned away and slowly walked up to the door, looking through the keyhole to see who it was.

“Just a minute. I'm trying to find the key.”

Sir Capricornus quickly lit up his horn and lifted up a piece of paper and a quill that was luckily on the small table next to the door. He quickly wrote a few sentences on the paper before quietly walking back to the living room.

“Sir, whats going-?”

Sir Capricornus quickly lifted his hoof to his mouth to tell his daughter-in-law to be quiet. He then held up the piece of paper that he had written on, as Sunrise’s eyes became wider and wider as she read what was written on the paper.

ROYAL GUARD ARE OUTSIDE. I WILL TRY AND DELAY THEM FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE BUT YOU AND SUNBURST NEED TO LEAVE THE HOUSE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR NOW. TAKE THE ELEMENTS WITH YOU AND GET OUT OF CANTERLOT TONIGHT AND LAY LOW FOR A FEW WEEKS. I WILL CONTACT YOU FIRST IN A FEW DAYS AND I'LL LOOK AFTER SUNSET FOR YOU.

Sunrise sat silently for a few moments but the harsh knocking quickly snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Come on Sunburst, wake up. We need to leave the house now.” whispered Sunrise as she frantically shook her husband to try and wake him up. Her efforts were successful and Sunburst slowly lifted his head up and used his hoof to slowly rub his eyes.

“Wha-what time is it?”

“Sunburst, we need to leave the house now.” whispered Sunrise, forcing her husband to look at the paper that Sir Capricornus was still holding.

“Open up! We know you're in there! Don't make me break this door down!”

Sunburst jumped off of the sofa and quickly took out the Elements from underneath the sofa using his magic. He ripped it open and quickly placed the crown upon his head before levitating one of the smaller Elements onto his wife’s head. Sunrise quickly walked over to Sir Capricornus to give him a brief handshake before wiping upstairs to say goodbye to her daughter.

“I trust that we'll see each other again soon?”

“I know we will, son.”

The father and son stood quietly in front of each other, before Sir Capricornus held out a hoof. Sunburst ignored this and immediately embraced his father tightly for a few seconds, before quickly following his wife upstairs. Sir Capricornus stood silently for a few moments before walking to the front door and opening it.

“Good morning. How may I help you?”

Shadow ignored Sir Capricornus’ attempts at pleasantries and read the paper that he was holding out loud.

“By order of the Royal Highnesses Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Sunrise Phoenix and Sunburst Solar of House Capricorn are to be taken in for questioning by the princesses. They stand accused of possessing powerful artefacts with intent to place Equestria under serious risk. They are not inclined to say anything but anything they do say in questioning will be taken down as evidence.”

“And what artefacts are you talking about, may I ask?” asked Sir Capricornus.

“They haven't been disclosed to me but I can assure you sir, this is a serious matter. Now, where are they?”

“I'll just go inside and get them.”

“We'll come inside with you, make sure that nothing else isn't going on.”

Sir Capricornus opened his door properly to allow the three stallions inside and he led them past the living room and up the stairs to Sunrise and Sunburst's room.

“They're probably sleeping right now, I'll wake them up and tell them what's going on.”

Sir Capricornus stopped talking and knocked on the door three times and called out Sunburst and Sunrise’s names. When there was no reply,

“Move out of the way now.”

Shadow barged past the elder unicorn and bucked the bedroom door, creating a massive hole as the door as it slammed against the wall. The king size bed was empty except for a small piece of clothing in the middle of the bed.

“Where are they Sir Capricornus? I'm not going to ask you again,” growled Shadow, baring his teeth. He moved closer to the elder stallion and was about to repeat his question when there was a loud explosion outside the house. Lejon and the red stallion rushed to the window next to the bed and saw one of their colleagues stumbling outside before collapsing to the ground, blood gushing from a large wound on his forehead. They looked at Sir Capricornus, who had an emotionless expression on his face.

“Both of you, go outside and see what’s happening. I have to stay here and deal with this,” said Shadow, never taking his eyes off Sir Capricornus. The two stallions nodded and galloped out of the room.

The soldiers outside were still waiting for Sunburst and Sunrise to come out. The team that were supposed to enter the house and prevent the couple from escaping had completely forgotten their orders and had joined the other team at the back of the house, and the thirteen stallions were currently hiding amongst the bushes. They had been waiting for nearly ten minutes when they heard the back door open and two ponies emerged from it.

“They're probably nearby Sunburst, so we should expect a confrontation any minute now.”

“Can I use the Elements then?”

“No of course you can't. Besides we don't even need it, we can get past those guards with our magic and I'm sure that they won’t be too much trouble,” replied Sunrise, pulling the satchel she was wearing closer to her to emphasise her point.

Sunburst was about to retaliate when he spotted a hoof sticking out of one of the bushes in front of them. He quickly pulled Sunrise back and pointed at the hoof.

“Wait. why are they looking over here?”

The stallion whose hoof was sticking out still hadn’t realised that it was him who had compromised the Royal Guard’s element of surprise, and he whispered to the other ponies in the bushes next to the one he was hiding in to remain quiet so that they were not found.

Sunburst crouched and quietly walked over to the bush. Using his magic, he lifted up the hoof and with it the stallion the hoof belonged to, out of the bushes and a few feet above the ground.

“Where are the rest of your colleagues?” asked Sunburst, using his magic to pull the stallion closer so that they were face to face.

“There’s no other ponies here. It's only me,” said the stallion, refusing to cower.

Sunburst stopped using his magic and allowed the stallion to fall head first onto the ground.

“We’re going to ask you one more time. Where are the other ponies with you right now?” asked Sunrise, moving to stand with her husband above the stallion.

The stallion refused to answer and instead lept up and snatched the satchel that Sunrise was wearing, surprisingly managing to rip it away from her. He was able to take a split-second look inside before it was snatched back off him by Sunburst.

“You're gonna regret doing that,” snarled Sunburst. He pushed the stallion very hard in the chest and he stumbled backwards, struggling to stay on his hooves. Sunburst charged up his horn and fired an orange bolt at the stallion whilst Sunrise used her magic to construct a shield that surrounded her and Sunburst. Sunburst’s spell resulted in a massive explosion that threw the stallion back several metres, and he lay on the ground unresponsive, blood gushing from a large wound on his forehead. The explosion sent the rest of the soldiers into action and they lept out of their hiding places, as the unicorns charged up their horns and the pegasus and earth ponies used their hooves and the power of their wings to try and break down the shield. Luckily for her and Sunburst, Sunrise had managed to hold the shield spell despite the several cracks that were appearing on the outside of the shield.

“We have to use the Elements! We can't hold them all off with the shield, there's too many of them!” yelled Sunburst. The shield spell was starting to take it's toll on Sunrise and she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in an attempt to keep the shield up for as long as possible. Sunburst took one of the Elements out of the satchels and quickly wore it around his neck. Nodding at his wife, Sunburst crouched and charged up his horn as Sunrise prepared to release the shield spell.

“NOW SUNRISE!”

Sunrise stopped using her magic and in doing so the shield disappeared, exposing her and Sunburst to the Royal Guard. At the same time, Sunburst used his magic to cast a disabling spell on all of the unicorns so that they were unable to use their magic, but the power of the Element that Sunburst was wearing meant that the spell had the unintended effect of knocking out all of the unicorns.

“Surrender now!”

The pegasus who had yelled the command raised a hoof and the remaining soldiers charged forward, the pegasi taking flight as they all prepared to neutralise Sunrise and Sunburst once and for all. Sunburst fired a large orange bolt at all of the ponies and they were all thrown backwards at the same time. When the smoke had cleared, the devastating effects of Sunburst’s spell were revealed. There were several small pools of blood flowing from the bodies of the injured and some streams ran together to form a much larger pool. One stallion had ended up losing a hind leg and he screamed as he tried to crawl forwards towards his hind leg, desperately trying to reconnect the limb to the rest of his body. The other ponies lay unresponsive on the ground and Sunburst quickly checked that they were all still alive. When he reached the stallion that was furthest away, he quietly stood over him for a few moments, before using his magic to check for a heartbeat.

Lejon and his colleague had arrived at the scene moments before Sunburst and Sunrise’s attack had begun and luckily for Lejon, he had not been affected badly by Sunburst’s spell since he was stood far away. He clamped his mouth shut when Sunburst roughly pressed down on the wound just above his cutie mark.

“This one will recover quickly. He’s probably gotten away with the least injuries.”

“Come on Sunburst, let's go. The rest of them are probably going to come outside now.”

Sunburst stood still for a few more seconds before listening to his wife and galloping with her around the mansion to the front.

Once he was sure that Sunburst and Sunrise had left, Lejon opened his eyes and slowly stretched his hind legs, making sure that he did not aggravate his wound. Lejon slowly dug his hooves into the concrete ground and extended his arms, pushing himself off of the ground.

He walked past his fallen comrades and stuck his head out from behind the wall next to him, where he could see Sunburst and Sunrise galloping towards what appeared to be one of the two carriages Lejon and the rest of his colleagues had arrived in.

I’m the only pony that’s fit enough to follow them. I have to find out what they’re up to.

Lejon lit up his horn and teleported to the front of the Capricorn mansion a few moments later. He quietly watched Sunburst and Sunrise drive off in one of the carriages. He waited for a few minutes before getting into the second carriage and following the first carriage.

“Sir Capricornus, you are under arrest for-”

“Whats going on? Where’s Mother and Father?”

A bleary-eyed Sunset yawned and rubbed her eyes as she walked into her parents’ bedroom. She quickly noticed her grandfather and the Royal Guard soldier standing in front of her and she became even more confused.

“You're really going to arrest me when I have to look after my granddaughter?! Whatever my son and daughter-in-law are up to has nothing to do with me!” exclaimed Sir Capricornus, pulling his granddaughter close to him.

“Grandpa, I found this next to my bed. Did Mother write this?” asked Sunset, holding up a small piece of paper. Shadow swooped forward and snatched the piece of paper off Sunset before she had a chance to give it to her grandfather. He cleared his throat before reading the note in a sarcastic tone.

“Sunset, your father and I are going to Manehatten for a few weeks to see your grandmother. Your grandfather will look after you in the meantime. Lots of love, Mother and Father. Why would they be leaving canterlot now? It's obvious that they're hiding something,” retorted Shadow. Sir Capricornus remained silent.

Shadow brandished a pair of handcuffs and took one step forwards. Sir Capricornus quickly realised that he wouldn't be able to avoid arrest without compromising Sunrise and Sunburst’s escape, and so he willingly held out his hooves.

“Arrest me. I have nothing to hide.”

As Shadow fastened the handcuffs onto Sir Capricornus, Sunset jumped in front of the two stallions.

“You can't arrest him, he hasn’t done anything wrong!”

“Unless there’s somepony that can look after your granddaughter, she's going to have to come with us. The princesses will be able to sort out some emergency accommodation for her,” said Shadow, ignoring Sunset as he finished putting the handcuffs on Sir Capricornus. The three ponies left the bedroom and went down the stairs before quickly leaving the house through the front door. As they approached one of the two carriages that were still parked outside, there was another massive explosion and Shadow, Sir Capricornus and Sunset were roughly thrown to the ground.

Sunrise and Sunburst emerged from the back of the mansion galloping and the thirty seconds it took for for the three ponies on the ground to recollect themselves was just enough time for them to jump into an empty carriage.

“Take us to the Canterlot checkpoint. Now.”

A blood-stained Sunrise roughly pushing her hoof against his throat was intimidating enough for the carriage driver to immediately begin to escort Sunburst and Sunrise away from the mansion.

After making sure that Sir Capricornus and Sunset were alright, Shadow spotted that one of the carriages had disappeared. He quickly put Sir Capricornus and Sunset inside the other carriage (making sure that they couldn't escape by handcuffing them to their seats) before galloping to the other side of the mansion, where to his complete horror he found nearly all of his men on the ground, either unconscious or writhing around in pain from their wounds.

“Sir, I don't know what sort of spell they used but it was obviously powerful enough to take us all out,” said the red stallion, taking a few seconds to catch his breath. “It's really bad back there. Nearly everypony’s been injured in a bad way and-”

“We don't have any time to talk about this. I need you to take these two-” Shadow paused to point at the carriage that Sir Capricornus and Sunset were still in “to the palace. Now.”

“Yes, sir,” replied the red stallion before entering the carriage and driving off to the palace.

Shadow galloped to the back of the mansion and a few minutes later, he saw for himself just how badly things had gone. He trotted past the injured stallions to see if he could find anything that could help and to his surprise, he found an old carriage lying horizontally on the ground. Shadow bent down and used his strength to tip the carriage back to it's right position, before entering it and driving it towards the injured stallions.

“My leg, MY LEG! Please somepony help me get my leg back, please!” sobbed the three-legged stallion, who was still desperately pushing the disconnected limb against a large hole in his body. Shadow carefully picked him up, trying his best to avoid touching the gaping hole where one of his hind legs used to be, blood still flowing profusely from the wound.

“DO YOU WANT TO LIVE TO SEE THE SUNRISE?!” yelled Shadow, dots of saliva flying from his mouth and landing on the stallion’s face.

The stallion’s sobs were reduced to whimpers and he shut his eyes and quickly nodded. Shadow snatched the his hind leg off him and threw it into the bushes. Shadow quickly walked towards the carriage with the stallion in his arms and he carefully laid the stallion down on the biggest seat inside the carriage.

Over the next ten minutes, Shadow placed the rest of the injured stallions inside the carriage. The ponies with the more serious injuries were placed in the larger seats whilst the ponies with the less serious injuries were squashed together in the smaller seats that were at the back of the carriage.

After making sure all of the ponies were secured, Shadow leapt into the driver’s seat and set off for Canterlot hospital, hoping that he was able to get there quickly before anything else went wrong.

“They weren't supposed to know so soon. How could they have found out?”

“It's obvious. They probably decided to assess the Elements and they found that they weren't what they were expecting.”

Sunburst and Sunrise had been travelling in the carriage for the last twenty minutes towards the Canterlot checkpoint and they were currently discussing their next moves.

“We should've thought this through more carefully Sunburst. Looking back, what would we have done if Celestia and Luna decided to look at the Elements in front of us?”

“I don't know, but what I do know is where we're going tonight. Detrot.”

“The Renaissance City?”

“Of course. Not only is the population made up of mostly unicorns, but there are a few ponies from university that we can stay with whilst we figure out our next move.”

“We obviously can't go ahead with what we were going to do on Equestria Day.”

“I know. Maybe we’ve been approaching this all wrong. If we did take over on Equestria Day. how would we consolidate our power? The only other noble house that would support us is Leo, maybe Cancer if we struck a deal with Sir Cranco. The rest would be against it and i know House Aries would never support us.”

“Who’s the current mayor of Detrot?”

“A stallion called Soldi. He’s distantly related to House Gemini but from what I’ve heard, he acts as if he’s a member of the family.”

“We should meet with him, find out his belief on whether Celestia and Luna should rule, and we’ll see where we’ll go from there.”

“But how will we secure a meeting with him? We obviously can't go as ourselves.”

“We are in charge of education remember? We’ll just disguise ourselves and say that we’re representing Sunburst and Sunrise and we would like to discuss reforms for the admissions process for Detrot University.”

“Look, we’re here Sunburst.”

Sunburst closed the satchel he was holding and Sunrise quickly tapped the driver on the shoulder to signal that they had arrived. The carriage quickly came to a stop and the couple quickly jumped out. The driver also came out of the carriage and he quickly lost the little composure he had when he saw a yellow aura surrounding Sunrise’s horn.

“I promise that I won't tell anypony. Please don’t hurt me, I have a family and I have to provide for my sons,” pleaded the stallion, tears streaming down his face.

“After our meeting tonight you will never remember me, let this night be wiped from your memory.”

Sunrise lowered her head and a small dot of yellow magic travelled from her horn and landed on the driver’s head. The driver lifted a hoof and quickly tried to rub the small yellow dot from his head. But his efforts proved futile as the yellow dot went through his skin and a few seconds later, he collapsed to the ground.

“When he wakes up, he’s probably going to wonder why the hell he fell asleep next to the checkpoint,” smirked Sunrise.

The Canterlot checkpoint was a compulsory place that all ponies leaving the city had to go to. It's purpose was to make sure ponies weren’t carrying any illegal substance. The checkpoint was currently being manned by an elderly guard who was currently asleep in the small shed that was next to the gate. The large sign above the gate read ‘WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR STAY IN CANTERLOT.’

Sunrise carefully used her magic to take out the gate keys that were underneath one of the guard’s hooves. She used her magic to toss the keys to Sunburst, who was already standing next to the gate. He selected one of the keys at random and twisted it a few times in the lock, and he was surprised when the lock clicked and the gate opened slightly. Sunburst threw the keys back to Sunrise, who slowly slid them back underneath the guard’s hooves.

On the other side of the gate, there were two carriages that could usually be rented if ponies were travelling to a distant city and were not taking the train. They also had special number plates on the front so that they couldn't be stolen by the ponies that used them. Sunrise quickly clambered into one of the carriages whilst Sunburst quickly tore off the number plate and threw it away before closing the gate and setting off with Sunrise for Detrot to plan their next move.

Nearly twenty minutes after Sunburst and Sunrise had left Canterlot for Detrot, Lejon arrived at the checkpoint. He had purposely taken his time so that he could follow Sunburst and Sunrise without being detected. He jumped out of the carriage whilst it was still moving and ran to the shed at the checkpoint, where the elderly guard was still awake. Lejon roughly banged the window so that the guard

“Wha-what the hell.. are you playing at?” mumbled the guard, trying (and failing) to narrow his eyes at Lejon as he pressed a button that opened the window separating the two ponies.

“The two ponies that came to you twenty minutes ago. Where did they say they were going?”
Noticing Lejon’s Royal Guard uniform, the guard quickly sat up and took out a sheet of paper from the massive pile next to him.

“What in Equestria are you talking about? The last ponies that left Canterlot came to me before sunset.”

“No no, no. There were definitely two ponies that came here. How else were they supposed to leave the city?” insisted Lejon, his voice becoming louder and louder.

“Look, I don't care if you're part of the Royal Guard, you don't come to me in the middle of the night yelling about ponies leaving when that isn't even possible without me knowing about it!” countered the guard, hovering a hoof over the button that closed the window.

Lejon yelled in frustration and was about to lose his temper with the guard when he spotted the carriage that was on the other side of the gate.

“Look! There’s only one carriage over there and there are normally two right?” asked Lejon, pointing to the carriage he was talking about.

“What are you talking about? Nopony’s even needed to use the carriage today,” said the guard, opening the door to his side and coming out of the shed to see what Lejon was talking about.

“See, ponies have passed through the checkpoint tonight,” said Lejon, watching the guard’s shocked reaction.

“Bu-but that’s against the law! We have to find out where they went! We-we-”

“I will deal with this. Do you have an Equestrian map and a quill on you by any chance?”

The guard nodded and ran back inside the shed, coming out a few moments later with the map and quill in his mouth. Lejon used his magic to take the map and quill from the guard and he opened it up, circling Canterlot with the quill.

If I was Sunrise and Sunburst and I wanted to get out of Canterlot undetected and quickly, where would I go?

There’s Manehatten. It's the closest and it also has a lot of hotels.

No, that would more likely to expose their identities.

Detrot is the second closest. They also probably have scholar friends they could stay with since House Capricorn is in charge of education and they both attended Detrot University.

Yes, they probably went to Detrot.

Lejon folded up the map and threw it back to the guard.

“If the Royal Guard or the princesses ask about me, tell them I went after the targets to stop whatever they’re doing. They’ll know what I’m talking about.”

The guard barely had any time to respond before Lejon lit up his horn and teleported to the other side of the gate and set off in the second carriage for ‘The Renaissance City.’

“I'm sorry Your Highness, but we were unable to capture the suspects.”

“I’ve already been informed.”

Princess Celestia remained silent for a few moments and Shadow gulped as the silence in the hospital waiting room became deafening. He had passed over Sir Capricornus and Sunset to Princess Luna who was waiting at the palace and immediately returned to Sir Capricornus’ mansion with a fleet of ambulances to tend to the wounded soldiers. He had travelled with them to the hospital, where Princess Celestia was waiting for him.

“Deputy Captain Shadow, you are the second most senior member of the Royal Guard after Captain Ivory Thunder, and I'm beginning to wonder if I made a mistake honouring you with that position.” Celestia paused to take a deep breath before continuing and her voice became a lot louder. “I trusted you to pick the right team to bring Sunburst and Sunrise to me. Judging by the amount of injuries these poor stallions have suffered, it's clear that you didn't make the right choices!”

Shadow felt a flash of anger when Celestia reminded him about his position behind Ivory Thunder and that anger continued to grow as Celestia began to yell at him.

“Not only did you fail to capture Sunburst and Sunrise, but there are also eleven soldiers in hospital. Some severely injured, that will not be working for the next few weeks, and Equestria Day is only two days away. The guard that lost his leg is currently fighting for his life in the operation theatre and he will never work in the Royal Guard again because of your bad decision-making. We need all of the guards for the celebrations in case anything goes wrong!”

“Your Highness, I was not the pony that crippled him, we both know that it was Sunburst and Sunrise,” said Shadow quietly, looking straight into Celestia’s eyes. “I know it isn't much of a consolation Princess, but we have taken Sir Capricornus and Sunset Shimmer under custody. They're currently with Princess Luna at the palace and I’m sure that they’ll be able to tell you what we need to know,” continued Shadow, desperately trying to keep his anger under check in front of the princess.

“You're right, it isn't much of a consolation, but I suppose it's better than nothing.”

“I know.”

Shadow stared at Celestia for a few moments before walking away from the princess and towards the hospital exit to visit a corner shop to have a cigar. Once outside, he punched the wall three times, drawing blood from his hooves, and he leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

How dare she criticise me for not arresting Sunburst and Sunrise when it should’ve been her responsibility to bring them in?

She didn’t even thank me for taking all of those stallions to the hospital!

She knew that they were so powerful. If anything it’s her fault that nearly everypony on my teams are here tonight.

Fuelled by his anger, Shadow forgot about buying his cigars and he stormed back into the hospital to give Celestia a piece of her mind. When he couldn’t find her in the waiting room, Shadow asked the receptionist where Celestia had gone and she directed him towards the operating theatre.

Shadow found Celestia standing next to the chairs that were next to the door of one of the operating theatres, waiting for news on whether the stallion who had lost his leg would survive. Shadow’s anger dissolved in an instant when he found Celestia, and any plans of a planned rant at the princess faded away as he heard the shouts of the doctors in the theatre. He sat down next to Celestia and they waited together for nearly five minutes before one of the doctors came out through the door.

“Well?” asked Celestia, quickly standing up.

The doctor took off his mask and the sorrowful expression accompanied with a slight shake of his head told Princess Celestia and Shadow what they needed to know.

“This has officially become a murder case,” muttered Celestia, before string at the operating theatre’s door.

“Can you at least tell me when I'm going to see Celestia?”

“My sister will return from the hospital soon. Until then, you are under my watch.”

Sir Capricornus and Sunset had been waiting at the palace for over half an hour for Celestia to interrogate them. As soon as they had arrived at the palace, they had been escorted by two guards to a run-down interrogation room. Once they had arrived at the room, Sunset had been taken by another guard to find out if she was able to spend the night at the palace.

A guard suddenly entered the room and loudly announced Princess Celestia’s arrival. Luna glared at Sir Capricornus one last time before leaving the room. Sir Capricornus quickly rehearsed what he was going to tell the princess and just as he was in the middle of this, the door slammed open and the elder royal sister entered, holding a leather satchel with her magic.

“Now, can you please tell me why I'm still handcuffed?” asked Sir Capricornus, hoping that his pleasant tone would convince Celestia to release him sooner rather than later.

“I'm not in the mood for your pleasantries, not tonight.”

Celestia's tone shocked Sir Capricornus as he had never heard the princess this angry before, and he began to reconsider how he was going to answer Celestia's questions.

“A stallion has died tonight because of Sunburst and Sunrise. Dead. And who's going to have to break the bad news to his family? Me. I have to be the one to tell that poor stallion’s family that he was murdered.”

“My son and daughter-in-law are not murderers. I'm sure that what happened tonight was an accident.”

“ACCIDENT?! You make it sound as if nothing serious has happened. They killed him. Snuffed his life as if it meant nothing to them. But that's not what I came to talk to you about.”

Celestia paused and took a few moments to compose herself before speaking again.

“Now, we both know why I've called you in here tonight. Your son and daughter-in-law have the Elements of Chaos in their possession and there are preparing to put this country in danger and use them against myself and Princess Luna. Is that true?”

“Wha-what are you talking about?! They would never do anything to harm this country!”

Celestia let the satchel drop onto the table between herself and Sir Capricornus, and seven coloured jewels fell out.

“Do you know what these are?! They're the so-called Elements that Sunrise and Sunburst gave to us a few days in the Canterlot court meeting. They planned for months and you know it!”

“I-I genuinely don't know what you're talking about!” retorted Sir Capricornus, his voice matching Celestia's in volume.

“STOP LYING TO ME! THEY’RE PLANNING TO OVERTHROW ME AND YOU HELPED THEM!”

Sir Capricornus fell backwards on his chair and onto the floor due to the force of as Celestia stood over Sir Capricornus and yelled unintelligibly at him.

“THROW HIM IN THE DUNGEONS!”

Celestia dragged Sir Capricornus off the floor and pulled him by his mane out of the room, where two guards were already waiting. They took Sir Capricornus and roughly pulled him along the hallway to the the underground dungeons.

You're nearly there Lejon.

Just…..keep your eyes open.

Lejon stifled a yawn and used a hoof to quickly rub his eyes whilst he was driving. The four-hour journey from Canterlot to Detrot was coming to an end and just as Lejon’s eyes were about to close again, he spotted the Detrot checkpoint in the far distance, the black gate illuminated by the rising sun. Lejon pressed his hoof down on the pedal to make the carriage go even faster and before he knew it, what appeared as a small gate in the distance loomed largely over him.

Lejon slowly removed his hoof off the pedal and turned to throw his Royal Guard uniform (on the passenger seat) in the back. Nerves began to build up inside of Lejon and he nervously waved at the guard standing next to the gate.

“Good morning sir. May I ask why you have travelled to Detrot today?”

The guard’s pleasant manner set Lejon’s nerves at ease and he felt more confident about his mission.

“I'm supposed to be coming here for a family visit with my cousins but they left ahead of me. When did they come through the checkpoint.”

“They came through about half an hour ago and they said that they were going to stay in a hotel in the middle of the city. Was that your plan?”

“Yes of course, thank you for telling me. Those silly ponies forgot to tell me in their rush to leave Canterlot.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Canterlot,” said the guard, taking out a key and opening the gate to allow Lejon to pass through.

Now I just have to find the hotel they're staying in and stop whatever they're planning.

Portentia sermonis II

“Hay burgers! The best hay burgers in all of Detrot and they’re sold right here for only two bits! You, sir, you look hungry, would you like a hay burger for two bits?!”

“No thank you.”

Lejon ignored the shopkeeper’s crestfallen expression and continued limping slowly through the streets of Detrot. The metropolitan city had seen a massive influx of wealth over the last few years due to Fancy Pants’ decision to build his company’s headquarters in Detrot. His decision led to a massive increase in the amount of jobs available and soon the city’s fortunes changed for the better. Many ponies believed that Detrot would soon overtake Manehatten as Equestria’s second most popular city and the city saw an increasing amount of tourists visiting every year (particularly in the summer) to see the best sights that Detrot had to offer. The high-rise buildings combined with the backdrop of a clear blue sky made the city appear even more welcoming than it already did and as Lejon walked along the street, the overall pleasant atmosphere of the city almost made him forget why he had even come to Detrot in the first place.

When all of this madness is over, I have to come and visit this city again.

Maybe I’ll use of my vacation days and stay for two weeks here.

Lejon winced when he felt a flash of pain from his wound underneath the thick black robe it was covered in, and the pain helped to remind him why he had even come to Detrot in a hurry. Lejon’s wound meant that he wasn't able to walk as quickly as normal and he suddenly stopped walking and stood still outside a shop, so that the pain would fade away and he would be able to continue walking.

“Are you waiting for a taxi, sir?”

Lejon snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at the pony that had just called out to him, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the carriage that had just parked on the kern that Lejon was standing on. Lejon thought quickly for a few moments about whether he should accept the offer, before nodding and climbing into the seat behind the carriage driver.

“Where would you like to go sir?”

“Could you recommend me some hotels?”

“Hmm, lets see. There’s the Grand Regent if you’re looking for the best stay in Detrot but it does cost a lot of money. The Diamond Hotel and Silver Cloud Hotel are also pretty good and they're a lot cheaper than The Grand Regent, these are the only ones that come to mind right now, so it's up to you.”

“I think I'm going to go for Silver Cloud Hotel.”

“Alright then.”

The carriage driver pressed his foot down on the pedal and the carriage wheels started turning slowly and the two ponies set off.

“We’re not going to let you in unless you show proof that you are here to meet with the princesses.”

“I have proof, I’ve already shown you this letter written by Princess Celestia. Just let me in, that’s all I’m asking you.”

“That could’ve been forged by anypony. How do we even know that you really are Emerald of House Gemini?!”

“What in Equestria is going on here?!”

The guard had opened his mouth to respond but a reproaching look from the younger royal sister silenced him and he lowered his head. The two guards stepped aside to allow Princess Luna pass through the palace entrance and she stood opposite the green stallion that was trying to enter the palace.

“Emerald, I assume you’re here to meet with Celestia for the annual interview?”

“Yes, Your Highness, she sent this letter to me a few days ago.”

Princess Luna took the letter from Emerald and read over it quickly, before handing it back to Emerald and turning her head to speak with the two guards.

“This has clearly been written by my sister, her signature at the bottom cannot be copied by anypony and the letter clearly has the official Canterlot Palace seal on it.”

“Our apologies, Your Highness,” mumbled the two guards.

“Emerald, Princess Celestia is busy dealing with an....administrative issue right now, so you will interview me today,” said Princess Luna.

“That’s absolutely fine, Your Highness.”

The two guards stepped aside to allow Princess Luna and Emerald to pass through to enter the palace. The two ponies walked up a flight of stairs and made a few turns down some corridors before reaching a conference room that had ‘Media and Culture’ written on the door.

The two ponies entered and they each sat on a seat on opposite ends of a round table and whilst Princess Luna poured herself a cup of tea from the teapot next to her, Emerald opened his satchel and took out a notepad and quill.

“Princess, we can start whenever you’re ready,” announced Emerald, before pushing his notepad forward and using his magic to hold up his quill.

“I am ready. What type of article are you hoping to write this year?”

“As it is Equestria’s 1000th anniversary this year, I am aiming to write an article that is able to invoke feelings of pride in ponies across the country, pride that our great nation has stood for so long and that it will stand for many more years to come. Has that answered your question, Your Highness?”

“Yes, it has. We can begin now.”

Emerald opened his notepad and looked at the first page, before reading the question written at the top of it.

“How does it make you feel knowing that Equestria has existed in peace for nearly a thousand years?”

“It fills me with pride. I don’t think that I would be able to show how proud I am at the fact that everypony was able to overcome their differences and come together to form Equestria, and I am sure that our country will remain peaceful for many more years to come.”

Emerald listened to Luna’s answer before quickly making some notes underneath the first question.

“Okay. I'm not sure if you are aware of this but in a recent nationwide poll we conducted a few weeks ago, nearly sixty five percent of those who took part stated that they were worried about about the future of our country. What are your thoughts?”

Princess Luna took a few moments to think about what she was going to say and she opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door.

“Apologies. I’ll deal with this quickly and then I’ll be back to answer your question.”

Princess Luna walked over to the door and opened it to step outside and speak with the guard that had knocked on the door. A few moments later, she stuck her head through the doorway.

“Apologies Emerald, but it seems that my sister requires some assistance regarding the administrative issue I previously mentioned. This does mean that I won't be able to continue the interview. Should we reschedule for another day?”

“No , Your Highness, that's perfectly fine. I'll just write the article based on what we discussed today.”

“Apologies once again. I'm sure that you can find your own way out.”

Emerald picked up his notebook and bowed to Princess Luna before leaving the room and walking towards the opposite end of the corridor, extremely irritated that his interview had been cut short by an administrative issue for the second year in a row. When he turned at the corner, he saw two maids standing next to a wall, whispering to each other so that their voices couldn't be heard. Emerald was curious and he quickly moved back behind the corner of the wall so that he wasn't spotted and he listened carefully to what the two mares were saying.

“The princess has been in a bad mood all morning, she even yelled at one of the maids for not putting enough sugar in her tea, and she’s never acted like that before! I actually felt so sorry for that maid! She looked like she was about to cry!”

“Of course she’s going to be in a bad mood Ruby; ever since Sir Capricornus was brought in for questioning last night Celestia’s been walking around with a face like thunder.”

“I heard one of the butlers saying to another butler that the guards were originally supposed to arrest Sunburst and Sunrise from House Capricorn last night but they managed to injure every single one of them when they were escaping.”

“Really?! But I heard that one guard actually got killed trying to arrest them.”

“No way! That’s actually so sad! I wonder what Sunburst and Sunrise even did for Celestia to send the Royal Guard to arrest them.”

“Do you think it's right for you to be discussing confidential matters so openly that you shouldn't concern yourself with?”

The two mares jumped when they heard a stallion’s voice and they both began to slightly shake when they recognised Emerald as he emerged from behind the corner.

“Please don't tell anypony, we’ll be thrown into the dungeons by Celestia!”

“Now….. why would I want to do that?” said Emerald. He stared at the two mares silently, the gears in his mind turning as a devious idea came to mind. “How about we all back to my office and you can tell me what you know about Sir Capricornus’ arrest.”

“We-we want payment if that’s going to happen,” said one of the mares defiantly, her friend nodding in agreement.

“But of course, I’ll pay a thousand bits each IF you promise to tell me everything you know about the arrest.”

“Okay then!”

The two mares smiled at each other before happily following Emerald down the stairs that were nearest to them before walking towards the palace exit. They passed a few servants that were walking through the palace but none of them paid the three ponies any attention.

“Wait, how are we going to get out of here without anypony seeing us?”

“I have that covered.”

Emerald lit up his horn and performed an invisibility spell on the two mares, before turning around and walking out of the palace, nodding at the two guards standing at the door.

“Wait, are we going to be like this the whole time till we get to your office?”

“Yes, you are. It decreases the risk of you two getting caught,” whispered Emerald.

Emerald and the two mares (still invisible) walked towards the carriage that Emerald had taken when he was driving to the palace and he climbed into the passenger seat whilst the carriage driver got out of the carriage and went to close the side door.

“Leave it open for a few moments! Just to let some air in, it's quite hot in here,” said Emerald, making sure that the two mares had enough time to get into the carriage

The carriage driver obeyed and moved to the other side of the carriage, waiting for Emerald’s command. Once he was sure that the two mares with him had entered the carriage, Emerald nodded at the carriage driver, who then closed the side door and climbed back into the driver’s seat.

“Back to the Equestria Daily offices sir?”

“Yes.”

“Here we are sir, the Silver Hotel. Normally it doesn't take this long but the traffic was terrible. It always is at this time of day. Sometimes, I think that walking through the city at midday is better than driving through it.”

Lejon removed the hood of his robe from his head and looked out of the window next to him at the entrance of the hotel whilst the carriage driver looked at the map in front of him.

“And…. that will thirty bits sir,” said the carriage driver, looking expectantly at Lejon.

Lejon pretended to look for the money underneath his robe whilst the carriage driver waited patiently.

“Excuse me, I think I dropped a coin underneath your seat. Could you get it for me please?”

“Of course.”

Whilst the carriage driver bent over to look for the money, Lejon raised a hoof and punched the back of the driver’s head so hard that the he was knocked out immediately. The carriage driver slumped and fell off his seat and onto the floor between the driver and passenger seat.

“Sorry, but it had to be done,” he muttered.

Lejon quickly got out of the carriage and closed the door before walking through the huge glass doors and entering the hotel, whilst the carriage Lejon had arrived in remained parked outside the hotel.

“Hello and welcome to the Silver Hotel. How may I help you?”

“I’d like to book a room please.”

“Okay let me just check how many available rooms there are right now.”

Whilst the receptionist looked at the papers that were next to her, Lejon stared past the desk and at the hotel’s restaurant, where he struggle immensely to hide his shock upon seeing Sunburst and Sunrise sitting at the table nearest to the exit. Sunburst suddenly looked up at Lejon, who looked away instantly.

“I’m afraid there are only rooms available on the first floor and those are rooms 67,69,70,72 and 78. Which one would you like to stay in and how long are you going to be staying?”

“You know, that stallion looks familiar, but I just can't remember where I’ve seen him,” mused Sunburst, tilting his head and looking at Lejon.

“He actually does. Maybe we should talk to him, pretend to be friendly so that we can remember where we've seen him from,” agreed Sunrise, who had turned her head clockwise to look at Lejon.

“I’ll take room 69 and I’m going to be here for a week,” said Lejon. The receptionist took out a quill and wrote his name down on the page next to room 69 before giving him his keys and telling him the directions to his room.

Lejon thanked the receptionist before climbing the stairs to his room, Sunrise and Sunburst’s eyes following him as he ascended the stairs.

“Let’s meet with the Mayor first, then we can talk to this stallion.”

“Repeat what you just said from the top, and this time, there can be no distractions.”

Emerald glared at the two mares sitting opposite him for a few seconds before opening his notepad and picking up his quill next to him with his magic.

“First we saw Sir Capricornus being dragged into the Royal Guard headquarters by two guards and Princess Luna was waiting for them at the entrance.”

“Okay, let me just write that down,” said Emerald, using his magic to write down what the mare had just said into his notepad. “Then what happened?” he asked, looking at the other mare

“I was already at the headquarters because Princess Luna had asked for a cup of tea. When I got there, one of the guards that had brought Sir Capricornus in was speaking to Princess Luna. I hid behind the wall so that they wouldn’t see me and I heard the guard tell the princess that nearly everypony that had gone to arrest Sunrise and Sunburst were casualties.”

“What happened next?”

“Celestia then arrived and I had never seen her so angry, and I don't think I ever will again. When she spoke to Luna, she told her that one of the guards had just died in the hospital because of his injuries and that she wanted to speak to Sir Capricornus. She went into the room he was in and that’s the last I saw of her.”

“Okay then, let me just write that down.”

Emerald finished the sentence that he was writing and closed his notepad.

“You will get your payments very soon but there’s one more thing I want you both to do for me. I want to infiltrate the Royal Guard headquarters and find the cell that Sir Capricornus is staying in. I’ll handle the rest. ”

“How is that possible? The princesses have probably put him in the dungeons. That would be the best place to keep him for the time being,” pointed out one of the mares.

“That’s... actually a very good point, you’re definitely a lot brighter than you look,” said Emerald, smiling at the mare that had spoken, who was beginning to blush.

“Okay we’ll do it, besides you’re paying us more in a day than we would get as maids for Celestia and Luna.” said the other mare.

“Any questions?”

The two mares shook their heads and the three ponies stood up and tucked their chairs in.

“You can meet with me tomorrow at midday here. If anypony asks why you’re at the office, just tell them that I sent you to me. Here’s a camera. Take pictures of anything interesting that you find down there.”

“Will do!”

The two mares smiled at Emerald before turning around and leaving his office together. Emerald suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask the most important question he had.

“Wait! Before you leave, did you hear anypony mention a stallion named Lejon? He’s part of the Royal Guard.”

The two mares thought for a few moments before shaking their heads.

“No, we’ve never heard of him. Why?”

“Oh, it doesn't matter, he’ll probably write to me soon anyway.”

Emerald dismissed the two mares and went to sit back at his desk, placing his head in his hooves as alarm bells began to ring in his head. Although there was a three year age gap between himself and his older brother Lejon, the two brothers had always been close in foalhood and adolescence, but when Emerald became eighteen, the two brothers became distant. Despite being older than his brother, it was Emerald and not Lejon that their father Sir Genelos had chosen to take over Equestria Daily four years ago, and as their father trained Emerald, there were frequent arguments between Lejon and Emerald and this eventually led to Lejon deciding to join the Royal Guard last year since he wasn't satisfied with being his younger brother’s second-in-command. Whilst he had not spoken to or even seen his brother for weeks, Emerald still cared for his older brother and he found himself hoping that they would see each other soon.

As he finished wrapping the bandage around his wound, Lejon had decided that two hours in his room was enough time to recover and that he needed to get out and find Sunburst and Sunrise.

“Let’s go meet with Mayor Soldi, he’s probably on his lunch break or something.”

As he was about to push the door handle, Lejon heard a female’s whisper. Lejon peeked through the keyhole and saw a nearly bald and a red mare with a large mole on her right cheek carrying a few sheets of paper with their magic hastily leaving their room. Lejon stared intently at them for a few seconds, wondering why this random couple wanted to meet with the mayor, and it took him a few seconds to realize that they were probably Sunburst and Sunrise. Lejon quickly put his robe on to cover his bandaged wound and left his room quickly, making sure the door was locked before he left the hotel to follow Sunburst and Sunrise.

They’re probably going to go on hoof. Soldi’s office is only twenty minutes away.

But why do they want to meet with him?

As Lejon stepped outside of the hotel, he crossed the road in front of him and saw Sunburst and Sunrise walking at a leisurely pace in the far distance. Lejon began to walk faster and quickly passed through the other ponies that were walking in front of him and soon, he was only a few feet behind Sunburst and Sunrise.

“It wasn't necessary for you to shave all of my mane off,” grumbled Sunburst, looking at his wife.

“Don’t be stupid, we have to be cautious, we can’t get found up while we’re here,” replied Sunrise.

Lejon had already planned to get to Mayor Soldi before Sunburst and Sunrise and he quickly walked past Sunburst and Sunrise and entered Detrot Town Hall, where Mayor Soldi’s office was based. Lejon walked up to the receptionist and requested a meeting with Mayor Soldi.

“Sorry, but we don't let strangers meet with the mayor if they don't have a good reason,” sneered the receptionist, speaking in an irritating nasal voice.

“Just tell him that I need to speak to him about to him about an urgent issue and that I’m Lejon of House-”

“Sapphire, make a note in my planner for ten o’clock tomorrow that I’m going to have a meeting with-”

The mayor of Detrot emerged from the stairs behind the receptionist holding a cup of coffee with his magic and as he was in the middle of his sentence, he saw Lejon.

“Lejon! My dear nephew, it's so good to see you! Come up to my office, I was just about to go on my lunch break.”

Lejon smirked triumphantly at the receptionist before following his cousin up the stairs to his office.

“I wrote to your father nearly two weeks ago but he still hasn't replied to my letter. Is something wrong?” asked Soldi.

“Don't take it personally. Father has been extremely busy making the final preparations for Equestria Day. I’ll make sure that when I get back to Canterlot, I’ll tell him about your letter,” replied Lejon, the fact that his father thought that the mayor (who was his distant cousin) was one of the most irritating stallions he had ever come across.

“Alright then. Come on, let’s talk up in my office. Do you want coffee? I can send one of the secretaries down to the nearby cafe to get you one.”

“No thank you.”

As Lejon and the mayor of Detrot reached the top of the stairs, a disguised Sunrise and Sunrise entered the building and walked up to the receptionist.

“We come here as representatives of Sir Capricornus of House Capricorn and we have a meeting with Mayor Soldi today,” announced Sunburst.

“It doesn’t say anything in the Mayor’s schedule about a meeting with you two,” retorted the receptionist, not looking up from the desk.

“We have a letter here from Sir Capricornus stating that as the representatives of House Capricorn, we are to meet with Mayor Soldi in order to discuss reforms to the admissions process of the University of Detrot. Sunburst and Sunrise were unable to make this meeting in time due to their role in the preparations for Equestria Day.”

Sunrise dropped the letter onto the receptionist’s desk for the mare to read. The receptionist skimmed through the letter and looked over the letter once more before coming to a decision.

“The mayor is currently in another meeting. I’ll tell him that you’re here to see him. You can sit in those seats over there and wait,” said the mare, pointing her hoof at two seats that were next to a water fountain opposite her desk.

Sunburst and Sunrise thanked the receptionist (who kissed her teeth in response) and sat in the two seats that the receptionist had directed them to.

“Do you think that I should put on an accent? Just to be extra cautious,” whispered Sunrise.

“That’s very risky, but if it you can pull it off we'll, then by all means go for it,” replied Sunburst. “What sort of accent were you thinking of?”

“It's not really an accent, I would just raise the pitch of my voice and have a bit of a lisp.”

“That isn't an accent then, that’s just minor changes that you're making to how you speak,” smirked Sunburst.

“I know that,” said Sunrise. “Do you want to hear it now?”

“Go ahead.”

Sunrise raised her hooves to pull her recently dark brown mane back from her face before clearing her throat and speaking in a higher pitch (than she usually spoke in), nasal voice.

“Mayor Soldi, as the leader of this great city, it is up to you to make sure that only the best and brightest are studying at the University of Detrot.”

Sunburst had struggled to keep a straight face whilst Sunrise was speaking and once she had finished, Sunburst pushed a hoof into his mouth but Sunrise heard his sniggers.

“Well, judging by your reaction, I should probably just pretend to have a lisp and forget about changing my pitch,” grumbled Sunrise.

“That is a very wise decision,” said Sunburst with a mischievous smile.

Sunrise punched her husband’s arm as he tried his best to laugh as quietly as possible. There was a few moments of silence after that, and Sunrise remembered how carefree her husband had been before he started to use the Elements, and she decided to bring this up with him.

“I think..the Elements are doing something to you, Sunburst. Whenever you use them, you...become a different pony.”

Sunburst frowned. “What do you mean? I always feel great whenever I use them and I can actually control them properly now.”

“I mean, you’re always angry when you’re practising with them and when I came back from Father’s house yesterday you even-”

Sunrise suddenly stopped speaking when she remembered how Sunburst had slapped her across the face when she had returned from Sir Leonus’ house.

“What? What did I do to you?”

“We'll talk about it later, it isn't the right time or place to talk about this,” said Sunrise, deliberately avoiding looking at her husband. Sunburst frowned and was about to continue pursuing the subject when the mayor and Lejon came down the stairs.

“Are you two the ponies representing Sunburst and Sunrise?” asked Mayor Soldi.

“Yes, we are,” said Sunburst, standing up with Sunrise and walking over to shake hooves with the mayor of Detrot.

“Let’s go up to my office so we can talk there, I don't know why this was never written down in my planner,” said Soldi, staring pointedly at the receptionist, before turning his head to speak with Lejon.

“Apologies that our time has been cut short, nephew. I'm always free at midday so you can always come back at this time tomorrow and we can talk more then if you want. I'm sure the Royal Guard will allow you to use one of your vacation days.”

“I will come back tomorrow. It's fine.”

Lejon shook hooves with Soldi and nodded politely at a disguised Sunburst and Sunrise (who were now staring intently at him) before leaving the building just as they began to go up the stairs. As he crossed the road, Lejon was extremely irritated that Soldi had exposed him as being a member of the Royal Guard, and as he walked through the door of an off-licence shop, he knew that Sunburst and Sunrise would be onto him. Lejon browsed the shelves before going to the till and buying a notebook and a quill. Once he left the shop (less than three minutes after he had entered it), he waited for the traffic warden to raise his hoof before crossing the road and entering the mayor’s building again.

“Excuse me, I think I left my wallet in the mayor’s office. Is it alright if I just go and get it?” asked Lejon.

“Sure, whatever, you can go and get your wallet,” replied the receptionist, who was too busy filing her hooves to even look at Lejon.

Lejon slowly walked up the stairs before walking down the corridor and stopping in front of a locked dark brown door labelled ‘Mayor’s office’ that he and his uncle had been in nearly twenty minutes ago. Lejon crouched next to the wall and lit up his horn to perform a hearing improvement spell that would allow him to hear what was being discussed inside the office. He took out the quill he had bought and opened his notebook to make notes.

“As stated in this letter, Sir Capricornus requests for a review to be made on the admissions process for the University of Detrot, which means that we will need to meet with the admissions team,” said Sunburst, pushing the letter forward across to Soldi.

“Of course. I can contact them and we can set up a meeting between you all,” replied Soldi, looking over the letter.

“That’s good. Now, Sir Capricornus has also requested that we review the funding for education in Detrot. House Capricorn intends to reform both the curriculum and admissions process for all Equestrian universities in every city, starting with Detrot,” declared Sunrise.

“This is quite a lot for us for cover in just one meeting,” frowned Soldi, looking at Sunrise.

“We know. This is going to be a long term project, and you’ll be seeing a lot more of us over the next few months as House Capricorn make these changes,” replied Sunrise.

“Could you please tell me where the toilets are?” asked Sunburst, getting up from his seat.

“Turn left at the end of the corridor and it's the second door on your right.”

“Thank you. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

Lejon quickly stopped using the hearing improvement spell and just about managed to perform an invisibility spell before Sunburst opened the office door and left it open, walking past Lejon. Lejon was silently grateful that Sunburst had left the door open, so he would still be able to hear what Sunrise and his uncle were talking about. In the office, there was an awkward silence and Sunrise decided to use this opportunity to try and find out what kind of pony Mayor Soldi was.

“Was that your nephew you were speaking to before we came?” asked Sunrise, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the desk in front of her.

“Yes, Lejon is my nephew. His father Sir Genelos is my second cousin.”

“But as a member of the Royal Guard, isn't he helping with the preparations for Equestria Day?”

“True. He must've been allowed to use one of his vacation days to come to Detrot.”

“Are you and your nephew close?”

Soldi remained silent for a few moments, and Sunrise took this as a sign that her questions were a little too personal.

“Sorry if my questions seem a little intrusive, whenever I meet somepony new I usually end up asking lots of questions,” laughed Sunrise.

“It's fine. Seeing as we’re going to be working closely together for the next few months, it wouldn't matter if we got to know each other. To answer your question, no, not really which is why I was really surprised when he came to my office today,” replied Soldi with a smile.

The two ponies smiled at each other and Sunrise was about to ask him another question when her husband returned and closed the door behind him. He looked at Sunrise who discreetly winked at him before sitting back down in his seat.

“Do you have a quill and a piece of paper on you by any chance? I just want do some calculations,” said Sunburst. Soldi nodded and opened one of the drawers of the filing cupboard behind him, taking out a quill and a piece of plain paper and sliding it across the table to Sunburst.

“Thank you. How much money have you received from Celestia and Luna this year for the budget?”

“Certainly not as much as last year. The economic crisis has obviously played a role in that,” replied Soldi.

“How much exactly?”

“25 million bits.”

“Okay, let me just write that down. Now, how much of your budget is set aside for education?”

“20%.”

“So, you spend five million every year on education.”

Soldi, Sunburst and Sunrise continued to discuss Detrot’s education budget for the next two hours and once the sun had begun to set, the mayor suggested that the meeting ended there and that they would reconvene at the same time tomorrow. Soldi agreed with this idea and offered to take Sunburst and Sunrise to a local bar, an idea they readily accepted.

The three ponies got up and left the office together. Lejon was still crouching next to the door, and once the sound of footsteps faded, he stopped using the invisibility spell and slowly stretched out his forelegs and hind legs. He flicked through the three pages of notes that he had made and decided against following his uncle to the bar to return to the hotel to write a letter to somepony he hadn’t spoken to for far too long.

After they left the Equestria Daily offices, Ruby and Sapphire returned to the palace, and luckily for them nopony had asked where they had been, so they returned to their cleaning, occasionally serving Princess Celestia and Princess Luna with tea more than once. When it became sunset, the two mares, along with the other maids and butlers who didn’t work full time at the palace, were dismissed to go home. Following Emerald’s orders, the two mares went to their lockers (that were in a large room on the other side of the palace) with their colleagues and took out the camera that Emerald had given them, with Sapphire hiding it in her satchel.

Ruby and Sapphire said their goodbyes to a few other maids there were still at their lockers.

“How come you guys haven’t left yet? Normally you two are the first to leave,” chuckled an elder maid who was putting her belongings into her own satchel.

“Saph, have you seen my hat? Small, red with a small pink bow?” asked Ruby. Sapphire shook her head and Ruby told the other maid in the locker room that she had left her hat in one of the hallways, dragging Sapphire with her out of the locker room.

“Ugh, finally. She’s so bucking nosy,” grumbled Ruby, Sapphire nodding in agreement.

“So, how are going to get the dungeons? We don’t even know where they are?” asked Sapphire with a whisper.

“There’s a map of the palace near the entrance, remember? They hand out copies when they do that palace tour every two weeks.”

The two mares walked as quickly and quietly as they could to the palace entrance, and ten minutes after they’d left their lockers, Ruby and Sapphire reached the palace map that was displayed on the wall a few metres away from the entrance.

“It says that we need to go past Celestia’s office and a few other conference rooms before going down some stairs,” declared Ruby.

“Oh, I know where these stairs are,” said Sapphire.

“You do?”

“Yeah, I’ve been in the palace tour a few times and they’ve shown us the dungeons every single time.”

“Lead the way.”

Sapphire walked ahead of her friend quickly and led her up the stairs that were to the right of the map, whilst walking past two guards that were too engrossed in the own conversation to notice Sapphire and Ruby or ask where they were going. The two mares reached the top of the stairs and turned left, walking past a few conference rooms before reaching Celestia’s office at the end of the corridor.

“Where did you go after you passed here?” asked Ruby, as her and Sapphire stopped next to the office.

“Let me think…..we passed the conference rooms, we passed Celestia’s office and then we……”

As Sapphire was trying to remember the way to the dungeons, the door to Celestia’s office suddenly opened and the elder Royal sister emerged.

“Can I help you?”

“Umm ye-yes your Highness, we wou-would like to talk about our… wages! Yes, about wages,” stammered Ruby, Sapphire nodding eagerly.

“That’s..lovely to hear but I’m really busy right now. How about you come and see me same time tomorrow and we can have our discussion then?” said Celestia, who was clearly in a rush to get somewhere.

“Ok-okay then!” said Ruby, but Celestia had already walked away.

Sapphire and Ruby looked at each other and they were both thinking the same thing. They quickly walked into the conference room opposite Celestia’s office and stuck their heads out from behind the door. At the end of the corridor next to Celestia’s office, there was a black door that had ‘TOP SECRET!’ written at the front of it. Completely forgetting the fact that Sapphire and Ruby could still be standing there, Celestia used her horn to unlock the door and she quickly went down the stairs, forgetting to lock the door behind her.

Ruby and Sapphire quickly passed through the door and went down the stairs as quietly as possible. When they reached the last step, Ruby caught a peek of Celestia walking. The dungeon at Canterlot Palace had been vacant for the last fifty years, and the badly stained floor combined with the rusting metal bars on the cells supported this. Celestia continued walking until she reached the last cell, where two guards were stood to monitor the lone prisoner. Celestia stopped and stood next to the guards and in front of Sir Capricornus, who was lying on the floor in front of her.

“Has he confessed?”

“No, your Highness.”

Celestia ordered the guard to open the gate and they obeyed.

“I don’t know why you insist on doing this.”

“Doing what?” croaked Sir Capricornus, trying to slowly push himself up.

“We both know what your plan is.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!”

Sapphire hugged her friend tightly and Ruby didn’t try to push her away. The force of Celestia’s voice threw Sir Capricornus backwards and he collided with the wall, groaning as he slowly slid onto the floor.

“You two. Get inside the cell now.”

The two guards were a little apprehensive as to where this was going but they obliged, not wanting to further anger the princess.

“Are you going to admit to your crimes Sir Capricornus?”

“No.”

“Hit him.”

The two guards both repeatedly punched Sir Capricornus in the stomach at the same time, and the elder stallion yelled in pain and desperately tried to roll away to avoid the blows, but Celestia used her magic to hold him in the same position and the guards continued to beat him.

“Are you going to admit to your crimes Sir Capricornus?” she asked again.

Sir Capricornus groaned but shook his head. The two guards again began to beat Sir Capricornus and this continued for the next three minutes and soon there was blood pouring out from all of Sir Capricornus’ wounds and he was close to passing out.

“If you don’t confess, this is going to end very badly for you,” hissed Celestia, gritting her teeth. When Sir Capricornus didn’t respond, she charged into the cell and used her magic to slowly lift him up.

“Princess, what are you-?”

“SILENCE! DO NOT QUESTION YOUR PRINCESS!”

Celestia continued to slowly lift Sir Capricornus until he was at her eye level.

“Confess.”

Celestia used her horn to make a rope appear around Sir Capricornus’ neck, and it slowly began to tighten. Sir Capricornus started wheezing and his face began to turn a light shade of blue.

“CELESTIA WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Princess Luna suddenly appeared at the opposite end of the corridor, and she quickly galloped towards her sister, dragging her out of the cell. Sir Capricornus fell to the floor hard and immediately became unconscious.

“Why didn’t you try to stop her?!” demanded Luna, glaring at the two guards.

“We were acting on the orders of the princess your Highness,” mumbled one of the guards, staring at the floor.

“HE NEEDS TO CONFESS!”

Celestia was yelling unintelligibly by now and Luna was forced to light up her horn and cast a spell that not only knocked Celestia out, but also transported her to her bed.

Luna glared at the guards once more and completely ignored the severely injur d Sir Capricornus before teleportig out of the dungeons. The two guards stood silently over the prisoner, before locking his door and leaving the dungeons, closing the door behind them but forgetting to lock it.

Sapphire and Ruby emerged from their hiding place speechless. Sapphire had tears streaming down her face and Ruby silently stared down the corridor.

“How...how could she do that to him?” whispered Sapphire.

Ruby ignored her and slowly walked down the hallway to Sir Capricornus’ cell, and she gasped when she saw the effects of the beating that Sir Capricornus had received. His neck was red due to the effects of Celestia’s spell and there was a large wound on his forehead from when he fell to the floor. His stomach and chest was black and blue with bruises and there was another cut on one of his hind legs.

Sapphire joined her friend and had the same reaction when she saw Sir Capricornus. As she continued to cry, Ruby took out the camera Emerald had given her and she took several pictures of Sir Capricornus’ battered body. The picture were instantly printed and Ruby stuffed the photos into her satchel.

“We-we have to help him,” whispered Sapphire.

“We don’t have time. When we show the pictures to Emerald I’m sure that he can find a way to help. Come on, let’s go.”

Ruby led Sapphire out of the dungeons and she quietly locked the door behind her. The two mares quickly walked through the corridor they had passed through nearly half an hour ago and as they were climbing down the stairs, they came across the same maid that had questioned them in the locker room.

“How come you two are still here so late?” asked the elderly maid with a small frown.

“We...were talking to Princess Celestia about whether she would consider giving us a pay rise,” said Ruby, speaking for herself and her friend, whose eyes were red from crying.

“But what about-”

Ruby and Sapphire quickly barged past the maid mid-sentence and they left the palace in a hurry to see Emerald.

“Send them up to my office.”

The stallion quietly closed the door and Emerald began to take out his notebook. The fact that the two mares wanted to meet with him now instead of the agreed time of midday tomorrow meant that they had found something interesting.

The door opened and Ruby and Sapphire stood quietly in the doorway. Judging by the looks on their faces, Emerald knew that his prediction was right, and he ushered the two mares into his office.

“Now, I’m guessing that you’ve found something interesting?” enquired Emerald.

“We saw......we’ll just show you.”

Ruby opened her satchel with shaking hooves and she put the pictures she had taken (and Emerald’s camera) on the desk for him to see.

Emerald stared at the pictures in stunned silence, the shock of what he was seeing evident in his face. He slowly lifted a hoof and pulled the pictures closer to him.

“Well….you two definitely did your job. Here’s your money,” said Emerald, sliding an envelope containing two thousand bits across the table.

“Will...you get him out of there? Whatever he did, he didn’t deserve that,” said Sapphire

“I’ll do my best,” reassured Emerald.

“Thank you.”

The two mares got up out of their seats and left Emerald’s office.

“A letter came for you today sir,” announced a stallion as he passed Ruby and Sapphire on their way out of the office.

“Who’s it from?”

“Your brother sir.”

Emerald took the letter from the stallion and dismissed him. When he heard the door close, Emerald used his magic to rip open the envelope and he eagerly read the letter Lejon had written.

Dear Emerald,

I hope that this letter reaches you in good health. Apologies for not contacting you for weeks, I know it was wrong for me not to at least check up on how you are doing, and I promise that it will not happen again. I am currently in Detrot and I am following two ponies who I am 98% sure are Sunburst and Sunrise of House Capricorn.

Two nights ago, Princess Celestia ordered thirteen Royal Guard members to arrest Sunburst and Sunrise, and she told us that they had committed serious crimes against Equestria. The arrest failed and not only were there twelve casualties and one death, but Sunburst and Sunrise also managed to escape. During their escape, Sunrise and her husband were using what I can only describe as powerful artefacts. Luckily, my injuries weren’t too bad and I was able to follow them to Detrot. Today, they disguised themselves and had a bogus meeting with Uncle Soldi, claiming that they were representatives of Sunburst and Sunrise and that they wanted to discuss educational reforms. I have enclosed the notes I took from the meeting and a rough sketch (please forgive my below average drawing skills) of their disguise.

Please pass on a message to Princess Celestia that I am alright and I will continue my mission. Could you also tell Father not to worry and that I will be back in Canterlot very soon.

Lejon

Emerald finished reading the letter and put it down, reaching underneath to pull out his notepad and review his notes from earlier on.

They were using powerful artefacts?

Weren’t they sent on that six-month long mission to Saddle Arabia to find and bring back the Elements of Chaos?

Emerald closed his notebook with a huge smile on his face, having finally understood why Sir Capricornus was arrested.

Should I wait to write an article or should I do it now?

Just wait, there could be an opportunity in the future to use it against Celestia.

Besides, you’ve always been a patient pony.

“On behalf of myself and my sister, I would like to apologise for what happened earlier today. You didn’t deserve that.”

Sir Capricornus groaned and tried to lift up his head to look at Luna, but the pain was too much and his head flopped back down to the ground.

Luna sighed and fired up her horn, casting a memory spell that would wipe Sir Capricornus’ memory of the last forty eight hours. She then lit up her horn again to cast a healing spell that got rid of all of the elder stallion’s wounds.

I just hope that’s enough to cover up what happened here today.

Militaraturos superbia

”The time now is 09:29. The next train from Canterlot to Appleloosa will be departing shortly. Please make sure that you have boarded the train and that you have put any of your belongings at the back of the train. Please note that if you missed a train for which you have paid a ticket for, you will not be refunded and you will have to buy a new ticket. Thank you.”

The elderly stallion walked as quickly as he could, breathing heavily as he tried his best to ignore the dull aches he felt in his lower joints as he desperately tried to reach the train doors. He managed to reach the doors and give his ticket to the pony standing next to them before boarding the train, and he had just passed through them when they began to close. The stallion staggered on the spot for a few seconds before slowly walking to and sitting down in the nearest seat, breathing heavily.

“This morning’s Equestria Daily for only three and a half bits right here,” announced a mare, holding up several newspapers in a basket. The elderly stallion, along with quite a few other ponies, slowly got up and joined the queue to get their own copy and after nearly two minutes, the elderly stallion reached the front of the line.

“It's okay Sir Renois, you don't have to pay anything. You ca-can have it for free,” stammered the mare, recognising the elderly stallion and holding out a newspaper.

“I insist,” declared Sir Renois, before giving three and a half bits to the mare, who thanked him profusely. Sir Renois sat back down in his seat and opened his newspaper to read what the top headlines in the nation were.

‘AN EQUESTRIA DAILY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PRINCESS LUNA ON EQUESTRIA’S 1000TH ANNIVERSARY!’

Sir Renois skipped over the first few pages, filled with articles on the upcoming Equestria Day parades taking places in cities across Equestria (which was tomorrow) and he continued to flick through the paper before pausing when he saw an article towards the back of the newspaper that caught his attention, and as he read the short article, he began to feel more and more anxious.

WHERE IN EQUESTRIA ARE FLIM AND FLAM OF HOUSE ARIES?

It has been nearly a week since the explosion at the Super Cider Squeezy factory in Appleloosa took place, allegedly caused by dissatisfied workers and the co-owners of the company, twin brothers Flim and Flam of House Aries, have disappeared completely. We have contacted the representatives of the leader of the former Super Cider Squeezy workers, Autumn Forest, but he has declined to comment. The impact of the factory explosion has been devastating, with nearly 400 ponies now out of work in a small town with few jobs available in the first place, and there are growing concerns as to whether Appleloosa will be able to survive with so many ponies unemployed. The mayor of Appleloosa, Cherry Pie has released a statement saying that the town is actively looking for solutions to this issue and she said that Appleloosa would welcome any company that would like to build a base in the small town. We have also contacted the twins’ parents, Sir Renois and Lady Nocha, but they have declined to comment.

Sir Renois Aries slowly placed the newspaper back down on the table. When his sons Flim and Flam had declared that they were going to start up their own apple cider business nearly five years ago after graduating from the University of Detrot with business degrees, both Sir Renois and his wife, Lady Nocha fully supported them, and Sir Renois even gave the two a loan of nearly a hundred thousand bits to help them get started. The first time that he heard of his sons apparently mistreating their workers was nearly four months ago, when complaints of low pay and long hours were made from Super Cider Squeezy workers in factories all over Equestria. Lady Nocha had questioned her sons about these complaints and they had furiously dismissed them, claiming that the workers were deliberately trying to cause trouble in order to get a better wage. Sir Renois and Lady Nocha had believed them, and the topic wasn't brought up again until the factory explosion in Appleloosa. Lady Nocha had contacted the Royal Guard unit deployed at Appleloosa to ask if there was any news on the investigation to find Flim and Flam, but they still had not responded to her letter. Sir Renois had decided to take matters into his own hooves and travel to Appleloosa to find out what had really happened to Flim and Flam. but after reading the article, the small voice in Sir Renois’ head that was saying something bad had happened to Flim and Flam had become a lot louder.

Sir Renois closed the newspaper and slowly stretched his worn out legs before pressing a button underneath his seat that folded the table and the headrest back, forming a makeshift bed. Sir Renois pulled out the blanket that was underneath his seat and he covered himself with the blanket and slowly lay down in the bed and closed his eyes, hoping to at least have a few hours sleep on the eight hour journey from Canterlot to Appleloosa.

Sir Renois slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head to look out of the window. The midday sun was quite high in the sky (which meant that he had slept for at least three hours) and the train was currently passing through a barren area, the train occasionally rocking from side to side. In the far distance, Sir Renois could see what he guessed was a platform, meaning that the train was nearing the halfway point, Ponyville Station. The elderly stallion slowly took the blanket off his midriff and sat up in his bed, stretching his arms up high over his head to loosen his joints. Sir Renois got up from the bed quietly (so that he didn't disturb his fellow sleeping passengers) and crouched down to press the same button from a few hours before, and both the table and headrest returned to their previous positions, and the bed folded back to form a seat.

BANG!

Sir Renois’ head shot up and he quickly looked out of his window to see where the sound had come from.

“Did you hear that? That really loud noise just now?”

When the pony next to him gave him a strange look and shook his head, Sir Renois concluded that the stress of finding Flim and Flam was getting to him and that he had just imagined the sound, and he slowly picked up the newspaper and read it for the next forty minutes until the train reached Ponyville Station, the train slowly grinding to a halt.

”The train that has arrived is headed to Appleloosa. Please let the passengers that are leaving the train get off first before boarding the train. If you are leaving the train, please make sure that you have collected all of your belongings from the back of the train.”

Sir Renois stared out of his window at the small crowd of ponies that were gathered at the door, whilst others were taking and quickly loading their luggage onto the empty compartment at the back of the train. As he absentmindedly turned his head to look back at the ponies coming onto the train, Sir Renois made eye contact with a large green earth pony stallion that was standing close to his window. The stallion was wearing a small brown satchel that he was holding with a hoof, and he glared at Sir Renois for a few moments before finally boarding the train and sitting in the seat behind Sir Renois.

Sir Renois looked at the stallion for a few seconds, before shaking his head and opening his newspaper to continue reading it just as the train began to set off again.

Sir Renois finished reading the newspaper and put it back down on the table, when out of the corner of his eye he stopped the green stallion trying (and failing) to look at him without being caught.

What is his problem?

Sir Renois looked straight at the green stallion, who quickly turned his head to look out of his window.

“Excuse me, do you know how long it’ll be before we reach Appleloosa?” asked Sir Renois politely.

“Don’t know. Ask somepony else….Sir Renois,” grunted the green stallion, clearly recognising who Sir Renois was.

Sir Renois simply shrugged and turned to look out of the window again. The green stallion put his satchel on the table and took out a crumpled sheet of paper and laid it out on the table in front of him, lowering his head to carefully read to read the paper’s contents.

Sir Renois felt his curiosity get the better of him and he slowly got out of his seat and went to the toilet, which was in a small cubicle at the end of the carriage. When he came out a few minutes later, he made sure that he was walking slowly back to his seat and he paused briefly to peek over the green stallion’s head to try and make out what was written on the paper in front of him. Luckily for Sir Renois, the green stallion was too engrossed in reading the paper to notice the elderly stallion standing behind him. The paper was covered in messy handwriting but Sir Renois was able to make out three names: Autumn Forest, Flim and Flam. just before he started walking back to his seat, Sir Renois also caught a glimpse of three words written in bold at the top of the page; Order of Roots.

What is ‘Order of Roots’?

Autumn Forest…..he’s the stallion in charge of all of the workers at Flim and Flam’s factory.

But why are their names on the paper?

What in Equestria happened to them?

Does that stallion know what happened to him?

Sir Renois walked back to his seat and sat down, and he was now beginning to fear the worst for his sons. The hours seemed to fly by and before he knew it, the train was pulling into Appleloosa station. Sir Renois slowly got up out of his seat and followed the other ponies and left the train through the small door at the end of the carriage, and he stood still in the middle of the crowd.

Now what?

Sir Renois heard a nearby commotion and turned his head to see the green stallion barging through the crowd, blatantly ignoring the angry shouts and cries of pain from the ponies he was passing as he hurried off the platform.

Acting on impulse, Sir Renois decided to follow him and he walked as quickly as he could after the stallion, quickly weaving through the crowd of ponies boarding the train before reaching the luggage area. Since he had not brought any luggage with him, Sir Renois walked past it and reached the train station exit, where he saw a glimpse of the green stallion’s shaven mane

“I hope you enjoy your stay in Appleloosa!” called out a worker who was standing near the exit, but Sir Renois ignored her and pushed the large glass door that led him to the outside of the station.

Appleloosa was an almost exclusively earth pony town, and the several hostile stares he was receiving from earth ponies as he followed the green stallion confirmed this to Sir Renois. There were several small buildings that were dotted across the street and most of them were in serious need of reconstruction. Sir Renois spotted a large crowd of ponies standing outside a small building labelled ‘Job Centre’ , and it reminded Sir Renois of the devastating effects both the factory explosion and the economic crisis were having on the small town. Sir Renois looked up to see the green stallion enter a pub that was nearly twenty metres ahead and Sir Renois slowed down to avoid suspicion before opening the door to the pub.

The silence that descended onto the pub was rather intimidating for Sir Renois, and all eyes were on him as he slowly made his way to the front of the bar. A lone mare who was sitting at the back of the bar watched Sir Renois with curious eyes.

“Uhhh… can you get me one whisky and chaser please?”

The male bartender stared at Sir Renois for a few seconds before ducking underneath the table to prepare Sir Renois’ drink.

“Here,” said the bartender, roughly pushing Sir Renois’ drink across the table to him.

“Thank you,” muttered Sir Renois, before using his magic to take the drink off the table. Sir Renois turned around and looked for an empty table he could sit at. He spotted a vacant table at the far end of the pub next to a small window and he quickly walked to the table. Whilst there were several conversations taking place all over the bar, Sir Renois could still feel hostile stares his way as he walked over and sat down at an empty table.

“So, what brings you to our fine town?” called out one of the stallions that was sitting on a table near Sir Renois, and the bar fell silent once again as the ponies waited for Sir Renois’ answer.

Sir Renois ignored him and tried to finish his drink as quickly as he could.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!”

Sir Renois moved the glass away from his mouth and looked at the stallion that had spoken to him.

“Sorry, I never heard you. I’ve heard lots of good things about this town and I wanted to have a pleasant stay in Appleloosa for a few days.”

“Here? In Appleloosa? Aren’t we too low for your high unicorn standards?”

Sir Renois simply shrugged and finished off the rest of his drink, before returning the empty glass to the front of the bar.

“That’ll be thirteen bits.”

In the silence that followed, Sir Renois quickly remembered that in his rush to get to Appleloosa to find his sons, he had forgotten to take extra bits with him apart from paying for the train ticket, and it didn’t take long for the bartender to catch on.

“So you thought that you could just waltz in here and get a drink for free?!” proclaimed the bartender. Sir Renois stood silently, and he had no idea how he was going to get out of this situation.

A few ponies that were sitting near the front stood up and surrounded Sir Renois, (including the green stallion that he was following) which meant that there was no way out for the elderly stallion.

“We don’t take too kindly to thieves in these ends,” snarled the green stallion, shoving Sir Renois backwards.

“I’ll pay for him.”

Everypony turned to look at the mare sitting at the back of the bar that had just spoken. She got up from her seat and took out a few coins from her satchel.

“Are you really that desperate that you'll go for anypony now Stardust?” snorted the green stallion. The mare ignored him and stood in front of the ponies that were blocking the front of the bar, who moved out of her way and the mare placed the money on the table before leaving the bar.

Sir Renois quickly rushed out of the bar to thank the mare but when he stepped outside, he couldn’t see her. Suddenly he felt his mane being pulled back and the stallion was dragged into an empty alleyway that was a few metres away from the pub.

“Sorry about that. I had to get you in here quickly before anypony saw you,” whispered the mare. She led the stunned Sir Renois towards a black door that was at the end of the alleyway.

“What are you-”

“Shush!”

The mare held a hoof to Sir Renois’ lips and she dragged him through the black door. The door led the two ponies into an open space, which the mare told Sir Renois used to be a storage room for alcohol for some of the pubs in Appleloosa.

“Why did you bring me here?” asked Sir Renois, suddenly stopping.

“Because, you're the only pony that can stop all of this madness,” whispered Stardust.

Stardust’s story started nearly eight months back, two months before Flim and Flam had set up their apple cider factory.

“The first time I realised that there was something weird going on in Appleloosa was when Mayor Cherry Pie was elected. The candidate that went up against her was a pegasus named Sky Walker. I actually thought that he was going to win the election and quite a few ponies I know told me that they were going to vote for him. But somehow, someway, Cherry Pie managed to win. Of course, when the result came out, there was uproar amongst the ponies in Appleloosa, it was obvious that Cherry Pie had somehow managed to mess with the votes and-”

“Sorry, but is there a point to this story?” interrupted Sir Renois.

“If you let me speak, then yeah, sure, I’ll get to the good part,” retorted Stardust before continuing her story.

“Sky Walker eventually announced that he was going to appeal against the election result and take this case before the noble council and the princesses. Even though it was obvious that Cherry Jubilee had cheated, she still went about setting up her council, and one of the ponies on that council was Autumn Forest.”

“He’s the-”

“Yes, he’s the pony in charge of all of those workers at Flim and Flam’s factory. I still don’t know why he worked at the factory whilst being on the council. Anyway, once my mom sent me to the council building, I can’t remember why she sent me there but what I do remember is when I went past one of the rooms, the door was slightly open and I caught a glimpse of Sky Walker gagged and tied to a chair with lots of rope. I thought I heard somepony coming out of the room so I quickly ran and left the building. The next week, Sky Walker was found dead on the train tracks at Appleloosa Station, having been apparently run over. Most ponies thought that he couldn't handle the election loss and that he took the easy way out.”

“Okay, So Autumn Forest and the Mayor were probably behind Sky Walker’s death,” concluded Sir Renois.

“Yes, but that’s only the beginning. Nearly six weeks later, just before your sons came to this town, one of my friends decided to join a group led by Autumn Forest that claimed to improve ponies’ self-esteem. Autumn Forest had originally started the group three years ago but it disbanded for unknown reasons. When he brought it back, he said that because of the job crisis Appleloosa is facing, he wanted to improve ponies’ work skills. When Flim and Flam finally came to Appleloosa to build their factories, you should’ve seen it. When the factory was built, Flim and Flam made a huge speech about how they were going to change our lives for the better, and in the first month or so, everything was fine. But then they started to increase working hours, they docked pay, and in general just began to mistreat everypony working there. The meetings for Autumn Forest’s Group became more frequent and after my friend started going to a few of the meetings... she changed.”

“What do you mean she changed?”

“She started talking about how unfair life was for earth ponies, that we were the first to live on Equestria and that it was cruel that we were now the lowest tribe. She also began to constantly insult the princesses and claim that they weren’t fit to rule Equestria.”

“Is the group by any chance called ‘Order of Roots’?” enquired Sir Renois, remembering the name he’d seen on the green stallion’s paper on the train hours ago

“I think so….There was definitely ‘order’ in the group name,” replied Stardust.

“So there could be a conspiracy involving Autumn Forest’s group and the princesses?”

“Exactly. There’s….also another thing.”

Stardust’s voice had become a lot quieter and she struggled to look Sir Renois in the eyes.

“What? What is it?”

“The day of the factory explosion, my friend who was in Autumn Forest’s group who also worked at Super Cider Squeezy…...she said that all of the ponies working there started the explosion and that Autumn Forest ….dealt with Flim and Flam. And when I asked her what she meant by that, she just said that they wouldn’t be a problem to any earth ponies in Appleloosa anymore. I’m so sorry.”

Sir Renois was silent. He could feel the blood roaring in his ears and his surroundings began to spin. He tried to stand up but he staggered on the spot and he began to lose his balance, before dropping to the floor like like a stone.

Sir Renois, are you okay? Can you hear me?

Sir!

Beep, beep, beep.

He should be waking up very soon.

Beeeeeeeep.

Yep, he’s waking up.

Sir Renois coughed and slowly opened his eyes to find himself in an impossibly small hospital room, with two doctors standing over him, with one of them holding a pile of paper in his hooves.

“Nice to see that you’re awake, Sir Renois.”

“What….happened to me?” groaned the elderly stallion.

“A mare found you unconscious in an alleyway a few hours ago and she brought you in. You’ve been asleep for nearly four hours. It's nearly five o’clock,” announced the first doctor, looking at the clock above Sir Renois’ bed.

The events of the last few hours came rushing back into Sir Renois’ mind and he tried his best to swallow down the urge to vomit.

“How long will I be here?” he asked.

“We’re just waiting for your blood test results to come back, and if they come back fine, you’ll be free to go,” said the first doctor.

The two doctors left the room and closed the door behind them, leaving Sir Renois alone in his room, who allowed a few tears to fall from his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut to try and stop the flow of tears, but they continued to fall, and Sir Renois felt the last of his resolve break away, and he quietly sobbed into his duvet.

How am I going to tell their mother?

“Mr Fo-Forest, the patient never said that he’s expecting any visitors! So please-”

“And I’M telling you that I need to speak to him now, so move out of my way.”

Sir Renois lifted his head up from the duvet when he heard the raised voices from outside his room and he quickly rubbed his eyes with his hooves.

“Sir Renois, Mr Autumn Forest is here to see you,” said one of the doctors as he opened the door for the visitor.

As Autumn Forest squeezed past the doctor and entered the room to stand in front of Sir Renois’ bed, the elderly stallion had to try his hardest to resist his urge to jump up off his bed and throttle the stallion behind his sons’ death.

“Sir Renois Aries, it's a pleasure to see you in our fair town. If only it was under better circumstances,” said Autumn Forest with a sympathetic smile.

“The pleasure’s….all mine Mr Autumn,” replied Sir Renois with a forced smile.

“Could we have some privacy please, doctors?” asked Autumn Forest, and the doctors obeyed, not wanting to infuriate him.

Once he heard the door close behind them, Autumn Forest grabbed a chair that was next to the door and he pulled it next to Sir Renois, before sitting next to it.

“What happened to you, Sir Renois?

“I fainted. I think it's because of all of the alcohol that I had in one of the pubs,” replied the elderly stallion.

“Alright then, that’s a relief.”

There was a few moments of silence then, and Sir Renois forced himself to confront the stallion over what had happened.

“How has the search for Flim and Flam been doing?” Sir Renois asked, looking straight into Autumn Forest’s pale blue eyes.

“We….haven’t made any progress in the search unfortunately, but it is still early days, and we are all still very confident that your sons will be found soon.”

As Autumn Forest gave a sympathetic smile, Sir Renois looked deep into his pale blue eyes, and with a heavy heart, knew that he had been right in guessing that Autumn Forest had killed Flim and Flam. Having confirmed this to himself, Sir Renois decided to find out whether what Stardust had told him was true.

“Is that the reason why you came to Appleloosa?” enquired Autumn Forest.

“Yes, but there was also another reason. Princess Celestia herself sent me to Appleloosa in order to check whether the reports about Appleloosa were true.”

“What reports?” asked Autumn Forest, a frown beginning to appear on his face.

“That there is a dangerous group, who I think they're called the ‘Roots’, that have rather revolutionary beliefs, who in the near future, could pose a risk to Equestria.”

Sir Renois watched as Autumn Forest’s face went through a range of emotions, from shock to anger, before settling back into the stallion’s usual smirk.

“I haven’t heard anything about a group of these sorts, but if I do, I can assure you that they will be dealt with.”

Autumn Forest shook Sir Renois’ hoof and moved the chair back to where he had found it before leaving the room. Sir Renois stared at the door for a few seconds, before sitting up to press the button next to his bed to call a doctor to ask when he could leave.

“Just one more question,” said Autumn Forest, sticking his head through the door, “who told you about this group?”

Sir Renois thought carefully for a few seconds before deciding on his answer.

“A complaint was made to the noble council two days ago by a few ponies who were visiting Canterlot from Appleloosa, Mr Forest.”

“Thank you. That will be all.”

Autumn Forest closed the door again, leaving Sir Renois alone once again. The elderly stallion pressed the button next to his bed, before suddenly deciding against it and throwing the duvet off himself before getting up. He quietly opened the door and stuck his head out to see if anypony would see him leave. When he didn’t see anypony, Sir Renois slid past the door and slowly closed it behind him, before walking to the end of the corridor and turning right, when he spotted the hospital exit. Sir Renois looked quickly at the receptionist, who was busy talking to one of the nurses, before quickly walking out of the hospital.

Sir Renois walked across the pavement as quickly as he could, trying to reach the train station so that he could return to Canterlot as quickly as he could. He suddenly remembered that he did not have any money to pay for a train ticket and luckily for him, he saw a bank coming up a few metres ahead of him. He pushed the door open and walked straight up to the desk and banged on the glass window the accountant was behind.

“Hey! Don't bang on the glass or I won't help you!” retorted the accountant. “What do you want?”

“I need to withdraw money from my account,” said Sir Renois.

“Okay then, let me get my record book out,” said the mare before ducking down underneath her desk to get the book. When she came back up a minute later, she opened the book and quickly dropped it down onto the table, before ducking down again to find her quill. Sir Renois peered over to look at the book and saw that there was a unicorn called ‘Ice Star’ in the record books.

“Right, what’s your name?” asked the mare, holding the quill on the page.

“Ice Star,” replied Sir Renois confidently. The accountant stared suspiciously at him for a few seconds, before tickets no the corresponding name in the book.

“You currently have four thousand bits in your account, and you can withdraw up to two thousand bits.”

“Okay then. I’d like to take out thirty bits please,” said Sir Renois, looking at the clock that was up on the wall behind him.

The mare pressed a few buttons to open the till in front of her and she took out the money for Sir Renois and gave it to him through the small hole in the glass window.

Sir Renois thanked the mare and left the bank quickly. In his hurry to reach the train station, Sir Renois wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into a mare walking opposite him.

“Hey, watch where you're- Sir Renois!”

Sir Renois looked up at the mare he had bumped into.

“I'm from the local newspaper, are you free to answer-”

Sir Renois shook his head and moved past the mare to continue making his way to the station.

After nearly ten minutes of power walking, Sir Renois looked up to see a crowd of ponies travelling the same way as him. The elderly stallion saw a sign that read ‘Appleloosa Station’ and he continued walking forward, passing through the large glass doors to enter the station. He saw that one of the tables was free and he was about to make his way to the table when he saw none other than Autumn Forest with nearly fifty other ponies making their way to the table. Sir Renois got in a line behind the ponies but it did not stop Autumn Forest from spotting the elderly stallion.

“Sir Renois! Who knew that we would cross paths again!” he exclaimed, but the ponies that were with him glared at him and Sir Renois even heard one of the ponies growl at him.

“Mr Forest, a pleasure to see you once again,” said Sir Renois, sticking his head out to see how long the queue would be.

Autumn Forest smiled and turned back around since he had reached the front of the queue. The mare working behind the desk greeted Autumn warmly, and Sir Renois watched as Autumn Forest paid for all of the other ponies that he was with.

Nearly five minutes later, Sir Renois reached the front of the queue and paid for his ticket to take the train back to Canterlot. He took his ticket and walked on to the platform, and he sat down on a bench that was near to where Autumn Forest and his group were standing.

“When we get off at Ponyville, I am going to tell Marzana, Ambrose and the others to catch the next train to Canterlot. Your job is to collect the rest of the members. Understood?”

“Yes sir!”

The train emerged and stopped at the station, and ponies that worked at the station moved to stand in front of each door as the driver pressed the button to open all of the doors.

The ponies on the platform surged forward to give their tickets and enter the train and Sir Renois ended up in a different carriage to Autumn Forest and the other ponies. Sir Renois sat down in a seat and watched the other ponies climb aboard, many of them clearly travelling to Canterlot for tomorrow’s Equestria Day celebrations.

As he watched the ponies, many of whom were travelling with their family, Sir Renois was reminded of the fact that he no longer had any children, and he tried his hardest to stop tears from falling.

The train doors were shut by the working ponies and a loud whistle was heard before the train set off, taking Sir Renois back to Canterlot.

The train’s wheels screeched against the tracks as the driver pulled the brakes, and the train grinder to a halt.

Autumn Forest immediately pushed through the ponies that were leaving the train and emerged onto the platform with his group.

Autumn nodded at them once before leaving the platform and passing through the gates to leave Ponyville Station. He walked through the streets, which were packed with ponies making last-minute preparations for the street party that they were going to have tomorrow. Autumn Forest saw a lone mare walking towards a market stall and he quickly approached her.

“Excuse me? Could you tell me where Sweet Apple Acres is?”

“Sure, just go down this road for ten minutes, and take a right. It's easy to find , it’s a really big farm,” replied the mare. Autumn Forest thanked the mare and made his way to his destination to find the agents he had picked for Phase One.

“MARZANA! IT'S REALLY DARK NOW! YOU AND AMBROSE NEED TO COME BACK INSIDE!”

“COMING MOTHER!”

As the sun continued its descent from the sky, Marzana Crumble bucked the last apple off the tree he was at and he picked up the bucket with his mouth and walked back to the barn. His wife Ambrose Orange came out of the barn holding an empty bucket.

“Tell Granny Smith that I’ll just get one more bucket so that there’s enough cider for tomorrow, okay?” said Ambrose as she walked back out to get more apples.

“Okay.”

Ambrose continued walking through the trees, holding the empty bucket in her mouth before settling on one of the larger trees. She placed the bucket down and turned her back to the tree before raising her hind legs.

As Autumn Forest emerged from behind some of the trees, he watched as Ambrose raised her hind legs in the air and bucked the apple tree. Most of the apples fell off the tree and into the bucket, but there were still some apples left on the tree. Ambrose sighed and raised her hind legs again and Autumn Forest began to feel a stirring in his loins as he watched Ambrose use her we'll-toned legs to successfully buck the tree, before approaching her.

“Ambrose Orange.”

“Ah!”

Ambrose jumped in shock and knocked over the bucket of apples next to her. The two ponies stood opposite each other silently before Autumn spoke.

“Tell Marzana Crumble that you are to both travel to Canterlot tonight and stay near the palace for the night,” the stallion commanded.

“But why- I mean yes, sir, as you command.”

The two ponies fell silent again and Autumn stared at Ambrose, the bulge between his legs beginning to get larger and more visible as he stepped forward.

“As your leader, you are always supposed to follow my orders, is that correct?”

“Of...course sir,” replied a confused Ambrose, before memories of what had happened between them in Appleloosa nearly a week ago flooded through her mind, and a deep blush appeared on her cheeks.

Autumn gently stroked Ambrose’s face before leaning in to kiss her. Ambrose immediately pushed her tongue inside his mouth to pleasure Autumn and the two remained locked in position for a few minutes before Autumn broke off the kiss.

“Turn around.”

“Wha-”

“Turn around and lift up your tail.”

Ambrose nervously obeyed and turned around and lifted her tail. Autumn pushed her to the ground and straddled the mare, before roughly pushing his member in and out of Ambrose, prompting her to moan loudly against her will.

“I can do things to you that Marzana can only dream of,” hissed Autumn Forest as he pumped away. Ambrose pressed her lips together but not before another, even louder moan escaped from her lips.

In the living room of the Apple family home, Marzana and Ambrose’s children were wondering why their mother was taking so long.

“Why’s Ma taking so long?! I want her to try mah apple pie!” whined Applejack as Marzana finished serving his eldest daughter with her portion of the apple pie. Her grandmother made a shushing sound and pointed at the sleeping Apple Bloom in the small cot.

“I’ll just go out and get her, knowing her she probably decided to get even more apples,” chuckled Marzana as he left the house through the back door that was at the back of the kitchen.

Now, which of the trees would she have gone to?

Autumn clambered off of Ambrose and he felt his erection deflate. Ambrose lay on the floor for a few moments, breathing heavily as sweat poured down her face. Autumn Forest held out a hoof and helped Ambrose up.

“You must leave immediately with Marzana. Say your goodbyes to your family. You won’t be seeing them for a while. I’ll be waiting with the others at the station.”

Ambrose dusted herself off and nodded before picking up the bucket of apples with her mouth and walking away from Autumn, who turned around and began to make his way back to Ponyville Station.

“Ambrose! Where are you? It’s been ages!”

Marzana was about to yell his wife’s name again when she suddenly emerged.

“There you are! I’ve been calling your name for ages!” the stallion exclaimed, before taking the bucket from Ambrose.

“We need to leave Ponyville. Now.”

“What? But I thought that-”

“Autumn Forest just came to see me. He ordered us,” replied Ambrose.

“What, now?”

“Yes, come on, we need to go now.”

Ambrose galloped back to the barn as quickly as she could, with Marzana following behind her. She placed the full bucket of apples near the barn door, and Marzana closed the door for her before the couple made their way back to their house and burst through the backdoor to the kitchen, frightening the rest of the Apple family.

“Mother, we have to go to Canterlot, now,” announced Marzana.

“And for what reason, hmm?” asked Granny Smith, and Marzana remained quiet and tried his best not to shy away from his mother’s penetrating stare.

“My brother has been taken ill in Canterlot and he’s been taken to Canterlot Hospital, Granny Smith,” said Ambrose speaking for her husband as she came into the kitchen holding two satchels around her neck, and she gave one of them to her husband, who quickly left the kitchen through the back door.

“Oh my goodness! Okay then, but when are you going to be back?”

“Soon, it depends how badly he’s been hurt,” replied Ambrose, before hugging and placing a quick kiss on Applejack’s head and doing the same to Apple Bloom.

“Where’s Big Mac, Granny Smith?”

“He’s at his friend’s house remember?”

“Okay then, when he comes back, tell him why we’ve gone.”

Ambrose finally hugged her mother-in-law tightly before leaving through the backdoor to find her husband.

“Marzana, where are you?”

“I'm here.”

Ambrose followed his voice until she found him at the back of the barn, quietly standing over a memorial. There was a small piece of paper on top of the flowers that read ‘Apfel Pie. Your kindness to others will never be forgotten. Rest in peace.’

“Don't worry, Father, I'm gonna make you proud. I’m gonna kill all of those demons like you want me to. I’ll get revenge for you.”

Ambrose walked up to her husband and gently rested her head on his neck, and Marzana returned the gesture.

“We’ll get them, Marzana. We'll get all of them tomorrow.”

“Please make sure that you take all of your belongings with you before leaving the station. We hope you enjoy your stay in Canterlot and happy Equestria Day!”

As soon as the train doors were opened, Sir Renois wasted no time and he quickly made his way off the train and through the doors to exit Canterlot Station. Outside the station, there were several carriages available for ponies and Sir Renois quickly clambered into one, paying the required fee and ordering the carriage driver to take him to Canterlot Palace. As they were making their way to the palace, Sir Renois looked out of the window to see several ponies hanging up decorations outside of their houses, whilst others crowded in nearby shops, no doubt making last-minute shops for tomorrow.

Fifteen minutes later, the carriage driver arrived and Sir Renois almost jumped out of the carriage, before slowing his pace and walking up to the palace entrance. Sir Renois noticed that there were a lot more guards surrounding the palace than usual, and they all appeared to be on edge.

“Halt! What brings you here?” demanded the guard, stepping forward to block Sir Renois.

“I need to speak to the princesses. Now.”

“You can't see them. They're making the last preparations for Equestria Day. Next time, write a letter.”

After the traumatic day he’d had, Sir Renois was not in the mood to be bossed around by a couple of guards. He stepped forward so that he was face-to-face with one of the guards.

“You listen to me. I have every reason to believe that we are all in danger tomorrow, and you’re stopping me from telling the princesses what that issue is? Now, I am going to give you one more chance to step aside and let me pass, or I will use my power as a noble to ruin your career.”

The guard stared defiantly at Sir Renois before muttering obscenities under his breath and moving aside to open the palace door for Sir Renois.

Sir Renois quickly walked through and made his way up the main stairs before accidently bumping into Sir Capricornus.

“Sir Renois! What brings you to the palace at this hour? I’m just here to collect my granddaughter,” asked Sir Capricornus, looking curiously at Sir Renois. Sir Renois was surprised that Sir Capricornus was even speaking to him since the two rarely spoke to each other despite representing their houses on the noble council, and Sir Renois could not remember the last time he had spoken to him.

“I need to speak to Princess Celestia and Luna right now,” said Sir Renois, shaking the other stallion’s hoof before quickly continuing down the corridor to the sister’s conference room, which was at the end of the corridor. Luckily for him, the younger royal sister came out of the conference room, having just taken care of the sunset, carrying a cup of tea with her magic.

“Sir Renois. What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I need to speak to you and your sister, Your Highness. Right now.”

“Unfortunately, my sister has come down with a nasty flu, so I am very busy right now. Perhaps you can come back this time tomorrow, sir.”

Luna stepped past Sir Renois and made her way down the corridor, but Sir Renois quickly followed after her.

“Your Highness, please, just listen to me! There’s a big-”

“Sir Renois! Do not make me repeat myself. If you would like to speak to me and my sister, come to the palace tomorrow!”

Princess Luna looked silently at Sir Renois, and he knew that she wasn't going to listen to him, no matter what he said or did. Sir Renois silently hoped that Stardust was wrong about the Order of Roots, and he bowed his head at Princess Luna before walking away down the corridor.

“Of course, Princess.”

Once Sir Renois had disappeared down the corridor, Princess Luna teleported to Princess Celestia’s room and gently knocked on the door with her hoof.

“Come in, the door isn't locked,” Celestia answered weakly.

Luna opened the door to find her sister yawning loudly as she tried to get out of bed.

“Sister, you should rest. I'm sure that a cup of your favourite tea will make your recovery a lot quicker.”

“No, no, I've had enough rest. Now it's time to get back to work, I can’t waste any more time.”

Luna knew that when Celestia wanted to do something, there was nopony that would be able to stop her, and she simply gave the cup of tea to her elder sister.

“Of course. What about... Sir Capricornus?”

Celestia was drinking her tea and she almost choked when she heard the name, and she nervously cleared her throat before speaking.

“Did you…”

“Yes, his injuries are healed and I’ve wiped his memory. He won't remember what happened.”

“Good.”

Celestia stepped past her sister to leave her room.

“Celestia, we need to talk about this,” called out Luna, but Celestia ignored her and continued walking down the hallway, drinking her tea. Feeling frustrated, Luna teleported so that she was standing in front of her elder sister.

“Do you not feel any guilt for what you did? Did you enjoy beating Sir Capricornus to within an inch of his life?” hissed Luna, slightly looking up at her sister.

“You don't think I regret what I did?! You think I’m a monster?! If I could go back to yesterday, then I would have released Sir Capricornus straightaway!”

Celestia’s voice became very loud and an earth pony butler carrying a silver tray at the opposite end of the corridor was looking at them curiously.

“Is everything alright, Princess?”

“Yes, everything’s fine,” replied Luna with a forced smile before she whispered to her sister that they should talk somewhere private. Once the princesses had disappeared, the butler dropped the tray and quickly galloped across the corridor to Celestia’s room. He pushed the door and was frustrated to find that it was locked, before remembering that he had already taken the key yesterday and that he had put it in his top pocket. The butler turned around and went down the two flights of stairs, before descending another set of stairs to quickly leave the palace, telling the guards that there was a family emergency.

Once he was sure that he was out of sight, the butler took off his uniform, making sure that he took out the hey from his top pocket, and galloped again to the back of the palace, where he was relieved to find that there were no guards standing there. The butler held up the key and unlocked the door, before closing it quietly, and this would allow Autumn Forest to gain access to the palace tomorrow.

As the train began to set off, Autumn Forest remained standing in the carriage, and he quietly watched the other members of the Order of Roots from Ponyville and Appleloosa. He had made sure that the members were in carriages that were next to each other, and he silently watched his comrades. Most were sitting quietly in their seats whilst a few were having hushed conversations amongst themselves. The one thing that all of the ponies in the carriage shared was that there was no laughter or smiles; the prospect of unleashing their plan on Equestria had obviously destroyed any chance of laughter the night before Equestria Day.

Autumn thought he could hear strange noises coming from the toilet at the end of the carriage and he walked up to it, opening the unlocked door to find Ambrose and Marzana in a compromising position.

“Do you really think that’s appropriate the night before Phase One?!”

Autumn directed his question at Ambrose, and seeing her with her husband made Autumn feel unusually angry, and he struggled to keep his feelings hidden.

“Save your…..celebrations for after we dispose of the tyrants,” finished Autumn, before walking away from the couple. Ambrose and Marzana came out of the toilet a few seconds later, and they sheepishly walked back to their seats behind Autumn Forest, with everypony watching them.

Autumn Forest watched the couple quietly speak to each other, and he felt a strange sense of possessiveness over Ambrose that he had never felt before.

I can’t get distracted.

Chaos. That’s what we’re bringing, Celestia and Luna.

That night, train stations all over Equestria reported a large number of earth ponies travelling on the nighttime train to Canterlot, but they didn’t think anything of it, assuming that they were going to attend the Canterlot parade.

The usually empty streets of Canterlot were filled with earth ponies the were all part of the Order of Roots, and most ponies were making their way to hotels whilst others were staying in relatives’ houses for the night.

Autumn Forest, Ambrose, Marzana and several other ponies decided to stay in one of the cheaper hotels in Canterlot that was close to the palace.

As he entered his room, Autumn Forest placed the large satchel down on the queen-sized bed and opened the balcony door, and walked out onto the balcony, watching the stars shine brightly in the sky.

Enjoy this peace tonight, Equestria.

Tomorrow we will bring Hell into your lives.

Unus

"STOP RELAXING AND KEEP WORKING MUD PONIES!"

The male pegasus supervisor (whose name was Ice Heart) roughly pushed one of the workers to the floor and the other supervisors laughed loudly as the worker took his time standing up. When he got up, he turned to Ice Heart and raised a hoof in his direction when he was interrupted by an announcement.

"Autumn Forest, please report to the main office immediately."

"That's right dog, run away now." taunted Ice Heart. Autumn ignored him and continued walking briskly towards the flight of stairs. The owners of the factory, the Flim and Flam brothers, had arrived in Appleloosa six months before with their apple cider making machines and they immediately gained permission from the mayor to start building their factory; and they had also promised to make all of the ponies in Appleloosa richer: however their deceit became clear within the first few weeks of employment. The employees worked in unsuitable and unsafe working conditions and they received very low pay. The only reason many ponies stayed on was because there were very few jobs available in Appleloosa since it was a small town coupled with few jobs available and a growing population. Autumn quickly snapped out of his thoughts as he arrived at the main office and he knocked on the door twice.

"You may enter."

Autumn Forest walked into the office to find the unicorn twins sitting at their separate desks. Both wore huge smiles on their faces and Flim stood up quickly.

"Autumn, our favourite employee, why don't you have a seat?"

"Where?" asked Autumn with a slight frown on his face.

"Why, on the floor of course, it’s where your kind belongs after all." replied Flim, struggling to keep a straight face. Autumn glared intently at Flim.

"Now, Flim, be nice. We called Autumn for a reason." admonished Flam. Flim sniggered quietly but obeyed his brother and sat back down at his desk. Flam stroked his moustache gently and walked from his desk to stand in front of Autumn.

"Autumn, we're concerned about your recent lack of effort. Your poor output has obviously influenced your fellow colleagues and we are beginning to see a drop in everypony's output percentage and the company's standings on the market. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Autumn thought for a few moments. "You both are very respectable business ponies who have fought their way to the top in the beverage industry and have never looked back since. I am honoured to be a member of the Super Cider Squeezy family and I would never want to do anything that would harm your company's position."

"We know. But we cannot overlook the facts. For the last few weeks, your output has dropped from 70% to 45%, a decrease of 25%, and not far behind is nearly everypony else; and this is a decrease we haven't seen from any of our employees from all of our branches for fourteen months now. I know that there is a reason behind this and as fair owners, we are willing to hear your explanation, Autumn." said Flam with a small frown.

"Fair owners, is that what you really call yourselves?! We work in awful conditions, you barely pay us an actual wage that we can live off and your supervisor constantly abuses us. IS IT ANY SURPRISE THAT THERE IS A LACK OF EFFORT?!" argued Autumn, losing his temper for a brief moment.

"You mud ponies are all the same, trying to climb in society when you know that your place is AT THE BOTTOM!" yelled Flim. His face had gone red by this point and he strode forward aggressively. "You think you're so special because your kind used to rule Equestria but you're not. Not anymore. You are to return to work immediately and you will hand in your badge at the end of the day, never to work here again. DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Your horns are an impeccable creation and an essential part of your biology, perhaps the most important part, Flim and Flam, it would be a shame if they were to be... taken away from you." replied Autumn with a small smile.

"IS THAT A THREAT MUD PONY?!"

"Of course not, I would never want to inflict harm upon my fantastic employers. Like I said, I'm honoured to be a member of the Super Cider Squeezy family."

Autumn strolled out of the office confidently and went down the stairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he whistled loudly and what followed next was described in the following day's local papers as an 'devastating destruction of Super Cider Squeezy Factory'. The factory workers abandoned what they were doing and released their six month long pent up fury and frustration. They destroyed the various machines that were in the factory, managing to sett some of them alight. The majority of the supervisors that were stationed throughout the factory froze in panic and some made desperate attempts to escape the wrath of the infuriated earth pony workers; but unfortunately they were too slow. Ice Heart, the supervisor that had tormented the workers for so long now found himself on the floor surrounded by the kicks of workers and he soon lost consciousness. Other supervisors found themselves suffering the same fate as Ice Heart. Autumn and twenty or so other workers charged up the stairs and stormed into Flim and Flam's office. The brothers stood up quickly upon seeing the furious faces of the large group of workers and they had only a brief moment to charge up their horns in preparation to defend themselves before they were charged and quickly overwhelmed by the large group. Autumn ordered the ponies to take the unicorns away and they obliged immediately. Autumn calmly walked back down the stairs and quietly observed the carnage before him. Smoke was pouring out of all of the machines and a few were burning ferociously. Supervisors strewn across the floor either unconscious or (in some cases), dead. Autumn moved from the doorway to allow a group of workers that were carrying Ice Heart to pass through. Autumn exited the building with the rest of the workers, where he found that the rest of the employees were already waiting for their leader. They cheered raucously and Autumn Forest found himself being mobbed by his fellow workers and it took him a while to reach the middle of the crowd. He turned and waited for the audience to all down before speaking.

"Comrades, this is only the beginning. We meet tomorrow night to finish what we started; the beginning of the end of our oppression! Spread the word to our members outside of Appleloosa and we'll meet at the barn."

As the workers rushed to their homes, Autumn allowed himself a moment of peace and quiet. He felt the adrenaline fade away and he closed his eyes. No doubt there would be questions about what had happened, but he was ready to face them all. He turned his thoughts to the impending arrival of the agents he had chosen to complete Phase One of his group's revolution. One of them in particular made him feel a peculiar way; a way he hadn’t felt in years but he pushed this thought to the back of his mind and focused on what was to come.

Power

Destruction

Accomplishment

Terram et praeessent

We will rule
________________________________________
It was early the next morning when the media arrived. Representatives from all of the Equestrian newspapers had flocked to Appleloosa to report on the carnage of the cider factory. Autumn had already prepared his coworkers on what to say and when the reporters noticed the group standing outside the smoking factory, they rushed forward towards them with their cameras flashing.

"Sir, what exactly did you do here?"

"Could you tell us why you did this?"

"Where are Flim and Flam? We would like to ask them some questions regarding the incident here yesterday."

"All of your questions will be answered in due time,” answered Cherry Pie, the mayor of Appleloosa, who had just arrived onto the scene. She beckoned to Autumn and the other workers to step forward and answer the media's questions. Autumn looked at the reporters briefly before beginning his carefully-rehearsed speech.

"Yesterday was a normal working day that went wrong. The reason for what has happened behind us is Flim and Flam. A machine in the factory had stopped working and the twins decided to fix it themselves. The result of that is what you see behind you. Several workers were injured due to their irresponsible actions and we are all out of work now. As for where the owners are, they fled from the factory and haven't been seen since. We won't be answering any more questions. Thank you."

There was an explosion of camera flashes as Autumn and the group walked away, and reporters continued to hassle Autumn with more questions. But the group formed a protective ring around Autumn and they made it clear that Autumn wasn't going to answer any more questions.

"How are the prisoners, Apple Strudel?" whispered Autumn.

"Bruised, battered and broken."

"Good. I'd like to pay them a visit."

"Greetings gentlecolts, I would shake your hooves but...."

Autumn had been escorted to the underground bunker and he was currently with Flim, Flam and Ice Heart. Upon their arrival to the bunker, the prisoners had been handcuffed and thrown into a cramped cell.

"How long are we going be here, mud bastard?" snarled Ice Heart, who was attempting to free himself from his shackles.

Autumn responded by whistling sharply; signalling two guards to enter (and one was carrying an unlit candle). The first held Ice Heart down while the other lit the candle and placed it against his wings. Ice Heart screamed and moved around frantically, trying to avoid the flames but the guards easily overpowered him. The flames began at the tip of Ice Heart's wings but they quickly spread and engulfed his wings. Flim and Flam gasped and tried desperately to move away from Ice Heart. Autumn whistled and the guards let go of Ice Heart and saluted Autumn Forest before exiting the cell. Ice Heart moaned and desperately tried to roll around on the floor to extinguish the flames and it took a while but the flames were eventually reduced to mere smoulders.

"YOU MONSTER! HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?!" screamed Ice Heart with tears in his eyes.

"Very well, knowing that scum like you will not hamper with the plans I have for this country." replied Autumn with a straight face.

"Our parents are searching for us right now and when they find us like this, you'll be sorry." declared Flim.

"Then why haven't they made a public statement regarding you two yet? A family that is worried about possible missing family members would try anything to get their loved ones back. House Aries hasn't made a single comment. Says a lot about what they really think of you."

Flim was about to make a retort but stopped himself when he remembered what had happened to Ice Heart. Unfortunately Flam didn't do the same.

"YOU BASTARD! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" yelled Flam.

"That's a shame; I was trying to stop myself from doing this but now I have a reason to do it." replied Autumn. He got a lit candle from one of the guards and aimed for the twins' horns, relishing the screams of Flim and Flam for hours.

Once they had gotten off the train, the stallion and mare quickly exited the train station and walked through Appleloosa, which was overrun with residents going to the Super Cider Squeezy factory. The media had already gathered in a large crowd outside the factory and they bombarded the Appleloosa mayor with questions about what had happened in the factory the previous day. The couple watched the proceedings for a few moments before continuing on their journey and they reached the barn (which was to the far north of Appleloosa) fifteen minutes later.

"Destruction.''

''Enter my brother and sister; and may the earth's spirit protect you.''

The stallion and mare quickly entered the barn and quietly observed the scenes going on before them. The stallion was quite tall and had a red body. His blue irises suited his face and his cutie mark was a pile of apples that were half yellow. The mare was close to the stallion's height and she had green eyes coupled with a beige body and her cutie mark was several peeled oranges. Lots of differently sized haystacks represented seats and conversations were rife amongst the ponies. The barn's atmosphere was filled with rich laughter and the collective mood was peaceful yet excited.

''NOS RESURGEMOS!"

Everypony present immediately stood up but the couple took their time standing up, which garnered them odd looks.

''They'll soon find out why'', whispered the stallion.

''Yes, but I hope he announces it quickly, he does have a tendency to-''

A tall, broad-shouldered orange earth pony sauntered into the barn and stood quietly before his audience, staring stoically. His blue irises flitted around the room, giving each pony present a penetrating stare. The mare felt her cheeks heat up when he nodded slightly at he. He had a long scar that started on his right cheek and ended barely touching his jaw. His sharp jaw line gave his face a menacing yet handsome edge, indicating that he was not an individual to be crossed. His cutie mark was a pile of autumn leaves (which coincided with his name) and a rake next to them, in a sweeping motion.

''Order of Roots, you may be seated.'' he announced.

''As you command, Autumn Forest.'' was the reply.

Autumn Forest waited for a few moments before addressing his audience.

''Comrades, we have gathered here today in Appleloosa to put the final touches to Project Genesis. For far too long, our tribe has been shunned, abused and forgotten; we have been persecuted by those demons at the cider factory and for 3 months the crime lords and the pegasi supremacists in Las Pegasus have dictated over the earth pony community and have systematically organised their deaths. Inflation and unemployment numbers have spiralled out of control and of course, it's hit our tribe the hardest. The two princesses have turned a blind eye to these injustices and pretend to not know what is going on but we all know that they are well aware of what is happening; but look at what happens when we all work together. It started at the Super Cider Squeezy factory yesterday and it ends in Canterlot in a week's time when we take control. NOS RESURGEMOS! WE WILL RISE!"

A roar of approval rose up from the earth ponies present and each individual present had now stood up, eagerly waiting for their leader to continue speaking.

''I have already sent a letter to our colleagues in Manehatten and Detrot regarding our mission and they are primed and ready. My mole in Canterlot has also managed to successfully infiltrate the palace and is awaiting further instructions.'' Autumn Forest paused for a moment to allow the earth ponies to cheer again. He held up a hoof and they quickly fell silent and sat back down again.

''Now you all have been wondering for quite a few months now who I have selected to complete Phase 1 of Project Genesis and I can assure you, the two that I have selected are more than capable. Agents, show yourselves!''

The couple walked to the front and smiled before everypony.

"Why don't you tell everypony your names?'' said Autumn Forest, staring particularly at the mare before her companion spoke for them.

''I am Marzana Crumble of the Apple Family and this is my wife Ambrose Orange of the Orange Family.'' stated Marzana proudly.

''The Oranges?'' glared Autumn Forest. The Oranges were the second largest earth pony family in Equestria and also the richest. Most of its members lived in Manehatten and they had earned their money through the large chain of hotels and restaurants they owned in the city. They were also despised by all earth ponies for shunning their true identity and behaving in the manner of unicorns. The family called for social programs to take earth ponies out of school and place into hotel jobs in order to increase their profit and when they announced this the previous year they received several death threats and (luckily for them) attempts on their lives ultimately ended in failure.

''I can assure you sire, that I am nothing like my family.''said Ambrose, her smile faltering. Most of the members were now giving her dirty looks and some had even stood up and brandished their weapons.

''Is that so, Miss Orange? Well, luckily for you, I can think of a way you can prove yourself. What do you say comrades, should we get the prestigious Ambrose Orange to put her family's 'hard-earned' money where her mouth is?'' asked Autumn Forest.

''PROVE YOURSELF! PROVE YOURSELF! PROVE YOURSELF!''

Autumn Forest whistled and silence rang throughout the barn. He turned to one of the doors on the side and stomped his hoof. Almost immediately, two earth pony guards entered and with them were three prisoners. The ponies present couldn't help but gasp and their eyes lit up with recognition. Flim, Flam and the male Pegasus supervisor that had harassed the earth pony workers for so long were dragged into the room. Flim and Flam's horns were black and stank of burning flesh. The pegasus' blue fur was matted with dirt and blood, most of his feathers had been singed off and his wings were gone. They all hung their heads low, ignoring the jeers and boos from the earth ponies present.

''Greetings, gentlecolts. How nice of you all to join us tonight. Now my friend Ambrose here is just going to do a little favour for me but I promise you that it'll be quick.'' said Autumn Forest. He turned to Ambrose and Marzana.

''Miss Orange, cut the demons' horns and cut feather brain's head off.''

What?!'' exclaimed Ambrose and the prisoners.

''You heard me, Miss Orange. Or is such an act beneath your prestigious reputation? Now, get to cutting." snarled Autumn Forest. He roughly threw an axe onto the floor and waited for Ambrose to pick it up.
Ambrose took a deep breath and picked up the axe from the floor. She walked over to the prisoners and stood over him, giving him a blank stare.

"Please, don't do this. I don't deserve this. Please, please." whispered Ice Heart, tears brimming in his eyes.

Ambrose Orange realised in that moment that she had to obey Autumn Forest or she wouldn't leave the barn alive or see her family again. Why didn't Marzana stand up for her? He was just standing there, being a spectator. He wasn't usually like this so why didn't he step in?

Do this for your family Ambrose.

Think about all of the earth ponies that are suffering all over Equestria. This is your chance to make their lives better.

This country was ours from the beginning.

We are the superior race.

Ambrose lifted the axe high and brought it down with lightning speed, severing the head's connection from Ice Heart's body. Ambrose picked up the severed head with her hoofs and held it aloft before the earth ponies. They showed their jubilation and chanted her name. Ambrose then turned to the unicorn brothers.

"Name anything you want and we'll give it to you. Money, land, stallions." sobbed Film.

"Just let us go and we'll make you rich beyond your wildest dreams." agreed Flam with a quick nod, tears running down his cheeks. But Ambrose had gone beyond the point of negotiation.

"Your kind disgusts me." replied Ambrose with a twisted glare. She quickly sliced through the horns of the twin unicorns and let the blood that sprayed out land onto her hooves and face. A brief flash of light could be seen from the brothers' heads and they both immediately collapsed, remaining still.

"I didn't think you had it in you, Miss Orange." remarked Autumn, partly surprised she'd even managed to complete the task. He felt himself hardening as he spoke to Ambrose; for a reason he didn't know, Autumn realised that Ambrose's currently blood-stained appearance suited her in a strange way.

"If I didn't, then you wouldn't have chosen me for the job sir." replied Ambrose with a small smile. She always felt nervous whenever Autumn spoke to her and she didn't know if it was nerves or something else, something more.

Marzana went over to his wife and kissed her lips gently. She responded by turning her head and placing her hooves on the back of his head. But Ambrose still found herself thinking about Autumn. Ambrose pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and decided to worry about them later.
________________________________________
For the rest of the meeting Autumn Forest discussed tactics with the ponies present. Friendly sparring also took place between ponies in order to prepare them for the next day and the final winner was one of Marzana's cousins called Apple Strudel. An hour later, he dismissed the ponies and many headed off to the local bar a few blocks away from the barn. Those who had travelled from outside of Appleloosa to attend the meeting headed to their respective hotels.

"Ambrose, just a moment please, I would like to talk to you." called out Autumn Forest.

"Yes, sir, right away sir."

Ambrose told Marzana the directions to the bar and followed Autumn to the back of the barn. Once they arrived, Autumn stood casually against the wall and Ambrose nervously copied him. He offered her a cigar and she blushed profusely but politely declined, which drew laughter from Autumn Forest.

"May I ask why you called me here to talk to you? If it doesn't offend you, sir." asked Ambrose.

"Always addressing the elephant in the room aren't you? That's what I like about you and it's also why I chose you as well as your husband for Phase One. You're both ruthless and heartless".

"Thank-thank you sir, I don't know how-how I can repay you for both your decision and kind compliments" stammered Ambrose, blushing again.

"Hush, dear Ambrose," said Autumn, placing a hoof on her lips, "you can repay me and all earth ponies by succeeding in the plan tomorrow, and I am positive that you and Marzana will come through for us". He gave her a sweet smile and returned to smoking his cigar.

Ambrose smiled again, but she felt warm inside and she wasn't able to shake the feeling. She had to admit to herself that Autumn was handsome, even more than her husband, but why was she feeling this way about Autumn Forest? She didn't even know him that well. She found herself just staring at Autumn, her observations of his appearance running through her thoughts.

Just look at him, standing here. I can see his biceps and triceps from here. He's so strong.

His jawline makes me want to scream

His eyes are as deep and blue as the ocean

Whenever he speaks to me he's always so kind

He chose me out of everybody to take part in Phase One

During this time, Autumn was still unaware that Ambrose was staring at him and he continued to smoke his cigar, eventually throwing it on the ground and stomping it out. In her delirious state, Ambrose found herself leaning in closer and closer to Autumn.

"Listen Ambrose, I want to tell you that I –" Autumn had turned his face when he started to talk to her but now he found that his lips were conjoined with Ambrose's. He instinctively turned his head to go deeper and he began to rub his hooves all over her body. Ambrose pushed her tongue into his mouth and Autumn did the same with Ambrose's mouth. He pushed her roughly against the wall and slowly gyrated against her, and he felt an erection coming on. Suddenly he found that Ambrose had broken off the kiss.

"I'm so sorry sir, I don't know what came over me, I-I don't know, I just-I-just, I-", sobbed a tearful Ambrose. She then broke down and slumped to the floor, crying floods of tears.

How could you do this? Now watch how Autumn will probably take you off the mission

What if he tells Marzana what I've done? You can kiss goodbye to your marriage now Ambrose

Fucking idiot

You slut

Autumn Forest stood silently in shock; this was an unusual emotion for him because he always had control over his feelings. Then he felt an urge to comfort Ambrose and tell her the real reason he told her to stay behind. He knelt down and hugged Ambrose, holding her close to him. Eventually she stopped crying and stayed silent in his arms, holding him tightly.

I don't want her to feel this way. Ever. Marzana obviously did a poor job with taking care of her

This is your chance to tell her how you have felt about her since the day you met her seven months ago

"Ambrose, I have to tell you something. Ever since I first met you, I…I have felt strangely about you. It's strange because I haven't felt this way for many years. But I can't fight my feelings anymore. I, I love you Ambrose Orange. You are the most beautiful mare I have ever seen. You are a strong, independent individual who fights for what she believes in. despite your family background, I can see that you are nothing like them and it's clear that you are deeply concerned about our tribe's position in Equestrian society."

"What about the task that you set me in the meeting?" whispered Ambrose, looking at Autumn.

Autumn's expression hardened and he stared intently at Ambrose.

"I do not regret the fact that I set you that task because you needed to prove yourself. When you announced that you are an Orange, I-I felt disgusted at first and I was tempted to end your life there and then." Autumn's features then softened.

"But when you cut that pegasus' wings and head off, I knew that you were different. That you were special."

Ambrose sniffed and instinctively cuddled up against Autumn.

"I understand sir, you did what you had to do as our leader in order to save the plan and all earth ponies, and I respect you for that." Ambrose then leaned in and kissed Autumn Forest deeply and he responded in a similar manner, stroking her mane gently and thrusting his tongue into her mouth. He picked her up and carried her into the barn, laying her onto the floor. Autumn immediately straddled her, thrusting his member in and out of his companion. Ambrose moaned loudly and stroked Autumn's forelegs and Autumn used his tongue to explore Ambrose's genetalia, and she felt herself reaching her climax. Ten minutes later, the lovers lay side by side on the floor, contemplating what had happened between them. Autumn stroked Ambrose's mane gently, and Ambrose closed her eyes and felt comforted and at peace . Suddenly she remembered that Marzana was waiting for her in the local pub and she opened her eyes and quickly got up.

"What's wrong?" asked Autumn.

"Marzana, I said that I was going to meet him at the pub, he might come here and..." Ambrose tailed off at the end of the sentence.

"It's fine, just tell him you went to visit somepony to discuss tactics or something."

"Okay then...thank you sir".

"It's not sir, it's Autumn between me and you. You're mine now remember?"

"Yes, s-Autumn." said Ambrose, the panic rising within her. She hastily left the barn and galloped as quickly as she could to the bar.

________________________________________
Marzana sat on a table in the bar, waiting impatiently for his wife to return. He looked at the clock every few minutes and was just about to go out and look for her when she arrived.

"Ambrose, where have you been, I was starting to get worried." asked Marzana.

"Oh, I went to visit your cousin Apple Strudel to give me some sparring tips." replied Ambrose, breathless due to galloping to the bar as quickly as she could.

"Oh okay, that's fine then. Do you want me to get you a drink?"

"Yes please, darling."

Whilst Marzana went over to the front table to get her a drink, she pondered over what she had done. She felt guilty inside for cheating on her husband but part of her didn't regret her actions. She felt as if Autumn Forest may just be the stallion for her. She quickly shook her head vigorously and reminded herself that she had bigger things to worry about. The date in seven days was going to be the biggest and most important day of her life; the beginning of Project Genesis.

Nemo habeat fiduciam

“Are we there yet?”

“It's been three minutes since you've asked Sunset, have some patience!”

“It's not my fault Grandpa lives so far away!”

Sunrise chuckled as her daughter frowned and folded her arms. The carriage that they were on had picked them up from their house nearly thirty minutes ago and several delays during their journey meant that their arrival to Sir Leonus’ house (Sunrise’s father) had been significantly delayed.

“Are you excited to see your grandfather and grandmother?”

“No, not really. I've heard all of Grandma’s stories and Grandpa is always angry with everypony.”

“Your grandfather isn't angry, he's tired. What about your cousins? Are you looking forward to seeing them?”

“Sort of. Can I have a nap now? I want to make sure that I'm not tired when I do my homework,” said Sunset, pulling her satchel against her.

Sunrise nodded and her daughter immediately closed her eyes and turned her head towards the window. Sunburst had been unusually quiet when he returned home from Cancer Corp and whilst he had told Sunrise the details of what had happened with Sir Cranco, Sunrise had detected a change in his demeanour. Whilst he wasn't the most exciting pony, Sunburst was always relaxed around his family. He was even cold towards Sunset yesterday afternoon when she had tried to ask him a question about her studies. When Sunrise asked him about what had brought on the change in his behaviour, he had dismissed her worries and Sunrise was sure that Sunburst’s irises had changed colour to purple and green again.

“Lady Sunrise, we will be arriving at Sir Leonus’ mansion in approximately ten minutes,” announced the elderly carriage driver.

Sunrise simply nodded and raised a hoof in order to wake her daughter, but when she saw the peaceful expression on her face, Sunrise smiled and she decided to let her daughter sleep for the rest of the journey.

“Hurry! They're probably parking as we speak!”

The ponies of House Leo hurried as they finished their last minute preparations for their guests. Nearly all the members of House Leo were inside Sir Leonus’ house to greet Sunrise and Sunset. Sir Leonus was wheeled into the living room by Sunrise’s brother and his wife Lady Leona limped into the room a few minutes later, and she quietly watched her family as she stood in the doorway.

“And then the drunk bastard had the nerve to put his glass of wine down and throw a punch at me in front of everypony! What was he thinking?”

A group of ponies sat around the blue stallion that was speaking and his animated movements meant that more and more ponies (including fillies) sat down to listen to his tale.

“Hey! Your sister is nearly here! You can continue your story later but finish tidying this room! All of you! And next time time please refrain from using such filthy language around the little ones.”

Lady Leona’s command had the intended effect as the ponies that were sitting around the blue stallion quickly stood up and continued to tidy up the room. The blue stallion grumbled and took his time standing up before he left the room to go to the kitchen.

“I don't know why there's so much fuss, it's just Sunrise, it's not like Celestia or Luna are coming. Not that they would ever come here,” muttered Sir Leonus.

Lady Leona heard her husband’s comments and hobbled towards him, dragging her walking stick behind her.

“Stop being so grumpy. If Sunrise sees you acting this way, then it could be months before she decides to visit us again with her daughter.”

Sir Leonis ignored his wife and turned his head to look out of the window, where he saw a carriage pulling onto the drive of his house.

“They're here!” he announced.

As Sunrise and Sunset exited the carriage, the front door was flung open and the mother and daughter were greeted by the sight of Sunrise’s mother.

“Sunrise, my dear, it has been far too long since I last saw you,” greeted Lady Leona, leaning forward to kiss her daughter on both cheeks. Lady Leona then smiled down at her granddaughter.

“Yes, Mother it has and I'm truly sorry.”

“At least you're here now.” Lady Leona then turned to Sunset. “And who is this beautiful filly in front of me?”

“Hello Grandma,” smiled Sunset politely, hugging the forelegs of her grandmother.

“Come inside, everypony’s so excited to see you.”

Lady Leona led Sunrise and Sunset through the front door and into the house. A huge silver chandelier hung from the ceiling near the stairs. As Sunrise and Sunset walked through the hallway to the living room, a purple filly (quickly followed by a green colt and a orange colt) ran out of one of the nearby rooms and they nearly collided with Sunset, their laughter echoing as they ran up the stairs.

“Honestly, their behaviour is getting worse and worse, their mother really needs to consider beating them.”

Sunrise nodded in agreement with her mother and Lady Leona opened the living room door with a smile, revealing at least twenty ponies sitting on the floor, and some sat on the chairs scattered around the room.

“Sunrise!”

Sir Leonus slowly got out of his chair and Sunrise quickly walked to him, giving her father a tight embrace.

“You need to visit more often,”said Sir Leonus with a stern expression on his face.

“I know and I'm sorry Father,” said Sunrise, a hint of remorse creeping onto her face.

“At least you're here now,” said Sir Leonus with a small smile, moving away from Sunrise and directing the waiting relatives to her.

As the ponies of House Leo surrounded Sunrise with greetings, Sunset saw an opening and managed to sneak out of the living room when nopony was looking. She gently closed the door behind her and entered another room through the door opposite the living room. She sat down on a chair that was next the window and opened her satchel, taking out a thick brown book with a yellow and red blazing sun on the cover. Sunset took out a quill and opened her book onto an empty page.

When is the essay on Starswirl’s achievements due?

A few seconds later, neat yellow writing appeared in the page underneath Sunset’s question.

It is due next week but if it isn't completed, then it doesn't matter.

Sunset closed the book and put it back into her satchel before taking an identical brown book. She opened the book onto the last page that she was writing on and finished off the last sentence on the page before continuing with her work.

“Let's play in here, nopony ever comes into this room and Mom won't care.”

Sunset looked up from her work to find two green colts and a purple filly standing near the door staring at her silently.

“Are you going to tell our mom that we're playing in here?” asked the purple filly.

“No I won't, as long as you agree to play quietly. I'm trying to get some work done in here.”

The three ponies immediately began chasing each other around the room, screaming and laughing every few seconds. At first, Sunset tried to ignore the noise by focusing on her work but after a few minutes the noise was too distracting for her.

“Did you idiots forget what I told you? Seeing as you didn't listen to what I told you, you can leave this room now and find somewhere else to play?”

“Please, I promise that we'll listen to you! We just want to play our game!” proclaimed one of the green colts, his eyes filling up with tears.

“You shouldn't be wasting your time playing, that's not going to get you anywhere in life,” sneered Sunet, closing her book and glaring at the colt that had spoken.

“But we wanna have fun! Doing homework is boring and it always takes so long to finish!” cried the other green colt.

“Ugh, just leave me alone now! I have some very important work to do and I don't want idiots like you distracting me from completing the work that Celestia set me,” said Sunset, using her magic to open the door in order to dismiss the three

“Princess Celestia is your teacher?! But that's impossible!”

“It is possible if you work hard and spend your time studying instead of playing,” replied Sunset, a hint of arrogance creeping into her voice.

“That's so cool! Do you like learn cool spells and awesome tricks?” asked the green colt.

“Yes, the princess has started to teach me some advanced spells. Now are you going to leave? I told you what you wanted.”

The purple filly opened her mouth to argue but closed it promptly when she saw Sunset Shimmer’s glare.

“Guys, let's go, we can find another room to play in,” stammered the purple filly, opening the door quickly and ushering her brothers out of the room.

Finally. Now I can get my work done in peace.

“There you are Sunset! I've been looking everywhere for you! Why haven't you said hello to your cousins?” asked Sunrise, opening the door with such force that it slammed against the wall behind it.

“I was coming right now, I just wanted to finish up my essay for Celestia,” seethed Sunset, slowly closing her book.

“Lighten up Sunset, you're with your family here, you don't have to focus on your work all the time.”

“Can't I have fifteen more minutes to finish this?”

“Sunset Shimmer, you will leave this room and say hello to your relatives now, and I will not take no for an answer.”

The mother and daughter stood in front of each other and glared for a few moments, but Sunset caved under the intensity of her mother’s glare.

“Fine, I'll go and say hello!”

By lunchtime, Sunset’s cheeks hurt from smiling for too long and her arms and chest were slightly sore from all of the hugs and hoofshakes she had both given out and received. Sunset had also given up hiding the boredom and frustration she felt from appearing on her face, and she sat quietly at her seat at the dining table, ignoring the ponies next to and around her and wishing she was at home.

Sunrise glanced at Sunset Shimmer for the third time in five minutes and was unsurprised by her daughter’s behaviour. Sighing, Sunrise turned her attention to the plate of food that had placed in front of her. The plate was carefully decorated with hay fries around the edges and in the middle lay a slightly overlooked egg omelette.

“I'm hungry, can't we have some proper food? I hate egg and it's obviously overcooked!”

Sunset’s outburst drew the attention of everypony and Sunrise felt her cheeks redden as some of the older members of House Leo stared at her disapprovingly, no doubt blaming her for Sunset’s outburst.

“The main course is coming after everypony has finished their meal so you can either wait until then or eat your food now Sunset,” said Lady Leona with a frown, pushing Sunset’s plate back towards her.

“That filly really needs to learn some manners.”

“No wonder her mother hasn't shown her face here for four months.”

“What do you expect, she's half-Capricorn. They've obviously rubbed off on her.”

Sunrise heard the harsh whispers from different corners of the dining table and she even caught sight of her father shaking his head at Sunset.

Why Sunset? Why today?

Sunrise used her magic to lift up her knife and fork to cut the omelette, trying her best to ignore the situation. At Lady Leona’s command, Sunset reluctantly lifted up her knife and fork with her magic, grimacing and closing her eyes when she slowly chewed and swallowed a piece of omelette.

After Sunset had finished her meal, Lady Leona and a few other relatives wheeled trolleys containing the main course into the dining room. All of the plates were lifted out of the trolleys at the same time and placed in front of each pony.

“Is this up to your standards dear?” asked Lady Leona, staring at Sunset.

“Ye-yes, thank you Grandmother,” replied Sunset reluctantly, struggling to meet her grandmother’s eyes.

Once everypony had finished their meal, the tables were cleared and many ponies left the dining room to talk in the living room. Sunset reached underneath the table to pull out her satchel and hurried out of the dining room and Sunrise left her seat to follow her daughter.

“Sunrise!” called out Sir Leonus, slowly rising from his seat at the head of the dining table. “Just a moment please, I'd like to talk to you.”

The father and daughter quietly sat in front of each other in Sir Leonus’ room. Whilst Sunrise stared absentmindedly out of the window, Sir Leonus spent some time adjusting his chair.

“I would ask how Sunset is doing but from her behaviour today, it's clear that she doesn't want to be here,” stated Sir Leonus.

Sunrise shifted awkwardly in her seat and took some time meeting her father’s gaze and responding

“Sunset.. isn't the most social filly and that's probably mine and Sunburst’s fault. We encouraged her to focus on studies and this was obviously the result. I didn't expect for her antisocial tendencies to go this far.”

“Still, you need to visit more often. Sunset needs to spend more time with her family. But I can't say that I'm too surprised with Sunset wanting to focus on her studies. I remember you used to behave the same way when you were her age.”

“All those years of hard work and studying were wasted because of Atlas,” said Sunrise, a hint of anger in her voice.

“But you're doing much better then him. You're the mother of the protégée of Princess Celestia and you are part of two great noble houses. Whilst Atlas has never risen from his position and has managed to embarrass himself and House Taurus on multiple occasions, the most recent at the Gemini gathering,” said Sir Leonus, finishing his sentence with a wry smile.

Sunrise smiled and fondly cast her mind back to when Sunburst had embarrassed Atlas in front of all of the nobles.

“..But now he's apparently entered a coma, and there's a possibility that he won't wake up.”

“What?!”

“You haven't heard? Atlas was rushed to Canterlot hospital only this morning. I heard the hospital carriage’s horn ringing this morning and your mother told me that ponies at the market were gossiping about how Atlas had most likely drank too much the previous night and simply didn't wake up.”

“Oh.”

Sunrise was surprised to find that her positive mood had been deflated. Whilst she strongly disliked Atlas, she did not wish any harm upon him and she found herself silently hoping that he made a speedy recovery.

“Look at them,” scoffed Sir Leonus. Sunrise snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look out of the window. Through the window, Sunrise had a clear view of the living room, where she could see her older brother Steel Stud (a navy stallion) wrestling with a colt whilst a group of fillies and colts sitting in front of them cheered them on.

“I'm not one to care too much about how other ponies perceive us, but this is exactly why House Leo isn't taken as seriously as we were centuries ago,” grumbled Sir Leonus.

“To be honest Father, your proposition to relocate all pegasi living in Canterlot to Cloudsdale in the council meeting didn't help our image at all,” said Sunrise truthfully.

“I know, and I will admit that in the heat of the moment, I acted in frustration. The princesses are unable to find a solution to the crisis we are facing, and it's only going to get worse,” said Sir Leonus with a sigh.

“Don't worry, myself and Sunburst have a solution to that,” muttered Sunrise, before quickly clapping her hooves over her mouth.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing, nothing at all Father,” said Sunrise quickly, scolding herself for nearly revealing her and Sunburst’s plans to her.

Sir Leonus stared at his daughter quietly for a few moments, silently giving her an opportunity to repeat what she said.

Perhaps she'll talk later.

“Here's your tea, dear, and I added lots of sugar just like you asked,” said Lady Leona, entering her husband’s room holding a cup of tea with her magic.

“Thank you,” said Sir Leonus, taking the cup from his wife and pulling out another chair using his arm for his wife to sit on.

“How come Ivory Thunder didn't show up today Mother?” asked Sunrise.

“Your brother wrote to us a few days ago saying that he wouldn't be able to make it today because he was scheduled to assess the new Royal Guard recruits today. He said that as Captain of the Royal Guard it would be inappropriate if he abandoned his duties.”

“At least he's done something with his life. Why couldn't Steel Stud find a proper job instead? He's an embarrassment to our family,” grumbled Sir Leonus, sipping his tea.

“Sunrise dear, why didn't you bring Sunburst with you today? It would've been lovely to see him aswell,” asked Lady Leona, changing the subject quickly.

“He..uh.. wasn't feeling very we'll so he couldn't come Mother,” lied Sunrise, staring at the ground.

“Sunrise dear, I gave birth to you, I know when you're lying. All couples have disagreements. You can tell me what happened.”

Sunrise seemed to give up and making sure that she didn't tell of her and Sunburst’s plans to take over Equestria, she told her mother that Sunburst was acting distant and was a lot quieter than usual. She also told her mother that Sunburst had been rude to her and Sunset on several occasions.

“I would say that Sunburst could be cheating on you but-”

“Sunburst would never cheat on me! How could say such a thing?!”

“Sunrise, calm down. What I was going to say- before you rudely interrupted me-” Lady Leona paused to give her daughter a reproaching look “is that it's unlikely that Sunburst is cheating on you because he isn't a very talkative stallion at all. I still don't know what you saw in him all those years ago. He'll probably be back to normal in a few days and when he is, tell him to come and see us.”

“He may have also.. attempted a spell that was too much for him to handle,” said Sunrise.

“What sort of spell? There are only a few powerful spells that I can think of and they were prohibited by Celestia years ago,” said Sir Leonus, rubbing the grey stubble on his chin with his hoof.

“It was a prohibited spell… and it probably backfired,” said Sunrise, choosing her words carefully.

“I'm surprised he managed to perform such a spell without anypony finding out about it,” said Sir Leonus.

“Father, Mother!” called out Steel Stud, opening the door loudly without knocking, “can you get the foals away from me? Me and a few of my friends want to go to the bar and to be honest, the foals are really starting to annoy me now.”

“That's what you waste your time doing isn't it? Sitting in the bar drinking for hours with your cronies? And then you wonder why you haven't found a job yet despite looking for three months now!”

“I'm not in the mood for another lecture of yours Father. If you or Mother will not help me, then I'll get rid of these foals myself!”

Sir Leonus picked up his cup and threw it at Steel Stud as he was leaving the room, but his aim was wildly off and the cup hit the mirror hanging on the wall, smashing it to smithereens.

“That insolent little-!”

Sir Leonus got up out of his seat and headed towards his bedroom door when he was stopped by his wife.

“Let him go dear, I'll send somepony after him to make sure he returns before nightfall,” said Lady Leona, leaving the room.

Sir Leonus grumbled but he obeyed his wife and sat back in his seat opposite Sunrise.

“Did I ever tell you about why House Leo as tasked with being of charge of Equestria’s defence Sunrise?” said Sir Leonus.

“No but I'm sure that it's a very interesting tale Father,” replied Sunrise, despite the fact that her father had told her the tale several times throughout her childhood and adolescence.

“When House Aries gave up power to Celestia and Luna, our house and House Capricorn threatened to annex Eastern Equestria and rename it Unicornia, but due to a lack of support from both the nobles and common ponies, our plan failed.”

“And Capricorn became in charge of Education and we became in charge of Defence,” finished Sunrise.

“But I never told you why we were in charge of Defence? The two princesses obviously saw us as a threat to the peace in Equestria when they put us in charge of Defence. Our ancestors accepted the decision at the time and saw it as a small consolation for the failed attempt to create a new unicorn-only nation. Over the next few decades, House Leo organised the Royal Guard to face the incoming invasion threats of the griffons and Saddle Arabians, and we were ultimately successful.”

“But there's been peace in Equestria for nearly a thousand years,” pointed out Sunrise.

“Exactly. So House Leo hasn't really had much to do in terms of combat. Celestia reduced the numbers of the Royal Guard and the funding for defence was also reduced by House Taurus a few months due to this peace, and I think that was Celestia and Luna’s plan all along.”

“To reduce the Royal Guard numbers and it's funding?”

“No Sunrise, to make sure that House Leo was not in a position to challenge for power again. How many ponies in our family have jobs that aren't affiliated with the Royal Guard in some way?”

“Umm..”

Sunrise struggled to think of anypony in her family that she could name. Many of her aunts, uncles and cousins held jobs in the Royal Guard barracks as secretaries or accountants and others worked as either cooks, maids or serving personnel.

“Exactly. That means that nopony owns a business or holds another influential position in Canterlot, meaning that we are unable to influence any major events that take place in the capital city.”

“So we are all trapped,” concluded Sunrise, finally understanding her father’s hate for Celestia and Luna. “I still have one question: why did you ask Celestia to relocate all pegasus in Canterlot in the council meeting?”

“You are already aware of my mistrust towards the pegasi, and they form the bulk of ponies that are applying for benefits when most of them are probably not at the stage where they need it. The reason that Celestia wasn't too bothered by my proposition was because she already knows that our house will never be strong enough to mount an actual challenge to pass the law.”

“Okay then.”

“Did I ever tell you why you were named Sunrise?”

“No,” replied Sunrise, surprised by the fact that her father had changed the subject so quickly.

“Because you represent a symbol of hope. Hope that you will be the pony that restores House Leo to it's former glory, hope that all unicorns in Equestria will live a fulfilling life.”

The last part of her father’s sentence sounded a lot like what Sunburst’s father had told her and Sunburst all those months ago when they had began their plans to take over Equestria.

He's going to find out soon. I might as we'll tell him before we actually get rid of Celestia and Luna.

“Father, there's something that I have to tell you.”

“Do it again.”

Sunburst grunted and placed the crown Element that had fallen onto the ground on his head again, before lighting up his horn and firing at the wooden pony cut-out targets that were a few hundred yards away, moving his head so that all of the targets were destroyed. His father had called for an impromptu training session as soon as Sunrise and Sunset had left the house and as usual, was being incredibly tough on his son.

“That was satisfactory, but for the next set of targets, I want you to generate a beam of magic that is wide enough to destroy all of the targets without having to move your head.”

“Of course Father, whatever you say,” replied Sunburst, a hint of irritation in his voice as he looked at his father. He turned away and focused on the next set of targets that were even further away than the previous ones. A large dark orange beam appeared at the tip of Sunburst’s horn and a few seconds later, he fired the beam at the targets, and they were all destroyed simultaneously.

“Much better Sunburst, you seemed to have gotten to grips with wielding the Element’s power. I'm starting to believe that no unicorn in Equestria will be able to challenge you once you take over.”

That filly. Twilight Sparkle. She has the same cutie mark as the star on that crown.

But I can't tell him. I'll deal with it in my own way.

Sunrise should at least know about this. I'll tell her when she comes home.

“Yes Father, soon all of Equestria will belong to House Capricorn.”

“Forward march!”

Ivory Thunder kept a straight face and adjusted his helmet as he watched the forty Royal Guard hopefuls obey his command and marched in time. The purpose of the drill was to ensure that in an emergency, the recruits that became full members of the Royal Guard were able to move orderly from one place to another.

“Squad, halt! Salute!”

The recruits stopped suddenly and turned simultaneously, raising their right arms and bending at the elbow to give Ivory Thunder a salute.

“At ease, squad.”

Ivory Thunder walked forward to directly face the recruits and stared at them silently before beginning the routine speech that he gave to Royal Guard hopefuls every year.

“You're here today because you've decided that you are good enough to be a member of the most elite armed force in Equestria; that you can be trusted with protecting the lives Princess Celestia and Luna and everypony in Equestria. To serve as a member of the Royal Guard is a great honour and if you are chosen to join our ranks today, you should wear your armour with pride. As a serving member, you have a duty of care to each and every citizen in Equestria and you should never forget that. Now, I'm going to split you up into groups of six for the final exercise. You are free for twenty minutes but make sure that you return to the courtyard when the time is up. Dismissed.”

Ivory Thunder waited for the recruits to enter the recreation building (facing the courtyard) before following them inside. A few guards that were stood next to the door saluted and Ivory Thunder did the same. He quickly headed up the two flights of stairs a few metres in front of him and stopped when he reached his door.

“Captain Thunder, you're scheduled to meet with the princesses in five minutes,” called out the secretary that was sitting at the desk opposite his.

“Thank you for the reminder Miss Blossom.”

“I'm your cousin Ivory, There's nothing wrong with relaxing around family members,” admonished Blossom, not looking up from her desk.

“I cannot stray from protocol, I must be professional at all times, it's what is expected from me after all and as Captain I must set a good example,” replied Ivory Thunder as he sat down at his desk. In front of him were a huge pile of papers, detailing the profiles of all of the current recruits. Ivory lit up his horn and began to sift through the papers, organising them into an orderly pile that he could take to his meeting with Celestia and Luna. As the rulers of Equestria, they were also involved in deciding which recruits were admitted into the Royal Guard but as Captain of the Royal Guard, Ivory Thunder made the final decision.

“I'm going to head down to the conference room now, it's better that I'm early to the meeting.”

Blossom grunted in response and Ivory quickly left his office and teleported to the conference room at Canterlot Palace. He sat on one of the designated seats outside the room and waited quietly. The door to the conference room was slightly open and Ivory could hear Celestia and Luna’s voices and it was clear that they were discussing something private due to their whispers.

I shouldn't be listening. They're obviously having a private conversation.

Ivory flicked through the pile of papers that he was holding to distract himself and he was about to read the sheet at the top when he heard Celestia say a familiar name, and he quietly walked over to the door and leaned against it in order to hear more.

“When we have finished our meeting with Captain Ivory, we'll pass on a message to Sunrise from him that her and Sunburst need to see us immediately,” whispered Celestia, placing a hoof on the map of Equestria on the table in front of her.

“Wouldn't it wise to meet with them after Equestria Day? If we summon them now, then it's likely that they will attack us and that would place the lives of ponies working in the palace at risk,” replied Luna with a frown as she used her magic to close the door.

“The longer we delay this sister, the more time those two have to prepare and that would increase their chances of success and whilst I'm sure that they won't beat us, with the Elements they should be taken seriously.”

“What if we place them under house arrest and confiscate the Elements? That way we can monitor them and make sure that they are in no position to challenge our rule,” suggested Luna.

“That's…. an excellent idea Luna, and we'll make sure that they are prevented from contacting anypony. I'll send a unit to the Capricorn mansion tonight.” agreed Celestia. “This time of year is becoming more and more stressful and we have so much to deal with, first we find out that Sunburst and Sunrise are plotting to take over Equestria, and then Sir Cranco suddenly decides to tell the council about his revolutionary new invention. What are we going to be surprised with next?”

“I don't know,” sighed Luna, before looking at the clock that hung up on the wall next the door. “We're supposed to be meeting with Captain Ivory Thunder now.”

“He probably hasn't arrived yet. Let's put the maps away and we'll call him in.”

Ivory Thunder quickly stood up when he heard his name and he walked back to his seat as quietly as he could. He tried to pick up a sheet of paper but he found that his hooves were shaking so much that the paper slipped and fell onto the floor and as he tried to pick it up with his magic, the door to the conference room swing open.

“Captain Ivory Thunder, it's a pleasure to see you, why don't you come in and I'll ask the cooks to make us lunch,” said Princess Celestia with a broad smile. Princess Luna nodded at Ivory and went off to the royal kitchen to relay Celestia’s message.

As Ivory Thunder got us from his seat, the pile of papers he held in his lap slipped and fell to the floor and he quickly picked them up with his magic, desperately trying to compose himself.

“After you, Princess Celestia."

"..And I will inform you of my decision next week before I make the announcement to the recruits, your Highness.”

“Thank you Captain Ivory. I am confident that the recruits you will choose tomorrow will contribute significantly to the Royal Guard.”

As the maids took the plates away, Ivory Thunder quickly left the conference room and quietly closed the door behind him. Only when he teleported back to his office did Ivory Thunder breathe a sigh of relief.

Why would Sunrise plan to take over with her husband?

Is she really willing to murder the princesses for power?

“Blossom, how many permissible absence days do I have?”

Blossom jumped out of her seat in shock and fell backwards off her chair as a result.

“At least say hello when you come in, you almost gave me a heart attack,” panted Blossom, before picking herself up and sitting in her seat. “Now, what were you asking?”

As Ivory Thunder repeated his question, Blossom leaned forward on her hooves and smiled at her younger cousin.

“Has little Ivory finally found himself a mare? I thought I'd never live to see the day that Ivory would take a day off for a mare,” giggled Blossom.

Ivory Thunder’s stoic expression didn't waver and it only took a few seconds for Blossom to realise what his answer would be.

“Of-of course Captain, I'll check right away sir. Let's see, you have..forty-five days.”

“Pass on a message to the princesses that I will be taking the rest of today and tomorrow off for personal reasons,” announced Ivory Thunder as he left his office.

“But why are you-” Blossom was interrupted by the sound of Ivory slamming his door shut as he left the building in a hurry to his father’s house.

“I always knew that you would achieve greatness some day, and I know that you and Sunburst will do a great job in charge.”

Sunrise smiled and lay back in her seat as her father praised her for being House Leo’s saving grace. She felt surprisingly relieved that she had told her father about her plans, and she was confident that Sunburst wouldn't become upset at all and would support her decision.

Let's go downstairs Father, everypony is asking where we are,” said Sunrise as she stood up from her seat and opened the door for her father. As the father and daughter reached the bottom of the stairs, Sunrise heard knocking.

“It's probably Blossom, so I'll open the door!” called out Sunrise as she quickly walked towards the door but seeing her younger brother standing at the door with a hint of anger on his face was the last thing Sunrise expected to see.

“Ivory! It's so good to see you! I thought you couldn't make it today!”

As Sunrise eagerly embraced her younger brother, Ivory Thunder made no attempt to lift his arms and return Sunrise’s embrace.

“What's wrong Ivory?” asked Sunrise as she slowly moved away from her younger brother.

“We need to talk Sunrise. In private. Now.”

Ivory Thunder quickly climbed the stairs to his father's study and after a few seconds, a stunned Sunrise quickly followed her brother up the stairs.

“I was scheduled to meet with the princesses today to discuss the recruits and I decided to sit outside the conference room so that I would be early to the meeting. Then I-”

“Is there a part that has something to do with me coming up? Because I don't see the point in you telling me about your day at work.”

As Sunrise looked down at her younger brother, Ivory Thunder was genuinely angry for the first time in a long time and the little composure he had left faded away.

“It turns out that Celestia and Luna know about your little plan sister!”

“What plan?”

“Oh I don't know, the one where you and your husband are planning to murder Celestia and Luna and rule Equestria!”

“What?”

Sunrise began to breathe rapidly and she felt her heart rate increase as her brother continued to rant, but his words failed to reach Sunrise’s ears.

“Do you honestly think that you can do a better job than Celestia and Luna?! Do you honestly think that you will be able to solve the economic crisis we are facing?! How selfish are you to risk so many innocent lives just to live in Canterlot Palace?!”

Sunrise managed to hear the last part of Ivory Thunder’s sentence and her initial panic gave way to anger.

“This is exactly why I never considered telling you about our plan! You are far too enamoured with Celestia and Luna to see that they aren't fit to rule anymore! And as for you calling me selfish-!”

Sunrise and Ivory Thunder’s yelling had drawn the attention of everypony downstairs.

“I'm going to go and check on Mother,” asked Sunset, getting up from her seat and heading towards the stairs before she was stopped by her grandfather.

“You stay right where you are, I'm going to check on those two.”

As Sir Leonus reached the top of the stairs and entered his study, Sunrise and Ivory Thunder were yelling in each other’s faces.

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!”

Ivory Thunder and Sunrise stopped immediately to face their father and it was Ivory who spoke up first.

“Did you know about her little plan to get rid of Celestia and Luna?!” said Ivory Thunder, glaring at her sister.

“Yes I did know, and I hope that you are as proud of your older sister as I am, and as for Celestia and Luna apparently finding out, there's no way that they'll announce this to the country and I'm sure that Sunrise and Sunburst will be able to deal with them,” replied Sir Leonus confidently, smiling at his only daughter who nodded in return.

“But how can you support such a deluded idea that won't work?! How will you even defeat the princesses, did you think that through?!”

Sunrise was about to respond when Sir Leonus interrupted her.

“Ivory Thunder, what is our house’s motto?”

Ivory was confused that his father was asking him such a random question and it took him a few seconds to answer.

“Nemo..habeat ..fiduciam.”

“Trust no one. Trust no one outside of our family because you'll never know what their true intentions are. House Leo has been ridiculed for far too long and it is up to Sunrise and Sunburst to restore House Leo, House Capricorn and all unicorns in Equestria to their well-deserved glory.”

“Glory,” snorted Ivory. “Is that the reason you planned this Sunrise? To make sure that our reputation wasn't completely ruined? So that you and Sunburst can play at being King and Queen to prove yourself to Mother, Father and Sir Capricornus?”

“Ivory Thunder, it's time that you choose.”

“Choose what?” asked Ivory Thunder with a perplexed expression, the volume of his voice finally lowering.

“You choose who you are loyal to; either House Leo and support my plan, or Celestia and Luna and walk out of this house, never to return,” continued Sunrise, giving her younger brother a harsh glare.

“I am loyal to Equestria and your plan does not serve the best interests of our country. Countless lives will be lost and my conscience will not allow me to be a part of that. Farewell Sunrise, Father.”

Ivory Thunder walked out of his father’s study without looking at his father and older sister, before descending the stairs and walking out of the house quickly. As he stood in front of his father’s mansion, memories of his childhood, adolescence and his time as part of the Royal Guard rushed through Ivory’s mind, and as he turned around and began to walk back to the Royal Guard, he failed to remember that he had forgotten to tell his sister about the Royal Guard unit that was scheduled to visit in a few hours time.

Sunrise and Sunset slowly got out of their carriage and headed towards Sir Capricornus’ house. As Sunset excitedly told her mother about her upcoming lessons with Celestia, all Sunrise could think about was how she was going to tell her husband that Ivory Thunder, her father and the two princesses knew about their plan.

“Good evening Sunrise and Sunset, I hope you had a pleasant stay at Sir Leonus’ house today,” greeted Sir Capricornus, opening the door for his daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

“Good evening, we had a good time. Where is Sunburst?” asked Sunrise, stepping aside to let her daughter run into the house.

“He's in the courtyard practising with the other Elements. That's all he's been doing since you left this morning,” replied Sir Capricornus.

Sunrise nodded and headed straight for the courtyard, and in her mind she was trying to get her head around all that had happened today.

“ARGGHH!”

As Sunrise reached the courtyard behind her father’s house, she saw Sunburst wearing two of the Elements around his neck and Sunrise made sure she stayed back when she saw Sunburst charge up his horn and destroy targets that were nearly a thousand metres away.

He has improved a lot. Maybe he could give me some tips.

“Sunburst!”

Upon hearing his name, Sunburst stopped what he was doing and allowed his horn to cool down.

“Whatever it is you have to say, I'm not interested. I'm in the middle of practice.”

Sunburst’s irritated tone came as no surprise to Sunrise and as she came closer to him, Sunburst turned away from her and focused on the targets in front of him.

“Father knows about the plan. I felt it was right that he should be told about it,” called out Sunrise.

Sunburst was just about to fire at the targets when he heard what Sunrise had confessed.

“What did you say?”

“You heard me Sunburst and we can trust Father, he hates Celestia and Luna and would want nothing more than to see them fall.”

Sunburst walked over to his wife and stood in front of her silently. Suddenly he raised his hoof high above his head and brought it crashing down onto Sunrise’s face.

Sunrise crumpled to the floor holding her face with her hooves.

“I should've known that you wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut,” snarled Sunburst, looking down at his wife with contempt.

Sunrise moved her hooves away from her face and placed them on the ground, slowly pulling herself up off the ground. When she had risen to her full height, she stared defiantly at her husband.

“Sunburst, what the fuck is wrong with you? What happened to always staying composed and never letting other ponies see your true emotions? And how dare you hit me! Who the hell do you think you are?!”

As Sunrise continued to lecture her husband, Sunburst’s horn began to light up and he stroked the Element that he was wearing around his neck and this didn't escape Sunrise.

“Take that off now!”

Sunrise reached out and quickly snatched away the Element away from her husband whilst he was distracted. Sunburst yelled and reached out to take the Element back off Sunrise when he suddenly stopped.

“Ughh...what's happening to me?” mumbled Sunburst before collapsing to the ground.

“Gather round, I'm going to go through the plan one more time.”

A group of thirteen ponies, all wearing the armour of the Royal Guard, stood around the round table in the middle of the room. On the other side of the table stood a tall, muscular grey pony. He adjusted the (fading) gold helmet on his head He stared at the other ponies silently before speaking.

“Our targets are advanced magic users and it's very likely that they will use this against us. So we can't give them the opportunity to do this. Alpha Team.” The stallion speaking paused to look at six unicorns standing side by side on the other side of the table. “You will be stationed inside the house in the study next to the dining room. Your job is to neutralise the targets when they try and use their magic against us. Understood?”

“Yes

“Beta Team. You will be stationed around the house. It is your job to make sure that our targets do not get away. Use whatever force is necessary to stop them.”

The other six stallions nodded tersely and the ponies dispersed, each individual making the last minute preparations that they needed.

“Let's move out troops!”

All thirteen Royal Guard members left the room in single file and headed out of the building to board their carriages. Entered the passenger seat and once all of the doors had been locked, the three carriages set off on their twenty minute journey to Sir Capricornus’ mansion.