Jet Force Twilight

Twilight glanced back where she came from. Vela’s transport ship was parked in the distance. Twilight calmed herself, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

I just need to ask my parents what in Celestia they are doing here, then I’ll be heading back to the others.

The lavender unicorn proceeded toward the house that seemed to be made out of the roots of an old tree. The sky laid dark across whatever the equivalent of sky was on this planet. Its blackness was covered with purple nova’s and stars. Blue lights streaked across space in an uneven pattern, like if the colored lights from one pf Pinkie’s dance parties had become stuck in time. The atmosphere of this unknown planet had its wind gently flowing through Twilight's mane. She raised her hoof and knocked on the door. The pony opening was her mother.

“Hello sweetie!” Twilight Velvet greeted.

Behind Velvet stood Night Light, Twilight Sparkle’s father. He smiled in his usual bingo way. “Good evening, we have been waiting for you sweetie.”

“Mom, dad, what are you doing here?”

“We live here now honey.” Night Light said.

“We got so worried when you left us that we decided to move to this planet here where we can be close to you.” Velvet boomed.

“But how did you two get here?”

“Iron Will helped us.” Night Light replied.

“Look, there he is.” Velvet pointed her hoof.

Sparkle turned around and spotted the giant Minotaur. He was chopping wood with an axe. Behind him stood his zeppelin. Sparkle remember Iron Will taking her family on a cruise with it once. Apparently, the air vessel could also pull off space travels.

Sparkle was shown to the living room, which seemed to have been recreated almost exactly like Velvet and Light’s house in Canterlot. Velvet’s used her unicorn magic to close the door before turning to her daughter.

“It was good of you to come here sweetie. It’s harsh out here and we are almost out of money.

“Why do you need money here for?” Twilight Sparkle asked confused.

“Iron Will helped us build this house and he hunts for food every day.” Night Light informed, ignoring his daughter’s question.

“How is Floyd doing by the way?” Velvet suddenly asked.

“Floyd?” Sparkle asked bewildered. There was a moment of silence. “Floyd is evil.”

“Not based on what we have heard.” Night Light said. Sparkle shook her head.

“…No, I mean Mizar. Floyd doesn’t exist, Mizar…”

Twilight was interrupted by the clonking sound of the door knocking. “I’m sorry sweetie, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to take this.” Night Light proceeded to open the door. He seemed to exchange some words with two human males.

“Yes… Do you have the money?... Yes, she is right here.”

Sparkle watched two human space pirates enter the house, both of them looking at her with lustful eyes. One of them dropped a bag full of money in the hallway. Twilight’s face dropped, along with her heart.

“You’re selling me?!”

“I am so sorry sweetie, but we really need the money.” Night Light replied regretfully.

“We too.” One of the pirates said and raised his gun. The laser blast subdued inside the wooden house. Sparkle turned around and galloped toward the stairs, the glimpse of her parents crumbling still painted in her mind. She arrived at the stairway. The steps went blurry with tears.

“What did you expect?” A cold voice asked.

Twilight felt horror creep up on her. Slowly, she faced the door again. There were two more blasts, followed by the thumping sound of the pirates hitting the floor. The silvery surface of Mizar’s robot body gave a small reflecting light. The pistol he held with his retracted robot arm smoked from the barrel. Below him laid the unmoving coats of Sparkle's dead parents and the pirates. Mizar’s eyes glowed red.

“What did you expect was going to happen, Twilight Sparkle?” Mizar lectured.

Twilight turned her teary face and hastily galloped up the stairs, barely avoiding crumble over the last step. She entered her room and slammed the door. Ahead of her laid her childhood room exactly as she remembers it from when she was a filly. All her old toys laid spread across the floor. On top of her bed sat her old teddy bear Smarty Pants with his legs spread. Twilight faced the door again and held it shut. She felt the cold wind blowing from the open window behind her, sending chills through her hollow bones.

Mizar can fly!

“What did you expect?” A voice teased behind her.

Twilight did not hesitate. In a flash she galloped across the room, her tail toppling dolls and toy structures along the way. She closed the window in panic and turned down the hatch.

“What did you expect?” A voice teased from inside the room.

Slowly, Twilight turned her head sideways. Smarty Pants was looking at her with his button eyes.

“WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?”

“Woaaaaah!” Twilight gasped and opened her eyes. The truth made all her muscles relax. It was just a nightmare.

Everypony else was sound asleep inside the transport ship. Twilight saw Lupus lying on the floor next to Apple Jack for some reason. Fluttershy had taken the seat furthest away from Rainbow Dash, probably still angry at her. Rarity was sleeping next to Apple Jack. Twilight leaned her head against the chair and closed her eyes. She relaxed, but the state did not ease her nerves.

What did you expect?

Twilight opened her eyes again in panic, first now realizing that she had only heard the words in her head. She felt the pain from her scar cut her as her muscles contorted. Was it even worth trying to go to sleep again?

Yes, it was. In fact, she had to go back to sleep again. She was the leader of this expedition. Without her being rested the other ponies would be doomed. But how would she…?

It felt like a stone was building up inside Twilights throat, jammed her inside and stopped her from breathing. She leaned back in her chair, but no matter how many seconds, how many minutes, half hours, yes, even hours she tried to relax her body she could only feel the pain of her scar, or was it another kind of pain?

Twilight had no idea how long she had been awake. She felt the panic rise within her. It was then that Twilight glanced sideways.

Pinkie Pie was sitting next to her. It was like the pink fragrance of her coat flowed down Twilight's throat and flushed away the stone. Twilight closed her eyes again, feeling her heart stay in place, as if it was waiting for her to do something. Gradually, Twilight let her lavender hoof reach down. She hesitated at first, not sure what her choice would imply. She emptied her mind, reached further and fiddled Pinkie’s hoof. She felt Pinkie Pie stir beside her. Twilight felt Pinkie’s hoof hurl hers up the arm holder and grasp it tight.

“Having nightmares?”

“Yes.” Twilight answered.

“Screams? Faces?”

“My parents.”

There was a moment of silence. Pinkie moved her hoof, giving Twilight’s a massage.

“Mizar?”

“Yes.”

“Mizar kills your parents?”

“No. Space pirates kills my parents, then Mizar kills the pirates.”

Pinkie Pie seemed to think for a moment. “Does he say anything to you?”

Twilight remained silent for a moment, not to remember, she will always remember those words. “What did you expect?”

“Careful Twilight.”

“Careful?”

“Be careful what you do from now on. It was not Mizar that you saw in your dream, it was hatred. It waits for the pirates to kill the ones you love, then it kills the pirates for you, making itself look like a savior. Then it bullies you, breaks you down so you cannot hinder it from taking over you.”

“I wish I never built him.” Twilight said darkly. She heard Pinkie Pie grow quiet. “Do you have nightmares too?” Twilight asked, making this not just about herself.

“Xenia Onatopp” Pinkie Pie referred to the assassin that killed Trixie when she was trapped inside Goldeneye. “I dreamt that she saved Starlight from falling down a ravine during a mountain climbing expedition, then I caused her to fall anyway. Xenia kept teasing me. ‘Why did you lose grip? Why did you lose grip?’.”

“Wow Pinkie, I never realized that you were so deep.”

There was a highly pitched laughter, followed by a joking response. “Yea. Hatred is trying to consume you and make your friends not recognize you anymore until you have this big realization at the end that vengeance might not be so sweet after all. Just saying.”

Twilight laughed. Hearing Pinkie Pie being herself made her calm inside. Twilight felt a tickling sensation.

“Hey, Pinkie?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Yes.”

Twilight paused for a moment before asking.

“When did you first find out that you liked mares?”

“Do you really want to know that, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight laughed. “Yes.”

Pinkie Pie remember very well when she had first known that she was either lesbian or bi-sexual. But that was not what was forming in her mind. All Pinkie Pie could remember was when somepony had first won her. Pinkie’s blue eyes stared dreamy into the air. She could hear Starlight Glimmers voice, spoken from the Russian Trans-Siberian Express inside the Goldeneye movie.

To me you will always be the same happy, kind and funny Pinkie Pie that I've always known, no matter how this turns out.

Pinkie Pie now imagined how much that must have been left unsaid, unsaid before…

“I really miss her.”

“Who? Starlight?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie Pie felt all her emotions boil up to her head and leak out from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Twilight, I…h…h… heard you…” Pinkie’s voice drowned in sobbing.

“Shhhhh, it’s alright Pinkie.” Twilight leaned over and embraced the pink earth pony. “It’s alright, I miss her too.”

They both went back to sleep again after Pinkie had calmed down.

The planet of Rith Essa was often described by mercenaries as a mountain planet. Most of its surface was covered in rock and water. Between the mountains stretched green forests, forming beautiful valleys for its massive population of unique birds to lay their eggs. It wasn't long before Mizar’s first defeat that Rith Essa would have been considered mostly inhabited. Nowadays several communities of Tribals had taken residence there.

“What are Tribals?” Rainbow Dash asked while Vela was going for landing.

“A native bear group that originates from Goldwood, a forest planet several parsecs away from here. They are our allies in the war against Mizar.”

“So, Goldwood is where they have their relatives? But what are they doing here on Rith Essa?” Rarity asked curious.”

“Working for Fernando.” Vela replied. There was a tinge of disapproval in her voice. She put the ship on autopilot and faced the ponies. “Listen ponies. Before we begin our landing, there is some things that you should know about this Fernando. First of all, he is one of the mole brothers and one of the richest creatures in the universe so don’t anger him! Second, if our sources are correct he is the one who is funding most of Mizar’s war.”

“Doesn’t that make him the enemy?” Spitfire asked.

“No. On the contrary, it makes his favor a necessity to have. At least if you ask my brother. You must understand ponies; the Jet Force Squadron are on their bare necessities at the moment. Mizar are in control of most of Earth’s leadership and money is running low. We have been proud to protect the galaxy for a long time but without our political roots supporting us we have been forced to do some things that we are not exactly proud of.”

“Like what?” Twilight asked.

“Alright ponies. Go down and take a seat, we’re going for landing!”

The landing would turn out to be a turbulent one, but Vela was an excellent flier. The ponies barely felt when her vessel touched the ground. The transport door opened slowly, letting in an atmosphere that had a northern forest feel. The ponies stepped out of the ship while their eyes adjusted to the light. There was a wave of awes among them.

Thick pine trees towered above, rising as high as some of the medium scaling cliffs. The giant crowns offered some protection from the burning of the sun. One of Rith Essa’s two moons could be seen above, fully visible during the day because it was so close. When Twilight squinted her eyes, she could even see some of the massive craters on its orange surface. Her attention then went to the massive mountains that pointed skyward, like if the ground of Rith Essa was dripping upward. Her ears filled with the untamed music of hundreds of bird spices. Twilight’s scholar eyes sparkled with wonder.

“An entirely new echo system.” A huge smile formed on her face. “So much new to STUDY!”

“So many animals to relate to.” Fluttershy awed.

“Yes Fluttershy. This must be heaven for you with your animal skills.” Rarity said.

Fluttershy had a unique gift when it came to communicating with animals. She was a well-respected pony among the animal population surrounding Ponyville. During celebrations she was known for entertaining the attendances by leading bird choirs. “I wonder which animal language they speak.”

“Yea, wonder.” Rainbow Dash walked up behind her. Fluttershy avoided eye contact. Rainbow Dash waited until the others had walked a bit further away.

“Hey, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash’s voice bathed in regret. “About what happened up there at the cruiser.”

Fluttershy stopped walking. Her tail wiggled in a contemplating manner while Rainbow spoke.

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have singled you out like that.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“I’ve been a fool.”

Rainbow Dash’s face twisted in bewilderment. “You practically saved my life back there. You cared for me when I risked mine and I repaid you by being ungrateful, what do you have to be sorry for?”

“For believing in…” Fluttershy hesitated, still faced away from the pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane. “I accept your apology.”

“Then why are you facing away from me?”

Fluttershy felt her hooves aching and her tummy turn in an odd way. This is it. Fluttershy told herself. If she turned around now and faced Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy would find herself galloping into her hooves, get pushed away, being asked What are you doing?! And those curious eyes she got from her friends earlier would remain for the rest of her life.

“It was nothing.”

Rainbow Dash watched Fluttershy walk away with a knowingly look. Of course, she knew. Rainbow Dash had known all along that Fluttershy was in love with her. Rainbow Dash only wished she knew what she felt.

Apple Jack was walking behind Twilight and Vela. To her side she had her friends.

“Here you have an entirely new world to look for wind currents Surprise.” Wonderbolt colt Thunderlane boomed.

“Yea. I wonder if the atmosphere here is different?” Wonderbolt mare Surprise asked.

“Well, you will have to wait for that. We don’t know what’s out there so stay away from the air until I say otherwise!” Spitfire ordered her fliers.

Spitfire still had fever dreams about Fleetfoot being dead after she had dragged her to safety inside the ship. Thankfully, she was all well, resting while being tended by Nurse Redheart back at the vessel. Spitfire kept telling herself that this was a soldier’s quest. She had hardened her mind for the fact that deaths could come at any moment.

Spitfire turned her yellow head around and took a glance at all her six fliers. Her face sank into a blank stare of cold fear. Despite her feeling relatively ready, Spitfire wasn’t sure if she would ever forgive herself if she lost one of her fliers.

“Is everything alright Spitfire?” Apple Jack asked.

Spitfire pulled herself together. “Oh… yes. Yes, its fine.”

Apple Jack was a country farmer the most straightforward pony in Ponyville. “Are you sure about that? If I am to be perfectly honest with you, you’ve seemed tense ever since we left our home planet.”

Spitfire was taken a back. For years she had bossed around even the most resilient of ponies, but hearing Apple Jack’s honesty about something she herself knew was right, somehow it didn’t matter how much Spitfire wanted to keep it in. She sighted. “You’re right, Apple Jack.” Spitfire turned to the earth pony, modesty swimming in her garnet red eyes. “Your honesty is exactly what I needed, thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome.” Apple Jack thanked with equal modesty. Her orange face twisted in confusion. “So, what was it I was honest about again?”

Spitfire looked back at her fliers, then at the farmer again. “I tell you later in private, for now I would keep my honesty to a minimum. I’m not sure how much this Fernando fellow should be allowed to know about Twilight’s quest.”

Vela raised her hand. The ponies stopped and caught sight of what she was looking at.

The sunrays fell over a short figure with two legs. He was holding a staff and his body was covered with thick fur. Fluttershy guessed he belonged to some kind of bear family since he had a nose like the latter. However, despite his body looking like a bear, his green eyes seemed more like the ones of a cat. His ears were, when put together, almost as big as his head. The creature’s total height barely reached up to Vela’s chin. Pinkie Pie, the curly haired party planner thought he looked funny.

“Hi there!” She greeted happily.

“I told you.” The bear creature said darkly to Vela, whom the ponies now heard was a male. Vela raised her arms to greet her old friend.

“King Jeff! Nice to see you again. I bring wares for Fernando and your people.”

“I told you Vela not to bring her!” Jeff raised his voice.

“Bring who?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Shhhhh!” Spitfire hushed.

“Don’t look at me, she’s the one who wanted to go.” Vela explained.

“Then you should have STOPPED HER!” Jeff’s voice almost appeared magically amplified as it rumbled the earth. Twilight stepped up.

“Excuse me sir. My name is Twilight…”

“I know who you are. Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing here?! You are the princess of friendship, you should be home and watching over your pony subjects!” Jeff scolded.

Twilight hesitated telling Jeff that she was not a princess anymore. “Celestia is, I came here to end Mizar.”

Jeff grumped. “To serve him more likely!”

“Hold on there, Teddy...” Rainbow Dash stepped up. She raised her wings in aggression. “…You don’t speak that way about Twilight!”

“I am the king of the tribals and you will hear me speak!” King Jeff declared.

“I didn’t come here to serve him, I came to stop him!” Twilight was growing angry.

“As much of a service to him as any. What if he kills you? If we lose you, we lose everything!?” Jeff wailed.

“What about what I have lost?!” Twilight asked irritated.

“Twilight, I am aware about the attack on your capital, I do not mean to insult your choice of path, I merely ask you to re-consider. You are the only one that can take away the power that Mizar has been bestowed. Right now, he is waiting for you to make a mistake, he wants you to come after him and he wants you to be unwary about it.”

“I understand the risks, but with every passing moment that lunatic terrorizes the universe, my very own Equestria is running the risk of becoming a target again. I am sorry King Jeff, I hate to begin our relationship this way, but I have no choice.” Twilight declared.

“Spoken like a true fool, ‘I have no choice’, whoever thought up that tired line?”

“He is hiding something.” Rarity suddenly spoke up, having studied Jeff. King Jeff looked at the white unicorn.

Of all the ponies in the group, Rarity was the one who had the most social skill. She owned several clothing shops and had designed countless clothing lines. Her work required interaction with the most sophisticated and, therefore, the most complex ponies in Equestria.

“And who are you?” Jeff asked.

“My name is Rarity, darling. I do not mean anything personal about it, but it just perplexes me. You said Twilight was the only one that could undo Mizar and that Mizar wants to kill her. If that is the case, then why aren’t you offering her help?”

“Thank you, Rarity.” Twilight nodded at her. “King Jeff, I hope we can make a great alliance in the future, but we have traveled to far and lost too much to turn back now.”

King Jeff looked at both Rarity and Twilight. He motioned Vela to come to him. After Jeff and Vela had exchanged words he went away for a while, leaving the ponies standing while Vela insisted them to wait for him. He evenly returned, holding something in his free hand.

“I do not like this, but life is rarely likable. Follow me,”

The ponies followed Jeff toward something that looked like a town in the middle of the woods of which they traveled. The Tribal king tossed two large robes to Twilight and Rarity.

“Put these on and keep yourselves hidden.”

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“No time to explain, do you want to find Mizar or not?”

Twilight and Rarity did as Jeff told, continuing into some kind of mining town. The houses were all made out of wood and the citizens were all of the same kind as Jeff.

Rarity watched Tribals of all ages look at her with googly eyes, some of them being only babies. They were chugging naps in their mouths, wobbling away from their parents before being grabbed and brought inside again.

Pinkie Pie was jumping happily on all four hooves, returning the looks of the Tribals with a welcoming smile. Every face she saw she registered inside her Pinkie mind, beyond doubt that, before they left this place, all of them would have given her a smile. Suddenly there was a familiar patch of lilac. Starlight Glimmer was leaning her hoof over a wooden railing.

“Hello reflection of a happy memory that is really more sad than happy in the eyes of the reader.” Pinkie Pie greeted happily.

The railing snapped. The happy memory grunted and fell hoof fallen from the wooden balcony.

The ponies eventually started coming across Tribals with pickaxes. They did what they could to free stones from everything that might have been crystalized inside. Twilight had her face and body safely hidden underneath her robe. Suddenly she felt something block her hooves. She looked down and found herself standing face to face with a Tribal child. His green eyes widened in fear. He ran gasping to his mother.

“I saw her. I saw Keshi!” The Tribal boy cried in his mother’s arms.

Soarin leaned closer to Thunderlane. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

The crying of the Tribal child reached the ears of the other Tribals. Their bear like faces stared at the ponies with a growing tension in their eyes. The royal guard looked nervously at each another. They turned to their leader. Shining Armor returned the Tribals look with a ready one.

King Jeff showed the ponies into a large facility that had been built into the mountain. The inside of the building was massive and had metal walls. The sound of pickaxes caused them to rumble. Tribal workers grunted and brutishly shouted requests between each another. The rocky walls had lanterns fastened on them, lighting the mining holes for the workers. At the end of the giant room towered a mountain wall which housed the entrance to the mine. A railway lead into the mine with a cart that had been filled with pickaxes and other tools. If the ponies looked to the left they could see some kind of administration office that towered over the miners, allowing for the ones inside to look down at their workers. The area could be accessed via stairway that connected with an outside catwalk. One of the Tribal miners walked up to Jeff.

“Jeff. It’s good that you are here. The other miners are growing restless.”

“Where is Fernando?” Jeff asked.

“He went away, said there were trouble at camp C and that he needed to check it out.” The Tribal spotted the ponies. “Who are they?”

“Max, I don’t have time for introductions! Have you seen my brother?” Jeff asked irritatingly. Twilight could see that Jeff was a king that preferred to go down to the level of his subjects when preforming his role. Max shook his head.

“No, your majesty, not since we left camp B.”

“Send one of your workers and see if you can find him. I’ll take these guests upstairs and wait for you.”

Jeff lead Twilight and her friends into administration office. Spitfire, Shining Armor and the rest stayed downstairs. Vela proceeded talking to Jeff.

“Jeff, I need to get in contact with Diamond Geezer…”

While Jeff and Vela were talking Apple Jack looked out from the window overlooking the mining ground. She watched the Tribal miners carry rocks that often fell down and bruised their sides. She watched the pickers stretch their legs and grab their backs, some of them grinning in pain. She leaned closer to Fluttershy.

“I know I am a pony for hard work and all, but don’t you think that some the work those fellas down there preform seems a little too hard?”

“You know what? I think you might be right!” Fluttershy agreed.

Twilight was standing behind Fluttershy and overheard what they said. She turned to the king.

“King Jeff?”

Jeff halted the conversation he had with Vela.

“Don’t worry Twilight, Fernando will be here any moment. Whatever your business you might have will surely be arranged.”

“Jeff, I couldn’t help but notice your workers. I heard that you Tribals originally came from Goldwood.”

“That is correct princess.”

“Then, what are they doing here?”

King Jeff looked at Vela. “Maybe you should tell them, Gemini warrior?”

The ponies turned to Vela.

“An agreement has been made between the Gemini squadron and Fernando. He uses his contacts to make Diamond Geezer supply us with extra weapons and ammunition in our war against Mizar, in exchange…”

“…The Tribals work in the mines for Fernando.” Twilight ended with a saddened face.

“It is better than raiding and looting. You saw what we were up against inside that cruiser.” Vela pointed out.

The ponies looked nervously at each other, knowing they all thought the same thing. Jeff was fast to defend himself.

“You may have been noticing by now how my people are suffering. Well, that is exactly why I’m here. I came here from Goldwood to negotiate better treatment for them.” Jeff’s voice filled with irritation. “That Fernando fellow and his Mole Brothers Company have been mistreating my Tribal people for years, especially in times of war and suffering! So, when I said ‘negotiate’ I meant more like ‘asking politely’, with emphasis on ‘politely’.”

“But what about this Diamond Geezer?” Twilight asked.

“I was just about to tell you, he has gone off for a planet called Cerulean.”

“Argh, perfect! Our target has literality LEFT the planet!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed incredulously.

One of the tribals suddenly burst in.

“King Jeff! There is trouble downstairs.” The tribal paused for dramatic effect. “It’s your brother.”

Jeff followed the Tribal to the catwalk. He looked back at Twilight before exiting the room.

“Stay here and keep out of sight.”

Jeff stepped out onto the catwalk. His brother was standing by the facility entrance. Around him he had a large number of his Tribal followers. Barry were Jeff’s younger brother and stood taller than him. Otherwise, it was like they were twins.

“Ah. My dear brother.” Barry greeted and pointed his staff skyward. Unlike Jeff’s staff, which had a brown ball at the end, Barry had a purple. “I came here to see how my people are doing, working for the humans and the slave drivers.”

Jeff ignored Barry’s rebellious behavior.

“It is good to see you again brother. You are the reason I still believe in our family and our land!” Jeff exclaimed proudly.

“Samewise brother, and together, you and I will deny Keshi’s influence over our people and destroy her servant, Mizar!”

Jeff laughed. “I have missed you brother. You have come so far from what you were before, and I almost know no words: I could not be prouder of a brother! But I must also be honest with you, all this time thinking about your past mistakes have left you superstitious. Keshi is a human demon and none that, as far as I know, has any real power over our people.”

Barry laughed, almost like he was miming his brother. “I have missed you too brother, I could have no better teacher and friend! But even though you taught me, I must also take that role, when it is necessary, to teach you. Keshi is an evil horse demon that has awoken Mizar from his slumber in order to bring an end to the universe.”

Twilight and her friends was listening too Jeff from inside the office. Suddenly, they heard the squeaking sound of a door. Another entrance into the office slowly opened, revealing two large figures.

Outside Jeff was about to respond to his brother. He did this while walking down the stairs from the catwalk. “Maybe so, maybe not, but our resolutions have never been about the occult and magic. I tried resolving things with magic on planet Tawfret, and we all saw how well that turned out!” Jeff laughed at his own mistakes.

A crazy smile festered on Barry’s face. “Yea, see how well that turned out. Tell me brother, if you truly have learned your lesson…”

“Stop! Leave her alone!” A voice shouted from inside the office. Two large tribal came out of it. They were double the size of a normal Tribal and had arms as big as their legs. One of them was holding Twilight Sparkle by the horn. She screamed and struggled while the Tribal dragged her so violently that she almost lifted from the ground.

“Ahh! Stop! Let me go!”

Barry continued passive aggressively. “…If you truly have learned your lesson brother, then tell me why your new advisors seem so...” Barry appeared to be looking for the word. “…Magical?”

The large Tribal warrior dropped Twilight at the edge of the catwalk so that everyone below could see her. There were gasps of horror. Twilight had no time to glare angrily back at the massive Tribal that had brought her there like cattle ready for slaughter before her eyes festered on the Tribal workers. She watched their judging eyes looking at her.

“Look, It’s Keshi!”

“Wow, she even has the purple star!” One younger Tribal awed.

“Child eater!” One Tribal female chanted.

Most of the chants came from Barry’s Tribal followers, but for Twilight they appeared to be coming from everywhere. Spitfire and Shining armor stood not far from the crowd. They glared disapproving over all the Tribals. They were getting ready to intervene when their eyes suddenly locked with Twilight’s. She advised them not to by shaking her head. The chants continued.

“You are responsible for everything!”

“Is it true that you fly to hell and dance with the devil?!”

“My son is dead because of you!”

Twilight felt like she had been showered in ice water, taken out into the cold and hung out on a cloth hanger to dry in the middle of the rain. She felt exposed, singled out, and not in a princess and official business way, but in a private way. For her it felt like every chant, coming from below, rounded her belly, curled inside and formed a large stone. Twilight wasn’t a princess, she wasn’t a friend, she wasn’t even a daughter. She was bare, a lonely unicorn with an ugly red scar across her face, facing the music of which she had no control over. Twilight felt like she was falling down from the catwalk, even though she was still standing on top of it. Behind her the rest of her friends was hindered by the Tribal guards.

“I am so disappointed at you brother, I expected better off you than to consult with demons.”

“Barry. Please, stop this, these ponies are our guests!” Jeff pleaded.

Max the Tribal watched his idol stand up for these colorful ponies with pride in his heart, and resentment. From the moment King Jeff decided to allow his brother amnesty from his prison Max had known that it was a bad idea. Barry may have been manipulated by Mizar after he built him, but Max still saw the essence of a mad Tribal in him. Max turned and looked at his co-workers, whom all returned their team leader’s glance. Nothing needed to be said, they all felt the same way. Max took a firm grip around his pickaxe and walked behind Jeff. His work team, consisting of three Tribals, following him.

“Guests?” Barry continued. “Are you sure about that? Because I could swear that the term ‘guest’ around these parts would imply that they’d be holding a pickaxe and work for free.”

One Tribal worker threw his pickaxe down to the ground. “Barry is right! I have been working three days straight with no time to be with my family!”

“And I am just as angry about that as you are.” King Jeff fired back with a calm voice. “I know your daughter Isabella is turning mature age soon David, and I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world. I came here to negotiate better conditions.”

Another worker dropped his pickaxe. “These are the third negotiations going on, but nothing is happening!”

Max stepped up and made himself larger.

“Watch your tongue, you are speaking to your king!”

Jeff motioned Max to calm down. “I never meant for any of your situations to become this way but we need the help of the humans to combat Mizar or else we are all going to be enslaved forever.”

“Then why aren’t the humans here breaking rocks? Why do we always have to bend out knees for those furless monkeys!?” The other Tribal spat.

“There aren’t many of the Gemini Squadron left, they need to focus on damaging Mizar’s supply lines. To do that they need the weapons and ammunition we earn by working in these mines. For every step they take forward is one step closer for you to be with your family. Without them we’ll be all alone against both Mizar, all the scattered rouge drones and all other interests that seek to abuse us, without them we are lost.” Jeff hammered.

“You went lost the moment you allied yourself with Keshi, brother!” Barry dictated.

“MY SISTER IS NOT A DEMON!”

Shining Armor stepped up and placed himself not far from Barry and Jeff. He glared angrily at Barry. “My sister is the princess of friendship and she is not evil!”

Barry smiled crazily. “The princess of friendship?! A princess of friendship that uses her evil magic to make a robot do her bidding and enslave my people?”

“She did not use her magic to enslave your people, she used her magic to…!”

“Shining Armor!”

Shining Armor looked up toward the catwalk. Twilight was standing straight while making her voice heard.

“I do not know what this name Keshi means, but if that is what you want to call me, then I guess that is what I’ll hear, but know this: whatever different names you may call me, the truth of who I am remains the same!”

“Enough of this! Remove this demon from my sight!” Barry ordered.

One of the large Tribals walked up behind Twilight. Twilight frowned. Her horn gave a spark. The Tribal disappeared out of thin air and re-appeared behind Barry. The Tribal did not realize that Twilight’s teleportation ever occurred. He took a firm grip around Barry and lifted.

“What! Who are you?! What are you…. What!? What are you doing here!? What sorcery is this!?”

“What is it Barry? I thought you said you knew about this magic stuff.” Twilight teased. She continued speaking to everyone in the room.

“Listen Tribals, as I said, I do not know what this Keshi name means, but in my world of Equestria I go by the name of Twilight Sparkle! As the princess of friendship, it was my job to make sure that every creature that may be lonely, or every friend that might face loneliness didn’t need to.”

Vela was standing inside the office. She and Lupus had kept out of this, fearing the presence of Gemini fighters would escalate the situation. She now heard Twilight speak.

“…When I first came in contact with Mizar he was nothing more than a computer chip. Without knowing who he was, I gave him a power source and he introduced himself as Floyd, a friend and ally of the humans!”

Vela’s face froze. Floyd?!

Barry’s face twisted in anger by the last thing mentioned.

“That is a LIE! THAT CANNOT BE TRUE! I DEMAND THAT…!” Barry’s voice was suddenly cut when Shining Armor put a bubble of silence around him. Barry just kept on gorming inside the bubble, unaware of its effect. Twilight continued.

“Thank you. As I said, he told me his name was Floyd and that he had been floating in space for years, fully conscious, lonely and afraid. He told me he would give everything to just have a friend, and I was the Princess of Friendship. Now, let me ask you a question Jeff and Barry.” Twilight pointed her hooves at the Tribal monarch. “Your duty is with your people. Would you give up that duty when it was needed the most? No?! I didn’t think so, and neither would any of you have the right to deny me mine when I helped Mizar, calling himself Floyd in Equestria!”

Twilight’s shattered trust became more apparent the further she spoke.

“As the princess of friendship, I was so happy to be of service, helping a soul that sacrificed himself to save his friends. In fact, it was after hearing about his sacrifice that I felt compelled to give him a magic stone, infused with my princess magic, so that his robot body would stay powered for decades. It was a personal gift as a sign of our friendship. You called me the Princess of Friendship Jeff, even you Shining Armor called me the Princess of Friendship. You Tribals and you, Barry, you called me Keshi. Well, I am sorry to inform you that I am neither of these ponies today. Before I left Equestria a resigned from my princess duties. Why!?”

A dark aura started forming around Twilight’s face. Her voice, now amplified by her horn magic, rumbled the building.

“Why, because it was during the gala that my ‘friend’ returned and revealed that our friendship and everything he told me about his sacrifice had all been a GIANT LIE! He then repaid me by giving me this scar and by having his drones murder Starlight Glimmer, my very best student and my very best friend!”

Twilight turned around and trotted back toward the office. “I am going out to find Mizar, put a spell on that stone inside him, turn it over thousand degrees hot and watch the body I gave him melt around it. After that you can do whatever you want with me, until then you can either help me get to him…!”

One of the Tribal warriors exited the office and walked out onto the catwalk. He found himself staring straight into the dark void. “…or you can GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

The Tribal warrior raised his hands and backed down the stairs, allowing for Twilight to enter the office. She slammed the door behind her.

The rest of the miner argument turned out sour of a milder degree, but sour none the less. Twilight had managed to convince most of the miners that she had no intention of helping Mizar, with only Barry’s closest followers being blunt about her demand for revenge. But only a few of the miners believed that she would actually be an ally in the war. Jeff had done his best to try and talk to his people but in the end Barry had left the building, taking most of the miner families with him back to Goldwood. The only Tribals left were Max and his followers, along with a few others. There was now complete silence around the otherwise loud mine entrance.

“What are we going to tell Fernando?” Max asked.

Jeff laid his hand over his face and sighed. He turned to his way younger friend. “I will handle Fernando, head back to the mines and report back to me the current worker situation.”

“Yes monarch.”

“In fact, when you find them, bring them all here.” Jeff added.

Twilight was sitting down with her back hooves crumbled. Her purple eyes were sparkling with tears. She was looking out of the window overlooking the mining ground that recently had been filled with Tribals of all ages. Twilight saw Max walk into the mining entrance.

“Huh, this is the worst party ever.” Pinkie Pie sulked with her curly hair fluffy on the top of her head. She reached down underneath the table and brought out a small cake “And me who had a cake to celebrate the birthday of Daniel’s daughter.”

Rainbow Dash snapped out of her sulking just to answer Pinkie Pie.

“That Tribal outside first told us about his daughter during the argument, how could you POSSIBLY have had time to make that?!”

“Emergency cake, by the way, when you are friends, or possible friends within a possible future of possible friendship, you make the time.” Pinkie Pie answered with a sulking voice. She then raised her hoof and pressed the cake against her own face.

“How long are we staying here?!” Rainbow Dash asked restlessly.

“Shhhh, quiet. Can’t you see that Twilight is down? We leave when everypony is ready.” Rarity whispered irritatingly.

“But did you hear what those Tribals called her earlier?” Fluttershy spoke up. “If that’s what Twilight is going to be forced to hear throughout our entire stay, as her friend, I’m not so sure if we should waste any time.”

Vela was sitting in the corner with Lupus, watching the ponies hang. Vela liked hanging, even though she usually preferred action. But her mind did not circulate around the hanging, she was watching Twilight sulk in front of the window. Vela’s eyes seemed shrouded in mist, reaching out for a distant memory. The door into the office opened. Jeff walked inside. His mood said that he was ready for action.

“Well, that was unexpected, and highly unfortunate. I do not know what you ponies are planning on doing now, but quite frankly, I don’t think that matters anymore. The humans can’t take down Mizar without Twilight and Fernando aren’t going to stand so many of us leaving at once. Our destiny is hereby tied together. We are grabbing the Tribals and going back to Goldwood, Fernando can look for another way to make money out of this conflict.”

“But what about the weapons from Diamond Geezer?” Vela asked, turning to Jeff.

“Wrof!” Lupus said.

“They are going to run out of ammo eventually, making this new mission of yours critical that you do not waste any time.”

“New mission?”

King Jeff walked up to Vela. He pointed his staff at her and pressed it against her chest while saying his words.

“You and Lupus are going to look up your brother Juno, become again what you were always meant to be, Jet Force Gemini. You three are then going to help these ponies get close to Mizar, help Twilight use her magic to take his self-rebuilding spell away, kill him and end this conflict now.”

“Oh YEA! Now we’re talking! Swift, simple and hard action!” Rainbow Dash boomed.

“And you ponies’ stay behind the Gemini warriors. They have suits that protects them from incoming enemy fire, you don’t.”

“Don’t need to tell Fleetfoot that.” Apple Jack mumbled to Rainbow Dash.

“How are your princess doing by the way?” Jeff asked, looking at Twilight in front of the window. Twilight didn’t look back. “Listen Twilight, we all could have done things differently back there, but after how some of my people treated you. I would say, seeing you angry only did them good.”

Twilight knew she only had one path to follow, but she couldn’t stop looking at the empty mining ground and compare it to the grassy field between the Smokey Mountains in Equestria.

It had gone a couple of years now, but Smokey Mountain had been the place where she had whiteness the Hooffields and McColt families reunite after decades of fighting. It had been the common deed of Fluttershy and her, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, that had lead the families to start working together instead of giving in to mistrust.

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. She suddenly found herself at the Grand Galoping Gala, staring straight into the barrel of Mizar’s laser pistol again. It was swaying slightly up and down while being held by the hovering robot. Mizar glared at her with his red robot eyes. Was there a tinge of regret inside them?

Why?

In the corner of her eye Twilight could see Starlight Glimmer aim her horn, about to cast the spell that thwarted Mizar’s assassination attempt and saved her life. Twilight saw a bright flash, feeling the burning pain again.

“Ah.” Twilight moaned. She closed her eyes and put her hoof over her scar, which was now hurting outside as well as inside her mind.

When she opened her eyes again she wasn’t seeing the mining ground of Rith Essa, but the gala floor of Equestria. Starlight Glimmer’s diamond coat had burned away on several places, leaving behind bloody wounds after receiving several blasts to her body and head. Her mouth was half open with her eyes slightly visible underneath her limp eyelids. A small streak of blood ran down from underneath her unicorn head.

Twilight’s pupils widened, inside her daydream as well as outside. It suddenly dawned for her. The gala attack may have been carried out by Mizar’s ant assassins, but those specific blasts Twilight heard after Starlight used her magic to throw her out of harm’s way, those were the same blasts that gave Twilight her scar. She recalled the moments after Starlight’s spell had been cast. Twilight hadn’t remembered it before, but now she did.

She saw her. After Twilight gained her bearings, before Mizar’s assassins started firing at the other ponies, Starlight Glimmer was already lying dead on the gala floor.

It was you.

Twilight’s eyebrows lowered in anger.

It was YOU who killed her!?

The silence laid thick inside the mining office. Everyone was waiting silently for Twilight to reply to Jeff. The former princess turned her head slightly.

“Ever since that day, ever since that moment, everything that I have done have taken me one step away from everything Celestia taught me.”

Twilight got up and turned to her friends. She looked at them, as much with sadness as with anger.

“Let us find Mizar and get this over with.”